Monkey, a rainbow, and Betty taking up a whole parking space

Proud owner of a 4 year old...

At 12:05 yesterday I celebrated Emma's birthday. I think back to the last four years and how much she's grown... and how much I've grown and learned. It's wonderful that Emma has come into contact with those important to me and they are able to share in our life. It's equally as wonderful that Emma has become their little friend as well. Many thanks to everyone who called or emailed yesterday to wish Emma a Happy Birthday...

withdrawal, employment, etc.

Withdrawal has already begun even though Monkey doesn't leave until Saturday morning. I will see her Friday for a little while, but then won't see her again for 10 days. I don't like this. She and her mom are going to the beach for 10 days. I've gone 7 days before. It was horrible, but I had things to do to keep me occupied. This time, I have nothing. Well, that's not true. I start a new job on Monday. That will keep me occupied during the day. But at night, I can already see myself sitting on my porch. Missing her and our routine. Smoking a shit-ton of cigarettes.

On a different note, 2 weeks ago I accepted an offer to work at a Robotics company in Durham. I have only been at Misys for 10 months, but decided that it was a strategic move. Strategic because it's a new, privately owned company that gives employees the ability to use their creative capacity to get the job done. I'm pretty fucking creative, at times. I think I'm a perfect fit. Not only will the job, company, and money kick ass, but I'll get to work again with one of my best friends from Kodak. I taught him alot of what he knows, so it will be easy to step into this role already knowing his expectations and already respecting his work ethic. Not to mention a built-in smoking buddy.

Let's see. Puppy fever has set in after going with Jessica to pick up her new Shit-zoo. A quick trip to the pound was just what I needed. I've decided on a chocolate lab. Good with kids. Docile (when they are older), easy to train, and just a great dog. I might have to wait until after Monkey's surgery and her new diet starts, because Gluten-free food is expensive! 3 bucks for a small box of noodles! Holy shit! I'm going to have to start donating plasma just to be able to afford to feed my child!

I had a party on Monday. It was AWESOME. My favorite people came over for wine, coffee and j.d., and whatever else we could think of to mix with coffee. Good friendship was definitely felt that night. I look forward to the next one.

A little privacy, please....

As some of you may know, Monkey had her first ballet/tap class last night. She was such a little firecracker! I put her to bed in her tap shoes last night, because I figured it wouldn't hurt anything, and she would probably give me less grief about having to go to bed. This works for me. However, after I was confident that she was asleep, I went into her bedroom and took off her shoes. All is well at this point.

However.

This morning, I slept in a little (ok, alot.) and went into the bathroom to turn on the shower when the youngin' monitor erupts with a screaming monkey. "Daaaaaddddddyyyyyyyy.... (6 second pause) .......Daaaaaaaaddddddddddyyyyyyyyy.....(another 6 second pause)........ Daaaaaaaaaddddddddddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy....."! I'm pretty good about getting in her room by the third calling. It's cute because each yell is more drawn out than the one before. So I walk into her room and she is sitting on her bed with her arms crossed, holding her new bear that my boss got her when she was in the hospital, and she asks me, "why are my tap shoes on the floor?" Stop. Change to "Deer in Headlights" stance. "You must have taken them off in your sleep, sweetheart..." Why in God's name did I just lie to my child? No turning back now. "I want my shoes back on." I put her shoes back on and got her out of bed and she followed me into my bedroom where she crawled into my bed with her tapdance shoes and pulled all the blankets up to her ears (yes. she likes her ears covered). I tell her I'm going to get in the shower but I'm going to close the door. She asks why. I tell her that I need a little privacy, please. Fine. After my shower, I wrap the towel around my waste and open the door. She is still laying there covered up to her ears. We converse for a moment while I shave. Then I close the door. She asks me why again. I tell her I need a little privacy. Fine. By the time I open the door again, Monkey is in her room with the door shut. I go in there to attempt to get her dressed. She is not in her room. I look around and notice her closet door is closed. I open the door and she is standing in there, naked in her tapdance shoes, putting on her clean underwear. She stops and looks up at me and with the sassiest voice says to me, "a little privacy, please...."

Smartass.

Wonder where she got that from...

My little Ballerina and other things....

Monkey has her very first Ballet class today! That's right. Juliard, here we come! I am going to be the beaming, retarded father in the corner snapping pictures the ENTIRE time I am there. She has a little leotard, and dance shoes, and she has to have her hair pulled up (which I'm worried about). I can't do hair very well. I have managed a few times to get perfectly straight pigtails, or a pseudo-braid.... but we'll see. I think I'm gonna have to go to CVS and pick up some of those hair clip things that look like a plastic claw. I have little ones but they will not do the trick.

I will be posting pictures of her first class...

OH! This morning.
We seriously need to talk about this.

I was driving down the Durham Freeway coming to work this morning. The wind is blowing. The rain is coming down hard. I am in the left lane driving with traffic, but giving a few extra car lengths to the car in front of me so I don't make them nervous when this PRICK in a BMW gets right on my ass and starts flashing his lights. Number one rule, don't do that. You will be forced to avoid slamming into me when I hit the brakes. This pisses him off. So he jerks to the other lane and pulls up next to me (we are doing about 60 mph) and he stares, so I feel obliged to give him the finger and stare at him while I do it. This does not make him happy, so he speeds up and attempts to cut me off, but in doing so, he hydroplanes into a spin and crashes his car into the median, completely ruining the entire front and side of his car! Serves you right, asshole.

Yes, I did pull over and ask him if he was ok, if he had a cell phone, did he need me to call someone, did he need me to wait on him...

but only after calling him an idiot did I ask these things.

That'll teach 'er

I have a gift.

The gift of being able to sleep through anything. Or so I thought until 5:45 this morning...

Bear with me on this one, because there are so many details.

Monkey goes to sleep at or around 8:00 p.m. I, on the other hand, go to sleep around 1:00 a.m. or later, depending on how many cigarettes I have left, or how keyed up I am because I don't know how to say no to caffeine. Monkey's bedroom is on the other side of my apartment, but my bathroom butts up against the wall in her room, so sometimes when I shower in the morning, the noise will wake her up. That little tidbit of information has no relevance to this story. Monkey's bed is a wooden bed with two long rails that fit on both sides, so she is, in essence, is in a pine encasement at night. She can climb in when it's time for bed, but prefers not to climb out. This works for me.

When morning comes, I get up, get a cup of coffee, get in the shower, get dressed, eat cereal (or not) and do what I have to do before I get Monkey up. I enjoy this time. It's "me" time. This morning, I laid there with my eyes closed and listen to the monitor to try and hear her stirring, snoring, or moving around. Nothing. Thinking this is strange, because she never gets out of her bed, I open my eyes and she is standing beside my bed staring at me in the face with a smile on her face and her hands covering her mouth as if trying to keep from making a sound! Needless to say, I got freaked out. Sorta like the scene in "Dawn of the Dead" when the couple is laying in bed and the next door neighbor's daughter is just staring at them. Freaky! I have a feeling if this happens again, and I notice she's there before I open my eyes, I'm gonna have to "BOO" so she knows that I can appreciate her being quiet, but not the whole standing there thing.

Determination

Monkey was so sweet this morning. She woke up in her typical fashion (I pick her up from her bed and take her to the couch where she sits on my lap facing me with her head on my chest). I got her dressed, checked her blood-sugar, fed her, teeth brushed, and out the door in only 15 minutes (go me). She had a rather restless evening, though. Still getting used to it being only the two of us, she whined a bit and kept begging and begging for someone to come over, in which I calmy responded, "not today... maybe another day". Another day turns into a week... and I feel terribly guilty. But this morning, she says to me, "daddy... guess what. it's ok when we don't have company." It made me smile. However, by the time we were at school, she was asking the same question again. She doesn't miss a beat.

Who knew....

Daniela (Emma's mother) and I told Emma last night that Max, our dog, had passed away. We drove to Daniela's work and waited outside on a bench for her to finish up... well, more like I waited on a bench while Emma played with some kids that she had met less than 2 minutes from us getting there. We sat her down on the bench and I explained how every morning Max and Rusty get fed, but this morning, only Rusty got fed because Max's body stopped working and he went to sleep forever. She understood what I was saying, and was of course saddened, but didn't skip a beat. She asked how soon until she got another dog. God I love her.
On a separate note, I got a call from Daniela last night. The other dog, Rusty, did not take things so well. He spent most of the night baying and whimpering (something he has never done before) because his little buddy was not with him. At least, that's the only thing we could think of as to why he was so vocal. No matter how much they fought and ignored each other, there must have been a love between the two of them that only they knew. Who knew dogs have love/hate relationships as well...

Monkey is Three!

Happy Birthday, Monk.
I love you!