Pond Hopper

So my son has an ear infection.  We're supposed to be flying out for our trip home on Friday.  The problem is, you can't fly with an ear infection.  It can cause the eardrum to burst.  The infection started late Sunday night. I was up all night with a miserable little boy who cried on & off all night. We got to see the doctor Monday afternoon when the doctor confirmed my fear of an ear infection.  He said it was a severe infection, gave us antibiotics and told me to bring him back Thursay to either clear him to fly or tell us we have to postpone our flight.  Today my son is still in pain and still running a fever.  He is showing little sign of improvment and I am really stressed out.  We can change our flight, but there is a £200 fee per person and we'llhave to pay the price difference in fares (a last minute ticket costs a pretty penny).  This ear infection may cause is to have to spend part of our trip in my mother's guest room and cut...

I can't tell you how much I detest the need for the :-) and 'lol' in the modern world.  We spend far too much time writing emails, text messages and facebook comments than actually communicating with each other.  A tone cannot be heard in text form.  If like me, your sense of humor is largely made up of sarcasm and dry humor, the need for the smiley face and abbreviations like lol are constantly needed to make sure people know that you are indeed kidding and not a total bitch. I can't tell you how many misunderstandings I've had over texts, instant messages, emails or social networks because the tone of a comment could not be heard and because it's not a real time conversation. Things have been misconstrued and blown out of proportion in ways that would never happen in a face to face or telephone conversation.  I have an ex that I've had countless unnecessary blow out arguments with that would never have taken place if modern technology didn't exist. If...

Friday, we leave for NJ.  My sister is getting married.  For a while I thought we wouldn't make it to the wedding.  She got engaged in December only weeks after our last trip back.  Trips home cost a small fortune and with so little time to save, I figured it would be on a wing and a prayer.  Somehow, it worked out. Somehow we found the money.  This will be the most expensive trip yet.  It's peak season and the airline tickets alone cost $4000. We don't want to stay with my mother (staying with family is for such long visits is suffocating for everyone involved) so the hotel is costing another $3000.  After the car rental, food expenses, the maid of honor dress I'll have to buy for the wedding and spending money, it will probably exceed $10,000.  It's staggering and a real hardship for us (one that no-one in my family could ever appreciate), but it is what it is and missing the wedding was just not an option. This will also be our shortest t...

I dreamed of you last night.  You called me.  I answered the phone and you said, 'Chief?' Hearing your voice after all of these years, my heart caught in my throat and all I could say was 'What's wrong? '  knowing something would have to be. You said you needed me. I asked, 'Can you come? You know I can't' 'I know. Yes, I can come' I told you, 'I can't pick you up.  It's too weird.  Too much like before.' 'I know' 'You'll have to meet him.  Maybe even both of them.' 'I know' 'It will be okay. He knows me.  He knows he can trust me.  He'll understand.' 'Ok.  Thank you.' 'You know you don't have to thank me. I love you.' 'I know.' Even in my dreams you don't say much.  After that, the dream cut to you at my door.  In the dream, I was prepared for that moment, but I know that this would never be the case.  We went out on my deck  over looking the har...

Synopsis: Elizabeth Egan's life runs on order: Both her home and her emotions are arranged just so, with little room for spontaneity. It's how she counteracts the chaos of her family -- an alcoholic mother who left when she was young, an emotionally distant father, and a free-spirited sister, who seems to be following in their mother's footsteps, leaving her own six-yearold son, Luke, in Elizabeth's care. When Ivan, Luke's mysterious new grown-up friend, enters the picture, Elizabeth doesnt know quite what to make of him. With his penchant for adventure and colorful take on things large and small, Ivan opens Elizabeth's eyes to a whole new way of living. But is it for real? Is Ivan for real? My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book.  It's nice to have a an easy read every now and then.  This was a lovely, light hearted and and truly magical story. This is a highly recommended book for those who simply want to escape from the real world.  The book ...

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Synopsis - Left Neglected is the story of Sarah, a high-powered executive and mother of three, who has a car accident and suffers a catastrophic brain injury. The brain injury results in Left Neglect Syndrome — a disability where she doesn’t recognize anything on the left side, even her own hand or leg. My thoughts - I had extremely high hopes for Left Neglected because it got such great reviews. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. This was the first book in a very long time that I actually skipped pages. I never felt a connection with the central character and by the end of the book, I just didn't care what happened to her. I think the author went over the top with her portrayal of the modern career woman. The main character is in a major accident and misses her Blackberry just as much as she misses kids (maybe more)? I got the point, but did I have to be slammed over the head with it? At first I related with her as a mother and as someo...