I Stand Corrected

Well, I am nothing if not honest and willing to admit when I have made a mistake. ;) It seems that this is the case.
A while back I mentioned that I thought that my family had done something to upset the barnyard set. It seems that I had no idea how deep this resentment must run. I was under the impression that Jameson had, once again, contracted hand, foot and mouth disease again. I took him to the doctor yesterday because of a few rogue spots (back of neck, ear, shoulder, knee, etc). She looked in his mouth and found one or two more and thought that he might have one inside his nose. Her diagnosis...chicken pox, or something very similar.
Obviously I was very naive, ignorant, and, how do you say it, barnyardist (when you do not accept and recognize a portion of the barnyard community - like racist, or sexist) in that I forgot about the chickens. How could I forget about the fowl that provide me with eggs and meat for enchiladas?
We have now had, count em: swine flu, pin worms, hoof and mouth, lice, and chicken pox. I would say it has been a full year.

My Favorite Aunt Jan

For your grammar buffs, note that I did not say that Jan is my favorite aunt, but, rather, that she is my favorite aunt Jan. ;)
Anyhoo, after some prodding, I have finally returned to the blog. It has been a long few months. Chris was out of town for all of May, only to be home a week and then sent off to Tel Aviv. To add to that, we had company, albeit easy company, and I am entering finals at school this coming week. I have been up to my ears in it. Still no excuse.
Many things have been happening here in Bella Roma. Maddie kissed a boy in her class, only to make him cry. Jameson has contracted hand, foot and mouth disease - again. Katie is galloping and jumping at riding. Chris has a new set of golf clubs. Me, I have a stack of papers about a foot deep to grade and 2 loads of laundry to fold. It seems about par for the course.
We are all really looking forward to the coming summer break. We are going to take the kids to Paris for a few days and hopefully to Germany and Vienna later in the summer. I am teaching 2 IB courses, 2 tenth grade honors courses and a ninth grade class next year, so I will spend my free time this summer preparing myself. It will be nice to have some advance time, unlike this year. We have also extended our time here in Rome. We will be here until January of 2013 for those of you who are thinking about traveling this way. Hint hint.
Okay, so my first foray is not funny, but at least I'm back. I'll try to write again in a few days.
I miss you Jan. :)

Really? Every morning?

We live in an apartment building here in Rome. Unlike some Americans posted here, we are in a stand-alone building that does not house any other Americans. We are the only non-Italians...aside from the maids, nannies and cooks of other families who live here. On a side note, our maid/nanny/cook is American. She is also a teacher. She is also the mother to the kids, the wife to the husband and makes nothing for her hard work...except the smiles of her children. ;)
Anyway, every morning, some one in our building decides to eat tuna for breakfast. More specifically, it smells like a toasted tuna melt. Enough to make me gag. Why would they want tuna for breakfast? And why every morning?

It was a Valentine's Miracle

I am a believer in global warming. I think it is a real phenomenom and we will only understand and appreciate its truth in coming decades. However, even the most ardent of Al Gore fans would have had a run for their money yesterday in Bella Roma...
As our school week ended and we approached the much-anticipated settimana bianca (white week), when the city empties as people go skiing, Rome faced its own mini-catastrophe. Snow. Accumulating snow. As I understand, it has been 25 years since it snowed here. That means that all of the students at school had never seen snow in their town, and some international kids had never seen snow at all. It was mayhem!!!
Those of you who have trod the cobbled streets of Rome know that you must be extremely careful when crossing streets, lest you get smacked by a typical Roman driver. Not known for their safety, their law abiding nature, hesitancy to use their horn, or their cautiousness, Roman drivers are more known for their.......efficiency, lets call it. This means that they will even cut off old ladies crossing the street with a shopping bag in order to get to the light first. It means they will line up 6 deep in a three lane intersection. It means that a family of four, their dog, and their new plasma TV will pile on to a motorino (scooter, or Vespa) to get places faster. All while talking on their mobile phone and smoking a cigarette-yes, even the operators of the motorini. Driving in Rome is not for the faint of heart.
That's why school let out early. As poor as the drivers are here, at least they know it. Or at least they know that others are poor drivers (it could never be them, you know). So school released at 1:00 instead of 3:30. The snow had all melted by 2:30 or so.
But when in Rome...

What a Difference a Verb Makes...

Let me start off by saying that the title of this blog was thought up by Chris. He deserves credit for this because it is rare (and I am being generous by even saying it is rare) that he makes any kind of statement about grammar. Unless, of course, he is talking about how he quit writing me love notes because I always returned them with corrections. This is not true. I am sure, however, that if I had ever received a love note from him there would have been corrections to make. But I digress.
Maddie, at present, seems to be the resident ham at our house. She frequently says funny things and acts inappropriately almost all the time. I guess that is the joy of being four. I fail to believe that anyone would think it was cute if I lifted my dress so that all you could see was my underwear and pink boots. Maddie, however, garners fans with such antics.
Last night Chris summoned the girls to the family room because he knew that they were in Jameson's room when they should not be. Once Maddie finally made it to the family room, Chris inquired, "Where are you?" I immediately knew that he would not get the answer he wanted. Maddie looked around the room, her face reading something like, is this a trick question? She finally answered, "I'm right here." I admit it, I laughed...hard. Chris, with all of his government agent skills followed his first question with, "Well, where did you just come from?" To this question he got the answer, "I don't know. I guess the hallway." If possible, I laughed even harder. Difficult to quell the honestly of a child. :)
We are enjoying our last week of break here in Rome. Tomorrow is epiphany, which is a national holiday here. Chris does not work and the schools wait to reopen until it has passed. There is also a tradition, La Befana, where an old lady character from Italian folklore brings presents to children on Epiphany Eve. I have two days of inservice on Thursday and Friday, but school begins again on Monday.
Bring it on!!!
Happy New Year!

We May Put Him Out to Pasture...

I ask of you, "What exactly have I done to anger the barnyard population?" We, the Fitzpatricks, have had a particularly spotty, shall we call it, relationship with those favoring the pastoral life this fall. And I frankly have no idea why.
It began in October when Maddie was having trouble sleeping one night and we discovered, to our shock, dismay, and, if I may admit it, digust, that she had acquired pinworms. And when I say worms, I mean worms. While most moms know that pinworms are super common in little kids, especially in ones that put their hand in their mouths - as does thumb sucking Maddie - it was no less disconcerting to see those suckers at midnight. Jameson also seemed to have a small case, so the entire family was treated. With something called Vermox. Doesn't that sound like an inocuolation for a goat?
Jump forward to November when we apparently struggled with the swine flu. I know, I know, it's called H1N1, but let's call it what it is. The big fat fault of the pigs! That really sent us to the edge. Jameson wound up in the hospital for 6 days, Maddie was sick at home with fever for 8, as was Katie.
Now we enter December. I am finally feeling good about everything. All 3 kids are back at school. Life seems to be returning to normal. Then Jameson starts getting blisters on his hands and feet and one or two on his face. Hand, foot and mouth disease (referred to as hoof and mouth in the animal community). Again, another popular childhood ailment, but another one attached to farms??????? It is running its course...but not without other possible victims. It seems that some blisters are showing up on Chris' hands and maybe feet. I am thinking he may be paranoid, but don't tell him that. Irregardless, if it is hoof and mouth, I'm just going to put him in the yard.
Now if I could just do something about the bovine I see when I look in the mirror.....
Happy Holidays to you all!

Jameson's New Do...It's a Turkey!

Chris decided that Jameson needed a hair cut. In all honesty, he did. I was out of the house and came home to a very shorn little boy. I must say, however, that he looks pretty cute. And much too old. My baby is growing up too fast. While I do not want to go through the exhaustion of an infant again, I want to savor every last moment of his infancy. Bittersweet.

Well, Thanksgiving greeted us with sickness again this year, just like last. While Jameson and Maddie are finally feeling better (knock on wood), Katie is now going on day 8 of a fever. She did 3 days of Tamiflu, with no positive response. They switched her to antibiotics, as they felt that it had crossed the lines to a bacterial infection. She is on day 2 of zithromax and I am ready for the fever to break. It has been so long (November 5) since all 3 kids were at school. We are hoping it breaks today.

Jameson's latest round of blood results show that his liver levels are finally going down. Our doc here is still trying to figure out exactly what happened with him and is running some viral testing on his blood. She is also doing some allergy testing and a test for celiac disease, I think. Hopefully we'll know something soon. We are having him tested for allergies since Katie has a nut allergy and seasonal allergies.

We had a nice Thanksgiving here. We ate chicken, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, corn and strawberry cake. All in all, quite nice. Today the kids are enjoying a Disney Movie Marathon on Armed Forces Network (the military TV station) - Wall-E, Bolt, and High School Musicals 1, 2, &3. Chris is headed to Tuscany today for a weekend golf tournament. I have two weeks of grading to do and final exams to start writing. It never seems to end.

While November has been a looooooooooooooong month for us, we have much to be thankful for. It is a blessing that Jameson is okay and out of the hospital. A guardian angel was certainly watching over him. We hope you are all as blessed. Much love, M.

Those %#@* Pigs

In an effort to be PC (but do we really care about the feelings of pigs???) I guess that I should state that I do not directly blame the pigs for the swine flu; but who else can I blame??? Certainly not the letters H and N and the number 1, so I digress...
Well, Jameson is home. It is so good to have him here and hear him cry and laugh and make a mess at the table. Mess is bliss. All tests have shown that he does not have diabetes, as so many seemed certain. Our best guess for what happened last Friday is that he either had a febrile seizure or that he had a hyperglycemic response to the virus (note that no pigs were mentioned...). The doctors at the hospital do not like that answer, but our family doctor here told me the day that it happened that she did not think he was diabetic and that she felt it was probably a response to illness. Anyway, it is so good to have him here.
Maddie is still fighting this flu. It is a difficult fever to manage, but when she is medicated, she feels pretty good. She does get a little loopy at times, like last night when she told me she did not know where her egg was. At this point I checked her temp and dosed her with Motrin and yogurt (because all moms know that you can't do Motrin on an empty stomach...). I am hopeful that it will taper off over today and she will be on the mend. I am also hopeful that Katie, Chris and myself do not get it. Katie has been home from school all week, too. It (note again that no pigs were mentioned) is making its way around the elementary school and since she was most likely exposed, we thought it prudent to bore her to tears and keep her in the confines of the apartment. MEAN PARENTS!
Thanks to all of you for your well wishes. At this time of year it seems that we have even more to be thankful for...and perhaps I will cook ham this Thanksgiving. After all, the turkeys are CERTAINLY not responsible...
much love, m

...and so it goes

Well, a trip to the Health Unit this morning left us with doses of Tamiflu for the entire family. Maddie and Katie are both running temps, and they started Maddie on the medicine this morning. I am to hold off on Katie until tonight to see if her fever persists. The doses for Chris and myself are just in case. Jameson is already past the time when he could take it, but he is still on the antibiotics at the hospital.
That being said, Jameson's blood sugar is holding in the upper 70s, which seems to be good. He is not eating a whole lot - probably a combination of feeling a little yucky and the marginal hospital food he is being fed. We should know the results of his H1N1 today, not that it will make a big difference at this point. It seems that it is more likely that he is NOT diabetic, which makes up very happy, obviously. Chris is staying with him today, as we felt I should just keep the girls still and quiet at home. We will probably swap tomorrow.
Oh, and by the way, Maddie puked in the car on the way home. It has been a rough several days. Please keep up in your prayers.
marsha

Jameson...

Jameson is still at Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu here in Rome. He is doing much better. His blood sugars were 77 at last check and they are still checking every few hours. He has had the iv drip (glucose, insulin and saline mix) removed and they are now letting him eat food. He had a big dinner tonight of soup and mozzarella (welcome to Italy!). The doctors said his blood work looked good, other than slightly elevated liver enzymes, which is typical with a viral infection. We will receive the results of the influenza test tomorrow and they will start testing him for various forms of diabetes, as well, if my understanding is correct. He is still on antibiotics and we anticipate him staying in the hospital for a couple more days. If the tests come back positive for diabetes, we will be there longer to become educated on how to regulate his sugars at home. He is pretty frustrated spending so much time in the bed and Chris and I have watched "Cars" with him at least 6 times. We have also played with cars and looked at cars out the window. He giggled and grinned some for me tonight and I must say that it was the best feeling ever. It has been a long few days and the girls are now starting to show signs of some illness. Hopefully not flu, but we are taking care of them, too.
Please know that we appreciate all of the prayers, good wishes and positive thinking that everyone has sent our way. We know that you all make a difference and to have you thinking of us means more than you know. We will keep you updated.

Jameson. . .

All,

I just wanted to give everyone an update on Jameson. Without getting into too much detail, he was taken to the hospital today after having what we think was a febrile seizure. Marsha did a great job in getting him help. He is now at one of the best pediatric hospitals in Rome or Europe so we are told. He was not 100% this evening but was alert and could tell me what sound a cow, horse and dog make. He even wanted to play with some trucks, which was nice.

He will be in the hospital for the next few days as they want to run some tests on him. Keep him and us in your thoughts and prayers. We are all doing okay, but it was quite a scare.

Chris

BOO!

Let me first wish you all a very Happy Halloween! We have been celebrating here in Rome - it seems to be one American holiday that other countries like to participate in (unlike Thanksgiving, for instance...). Katie had a party and parade at school, we had a Trunk or Treat party at Chris' office, and the school held a "Fall Festival" party today. I am Halloweened out! The kids had a good time, though. Chris and I realized that all the kids held true to their own personalities with their costumes this year. Katie was a cowgirl, Maddie was a ladybug - with sparkly dots, and Jameson was a golfer, complete with a tam and plus-fours. Really cute. I dressed up as a teacher and Chris was the disgruntled dad handing out candy to rude kids. We all played our parts well. :)

The weather has been very nice here lately. It was in the 70s today and has been like that often. I am sure it will change soon, but we are enjoying it now. The kids and I went down near the Trevi Fountain almost 2 weeks ago and it was so beautiful that I could not imagine a nicer day anywhere. The skies were cloudless, the sun was bright and the temperature was mild. It really was Bella Roma. It is tough to be in a bad mood when the weather is so cooperative

I have finished my first quarter at school. I had to fail several students, and I am sure that it was more painful for me than it will be for all but one of the students. Frustrating. The 9th graders have started Macbeth and I honestly think that they like it. They don't really understand it until we read in class, but they are totally getting into it and appreciating even the humor. I am excited for the time when they are ready to act some of the scenes out. Should be fun. The eighth graders are reading the last 4 chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird this weekend. They have really grasped Harper Lee's message and I think they have been quite moved by the story. They will have an essay test in a week and will be starting independent outside reading (non-fiction - YUCK they cry) and Romeo and Juliet in class. I keep that bunch busy. :)

Well, I wish I had some funny tales to tell this time, but I am pretty tired. I hope you enjoy the pictures. It was nice to find some fall leaves for the kids to play in. We miss that.

Yeah, I'm the Beast!

Well, I have been called a lot of things in my life...Marsha, Momma, Babe, Pete, Lady Astor, Marsha Bones, and probably some other unsavory things. I have not, however, ever been called a Beast. Perhaps there were times when it was warranted, like on the soccer field, or after administering a particularly difficult test. I am pretty sure that the same type of sentiment that might have been intimated in those instances is not the one that my eldest, Katie, intended when she drew this picture for me. She meant to say, "Mommy is the best!" And you can all see the end result. Still it made me smile. The weird thing is, I would be a beast for her. I will beat of all the bullies I can, move mountains to make her happy, and protect her before myself. I just don't intend to look like a character from Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The wisdom of youth is priceless.
Work is going pretty well. I gave my eighth graders their first big test this week, 105 vocabulary words from To Kill a Mockingbird and background on Harper Lee. It did not surprise me that the majority of the class did fantastically well. There were actually a couple of perfect scores. I knew they could handle it. We are in the beginning stages of writing short stories, as well, and I can't wait to see what they give me. Their writing always surprises, always makes me laugh, and frequently makes me think. Good stuff. We are going to finish Mockingbird soon, too, and they will write an essay exam for that one. Fun for them. :)
My ninth graders have just finished Animal Farm by George Orwell. They are in the midst of a two day test - first part objective, second part essay. While it is certainly not my favorite book, I think the class enjoyed it. They also really understood the relationship between the animals in the book and historical figures from the Russian Revolution. Hopefully they'll be able to demonstrate understanding of the themes from the book on the essay. Either way, we are moving on to Macbeth next, which I much prefer...
I hope you all are well.
Signing off,
The Beast

It's Been a While...

I haven't been neglecting the blog. In fact, I have often longed to tickle the ebonies (my computer keys are black) and tell you about the new adventures of the Fitz Family - but, to be honest, I am tired. It has been busy since we got back to Rome. I have been hired, been almost fired (or so I feared), had three sick kids, visited the ER once, spent the week as a single woman while Chris was in Albania, figured out how to communicate nuns at the day care Maddie and Jameson attend (that's right, no English), and learned how to teach again. I have little time to indulge in my few indulgences.
All right, I am now employed. I found out that there was an opening for an English teacher at Katie's school and put my name in the hat. I am now teaching one section of Advanced 8th grade English (WONDERFUL!) and two sections of Standard 9th grade English. I am currently working my way through To Kill a Mockingbird with the 8th graders and Animal Farm with the 9th graders and recreating many of the teaching materials that I left in the States. It has been a while since I have done this, and a week to prepare was not really enough. I have also already missed 5 days of work because of sick kids. I thought they might be regretting hiring me, but I still go in everyday and no one has told me to leave. I hope that the sickness is behind us.
On one of those days when Jameson was home sick he fell and cut his head open. It necessitated a trip to the Pronto Soccorso (ER) where his head was glued and steri-stripped back together. The cut is about 1.5 inches long, but he was a brave little guy. I am proud to say that I held it together and did not get lost in the language gap when we were there. Va bene!
Maddie and Jameson are now in day care. It is a beautiful little place next door to the school where Katie and I are and it is run by nuns. I know of only one employee that speaks English (Maddie's teacher) and Jameson will now sometimes say "Ciao!" to you if you say "Hi!" to him. Maddie has also decided that she will not make friends until high school because the people at her school don't speak like her. Blaaaaaaaaaaah! Katie is loving second grade. She has already read several chapter books since starting the year and thinks her teacher is great.
On a lighter note....I went to the dermatologist a couple of weeks ago to have some moles removed. The morning before I left the house, Maddie asked where I was going. I told her I was going to have some of my moles removed. Her response..."Good, I don't like those moles, but I love your moustache."
Buona serata!

That Pesky Staircase

Well, as some of you know, I have taken a position in the English Department at a local International School. Literally in the last few days...and school starts next Wednesday! YIKES! I still don't have a schedule. I still don't have class lists. I still need a school ID (the school being protected by security and locked gates). I still don't even have all the materials - like a red pen!!! And we know how teachers like red pens. DUH!
On the bright side, I get to teach "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "A Separate Peace." I also get to do "Macbeth" and "Romeo and Juliet." I, unfortunately, have to do grammar, as well. But I get to use my soon to come red pen on that. *smile*
I feel like I have gotten back on that down staircase that I got off of 7 years ago and am still trying to go up.
Cheers!

Mommy Bumped Into Something (I Guess You Could Say That)

So in this blog we are going to enter the realms of human reproduction. If this is not interesting to you - or if you are not interested in what I might have to say about human reproduction, perhaps you should just turn us off. For those of you who are a little more adventurous...

When I was pregnant with Maddie, Katie was 3, and old enough to start asking some questions about where babies come from. Most of you know the drill - we didn't lie to her, but gave her enough information to feel that the query had been answered. I told her that mommy had eggs in her body and when she and daddy decided to have a baby, one of those eggs grew. She wanted to know how the eggs got into my body, to which I explained that all women had eggs in their bodies - even her - and that they could grow into babies when the time was right. Well, this was good information in her mind. So good that she really seemed to take it all in and think about it on her own. One day I unbuckled her from her car seat and we were walking into the store when she stopped dead in her tracks, arms straight out at her sides. "Mommy, wait! I can feel my eggs moving!" Tough as it was not to laugh, I took her hand and we continued on our way.

This summer saw the topic reenter discussions at our house. My sister and her husband welcomed a new baby while we were visiting and I have had two cousins have children this year. The girls love babies and were talking about having babies and the proverbial eggs a couple of nights ago. Katie told Maddie that when all three kids were still eggs, Maddie cracked into her and she grew into a baby. She went on to explain that Jameson's egg cracked into Maddie when I got pregnant with her. Chris and I were enjoying this health lesson, so he asked "What about Jameson?" Katie thought about it. Her conclusion, I bumped into something, cracked Jameson's egg, and there he was.

I guess for all intents and purposes this is correct. If the "thing" I bumped into is 6 feet 6 inches, brown hair and eyes, and enjoys Chris Farley movies and a round of golf.

Enough said...

Maybe I'm Older Than I Think I Am

Today, in what I am guessing was an effort to express an interest in "The West," Katie told me that she wanted to learn about the olden times, are you ready.........like the 1950s. Back when people didn't have electricity or ovens or microwaves or food! When I told her that her grandparents could give her a lot of information about the 1950s because they were alive then she was aghast. "They didn't have food!?!" I think she was equally mortified to find out that I could remember when microwaves started showing up in homes. Ahhhhhhh youth! Do you think that she would ever believe that the first computers used to take up an entire room?
If any of you have any colorful anecdotes about those days with no food or electricity, please pass them on. :)

Home is Where the...Hole(s) in the Wall Is????

All right, we're back in Bella Roma. The kids and I had a nice visit to the States (specifically Olathe, KS), but it is good to be home. I appreciated the courteous drivers of Kansas. I loved the ease of shopping at any one of greater Kansas City's 1,478,632 strip malls - or Oak Park Mall for those of you familiar with the area. I enjoyed eating out at something other than an Italian restaurant. And I loved that the kids got to reconnect with, and in Jameson's case, meet, their family. The kids loved playing with Brent and Dawn's kids, Josie and Blake, and meeting Shelly's new baby, Colt, who was born while we were there. They LOVED the dog and cats at my parent's house. And, let's be honest, nothing beats all the ice cream that one can eat at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Maddie was already telling my mom she missed her before we even got on the plane to come back. It was a good trip. It was tiring, mostly for me. I don't recommend travelling across the Atlantic with 3 kids alone on a regular basis. The worst part was standing in the passport control line at Dulles Airport in D.C. for an hour at what was around 11 p.m. Italian time. But it was still a great vacation.

I have to say that I was a little disenchanted by one thing when we got home...the holes in the kitchen wall (see Chris' blog "Crack Spackle"). I had just gotten used to the lack of holes in the ceiling before we left for the States, only to come home to holes in the wall. I guess I should be thankful that the leak was not our fault. I would hate for the people below us to think it was us, which they already were doing. I am also disappointed that I missed the crack...well, maybe not.

Katie has found a new interest - golf. She took part in golf summer camp with the Johnson County Parks and Rec while we were there and liked it enough that she wants to continue here. It is a sport that we are really encouraging her in. I know she loves horses, but clubs are cheaper than feeding and taking care of a horse, and a little safer. She is anxious to start school, has lost her 8th tooth, and is riding her bike without training wheels now. She was very reluctant to do so until this week. Not afraid to get on a giant horse, but scared of a bike without training wheels. :)

Maddie is also looking forward to school. She will be going for 2 half days a week this fall. We will probably have her go more often in the spring, but I think this is good for now. She got some ridiculous pink boots while we were back in the States and it will probably take an act of Congress to keep her from wearing them to school - where they would not fit the dress code.

Jameson gets bigger and sweeter daily. He is almost 18 months old and still reluctant to talk. He will make animal sounds, he would say "Pampaw" for my dad, he says "thank you,"and he will surprise me now and again with words, but he is still slow to talk. I figure he doesn't see the need since the girls always talk for him and he has no problems getting what he wants or needs. He really is a lovely little boy.

I will be starting my language lessons again soon. I am looking forward to it, especially since I stumbled through my trip to the grocery store today. Amazing how quickly it will leave you. We are also anticipating visits from family and friends this fall.

As nice as the summer was, and as great a time as the kids had, we were all glad to be back here at our temporary home. We may not be Italians, and this place will always be somewhat foreign to us, but it is our home. Because it is where we are together. We were missing a big part of our family this summer, with Chris staying in Europe. And we all felt it. While our normal is now in a different language, it is still our normal. Family is the most important.

Buon ferragosto!

Crack Spackle

I think we may have discussed this in previous blogs, but some things are universal. Across the globe, there are different things that we all have in common. Mean people, waiting in line at the bank, and traffic. Today I have found another universal thing that shows just how similar humans are. . .

As some of you may know, Marsha and the kids are back in Kansas with her parents. While they were away, I went on a golfing trip to Ireland. I arrived a week ago Thursday, got off the plane about 1pm, picked up the rental car, checked into the hotel and went straight to the golf course in what would be the first 18 holes of 204 holes in 5 days of play. I was on the 6^th hole at Howth Golf Club just outside of Dublin, when I happened to check my work cell phone. I noticed that I had missed two calls, unknown number, and had a text message. The text read something like this: “Yo, Fitz, you have a leak in your apt.” That was it. Thinking that it was a joke, I didn’t respond and finished my 18 holes, shot 86 by the way.

I had some dinner and then decided to give my co-worker hell for playing a “prank” on me. . . “No, there actually is a leak in your apartment and they need the keys” he said. I made some calls and found out that the leak was actually in the apartment beneath ours. Long story short, the landlady sent out a plumber, saying it was our fault because we had a drain that was clogged and it was backing up into the apartment below. The maintenance guys from work came out and said, no it was the condo’s interior pipes that had a leak. So today, a week and a day after the initial leak was discovered, they came to find the leak and fix it.

Now initially the condo’s plumber alleged that because we caused a drain to clog and thus caused the leak. . . the housing unit said no, it was the condo’s main drain that was clogged, not our responsibility. Come to find out it was a corroded pipe that had been leaking for quite some time.

I know this has been a long way around the barn, but here is why we are all similar. As the plumbers were trying to find the leak I noticed something. . . did I notice the leaky pipe? Yes. Did I see the wetness inside the wall? Yes. Did I see the enormous butt crack of the plumber? Yeah, I saw it. And, although this sounds very awkward, it made me happy to see the “humanity” in the world. . . If by “humanity” I mean a disturbing plumber’s crack, that is.

It Feels a Little Dirty, and a Little Voyeuristic, but...

I finally buckled to the pressure. I had dug my heels in for quite some time. I had resisted the pressure to live what I felt was the existence of the everyday teenager of 2009. I guess I was wrong, but it still feels a little strange.

Yeah, I am talking about Facebook. I had turned down multiple offers in the past to join this online network. I really believed that it was the domain of the teenager and college student. Then I realized that sundry friends and family members were no longer in contact with me. I knew that they had not fallen off the proverbial "face of the earth," and I figured that it was fairly impossible that I had upset them enough that they no longer wanted to talk with me - seeing as I am now thousands of miles away. Then I came to the assumption that they had been wooed by the voodoo that is Facebook and that, if I wanted to be in regular contact with them, I would have to surrender my soul to this sinister web of indulgence and addiction. I am now on facebook. I can be found under "Marsha Peterson Fitzpatrick," because, as much as I would have liked to, I did not use a pseudonym when I signed up.

I must say that this site has been wonderful in that it has put me in contact with at least one very good friend from high school, and facilitated regular contact with friends from college and adulthood. Those same friends who would never return regular emails or - GASP - write an actual letter!!! As good as all that is, I now find myself writing short (by short, I mean one or two lines) about things like the fez that Chris bought while he was in Morocco. WHO CARES - really? I also find myself reading about people's everyday comings and goings - eating dinner, watching TV, doing laundry, etc. It is almost like on line reality TV. It feels a little dirty and a little voyeuristic, but it has reconnected me with important people from my past. Ahhhhhhh technology.

That being said, it was a big week in our house. Katie finished first grade this week. She had been fighting off some kind of illness, but antibiotics enabled her to be there on her last day, Thursday. She had a great day and came home sad. She is really going to miss her friends and is already anticipating second grade in September. While I was sad that she was crying, I was so happy that she has made such good friends here and loves her school that much. I just can't believe that she is almost 7 and a second grader, to boot.
Many of you know that Chris is not making the trip back to the U.S. with us this summer. He cannot get away from work long enough to justify the cost of the trip and the time it takes to traverse the Atlantic. He is, however, going to meet up with some friends in Ireland for several days and have a short golf vacation. I am thinking that he can't wait for the day when Jameson can join him. What do you think?