A Rare Weekend

Posted in Community, Interludes, Outside Activities on 10/23/2010 07:16 pm by Peggy Hu

This weekend is very unusual for us; we have absolutely nothing scheduled except for A.J.’s taekwondo class from this morning. I decided to take the opportunity today to go to a craft show where my cousin Tina (of KittyKatKards), was exhibiting her homemade origami cards. Of course I bought some — I had to support the family! (But really, they are very creative, as you can see below.)

Three holiday cards with origami

Some of my cousin Tina's homemade cards

After I got back from the craft show, I played a game on the computer for a while, then sat on the futon in the sunroom to sort through a backlog of mail and … fell asleep!

What a relaxing day!

 

Fundraising Season

Posted in Community, Parenting on 10/11/2010 08:37 pm by Peggy Hu

I have no idea who the original Sally Foster was/is, but I really hate having to help A.J. sell her stuff every fall to raise money for the school. There is only so much wrapping paper and candy a person can handle! This year’s fundraising campaign is even more obnoxious because people are being asked to buy $20 gift cards rather than getting items directly. How many items do you think cost exactly $10 or $20 so someone can use up all the money in a gift card? That’s right — zero. Very clever.

In addition to this gift card campaign, the school is asking kids to sell “Hallmark Entertainment” books of coupons for local stores and restaurants. Each book costs $30. I suppose if you eat out a lot — and remember to carry your coupons with you — it’s a good deal. Personally, I’m not a coupon-clipping kind of person.

I’m not much of a fundraising one, either. Life was so much simpler before A.J. started public school ….

 

Wrong Target Audience

Posted in Community, Work on 10/02/2010 10:17 pm by Peggy Hu

I recently received a political flyer in the mail from the AFL-CIO that says “If you don’t want your job to go here (map of Shanghai, China) … Don’t let [political candidate] go here (map of Washington, D.C.)”

Clever ad, but I work for the U.S. Department of State. If my job moved to Shanghai, I would consider it a fun opportunity.

 

In Sickness and in Health ….

Posted in Parenting, Work on 10/02/2010 09:46 pm by Peggy Hu

This month it seems Chris and I have been taking turns with A.J. getting sick. First I got something that started off like a flu, then became a really bad cold. I was sick throughout the weekend of September 11 and too sick to go to work the following two days. The following week, A.J. came down with a bug that kept him out of school for three days and required Chris and me to juggle our work schedules (he ended up caring for A.J. two days, and I took one). After A.J. went back to school, Chris got sick, and he is still a bit under the weather. Then two days ago I started getting muscle aches again, and yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and a massive fever that turned out to be strep throat. Now A.J. is claiming he doesn’t feel quite right. Sigh.

 

Dealing with Protesters

Posted in Community on 08/04/2010 08:00 pm by Peggy Hu

For some reason, the Foggy Bottom Metro station is a popular place for people advocating political causes. Yesterday afternoon, one group set up a large sign labeled “Obamacare,” with a picture of President Obama marked up to look like Hitler. I found this offensive, but did my best to ignore the protesters, averting my eyes and refusing to take the pamphlets they tried to hand me. Everyone has the right to free speech, I believe, although I don’t have to listen to what is being said.

As I was busy dodging outstretched arms, I noticed a woman with a cane. Rather than ignoring the protesters as I did, she walked up to one of them and began to scold him, and he started to argue back. As I got on the escalator down to the subway, I heard their voices getting louder and louder. Suddenly I heard a “thwack!” followed by a loud yelp.

I’m not entirely sure what happened, but I think that woman got the last word.

 

Corn vs. Cob

Posted in Cooking on 07/05/2010 02:07 pm by Peggy Hu

Yesterday while shopping for groceries for dinner, I found Giant had a great deal on fresh corn — a dozen ears for $2. A.J. and I especially love fresh corn on the cob; it’s fun to gnaw on the cob, and fresh corn is so sweet we love to eat it straight.

Apparently not everyone feels the same way about corn on the cob, though. After we had cooked several ears, Chris’s stepdad took a knife and methodically cut all the corn off a cob, then covered it in salt and pepper. Horrors! At least he only confined his work to the ear on his plate and didn’t try to prepare anyone else’s in the same way. If I’d known he was going to abuse fresh corn that way, I would have added a few cans to my groceries and saved him the trouble!

 

Typical Dinnertime Conversation

Posted in Parenting on 04/15/2010 06:05 pm by Peggy Hu

Chris: A.J., eat over your plate!

A.J: Ok.

Chris: No, eat over YOUR plate!

 

Intersecting Worlds

Posted in Community, Outside Activities, Work on 04/01/2010 10:37 pm by Peggy Hu

Chris, A.J. and I went to see my friend/neighbor/former boss perform with his garage band at a local restaurant tonight. It was good music for a great cause, but it was a little disconcerting to see how many of my coworkers also were there. These days with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter I can’t help having my work and personal lives blend on the Internet, but it was a little weird to have it happen in real life as well. Also, I’ve been out of the office for the last six days and will still be out for the next three, so seeing so many of my coworkers tonight felt rather like stopping in the office while in the middle of vacation. Eh.

 

Laptop Woes

Posted in technology on 03/11/2010 05:43 pm by Peggy Hu

There are certain unpleasant but necessary tasks I must regularly perform like cleaning toilets, doing taxes and going to the dentist. Now it seems I have another: figuring out what is wrong with my laptop. For at least a week now it has refused to acknowledge it has a battery, which defeats the purpose of having a laptop (portability) as opposed to a desktop. Whenever the cord is unplugged — accidentally or deliberately — the machine goes completely black. When replugged, it goes through all kinds of alarming checks. One time it claimed it didn’t have a hard drive (fortunately it found it again after I rebooted the machine).

I really hope I don’t have to buy a new laptop. It was such a headache the last time. Maybe the local geek squad can help?

 

Feeling Out of Sorts

Posted in Interludes on 03/07/2010 07:47 pm by Peggy Hu

I don’t know if I’m fighting a cold, or I’m just mentally drained from last week’s nonsense with my work ID (I got my original badge back on Friday — yay!) and other office drama, but I have not wanted to do anything resembling work this weekend. This weekend has been very abnormal anyway; A.J. did not attend his Saturday classes due to a prior commitment, and we had house guests.

I did manage to do a few loads of dirty dishes and bake a pan of vegan blueberry muffins that passed my carnivorous family’s taste test, though. I also filled two bags full of clothes A.J. has outgrown and did a little work advertising an upcoming happy hour for AAJA-D.C. So, I haven’t been entirely idle. But I definitely don’t feel as energetic as I usually am. Hopefully things will look up tomorrow, after a little extra sleep tonight.

 
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