Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

Good: Went to Scarborough Faire today, and the kids had a ball.
Bad: It’s smaller and not nearly as fun as Texas Renaissance Festival.
Good: The Prius averaged 45.5 MPG for this tank of gas.
Bad: I had a stomach bug at the festival today and spent more time in the privy than anywhere else.
Good: The kind medic at the gate gave me 4 Pepto Bismol tablets.
Bad: One of the workers at the festival started telling a kid in line in front of us how we could all learn a lesson from Robin Hood, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor (what lesson? didn’t they try that in the USSR? and it failed miserably?)
Good: I think I startled said worker with my “From my cold, dead, manicured hands” shirt… he was so flustered he gave me back too much change, which I promptly told him and gave him three more dollars.
Bad: My firewire charger for my iPod is broken, and radio between here and Dallas sucks.
Good: We stopped at the Czech Stop on the way home and picked up a ton of kolaches.
Bad: I am going to gain 20 pounds from the ton of kolaches.

First 100 miles in the Prius, city driving. 45.6 MPG. About four times what we get in the Suburban!

I’m thinking about getting ceramic window tint on the windows – it doesn’t interfere with cell phone or GPS signals like the metallic film does, and it has a “No Fault” guarantee, meaning if you gouge it by accident, they will replace it for you. I also think we’re gonna need some darker floormats. Ivory colored floormats + two little kids and one big kid (Hub) = grubby city.

Got my car today!

Woohoo!

I bought the Prius. Should be delivered sometime this week. I’m giddy. First thing I’ll have to do is tint the windows, after I’m done playing.

I am considering buying a Prius. This does not make me a tree hugger. It makes me someone who’s trying to offset the $50 fillup on the Suburban every week. The poor Jeep is over 10 years old and needs some serious work; probably more than the $2000 or so we’d be able to get on trade. My main concern is size – I don’t want to be low to the ground, and I want it big enough to carry around a couple of big dogs when needed, or suitcases and guns.

It would probably be the only Prius in Austin with an NRA sticker and a W sticker on it.

Last night hub and I were discussing the fact that Caroline hadn’t woken in the night for at least a week. We had put a little crib mattress on the floor in our room for her to sleep on, she was in so frequently. Then all of a sudden, she wasn’t there anymore. Today, she was standoffish which she never is. I tried to pick her up and hold her and hug her and for the first time she said, “Put me down!” and meant it. I kinda missed our nocturnal guest. She’d come in, put all her stuff on the little bed, and climb in. For minutes, sometimes an hour afterward she would watch me read and do my crossword puzzles and wield war with my personal insomnia demon. I’d see her out of the corner of my eye, raptly staring at me. I’d wink at her to make her dimples appear. As she drifted off, every so often she would whisper, “I love you, Mommy”.

Tonight was something different. She came racing in around 5 am, talking upsettedly but coherently about something that happened in her room. Turned out she threw up in her sleep onto her bed. I cleaned her and her bed up, pausing to help her through some more nausea. She’s a little disjointed, like half of what I say doesn’t really click the processor relays in her brain. “How’s your tummy?” “….um… good?”

We’re in the living room watching Max and Ruby right now. Guess we’ll skip school and shoe buying and the fabric store tomorrow. I hate it when my kiddos are so miserable.

There’s an idiot insomniac mockingbird chirping loudly across the street. It makes a nice counterpart for the idiot insomniac human typing quietly on my computer.