Operation Tubetop

Hey you guys!! Hey! I reached 150,000 blog views! That is incredible! I have been writing this blog for just over 4 years and it has become a labor of love. I love being able to write down my thoughts and use gifs and I think I would be lost without this outlet. I truly love that I can write whatever I want to and while I might not be the most popular blog, I know that I have some consistent and supportive readers and for that, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. When I first started the blog 4 years ago, it was light and fluffy and all about me losing the baby weight and using self tanner. I never expected that my son would be autistic and that my life would forever be changed. This blog has turned into a very public diary and thank you for joining me for the ride. I once in a while get messages and comments and it truly means the world to me. It's been a rough ride but the most exciting and rewarding one. I have changed, I have grown and look at me, still losing ...

Wellity wellity wellity. I am feeling a tad delicate today but I am surviving. Last night I went to a friend's birthday party and it was AMAZING! The theme was "1971" and I had no idea where to find a vintage style dress. Luckily, as I was online shopping for the Kid, I spied a 9 euro dress from H&M and decided to break my no shopping ban. It's a stretchy off the shoulder red mini dress with bell sleeves and I kind of really love it. I wore a bandeau bra but really, NASA needs to get on it and make a strapless bra that doesn't feel like it is slowly squeezing you to death like a python. Since it was a 70s theme, I knew I had to make one with the blue eye shadow and eyeliner and of course, put my hair up in a bizarre coif. The result is below. Why yes, I do look like a lady of the night. Or maybe the lady of the early bird special and Bingo. The party was kicking off at 5 at the Ritz Carlton roof top bar. I realized when I was en route that I was going to b...

Hello Friday evening! Just cooking some dinner and waiting for the Kid to be brought back home from the In Laws. I just came back from visiting a dear friend and her family. I drank her wine and we caught up and FUN! The Husband and I survived the Kid's unplanned week off and as of Monday, back to normal! The good news is we finally got a normal night's sleep last night. Sure, he somehow ended up in our bed but if I don't wake up from him kicking or screaming, I don't care. The exciting news that I posted about last night on FB, the Kid loves BACON! I made myself some slices and when I turned my back, the bugger had taken a piece and ate it. And I was so incredibly proud because for a child with autism to attempt to eat something new is HUGE! And then I was sad because he wanted all my bacon. The sacrifices we make. He seems to be experimenting more and more with food and that is exciting. Just on Wednesday night he had some of my pizza crust (this is normal for him) bu...

Hello Wednesday evening! You are just what I need! The Husband is out, the Kid is going to bed soon (and will be coming out of his room every blasted minute) and I am about to watch some TV and give myself a face mask. It has been a hectic few days and I very much need these next few evenings of rest and relaxation: mixed in with a little work on the side. On Monday afternoon I met my friend D.K. for an early dinner and drinks at Pickwicks. We had a couple of hours to kill before heading to the movie theater. Yes, I went to see Ghostbusters again... I might need an intervention. The film is so great. I love it so much that even yesterday I was looking up action figures from Amazon. I have never fangirled before but I am dangerously close to entering that territory. Had this film come out when I was a kid, I would have lost my ever loving mind and probably would have convinced myself that I was a natural-born scientist. I'm not. I am not good with stuff like that: chemistry, physic...

Sup? Sup? I am back in Vienna after a great 48 hours. The Husband is en route to pick up the Kid from the in-laws and I cannot wait to see him. Apparently he slept perfectly the last two nights which probably means he respects and fears my mother in law more than me. Fantastic. Fingers crossed that he got his freak outs out of his system and is ready for some smothering from his mother. Yay! Can't wait! The trip was great in that while it was relaxing, it was also a very different weekend away. Usually our mini breaks involve a whole lot of lying in bed and watching Knight rider (and there is nothing wrong with that) but this time, we actually got sporty and shit. On Friday, midday, I met the Husband at the train station and we had a quick and classy lunch at McDonalds because yes. We boarded a train just before one and made our way to Wiener Neustadt. Now, I have no clue about the history of Wiener Neustadt so I am just going to assume that Vienna was ruled by two competing t...

This afternoon the Husband and I are going away for the weekend. It has been over a year since we have done a trip sans child and I am very much looking forward to rekindling our love for silence and watching whatever the hell we want to watch. No Paw Patrol! No Blaze! No dumb ass Dora and her stupid ass monkey, Boots! Huzzah! We are catching a train and heading to Puchberg am Schneeberg: a mountain region just 80 kilometers from Vienna. It has been a while since I have seen the mountains and I cannot wait! While the sea is my lover, the mountains are my coffee shop flirts. It has been a long time since I have seen them and I cannot wait to breathe in that mountain air. And yes, I am bringing sensible shoes with me... unlike the time I brought heels to go camping. We should arrive around 3 in the afternoon and the first thing I do when I get into a hotel room is turn on the TV. I like to know what my options are. The weekend deal includes breakfast and dinner. I kind of hate it whe...

Hello Tuesday evening! A friend was over for a little while for some wine and to catch up and it was fabulous! She was on an epic adventure and I am so happy for her and totally jealous! Welcome back D.K.! In other news, I am not going out this week so this was a good compromise. Wine at home, less chance of being an idiot in public. The Kid is in bed (not asleep) and I am finishing up this post and then I will watch some TV and then head to bed for a decent night's sleep. Last night the Kid was difficult. He had had a fabulous day with the Husband: playground fun, an attempt to get him into the train station (they lasted 5 minutes in the entrance which is a HUGE success), french fries from a fast food joint and then back to the playground. I saw them in the park as I headed home and the Kid happily held my hand as we walked back. He was in a great mood and the Husband went to the gym and I had an early dinner and gave the Kid a bath. Soon after that, the Kid got upset. He tried to...

When I left work yesterday, I was all like, let the weekend BEGIN! Au revoir terrible week! Buh bye! Ciao! I headed to the main University building at Schottentor, wearing my most slimming black outfit and waited for my interviewer. After about 15 minutes I realized he wasn't coming and it was at that moment I started to cry. It just seemed like a fitting end to a shitty week. I finally decided to stop at Cafe Wortner for a drink, read some of a romance novel (covering the front because don't want people to judge) and then headed home. I sighed in relief as I kicked off my heels and hugged the Kid. It was good to be home. Of course, sensing my absolute exhaustion, the Kid started to freak out a little and to which I responded with "Jesse Fucking Cheese!" or something like that and started to cry again. Obviously this was not a fit because as soon as he saw me throw myself onto the bed, he came up and put his face to mine and it was absolutely incredible. I realized he...

I feel like I have been on an emotional roller coaster this week. This is August in Vienna, NOTHING SHOULD BE GOING ON! And yet, I feel like I have been going non-stop with the only thing to show for it is a split lip and regrets. Yay! Sounds like college! Anyway, today's post will be a bit of a re-cap with the hope that the weekend will be a lot better. Fingers crossed! On Monday, the Kid woke up with another fever and unfortunately I had to go to work. The Nanny assured me he was feeling better by the afternoon but I made the decision to keep him home the next day and really let his cabin fever reach epic heights. In the afternoon, I went to Hawelka to meet a friend and we caught up quickly and then I headed home. It was a quiet night. The next morning I stayed home and he was fit as a fiddle, trying to steal my bras. I don't know why he is obsessed with bras but maybe I should ask my straight male friends? The Nanny came in the afternoon for a couple of hours so I could ...

Being 35.. Internally I am going: OMG! HOW AM I 35 ALREADY?!?!?! WHAT!?!?!... I know that I have done a lot in my life. I have had incredible life experiences: celebrated Y2K at Red Square, been in a subway bombing, was kidnapped, have been on TV and in newspapers, have traveled the world and lived around the world, climbed alpine hills (against my will), met royalty and presidents, and have danced in palaces. Swam in many seas and took boat trips along many of them. I have been on private jets, in personal villas and even the object of a millionaire's affection (I used to be pretty). And yet, I still can't figure out a basic life fact... what is love? The last little while I have spent some time wondering what this basic term is. Scientific-minded people say it is just a chemical reaction. Others say it runs the world. But what is it about love that makes us go from level headed adults into swooning Twilight-watching teenagers. A lot of us were brought up on 80's class...

I am home today because the Kid is still not 100% and the last thing any parent wants is the dreaded phone call from the kindergarten. Once you become a parent, when the phone rings, your heart stops. Unless your kid is right beside you when it rings... then your heart stops anyway because you would much prefer a text. But no, every time I am at work, and my phone rings, the very first thought is about the Kid and whether we have to pick him up from daycare.. To be honest, I have never liked a ringing phone. It always seems to be the bearer of bad news. And I also am incredibly awkward on the phone. I think it goes back to the days of living in Vienna in the 90's when your landline cost a fortune and every call you made added to the bill. My mom bought a counter that calculated how much we would spend on calls and this was back in the days of Schillings so that bill looked high. To this day, I get nervous about talking on the phone too long. Speaking of pain, I am feeling a lit...