Lost in Translation

On Saturday morning, I had a voicemail message from my mom:

"Hi Anne, it's me.  I can't believe they named the baby Costco!  Give me a call when you get a chance.  Bye!"

Some dear friends, Marc & Perrin, had a baby boy late last week.  They didn't share the baby's name ahead of time, just like their last pregnancy with Malia.  I think we were all pretty sure that this baby wouldn't end up with a name like Joe or Bob.  If the mom's name is Perrin, it doesn't really work well to go everyday with the rest of the family.

And Marc & Perrin do indeed have a membership to Costco - I clearly remember that they got their membership before moving to Hawaii earlier in the decade.  But being the Boulderites they are, I'd assume they'd choose a local business name (McGuckin's has a nice ring to it) before a national chain if they decided to indeed name their progeny after consumerism.  

Fortunately for all involved (especially the baby) there was a horrible connection in the game of telephone announcing the baby's name.  I told my dad, who told my mom, who got it all wrong when she called me.  And baby Costco is actually baby Kosmo.

A Hendirks Movie Review

The Illusionist

An excellent study in interesting facial hair.

How Romantic

Scene: Eating artichokes, candlelight dinner

Me: Want to clean off the rest of this and eat the heart?

Will: Yeah, let's rip into this sucker Temple of Doom* style.

Happy Valentines Day!

*My least favorite movie ever.  I had serious nightmares about everything in this movie.

Teh Anxiety, I Has It

Seriously people.  Another plane crash?  This is the second time in as many months that I've landed in Denver, turned on my phone and saw an email alert from the NYT about a plane crash.  And add to that a friend's death in an airplane crash the same day as the Hudson River crash and you get a nervous Anne on a flight.

Flying in and out of Stapleton and DIA over the past 30+ years means that I laugh in the face of turbulence.  Lightening storms are really just good laser shows.  A fun activity with Will is being towed in a glider behind a prop plane.  And apparently donkeys kill more people every year than plane crashes.

But still.  I'm getting nervous.  I've already been on 15 flights since the start of the year.  Big jets and little commuter planes.  I have four flights scheduled for next week alone.  I hope I have an abundance of luck that isn't about to run out.  And some incredibly skilled pilots in charge.  And take-control flight attendants who don't loose their cool under pressure.  And a strong person sitting in the exit row who won't fumble with the emergency exit door. (Yes, I've started sizing up all of these people as I get on a plane these days.)

So, wish me good luck.  More so with the whole not getting anxious part than with the plane part.  That's going to go swimmingly, right?

Is the Week Over Yet?

It has been a rough week for me, and yet it could have been worse.  My work laid off my whole team except for me.  

I've been through rounds of layoffs before - at my current company and at other companies where I've been employed.  They are never any fun and I've always felt horrible and guilty that I was spared.  But this round has hit me especially hard.

My teammates, Aleta and Amy, are really good eggs and great people to work with.  They are friends that I love to see outside of work when I'm in Portland.  They were my confidants, my support system, my additional brainpower when mine was stuck.  Aleta and Amy both believed in me and my projects when I had a crisis of confidence in both. 

I've talked to Aleta and Amy this week and fought back tears on the phone.  I feel selfish because I can't imagine doing my job without them.  And yet, I still have the job and I know it will somehow all get done.  It doesn't seem like my place to be so sad and upset when I have a lot to be thankful for.  

I am mourning the loss of one of the best teams I've had the pleasure of working with.  I know we will all come out ahead and look back at this week as one of those experiences that makes you stronger.  But it really sucks right now.  

And to top it off, I'm heading to a funeral tomorrow.