How the MAD Scientist became a sahm

Why mad scientist you ask? Well, I'm a little angry right now. I was laid off at the end of March 2008--the very last day of the month, and at the very end of the workday. I was in the lunchroom when my smarmy smiling boss came in and told me to come up around 3 to hear about some changes to R&D--and to send up everyone in 15 minute increments. He walked off, and I promptly threw my lunch away, as all appetite had fled. I was hurrying to get a particularly large order out, and when I looked up at three--I noticed all my coworkers had vacated the lab. Apparently they had been given different orders than I. I walked upstairs--knowing what was coming. Smarmy boss-man told there wasn't enough work to justify my existence and then told me to give back my cell phone and laptop--neither of which had ever been granted to me, and to clear out my desk by the end of the day. It was 3 and, as I arrived at work at 7, was fairly close to the end of my work day. I went back to my desk to clear off a few photos I had stored on the computer, I got up to trash some files I didn't think they'd need, and by the time I got back to my desk, I had been locked out of my computer.

I went back downstairs to finish that order, and clean up my bench--then I trashed my notebook--a no-no in the science world, and left. As I was leaving, one of my coworkers had returned, and I explained what was going on. She was one of my favorites, and I actually felt more sorry for her for having to stay. As I drove off, I flipped that company the biggest mental bird I could. They have done through 4, count 'em, 4 R&D directors in about 3 years. I managed to hang on the longest. What really makes me mad about the entire thing was that I found out about their track record a few hours after giving my notice at my old job. It was truly unfortunate timing.

So, after giving them the mental bird, and driving off, I phoned my husband, promptly burst into tears and started shaking. I have not been unemployed in over 16 years--especially not with 2 children and a mortgage. I'm still feeling rudderless--and stressed with the economy tanking the way it is. But, I remember part way through the long drive (did I mention I drove 45 miles each way) feeling elated, and freed from the crappiest employer EVER. My kids reactions were priceless when I told them about the job. Jake said "YESSSS!" and Porter just hugged me tight. Here we are 3 months later, and I love the stay-at-home scene. I just don't know if we can make it work. We love San Diego, but, affordable it isn't.

"Luckily" a week after I lost my job, some drunk driver took out my husband's (paid for) Chevy Silverado when it was parked on the street. We were paid fairly generously for the loss. This means that we no longer have a gas guzzler and are down to one pretty old car. My husband is getting in great shape riding his bike to work, and we are learning to walk and ride bikes for our outings as well. I heard some movie director say that getting fired was "God's way of telling you to do something else." I'm looking into it--but I sure haven't been inspired by the prospects at the moment. It's a scary world out there, I just hope I can find a place in it.

Say What?!

What do you tell your 7 and 4 year old about bad language? A few days ago, luckily out of earshot of dad (who would immediately blame me), Porter asked, "Mom, what does sombitch mean?" Just like that. My immediate reaction was to have to stifle a very loud chortle--something that foul coming from such a sweet, innocent face. Then, bafflement as I struggled to think when I last said that (I blame myself for their foul language too). But that particular word is not in my repertoire of things to say when stubbing a toe, or dropping a hot pan of pasta sauce on my clean kitchen floor. So, I'm completely baffled as to where he got that one.

I've found that I have to separate what words can be said in what location. I don't want to invest importance into silly words--crap, fart, poop are not a bad words, especially when only said in the bathroom. Likewise, dipstick is fine in the garage. But when you use these words to make someone feel bad, that is bad. I'm trying to teach them that the words themselves are not bad, but the intention behind the use of the word is.

So imagine my horror when my 7 year old asked (after playing with Tigger at his cousin's house), "Mom, what does n----r mean?" This did not make me laugh at all--where on earth did he hear this one?! To me, that word is the ultimate in mean words--the intention of that word is to demean. I tried calmly to explain that to my son--we don't ever use that word, it is only a mean word. He said it a few more times, rephrasing the original question, I think to just get it out of his system.

I read a story in the Redding paper last week when we were visiting. The story talks about two moms taking their 3 early readers to the playground. The slide made a great microphone so the moms could hear everything their kids were saying. They were laughing at some of the fun comments they were making up until the 2 boys started swearing like sailors. The girls mom looked at the boy's mother accusingly, and she could not figure out where they'd heard these words. Then, the girl said, "Mother-father. . .ha! they spelled father wrong!" The moms realized that the kids were reading the graffiti off the inside of the slide.

Home from Vacation!

My car is currently a pungent potpouri of Ranch Pringles, McDonalds French Fries, Tropical Skittles, bbq pistachios, Dr. Pepper with a little 2% milk thrown in. Yes, we defied current wisdom and took a driving vacation this year. With gas prices as high as $4.75 in Bishop, CA and as low as $4.05 in Carson City, NV this may not have been as wise as the trendy "staycation," but we sure had a blast.

We started out Tuesday, July 2, leaving San Diego at Paul's predicted 2 pm. I guess I'm more of an optimist than I thought, I predicted 12. We drove to Livermore, CA and stayed with Paul's wonderful and very hospitable sister Pat. We love staying with her because she has a beautiful house, with a terrific garden. And, if we time it right, her fab husband will cook for us. Alas, we did not time this one right. We decided, belatedly, to hit Yosemite on Wednesday. Of course, we were tired from the journey the day before, so we didn't leave Livermore until 11:30. The last time Paul and I made this trip, we left from Ripon (an hour closer) and we had my cute little Miata. Needless to say, we didn't arrive in Yosemite Valley until 3, a good hour and a half later than we'd hoped. Yosemite was beautiful though, and worth the time. We hiked to lower Yosemite Falls, then decided to hike to the top of Vernal Falls. Porter stayed on Paul's shoulders for most of the hike, but Jake, courageous adventurer he is, did it on his own. We couldn't be more proud! We didn't leave Yosemite until 8 that night, so we completely missed out on dinner with the Bayons.

We left Livermore the following day, after a fun lunch with Pat and Brent. The journey to Redding was uneventful (did we mention we have a portable DVD system that makes travelling with kids a breeze?). We stayed with Tim and Kathleen this time around. Mom Z has not been feeling all that well, and relinquished her exclusive rights to host us. Unfortunately, there were no fireworks in Redding due to that half of the state being ON FIRE! The day we arrived was the first day the people of Redding could see the surrounding mountains. We decided to do the Redding Aquatic Center which was an absolute blast. They have 2 enormous pools split into separate sections. A diving section with a high dive and standard diving board. Jake DOVE from the high dive for me--he's incredibly intrepid! They have a great water slide, and in the other pool, a very shallow area with a play structure for toddlers--with 3 small water slides. All this for the bargain price of $3.50 for adults and $3.00 for kids. If you're in the area, I highly recommend this place. http://reddingrecreation.org/

The 5th of July, we went to Brandycreek. It was beautiful and clear when we arrived, but got smokier and smokier as the day progressed. Jake and Paul had a great time swimming to the raft in the middle of the swimming area. There is a shallow sand bar on the other side of the raft that you can stand on and walk. It was a great day all around.

We left the following day for Alturas. We passed through a bunch of very small towns on our way there, as well as some incredibly picturesque country. When we arrived, we were instructed to hit the Holiday Market and get directions from the cute tall blonde checker there. Boy, was she cute, and tall and blonde!!! Our niece, Danielle, was working that day. She gave us directions to her mother's after taking our money for the ice cream we couldn't resist. We polished off our cold treats and took off for Ann's house. We spent a few days visiting them--swimming in the community pool and taking in the sights. That is gorgeous country. I wish we had more time to do the camping and fishing the area is so rich in.

From there, it was on to Lori's in Reno, NV. I went to high school in the area, so I was somewhat familiar with the territory. But boy has Reno grown. I scarcely recognized South Reno at all. Lori's girls had just had to switch to year-round school, and had started school two days before. But, as we don't get to see them that often, she pulled them out of school the next day so we could play. We decided to do Lake Tahoe. We chose Sand Harbor which was absolutely stunning that day. It was clear and wonderful when we arrived, but as the day progressed the smoke we were trying to escape in Redding made it's appearance. By the end of the day, we could no longer see the mountains surrounding the lake and ash covered our cars. The kids love looking for crawdads on the rocks, and they even managed to catch a big one. We managed to have a wonderful day, and got only slightly sunburned.

All to soon, we had to bid the Strang's goodbye, and get home. Porter had woken up the night before wondering where he was at. Who could blame him? We have been in no less than 4 different beds--all terrific, but confusing for a 4 year old. Paul pulled Porter into bed with us and we slept well for the rest of the night. We passed through my old stomping grounds on the way home--stopping in at Russel's Mercantile in Minden, NV. My former next-door-neighbors run the place--if you have a chance to stop in, I highly recommend them. They have fantastic sandwiches and salads--not to mention the baked goodies. It was great to catch up with the Russel and Denna families and see how great they are doing. http://nevadamagazine.com/index.php/issues/read/nevada_gift_ideas/

From there, it was back home to San Diego. The weather is perfect and my kids get to sleep in their own beds. I think it's likely Porter will still crawl in bed with us--I bet the confusion won't wear off for a while, but I think this was a vacation they will never forget.