Certainly not enough rambling

Yesterday Noah and I trekked out to Qtown to see my Dad and Oma. In the couple of hours I was there I spent the bulk of the time on the phone with Verizon and then Dell trying to hook up my father’s DSL. The Verizon helpdesk person was very helpful and quick to realize that the problem I was having was that the Norton Internet Security firewall was preventing proper installation .But we couldn’t figure out how to disable the damn thing – so I had to call Dell. Dell was not very helpful – after a very long wait and then making me poke around the computer aimlessly for twenty minutes before telling me I had to call Norton – I figured out the solution by my own damn self. Once the firewall was disabled it was a piece of cake. Oma kept Noah occupied most of the time and Dad made yummy burritos for lunch. Noah got a little edgy toward the afternoon – but only because he was overdue for his nap and I didn’t want him to nap until the drive home. I didn’t do much computer tutorial with Dad – he said he’ll just keep poking around on it a little each day until he figures how to use things. Trial and error. That’s how I learned the little I know and I think it’s the most effective way.

Dad has vacation from work this week so he came back to the city with Noah and I. Mark was kind enough to watch Noah so that Dad and I could go out to eat. We walked to The Standard Tap and had an excellent meal. Their burgers are to die for. They even make the heat of their lack of air conditioning bearable. I’m a bit puzzled about why they can’t even install a ceiling fan for better air circulation – but whatever. Dad had the soft crab sandwich. The guacamole and tomatillos looked really good – but I could never eat a whole crab – shell and all. Yick. Dad however enjoyed it.

We got back just in time for me to put Noah down for bed and then we watched National Treasure. We’re not big on action flicks but I’ll attempt to watch anything set in Philly and I saw them film some of National Treasure when I worked across the street from Independence Hall. It actually wasn’t bad. And it was the perfect movie to watch with my Dad who does enjoy action films and Nicholas Cage - so it was kismet that it arrived that day from Netflix.

Noah woke me up around 5 am again this morning. He was whimpering and crying in his sleep for a half hour. I guess he was having a nightmare. What do infants have nightmares about? Both Mark and I were wide awake trying to comfort him without waking him up. When he finally woke up he was in fine spirits despite his sleep crying moments prior. After Mark went to work Dad, Noah and I went for breakfast. We headed to Honey’s but it wasn’t open despite the hours on the door confirming that it should have been – so we went to Silk City Diner. I’ve been a regular at Silk City Diner since 1995 – but Mark, Noah and I haven’t gone together because the dining car size of the place indicated to me that they couldn’t possibly have highchairs. Lo and behold that though they don’t have high chairs they do have those chairs that hang off the table and over the bench seats. It was a perfect setup because Noah was at the table with us. Our breakfast was lovely and Noah got A LOT of attention from a doting waitress. She even sat down next to us and played with him for a minute. He’s such a hit with the ladies. Which brings me to something I’m always thinking about – strangers and babies. It is SO ackward for me when strangers interact with Noah – but not only do they not speak to me, they avoid even looking at me. This even happens with the Bjorn when Noah’s head is just inches beneath mine. What the heck am I supposed to do and where am I supposed to look when a stranger is chatting away with Noah? It’s SO weird.

Anyway – after breakfast we went to the Gallery and did some quick shopping and left a generous Dad to catch a train back to his neck of the woods. It was a nice visit. In recent years my Dad and I have been a little estranged and though some of the issues remain I decided when I was pregnant with Noah that I needed to put them aside. My Dad loves me and wants to be a part of my life – and certainly a part of Noah’s life – and there was no way I could deny Noah the love of his grandfather. And that decision has been a good one because I missed my Dad and it’s really rewarding to see how much he enjoys being with my son.

So was that a long enough sum up of my last two days? Should I have included more info on every meal we consumed and how many trips we all made to the bathroom? Sorry I was so succinct.