Erieversible

I had about five errands to run this afternoon.  I had to pick up a check for instance for the house closing tomorrow, and run to the Gas Company and prove that my husband exists.  Little things like that.  And, of course, the kids had to tag along as they are off school and I didn’t have a chance to make other arrangements.  (My cousin actually offered to take them off my hands, but then her mother called from the Emergency Room and she had other things to worry about!)

About half way through the errand list, the little one announced that she didn’t feel well.  And I felt her forehead and it was warm.  Not hot, but warmer than normal.  And I remembered that being a mother is hard work some times.  I don’t think she is really ill.  She has been fighting a cold for ages, but she doesn’t seem that bad.  But I worry.  It goes with the stretch marks. 

We had to finish the errands, otherwise we can’t close tomorrow and that raises a whole raft of other problems.  She was a brave little trouper about it all, but she was clearly not feeling her best.  Now we are home and she is on the couch with a blanket, a pillow, and a cuddly toy, watching Barbie and the Diamond Castle.  After a little while, she asked for some Cheerios, and she has actually eaten them, so I’m sure she isn’t doing too badly.  But it is hard not to worry.

Tomorrow morning I have to be up at the crack of dawn to drive to Buffalo for the house closing.  My mother is looking after the kids.  I trust her, really I do, but I wish I didn’t have to go.

After the last few months this is very strange.  I have a job, so that pressure is off, but now need to move to Buffalo to start.  There’s a relocation team on the job and things are moving fast, but meanwhile there’s plenty of time.  Trouble is, the time just disappears!

Today we bought a load of Calphalon cookware.  We haven’t bought much while living in the rental house because we didn’t want to be cluttered up with stuff that we had to move, but as a removal firm will be doing the work we can buy the stuff and simply pile it up ready to go.  We also picked up a set of knives.  Exciting, huh?

Because of moving Celtic Grid has to be shut down.  Some time in the future it may get resurrected but for now, in Erie, it closes.  Putting the shutters up on the website was easy, now the bank account needs tidying up, the PO Box closing, etc.

We need to spend time in and around Buffalo this week looking at neighborhoods.  I need to get a medical and a drug test (I didn’t realize I’d have to take drugs!)

Lots of snow pictures to process ready for the kids’ November web pages.

So much to do…not sure I have time for a job!

Between job hunting and studying today I nipped out to hunt down a tube of antiseptic cream.  The tube of Savlon we brought with us is running out.  Of course, the Savlon brand will mean nothing to the US readers, just as Foille will mean nothing to UK readers.  Anyway, must get to the point!

The shelves here are full of antibiotic creams, and lacking in antiseptic creams.  They are quite different beasties, and I wonder why there is a fundamental difference between what is on the shelves of UK and US pharmacists.  Hunting around the internet uncovers a couple of probable replacements, the aforementioned Foille and also something called Unguentine.  So, antiseptic creams are not totally unknown, just rare.

The expedition also found lots of cortizone based creams on the shelves.  In the UK these would be by prescription only (via a doctor).  Another basic medical difference.

And while on the medical subject, I absolutely LOVE the adverts on US TV for medical products.  More disclaimers than adverts, a total riot of entertainment.  The best was one recently which showed a load of happy customers all extolling the virtues of the product and amongst the text on the screen was, and I quote….”Do not expect to achieve these results”.  What?!  If I buy the product, what exactly can I expect then?  That would seem to me to be a key piece of information.  Nothing at all like this in the UK.

And job hunting?  Now applying for jobs further and further from Erie - I may have to change the title of this blog!