December 21, 2006
Out of Karma Comes a Wii
Yesterday, I was able to obtain a PS3. This morning, my husband called me and told me that someone he works with knows a friend who wanted to buy it, someone who wanted it for themselves, not to resell it. We sold it for what we paid for it, nothing more. We both felt good that we were able to make someone’s Christmas a little happier.
(Edited to add that the PS3 buyer backed out. My husband thinks that he thought it was too good to be true that we were selling it for what we paid for it, and figured there must be something wrong with it.)
After I got off the phone, I couldn’t help but start thinking about how nice it would be if I could get my hands on a Wii. When I was little there was this Christmas where I really wanted a computer. My sister and I opened all of our presents and there was no computer there. I was thrilled with everything else I got, but I was a little disappointed. I was determined not to let my parents know that though. Then my Dad asked me if it was a good Christmas and if I got everything I wanted. I told him it was a great Christmas, and that the only thing that would have made it better was if we got a computer. But I told him I was o.k. with not getting it.
A couple minutes later, he walked into the living room with a huge box and my sister and I knew we had our computer. It was SO EXCITING! I’ll never forget that Christmas. I wanted to do that for Big I this year so badly. Big I has had a lot of surprises over the past year, like how a baby sister completely changes your life for one. She’s a really good kid and I really wanted to get her a Wii.
I thought about completely giving up last night, and then this morning I decided I couldn’t possibly give up yet. I’m the eternal optimist I guess. It became bigger than the Wii for me. It’s a competition and for anyone who knows me or has read this blog regularly, you know that I must ALWAYS WIN! Losing is not an option. Failure is not an option.
So, I had my husband call Walmart and ask when their FedEx shipment was coming. It was around 11 this morning. He called me back and said that FedEx had arrived with a huge shipment and that they were going through it, and if I wanted a shot at a Wii I should arrive around noon.
I waited in the car for Big I to get off the bus and zoomed off to Walmart. With Lil C in my arm and Big I struggling to keep up, we practically ran to the electronics department. There were boxes everywhere.
"Did you get any Wii’s?" I asked with hopeful anticipation.
"No," the guy said.
I was crushed. My husband and I had both had a good feeling and it was gone. "Oh well," I thought. "Let’s go get some more Tylenol for Lil C" I said. (She is getting four molars at a time I swear.) So, we picked up the Tylenol and something told me to walk by the electronics department again. One of the workers there stopped me and quietly asked me if I had about 10 more minutes of shopping to do, and I said that I could certainly find 10 more minutes of shopping to do. I hung around the electronics department like a stalker.
At 12:30, the employee told me to meet her in Lay-Away and I BOUGHT A WII!!!!!
She triple-bagged it for me to avoid any problems exiting with a Wii and two kids. I told her that she restored my faith in humanity. She laughed. I wished her a Merry Christmas and left smiling, but not too big. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.
As we were leaving, Big I said, "I saw that you bought something. Is that my ‘wideogame’?"
And like any good mother would do, I said, "What? What videogame? No, honey. I’m so sorry. This is the CD player I’ve been trying to buy for your uncle. He wants this so badly and they were sold out everywhere. Isn’t it exciting that we’ll be able to give this to your uncle and make him so happy? Maybe we’ll be able to get you that videogame for your birthday."
She agreed that it was going to be exciting to give the "CD player" to her uncle.
Was there ever a better example of what goes around comes around? I can’t wait until Christmas!!! Good luck to those still searching!
December 20, 2006
A Mother’s Mission to Find a Wii
10 a.m.: Despite barely having a voice because I am still sick, I call Toys R Us, Target and Walmart. Walmart tells me that their FedEx guy comes at 1 pm and that it’s possible they could get some Wii consoles.
12-12:30 p.m.: Rush to get lunch made and eaten. Load a 5-year old and a 14-month old into the car along with my sick self to get to Walmart by 1.
12:50 p.m.: Arrive in Walmart’s electronics department and ask about the Wii. I sense a bit of amusement on the face of this lanky kid and I consider smacking him around. He then says, "We got two. They’re already gone." I confirm that they won’t be getting any other shipments. Then I seek out the manager who I’ve talked to before and ask her about why she told me 1 when they came in earlier. Apparently it’s between 11-1. Gee, thanks for telling me NOW. I consider telling her what kind of effort it takes to get two little people and a sick mama out the door and into a store, but decide not to waste anymore of my time.
1:00 p.m.: Leave Walmart, run miscellaneous errands and then head across town. I drive by Best Buy and decide that is hopeless.
2:00 p.m.: Arrive at Circuit City. The guy doesn’t even make eye contact with me when I ask. I know they’re sick of hearing the question, but I am just as sick of asking it and would appreciate some acknowledgment that I exist and matter somewhat. Eye contact and a lack of mumbling would be appreciated. I sneeze in his direction and leave. A Christmas cold for you-bah humbug!
2:10 p.m.: It occurs to me that there’s another Walmart in the area.
2:20 p.m.: Confirm with yet another person who has the personality of a brick that they received no Wii’s.
2:30 p.m.: Because I am a glutton for punishment, I decide that I’ll check in at the Gamestop next to Walmart. Maybe, just maybe they’ll sell me their floor model or something (or not). I ask about the Wii, and they say "No, but we have two PS3’s and they’re the 60 GB ones." I almost fall over in the store. PS3’s??? Unbelievable. I try to call my husband to see if he wants one or knows anyone who does. He doesn’t answer his phone.
2:40 p.m.: I am getting on the highway and Mr. BBM calls me. "Go get it," he says.
2:50 p.m.: Arrive back at Gamestop and purchase the PS3. I then say to the guy who rang me up, "And here’s the part where the lady with a PS3 and two kids gets attacked in the parking lot." He decided to walk me to my car. How nice was that?
3:00-present time: Relish in the fact that I have a PS3 and an ebayer doesn’t.
Do you think someone would trade me for a Wii and the difference? How ridiculous that I could walk in and get a PS3, but not a Wii?
And how ridiculous is it that I still haven’t given up?
Update on BBM’s Dad: He is STILL in the hospital. They are having a difficult time regulating his blood and getting the right dosage of the blood thinners. He’s looking at a weekend homecoming if they can get things under control. No one was happy to hear that news including my Dad. Apparently he’s been taking long walks around the hospital unsupervised which is sort of frowned upon. I’m thinking he’s considering an escape attempt, and at this point, who can blame him?
December 17, 2006
A Bright Yellow Blip in an Otherwise Yucky Weekend
Friday morning my Dad was admitted to the hospital under emergent conditions again. The diagnosis this time? A blood clot, hanging by a thread, in his calf. He had a procedure done while completely 100% awake and aware to place a filter in a vein in case the clot comes loose and travels to areas where the harm could be devastating. I can not even begin to imagine being awake while someone threads a filter into your neck and down through your vein.
It has been a month since his craniotomy and now he sits in the hospital once again. We are hoping that the blood thinners start working and that they don’t cause harm to his already fragile brain so that he can come home soon. Needless to say, I am completely stressed, worried, and on top of all of that, I am getting sick like the girls (but that was written in the stars).
Adding to the stress, karate testing was on Saturday. Big I is now a 7th kyu yellow belt. She is super excited about her new color. She insisted on visiting her Pop-Pop at the hospital after testing so she could show him her new belt, something she had never really thought about before. She has been working really hard at home, actually asking me to help her with her kata and self defense.
Testing this time didn’t go much beyond kata (her weakest component) and waza, so she didn’t really get to show off her self defense and her Japanese vocabulary that she’s been working on faithfully. My only wish is that at testing she would do the things the way she does them at home. She gets very shy and tentative at the dojo, but at home her kiai can be heard by the neighbors. Testing was a full house this time and I think that was intimidating for her. I know that with time that will improve, I hope.
I also "tested" on Saturday but did not get my next stripe. I received the compliment of all compliments from the head instructor when he said that my nunchaku kata is "one of my best" and that he was surprised that I felt I had issues with it. I was floored and have to make sure to relay that compliment to the instructor who taught me that particular kata, because he probably would have liked to knock me unconscious with the nunchaku as he continued to patiently beat it into my head week after week after week for the past several months.
So back to the lack of stripe business, my instructor said that there are mandatory waits at certain belts and that I’m currently in one. I asked and he clarified that it was not at all a reflection on how well I did my material, only that I need to wait until March to get the next stripe. I’m fine with waiting. I wait now, test in March, test in June, and then start the six month cycle before black belt testing which will hopefully happen in December of 2007.
Was I disappointed? Sure I was, especially since as high rank I was there for a very long time on Saturday when a lot was going on in my family. It didn’t really bother me until I got home and was telling my husband about it. Then I started thinking that all the other students who were there and all the people who were watching testing may very well think that I failed my test when they don’t see a new stripe on my belt. I know I shouldn’t care what other people think, but the human flaw is that I do.
I’m going to try not to let it bother me if someone notices or says something, and instead concentrate on learning the material for 2nd kyu and tweaking the kata’s I already know. I’ll have to do that anyway before black belt testing. No time like the present to continue getting ready.
After all, a wait period is small potatoes compared to craniotomies and blood clots so I’m going to count my blessings and hope that 2007 brings lots of good health for my family and a black belt for me.
December 14, 2006
A Very Non-Martha Christmas
Every year I do this to myself. I start stressing about the holidays around Thanksgiving time and don’t stop until they’re over. Then, of course, comes my birthday, shortly after the holidays and in the dead of winter, so it makes for a lovely few months for me. Every year I imagine being finished with shopping EARLY, and that all my presents will be perfectly wrapped. . .
But then reality hits. And karate testing also comes this time of year which brings added stress.
I was having a conversation with one of my best friends last week and she said "Martha has help," and she is so right. Women put pressure on themselves to have the perfect holiday season, but we don’t have a staff of 200 who do it for us. So here are the Marthaism’s for the holiday season, followed by the grim reality of it all:
Marthaism 1: All presents will be wrapped neatly and adorned with accents such as holly, cinnamon sticks, and of course ornate ribbons.
Reality: If you get a gift from me that is completely covered, consider yourself lucky. There are two children in this home who think Scotch tape is all the rage, which means that there are lots of unnecessary pieces of sticking-to-itself-and-everything-else tape on the gift at inappropriate places (Oh, and it may have a piece of cat hair stuck in it as well). There is a lack of tape where it’s needed which explains the whole "be glad if it’s even covered completely" thing. Oh, and bows? Yeah, cats eat them and barf them. There are no ribbons or bows in my house.
Marthaism 2: The Christmas buffet will have approximately seven courses. Beautiful appetizers, lovingly prepared meats and other dishes will also be displayed. There will be at least six desserts made from scratch including several that took three days a piece to make.
Reality: Hot sandwiches from a crock pot anyone? Who’s got time to cook? Dessert? Yeah, I made some cookies two weeks ago. Enjoy.
Marthaism 3: Christmas cards will be addressed using beautiful handwriting and/or calligraphy. Each card will contain a personal signature and note.
Reality: If you get my Christmas card by Valentine’s Day, consider it an act of God. Sending out Christmas cards is the equivalent of self-torture for me. Every year, I swear I WILL NOT SEND A CARD TO ANYONE WHO HAS NOT SENT ME ONE the previous year. But each year, I lose my list from the previous years senders and decide to start everyone from scratch. Everyone gets to start with a fresh slate. So, I address and mail each card, and then watch the mailbox and see who really gives a crap about me, and when people don’t. . . I get secretly annoyed. BIG TIME!
Marthaism 4: All the Christmas shopping should be done early to avoid the crowds.
Reality: I am still searching for a damn Wii that I’m never going to find. That alone could explain my headache that has lasted (I kid you not) six days straight now. I am also missing gifts for at least five other family members. And NO, I am not willing to camp at Best Buy this weekend people. I have a life.
Marthaism 5: Everyone will enjoy the holidays and be happy and healthy to start the New Year.
Reality: You know all the pictures of families sitting around the table? Imagine that with a big vat of tissues. Every year, someone is sick. When I was little, I had the chicken pox for Christmas. Last year, Lil C was suffering through her first cold and had big black circles under her eyes (as did Mommy). This year, Big I has an ear infection and Lil C has followed in her footsteps. Both girls have colds that turned into even more fun for Mom. It’s a very pink Christmas around here, what with all the Amoxicillin and everything. I’m hoping they’re over it by Christmas and that I will not be used as a human tissue by Lil C while wearing my Christmas finery. But we all know the reality of this one. . . they’ll be better, just in time for me to get sick. It never fails.
Marthaism 6: Homes should be decorated inside and out for Christmas. Christmas trees should be decorated just so, with all the proper adornment including bows, balls, ornaments, etc.
Reality: If you can find my extension cords, I will gladly put my candles in the windows. They’re gone, I tell you, gone. And Mr. BBM refuses to buy more because "They have to be here somewhere." And as far as the tree goes, the bottom half of my tree is very. . . vacant at the moment. Last night, Lil C slept with one of the Christmas ornaments. They’re also in her toy box, in sofa cushions, etc. Did I mention that both of my trees are leaning? Yeah.
I’m sure I’ll think of more as the big day draws closer. Tonight is pre-testing for karate, which will be great fun with the headache that won’t go away. But the way I see it? It gets me away from the pile of Christmas cards that are just staring at me, waiting for stamps.
Where are the stamps anyway?
December 13, 2006
Black Belt Class
Last week, the head instructor at our dojo suggested than I start attending black belt class along with another brown belt student. The idea of a half hour of just brown belt material, followed by an hour of black belt class sounded divine. I have always enjoyed being in class with people who are higher ranks than I am, and lately I’m one of the high ranks and therefore spend a lot of time reviewing, not looking ahead.
So, the brown/black belt class ended up being an hour and a half of weapons katas. It was a work out. We started out with a tunfa kata needed for 1st kyu brown belt. Neither of us knew any of the kata, but by the end of the night, we were both very familiar with it. It’s a good thing too, because an hour into the class, our instructor had to leave and another instructor took over.
She was my teacher in the beginning, back in my white belt days, and she knows how to work your butt. There is no such thing as a class with her that doesn’t involve lots of sweat. She hopped onto the training floor and asked what we were doing and started doing that tunfa kata as if we’d been doing it for weeks. At first it was intimidating, but at the end of the night, when you walk out of the dojo having a decent grasp on a kata that you had no clue even existed when you first walked in, well, it feels pretty good.
What doesn’t feel good is your arms and legs the day after black belt class. I came home and was completely exhausted. I ended up falling asleep on the sofa and woke up the next morning feeling like a truck hit me.
Of course, you also need to keep in mind that I was a helper Mom at my daughter’s Kindergarten class on the same day. Twenty-five screaming 5-year-olds also have the ability to make one feel as if a truck has hit them. . .
Or several trucks for that matter.
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