Back home . . . for a few days

I'm back home for the Memorial Day weekend (and Beth's and my Anniversary). A lot of things have gone on in the last couple of days, I'm having a hard time getting caught up. So, my whirlwind weekend has been spent trying to figure out what exactly is going on. On top of that, keeping up with RJ is a task in it's own right.

I had my meeting with my boss on Friday. It seemed to go well, but was a little cryptic. She agreed that the job description that I wrote up worked. I left the job title for her to complete, but she didn't. There was no discussion of money, either. In fact, I think that most of the conversation was about her getting comfortable with my ability to think strategically. I guess I'll wait and see what really happens.

My grandmother is in the hospital with fractures in her pelvic bone due to just going outside and gardening. RJ and I are heading up to see her today. (Beth needs a day off after having to keep up with RJ 24/7 for the last 3 weeks . . . and the next three weeks, so she's taking a needed day off).

My grandfather (other side of the family) has a new leg; a prosthetic one. I won't be able to make it up to see him this weekend. I'm going to try to make the trip up the next time I'm back in town (Father's Day Weekend).

Our neighbors had a memorial for their wife/mother who passed one year ago. (We miss you AOG!)

Enterprise rental car company appears to want to charge us $100 for the tolls we didn't pay in Ireland . . . which we did pay. That will be a nightmare trying to fight the Irish tolling authority through Enterprise - who doesn't really give a lick because they don't have any money at stake. The tolling authority bills them for the tolls (with penalties) and they charge my credit card.

RJ has done a couple of headers since I've been back has matching knots on both sides of his forehead. His forehead looks like we cut off a pair of horns.

Beth took me out to see a buyer's club that she wants to join that just opened in McHenry. We had some of their organic eggs and sausages for breakfast yesterday - good stuff. We'll probably end up joining, but I'm not so sure how long the business will last. The store was might empty.

We now have a landscaper. It is summer and I'm in Ireland. Beth shouldn't be doing heavy garden work, so she convinced me to hire a landscaper. It didn't take much convincing, I don't want Beth to throw her back out because then I'd only feel more guilty about being in Ireland. Additionally, we hire a company to cut the lawn . . . I could get used to that.

And that's getting you caught up with what I'm getting caught up with.

Zoned Home

Today, Beth and I installed/affixed 4 baby gates in the house, effectively zoning the house into five different areas. All areas actually have an intent and purpose for their existence. I thought I'd share just for the hell of it.

Zone 1 - Upstairs
This zone is sectioned off by a baby gate installed at the top of the stairs. It includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a linen closet. Allowed within this area are adults, toddlers, skinny cats (who can squeeze under the gate), and dogs (evening access only).

Zone 2 - Stairs
The stairs are controlled by two gates - one at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom of the stairs. Due to the danger of this zone to toddlers, they are strictly prohibited from this zone and must be carried across the zone by an adult. Due to its absence of toddlers, it has also become a refuge for cats looking to escape the curious clutches of a toddler.

Zone 3 - Living Room/Dining Room
This is the primary exploration area for toddlers, where the Dining room has been retrofitted to their taste - including playhouse, play mat, and oodles of toys. It borders all other zones except for zone 1. Cats have full access to this area as it also is the area that provides entrance to their bathroom(laundry room). Dogs are strictly forbidden from this area with the exception of admittance for light cleanup duties (if we decide to feed RJ in this area). It is also home to the Wii and the PS2.

Zone 4 - Kitchen/Family Room
This area is the primary habitat for the canines, where they can dutifully clean up after meals. It has prime access to the back deck as well as the garage. This makes it easy to let the dogs out to the yard to do their business. Cats may enter at their own risk. Fat cats and old cats may have issue getting over the gates to get to this area, but that may be in their best interest anyhow. Home to the popular TiVo.

Zone 5 - Basement
The basement is not sectioned off by a gate, but rather the basement door. It is off limits to toddlers, dogs, and cats. The exception to this is when we have company, when this becomes the temporary home for the cats. The basement is used primarily for storage (especially unused fitness equipment).

The Honey-Do List

It's amazing how long a Honey-Do list can get when you're away for 3 weeks. While I'm away, I get plenty of reminders of what needs to get done when I get home. In addition, I have my own to-do list to boot. So these whirlwind weekends that I'm home for just 4 days tend to be consumed in cleaning, home maintenance and running errands.

This weekend I get to bolt baby gates to the walls, shop for a new car seat for RJ, clean toilets, get a haircut, return/renew books at the library, go through 3 weeks of mail, pay bills, deposit checks, pickup water softener salt, take Tana to the vet, send in my expense reports, buy Beth a birthday gift, shop for cheap things for my Dublin apartment, do laundry, install cabinet cabinet/drawer guards, pack for my flight back to Ireland, and find the time somewhere in there to spend with Beth and RJ.

Luckily, my biological clock is still messed up so I can start working on these things at 4am when nobody else is awake.

To top it off, I have project deliverables due on Tuesday when I land back in Dublin. I'm not sure when those are going to get done, because they lose priority when I'm back in the US.