Babysitter Wanted August 31, 2007

We’re having a helluva time finding a babysitter here in TN. The fact that we have no friends or family here doesn’t help, of course, but crikey. Thus far, I have explored the following options:

• Called the guidance office at the local high school for recommendations. The department admin said she would pass on the message to all 4 guidance counselors, but no word since I called a couple of weeks ago.
• E-mailed the local American Red Cross since they have babysitter training classes. They said I could post an ad when the next class begins on September 29. Sigh.
• Contacted 4 gals on www.babysitters.com and struck out on all fronts. One girl never responded, one girl didn’t even know where our suburb was, and when I explained its geographic relation to the airport, she said she didn’t know where the airport was. She then indicated she would want to babysit at her house. Um, no. Candidate #3 seemed promising, but she e-mailed me later to say she would only babysit in her home. I replied and politely told her that because of the volume of gear needed to care for a 1-year-old and the fact that we would have no idea who would be around the baby at her house, we would keep looking. The seeming cream of the crop, a student at Vanderbilt who plays on their tennis team, e-mailed me yesterday to say that her schedule was too intense right now. Shit shit shit.
• Yesterday I called the local Girl Scouts to see if they had any viable candidates since some of the girls earn babysitting badges. The woman I spoke with contacted the two local troop leaders and copied me on the e-mail, so we’ll see.
• Moments ago, I asked one of the admins at our investment rep’s office if she knew anyone. Indeed, she does and is going to give me a list of names. *fingers crossed*

My husband has a work event on September 20 that I’m dying to attend with him (a band competition at one of the downtown bars), so time is of the essence. He has gone to several networking functions already, and because he’s in the periphery of the music industry, he’s meeting lots of cool people. I wanna go, too! I wanna hang out as a couple, have some beers, smoke some cigarettes, and mingle with the Nashville music crowd. Not only do I need some adult socialization in a bad, bad way, but who knows what contacts I can make with my own voice over demo?

Wish us luck.

Blah August 31, 2007

I feel particularly lazy today. Don’t wanna run the errands that have been hanging over my head all week. Don’t really wanna take a shower. Don’t really have anything to say, obviously. Blah blah blah.

Share and Share Alike August 30, 2007

Sharing has never been my forte, especially when it comes to food. This might be a major contributing factor to my lifelong weight battle, but whatever. Now that the baby is oh-so-interested in everything the hubby and I eat, trying to nosh in her presence has become a full-contact sport. Didn’t she just eat her own dinner? No matter, I want what YOU’RE having. Of course, I’m happy to share with her, but there’s always that teensy bit of annoyance in the back of my brain whispering, “Can I not shovel food down my gullet without having to dice it up and feed it to you? You ate already, for chrissakes!”

When I eat, I do not like to be bothered. I want to savor and enjoy every bite, most notably the first and last few. Last weekend, I came home with the last third of a fast food cheeseburger in hand. She was all over me for it, and the hubby even pointed out that mommy was reluctant to share because she loves cheeseburgers so much. And he’s right. The same rules apply to french fries, anything covered in cheese, and ice cream. Yeah, I’ll offer you a bite, but don’t get greedy. It’s really a hollow offer on my part, sort of like telling someone you’re trying to get away from, “Yeah, give me a call; I’d love to get together some time!” What you really mean is, “Please go away. You’re not getting the hint, so I’m going to make up some bullshit pleasantry to use as an exit strategy.”

I bring all of this up because this morning, she wanted what I was eating, so I put her in the caged area and brought the food to the desk so I could eat every damned bite all by my loathsome self. We had leftover yeast rolls from dinner last night (restaurant rolls, I haven’t mustered the balls to try making them at home), and I really really wanted to eat both of them with a little (okay, a lot of) butter. I toasted them every so slightly, buttered those bitches, and set my jaw as she toddled over to me. Curses! I’m ashamed to say that I took the petty route and didn’t share food with my own daughter.

Remind me of this when I’m wondering why she doesn’t play well with others, will you?

Houses 10-12 August 30, 2007

Okay, I get it. The area we’re looking in is apparently out of our price range. Almost every home I’ve toured needs some major TLC, and for the price, no dice. Knock those numbers down $50k, and I’ll be the first to grab some tools and get to work. I finally said to the real estate agent yesterday, “I have been pretty underwhelmed by the condition of these homes considering the price point (which is around $200-$240k).” She looked at me and gave a small nod. I have to hand it to her, she’s the epitome of professionalism, not tossing off opinions left and right. I dig a little deeper by saying, “Is this area expensive?” She said, “Yes, because of the lake being so close.” Well, we don’t give a fuck about the lake, and if you want to pay $400k and up to live next to it, by all means. Besides, I don’t even like getting in a body of water where I can’t see the bottom, and we all know about the snake phobia.

Therefore, we are going to take the agent’s suggestion set our sights elsewhere. The new foci (ooh, fancy! especially if I’m using and spelling it correctly) are closer to her stomping ground, so she can definitely help steer us to the kind of neighborhood we want. Besides, I’m going back to work next Tuesday, and I won’t have time to cruise the internet and the greater Nashville area for houses all goddamned day. And that’s fine. It’s wearing me out already.

Random Bits o’ Tid August 29, 2007

1. The first house I looked at yesterday has some definite potential. The owners have obviously spent a lot of time, money, and sweat equity making it a beautiful home. Yet, I hesitate. Why? Because the bedrooms are sort of small, and the house has not one, not two, but THREE living areas. A “formal” living room that we would never use (anything formal makes me incredibly squirrelly), a den with gorgeous hardwood floors that would…look really pretty but is too big and accessible to be an office, and finally, the true living area that is 25×25. Now we’re talking. Unfortunately, the layout is such that we can’t really use the formal living room or den for anything else without some major renovations. What are people thinking???

2. While checking out house number three, the agent says “children” to me several times, even though the hubby and I only have one. She finally points this out to me: “Do you notice how I keep saying CHILDREN?” “Yeah, I noticed. We want more kids, but I’m just not ready yet. Christ, I just got back into my old jeans. Sort of.” The hubby is rearing to go on the brood expansion, and yes, the baby should have a sibling (We all know only children are assholes. They can’t help it. The household universe revolved around them their whole lives. Why would they behave otherwise? And, as a friend pointed out, only children have to bury both parents. Uplifting, eh?), but I need some more decompression time. Loosely translated, more boozing and awesome clothes-wearing time. And yet, the stupid clock ticks on: thirty-FIVE! thirty-FIVE! thirty-FIVE!