Quick Hits – April 2016

I was really hopeful that I would be ready to blog in force this week.  However, things are still bumpy at work with the year-end close.  My weekend was not so great, and I did not get much done at home or work.  Therefore, this week I am still struggling to catch up on things and am forced to be a little light on the blogging again.  The good news is that I have kept a list of things that I watched and read during the month.  The bad news is I am only going to do half of the mini-reviews I stated I would do each month.  I am aware I have a lot of movies on here, but most of them were watched during the flu week when I had no energy to do anything else.  The rest of the month I have been too busy to watch, read, or write about movies and books.

Warning:  Although I tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the reviews below.  Read at your own risk.

TV Series:  Accidentally on Purpose:  Season 1 (2009)

I picked this TV series, because I noticed it had Jon Foster in it.  I really liked his character in the 2004 series Life As We Know It and I wanted to see him in something else.  The premise of Accidentally on Purpose seemed funny, so I gave it a watch.  In Accidentally on Purpose, Billie is a thirty-seven year old single woman who ends up pregnant with twenty-two year old Zack’s baby after a short fling.  Billie and Zack decide to keep the baby and try to make some sort of co-pregnancy/parenthood situation work.  The series runs the length of the pregnancy, ending with the birth of a healthy baby boy.  There is no second season, but honestly I think this show works better as a stand-alone series.  A lot of the interaction between Billie and Zack were predictable in both the humorous and the touching moments.  I found the method of comedy acting used by the performers, particularly Jenna Elfman as Billie and Lennon Parham as Abby (Billie’s sister) to be very unnatural and distracting which decreased my enjoyment of it.  I found Zack to be much more likable than Billie.  The interaction between him and his best friend Davis provided much more entertainment, even though that had more to do with stoner humor than the May-Dec relationship the show is based around.  Overall, it was an easy watch with many moments of laughter, but do not expect it to be anything particularly original or spectacular.

Movie:  Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

This has been on my playlist for a while.  I think I saw a preview for it at some point and thought it looked good.  This film was an incredibly touching story about a high school boy Greg who is forced by his mother to hang out with Rachel, a neighbor girl who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Leukemia.  Prior to this forced interaction, Greg has very little social life and only really hangs out with Earl.  He does not even refer to Earl as his friend, but instead calls him a coworker because they have made forty-two films together, all parodies of famous movies.  Although the meetings with Rachel begin very awkwardly with it apparent that neither appreciates the forced interaction, it evolves into a genuine friendship.  Greg even makes a special movie for Rachel to show how much she means to him and everyone around her.  The film was incredibly sad and touching and wonderful all at the same time.  It is a fantastic truth about how little we know each other and ourselves, and how the interactions with those around us can teach us so much more about ourselves than we can ever learn on our own.   I very much enjoyed the movie.

Book:  First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett (2014)

I am a fan of Jane Austen.  I have read her books.  I have watched many movies based on them.  I have consumed various spin-offs (both book and movie) of her material with much amusement.  So when I heard of this one, I put it on my To Read list.  It turned out to be one of the most disappointing Jane Austen tributes I have ever read.  The book is split into two stories, one about Jane Austen and one about a modern Jane Austen fan.  The Jane Austen story is a fictionalized account of her first efforts of writing with the help of an elderly neighbor, another writer, Richard Mansfield.  The modern story focuses on Sophie Collingwood caught in a love triangle between two men, Winston Godfrey and Eric Hall, while trying to unravel a mystery surrounding whether Jane Austen actually wrote Pride & Prejudice or whether the unknown Richard Mansfield did.  Neither storyline is well written.  Both stories treat the heroines as dimwitted women incapable of surviving without the men in their lives.  Jane Austen is portrayed as rather unconfident in her writing abilities and constantly relies on Richard to provide her with important plot points in her novels.  Sophie is apparently so sheltered and naïve that a simple garden kiss upends her world and sex with another man turns her into an impulsive mess who runs around stealing things from Oxford libraries.  The mystery fell flat because you never realistically believe Richard Mansfield could be the true author of Pride & Prejudice.  I waffled between bored and frustrated throughout the book.  I definitely do not recommend, especially to a Jane Austen fan.

Overflow:

TV Series:  Supernatural:  Season 7 (2011) – Yes, although this was not one of their best seasons.

TV Special:  Jen Kirkman:  I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) (2015) – Yes.  I like funny stories much more than punchlines, and she was relatable.

Movie:  The Intern (2015) - Yes

Movie:  Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – Yes.  I had to watch it again after reading the book.

Movie:  Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) - Yes

Movie:  One Day (2011) – No.  I wanted to like this so much, but it just felt flat.  The characters had no chemistry together at all.

Movie:  Boys Don’t Cry (1999) – Yes.  It starts a little slow, but if you can push past the beginning it is worth it.

Movie:  Despicable Me 2 (2013) – Yes.  I love this movie for family fun.

Book:  Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (1996) – Maybe.  I think the movie is better, but maybe that is because I saw it first.  Also, I read the whole thing with Renee Zellweger’s narrating it in my head despite not having seen the movie in years.

That wraps up this month’s entertainment blog.  Hopefully next month, I will watch fewer movies but provide more reviews.  Does anybody have any good recommendations for what I should watch and/or read in May?

See you next week!

Wimpy Blog Again

You guessed it.  I do not have a blog prepared for you again this week.  I do feel a lot better than last week.  I have a little lingering cough, but all the other symptoms are gone.  Because I was out of commission most of last week though, I am overloaded with work this week.  I have been working late every night, trying to catch up on things for year-end.  I anticipate the rest of this week and into the weekend to be really busy as I try to catch up to where I am supposed to be.  Hopefully, next week all the craziness will be over and I will be back on track to post my Quick Hits for April.

Keep well everyone!  See you next week!

Down For The Count

I have the flu!  That is pretty much all you are going to get from me for a blog.  I got sick on Sunday, and I am only starting to feel better today.  It is year-end at work, so I have been struggling to do journal entries and reconciliations despite being barely able to move.  Thus, I have not put together any kind of blog for this week.  I am taking a few minutes between signing off my work laptop and going to bed for the night to write these couple sentences.

Keep well everyone!  See you next week!

Made Some Progress! – Front Room April 2016

For this month’s blog, I have decided to continue with the practice of providing an overall report on room progress rather than breaking it down into the four work areas.  Afterward, I will provide some goals for April.  At the bottom, I did include the March 1, 2016 (left) vs. April 1, 2016 (right) pictures of the four areas for reference.  I feel really good about the progress I made this month.  My progress definitely falls more in the realm of cleaning up than planning the future redesign, but still I was working on things that needed to be done.  Plus, you can actually see noticeable improvement in the pictures.

As I just said, most of my energy was spent in the cleaning up portion of the project.  I unpacked three boxes from the living room section.  Two of these boxes were full of books, which were sorted into the basement (my husband’s books), the garbage (very old CPA review books), a little white shelf that I brought up from the basement (textbooks I need to consider whether to keep or not), and a smaller box (novels that I am definitely keeping).  The remaining box had a couple of my stepson’s toys and a whole lot of Styrofoam peanuts.  The toys are currently sitting against the wall in the living room and the peanuts have been thrown away.  I also took one of the boxes that were under the window to goodwill.  It had been packed up in a prior month and never actually taken to the donation center.

Over in the desk area, I did some work on the two piles of paper I created last month.  There is an odd mix of junk mail, catalogs, old schoolwork for me, old schoolwork for my stepson, etc.  I literally have to go through each piece and make a decision to keep, throw, or review more carefully.  As I go through the pile, I file, toss, or put each paper on my desk as appropriate.  I also made another dent in the folder on my desk that contains keepsakes.  I created the pages in my scrapbook for one more year, so now I am only two years behind.  In the center of the area, I moved the Kitchen Aid mixer, the Breville juicer, and an old thermostat into the kitchen.  These still need to be unpacked, cleaned, and found a permanent home, but at least now they are residing in the right room.  I pushed the sewing machine, craft boxes, and other scattered boxes against the wall to neaten the room a bit.  I also broke down the kitties favorite boxes along with the ones that I emptied out this month.  Some of these have gone out to recycling, but there are a few still on the floor ready to go.

The only progress I made on the redesign part of the project is one furniture store visit.  I took a trip to the nearest Ikea, but I do not think it is the right type of furniture for this project.  There were some shelving options and a couple of chairs that I might keep in mind as I am finishing it up, but most of the furniture is just too minimal and cheap looking for what I want to do with the front room.  I want it to look relaxing, comfortable, and inviting, but not like a college dorm room where the only criterion was cheap.

There is my update for March.  Overall, I think I had a really good month.  Looking forward to April, I do not have high hopes that I will make much progress.  It is my fiscal year-end close at work, and I am likely to be overworked and exhausted pretty much the whole month.  Therefore, I am only tasking myself to go through some of the remaining boxes in the room.  If I feel like shopping on any weekend, I will make my trip out to Crate & Barrel to see what they have to offer.  I have high hopes though that May will be the month I really can kick it up a notch and start making actual purchasing decisions.

See you next week!

  

  

  

  

Quick Hits – March 2016

When I came up with the idea for this blog feature, I envisioned reviewing everything that I watched or read during the month.  I have come to realize this is unrealistic.  Although some months may be a bit light on the entertainment options, usually I watch/read more things than I have time to review.  Therefore, I am limiting myself to no more than six reviews in a month.  If my options allow for it, I will do two TV shows, two movies, and two books.  If they do not, then I will substitute or skip as needed.  Everything else consumed during the month will just be listed with a quick yes or no recommendation at the bottom.

Warning:  Although I tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the reviews below.  Read at your own risk.

TV Series:  One Tree Hill:  Seasons 1-4 (2003-2006)

I had such a restricted TV routine when I was growing up that as an adult I feel the need to watch all these shows that were on when I was a teenager.  One Tree Hill is my current nostalgic foray into the past.  I have watched the first four seasons over the past few months.  I really enjoy the show, but I cannot say that it is one of my favorites.  When it sticks to the more conventional high school drama format, I think it really shines.  I like the majority of teenage characters, the majority of the time.  I have fun living with them through the requisite love triangles and awkward social moments.  What brings the show down for me is the overkill drama they include all the time.  A show like this obviously needs some conflict to keep things interesting, but I think they pack too many things into it and take storylines too far.  For a few examples, these characters have been in the hospital every single season at least once, and the fake-Derek stalker story was just too much unnecessary craziness given everything else packed into season 4.  I plan to keep going, at least for now, but it is sometimes hard to watch it.  I much prefer something light-hearted like Dawson’s Creek or Gilmore Girls.

TV Series:  Flesh and Bone (2015)

I loved this series.  I was drawn to it by the ballet backdrop and the inclusion of Sascha Radetsky (Charlie in the 2000 movie Center Stage).  I watched the whole thing in a 24-hour period because of the gripping story.  I did not know much about the TV show when I got the first DVD in the mail.  I honestly assumed it would be something similar to Center Stage, a feel good show about beating the odds in the competitive ballet world.  While Claire did in fact struggle to prove she earned her special place in the American Ballet Company, the ballet portion of the show was much more of a backdrop.  The show actually focused on Claire’s personal background, involving incest and sexual abuse, which greatly shaped her perspective on life and her ability to navigate social interactions.  The show was extremely dark, gritty, and intense.  I could not tear myself away.  I even ordered a free trial of Starz to be able to watch the second half immediately without having to return the first DVD to Netflix.  I highly recommend this show if you like weirdly interesting stories.  Plus, you do get some great dancing along the way.  Also for those from Pittsburgh, there are some nice hometown references since Claire originally lived there before moving to New York City.  I really wish they were going to do a second season.

Movie:  Boyhood (2014)

I enjoyed this movie, but I do not think it is for everyone.  It is an indie film that follows the life of one boy over a span of twelve years.  The director actually filmed over the same span of time, so he could use the same actors as they aged naturally into the plotlines of the film.  As a piece of art, this movie is phenomenal.  The creative inspiration to allow the actors to grow throughout the film was genius.  It gives the movie a very authentic feel which is missing from most movies that attempt to age characters, especially children.  I also appreciate the dedication required from the director as well as the actors that participated in the project.  As a piece of entertainment, this movie is limited in the audiences that will find it appealing.  It has a very low budget independent feel to it.  The story is slice-of-life blandness, being much more about an average boy’s growth than any kind of conflict resolution.  It is also a bit on the lengthy side, going for more than two and a half hours.  If you are drawn to character sketches then this is worth watching.  The movie is beautifully done, well cast, and attention holding.  However, if you are looking for big storylines, over-the-top cinematography, and fast action, this is not for you.

Movie:  St Vincent (2014)

This was a recommendation from my boss, and I am not sure it would have crossed my radar otherwise.  Taken at a glance, this is a movie you have seen before.  The storyline is something fairly common place, grumpy old man is softened by vulnerable boy in need.  The ending is utterly predictable.  In fact, it is blatantly revealed by the title of the film before you even start watching.  What makes it worth watching is the execution of the story.  It boasts an all-star cast with Bill Murray as the grumpy old man, Jaeden Lieberher as the vulnerable boy, Melissa McCarthy as his mother, Chris O’Dowd as a school teacher who provides narrative background, and Naomi Watts as a prostitute because why not.  Despite some big names in comedy, the actors turn in very understated performances for their characters.  They hit the perfect balance between comedy and drama that left me laughing and crying throughout the film.  Even though the ending is obvious, you are cheering for it just the same when you finally get there.  It serves as a good reminder to go beneath the surface and evaluate people as a whole and not to write them off because of rough first impressions.  Please do not discount this movie because you think you have seen it before.  It is worth watching, and I recommend it to everyone.

Book:  The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes (2009)

I needed something light for the weekend, so I went back to another Marian Keyes book.  Although this one was much better than This Charming Man, this was still not one of my preferred reads from her.  This book is about a spirit as it follows the inhabitants of an apartment building.  The spirit has a mission to fulfill with one of the tenants, but it does not know which one yet (and we do not even find out what the mission is until later in the book).  Over the course of two months, it follows the occupants of each of the four floors of the building narrating to the reader the life events of each one and evaluating which one is best suited for its purpose.  The occupants lead fairly mundane lives, relatively separated from each other, until a crisis brings them together one night toward the end.  These characters were a bit more likable and knowable than the last book, though I do think Ms. Keyes does better when she focuses on one character instead of bouncing between multiple.  The weird thing about this book though was the spirit’s purpose once it was revealed.  The story was based on an Irish fairytale, and I just did not take to it.  Maybe I am just not Irish enough to appreciate it.  Still not a bad book, but I will stick with my recommendations of Sushi for Beginners or Watermelon if you want to give Marian Keyes a try.

Book:  The Wilderness by McKay Coppins (2015)

I read this book based on its fairly lengthy subtitle, Deep Inside the Republican Party’s Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House.  Although I would consider myself independent, I lean more conservative in my voting practices.  The past year has been a whirlwind of candidates popping up and dropping out of the republican primaries.  I cannot keep them all straight, and have no idea who I would want as the eventual Republican nominee.  When I learned about this book, I thought it would be perfect to give me more familiarity with the candidates.  I do feel I learned about the personal history of some of the viable candidates while I read it.  However, the book is already a bit dated from where the process is today.  It barely mentions John Kasich who is still in the race, and it details much about Bobby Jindal who dropped out at the end of last year.  It did provide some interesting glimpses into the two men at the top of the Republican field currently:  Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.  I would recommend it if you are interested in learning more about some of the Republican candidates.  I would not recommend it if you are looking for a breakdown of Republican politics.  The book does focus more on personalities than policies, though you get a general feel for some of each person’s pet issues.  I would also warn that the author does put his own color into his coverage of the people.  While I could not tell you if Coppins is republican or democrat, I can tell you there were people he admired more than others.  I did use this to fill in some information on the candidates along with what I have gathered from other media outlets when I chose how to vote in the March 1 Republican primary.

Overflow:

Movie:  The Overnight (2015) – Yes, but only if you are not easily offended by nudity and weird sexual situations.

Movie:  Madam Bovary (2015) – Yes

Movie:  Life of Pi (2012) – Yes

Movie:  Dysfunctional Friends (2011) – No

Book:  The Shining by Stephen King (1977) – Yes.  I still get scared by the bathtub scene even though I have read the book before and watched the TV mini-series.

Book:  Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (2013) – Yes.  This sequel to The Shining is less scary than the original and more weird, but weird is where Stephen King excels.

Book:  A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott (wrote 1866, published 1995) - Yes

That is it for this month.  I watched a lot of movies this time around, though truthfully some of those are from the end of February when I had the week off.  Do you have any good recommendations for what I should watch or read in April?

See you next week!

Time Management Part 2 - Evenings

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I intended to do a second part of the time management blog, focusing on evenings.  I had some motivation and timing issues which kept me from doing it right away.  Now I finally have a weekend where I feel good, have some extra time to work on it, and do not have any blogs that need to be written first, like the keeping up with the first Wednesday of the month Front Room blog or the once in a life time I’m An Auntie blog.

This blog has to be different from Part 1 – Mornings.  In that blog, I was able to show a concrete effort that had produced some results to get a better grasp on my morning routine.  With the evenings, I find myself much more unfocused and varied in the tasks that need to be done.  I have made some changes to my routine lately, trying to make the evening better and also trying to compensate for things I moved from the morning.  Overall, I often feel like I do not accomplish much in my evenings, but I have little idea of how to make them any better.  Most recently, I have been trying to compartmentalize my evenings and schedule them out by day of the week.  Years ago, this is how I used to organize my life and it provided some measure of routine and calm for me.  Now, it is much harder to be rigid because of family and work distractions but I am hoping at least some routine will provide some relief.

Monday:  I need to leave work at 5:00 because I have an appointment with a therapist at 6:00.  My appointment runs from 6:00 to 7:00.  When I get home, I make and eat dinner.  Then, I take my evening shower.  Around 8:30, I sign on to AIM where I talk to one, or sometimes two, of my non-local friends while browsing the internet.  I try to end the conversations by 10:00.

Tuesday:  I attempt to leave work by 5:30.  I go to the gym, spending approximately an hour.  When I get home, I spend the evening with my husband.  He cooks dinner.  We usually watch an episode of Supernatural while eating.  I encourage us to both go upstairs by 8:30.  We have sex, hopefully quickly (I think I am the only girl in the world who hopes for a five minutes quickie every time).  I take a shower, get ready for bed, have a few minutes of reading time, and turn the lights out by 10:00.

Wednesday:  I attempt to leave work by 5:30.  When I get home, I make and eat dinner.  I edit and post my blog.  I have some quiet time for myself, where I play on the internet, do something around the house, or read a book.  I finish the night by taking a shower, getting ready for bed, and turning the lights out by 10:00.

Thursday:  I attempt to leave work by 5:30.  I go to the gym, spending approximately an hour.  No one else is home on Thursdays most of the time, so it usually is my night to relax and do what I want.  I do not have anything in particular scheduled, but I tend to reserve some time for answering emails or making phone calls when necessary.  I also try to go upstairs earlier than normal so I have time enough to do a face mask before bed.  I still attempt to get my light turned off by 10:00.

Friday:  I leave work by 5:30.  I come home, where my husband makes dinner.  If it is a weekend we have my stepson, I have time to myself or I play games with him.  If it is a weekend we do not have my stepson, it tends to be another husband night where we watch Supernatural.  There is always the potential for social activity on a Friday night, though I try to wriggle out of as many things as I can.  Regardless of what I am doing, I still try to go upstairs early enough to take my shower, get ready for bed, and turn the lights out by 10:00.

Here are some of my struggles with my evening routines.  The number one thing that gets in my way is leaving work late.  I just plain have too many things to do.  Plus the most productive times are before everyone gets there and after everyone leaves.  My second biggest struggle is people talking to me once I get home, often about things I just do not care to discuss with them.  The third biggest struggle is not ending tasks when I should.  I tend to read too long, talk on AIM too late, etc.  The fourth biggest struggle is dealing with unexpected things in the evening.  For instance, my mom calls me unexpectedly or my husband does not go out on Thursday night for some reason.  My last big struggle comes with lights out because my husband is not at all concerned with going to sleep by 10:00.  Most nights, he rolls toward me as soon as I turn the light out looking for talking, cuddling, or more.

Work and outside activities often mean I am not getting home until 7:00 or later.  Between people talking to me, making/eating dinner, and doing necessary chores, all of the time between when I get home and when I try to head upstairs for my bedtime routines (8:30) disappears without me having much fun or accomplishing anything worth noting.  As a result, I almost never head upstairs on time.  I need a half hour or so to take my shower, brush my teeth, and go through my skincare routine.  I also want very much to have some reading time before sleeping, so I try to be in bed between 9:00 and 9:30.  Then, my goal is to turn off the lights and go to sleep by 10:00 at the latest.  If I go up late, everything gets pushed back further.  The later it is when I go to sleep, the less rest I get, and the harder it is to get up on time with the alarm.

How about you guys?  Do you feel like your evenings are worth the time you have in them?  I will continue to figure out ways to make things better or to make peace with what will never be changed.

Do you want a Time Management Part 3 – Weekends blog?  Although honestly, a weekend blog would probably be less about time management and more about conflicting desires for how to spend them.

See you next week!

I Am An Auntie!

First, I apologize this is a day late.  It is just one of those weeks where things are not going right.  At work, I keep having questions to answer and tasks to complete, but no one will leave me alone long enough to actually do anything about them.  Second, the little temporary post I put up yesterday indicated that I might change this blog to Thursday.  When I started the blog, Wednesday was my husband’s school day and so I was home by myself.  Now I find myself trying to post it while he is breathing down my neck wanting dinner, talking, or sex.  Thursday is his bar night, which would give me some alone time to focus, although it is also currently my workout night which eats a chunk of the evening.  Anyway no permanent change to Thursday yet, but it might be coming.  Now we move on to the topic of the week.

To reiterate my title above, I am an auntie.  My sister had a baby on Thursday, March 10, 2016 in the late afternoon.  The baby weighs 7 pounds, 8 ounces.  She measures 21 inches long.  Her name begins with a T, but I will not give it here to protect my sister’s privacy.  My sister and the baby are both healthy, despite T being three weeks early and being delivered by cesarean section.  I have had one short phone call from my sister on Thursday evening.  I have received four photos of the baby, one from my mother and three from my sister’s fiancé (T’s daddy).  I have sent three texts to my sister asking how she and T are doing, and received two brief answers back that all is well.  I have seen three pictures of the baby on facebook, all posted by my sister’s fiancé.  This is the extent of my knowledge about the baby, the delivery, and the general situation.

There are two things that keep coming to the surface when I think about my sister and my new little niece T.  The first is how very disconnected I feel from my family right now.  I have no idea what is going on in Pennsylvania because I am so far away in Virginia.  Although I am trying to figure out timing for making a trip up there, work and family obligations do not allow me to easily make the six hour drive on short notice at this time of year.  I definitely understand that my sister is exhausted, from the surgery and from dealing with the newborn, so I am not so concerned that I have not heard much from her.  I am however a bit surprised and disconcerted that I have heard nothing from my mother.  I expected her to call me all gushy about her first grandbaby, but other than the text when T was first born I have not heard a peep from her.  No one else in the family has contacted me either.  I assume everything has gone well, but it worries me that I seem to be so forgotten down here.  I will probably call my mother this weekend, just to make sure everything is well.  I feel very alone and very not part of my family at the moment though, and it makes me really homesick.

The other thing that surfaces is a general level of anxiety concerning my sister and T.  The pregnancy was not planned.  It happened shortly after a miscarriage for a pregnancy that was planned.  My sister took the miscarriage hard emotionally.  She took the new pregnancy harder.  She has insisted throughout the pregnancy that she did not want to have the baby and that she felt totally unconnected to T.  She was worried that when the baby was born, she would continue to feel disconnected.  She sometimes indicated she wanted to give the baby away.  It makes me even more anxious to know that their family life is not particularly stable.  She and her fiancé had been having some relationship issues prior to the baby, a lot of them revolving around money.  They both have jobs that provide a steady stream of income, but neither makes much.  They have a lot of debt between them.  Her fiancé also has an impulse buying habit, which my sister’s anxiety over finances does not accept easily.  The baby of course is just going to cost even more money, putting more stress on them.  Her fiancé is incredibly excited about the baby, but I do not feel he fully understands my sister’s inability to connect to the situation nor the absolute responsibility required to care for a baby.  I know they will grow up as the situation progresses, but I worry about all of them during the process.  The good news is from what I can gather through her texts my sister does so far seem to be accepting the baby now that T has actually been born.

I feel so helpless.  I cannot be there to offer my love and support to my sister and my niece in this exciting time in their lives.  I hope I can get up there in the next couple of weeks.  I very much want to meet T.  I also want to see my sister and just reassure myself that she is doing well.

Congratulations to my sister!  Welcome to the world T!  See you next week!