Home alone

Rachel is off to New York for her grandmother's funeral. Ellen and I went on a "date" to Johnny Rockets. I took a few pictures of us to text to mommy to let her know she was missed.

Where Seuss shops

As usual, shopping at Target. We came across storytime, so Ellen grabbed a beanbag and took a literature break.

The Retrospective That Wasn't

It’s mid-August, and I’m writing the retrospective post for January.

I wasn’t planning on doing this. My contribution to this photoblog began to taper off around the end of 2009. In part, that was because I was using Facebook more and more to upload photos and post commentary on my life or things that amused me. But mostly, it was because I wasn’t sure this blog had anything interesting to report.

When I started a Project 365 blog in 2008, it was to take up the challenge to take a picture every day to document my life. The first year became more interesting than intended, when routine was completely disrupted with the loss of my job. 2008 became about the search and the adjustment to unemployment and consulting life. Early in 2009, we made the decision to take a job in California and try to make a life there. The blog in 2009 documented the moving process and the transition to a new way of life.

There wasn’t really a story in 2010. We continued to rent a home in California. Rachel got some part-time work that was out of her field (and paid not that well, to boot). Ellen’s behavior problems posed real challenges in preschool and kindergarten. We felt that we were getting by but not really settling in or making a future. And, as the economic news continued to be bad, it didn’t seem like there was any change to the new status quo coming. 

Our family aspirations are pretty boring – stability, a nice home, friends, family, health, good jobs. Since I was let go from my job in 2008, we haven’t had all of that. We’ve made it through each crisis, but it’s felt like we have been in survival mode for a long, long time. 

There wasn’t much I felt the need to photograph. Routine is boring – get up, go to work, come home, sleep. I wasn’t about to start a running log of my lunches. If Rachel had been able to find a good job in her field, that would have shaken things up, and we would have started planning for the future. But our hope for that outcome was dimming. I figured I’d eventually finish uploading pictures from 2010, write a wrap-up post, and let the photoblog end.

Then, well, this opportunity came along …

Keep reading. 2011 is NOT more of the same!

Pageantry

Ellen's first school show. We had to wait a long, long time for the kindergarten class to perform. Ellen stood in the front row in her construction paper tree costume and forgot to sing her songs. We were very proud, of course.

Black tie affair

Our elementary school has a formal charity auction. Quite an array of prizes, too. We bid for and won a "date night" package that included dinner, a movie, wine, and babysitting by a Rose Parade princess!

Elliptical

I've started spending a lot of time at my local LA Fitness, mostly doing cardio sessions on the elliptical machine. I have a love-hate relationship with the machines. I like the exercise when I can get the machine's electronics to interface with my iPhone so I can watch a movie. When it doesn't work, which is all too often, I'm not so happy. At least I'm doing my workouts, though!

Batting lineup

Ellen's belated fifth birthday party was a big hit! She had a lot of girls attend, including some new classmates she's befriended in kindergarten. We held it in a neighborhood park. The entertainment included party games (hot potato, pin the tiara on the princess, freeze tag...), a Hello Kitty piñata, and crowns and helium balloons to decorate. We served pizza, crudités, and cake. No petting zoo, pony rides, rent-a-jumper, or any of that stuff was required.

Little man in a big suit

I've been losing weight all summer. I give credit to the power trio of healthy weight loss -- diet, exercise, and pneumonia. My suits are all ridiculously huge on me, but a little tailoring will make them tolerable for a few more months.

All grown up

Ellen's first day of kindergarten. We thought she'd object to the uniform. They don't allow her to wear big poofy dresses in pink and purple. But she liked the new clothes a lot. That turned out to be the least of our worries.

Bachelor life

Rachel and Ellen left town for a week. Left to my own devices... I cleaned the garage.

Assisted living

My cat Pirate was reaching the end of his long life. I didn't want to do a lot of invasive (and expensive) care to prolong his natural lifespan, but I did switch him to prescription cat food and tried giving him fluids through an IV. It didn't help much, and he lasted only another month.

Upgrade

Ellen got her first bike today (with training wheels, of course). The seat assembly is a little tricky, so I took a picture of the model in the store to make sure I understood it when we got it home.

She named her bike "Rosie."

On the treadmill

I'm conscientious about a lot of things, but my health has not traditionally been one of them. After years of nagging, Rachel finally got me to go to the doctor for a checkup. That led to a battery of follow-up tests, including this treadmill cardio test.

As it happens, I now have some health issues to deal with. It's not as bad as it could be, but at least I know. No more pretending I'm invulnerable.

Full circle

It was a year ago that we moved to California. We immediately noticed the bright purple blossoms of the jacaranda trees. The color isn't quite right in this picture -- the actual color is closer to lavender. However, the seasons have come all the way around. This is where we started. As with everything associated with our California move, I have mixed feelings about this.

Matriculation

Time is flying. Ellen has her kindergarten registration & readiness assessment. She passed the readiness assessment with flying colors. Unfortunately, that did not mean that kindergarten was going to be smooth sailing.

Back in the chair

Time to go to the dentist again. Whee. This time, the Star Trek dentist decided I needed inlays, which he designed in front of me using 3D CAD software and had fabricated down the hall within 10 minutes. Inlays suck much more than fillings. I had to go back twice to have them adjusted.

Preschool arms race

A kid turned four. His birthday party included a petting zoo set up in the backyard and pony rides on the postage stamp sized front lawn. Am I the only one who finds this over the top?

Worth a Thousand Words at the Salon

I can never explain how I like my hair cut. Here, the stylist did a decent job, so I took a picture for next time.

Virtual family

iChat has been invaluable for keeping us connected to our family in the Midwest. Ellen is used to having video chats with her grandparents.

Can't even think of an exciting title for this one.

We bought a new comforter. Here I am at the laundromat, washing it. Because it's too big to fit in our washer.

I'm sorry. Some (most) of my days are just this dull.