The Smoke Alarm Broke

Sky was in Europe for a week working. He got back yesterday. I've gotten a lot better about sleeping enough when he's gone--it used to be an excuse for me to exercise all my obsessions, one being that there is never enough time to do everything so I should sleep the bare minimum. Even before the hummingbird, I'd let that go. I was ready to rest and restore over this weekend alone.

Starting on Friday morning at about 4:30 there was a high pitched very loud chirping in the bedroom at intervals of about a minute. It didn't take me long to realize it was the smoke alarm asking for a new battery. I thought I could sleep through it and deal in the morning. Wrong. It's loud, about the pitch of fingernails on a blackboard, and about as loud that favorite song you blasted on the radio this morning.

So I got up, stood on the dresser (which I will show you soooon!), and tried to dismantle it.

It's not a normal smoke alarm.

Once the cover was off, I learned the bugger is attached to the ceiling with all these weird coils. I have to go online and download instructions how to take it apart. After calling it a name or 2 I realized I had a dilemma: go online at 4:45 in the morning or pull a Sky and sleep successfully with a pillow over my head.

I tried the latter. And was able to sleep for a bit.

The sound didn't happen the rest of the day so I thought all was clear. Saturday morning, 4:45 I hear a familiar cry. This time I don't manage to go back to sleep and instead skype Sky in Spain. Then I figure I'm just up, have some time before a class I'm taking so I get online and read a lot about the Tsunami. And feel more helpless than an hour-old kitten. So I do some fantasy shopping. If I were looking for clothes that fit around a waist and had enough cash to save families in Japan and then lots left over I'd hit up the Nanette Lepore spring collection and come home with these:

I'd feel like a breeze in April
and wear this to the wedding in Bali

if this shirt were longer it would actually work in my present state. Alas. or Phew.

This one wins. I'm speechless.

Ok so Saturday happened, and I had enough energy to see a play, do a little knitting (I'm learning thanks to my mom and making a bear for you-know-who), and go to bed around midnight. Fully expecting a long rich night of Z's. You know what happened at 6:00am on Sunday.

I knew it might but couldn't deal with downloading instructions Saturday night at 11:45. Thought I'd will myself to sleep through it. You know the definition of insanity right? --Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Did Einstein say that? I think so.

I sort of sleep til 7:30 and then it's done. I lie in bed but bed is constantly interrupted by my rooster, I mean smoke alarm, so I'm up. While I know I could meditate or write something profound, I also feel a little brain dead. I am totally guilty of spending too much time online when I'm too tired to do much else. It's not a great habit and I plan on breaking it.

But when in Rome (ie alone in the house on Sunday morning)......

May as well consider the fact that in barely more than a month we'll be traveling to Bali for a wedding and I'll need some things to wear.

The maxi skirt resurgence is brilliant news for this belly. Too bad this one is $1700. It's my favorite

from Jen Kao as seen on Shopbop

But the bathing suit issue is by far the most pressing one. This is an example of a maternity suit out there

I should just wear a jungle leaf and some plastic jewelry for crying out loud. I mean, really?! I think not.

I've always liked J Crew bathing suits and these might work (because they have a little extra tush coverage)

Definitely need to order in time to send back and shop some more if they don't, however. Not sure how these cheeks are going to look in said pieces. No waiting til week before.

As I write this the chirping continues. Guess I'm downloading.

Postscript: I got up on the dresser to find the model number. It's not as complicated as I thought. There are no batteries in the smoke alarm. I think I just said there are no batteries. A) We've lived here for 2 months and the smoke alarm has no batteries. Did the previous tenant take them?? If that's true that's tasteless. and B) so why on the 11th of March did it decide to let me know? At least it's a simple fix. Off to buy 2 9-v batteries.