I can hear my sister already... "I can't believe you actually wrote a blog post!"
Don't get too excited.
I used to log in to Blogger every couple of days to write a post and never really get anywhere. But unlike previous blocks, these writer's blocks are most definitely not ADHD-related. These are "Wow, I'm really boring" blocks.
I have a pretty good routine going these days, but it's just that - a routine: Gym, work, cook, television, sleep. But as I reflected on my routine, I quickly realized that - aside from cooking - I wasn't really a housewife anymore.
When I went back to work in Charlotte, I questioned whether I was still a housewife. The reality is that I was still trying to make sense of moving to Charlotte and what that meant for me personally and professionally. I had a job and it fit into my career goals, but it certainly wasn't an integral part of my life. Maybe that had to do with the job itself, maybe it had to do with the culture of the South, or maybe it was because we eventually had the move to Milwaukee on the horizon.
Moving to Milwaukee has definitely been different than the move to Charlotte. I have family and friends here, and I quickly found a job that is both challenging and rewarding. My husband and I settled into our lives here. But it's a different life than we had in Charlotte.
I don't think of myself as a housewife. A wife, certainly, but not a housewife. I do very little around the house. In fact, it's not really important to me anymore. I don't feel any pride or guilt or really anything about what I considered "housewifey." That's just not me anymore.
Something happened when we moved back to Milwaukee. Yes, we moved back for my husband's job, but it's not like moving to Charlotte. If anything, life in Milwaukee now seems almost identical to the life I had the last time we lived in Milwaukee. The daily routine is different, but it feels familiar, and it's nothing like the life I had in Charlotte.
I'm not a housewife, I'm a DINK - Dual Income No Kids. My focus is very much on my career, and my husband's focus is very much on his career, and when we're not thinking about our careers, we are enjoying the life that we have as a result of having two successful careers. The fundamentals of our marriage and the lessons we learned from our time in Charlotte have not changed, but they're not as relevant now as they were then. Because they're not as relevant, they don't consume my daily thoughts like they did when I was in Charlotte.
And when you don't have daily thoughts about what it's like to be a housewife, it makes it pretty hard to blog about being a housewife.
I'll still write from time to time. I'm sure with the holidays coming up I'll have some fun things to share - recipes, gift ideas, fun activities, etc. I'm sure I'll have some good stories to share. Perhaps the Grinch will make a return.
But I won't promise anything.
Until we meet again... RHoM
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday Minute
My blogging sucks lately. Oh well. Every post would have been about work anyway, and you should thank me that I haven't exposed you to that. But I saw this link-up and figured, hey, I can do that! So I am.
1 - Think back as far as you can, what's the first tape, record, etc you remember listening to?
Eddy Grant, Electric Avenue. I know I listened to the requisite children's music before this, but this is the first piece of pop music that I remember listening to over and over and over. My older sister used to play it LOUDLY every Saturday morning
2 - What's the first concert you've ever been to, the year and who performed?
It may have been New Kids on the Block in 1989. Is it wrong that I still want to see them in concert in 2011?
3 - Ever bleed from your ass?
No, thank goodness.
4 - If you went to your Senior Prom and had a date, do you still speak to said person?
Definitely not, though I occasionally hear about him from friends from high school because I'm apparently supposed to care. I don't.
5 - Name the one television show that's no longer on the air that could have gone on forever.
Gilmore Girls. So many unresolved issues - did Luke and Lorelai get married? Did they have kids? What's Rory doing now? What kind of reporter is she? How long was she with the Obama campaign? Is she married? Is Zach a famous rock musician? Did Lane ever play drums again? What's up with their kids? Did Paris marry Doyle? The characters on that show had so much room to grow and I wanted to see them do it!!!
1 - Think back as far as you can, what's the first tape, record, etc you remember listening to?
Eddy Grant, Electric Avenue. I know I listened to the requisite children's music before this, but this is the first piece of pop music that I remember listening to over and over and over. My older sister used to play it LOUDLY every Saturday morning
2 - What's the first concert you've ever been to, the year and who performed?
It may have been New Kids on the Block in 1989. Is it wrong that I still want to see them in concert in 2011?
 |
| NKOTB circa 2008 |
3 - Ever bleed from your ass?
No, thank goodness.
4 - If you went to your Senior Prom and had a date, do you still speak to said person?
Definitely not, though I occasionally hear about him from friends from high school because I'm apparently supposed to care. I don't.
5 - Name the one television show that's no longer on the air that could have gone on forever.
Gilmore Girls. So many unresolved issues - did Luke and Lorelai get married? Did they have kids? What's Rory doing now? What kind of reporter is she? How long was she with the Obama campaign? Is she married? Is Zach a famous rock musician? Did Lane ever play drums again? What's up with their kids? Did Paris marry Doyle? The characters on that show had so much room to grow and I wanted to see them do it!!!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Dear Milwaukee
Dear Milwaukee,
It's a good thing you are the home to so many people and places I love because your weather sucks. It's the middle of May for goodness sakes. I shouldn't have to wear my sweaters anymore. I'm not asking for a lot, just some extended 60+ degree weather.
Love,
RHoM
It's a good thing you are the home to so many people and places I love because your weather sucks. It's the middle of May for goodness sakes. I shouldn't have to wear my sweaters anymore. I'm not asking for a lot, just some extended 60+ degree weather.
Love,
RHoM
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Fan of the section
A few weeks ago, we went to the Brewers game for my niece's 4th birthday. My niece is quite the Brewers fan and knows most of the players. In fact, she refers to left-fielder Ryan Braun as her boyfriend - much to her mom's dismay. However, I remember being my niece's age and having quite the affinity for a first baseman named Cecil Cooper, including a t-shirt that said I {heart} Cooper, so I get it.
We had a fun group sitting behind us - they were probably in their twenties, and although a few of them were a little intoxicated, they were generally fine and clearly having a good time. They thought my niece and nephew were pretty darn cute and had a lot of fun joking around with them. One guy in particular repeatedly asked my nephew for a spoonful of his Dippin' Dots, which my nephew thought was weird at first but then thought was pretty funny. They declared my niece "The best fan in this section. We can't say the whole stadium because we haven't checked out all the fans in all the sections, but she's clearly the best in this section."
I think the best fan of the section may have been a reaction to the following conversation: During right-fielder Mark Kotsay's first at-bat, my niece recognized the name and repeated it in her four year old-speak: "Kot-saaaaaay." This caught the attention of one of her Grandmas, and they proceeded to have this conversation:
Grandma: Grandpa doesn't like Kotsay.
Niece: Why not?
Grandma: Why don't you ask him?
Niece: Grandpa, why you don't like Kotsay?
Grandpa: Because he doesn't hit very much.
Niece: (Pause) He hits on my tv!
Yeah, my niece is pretty cute.
And for the record, Kotsay had a couple of hits that game, including a hit immediately following this conversation. Clearly my niece knows her Brewers baseball.
 |
| COOOOOOOOOP!!! |
We had a fun group sitting behind us - they were probably in their twenties, and although a few of them were a little intoxicated, they were generally fine and clearly having a good time. They thought my niece and nephew were pretty darn cute and had a lot of fun joking around with them. One guy in particular repeatedly asked my nephew for a spoonful of his Dippin' Dots, which my nephew thought was weird at first but then thought was pretty funny. They declared my niece "The best fan in this section. We can't say the whole stadium because we haven't checked out all the fans in all the sections, but she's clearly the best in this section."
I think the best fan of the section may have been a reaction to the following conversation: During right-fielder Mark Kotsay's first at-bat, my niece recognized the name and repeated it in her four year old-speak: "Kot-saaaaaay." This caught the attention of one of her Grandmas, and they proceeded to have this conversation:
Grandma: Grandpa doesn't like Kotsay.
Niece: Why not?
Grandma: Why don't you ask him?
Niece: Grandpa, why you don't like Kotsay?
Grandpa: Because he doesn't hit very much.
Niece: (Pause) He hits on my tv!
Yeah, my niece is pretty cute.
And for the record, Kotsay had a couple of hits that game, including a hit immediately following this conversation. Clearly my niece knows her Brewers baseball.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Congratulations, LoRa!
My youngest sister, LoRa (not her her real name), graduates with her Master's Degree today. For most people, graduation signals an end to college life, but for people like LoRa and myself, graduation is the beginning of a new chapter of college life - life as a professional in higher education.
My sister is entering the profession of Student Affairs, a little known profession that is essential to college life. Student Affairs folks are essentially in charge of everything that happens at college outside of the classroom, though some people (like me) are involved in the classroom as well. Student Affairs professional can be like my sister and run the residence halls, the campus activities, the career services, and the leadership programs. They can be like me and be academic advisors and academic support services for special populations, like student-athletes or first-generation college students. They can be like my co-workers and be admissions and financial aid counselors. And, for those times when college students like to pretend they can do anything and not have consequences, student affairs professionals are the conduct administrators that help students (hopefully) learn from their mistakes. It's a challenging but incredibly rewarding profession.
Congratulations LoRa! I'm proud to have you as a sister and a colleague.
My sister is entering the profession of Student Affairs, a little known profession that is essential to college life. Student Affairs folks are essentially in charge of everything that happens at college outside of the classroom, though some people (like me) are involved in the classroom as well. Student Affairs professional can be like my sister and run the residence halls, the campus activities, the career services, and the leadership programs. They can be like me and be academic advisors and academic support services for special populations, like student-athletes or first-generation college students. They can be like my co-workers and be admissions and financial aid counselors. And, for those times when college students like to pretend they can do anything and not have consequences, student affairs professionals are the conduct administrators that help students (hopefully) learn from their mistakes. It's a challenging but incredibly rewarding profession.
Congratulations LoRa! I'm proud to have you as a sister and a colleague.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Cool kids' table
I have survived almost three weeks at my new job! Woohoo!
Starting this job hasn't kicked my butt nearly as much starting my job in North Carolina. I don't know if I'm just used to the early hours, or if I don't have to lie as much so I'm not as tired (I have a desk and a computer and an office with a door and everything!!!). Personally, I think being on Central time has a lot to do with it because all my favorite shows are on at nine instead of ten, and I can still watch them and get to bed at a decent time.
I sound like an old lady.
Anyway, my job is going pretty well so far, but one thing I've noticed is that I'm definitely not one of "them." I'm not officially part of the department that my physical office is in; I partner with them, but I don't work with them and definitely not for them. Because of this, everybody is really friendly and nice, but it feels like I'm more tolerated than included.
I'm okay with this arrangement. I like doing my own thing, and I like that I'm not part of their drama. Not that they have drama drama, but they are a fairly large office and they have a lot of relationships and dynamics to manage that I don't really have to deal with as an outsider. They're also very high energy and always on the move, and I'm much more mellow at work. I still do fifteen things at once like they do, I just am more... contained is the word that's coming to mind.
Plus, they're mostly younger than me - by quite a bit actually - and while this shouldn't matter, I sometimes feel like I can't relate to them.Sometimes I sit in our meetings and think, "Wow, you have no idea." A few of them have been in the workforce for less than a year, and just don't have the years of experience I'm used to in my colleagues. I use these opportunities to teach and I try hard not to preach, but the looks I get often seem like, "Who let the old fart in?"
I think the biggest thing I've noticed, though, is I'm not part of their social interaction. They hang out after work, they joke around during the day, and they stop by each others' offices all day long. This doesn't happen with me. Part of it is that I don't share their work so they don't need to ask me questions or share their experiences, but part of it is that I just don't relate to them. I've joked to my friends that it feels like high school and they're the cool kids and I'm the nerd (again), but it's not like that. Because I work at a university, I think it's more appropriate to describe them as members of a fraternity, while I'm GDI (that's g**damn independent, or non-Greek, for you non-higher educators). They share a common experience and have bonded around that shared experience, and I'm on the outside doing my own thing. We work at the same place, and often attend the same meetings, but what we take away from our jobs and our meetings are very different. While I'm not envious of their jobs at all, nor do I really want to be part of their fraternity, I do envy the collegial nature of their work.
And you know, every now and then, it's nice to be invited to the cool kids' table.
Starting this job hasn't kicked my butt nearly as much starting my job in North Carolina. I don't know if I'm just used to the early hours, or if I don't have to lie as much so I'm not as tired (I have a desk and a computer and an office with a door and everything!!!). Personally, I think being on Central time has a lot to do with it because all my favorite shows are on at nine instead of ten, and I can still watch them and get to bed at a decent time.
I sound like an old lady.
Anyway, my job is going pretty well so far, but one thing I've noticed is that I'm definitely not one of "them." I'm not officially part of the department that my physical office is in; I partner with them, but I don't work with them and definitely not for them. Because of this, everybody is really friendly and nice, but it feels like I'm more tolerated than included.
I'm okay with this arrangement. I like doing my own thing, and I like that I'm not part of their drama. Not that they have drama drama, but they are a fairly large office and they have a lot of relationships and dynamics to manage that I don't really have to deal with as an outsider. They're also very high energy and always on the move, and I'm much more mellow at work. I still do fifteen things at once like they do, I just am more... contained is the word that's coming to mind.
Plus, they're mostly younger than me - by quite a bit actually - and while this shouldn't matter, I sometimes feel like I can't relate to them.Sometimes I sit in our meetings and think, "Wow, you have no idea." A few of them have been in the workforce for less than a year, and just don't have the years of experience I'm used to in my colleagues. I use these opportunities to teach and I try hard not to preach, but the looks I get often seem like, "Who let the old fart in?"
I think the biggest thing I've noticed, though, is I'm not part of their social interaction. They hang out after work, they joke around during the day, and they stop by each others' offices all day long. This doesn't happen with me. Part of it is that I don't share their work so they don't need to ask me questions or share their experiences, but part of it is that I just don't relate to them. I've joked to my friends that it feels like high school and they're the cool kids and I'm the nerd (again), but it's not like that. Because I work at a university, I think it's more appropriate to describe them as members of a fraternity, while I'm GDI (that's g**damn independent, or non-Greek, for you non-higher educators). They share a common experience and have bonded around that shared experience, and I'm on the outside doing my own thing. We work at the same place, and often attend the same meetings, but what we take away from our jobs and our meetings are very different. While I'm not envious of their jobs at all, nor do I really want to be part of their fraternity, I do envy the collegial nature of their work.
And you know, every now and then, it's nice to be invited to the cool kids' table.
Friday, April 29, 2011
GO LUCY!!! AGAIN!!!
Remember when my crazy sister Lucy was running in her second half-marathon? Well, tomorrow she is running in her first FULL MARATHON! Go Lucy!
Never ever ever in a million years would I be able to do that, and I admire her for her dedication and persistence. And also for her craziness, because she has to be a little insane to want to voluntarily run for four hours, but it's the good kind of insane and I respect that kind of insanity.
GO LUCY!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Never ever ever in a million years would I be able to do that, and I admire her for her dedication and persistence. And also for her craziness, because she has to be a little insane to want to voluntarily run for four hours, but it's the good kind of insane and I respect that kind of insanity.
GO LUCY!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
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