For about three months I’ve been working on a massive project. We launched about two weeks ago and it was such a relief to have it live and working and lovely. Frankly it’s one of the best projects we’ve ever done.

About a week ago we were told that the IT department at the company convinced the head of the company that it wasn’t secure enough, and so it was going to come down and he was going to redo my design and work into frankly a bad system. We fought it, as best we could considering I could never get the head boss on the phone. We listed places that use the software, including the highest of government offices.

But alas, the jackass who cried wolf has somehow won. The company is out thousands of dollars and I’m bereft over the many hours of work lost and my project being tossed in the trash. It represented hours upon hours of work, and although we’ll be paid, that doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m insulted that this asshole would think we would build something that is un-secure. I’m insulted that they won’t let me get on the phone with the head boss and explain how secure it is. I’m annoyed and irritated and saddened that almost 100 hours of my time was completely, utterly wasted.

The IT guy knew the program we were using from the beginning, but said nothing for months. And I knew he didn’t like us coming in and fixing something that he had made – something that was hideous and broken and unusable – but it never occurred to me that he would have the power to scare his boss into wasting all that time and money.

Today sucks.

The Chop and I just finished watching the Magic Johnson documentary, an incredibly fascinating look at his life, before and after his diagnosis. It’s mind blowing to me that it was only 20 years ago that AIDS was considered a death sentence and a scarlet letter of homosexuality. Neither of us remember the Announcement occurring – both of us young and not fully grasping the enormity of what had happened.

The Porkchop’s dad has Parkinson’s, a disease without the stigma of AIDS, but with the same outcome. Like Magic Johnson, Michael J. Fox has raised awareness and ensured that we’ll have him around for years and years. Celebrity is a double-edged sword, but in the right hands, it can move mountains.

Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

There are a few children’s book authors that we absolutely adore – two in particular whose books we purchase whenever we see them, Sandra Boynton and Nancy Tillman. Both authors illustrate beautifully and write with a cadence that makes memorization quick and easy, something useful for us, as we can easily calm the Peanut down by reciting books.

The Peanut’s gotten so good at knowing which book is which, that if I start reciting one, he goes to the pile and pulls it out. Boynton’s books are fun and funny, with lots of animal sounds and weird songs to sing; Tillman’s books are sweet and dear, easily eliciting a tear or two on certain pages.

As I was reading the latest one we purchased to the Peanut this morning, It’s Time to Sleep, My Love, I wondered if she ever sold prints of the illustrations.

And of course, she does.

The rate at which our son is growing is mind boggling to me. This time last year he had only just started sleeping through the night and eating something other than milk. Now he’s running everywhere and climbing on everything.

He’s of the opinion that everything is better when one is on the table. Standing, looking out the window, playing with cars and reading – it’s all more fun with a little extra height.

He woke up from his nap this afternoon so! freaking! happy! It’s so nice when a tooth breaks through.

I talked to my Dad a few minutes ago, and for the first time, I think he’s actually excited about moving.

“It’s going to be an adventure,” he said. I agreed and he went on talking about snowmobiles, boats, fly fishing and dog sledding.

For months I’ve been wondering how much of the reason he took this job was because we would be closer. Whenever I’d ask, my mother would insist that this was the best option. And I would agree, noting everything they’re paying for and how they’ve courted him. But there was another offer just three hours from where they live now, and while it wasn’t as good, it was close… and they wouldn’t have had to move.

I just don’t want it to be my fault if they don’t like it here.

I’ve always had a “book” problem, one that caused me to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and suffer the next day… the need to finish reading whatever I’ve started. Perhaps I have a problem with delayed gratification (haha), or I’m just impatient, but once I’m into a book, I have an incredibly hard time putting it down – even to sleep.

When I was a kid I would use a flashlight under my covers, trying to soundlessly turn pages so as not to alert my parents.

When I moved out east, I would leave my lamp on, tea (or something stronger in hand) and read to my heart’s content.

By the time the Porkchop moved in, I had slowly begun to keep better hours, preferring to read a book in two nights and get enough sleep to prevent zombie-fication.

When I was pregnant I switched back to finishing in one night – I couldn’t sleep well the last few months anyway, might as well do something.

When the Peanut came, reading became harder. Between work and sleep, my free time was nonexistent. Occasionally I would buy a few books and read them over the course of a week, chastising myself daily for staying awake until 2, knowing full well I’d need to be up by 6 or 7.

A couple of days ago, after an idiotic decision to drink a latte at 4PM, I was reading an article in bed around midnight that mentioned an interesting book. I perused it on Amazon, swiftly downloaded it on iTunes and read until almost 5AM.

Two days later and I’ve purchased the entire trilogy and am halfway through the final book. The author has some serious echos issues, which means I think I’ve been speed reading roughly half of each book (page count: 900, 1200 and 1300), but getting to bed between 2-4AM.

If this was the good old days, I would’ve purchased the first book and waited several days before purchasing the second, and so on. But it’s 2012 and you can download a book in less than a minute.

eBooks might very well be the death of me.

The Peanut, teething like crazy, drove the Porkchop and I insane today. It’s probably the first day since he was born that both of us ended up with a headache. Baby in pain = mad, cranky, yelling, sad baby… which means we spent the hours from 545AM-645PM juggling him back and forth, trying like crazy to find something to entertain him.

He Skyped with both sets of grandparents, watched one episode of Gabba during a particularly crazy work problem, chased the dog, had a couple doses of Tylenol and chewed the heck out of every plastic kitchen utensil we own. Ladles, spatulas, slotted spoons, potato mashers – nothing escaped the mastication.

The end of the week is supposed to be warm and sunny (high 50s, low 60s), and it cannot. come. soon. enough.

Dear Arby’s,

Your new commercial drives me insane. I don’t like Thousand Island dressing, so the idea of “swimming in a river of it” makes me want to hurl. Feel free to stop running it within 100 miles of my location.

There isn’t an Arby’s within 200 miles, so I don’t think you’ll miss out on revenue.

Thanks bunches!

The Peanut and I share a new obsession… sloth videos on YouTube. Weird, yes, but so highly entertaining AND educational!