Entries from January 2008 ↓

I escaped.  I am catching up on local posts at the Atlanta Bread Company in N. Chuck and generally enjoying not having any children trying to perch on me as I type.  If only this were a regular escape and not due to screwing up and mixing up the time of an appointment.

I believe it is time for me to begin making an effort to pay more attention to my actions.  I’ve grown quite careless in recent weeks and I am not sure when it began.  Each time I prepare a meal, I recreate the scene in The Sixth Sense where the cupboard doors and drawers open each time the mother turns around.  Sure it’s a mostly harmless quirk, but it may be a symptom of an underlying issue.

I wonder if I’m that inattentive while cooking, how am I doing while driving?  Don’t answer that.

I promise I’m still here. Kadie’s death took me much longer to process than I imagined. Yesterday was the first day I didn’t feel as though I were moving through molasses. I cannot imagine how her family is carrying on.

Tonight is the first time since it happened that I’ll be seeing others not involved with this event. It will be nice to get out.

Unrelated:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afNIRFCiKEo&rel=1]
Ever since I showed this clip to Tim, taking pictures for Home Ec has become much more entertaining. In an ironic twist, if I get frustrated trying to get a good shot he’ll ask, “Did you scream at it?”It’s amusing, if nothing else.

I had a last chance to call to see how you were doing, to stop by, to see the baby, to do more than say we’d get together again soon; it passed and I didn’t know it until I got the phone call today. I keep going through my hard drive. Searching.

I know there was a picture of you happy, smiling with your baby girl. I can’t find it, I know I didn’t take it long ago. I remember meaning to e-mail it, so you could see yourself as I see you. I didn’t know it’d be the last.

My heart isn’t letting me believe what is on the news and in the paper. It doesn’t make any sense.

Someone tell me I wasn’t blind to a cry for help.

I think of your baby, cold, in last night’s rain. You had hoped it would snow.

Did you know that we hear every train that roars by?

Were you frightened? Sad?

We are.

Isn’t declaring “I’m voting for Clinton because she’s a woman!” just as blatantly sexist as “I’m not voting for Clinton because she’s a woman!”?

Back to your regularly scheduled doldrums.

Most of the world is still sleeping.  While I know better, the dog insists he hasn’t been let out for days and if he doesn’t get out this moment, he will wake the whole house.

There is only drip, drip, drip of fog condensing on tree branches, muffled stillness, quiet rumble of a train rolling by.

I stand in the darkened driveway waiting, it is peaceful here.  Until it is shattered by the piercing whine of a two year old emanating from the house.

“Mo-om what are you dooooing?”

“Why are you taking so long?”

“I neeeeeed you.”

I sometimes wish the dog would take longer.

I’ve been researching marketing while I try to figure out how to expand the reach of Home Ec 101 without throwing away cash.  Social media is extremely useful and as I watch our numbers grow, I think we are doing at least a few things correctly.  Ivy and I are patient, so we can deal with building readership in a slow and steady manner.

What baffles me are the plethora of self described social media marketers, SEO specialists.  There are probably thousands of these sites I have wandered across all with the same content, just small variances in tone and word arrangement.  It feels like the Amway of the Intertubes.  What I have yet to figure out is exactly what these people are selling.  Through the noise certain words pop up over and over contacts, client lists, expand your customer base.  Yet, I never see exactly what it is these people are selling.

Additionally whose idea was it to sell these crappy e-books?  I haven’t bought one, I’m just assuming from the general level of the associated blogs that the e-books contents are along the same lines.   (There may be some good ones out there, I just see no reason to buy an ebook on say drinking water daily for $7)

These people are definitely enthusiastic and excited, I just have yet to figure out what it is all about.

All of this said, we’re plodding along, trying to build a resource people will enjoy and return to not only for Home Ec questions but for interaction with others struggling along the same path.

Oh and I have to boast a little.  We launched just over 10 months ago and other than hosting, some art, and of course our fantabulous t-shirts, we haven’t spent anything. I’m sure if we hired professionals it’d have been less stressful, but I truly love what we are doing. Slowly we are finding our way and as we go, we’re meeting a lot of people.   I’m excited about ’08, there will be conventions, both in April and October.  It’s going to be a lot of fun.

We hit 100k visits on New Year’s Day.  Hopefully it’s just a sign of things to come.

I hope everyone’s celebration was safe and enjoyable.  We didn’t do anything other than gorge on bacon wrapped jalapenos.  Which I am and will be regretting for a while. They were worth it.

Yesterday was a landmark day for me.  Not only did I take all three kids out in public by myself, we went to several stores, and I took them to lunch at a sit down place where we managed to neither destroyed the premises nor run off the other customers.

It was a proud, proud day.  It was also absolutely beautiful so we soaked up some fresh air and sunshine at a park.

Strangely enough no one melted down immediately after an elderly lady complimented the boys’ manners.  I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.