Operation Tubetop

This afternoon a very exciting thing is happening! A therapist is coming by to meet the Kid and to try and get him to use words again. Last year he was regaining some of his language but then he regressed again. It's heartbreaking but deep down inside I know he will speak again. Sometimes when I look at him, and he looks back at me, there is this little twinkle in his eyes and I just know that one day a little switch will turn on. And then we are screwed. And I mean that in the best way possible. He is a little ray of sunshine most of the time. He is easy going and just likes to hang with us. He doesn't give us attitude.. or maybe he does but we just don't know it. The funny thing is that he doesn't get that frustrated by not speaking. I've said it before and I will say it again, I truly believe that he thinks everybody understands him - no self esteem issues in this one. When he wants something, he will use my arm like an extension of his arm and guide it invariabl...

It was that first balmy summer weekend. We made it through the Eis Heilige and we are now well into summer. Now, before I continue with my post, let me quickly tell you about the Eis Heilige. I've heard this term in the past but I never really paid attention. A couple of days ago, I heard it again and decided to look into this Austrian phenomenon once and for all. What it actually is, is a time span of 3-5 days in the middle of May, when the temperature drops suddenly and so does your will to live. It's fascinating that this is an annual event and I would like to know more but I think that would involve science and there is a whole lot of celebrity gossip to catch up on so I don't have time to learn about weather. Speaking of which... this Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard thing is nuts. When she first filed for divorce I was all like: But now with the claims of abuse, I am all like: So anyway, yesterday evening ended up being one of those wonderful Vienna nights. In t...

Happy Saturday Morning! Summer is here! We made it guys! We did it! We didn't succumb to the winter blues. We kept our flip flops by the front door, our strapless industrial strength bras ready for battle and had our self tanner primed and ready. Big high fives, everybody! It's been a busy week at work and I am so happy to have made it to Saturday morning. It wasn't an epic week but that's ok. Sometimes I need a somewhat civilized week so that I can save all the crazy for another time. In less than three weeks is the Concordia Ball. I continue to work out as much as I can and this morning I tried on my ball dress. I still have a way to go but I am determined to get into that dress as God is my witness. I also finished a 30 day plank challenge with a friend. I made it to 2 minutes straight a couple of times but I hope that eventually I can do that daily. Since my friend and I love a challenge, we have re-started the plank challenge and now have added a squat challeng...

Hello Sunday evening! I cannot believe how fast this weekend flew by. We finally had fabulous weather and I find that my mood is very dependent on weather. I love stormy days and snowy days, but I have had enough of the cold and we are finally getting the heat. I am looking forward to not shivering every morning as I make my way to work. NO MORE COLD! BRING ON THE HEAT! And the Nair hair removal. Friday afternoon I left work and headed to a friend's where she was selling beautiful Indian dresses and fabrics. I showed restraint and ended up only buying a dress, sari fabric and a necklace. I am still debating what to make out of the fabric. It is gorgeous and I think it would make an amazing ball dress but I am going to have to practice before I start cutting it up. After my whirlwind shopping trip, I caught the 13A and made my way home. The Kid and I played and he supervised my cupcake baking. I was exhausted and by 9, ready to pass out. The next morning I woke up at 6 and got r...

Now, yesterday I shared an interview with Melania Trump on a friend’s wall. I figured she would appreciate this woman’s lack of awareness, humility and basic common sense. I have been awake since 4 (thanks, Kiddo) and this gave me the chance to re-work Melania’s interview... you know.. make her sound approachable and not like an entitled Fembot, bleeding-virgins-in-the-attic-to- maintain-her-youth kind of gal. In no way is this a political post but more a post about making fun of the over-privileged and the extreme wealthy. I'm a Canadian so I am not telling you who to vote for. I just found this interview to be AMAZING. Now, don’t get me wrong... I can be a snob. But Melania takes it to a whole new level. So here it is broken down a little. The first paragraph is the actual interview, the second, what she should have said and the third.. .well... what she really meant (in my words). She doesn’t drink Starbucks: “I don’t drink Starbucks,” she says. You don’t drink coffee? ...

Just under a month to go to fit into my ball dress. The Journalism Ball aka Concordia Ball is on June 17th and for the past week and a half, I have been sticking to my workout regime. I missed a day on Sunday so I had to double up and do it on Monday. I wrote a friend that I was doing this and she was like "You're like Eddie Izzard and his marathons." To which I thought "Totes." but not really. Will I fit into this dress? I think so. Maybe. Perhaps? The long weekend was a nice weekend. Saturday night I was at a birthday party for a friend at Cafe Leopold. On Sunday I putzed around and then around 6 a friend came by for dinner before we headed out to another birthday party. I usually try and eat before going to parties because even if there is food set out, I will probably forget to eat. It is the only time in my life that I forget to eat so let's not get too excited. Around 7:30, we made our way to our friend's place for her birthday bash. She has a ...

I have so so so many e-mails to write. So many things to do. And I need to shave my legs. Gah! I wrote on Facebook the other day that I needed an intern and I think the majority of moms thought the same thing. An intern would be awesome but I have a feeling that my intern would end up having to make me daquiris and tell me I am pretty. Still very valuable work, though. I do my best to balance everything and it is difficult. I treasure  the time that I have with the Kid... Well, this morning he discovered a bicycle horn and that was fun. A series of "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE" in short and long bursts was the soundtrack this morning. It was like being in a Stanley Kubrick film. Anyway, that horn has disappeared for now. So yes, so much to do. This week at work was also busy and by the end of each day, I felt like a Mombie. I stretch myself out thin. I field, almost daily, messages from people regarding autism and I have to respond because of course!! I love being able to help out a...

Sup' Tuesday! It was an early start to the day. I got to work at 7:30 and it was pretty hectic. I am now off work and sitting in Pickwick's treating myself to a Daquiri. Later I am meeting some friends at Columbus Brau for dinner so I need to pace myself. I also am grateful to have a couple of hours to myself and I choose to fill those hours with a cocktail and some blog writing. I wish I had more time to write. I was getting up to about 5 blog posts a week a while ago and right now I am averaging only 3 a week and I do not like that. I do not like that at all. So I am going to try and make more of an effort to write more because even though it is a lot of work, I love it. I love it hard. My flights and hotel are booked for my Great Big Canada Trip in July. I am going sans Kid and Husband and while I am going to miss them like crazy, I am very much looking forward to seeing my sister and brother and nieces and nephew and my parents. It's been 4 years since I have been t...

There is a wine in Austria that is famous with the locals. It is called Uhudler. To me it is Devil Water. Years ago and Austrian friend brought us a bottle when we were hosting a party. She passed it to me and said "Yeah, you are going to want be careful with this. It makes people do crazy things." and when an Austrian tells me to be careful with wine, then I know to pay attention. That bottle sat in our fridge for 6 months and every time I opened up the fridge door, it was kind of like that scene in Ghostbusters. One day I decided that it was time to finally try this infamous wine and yeah, Uhudler gonna make you cray cray. I am not sure what magic lies in the grapes but every time I have it, I turn into a Good time Gal! ready to partay. Yesterday I met up with some friends at the Genuss Festival in Stadtpark. I have never been and I was excited to try it out. The weather was spectacular, the company was awesome and I started the afternoon off with weissburgunder. And ...

I don't like that I am starting each blog post with "I AM SO BUSY!" because it is a little obnoxious. Pretty much everybody I know is "busy" in different ways so my "Busy" doesn't trump anybody else's busy and yet, I still say "I AM SO BUSY!" A lot of people ask me "How do you do all the things you do?" and I often respond with "Gin". But the truth is... wine. Heh. No, I am just very good at multi-tasking and I guess because I am so passionate about setting up this center, it doesn't feel like work. Every day I am writing e-mails and setting up meetings because I know eventually this will lead to something amazing. I have to be careful because usually I push myself too hard and I end up sick and then there all sorts of obnoxious status updates kvetching about Nyquil and yoga pants. I also know that this is kind of the home stretch and in just a few weeks, I hope to have a clear idea of funding and possibili...