Monthly Archives: October 2006

When you wish upon a star

Sarah

Sarah and I honeymooned in the Bahamas. On the last day of our vacation, we got up at 3 A.M. and went down to the beach, where we sat in lounge chairs, held hands, and watched the Leonid meteor shower. It was indescribably beautiful.

Sarah said, “Make a wish!”

I replied, “Don’t be silly. I already got my wish.”

Last night, the Blue Fairy appeared to me (okay, it was at a Halloween party). She bopped me on the head with her magic wand, and said, “Make a wish!”

She may have wondered why I couldn’t answer her.

Come Sail Away

Nate, Sarah, Thanks

Sarah’s parents have an eleven-meter sailboat, Deliverance. (Sarah’s dad is an obstetrician.) Sarah grew up on the water, and she absolutely loved sailing. It was central to her life. I learned to love it too, except for the fact that I always get sick. I think it’s the one thing she would have changed about me.

Sarah was stuck with me, but Nate was her second chance. Watching him discover the boat was one of her greatest joys. She was determined that he would be a water baby, just as she had been.

So when Tish and Francis invited us to go for a day sail in July, it was bittersweet. This would be my first time on board without Sarah. I knew it would be sad for me, but I also knew that Nate would love it. More, I knew that sailing and exploring the islands would be one of the best ways for him to learn who Sarah really was. So, for the record, even though I always get sick, I am determined to accept every invitation to go sailing from now on. I just hope next summer is less rainy.

We brought Jennifer’s family along. Jennifer and her parents, Beth and Paul, are very good friends of ours. Nate sleeps at their house at least once a week so I can have some down time, and I am quite unable to express how grateful I am to have them in my life.

Paul documented our lovely day sail by taking approximately two hojillion pictures. Unfortunately, a thick fog came in before we made it all the way to Cuttyhunk, so we had to turn around and head back. And Nate was too excited to nap on the boat; by the end of the day, he was completely fried. So I tied him to a chair, and we enjoyed dinner at the yacht club.

It was a good day.

Sominex

Talk nerdy to me

I hate drugs.

But! Nate’s been sick. He’s been waking me up coughing. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep all week. So tonight he’s at Jennifer’s house, and I went to CVS/pharmacy to see if I could get some sleep.

Sarah used to have Tylenol PM around the house, and despite a strong aversion, I’ve taken them once or twice when I was desperate. But, and see above where it says “I hate drugs,” I’d prefer not to take a pain reliever if I’m not in pain. What I really wanted was Tylenol PM without the Tylenol.

I took my time and compared all the sleep aids. I was looking for the cheapest one. Turns out the active ingredient in Tylenol PM, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, is indeed sold separately. The Tylenol brand is called “Simply Sleep.” But it’s the same chemical in Sominex and about half a dozen other sleep aids. The CVS brand, in a snazzy blue box (trying hard to look like, but not too like, the Sominex box), was cheapest, four bucks for 24 tablets.

Again: But. That name looks familiar. Diphenhydramine… where do I know you from?

By golly, it’s Benadryl. And the CVS brand of Benadryl was only $3.50 for 24 tablets. Exact same dosage; pink box. And fifty cents cheaper.

Now all I have to do is shut off the Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack that’s been playing in my head since I saw the Sominex, and I’ll be all set.

Smile, and maybe tomorrow

Nate, Sarah

Why didn’t I think of that?

The other night at dinner, out of nowhere, Nate said to me, “We need someone to stay with us. Our family is too small.”

After I finished choking on my pizza, I said, “I know, buddy. It’s just you and me since mama died. I miss her a lot.”

He said, “Yeah… I miss her too. …Can we get a new one?”

“…Oh, honey. Maybe someday.”

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Nate

Topsfield Fair

We had a blast at the Topsfield Fair last night. I took Nate to work with me (hooray backup day care!) and we left at 4:00 in an attempt to beat the rush hour traffic. I’ll never go to the Fair on a weekend again. We just cruised right up to the main entrance and parked in the main lot: unheard of!

Thanks to Amadis for coming out to play with us. She kept an eye on Nate so I could use the bathroom by myself, another rare treat.

It was a whirlwind tour, as dictated by the attention span (and bedtime) of a three-year-old boy. But we hit all the highlights: horses, alpacas, sheep, goats, cows, pigs, rabbits, the giant pumpkin, Kiddieland rides, hot dogs, model trains, and apple cider doughnuts. The only things I missed were the poultry barn and the “as seen on TV” building. I could have used another bottle of that windshield stuff.

It’s been years since I’ve been to the Fair. Somehow the giant pumpkin and the “have your picture taken with a rabbit on your lap $5” booth had gotten mixed up in my mind. I was both disappointed and relieved to discover that there was no “have your picture taken sitting on the lap of a giant rabbit $5” booth. I’m not sure a 1,300-pound rabbit would be a good idea.

Are you experienced?

Nate

Nate has been fascinated by guitars and guitar players since he was an infant. Sarah bought him a ukelele and he carries it everywhere. For a while, he wouldn’t let us read him a book unless there was a guitar in it. Naturally, his favorite day of the week is Wednesday, when Mr. Gerry comes to day care and plays his guitar.

I was reading Entertainment Weekly last night when Nate peeked over my shoulder and asked, “Who’s that?” I responded that it was Jimi Hendrix, arguably the greatest guitar player of all time.

Nate shook his head and said, “No… Mr. Gerry is.”