Sunday, August 31, 2008
Nice to meet you
Hanging out with Dietrich at the moment is like always wearing a "Hello! My name is ... " nametag. If someone gets onto the elevator with us, he looks at them and introduces me. "Mama," he proclaims. "Mama!" At church, he introduces me to people who knew me before there was him. "Mama," he tells them, as if they didn't watch my belly swell as he grew week by week. At the dinner table, he introduces me to Eric. (And then he introduces Dada to me.) Soon, all of Kyiv will know that I'm Dietrich's mama. And that's just fine with me.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
From Krakow , with love
We were at a SEND conference last week, just 30 minutes from the Polish border. At the last minute, just before leaving for that conference, we decided that we couldn't be so close to Poland without visiting Krakow. So, rather than come back with the rest of the SEND team, we headed west. It was a dicey decision, since Dietrich had been throwing up for the last two days of conference, but he seemed on the mend, and we decided that our family really needed some time away, together, even if it meant sitting in an apartment with a sick baby. At least it would be an apartment in Krakow.
By the time we arrived Monday night, D was all better. The train we wanted to take back was already sold out, so we were forced to stay another day. (Oh, what a shame, she says sarcastically.)
So, here we are. We spent the day at the zoo, where Dietrich got bit by a duck whom he was trying to befriend. Tonight, we will eat grilled meat and watch horse-drawn carriages and street performers. Last night, we saw fire-breathing dancers. The night before, we watched one guy on a break-dancing team spin on his head for a minute. Who knows who might bust a move tonight?
By the time we arrived Monday night, D was all better. The train we wanted to take back was already sold out, so we were forced to stay another day. (Oh, what a shame, she says sarcastically.)
So, here we are. We spent the day at the zoo, where Dietrich got bit by a duck whom he was trying to befriend. Tonight, we will eat grilled meat and watch horse-drawn carriages and street performers. Last night, we saw fire-breathing dancers. The night before, we watched one guy on a break-dancing team spin on his head for a minute. Who knows who might bust a move tonight?
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Turns out I am a luddite
Our Internet's back!
No explanation for why it didn't work automatically when I plugged my laptop in, but it turns out that I made matters worse on Tuesday when I put a period in the wrong place during my conversation with the help desk. I would feel really embarrassed about that misplaced little dot, but it took the two masters 45 minutes to figure it out, so I just feel a little bit embarrassed.
The cost of finding the misplaced period was $10, which we were supposed to pay at the bank. However, we didn't know we had to pay it within a day, so last night our Internet got shut off again. Thankfully, the bank was open today so we were able to pay up.
In other news: We had a lovely time celebrating Eric's 35th birthday on Thursday, and tonight the celebration continues with a Mexican food fiesta with two other couples. Off to cook!
No explanation for why it didn't work automatically when I plugged my laptop in, but it turns out that I made matters worse on Tuesday when I put a period in the wrong place during my conversation with the help desk. I would feel really embarrassed about that misplaced little dot, but it took the two masters 45 minutes to figure it out, so I just feel a little bit embarrassed.
The cost of finding the misplaced period was $10, which we were supposed to pay at the bank. However, we didn't know we had to pay it within a day, so last night our Internet got shut off again. Thankfully, the bank was open today so we were able to pay up.
In other news: We had a lovely time celebrating Eric's 35th birthday on Thursday, and tonight the celebration continues with a Mexican food fiesta with two other couples. Off to cook!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
I am not a luddite
A week ago today, my new laptop stopped turning on. I've been out of sorts ever since.
I was just days away from the deadline for two big projects that I work on several times a year for SEND, and I had to ask someone in the States to take them over, which made me feel like a big ol' slacker.
Thankfully, Mac opened several stores here in the past year, so they now have an authorized service center in Kyiv. The authorized service people replaced my keyboard. It's Russian now, which is actually rather convenient, since I don't need to see the letters to type in English, but I desperately need them to type in Russian.
I know this is a rather complainy post, but let me just say that I am SO IMMENSELY THRILLED that my computer works again, and I promise to soon make a backup of all the things I thought were lost forever.
Back to the complaints. Sadly, the authorized service people claimed that my warranty was only good for repairs done in the States. I'll be Skyping Apple about this matter ...
... just as soon as our Internet comes back on.
When my laptop came home, it no longer connected to the Internet. I spent 40 minutes on the phone with the Internet service guy this morning, but to no avail. He and I faced two language barriers: Russian/English and PC/Mac. The Russian/English one was way easier to overcome.
On Thursday, the Internet master (master is the word for a specialized repair person here) will be stopping by to take a look. Last time my Mac wouldn't connect to the Internet, it took three masters the better part of a day to figure it out.
I wish Thursday's master quick success. Dietrich watches Sesame Street via Internet. You try feeding him oatmeal with blueberries, but without Sesame Street!
I was just days away from the deadline for two big projects that I work on several times a year for SEND, and I had to ask someone in the States to take them over, which made me feel like a big ol' slacker.
Thankfully, Mac opened several stores here in the past year, so they now have an authorized service center in Kyiv. The authorized service people replaced my keyboard. It's Russian now, which is actually rather convenient, since I don't need to see the letters to type in English, but I desperately need them to type in Russian.
I know this is a rather complainy post, but let me just say that I am SO IMMENSELY THRILLED that my computer works again, and I promise to soon make a backup of all the things I thought were lost forever.
Back to the complaints. Sadly, the authorized service people claimed that my warranty was only good for repairs done in the States. I'll be Skyping Apple about this matter ...
... just as soon as our Internet comes back on.
When my laptop came home, it no longer connected to the Internet. I spent 40 minutes on the phone with the Internet service guy this morning, but to no avail. He and I faced two language barriers: Russian/English and PC/Mac. The Russian/English one was way easier to overcome.
On Thursday, the Internet master (master is the word for a specialized repair person here) will be stopping by to take a look. Last time my Mac wouldn't connect to the Internet, it took three masters the better part of a day to figure it out.
I wish Thursday's master quick success. Dietrich watches Sesame Street via Internet. You try feeding him oatmeal with blueberries, but without Sesame Street!
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