The Fabulous B@ker Blog

Last night I had a dream about my Canadian cousin, Ann, and today I am really missing her. The last time I saw Ann was in July 2003 at my dad's wake. Before that, I hadn't seen her since Cameron was a baby, maybe since 1994 or so.  Ann is a little younger than I am, her birthday being February 2 (GROUNDHOG'S DAY) and mine being the previous October, and growing up we were extremely "close friends." Most Sundays when my mother would head to Cornwall, Ontario to visit Mémère, I would tag along to hang with Ann. We always had a great time together and got along very well for kids. I don't remember a silly fight or disagreement between us. We spent our Sundays together from the time we were little kids until we were teenagers and our lives began to diverge. Of course, as we got older our interests turned to boys, and I got to meet a lot of Ann's friends and a boyfriend or two. Ann dated Pete (Pierre) for several years and they married quite young (I thi

Whew! Finally a chance to update the blog. I'm sure many of you checked first thing Monday to see how (if!) the trip to Puerto Rico went. Or maybe you didn't check. Anyway... I did go to Puerto Rico, but it was a super quick trip, cut short by a hellish travel day on Thursday that went a little like this: Flight out of Rochester cancelled due to a mechanical issue. Waiting Waiting Waiting around the airport while Southwest tries to shuffle and reshuffle a plane full of passengers, most of which seemed, just like me, to be going to sunny destinations  Finally, a taxi ride (courtesy of Southwest) to Buffalo to catch a 4:15 flight to Orlando to connect to a flight to San Juan. (Plus a $200 voucher for future travel up to a year. YES!) Just one hitch: the flight to Orlando lands at the same time the San Juan flight departs. Hmmmm. Luck was with me: We landed in Orlando, and three of us hustled over to the San Juan flight, which was just boarding. Arrive in San Juan at 11:

Tomorrow, maybe. Tomorrow at this time I will be on a plane to Baltimore to connect to my flight to San Juan. MAYBE . Tons of flights are cancelled in this hellish frozen wasteland, and as I write this, I am waiting for a jump from AAA because my car won't start. I have to admit I'll miss having Annalisse and Nic along on the trip this year. It was tons of fun having them tag along last time. If I'm fortunate enough to be invited back to the board for another term (my term is up in April), maybe they can tag along next year. If I'm not able to rejoin the board, it sure has been a great ride!  Now, if AAA could only get here so I could get to work...because you know I'm so anxious to go outside...and have my lungs be paralyzed...and have my hair and hands freeze...

So, apparently we're supposed to experience another POLAR VOTEX (I'm sorry, I just can't help myself. I love that term. It's just begging to be the name of an indie rock band) this week, much like the one that caused plunging temperatures two weeks ago. But that's okay, because on Thursday I head to Puerto Rico for NAGAP's January board meeting. Haters gotta hate! I suppose I should get packing. (I hope the POLAR VORTEX doesn't interfere with flights like it did the last time or the joke might be on me.)

The Birthday Girl I cannot believe I forgot to post an embarrassing picture for my sister Carol's 55th birthday (sorry Nic!), which was Friday. But, when you think about, it her birthday celebration has been going on for several days, so Day 4 seems like a fine time to make amends. Let's recap: Friday, January 10 (Day 1) - Carol and Paul come to Rochester for a weekend of birthday celebrations, beginning with dinner at Donnelly's in Fairport on Friday night. Saturday, January 11 (Day 2) - Prime rib dinner at our house (For which I made a homemade chocolate cake which, when executed correctly, can rival even the Wegman's Ultimate Chocolate Cake. Unfortunately, something went very, very wrong and the cake didn't rise. I pinch-hitted with Brownie sundaes at the last minute.) Sunday, January 12 (Day 3) - Turkey dinner at Nic and Patrick's apartment Monday, January 13 (Day 4) - Appropriately mortifying old  picture on the B@ker Blog  That should he

It just occurred to me that I have not posted at all this week, which is kind of unusual for me. I think it's probably indicative of the busy week I've had, mixed in with being tired from having to get back into the work routine and feeling "on the verge" of getting sick all week. That, luckily did not come to fruition (yet). It's also been a busy couple of weeks wrapping up all the processing of paperwork and on-line forms Annalisse needed to have complete to apply to her transfer schools. One of the dreaded activities is to fill out the FAFSA (for student aid - of which we get none), which at this point is just estimated for 2014-2015 since we've not yet done our 2013 taxes. In addition to the FAFSA, Syracuse also required a financial profile that we needed to complete through the College Board website (and which costs an additional $25 - MONEY GRAB!). But, I set my mind to it and set aside time this morning to complete this dreaded task and I'M DONE!

Roomies Today we took Annalisse back to school for her J(anuary)Term, which is a three-week session where she takes one course for four days a week/three hours a day. She is taking Western Literature, for which she had to purchase two huge volumes of Norton Anthology of Western Literature , and Macbeth . She is definitely not looking forward to it, but what can you do? At least it's just one course demanding her time, even though it will be ton of reading (and writing). I think she was excited to get back to see her "new" roommate, Brittany, a good friend who she had the opportunity to room with late last semester when Brittany's roommate moved out. She was very happy about that as they seem to have similar dispositions and lite sense of humor. The kids had a great fall semester (Cam ended up with a 3.3 and Annalisse with a 3.125), so I'm hoping they can keep up the momentum for the spring semester which includes increasingly challenging courses for both.

It's that time again to look forward to the new year (CLEAN SLATE!) and the chance for a couple of "do overs" and the promise for a fresh new start. This year I decided to not make New Years resolutions that involve managing money and losing weight. Those issues are always issues so why bother? In the new year I would like to concentrate on: Being a better listener - a constant struggle  Thinking before a I speak - and being a more sensitive friend/colleague/confidant  Practicing patience - also difficult in many instances  Being less judgmental - and trying to see all sides before commenting on something  Admittedly, turning 50 did make me question (more than a couple of times) "Is this all there is?", with my marriage, job, kids "being gone," and the grind of the day to day. The last year has felt very much like a mid-life crisis, and I find myself in a negative state of mind more than I'd like. The struggle continues, but I will try to