Thursday, December 27, 2007

A favorite New Year Eve memory

A few of my dot-comrades (Eleanor, Lauren J and Emiline) wrote "New Year's Eve" blog posts today.  Their posts reminded me of one of my favorite memories.

It was our first NYE as a married couple.  Still exhausted and poor from our wedding and Christmas, we were planning a quiet night at home.  A horrible turn of events changed our plans. To protect her privacy, I will not use her name.

She lost her baby.  She and her husband had been trying for quite a long time. She had wrapped the positive pregnancy test in a box to give to her husband.   She just didn't have miscarriage, but lost the baby and almost her own life in the process.  Because most of her friends are nurses, we had to "heal" her.  Once she was home from the hospital, each of us took a day to be in charge.  We brought dinner, we played with her 2 other children, and we did whatever she needed us to do.

Paul and I were assigned New Years Eve.  She had sent her husband hunting for the holiday, he reluctantly went. I made lasagna, garlic bread and salad. We bought some champagne and cheesecake. We headed over to her house.

As usual, her kids met Paul at the door.  He has some sort of magnetism that draws children to him.  Her girls were no different.  They wanted to show him their Christmas presents. One of the girls got a classical acoustic guitar.  She asked Paul to tune it. Paul and the girls stayed in the living room while she and I visited in the kitchen while dinner was heating up.  We had to force them to stop playing around and sit down to eat their dinner.

After dinner, another friend showed up at the door with her two girls.  Paul now had an audience of 4 little girls.  He started playing the guitar and singing. All the girls danced crazily around the living room.  He would stop, mid-song and yell "DEAD BUG!" The girls would instantly drop to the floor and flail their arms and legs in the air.  This went on for hours.

As midnight approached, we turned on the TV to have "Dick Clark"(I don't think it was him, but whoever it was) give us the countdown.  Paul and the girls went into the kitchen to get their pots and spoons.  With the TV full blast, Paul and the girls stood in the front yard and anxiously waited for the last 10 seconds.  Then it was time, at the top of their lungs they yelled out the last 9 seconds of the year.  At the strike of midnight, Paul and his gang of elementary school girls yelled "Happy New Year!" and ran around the front yard banging their pots. 

Paul decided that the celebrating should continue and loaded the four girls into my jeep, seat belted them in and took them around the neighborhood.  When they found a house that looked like it's occupants were asleep, he would put the car in park, the girls would get out of their seatbelts, stick their heads out the sunroof and scream "Happy New Year!" at the top of their lungs.  They would quickly jump back into their seats, click back into their seatbelts and search out their next victim.  As I sat in the house with the girl's mothers, we could hear their exclamations as they traveled from house to house.  It was the first time I saw her smile and it didn't seem forced. I was so glad I had met and married this goofy man.

I am happy to report that she got pregnant again and had another beautiful daughter.  It has been several years since that NYE, but those girls never forgot their night with "Crazy and Fun Uncle Paul".

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Better to give than receive.

I have Tree Butchers in my backyard cutting down a 4-story tall Redwood tree....it's noisy work and the dogs think that these men are going to turn their chainsaws on us, so they keep barking and whining. I can't sleep, so I thought I would share a little bit of what I got/gave for Christmas, show you how awesome Mr. Misha is and get your thoughts on gift giving and recieving!
As a little kid, Christmas was all about family, food and presents. As a teen, it became just another day in my angst riddled life. As a young adult and new nurse, I started to get into Christmas again. I had the funds to buy presents. I had a home of my own to decorate, an address to send Christmas cards from. Unfortunately, I also had a job that required me to work on holidays. The holidays were better, but it just wasn't as great as it had been when I was a kid.

Then I met Mr. Misha and it came full circle, once again was about family, food and presents. But instead of being about
getting presents, it became about giving them. I love buying for all of the nieces and nephews. I like finding something his mother will love. I like the look on Paul's face when he opens his gift. This year, I got him ...

Ibanez V Series V70CE Dreadnought Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar


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He loved it! He opened it on Christmas Eve, and of course...his family wanted a song.










My filming, Polish translating and movie editing techniques leave much to be desired,
but you get the idea. A good time was had by all.


Because I don't like to open presents in front of everyone, Paul gave me my present when we were at home, just us and the pooches. It was a musically themed Christmas for the Misha's, cuz I got this:
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So now my instrument collection now consists of all of this:
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I wonder where one goes for adult triangle/tambourine/guiro/cowbell/percussion egg lessons? What I lack in rhythm and technique...I make up for in enthusiasm!

Mr. Misha also gave me a 1GB memory card for my camera. I won't go through every gift exchanged, but I have to show you one more....

In an effort to get me to clean more, my mom gave me these really cool rubber gloves.

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So are you weird like me and get embarrassed opening your presents in front of everyone?

Do you tear open the wrapping or carefully unwrap your gifts?

Whaddya get from Santa? For Channukah?

What was your favorite gift you gave?

Is it better to give or recieve?

Sunday, December 23, 2007

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (The Misha Version)

'Twas the night before Christmas at Misha's place,
She readied for work with a frown on her face.

For she had to be a nurse on this Christmas Eve,
and go help those pregnant ladies,
PUSH and then Breast-feed.

Mr. Misha is in Sacto with his Polish Familia,
celebrating the tradition known as Wigilia.

The pooches' stockings were hung by the TV with care,
In hopes that Santa Paws soon would be there;

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Our furry children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of Snausages danced in their heads;

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Finally ready for work, Misha grabbed her jacket,
She knocked over a lamp and made quite a racket.

But some heard her say as she raced into the night,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

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Merry Christmas
from
Misha, Paul,
Mimi the Cocker Spaniel and Harley the Pug!
(My apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.)

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Dawgs

So, I have to be back at work in less than 7 hours. I can't sleep and I am having a muscle spasm on one side of my back and it is really fucking annoying. While I am waiting for the drugs to kick in...

Here is a picture of my dogs:
Mimi, The Cocker Spaniel and Harley, The Pug.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Here is Mimi sleeping with Mr. Misha:


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Harley is not a tranquil sleeper,
here is some video:
(Turn up your volume, LOUD)

Check out this video: zzz












That's it. I just wanted to share that ...I am off to bed!