Scared of Santa

This website is a hoot -- definitely for those who prefer to take their holiday cheer with just a wee bit of schadenfreude. ;-)

I get the feeling that Mickey and Margaret will especially get a laugh out of it, but there's plenty of room for the mirth of all (particularly you newer parents out there). Enjoy!

My niece Hannah

At long last, here are some photos of my niece Hannah. I think she looks very much like my sister when she was a baby. Anyway, sorry for the delay, but I thought it was about time that baby Hannah graced the Foster blogs, being as it is a display case for such a plethora of adorable children. Enjoy!

StrongBad Theme Song email

And now for one of the funniest StrongBad emails (courtesy of homestarrunner.com) that I've seen since the illustrious Trogdor email. Enjoy! =D

Long time no blog...

It's been a couple of months now, and after a pointed (and well deserved) nudge from Mark I am re-connecting to the blogosphere.

This summer certainly did go by quickly; it was lovely to see everyone again (especially Drew -- welcome back, now start your blog already, sheesh!). Of course communing with my niece and nephews was wonderful...I have seldom enjoyed such a smorgasbord of baby toes in my life, and I look forward to seeing more and more of them as time goes on! I just hope I won't have to wait too long to see the Foster childerns again...hopefully some time around the holidays, although with everyone living so far apart it's getting harder to handle the logistics (as I'm sure that Mickey and Margaret will agree). In any case, great times were had, many photographs were taken, much food was consumed. All as it should be!

In mid-August Matt and I had a little mini-vacation camping in the San Luis Valley / Sangre De Christos. It was the bees knees to get out of the city and into the crisp mountain air for a few days...we soaked in some natural hot springs, made campfire meals, visited the town of Crestone, and hiked up the Sand Dunes National Monument (I assure you it was NOT an easy hike, especially in Lady Loggers). I did get some photos during the trip but have been lazy about posting them...fear not, I will try to get some posted this very weekend. Many, MANY thanks to Mickey and Margaret for the use of their van and extensive camping gear; because of your generosity Matt and I truly camped in style!

Shortly after our return to Denver I had a minor spill on my scooter on a wet evening and shredded up the top of my right foot / ankle. Though I thought the injury was pretty superficial at the time, it turned out to be quite nasty in the long run -- extremely painful, ugly and in a bad spot in terms of being able to get around (and wouldn't school have to be starting up again on the following week!). Thanks to some pain meds, antibiotics from my primary care physician (and a good second opinion by Mark) I am now more or less healed up; there's a nasty scar and a scab but I'm getting around without crutches. Matt especially is to be commended for helping me out so much while I was off my feet; in fact, he even took off work to take (or more accurately, "carry") me to the doctor's office a day or two after the accident. A real troop!

Since then Matt and I have been thrown headlong back into the world of higher education. Matt in particular has it rough this time around as he's taking two advanced accounting / statistics classes online (which means a lot more homework), as well as one in-house class. I'm luckier this time around, as I'm taking one freshman and two sophomore level courses that have been lingering around unresolved in my curriculum matrix for some time. This of course means I have no excuse to not get straight A's this semester, so here's hoping I don't make a fool of myself later!

That's about all for now...sorry for the long absence (even if it hasn't been nearly as long as some other Fosters' last posts...you all know who you are!), but I hope to have some more photos posted soon.

Mark, I really should have taken up your suggestion of photographing my foot every day and putting the images together as an animation...man, that would have been GROSS! :-S

Sonogram images of my niece Hannah

Here are some of the latest sonogram images of Hannah, my soon-to-be new niece -- my sister Donna is due on August 21, so it won't be long!

Perhaps some of the medical students, physicians and mothers in clan Foster can describe to me what exactly we're looking at in these images...the spine is pretty obvious, but even with the text descriptions I'm having a hard time making heads or tails (literally!) of any of the others.

Trailing boxes

Man oh man, does moving suck or what?

Since I've lived in downtown Denver (I moved here in January of 2002, by the way) I have lived in -- no kidding -- seven different places, including my current apartment, which is an average of 1.75 apartments per year. I think this may be due in part to the competitive rent market in downtown Denver, and also because of a certain restlessness that has long resided within my nature (cue "Gypsies Tramps and Thieves" here). Or maybe for some stupid reason I'm just into that kind of misery, who knows! :-S

Anyway, this most recent move is over...may it be the last for a good long time! It was arduous, of course (aren't they all?) but it went relatively smoothly due to the hard work and cooperation of several individuals -- namely Doc Mark, Matthew, myself, Gerard, my co-worker Eric and his friend Carla. Mark in particular deserves some MAD props for busting his tuchas and sacrificing his personal time with his family. From where this man draws his reserves of energy, strength and character is beyond me, but Matt and I are profoundly grateful for his contributions and his family's patience when the work inevitably ran way past schedule. Mark, Matt and I owe you -- and I mean big time!

Since last weekend Matt and I have been working hard to unpack, put away, organize, install, sort and throw away...I would say that we have the apartment about halfway to two-thirds of the way completed. The trick now is to not get everything to the functional level and leave it that way -- both Matt and myself are guilty of the so-called "Trailing Boxes" phenomenon, being where one hefts boxes of old crap from place to place without ever unpacking them or even going through them to see if the contents are valuable enough (sentimentally and/or monetarily) to merit their continued transport and storage. With this in mind,we're making a concerted and mutual effort to go through everything we have, and thus far we've made some good progress (all while avoiding the temptation to go woolgathering amongst old nostalgic photos, tapes and assorted bric-a-brac). I'm hoping that the backs of the next lucky folks to help us move will appreciate our efforts!

Aside from the obvious chores of relocation, I have to say that it's wonderful to be sharing a life with my husband again. I'm grooving on the way we've been pulling together as a team to get the place set up, and I'm enjoying my rediscovery of the simple pleasures of day-to-day married life. Not that doing laundry or taking out the trash is bliss, of course (especially with the lame washers and dryers in our building that leave lint all over everything), but I guess that even such domestic drudgery is helping to make me feel more grounded somehow, as if I'm where I belong. I'm feeling more content and secure than I have in some time, and it's making me (dare I say it) quite happy. Happiness is good. :-)

An i-kiss on the nose to my beloved hubba...more to come soon.

Apartments, Bikes and Grades

Happy days are here again...after nearly one year of living separately, Matt and I have decided to move back in together. It's been a very rough year for both of us in terms of emotional, psychological and fiscal well-being, but we both feel reasonably ready to take this important step.

Despite (or perhaps even because of?) everything that we've been through, Matt and I love each other very much and remain dedicated to the survival and ultimate renewal of our marriage...well, I shouldn't speak for Matt, but I'm guessing he'd agree with me on this (feel free to shoot me down, honey -- I'm sure you're itching to do so anyway ;-P). And then of course there's the plain fact that schlepping back and forth between our respective apartments in Capitol Hill is getting freakin' old!

Anyway, we've picked out a new two-bedroom apartment about a block and a half away from where Matt is currently living -- an excellent location for two downtown commuters without a car, as several major bus lines run close by and there are not one but two grocery stores are within two blocks -- more motivation for me to get my mad-culinary-demon self in the kitchen and rattle some pots and pans, muah-ah-ahhhh! Spicy lasagne for everyone!

The proximity of beautiful Cheesman Park is also a big plus...Matt and I like to go there to walk, talk, look at babies and dogs and roll around on the grass (last night we sprawled out smack-dab in the middle of the park and watched a thunderstorm roll in with accompanying sights, sounds and smells...lovely. And yes, we got back inside before getting too drenched and/or struck by lightning). The apartment building is about average for the area, the apartment itself is quite large and *gasp!* even has a dishwasher, so I think Matt and I will be quite happy there while having enough space to be able to have some alone-time when necessary. All in all it's a pretty copascetic arrangement, which naturally is making us nervous...Matt's had issues with his management company before and we're both leery of being jerked around by these people, but thus far negotiations seem to be progressing in a more orless satisfactory manner. We haven't signed a lease yet but have an appointment to do so at the end of this week; we plan to make the move on Saturday June 10th (and will of course accept any and all offers of strong backs to help us out,*ahem*). Keep your fingers crossed for us, folks!

In other news, Matt and I saved our income tax refund this year and have finally replaced our bikes (which as you may remember were stolen out of our former building [along withall of our neighbors' bikes] about a year and a half ago). We put the bikes to immediate use by pedalling away from the shop and heading out for some breakfast and errands, and this past Sunday saw a long ride of between 12 and 15 miles along the Platte River bike path. We emerged dehydrated, saddle sore and exhausted but otherwise glad that we were both able to make the ride without collapsing (although I nearly did so when we ran out of water -- I've since learned the hard way that not bringing enough water and relying upon the parks system to have the few available water fountains turned on is DUMB). We've mutually decided that these new bikes will be kept inside our new place...no sense tempting fate in Capitol Hill.

Final grades from Spring semester were released late last week...Matt did famously (straight A's, wooo!) and I did marginally (two Cs and a B, poo...), but we're both glad to have the semester behind us and the summer in front of us. It was a rough semester, especially for me, but I am already attempting to gear myself for better performance this Fall. And for some reason that I can't understand, I usually do better in Fall semester anyway...usually.

That's about all for now...here's hoping that some other Fosters will be updating their blogs soon, hint hint... ;-)

Pwah!!!

Oh, how I do love Cat and Girl. I just had to post this one!

A Skeptic on Morality...

Below follows a quote from a book I've been reading lately; Michael Shermer's "Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition and Other Confusions of Our Time". The quote comes from the end of a section on Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism, but is relevant in a much wider sense...Shermer is a thorough and thoughtful writer, and he does an excellent job of avoiding the nay-saying crank stereotype that many associate with skepticism. At any rate, this quote resonated with me, and as such I thought I would share it.

"Morality is relative to the moral frame of reference. As long as it is understood that morality is a human construction influenced by human cultures, one can be more tolerant of other human belief systems, and thus other humans. But as soon as a group sets itself up as the final moral arbiter of other people's actions, especially when its members believe they have discovered absolute standards of right and wrong, it marks the beginning of the end of tolerance, and thus reason and rationality. It is this characteristic more than any other that makes a cult, religion, a nation, or any other group dangerous to individual freedom."

Excerpt from The Motherhood Manifesto

With Mother's Day fast approaching, I find myself thinking about the lives of all of the mothers I know -- older, younger, expectant moms, future moms, and all declensions of the word "mom" in between. Motherhood is often said to be the most important job in the world, and it's hard to argue that point given the tremendous responsibility that comes with the position. But how much is motherhood truly valued in our society...especially when it comes to mothers in the workplace?

I read the following excerpt from The Motherhood Manifesto, and it really struck a chord with me. Though I may not have any children of my own (yet), my own mother was a working mom who spent some time as a divorcee, and it shed some light on what kind of discrimination and degradation that mothers (especially unwed mothers) can experience in the workplace.

On a hot, humid August day, at an interview for a legal secretary position in a one-story brick building, Kiki sat down in a hard wooden chair to face a middle-aged attorney ensconced behind a mahogany desk. His framed diplomas lined the walls, and legal books filled the shelves behind him. Kiki remembers the attorney clearly, even his general height at 5'10" and the color of his light brown hair. The interaction was significant enough to remain seared in her mind's eye a decade later. "The first question the attorney asked me when I came in for the interview was, 'Are you married?' The second was, 'Do you have children?'"

It was the eleventh job interview in which she'd been asked the very same questions since moving to Pennsylvania. After answering eleven times that she wasn't married, and that yes indeed, she was a mother of two, Kiki began to understand why her job search was taking so long.

She decided to address the issue head on this time. "I asked him how those questions were relevant to the job, and he said my hourly wage would be determined by my marital and motherhood status." Kiki then asked the next obvious question: "How do you figure out an hourly wage based on these questions?"

His response was as candid as it was horrifying. "He said if you don't have a husband and have children, then I pay less per hour because I have to pay benefits for the entire family." The attorney noted that a married woman's husband usually had health insurance to cover the kids, and since Kiki didn't have a husband, he "didn't want to get stuck with the bill for my children's health coverage."

It was the first time Kiki pushed for an explanation, and she was appalled by the answer. "I said to him, 'You mean to tell me that if I am doing the exact same work, typing the same exact subpoena as a coworker, you're going to pay me less because I have no husband and have kids?' And he very smugly told me, 'Yes, absolutely.'"

He couldn't do that, it was illegal, Kiki wondered, wasn't it? The attorney countered that it was perfectly legal—and as an attorney, he ought to know. He invited Kiki to check out the law herself and then ushered her out the door (without a job, of course).

Furious, Kiki went straight home and called the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. She found out that the lawyer was right. The questions were legal, as was paying a single mother less than other applicants. Pennsylvania, like scores of states, does not have state employment laws that protect mothers.

The sad truth is that Kiki isn't struggling alone. Recent Cornell University research by Dr. Shelley Correll confirmed what many American women are finding: Mothers are 44 percent less likely to be hired than non-mothers who have the same résumé, experience, and qualifications; and mothers are offered significantly lower starting pay. Study participants offered non-mothers an average of $11,000 more than mothers for the same high salaried job as equally qualified non-mothers.

Dr. Shelley Correll's groundbreaking research released in 2005 is a compelling addition to the long line of studies that explore the roots of this maternal wage gap. This study, like others, also found that the wage gap wasn't linked to self-limiting factors that might cause a wage gap, like mothers taking more time off to care for children, but in actuality is fairly straightforward discrimination. In other words, it's not mothers' "fault" they receive less pay.

We need to open a whole new conversation about motherhood in the twenty-first century by illuminating the universal needs of America's mothers and spelling out concrete solutions that will provide families—whether rich, poor, or middle class—with real relief.

20 years ago today...

By chance, I have the dubious distinction of sharing a birthday with the anniversary of one of the most devastating nuclear disasters the world has ever experienced. By choice, I'm pausing to remember, reflect and consider.

Please take a minute to view the following photo essay:
Nuclear Nightmares: Twenty Years Since Chernobyl

Many of these images are disturbing, but they give a powerful sense of the very real and human legacy of this horrible catastrophe.

"As new ideas and technologies are tested it is important to remember past errors and their repercussions lasting centuries. The twentieth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident is not only a time to reflect on the horrors inflicted upon so many people, but also to question future energy strategies and their potential impacts on the planet."

-Antionette de Jong

Thirty-five

Yes folks, I am 35 today. I suppose this birthday is considered to be a milestone of sorts (if perhaps not as hefty as 30 or 40), although to me it seems more of a milestone for women than men.

You see, at 35 a man is considered to be "still plenty young", well on his way to success (if not "just getting started") in his career, "best years still ahead of him", yadda yadda. Comparatively, a woman of 35 is considered by many to be "past her prime", "heading into the autumn years", and as such ready to do little more than grow a hairy chin and tend her needlework by the fire with only her 500 cats for company.

OK, I'm making a few generalizations here, but the fact remains that 35 is something of a big deal for women -- in particular, women whom (for whatever reason) haven't yet been married and/or had children. I myself don't have children, but as a married woman society is somewhat kinder to me because it hasn't yet given up hope on me. I tend to get the "well, you haven't had children yet but there's still time", which is true enough...after all, my husband and I weren't even married until I was just shy of my 33rd birthday. It's true that I've chosen a (*ahem*) somewhat different path in life than is considered to be "the norm" by many folks, but I'm into it -- that's just the kind of kooky gal I am, go figure. :-)

S'anyway, I'm not really sure where I was going with this missive. I can't help but feel that I should have something more profound to say as a part of my birthday meditation, but I guess it's escaping me...maybe I'm just too preoccupied with wrapping up the semester to really be contemplative. I do think that I should reschedule my own birthday to May 15th until such a time that I finally get my BFA, though...having it ruined each year by an avalanche of schoolwork is a total drag.

Here it is

This is my new blog page...not much to say at the moment but more to follow soon.