I’m still back! I swear! Just been a little swamped.

Remember the UFIL? Well he just arrived (at 1:30 am) for a three week visit. He was supposed to be here at 3:30, but his flight from Italy was delayed, so he missed his connecting flight in Paris, then got rerouted through Atlanta before he finally made it to Philly. Poor Papi.

The bad news? We still only have a one-bedroom apartment.

The good news? It’s not the UMIL.

Before I forget… I wanted to show you guys the cake I made for the UFIL. He’s been an avid pipe smoker for more than 50 years, so Edo thought we should use that for the design. Originally, I also was going to have smoke rising from the pipe to form the words “Happy Birthday,” but that turned out to be a bit much (plus his real birthday was back in May). A painting by René Magritte was my inspiration.

So… the UFIL left yesterday. And I have to admit, I really didn’t mind having him around; not that much, anyway. He’s really very sweet, and our communication deficit was quite amusing at times. Things probably would have been great if Edo and I had a spare bedroom. Well that, and a magic perpetually stocked refrigerator…

The day after he arrived:
Me: What happened to all the crackers?
Edo: What you should really be asking, Kate, is “What happened to all the cheese?” Remember all the cheese we had?

At the Indian buffet:
UFIL: You not having more to eat?
Me: No, I’m full.
UFIL: You eat like a bird!
Me: Well, I did have a good amount of food on my plate…
UFIL: A very tiny bird!

Wednesday night:
Edo: Are you hungry?
Me: Nah, I’m okay.
Edo: My dad says he’s not hungry, but I don’t believe him.
Me: Well, if you saw how much cake was left in the fridge, you might understand.
Edo: *looks in refrigerator* Oh…

Later Wednesday night:
Edo: Papi, do you want more food?
UFIL: No!
Edo: Are you sure?! Do you want some pizza?
UFIL: No!
Edo: Kate, check his pulse!
Me: *checking his carotid* Well, he’s still alive.
Edo: *explains to his father in Italian why I just felt his neck*
UFIL: *giggles*
Me: You know, Edo… it took two weeks, but I think we finally filled him up!

Sorry for the unannounced hiatus I seem to have taken here…. I didn’t really plan it. But man, life just gets in the way sometimes. Infuriating office politics, major work deadlines, and family obligations, not to mention the presence of a certain guest….

I’ve spent the last week writing, editing, formatting, copying and FedExing; cleaning, cooking, baking, and cake decorating; touristing, band watching, and firework ogling. The rest of the time, I’ve been holed up in my bedroom as a prisoner in my own apartment: UFIL goes to bed early, in the living room, next to my computer (and my big beautiful monitor).

It all added up to a recipe for my near self combustion.

Anyway… I’m not trying to make excuses. I’m just here now to beg your forgiveness. I’ll be back in the swing of things before you know it.

Whooooooshhhhh….

That’s the sound of me completely missing being named a finalist in the nominees for Featured Blog on Philly Future.

Oops!

I try to pay attention to these things, and usually vote in the polls, but I barely touched a computer over the weekend. UFIL, family stuff, et cetera… you get the picture.

Well anyway, as you will see if you click the above link, I lost. Still, it’s nice to know that 3 whole people out there deemed me worthy of their votes!

So I want to thank those three people, especially the person who nominated me in the first place, and then, I encourage all of you to check out the winner, Asymptomatic, and my fellow loser, Amen (The Gospel According to Wook).

So… the UFIL arrived safe sound this evening. We had a light dinner, got him unpacked, and sent him off to bed. Things mostly went well. Except for the part where I made a total ass of myself.

Not five minutes after he arrived, I tripped over the power cable to Edo’s laptop and went flying across the room. I landed face down on top of the papers and books I was carrying, and skinned my knees on the carpet.

Guess I won’t be wearing short skirts for a while. GODDAMMIT!!

My knees, in all their skinned up glory, after the jump. (more…)

Many of you may recall my adventures with the UMIL last year. Well, now it’s time for the UFIL. That’s right, my un-father-in-law is coming to visit for two weeks.

Now he’s rather harmless when compared to the UMIL, but he does present his own set of challenges.

For starters, he’s a bit older, so it’s harder to find ways of occupying him. He doesn’t do tons of walking, and as far as he’s concerned, he’s seen everything there is to see.

He goes to bed early (like 8 or 9 PM), which isn’t a big deal until you consider that we only have one bedroom. Try working that one out. Last time he was here, I was a prisoner in my bedroom for most of the evenings. The good thing is that he’ll probably only be sleeping at our place for 4 or 5 nights, because he’ll be staying at a place down the street or travelling the rest of the time.

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block, though, is the language barrier. His English has gotten worse, and my Italian has stayed, well, non-existent. All I can say is “I love you,” “I’m sorry,” and an assortment of dirty words and blasphemes. (And yes, I know that’s pathetic given that I’ve lived with a native Italian speaker for the last 5 years, but that’s not really the point right now, is it?)

He arrives late this afternoon, so I’m home from work today getting ready for him. Wish me luck!