The Therapy Car

This past weekend produced gorgeous weather and our VW Cabrio has been getting a workout. I love this car in spite of all the mechanical issues it has had, and it is affectionately known as the ‘Therapy Car’. Lola and I put it in convertible mode and drive all over Atlanta. It is not only relaxing, but exhilarating as well!! It’s so fun that we invite friends along for the ride!! There is nothing like feeling the sun on a summer afternoon, or seeing the lights of the city of Atlanta at night without the encumbrance of a ceiling.

I guess this is the main reason I have hesitated for so long to trade the Cabrio in for a newer, more dependable vehicle. May the ‘Therapy Car’ live forever!!

Facebook

Over the past few months I have been getting better acquainted with the Facebook social network on the internet. Through Facebook I have found long-lost high school friends and regained communication with former classmates, college buddies, students, friends from my workplaces and former love interests.

In one case, it has been quite therapeutic to find that one of my past serious relationships which came to a less-than-lovely end has produced a positive new beginning; over the years we each have learned some important life lessons and, amazingly enough, we have picked up the pieces and are forming a friendship. A negative experience which haunted me for years has now been made into a positive. God is with us always, and only He knows what can heal the soul.

I have to admit, upon looking at my contact list on Facebook, there are some pretty amazing people I am proud to call my friends. They hail from all walks of life, all backgrounds and all cultures. Each, in his or her own way, is an amazing person and I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to connect or re-connect with each of them.

We Love Starbucks

One day after school I took Lola to Starbucks for a Chai Tea Latte. They have become somewhat familiar with our faces since we frequent their location weekly. Here is a little surprise they included with our Chai…

Девочка / Девyшка

(Dyevotchka - little girl / Dyevushka - young woman)


I find it quite intriguing to witness Lola’s ongoing transformation from little girl to young woman. At present she is caught somewhere in between, but she’s taking it all in stride.

Her friend Lavinia is almost a year older, if my facts are correct, and as of now I can see the definite difference in conversational / behavioral priorities between the two of them. Lavinia is now very much aware of boys and she talks about them quite frequently. She is cognizant of the fact that they notice her and she enjoys this. Lola is still at the stage of not quite understanding what all the hype is about boys, and is quite jealous when Lavinia talks to one. However, Lola is very aware of one particular boy in her class, whom she has liked since she began school in America in February 2008. After seeing them together on occasion, I believe they do have a strong liking for one another, but it will be awhile until both feel comfortable with their affections. I like this boy very much and he’s not only very handsome, but very kind to Lola. I often see them chasing each other around in front of the school and while observing this I still can’t help wondering to myself who on EARTH decided that sixth-graders should be categorized in the same building as seventh and eight-graders? The social difference between the age groups is monumental.

Anyway, last Sunday Lavinia went ice-skating with us and had dinner at our house that evening. She has now reached the ‘giddy scream’ stage of puberty and I pray that it doesn’t last long. Lavinia also now thinks it is fun to walk up to Lola and lick her on the face. Why, I don’t know. But Lola was so grossed out by this she reverted to the 11-year-old tactic of wrestling Lavinia to the ground and sitting on her. They both had fun and were actually laughing while they were wrestling. No one got hurt, no animals were harmed and no furniture got broken, so it’s all good.

To Strike or Not To Strike - - That is the Question

Since our Spring Break last week was kept to a home-bound level due to the ever-looming possibility of strike at my company, Lola and I are even more so experiencing the need to travel. When I adopted her from Russia in December 2007 I told her the plan was to return to Russia to visit her family every other year. This is the year. I have found the most wonderfully reasonable airfare and our favorite hotel is available for the days we wish to go (right after school is out, and before her family goes to their dacha for the summer). HOWEVER, with the possibility of an impending strike being dangled above our heads like the Carrot of Doom, it seems futile to even dream about a return trip to Russia, much less even dare to look at the fares and hotel rates. I wish I hadn’t checked prices and dates, because it all was so affordable I now am beginning to resent the control being imposed upon us by good ol’ Corporate America and the existence of unionized workers.

Part of the employee force in my company is unionized. The union and the company are presently negotiating to fashion a healthcare plan that meets both their criteria, among other issues. If at any time during the course of negotiations the workers choose to strike, my fellow colleagues and I will immediately be required to work 12-hour days for 6 days each week to take ownership of the duties of those who will be on strike. We have been advised NOT to take a vacation that is more than four hours’ driving time away because if a strike is called we will need to return to Atlanta ASAP to be ready to work. So if the strike is called on a Friday night, we have to be in bright and early on Saturday morning. If it’s called on a Saturday morning, we must come in to work what would be the remainder of our new shift on Saturday afternoon.

Basically, it’s a guessing game. There may not be a strike, but then again, if I’m be-bopping around Russia and one is called I may as well kiss my job goodbye. Lola is not happy about this whole issue, and frankly, I’m incensed (I refuse to get up on my soapbox for this one), but there is nothing we can do but wait…

AAAARRRRRRRGH!!! My only hope here is that everyone comes to an agreement SOON and life as we enjoy it can finally continue.

Baby Pics

I received a wonderful e-mail from Deborah, the woman who was Sebastian and Petie's former 'kitty mama'. She had found some photos of 'the boyz' when they were kittens and sent us copies. Lola was thrilled to see them and insisted that the desktop photo on our computer monitor at home be changed to the photo of the kittens! In looking at these it seems as though our two fuzzy boys were buddies from birth!

The top two are Petie & Sebastian


Again, the top two...


From left, Petie, then Sebastian!

Tiiiiiiimbeeeeerrrrrr!

A week ago last Monday while I was at work and Lola at school, a big thunderstorm swept through the Atlanta area. Lola told me she heard it outside, but since I’m pretty much isolated from the outside world in my office cubicle, I was not as privy to the severity of it as I might have otherwise been. I had looked out the window and saw that the sky was quite dark, and had seen some lighting and heard the thunder, so I was aware of the fact there was a storm, but we are sound-proofed from hearing any wind.

When Lola arrived home from school that evening she called me to say that a huuuuuuuuuge tree fell behind our phase and a newer phase of the subdivision, but luckily was about ten yards from the nearest townhome so no one’s unit was damaged.

Upon arriving home, I went exploring around the tree and saw that it fell from the yard of the neighbor behind us. The tree fell away from his house, thankfully, but crushed a chain-link fence in his back yard and landed on top of some bushes in our subdivision. Part of the tree blocked the driveway to the rear of our section, but someone had already cleared the debris out so cars could pass through.

Several days have passed and it’s still there.

If it stays there much longer I will feel obligated to personify it and give it a name.