Paranoid Android

Man...Radiohead...this song.  I could listen to it a million times and still find new ways to appreciate it.

School is off to a busy start, but as expected, that double math load is a lot to handle.  I find myself staying after school quite a bit longer than usual to get things done - unfortunately the daycare pickups and making dinner are just gonna have to be a bit later - cause I don't see how we could do any better in the mornings than we have been.

Quite a week for sleeping drama around here.  On Wednesday night, the power went out around 11, and the lack of a nightlight woke up Chloe, who then went into a full-fledged night terror.  Maya used to have them too - but I don't remember them being violent.  More scary and detached.  Chloe can be screaming that she wants Mommy - while Mommy is trying to hold her.  I use the word trying because while this is happening, she's kicking, slapping, punching...and at one particular bad point, when I was trying to hold her arms, she reared back and headbutted me in the boys.  Not fun at all.  Got even better when the power went out for good at 3:30.  Didn't feel like it, but apparently after awakening gasping for air and tearing off my CPAP mask, I did get some more sleep - but that sleep was rather noisy and didn't help Gabi sleep at all.

So Chloe was in bed early last night (thanks Nonna!), and we thought all was good for a quiet night - when, out of the blue, Chloe comes in complaining both of being hungry and having a hurting tummy.  Then - I have to go Blah (our current word for puke in the house).  We got her out of our bed in a hurry, and to the bathroom, but just beside the toilet, some projectiles were launched.  It was impressive - all over the toilet, wall, carpet, and you just don't even want to know what happened to the magazine rack.  A second bout later in our bed, and then general restlessness and wakefulness until 3 am - the fact that I'm coherent enough to write currently is suprising to me - but perhaps when I re-read it later I'll find I actually wasn't.

Went family veggie picking last weekend.  Great idea in principle, and we had a great time with Vicki and Phillip, although Chloe, who loved it last year, was more difficult to manage.  Should have thought a little more about how insanely busy the week was gonna be before starting all that.  My birthday and squash finals (not that I was in them - not this summer - but I wanted the meal and a bit of a run) on Monday, Gabi's fair meeting on Tuesday, my curriculum night on Wednesday, Gabi's on Thursday (which I took Maya to, to meet her teacher), and then tonight, blissfully, nothing.  In fact, tonight I finally canned the mild (practically flavorless, in my opinion) salsa I made on Sunday, and am now working on another fresh batch (which is aiming for medium, but since I'm not sure about the hot peppers I bought, could be anywhere from mild to suicide), but I'm starting to lose some of the tomatoes and peppers.  Whatever I don't cook tonight I might have to dispose of gently.  We'll see.

Now another all-time favourite - Hummer, by the Pumpkins.  Why can't Billy Corgan make music like this any more?

I've got another new obsession.  I'm starting to wonder about myself - do I just need to have an obsession?  What would happen to me if I didn't?  I started off thinking about standup, full-sized video games, but after some research I realized that they're a money pit that stands virtually no chance of being an investment of any kind, or at least holding they're value.  Exceptions are out there (Galaga, MS. Pacman), but the machine I would want (Elevator Action) has next to no cachet, therefore no chance of being more valuable. 

So thru this research, I discovered a website called maaca.org, or Montreal arcade and amusement collectors association, and got kind of fascinated by the pinball collectors.  I always enjoyed pinball, but gravitated towards certain machines over others, to be sure.  In fact, there's one in particular I'd love to get my hands on.  In 1986, Williams manufactured a game called High Speed - if you were ever in the arcade, you'd remember it as the one with the police siren on top.  If I was to get a game, I'm 99% sure that's the one I'd want.  I even almost bought one off ebay - but it was in Cleveland, and Gabi wasn't too wild about me taking a couple of days to pick up a pinball machine.  It also went over my limit, but in retrospect perhaps not as big an issue as the Cleveland thing.

At any rate, I haven't decided what to do.  My quest for a working Elevator Action machine did lead me to locate the glass marquee from the game, which is arriving on Tuesday (don't worry honey - it was only $15).  I'm either going to just mount it on the wall, or get really optimistic and build a little lightbox for it.  Or find someone to build it for me, since I'm ok at big stuff (decks and fences) but not really good at fine woodworking.

I found a beautiful edition of High Speed - but it's expensive, and in Green Bay,Wisconsin.  Every time I bring it up, Gabi hip checks me into the cupboards in the kitchen.  Subliminal communication?

Maybe she really wants new cupboards first.