laid off???

Hey, next time a Veep of the company you work for that's reducing it's workforce tries to call you into his office to talk - tell him you're too busy or something - DON'T GO!

Last year around this time Chris's company laid off about 10% of their work force. While feeling relieved that we weren't effected by that lay off I was thinking of the situation that puts those people in and wondering if it's better to go through Christmas and then being laid off or if having it happen before Christmas would be better. Well, this year we were effected and on Dec 4th Chris was laid off. It's hard to believe - still feels like a dream to me!!

So, this year our Christmas will be scaled back stuff - wise from what we'd originally planned. But the kids don't have to know it. We had been thinking of a DS game system for Josh and a kid's GPS for Dima for geocaching but we're definitely not spending that kind of money now. We're switching to plan B and will go simpler things. People have been very good to us and we even have friends who gave us their old (very well taken care of) Game Boys to give to our kids - I know they'll think they're the greatest things!

We're going to a concert on Tuesday night that the tickets are already paid for - just no dinner ahead of time now. It's hard to feel festive when something like this looming. The company gave us a decent severance package, well, Chris earned it with the time he gave to the company, but I'm definitely aware of getting creative with what's already in the pantry, using leftovers, eating at home instead of going out and stuff like that. We're both being very aware of what we're spending - I usually am but now Chris is on board with me - something I'm hoping can continue even after it doesn't HAVE to. Can't hurt to be aware of the day to day nickle-and-diming that adds up over time if you're not careful.

Now Chris's days are spent in our basement - he set up an office down there, no, I didn't just send him down there! - working on his resume then getting in touch with lots of people to get the word out that he's looking for work. He's spending time during work hours looking for work. He's already had a phone interview and a face to face interview in Wilmington, DE on Friday but we'll have to wait a few days to see what the word is from them. I'm not too sure that would be a pleasant commute - like being in DC all over again!

In the mean time I've put his resume on here and would encourage all of you to get it out there. Please feel free to send it to anyone and everyone who might be helpful in this situation.


Chris' Resume


When you do forward the resume if the job just happened to be near here and pay really well and have great benefits that would be ideal - I can dream can't I??

Thanks, Lyn

Attias lost... and found, whew!

ATTIAS = SAITTA backward. He has a sister named Sicily, where the Saitta family is originally from.

Our cat Attias got out of the house last week ... I think while, um, one of us... a grown up... who also lives in this house... left the door ajar... while watching a cement truck across the street. Well, we didn't really notice that the declawed, defenseless, cat was gone until about a day later. He's actually got a great personality for a cat, he even begs for attention even from strangers. Each morning before the kids get up he comes to me for attention. I noticed last Wednesday that he wasn't around and as the day went on I realized he still wasn't appearing so I went through the closets and basement and still no cat.

At the same time I was not feeling well so I waited and expected that the cat would make his way home. While he was gone it was hard to rest - each time I woke up I was thinking - "maybe he's out there RIGHT NOW!" and am still in the habit of looking outside for him when I'm near a window. Many times I rattled the Pounce container outside to attract him then - each evening - "get lost deer!", once surprised a fox on it's way to a bowl of cat food on our porch, and many times tried to get our dog Honey to show me where Attias was - she didn't get it!

As I realized he wasn't coming back on his own I printed up posters with his picture on it and fliers to leave with people who could potentially see him. I also emailed the neighborhood ladies that I play bunco with each month in an effort to get more eyes searching for him.

WOW, did they rise to the occasion on this! I am amazed and very grateful for the friendship and support that these people offered. I've definitely had my faith in the goodness of people renewed. There were times that I was wondering what I was doing - stupid cat left the warm, safe house, but, stupid me for spending time and energy (especially after being sick!) to search for him - I was wondering what the neighborhood would think... Okay, there's the Cat Lady of Glenmoore! While he was gone my mind was working constantly to figure out where he could be, how to get him back and really hoping that I wouldn't see him on the side of a road.

Everyone I met or talked to during this long, strange week was empathetic and encouraged me to keep up the search. One call led me to a neighborhood over a mile away and I placed pictures and fliers around the area - and put 19,000+ steps on my pedometer in one day!! (For me a typical day is usually 8 - 10,000 steps.) I knocked on some doors to introduce myself as I was traipsing through people's yards and everyone I met was supportive, some had stories of their own lost and found pets and some went out of their way to help or offer to help me out. I realize now that I met some really nice people that I probably wouldn't have met otherwise.

After I took Josh to afternoon kindergarten yesterday I stopped for groceries and when I got back I decided to go out to the area where he was spotted the evening before and try to open a can of tuna in the hopes that the sound would get him to come out of hiding. As I went out across the lawn I looked behind our shed and there he was!!! I called him... he meowed again and again... I popped open the can of tuna to get him really close... dropped the tuna once he got close enough to grab him and in a death-grip, scruff-hold hustled him into the house. So, he's back and acting like he was never gone. Right now he's on my lap - he has been very clingy since he's back. Sicily keeps hissing and growling at him.

With Thanksgiving coming up my friend Vicki started a "What are we grateful for" countdown and other than family I must say that each day I'll think about being grateful for all of my wonderful friends who showed me so much love and support.

I do realize that in the scheme of things a lost cat is trivial but if this is the support I have during something like this I know they're there for me if something real comes along, for that I'm truly grateful.

What the kids have learned lately

Josh has learned that no matter how many times you ask the accordion-playing leader of the band at the Austrian Village restaurant to play "Fire Burning" by Sean Kingston he's not going to play it. He went up (between dances with little girls from the dance group) again and again on Saturday night to beg him to play it. I'm glad that our friend John was amused and not irritated by the constant pleading.

Dima learned that when you're trying to imitate the video to the same song it's NOT a good idea to try to break dance on your forehead on the family room rug. You should see the big rug burn on his fore head! Its hard not to laugh at him when you look at it. I guess Chris DID laugh at him until Dima reminded him that HE didn't laugh when Papa got hurt when he hit his thumb with a hammer. He said that everyone in school yesterday was like "What happened??!!" ....bet he'll never do that again, I'd say he learned from the experience... as far as Josh, I'm not too sure he gets WHY his current fav song wasn't played for him when he was all revved up to dance.

a beautiful autumn afternoon

Dima and I had a nice afternoon together, we put on our hiking gear - he was all set his camo pants and new hiking boots and we set out for Hibernia park near Coatesville here in Chester county to find a few geocaches. Today I can really call caching a sport... - we put 15,000+ steps on my pedometer!

As we were on the way to the park Dima was talking about how he can't stop looking at the leaves on the trees and their colors - he's definitely got an artistic side.

We'd been to the park before we started caching and there are a few of varying degrees of difficulty within a few miles it seemed like a good way to get out and about to walk with a purpose. We did some pretty steep hiking along what are basically deer trails to find the first cache and we found a Hot Wheels station wagon to bring back for Josh (he was at hockey practice at the time) and Dima picked a Superman key chain for himself. You're supposed to trade stuff and we carry a supply of trade-ables when we go out.

The next cache we tried was a walk-right-up-to-it for terrain with a higher difficulty rating. As we neared the cache site Dima was poking around with sticks... throwing walnuts... looking at the nearby creek .. while I was trying to figure out where the cache could be... more poking.. more throwing... more wracking my brains to figure out the clues and I came up empty handed on that one - ARRGGGGHHH!!

Heading back to the car, okay maybe it 's not too late so let's try another cache called Brandywine View on a hill side inside a fallen tree over looking the Brandywine creek - You never really realize how many fallen trees there are in a wooded park until you have to find the "right" one. The GPS gets you close... when it gets a decent signal... and if there are tall trees or hills or rocks around you might not get a decent signal... trust me, we know.... we traipsed up and down hills a while trying to figure out where the cache "should" be and Dima was a trooper through the hills and and rocks and thorns and while looking at fallen tree trunks we did find the cache Dima traded for a Koosh ball as I was starting to think ... 'uh... maybe I should have picked up a trail map to quickly get us out of here before the park closes ..." Whew! the GPS got us outta there before the 6:15 closing time and we now know we can fast-walk at at least 2.8 miles per hour.


http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=1b127cf5-394c-43da-83a9-a089208031b4

the little plattler

The little plattler, aka Josh, is on a kick where he likes to put on a CD and dance or just listen to whatever songs he picks - I think he likes the feeling of having control over the music. For a few weeks we listened to The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything by Veggie Tales and he learned how to put the player on repeat - oh great the same songs over and over!

Now he's onto an Oktoberfest / German dance group theme - for those who don't know what that means: our German dance groups do several work ethic dances from Bavaria and Austria that are imitations of real, rural life. Today he's been pretending to be a little blacksmith and wood chopper in our playroom again and again and again. He could hardly wait to finish dinner to get back to dancing. He's go this own style of plattling that is more like flapping around and I've been telling him that when Papa gets home he needs to ask how to really do the dances.

Right now he's "chopping wood" with a wooden "knife" and a cup standing in for the log he's chopping - the kid also known as Mr. Destructo really likes that one - go figure!

B B Bat for me

Josh: "Da da da da, Da da da da B B Bat for me, B B Bat for me, B B Bat for me." ""Da da da da, Da da da da B B Bat for me, B B Bat for me, B B Bat for me."

Me: "Josh what are you singing?"

Josh: " You know, from Augustoberfest... the guy with the alphorn... he sings this song... B B Bat for me, B B Bat for me, B B Bat for me" to the tune of : I don't Want Her, You can have her, She's Too Fat for Me.

Me: "Oh, now I get it"

I've decided NOT to tell him the real words. Don't need to have him going around saying that whenever he feels like it!! _Hey, music teacher guess what I learned??!! - Just as I've told Chris not to let him repeat the current country song that says something about " toes in the water, a** in the sand" I really don't want to have to explain that when the kid starts singing it out in public!!

What do zoos sound like at night?

One thing I thought about as I was figuring out if Dima and I could to the zoo sleep over last weekend was: What do zoos sound like at night? I was thinking that if we were sleeping near something like big cats or something would we hear them? Would the sounds get incorporated into my dreams and then I'd end up dreaming about being stalked or something? Would we hear them roar or doing other stuff that we'd then have to explain to the kids?? Would it be like torture for them to smell fresh meat right there - so close yet so far??

The tour and the staff were great the "live animal show" included an screech owl, an American alligator and a kinkajou. Trust me, while they were out of their cages I was happy to be back a few rows and ready to get my (and Dima's and Vicki's if needed) feet up on the bench if that two foot alligator made a run for it!! Interesting lay out of this zoo - Vicki pointed out the close proximity of the porcupine and the fisher, the only animal that knows how to eat one - by digging under the snow to wait for them - I think their cages were pretty close to back to back or at least within smelling distance if the wind is right.

It turned out that our "camp" was near the vulture cages and as we waited our turn to go do the night tour I mentioned my thoughts to the the lady that was helping with the enrichment project and she pointed out that unless we smelled like carrion the vultures wouldn't be interested in us. That made me feel better.... then Vicki tried a few times to freak me out as we did the night tour. I couldn't help but notice that the bald eagle "enclosure" was kind of lame. The five eagles were all just sitting there in a big fenced off pen nothing over them, nothing tying them down. Okay so they each have something wrong with a wing but the fence wasn't very tall and IF these eagles decided to make a break for it all they would have had to do was run close to the fence (and they could have gotten to right under a walkway) and jump like six feet up and over to the path to run around the zoo. They have this menacing look when you go near the enclosure that's like " If only..." I did ask about it and the tour guide said that they don't really run and really can't jump, and I'm thinking - uh, not that they've seen so far.

As we tried to fall asleep that night with the gabbing girls next to us they were pretty much all I could hear. Somebody said they heard elk making noises late at night but it was hard to tell if it was them or people. The howling monkeys definitely made noise but that was almost exactly at 8:30 like the zoo staff predicted. So basically zoos are pretty quiet at night... aaahhhhh. By the way - and not necessarily on purpose - our tent was in the middle of 50 other tasty campers who would certainly become eagle chow way before they would have gotten to us.