Archive for March, 2009
I know, I know, I haven’t done one of these for a while. I don’t really have time for a “real” post this morning. I have observations in Bekki’s classroom and then class, so I leave you with this. It’s called “Day Too Soon” by Sia. I first heard her music on the show Six Feet Under, and just searched her one day after hearing her song “Breathe” on my itunes, and I came across this song. Her voice is absolutely beautiful, as are the lyrics.
Fixed the link!
Oooh, a new non-protected post…now, what to write about? How about the ginormous group project that I have to do in the next four weeks for an online class? Nah, I don’t wanna talk about that. Maybe the big historical reasearch/literary interpretation of “The Jungle?” Nope, that shit’s boring!
I have only a few more weeks left of the semester, and as it always is in the end, everything’s getting a little bit crazy. I feel like I don’t have time to get everything done, and with so many classes, I am perpetually juggling them all. At this point, I am hoping to simply pass all of them (I know I will at least PASS).
Ooooh, I know what I can talk about! I told y’all a few weeks ago that Douche went away to Afghanistan, right? Yes. Ok, so it’s been about three weeks since he left. He called the boys a few times in the week before his departure, and told them how much he missed them, how he would call when he could, etc. I was completely surprised when I got a text from his wife letting me know that he had gotten to Russia and that she would let me know when he finally got to the desert so I could tell the boys. Color me shocked. This is a woman I have not spoken to since I called to try and find out the details of the affair she was having with my husband. I had told Douche that I wanted to meet her when we swapped the boys for spring break last year, and again last summer, but he kept saying it was a bad idea. She didn’t come with him on spring break, and in the summer she sat in the truck the entire time. So, I was very surprised that she was contacting me in any way, shape, or form.
There were a few texts back and forth about Douche and his deployment, and then one day I received an envelope in the mail from her. It had a money order in it and also a little note that read:
Here is the alimony for February and March. Sorry it’s late. (Insert name here)
Again, I was perplexed. The schedule for my recieving alimony from Douche has been spotty at best. I may get it one month, and then not get another check for two months. I don’t really get bent out of shape about it. It’s really not fighting over to me, so I usually just let it go. I was most surprised by the note that was included. It was so…polite. I sent her a text letting her know I had gotten it and that I appreciated it.
A few nights later, my Fireman was over here and we were watching a movie when my phone started ringing. It was the new wife. It was about 10:30, so I was immediately scared that something had happened to Douche. Otherwise, why would she even be calling me at all? I grabbed my phone and ran upstairs because my phone doesn’t work in the basement. It was the most bizarre thing to hear her voice for the first time. It was what I would call very, very “country.” Think Britney Spears, but more country. I think she is from Alabama. Anyway, she told me who it was (like I didn’t know) and asked me if I had gotten any weird phone calls (besides THIS one?!?). I asked what she meant, and she said that Douche’s dad had gotten a call from someone who was asking all kinds of questions about Douche and his deployment…whether his dad had power of attorney, when he left, when he would be back, etc. At first, his dad thought that he was talking to a bill collector or something, but then realized it was most likely someone trying to scam soldiers and their families. He called Douche’s mom, who called Douche’s wife. His mom suggested that she call me and let me know, in case someone contacted me like that. (I like to think that I’m smarter than that, but whatever.) I told her that if I got any strange calls, I would let her know, and thanked her again for keeping my boys updated on their dad.
It was such a weird experience. I’m glad, though, that she has initiated some kind of contact. That can only be good. That is, unless she starts asking questions about Douche and how things ended…I guess if that happens I will have to try and remain neutral…I don’t want to cause problems for them, despite what was done to me.
Big J even asked if he could text her on his new cell phone yesterday. They had quite a few texts back and forth. I’m glad that he likes his step-mother enough to feel comfortable with her, and I know he had questions about his dad’s deployment that I couldn’t answer. Little J…not so much. He hasn’t really said much about the whole thing, other than telling his friend’s dad everything he knew about the Army. We’ve talked about it a bit, but he hasn’t had too many questions about the deployment. I guess it’s easier not to think about it.
So, that was my first experience with the new wife. Any of you wanna share your experiences like this? I’d love to hear them!
Ok, ok, I know you’re all like, “Ginger posted two days in a row?! OMG!” I’ve neglected my blog writing/reading duties for a while due to a) school being a bitch right now, and b) being with my Fireman so much in my down time. I figured I should tell you about our trip to Chicago last week, which was a freakin’ blast!
I had told him before spring break that I really wanted to get out of town for at least a day, and since my boys aren’t on spring break until next week (my mom and Bekki will be helping me out), I had my days free. I had to get some observations done at the middle school, but we decided that we’d take a day and go to Chicago. It’s only a two-hour drive, and my parents agreed to get the kids off the bus in the afternoon and get them on it the following morning, so I didn’t have to be home until the boys got home from school the next day. We weren’t sure if we were staying the night (he has a good friend who lives there) or driving home, we didn’t really have much planned but to enjoy our time together.
After the boys were off to school on Wednesday, I drove over to his house and we loaded up the car and hit the road. We goofed off and listened to music and talked about everything under the sun. For some reason, we also started talking alternately in heavy Chicago accents and also like Christopher Walken. ‘Twas good times all around. We were in the city by 10:00 (Chicago time) and made our way to my aunt’s condo. It was overcast and cool, with lots of wind, so she offered to drive us to the Sears Tower (the one thing we wanted to be sure to do), and dropped us off. We rode up the packed elevator (that thing is superfast!) and took in the views of the city and Lake Michigan.
We were there for about an hour or so, maybe longer, we weren’t really paying attention to the time! When we left, it had warmed up quite a bit, and we began the walk to the Art Institute. The plan was to meet my aunt there for lunch, and then go and see the Munch exhibit.
Lunch was good, and we visited with my aunt quite a bit. The one thing I forgot to do was take pictures with her (DOH!), but we all had a good time, and I could tell that she liked my Fireman a lot. She had plans to go visit a friend’s farm that afternoon, so she said goodbye after lunch and left us at the exhibit, which was amazing, by the way. The really cool part? My Fireman and I actually discussing the different artworks, why we liked or didn’t like pieces, and what was evoked by them. Did I tell you he’s great or what? I’ve been to the Art Institute several times since I’ve moved up here, and no matter who I’ve been with, it’s always been sort of walk through, look at the work, move on. It was really nice to be able to discuss the art with someone who understood it (not that either of us know a lot about art). My favorites were the wood cuts, which I had never seen before.
We looked through a few more of the exhibits there, and then decided we needed a pick me up. We had been going since about 7 am, so we were pretty tired by this point. We had planned to meet up with his friend for dinner, then head over to a comedy show afterward. It was only about 3 in the afternoon, so we figured we’d go get an energy drink and walk around some before heading over to his friend’s apartment. We just started walking around near Grant Park when his friend called and said he’d gotten out of his afternoon meetings, so we could come anytime we were ready. We walked back to the car and drove over. It wasn’t far, and didn’t take us too long to get there.
His friend is a guy he’s known since high school, and is a graduate student working on his therapist’s lisence. He and his girlfriend made me feel very welcome, and we chatted for a bit before changing clothes and freshening up for dinner. We were beat by this point, but excited to go out on the town. We ended up eating at a little neighborhood restaurant in Lincoln Park. It was small and cozy, and very good. Then we headed to the comedy club. I didn’t know until we got there that it was Second City. Ok guys…I am a HUGE Saturday Night Live fan, so this was a big deal to me. His friend goes there a lot, and has never had trouble walking up and buying tickets, but the show was sold out that night, so we weren’t gonna get to see it. 
We weren’t that upset, and just kind of rolled with it. We WILL have to go back with advanced tickets in hand, though! 
We weren’t really sure what we wanted to do at this point, but my Fireman wanted to visit a fire station to get a t-shirt, so we drove back over to the apartment, parked the car, and started walking. We went to the station first, then walked around by the river. It was an absolutely gorgeous night, and we got some amazing pictures (like the one I posted the other day) and these:
When we finally made our way back to the apartment, we were ready to come home. We said our goodbyes and got back on the road, getting home at a little after midnight. It was such a great day and night, and I’m sure, the first of many trips to the wonderful city of Chicago. I love that town.
Protected: All Will Be Revealed
Published March 22, 2009 Uncategorized Enter your password to view commentsI missed writing. A lot. I have written a few things without publishing, but that isn’t the same. I miss reading about everyone else’s lives and what’s going on, and I miss my friends in the blogosphere. I didn’t stop writing because of what happened between my friend and I, but because I had to make some difficult decisions without everything being out in public. I suppose I forgot how to do that.
I have been so completely open here, and it started to be a bad thing. I have decided to stick my toe back in and see how it feels. Since my last post, things are a lot different. WT and I have gone from couple to friends, and The Fireman and I from friends to couple. I know, it’s weird. I listened to my intuition for maybe the first time without letting it stew for a while first. There were things that came up that I just couldn’t ignore, and my gut was telling me that no matter what, I was going to end up with The Fireman eventually.
Breaking up with WT was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I love him, he is one of my best friends, but I just knew it would end badly, and I could either end it now or drag it out. So, we are gingerly testing the friendship waters. We have even had lunch like a couple of grown ups! I know he is having a hard time, but I have to remember that I deserve to be happy, and I deserve the things that I want for my future. This is most likely the last time I will talk about WT. It doesn’t feel right, and I don’t want to hurt him further.
Douche left for Afghanistan about a week and a half ago, and the boys seem to be handling it well. They were upset on the day he left, but I think since they hadn’t seen him in such a long time anyway, it wasn’t too big a deal. I can tell they try not to dwell on it. Their step-mother has actually contacted me a couple of times with information, which shocked me, but made me glad that she’s trying to open up communication.
I’m on spring break right now from school, but have been busy catching up on my reading and doing my observations in classrooms. This means spending time in Bekki’s class, which is FUN! I am going to Chicago on Wednesday and will be having lunch with my aunt, possibly visiting the Art Institute and the Sears Tower. I’m excited. I love that city!
I am doing well. Very, very well.
I think I’m taking a break from writing publicly for a bit. There has been a lot going on since my last post, and until I can sort it all out, I’m keeping it to myself. I still plan on keeping up with your blogs. I feel as if I opened up too much lately.
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