We are sitting at a table, eating quietly. There's a mom with three children at the table beside us. Ruthie looks at me, sort of puzzled, exasperated, and says,
"I don't know why I keep looking at that boy!"
He is an adorable boy- probably 7 years old, blond hair, blue eyes, long lashes. I hadn't noticed him. But apparently, my 3 YEAR OLD DID! She was so precious in her innocent confusion.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Hummus Among Us
I saw this recipe in my local newspaper and just had to try it because I love hummus. This is a really delicious variation that is wonderful with a Mexican/Southwestern meal.
Black Bean Lime Hummus
2 cloves garlic
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 T lime juice
1/2 t salt
1/2 c olive oil
3/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
Place garlic in a food processor and process until minced, about 10 seconds. Add beans, lime juice, and salt and process into a puree. With processor running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until mixture thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Add cilantro and pulse approx. 10 seconds. Serve it up, amigos!
The recipe actually says to serve with banana chips(?!) which I don't love, so I used regular tortilla chips.
Black Bean Lime Hummus
2 cloves garlic
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 T lime juice
1/2 t salt
1/2 c olive oil
3/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
Place garlic in a food processor and process until minced, about 10 seconds. Add beans, lime juice, and salt and process into a puree. With processor running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until mixture thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Add cilantro and pulse approx. 10 seconds. Serve it up, amigos!
The recipe actually says to serve with banana chips(?!) which I don't love, so I used regular tortilla chips.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Ruthie the Rembrandt
Here is one of the finest examples of Ruthie's latest artwork. I love that she can now draw what she imagines, and every day she suprises me with her skill. This picture features Ruthie, the purple figure, with blue eyes, very long hair, and some princess shoes. To her right is Mackiedoo (or Mac as he is commonly known), and they each have a sun over their heads. There's a rainbow on the right, and she wrote her "name" under her self-portrait. It is such a happy little picture!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Just (Don't) Do It
(Cheryl, my bro Alan, and me) So it's Memorial Day weekend and I am registered for the Gate-to-Gate Run on Eglin Air Force Base near Niceville, FL. I planned to walk it with my sister-in-law Cheryl, who is 29 weeks pregnant (due in August). In the frenzy of packing for the weekend and my usual forgetfulness, I forgot to bring my running shoes. This has happened before and I just borrowed a pair of old Nikes Cheryl keeps at my parents' house. They are a little snug, and a little crusty, but I was just going to be walking, so no problem. No problem until about a mile into the walk, as Cheryl and I were approaching the War Veterans' Memorial where all the race participants place a red carnation to honor the fallen. I felt something blow in my right shoe. I looked down and with every step I took, little flakes of styrofoam were trailing behind me. This was not good. Cheryl was laughing, but I could feel further disaster just a few steps away. As I walked, the entire sole of the shoe detached, and the little "gel pad" was hanging by a dry-rotted glue strand. I limped over to the conveniently located fire-truck medics, slightly embarassed, but overwhelmingly amused. Their concerned looks turned to, well, amused looks, and they gave me tape for my detached right shoe, and my left shoe which was headed in the same direction. They had no duct tape, which greatly diminished my confidence in the NWFL fire departments. Duct tape could have kept me going for the whole 8 kilometers. Medical tape lasted about 1/8 of a mile, and the blow out was complete. Cheryl and I left the racecourse, because she had to go to the bathroom anyway. You know I would have continued on my barefeet, shredded by asphalt, determined to finish the race. Like in a movie. But she had to go to the bathroom, and I couldn't abandon her. I thought I could just pretend I had finished but I got called out by an older lady at the port-o-potties, " hey, why aren't you sweating?" (this was about 30 minutes into the race, 100% humidity, pushing 90 degrees). So I told her I am Asian and I don't have many sweat glands. Then came the truth of how my pregnant sister-in-law made me borrow dry-rotted size 6 1/2 Nikes and I walked them to pieces.
relentless broom
Prothalamium
Come, all you who are not satisfied
as ruler in a lone, wallpapered room
full of mute birds, and flowers that falsely bloom,
and closets choked with dreams that long ago died!
Come, let us sweep the old streets-like a bride:
sweep out dead leaves with a relentless broom;
prepare for Spring, as though he were our groom
for whose light footstep eagerly we bide.
We'll sweep out shadows, where the rats long fed;
sweep out our shame-and in its place we'll make
a bower for love, a splendid marriage-bed
fragrant with flowers aquiver for the Spring.
And when he comes, our murdered dreams shall wake;
and when he comes, all the mute birds shall sing.
-Aaron Kramer
This is a wonderful poem full of redemptive imagery and such hope- such hope! I love what reading this does to my soul. (The title means "a song in celebration of a marriage.") Come! Sweep out the shadows!
Come, all you who are not satisfied
as ruler in a lone, wallpapered room
full of mute birds, and flowers that falsely bloom,
and closets choked with dreams that long ago died!
Come, let us sweep the old streets-like a bride:
sweep out dead leaves with a relentless broom;
prepare for Spring, as though he were our groom
for whose light footstep eagerly we bide.
We'll sweep out shadows, where the rats long fed;
sweep out our shame-and in its place we'll make
a bower for love, a splendid marriage-bed
fragrant with flowers aquiver for the Spring.
And when he comes, our murdered dreams shall wake;
and when he comes, all the mute birds shall sing.
-Aaron Kramer
This is a wonderful poem full of redemptive imagery and such hope- such hope! I love what reading this does to my soul. (The title means "a song in celebration of a marriage.") Come! Sweep out the shadows!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Haircuts Part Deux
My children were getting a bit scruffy so it was time for a trip to a professional. I cut Mac's hair several months ago and sort of just hacked it down a little. Today my professional finally got the job done well, even though Mac was literally kicking and screaming. Ruthie was wonderful, the exact opposite of her brother. I think they both look great- but so grown up! Where have my babies gone?
There is Definitely no Kudzu in Montana
The trip to Montana came about because Jay's work was sending him there. Jay thought it would be a great opportunity to fly me up with him, especially since it was the week after our anniversary. It was really a wonderful trip, and the longest I've been away from the kids since they were both born. It was strange at first, and it took me a day or so to loosen up and sort of detox from mommy mode. Jay and I talked about how it was so strange to be by ourselves, together, for days. We really are rarely together at all, not to mention together by ourselves. Once the kids came along life shifted to family time. We do go on dates, but that's maybe a couple of hours a month, and time advances and you realize you haven't spent quality time together for a long time. So needless to say our six days was refreshing and just fun.
Where the heck we were: We flew in to Missoula, MT, and drove through mountain passes down to the tiny river town of Salmon, Idaho. We didn't do anything in Salmon besides Jay's work, and once that was done we drove up to Kalispell, Montana, which is about 30 minutes from Glacier National Park, our main destination.
Weather or not: It was cold in Montana. They were having the coldest spring in 11 years. It was in the 30s in the daytime our first days, then gradually warmed up to the 50s! It snowed on us several times, and there was significant snowpack up in the mountains. Glacier was mostly closed, which was a big disappointment, even though we figured it would be limited access when we researched the trip. The trails were several feet under snow, and the famous, historic "Going-to-the-Sun Road" was mostly closed to traffic. This road has spectacular views, and killer switchbacks- one lady we talked to had been to Denali and she said the views in Glacier are way more breathtaking. What we could see was amazing- I have missed the sight and smells of mountains. The limited access was really torture; it was sort of like being stuck in an airport in Italy, staring sadly out the windows, dreaming of Gondola rides and red wine. We just kept saying, "we've got to come back...we've got to come back." But I'm very glad I got to have even a small taste of Glacier.
Wildlife count: I wanted to see a marmot, which is my favorite furry woodland creature of the mountains, but alas, they were probably still hibernating. In Glacier we saw a baby chipmunk, various songbirds, fish in glacier-fed Lake McDonald, and a bald eagle. Later, on our drive back to Missoula we stopped at the National Bison Range and saw bison, antelope, white-tail deer (including a Bambi hiding in a thicket), meadowlarks, ducks, and various other birds. The Bison Range was really interesting- it is a big habitat that you drive through and see what you can see, including lots of bison poo. Sort of like Jurassic Park but less Parkey and without man-eating dinos or any dinos actually. I learned some really fun facts about bison. Like the fact that they're not buffalo. Nope. File that away Jeopardy hopefuls. And a bison's tail is his or her warning flag system. If his tail is down, he's a happy bison. If his tail is sort of peaking up a little, he's getting a little ticked off. If his tail is sticking straight up, he is about to rip you limb from limb so run, you idiot! Why are you standing outside your motor vehicle? Run!
Food- we ate at some great little local places, any of which I recommend. Moose's Saloon in Kalispell is really great- it's a bar basically, sorry, a saloon with those swinging doors that you walk in and the tinkly piano stops, and everyone stares, and someone tips his hat and says "you're not from around here are ya?" The floors are covered in sawdust, and the walls are marked and carved by anyone and everyone, plus they serve great pizza, and a local beer, Moose Drool. It is a dark, malty beer that I'd give 2 stars on my new Merrill's Beer Rating Scale of America and Beyond (the cure for what ale's you). We also ate at a steak house that served spaghetti with their steaks. Weird. The steaks were good eats, but not so the spaghetti. The bacon in Montana is thick cut, by the way, in case you desire a BLT while there. It will break your jaw, so be careful. Jay's new obsession: Huckleberry pies and cobblers. His fave was a huckleberry-peach pie. They like huckleberries out there in Montana.
Things we should have done while there- visit LoLo Hot Springs. I just like to say LoLo. I've always wanted to go soak in a hot spring, but one that is out in the woods, not a pool that's sourced by a hot spring. So we opted out. We also should have eaten at Taco John's- apparently Montana's hottest taco fast food place.
Favorite new friend: Vicki, our friendly GPS lady in our rental car (we named her because we became so close). She really helped us out, but she did get a little pushy sometimes, even obsessive, asking us to "please return to the highlighted route" over and over again when we really did know where we were going. Jay and I thought it might help if she knew our names and if she cussed sometimes. Then we would have listened.
Road Tripping Fun: I already mentioned the National Bison Range, which was an unexpected treat, an unplanned stop on our road trippinness. Another place we visited that was unplanned and that I absolutely loved was the tiny town called Essex, Montana, home of the Isaak Walton Inn. This little town borders Glacier, and it is actually a railroad depot and a stop on the Amtrak line. The Inn was built in 1939, and has a wonderful cafe with delicious food, including Huckleberry Cobbler. I loved this place because of the history of the railroads, and the general quaintness of it all. They have several cabooses that they have turned into snug little cabins for guests, which is a clever use of the old train cars, I think. We also stopped at the Hungry Horse Dam, which is on the way up to Glacier. It was alot of dam fun. It was on a Saturday so everything was closed which was too dam bad. We couldn't get any dam souvenirs. Dam.
Wow, I said alot, but there was alot to be said. The trip was very good. I now declare Montana as a delightful place to visit if you ever get the chance. (For those of you don't habla, Montana is Spanish for Mountain.)
Where the heck we were: We flew in to Missoula, MT, and drove through mountain passes down to the tiny river town of Salmon, Idaho. We didn't do anything in Salmon besides Jay's work, and once that was done we drove up to Kalispell, Montana, which is about 30 minutes from Glacier National Park, our main destination.
Weather or not: It was cold in Montana. They were having the coldest spring in 11 years. It was in the 30s in the daytime our first days, then gradually warmed up to the 50s! It snowed on us several times, and there was significant snowpack up in the mountains. Glacier was mostly closed, which was a big disappointment, even though we figured it would be limited access when we researched the trip. The trails were several feet under snow, and the famous, historic "Going-to-the-Sun Road" was mostly closed to traffic. This road has spectacular views, and killer switchbacks- one lady we talked to had been to Denali and she said the views in Glacier are way more breathtaking. What we could see was amazing- I have missed the sight and smells of mountains. The limited access was really torture; it was sort of like being stuck in an airport in Italy, staring sadly out the windows, dreaming of Gondola rides and red wine. We just kept saying, "we've got to come back...we've got to come back." But I'm very glad I got to have even a small taste of Glacier.
Wildlife count: I wanted to see a marmot, which is my favorite furry woodland creature of the mountains, but alas, they were probably still hibernating. In Glacier we saw a baby chipmunk, various songbirds, fish in glacier-fed Lake McDonald, and a bald eagle. Later, on our drive back to Missoula we stopped at the National Bison Range and saw bison, antelope, white-tail deer (including a Bambi hiding in a thicket), meadowlarks, ducks, and various other birds. The Bison Range was really interesting- it is a big habitat that you drive through and see what you can see, including lots of bison poo. Sort of like Jurassic Park but less Parkey and without man-eating dinos or any dinos actually. I learned some really fun facts about bison. Like the fact that they're not buffalo. Nope. File that away Jeopardy hopefuls. And a bison's tail is his or her warning flag system. If his tail is down, he's a happy bison. If his tail is sort of peaking up a little, he's getting a little ticked off. If his tail is sticking straight up, he is about to rip you limb from limb so run, you idiot! Why are you standing outside your motor vehicle? Run!
Food- we ate at some great little local places, any of which I recommend. Moose's Saloon in Kalispell is really great- it's a bar basically, sorry, a saloon with those swinging doors that you walk in and the tinkly piano stops, and everyone stares, and someone tips his hat and says "you're not from around here are ya?" The floors are covered in sawdust, and the walls are marked and carved by anyone and everyone, plus they serve great pizza, and a local beer, Moose Drool. It is a dark, malty beer that I'd give 2 stars on my new Merrill's Beer Rating Scale of America and Beyond (the cure for what ale's you). We also ate at a steak house that served spaghetti with their steaks. Weird. The steaks were good eats, but not so the spaghetti. The bacon in Montana is thick cut, by the way, in case you desire a BLT while there. It will break your jaw, so be careful. Jay's new obsession: Huckleberry pies and cobblers. His fave was a huckleberry-peach pie. They like huckleberries out there in Montana.
Things we should have done while there- visit LoLo Hot Springs. I just like to say LoLo. I've always wanted to go soak in a hot spring, but one that is out in the woods, not a pool that's sourced by a hot spring. So we opted out. We also should have eaten at Taco John's- apparently Montana's hottest taco fast food place.
Favorite new friend: Vicki, our friendly GPS lady in our rental car (we named her because we became so close). She really helped us out, but she did get a little pushy sometimes, even obsessive, asking us to "please return to the highlighted route" over and over again when we really did know where we were going. Jay and I thought it might help if she knew our names and if she cussed sometimes. Then we would have listened.
Road Tripping Fun: I already mentioned the National Bison Range, which was an unexpected treat, an unplanned stop on our road trippinness. Another place we visited that was unplanned and that I absolutely loved was the tiny town called Essex, Montana, home of the Isaak Walton Inn. This little town borders Glacier, and it is actually a railroad depot and a stop on the Amtrak line. The Inn was built in 1939, and has a wonderful cafe with delicious food, including Huckleberry Cobbler. I loved this place because of the history of the railroads, and the general quaintness of it all. They have several cabooses that they have turned into snug little cabins for guests, which is a clever use of the old train cars, I think. We also stopped at the Hungry Horse Dam, which is on the way up to Glacier. It was alot of dam fun. It was on a Saturday so everything was closed which was too dam bad. We couldn't get any dam souvenirs. Dam.
Wow, I said alot, but there was alot to be said. The trip was very good. I now declare Montana as a delightful place to visit if you ever get the chance. (For those of you don't habla, Montana is Spanish for Mountain.)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
There is no Kudzu in Montana
Well, race fans, I am finally over my springtime maladies- the final healing came on a trip to Montana! Ahhh, Rocky Mountain high! And then surgery. Last Friday I had tubes put in both of my malfunctioning ears. I know what everyone is thinking. Tubes? How old is Merrill now? Don't 2 year olds get tubes? Yes. I was waiting to be wheeled in to surgery and there were two small children waiting on either side of me. Little Bobby, Little Timmy, their mommys, and me and my mommy. (Jay claims he couldn't take off work for my surgery. Or maybe he was trying to make me feel younger with my 30th birthday swiftly approaching.) We watched Diego: Animal Rescuer together. We sang the theme song together. At least we can all hear better now. But really, my problems since February have been from some unknown allergy (the tests for normal stuff came back negative), or so my ENT says. I have never experienced anything this long or miserable. Congestion, Coughing, Bronchitis, Hearing Loss, Torn Intercostal Muscle from Coughing, Three rounds of Antibiotics, Bottles and Bottles of Medicines, Steroid shots, X-Rays and Headaches. What a saga. I really went through some low, low days. In general I don't like taking medicine, and I have really taken for granted the fact that I have always had short illnesses and colds. A week, maybe, and I bounce back. This time there was no bouncing. Besides bouncing back to the doctor because I was worse. I come out of this so thankful for how God made our bodies to heal, and how he has given our generation great medical knowledge to fight things that need fighting. I am also thankful that my only symptom from antibiotic withdrawal was a rash, and it wasn't even itchy.
One thing that made me laugh during all this, and on the day when laughing was excruciating due to my torn muscle- you know all the warning labels and side-effect labels the pharmacy slaps on prescriptions? I was prescribed some steroids and Jay and I were joking about how it would make me really strong for a couple days-. We thought the sticker they could stick on there could say: "may cause super-human strength."
In other news, all those who eagerly read about the Cimarron Club closing its doors....the Cimarron was torn down a couple weeks ago. Bulldozed- and I got to see part of it in progress. I was as excited as my children, who are huge bulldozer fans. So I guess Old Shell and Cody is one step closer to a Walgreens or a Baptist church. They also tore down that seafood shop beside the Cimarron that had been overtaken by Kudzu approximately 4.5 years ago. Kudzu is sort of like denial, it just covers stuff up so you can ignore it without really getting rid of it.
There is no kudzu in Montana. (This is my segue to the trip to Montana, about which I will write in the days to follow.)
One thing that made me laugh during all this, and on the day when laughing was excruciating due to my torn muscle- you know all the warning labels and side-effect labels the pharmacy slaps on prescriptions? I was prescribed some steroids and Jay and I were joking about how it would make me really strong for a couple days-. We thought the sticker they could stick on there could say: "may cause super-human strength."
In other news, all those who eagerly read about the Cimarron Club closing its doors....the Cimarron was torn down a couple weeks ago. Bulldozed- and I got to see part of it in progress. I was as excited as my children, who are huge bulldozer fans. So I guess Old Shell and Cody is one step closer to a Walgreens or a Baptist church. They also tore down that seafood shop beside the Cimarron that had been overtaken by Kudzu approximately 4.5 years ago. Kudzu is sort of like denial, it just covers stuff up so you can ignore it without really getting rid of it.
There is no kudzu in Montana. (This is my segue to the trip to Montana, about which I will write in the days to follow.)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Eat your heart out, Aunt Jemima!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Here I sit, feeling the cool spring breeze wafting in my window and I feel new life return to my body and the cobwebs dissipate. I have been fighting various and sundry ailments and I feel like Theoden, King on his throne, all bound up and weak and cobwebby and I need a friendly yet fierce wizard to work magic on me knarly self. I wish I could be ready for the "big run" that I've been registered for since September which is happening this Saturday, but I think it will be more of an amble down azalea adorned avenues. I don't know if I have allergies, or if the Lord is teaching me to not take getting well for granted, but I have a chest cold that won't quit. I finally went to the doctor two weeks ago and he said "bronchitis." I think part of it is that with children there's little rest to be found when I'm sick. So then the stomach virus struck on Friday and my intestines may never be the same. I long for a big ole greasy pizza, but for now I eat rice and bananas and applesauce. I can see how when I am sick or in a difficult time I really get bogged down and think it will last forever and that things will never return to normal. I forget what it was like to be normal and have energy and have my body function correctly. I think of people with chronic pain and illnesses and I really wonder how they do it.
So I will backtrack a little and put a few pictures of one of my favorite events in Mobile, The Festival of Flowers. It is a wonderful festival with flowers from around the world, and landscapes that inspire. Ruthie really enjoyed the festival, even though she sort of withdraws into herself and doesn't want to be in any pictures. She loved sitting on the John Deere tractors they had tastefully displayed, and she was obsessed with the various water-features. She was in awe of the Azalea Trail Maids and asked me if she could have a dress like theirs.
I can go back further to our Valentine cookie fest, and even further to our fun trip to Montgomery. We visited Jay's parents and got to go to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day, and unbeknownst to us it was a special day at the Zoo, "animal enrichment" or some such thing. This meant it was very full of people as well as animals, and they ate like animals and we had to wait an hour for a couple hot dogs and some nachos. That was the low point, but we endured and even got to see the lion enrichment while we waited. Basically, they put a zebra made of plastic buckets filled with "lion treats" inside their enclosure to see how the lions would respond. The theory is that animals need exposure to different materials and textures and forms, to enrich their lives and give them excitement and variety. I think it mainly annoyed the lioness, who toyed with it half-heartedly and the male, if interviewed would probably have said, "Whatever; if it's not bleeding or able to be mauled, I am not interested. Enrichment my arse." We also had a close up view of the giraffes eating some acacia branches. I liked seeing the baby elephant, and I wanted a closer perusal of the pygmy hippos (how cool are pygmy hippos!) but they were sacked out on the grass far away from my view. In general I don't like zoos, they make me sad for the animals whom I feel should be free! free! to roam and poop and kill things, but it is fun to see them up close, especially for children. The saddest animal were the bears. They just seemed lethargic and melancholy. They just sat there by their nice waterfall and one would let out a growly-moan now and again and dip his big paw in the water like he really didn't care about life.
I did learn one interesting animal fact: there is no such thing as a black panther- they are just jaguars or leopards with a gene that makes them produce more melanin, hence the all-black coat. In some cases you can see the differentiation between the dark spots and the darker pigmented areas around. Interesting, huh? I liked this Zoo, despite my general anti-Zoo bias. It was really well planned and landscaped and the habitats were large and seemed like they were true to the animals' real habitats in the wild. My wee ones really enjoyed it, especially the train ride (well, except Mac's tunnel panic). Ruthie's favorite was the snakes! (Sorry JuJu!)
So I will backtrack a little and put a few pictures of one of my favorite events in Mobile, The Festival of Flowers. It is a wonderful festival with flowers from around the world, and landscapes that inspire. Ruthie really enjoyed the festival, even though she sort of withdraws into herself and doesn't want to be in any pictures. She loved sitting on the John Deere tractors they had tastefully displayed, and she was obsessed with the various water-features. She was in awe of the Azalea Trail Maids and asked me if she could have a dress like theirs.
I can go back further to our Valentine cookie fest, and even further to our fun trip to Montgomery. We visited Jay's parents and got to go to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day, and unbeknownst to us it was a special day at the Zoo, "animal enrichment" or some such thing. This meant it was very full of people as well as animals, and they ate like animals and we had to wait an hour for a couple hot dogs and some nachos. That was the low point, but we endured and even got to see the lion enrichment while we waited. Basically, they put a zebra made of plastic buckets filled with "lion treats" inside their enclosure to see how the lions would respond. The theory is that animals need exposure to different materials and textures and forms, to enrich their lives and give them excitement and variety. I think it mainly annoyed the lioness, who toyed with it half-heartedly and the male, if interviewed would probably have said, "Whatever; if it's not bleeding or able to be mauled, I am not interested. Enrichment my arse." We also had a close up view of the giraffes eating some acacia branches. I liked seeing the baby elephant, and I wanted a closer perusal of the pygmy hippos (how cool are pygmy hippos!) but they were sacked out on the grass far away from my view. In general I don't like zoos, they make me sad for the animals whom I feel should be free! free! to roam and poop and kill things, but it is fun to see them up close, especially for children. The saddest animal were the bears. They just seemed lethargic and melancholy. They just sat there by their nice waterfall and one would let out a growly-moan now and again and dip his big paw in the water like he really didn't care about life.
I did learn one interesting animal fact: there is no such thing as a black panther- they are just jaguars or leopards with a gene that makes them produce more melanin, hence the all-black coat. In some cases you can see the differentiation between the dark spots and the darker pigmented areas around. Interesting, huh? I liked this Zoo, despite my general anti-Zoo bias. It was really well planned and landscaped and the habitats were large and seemed like they were true to the animals' real habitats in the wild. My wee ones really enjoyed it, especially the train ride (well, except Mac's tunnel panic). Ruthie's favorite was the snakes! (Sorry JuJu!)
Saturday, March 01, 2008
La La La La
and I don't know why I want that laptop, since I am at home mostly, and we have a perfectly competent computer (even though it does need some RAM). I usually don't crave technology toys and such (we are totally ipodless in our family), but that little skinny mac is attractive to me. Maybe it really is the song. I think if I have that laptop it will make me happy and I will never not smile again. Ever. I will sing La La La La all day long.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
La La La La
I love the new commercial for that really thin Mac. The song just makes me so happy. I found the lady that sings it, Yael Naim- there is a great video on YouTube (just google it, people-I couldn't copy the address for some reason). I downloaded the song and now I want the laptop for Christmas. (loud laughter, no- really really loud laughter here)
Misadventures Unlimited
Remind me never to take my children to a professional photographer again. Or if I do go, to drink a Dr. Pepper and smoke marijuana beforehand. (Joking about the Mary J. Juana) My children do not do well. Ruthie refused to smile. It was like she and the photographer were having a stare off. She kept wanting me in the picture, and so Ms. Photographer humored her with a lovely shot including me with yoga pants and day old smeary mascara. I think I'll order that one for sure. Mac smiled plenty, but would not stay in the proper picture-taking area, and tried to stay glued to my leg most of the time. He was mainly interested in the goldfish I used to get him to sit still. I think that kind lady let out a sigh of relief when we left. We tried to turn the day around by getting ChickerAys as Ruthie calls Chick-Fil-A, and eating at the park, but a cold front had come through while I was fighting for smiles, and we were not dressed appropriately. And it was trying to rain, so we went home and took long naps. That is the way to turn a day around. Or a week.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Friday, February 01, 2008
Closer to Turpen-Fine
This past Saturday night Jay and I went to a really great concert. I was trying to think of a concert to pretend to have been to that would solidify our 80s hairband follower status, like Cinderella, because my last concert post was about the Poison concert last summer. But I think most of those bands have run out of hairspray and can't tour anymore. This concert I picked, and it was one of my favorites ever. It was the Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile. Most people have heard of the Indigo Girls, but Brandi Carlile is an up and coming artist from Seattle. I was probably more excited about her, since I've been hearing her on my favorite local station (92 Zew) and I immediately loved her voice and the impressive lyrics she writes. I have lots of fun Indigo Girl memories from college, mainly roadtripping-top-of-the-lungs sing alongs accompanied by crazy hand motions while pondering the meaning of life kind of things. I'd love to be able to transport you to the concert to see and hear and feel what it felt like, but I think it is hard to do. I will tell you what I saw- a beautiful old theatre, redone like new, shiny and grand. I saw Brandi Carlile, about the size of a Barbie on the stage as I looked down, down-with skinny leg jeans and pale barefeet sticking out, one turning in awkwardly like a little girl, tapping to the music. There was a cello player whose deep resonant playing added the soulful background the the acoustic guitars. I saw Brandi leaning in to the microphone and filling the theatre with her amazing tone and range. I saw the Indigo Girls play, singing their philosopher songs and inviting the crowd to sing along. I heard a guy behind me scream out "Galileo!" every time they paused between songs. I heard amazing two-part and three-part harmony(when they called Ms Carlile back out to sing with them), and the rollicking strains of the accordion as the Indigo Girls sang into the night.
*One interesting note- we barely made it in time for the concert because the #$*&*% Mardi Gras parades were rolling and we got stuck on the wrong side of one and had to follow it forever.
*The one baby in the entire theatre sat beside me. Ironic to say the least. When I see babies out that late I usually jump to judgment..." I can't believe that mom has her baby out this late!" But you know, I don't know their situation-maybe their child care fell through, or they coundn't afford to pay someone etc etc. The benefit of the doubt is a good thing. Especially when the doubt comes to sit beside you and claps and smiles and is generally a sweet baby.
*One interesting note- we barely made it in time for the concert because the #$*&*% Mardi Gras parades were rolling and we got stuck on the wrong side of one and had to follow it forever.
*The one baby in the entire theatre sat beside me. Ironic to say the least. When I see babies out that late I usually jump to judgment..." I can't believe that mom has her baby out this late!" But you know, I don't know their situation-maybe their child care fell through, or they coundn't afford to pay someone etc etc. The benefit of the doubt is a good thing. Especially when the doubt comes to sit beside you and claps and smiles and is generally a sweet baby.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I'm joining the disgruntled party
"I voted" said the sticker on my shirt. This is really the first time I almost didn't vote. When I filled in my little bubble I noticed there was one labeled "uncommitted." I contemplated that, but figured, hey, I drove here to the polls and I might as well vote for someone. I am not a huge follower of political things, but I do usually find a candidate that aligns with what I believe, and one that I can vote for with confidence. This year, and I know it is just the primary, not so. I struggle between idealism voting- voting for that unknown guy who has no chance whatsoever; and strategic voting- voting for someone just because it is against someone else, or just voting for "the lesser of two weevils" (to quote Captain Aubrey in Master and Commander). I think the two weevils is what it will come down to on that Tuesday in November.
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