It works for us. I joined the Coast Guard a few years ago, and shortly after, my husband was laid off of his job as a Glazier. That was ok with me, he needs to be his own boss anyway. He is an artist. He makes surfboards and sells them just to make enough to buy more supplies. He does it when the temperature is right and DD is at school; otherwise, he is a full-time dad. I go to work five days or more a week (depending on OPs Tempo) and sustain our livable income in a male-dominated field. But I love my work, and my husband supports that. The demand of my job makes job hunting for him...

I usually worked when my daughter was ending her day at school, and rarely made it to pick her up. On the few days that I could, I would stand in the area where all the elementary parents would congregate, chatting and waiting for the hordes to pour down the walkway. I was living in Orange County California at this time. I tried to paste myself to the brick wall, being one of the few working mothers that no one here saw or knew personally; the other mothers chatted, made play dates, and gossiped. I stared painfully down the walkway waiting. I did meet a few moms from my neighborhood, and...

My job constantly requires me to convert metric to standard measurements, (thank you, stubborn Americans) and calculate volume based on visuals, sooo, I just used a calculator yesterday and I will use one every time the measurements are to big to convert in my head. Ah, when will we switch to the nicely calculable metric system over here?

Today was chilly, and I loved it. The clouds were reminiscent of snow-filled clouds I grew up with. Though there was no snow, had those clouds relaxed, it was a sure possibility considering the low temperatures even at sea level here. The air is the most telling symptom of fall and the coming winter. It bites, or nips, with a clean scent though. I am eager to bring in boughs of fall leaves, something it has been years since I've even seen...I could frame the mantle with them, it's not as though we have the fire going yet, though why? I don't know, now is the perfect time to stoke the...

I listed some topics in my intro to this series. I will get to those, but I'm drawn to write from the soul right now, and I would say the fall brings it out; what I like to call the "tortured soul syndrome". I am sipping on a beer, on my patio, thinking, "why is that house next door so close?" I listen to a chill Neil Young song and tilt my head back, looking at a blue sky, with streaks of white going by. If only I could hear the crash of waves on the shore right now. Maybe its cliche to desire a seaside bungalow, but I'm not talking coconut trees and spear-fishing. I want to be up on a...

In my attempt to avoid writing about politics, and keep my prose sharp, I wish to embrace the season. This is my introduction to several more focused writings on fall related topics. I hope to capture the beauty as well as the ugliness, maybe discussing leaves, cold, colors, shortening of days, and more if it comes to mind. School has started, and as a mom, you can count on an entry detailing my daughter's excitement and trepidation when starting second grade at a brand new school. I will start with a post later today and update as I become inspired. Out of practice and lacking confidence,...

I've never felt entitled to own a house, and it will be a loooong time before it's a feasible idea, anyway. There's one rule I've broken. Another is the credit card. Those things have always confused me. Spend money you don't have? Isn't that stealing? Ok, Ok. I know better, but really, if I can't pay now, what makes me think I can pay later? With the economy in the state it's been in, I've thought of these things alot. Why can't I go live an isolated life in a cabin in Alaska? Must I be a productive member of society? I posed this question to a co-worker once and he literally exclaimed his...