It really is a dog's life.

There is something just gorgeous about a good book...

2012-02-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

isn't there?

I dream fondly of a day when I can lounge about and read undisturbed for several hours. I am currently re-reading a book called Quicksilver which is about vagabonds, courtesans, Puritans, alchemists, natural philosophers, and calculus.
It's actually quite good despite that incredibly awkward description.

I've also recently come into possession of the whole set of Tintin adventures. I've always loved them but my children had limited interest til the recent movie. Now I have a good excuse to own them all, yay!

Don't do this!

2012-01-29T23:16:00.000-08:00

It's bad for your face.
Also, getting a tetanus booster shot hurts like a *insert shockingly bad words here*

I may never be able to use my arm again! Or least for like, another day, it might really feel sore when I raise it over my head, which is totally the same thing in drama drama land.

Apply topically as needed

2012-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

No, really, please do for the love of all that is holy, APPLY IT.

Not you, dear readers, the people I know who keep putting figurative tomatoes in freaking fruit salad.

Here, have a giggle. I have a spare.

2012-01-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a something for the geeks, you know who you are.

Kermit advertising for the Ministry of Silly Walks.

It's a chill sort of day on the pond.

Thing Two found this shirt and wanted to share.

Just so you know...

Tea Cups and Kindred Souls

2012-01-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

Mr. Logo loves me.

I know this because he got me this mug for Christmas.

Also, someone was being all artistic here (photo found online) and it reminded me of the poem below.

Coffee Spoons and Tea Cups

(A poetic act of genius by Thing One)

Pancakes, eggs, sausage, and a cup of tea for breakfast,

Or rather, a bagel, cream cheese, and a slice of ham as I sprint for the bus.

Swirls of river water tug my fishing line,

But only in my mind.

Abrupt zipping of a neighboring backpack jerks me back

Like a small, feeble, trout

Flopping on a quickly reeling line.

Skillfully weaving in and out

Steering at high speed

On a John Deere tractor crawling around the yard.

Tracing ever spiraling circles of green

Frightening rabbits, terrifying squirrels,

Evicting insects, and trimming the grass.

Yes, let us all remember the magic in the mundane

In every act there is a rabbit hole,

In every dish to wash there is a golden lamp to rub.

For we decide to use Prufrock’s coffee spoon

Or the March Hare’s tea cup

To measure our days.

MLK, Jr. Day

2012-01-16T15:08:00.000-08:00

This year, instead of watching the full I Have a Dream speech as usual with The Things I decided to do something new, and a little more in depth.

This year we read A Letter from a Birmingham Jail and watched Tom Brokaw's two-hour bio entitled, King.
It's a pretty great look at his life, lots of interviews and personal insights.

Thing One got more out of it, unsurprisingly. Recent demands on his own writing mechanics meant he was better able to appreciate the depth of skill and art Dr. King displayed in the writing in the letter, not to mention the passion, wisdom, and moral conviction conveyed.

Happy MLK, Jr. Day.
Here's to hoping we can honor his legacy by continuing his fight against racism, poverty, and war.

Perhaps I have once again been too optimistic. Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world? Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia and the hope of the world. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom. They have left their secure congregations and walked the streets of Albany, Georgia, with us. They have gone down the highways of the South on tortuous rides for freedom. Yes, they have gone to jail with us. Some have been dismissed from their churches, have lost the support of their bishops and fellow ministers. But they have acted in the faith that right defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. Their witness has been the spiritual salt that has preserved the true meaning of the gospel in these troubled times. They have carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment. I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour. But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation -and yet out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands.

boob toob

2012-01-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Over the holiday break I watched more TV than I have in... probably the preceding 11 months of the year at least, possibly the last TWO years.

My papa was visiting, Thing One and Thing Two were on break from school (the Christmas break is much longer now than it was when I was homeschooling them both, but then I was actually teaching things) and even Mr. Logo had some time off.

There was a lot of Phineas & Ferb and Dr. Who.

My dad introduced us to The Mentalist, and forced us to watched some NCIS too.

I watched a couple hours of Castle- Nathan Fillion is pretty fun to watch.
I finally got around to watching a some episodes The Big Bang Theory, I was amused.
I also watched one or two shows from All-American Muslims. It's not going to be something I'm deeply committed to watching, but it was interesting.

After Christmas day TV watching stopped almost completely because The Things are busy with Zelda, Skyward Sword.

Go, Link!

A prayer for the new year.

2012-01-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

Jesus knows I would only use this power for good.

In which I blather about things that seem important-ish at the moment.

2012-01-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

Today, January 3rd, marks the second anniversary of my mom's death. It's seen much longer than that in some ways, and in other ways it seems impossible that it's only been two years. I've been thinking about so many things today, reviewing my life, especially the last two years.
One of the items I've been thinking about is this blog.
Many of the people I started blogging with have either given it up altogether or just barely blog anymore. There are so many changes.

The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost...

Today the question occurred to me, do I want to keep blogging?
I've had the blogging without obligation button on this blog for ages and I've genuinely embraced the philosophy attached. I only post when I want to do so, and only about things I want to discuss in this public venue. Of late, that has not consisted of much.

This blog has functioned though, as the best and most complete journalling effort I've ever produced. I've gone archive diving for dates, or pictures, to recall the sequence in which events occurred or just to enjoy some fun moments in the past.

In the way of a New Year's resolution with a memorial for my mom, who was a serious journal keeper, I've decided to alter my Blogging Without Obligation approach.
Instead I am going to Blog With Intent.
I don't know exactly what that is going to look like, and how it will play out, but I like having this place to meet with friends and record my thoughts and my life.

Sooo, Happy New Year, may we have more joys than sorrows in the days ahead.

Seven Seafood Christmas Eve Dinner!

2011-12-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

Mr. Logo has started cooking and it's going to be soooo awesome!

Our friends who are coming are wine people and they are handling the beverages, yay!

Buon Natale!

My life in picture

2011-12-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

I've been taking walks on this trail.

It a lovely little walk through the woods.

Also,

here is the newest member of the family,

Perry,

Thing Two and I went to The Nutcracker.

You can dress him up but...

This photo is from our recent visit to The Museum of Flight.

Below are photos from a local Christmas light display.

This is a fountain in Seattle. We were at the Old Spaghetti Factory and I decided to take a pic.

So...yah. Those are kinda the highlights.

Giving thanks and avoiding the mall.

2011-11-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving and I hate shopping.

My plans for the rest of the week are therefore clear to me;

I will be hanging out with my family, catching up on stuff and staying far, far away from any sort of shopping.

I will be getting the Christmas decorations out too.

Oh, and my mother in law is coming next week.

Omigosh! Poetry about... about Grammar. I am totally having a geekgasm now.

2011-11-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

The Return of the Subjunctive

by Tamara Madison,

Oh, the Subjunctive,

May it make its bold return!

May it ride back proud

In liveried coach,

May its two fine horses snort

And paw the ground,

And, escorted by its staunch

Attendants If and Whether,

May it descend in velvet cloak

And black-gloved hand

The lacquered steps of hope

And happenstance.

May it fix upon us its deep

Uncertain gaze!

I shall be there to greet it

Though my company

Be small and moody.

I shall beg it stay

And may its presence give

Some respite from the steely glare

Of Indicative, a mantle to shield us

From Passive's clammy chill.

May it light again the land

Between the world that was

And is, and that which still might be,

And may we tread again desire's

Leaf-dappled path

Of possibility.

"The Return of the Subjunctive" by Tamara Madison, from Wild Domestic. © Pearl Editions, 2011

Stuff I collected on my journey through the interwebz

2011-11-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

My children so would have had one of these if I'd only known in time. When I am elderly, in a wheelchair and require a bib, I want one like this. Make a note of that.

Someone needs to wash their GI Joe action figures. Thing One and Thing Two loved this.

Best. parents. ever!

Watch that first step, it's a doozy.

You know I did!

Rabbit, rabbit, happy November!

2011-10-31T23:01:00.001-07:00

Fair is fair.

2011-10-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Thing One saw me giggling at this, shook his head, and muttered, "My mother is SUCH a geek!"

Freedom

2011-10-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

A sculpture by Zenos Frudakis, located in Philadelphia, PA

I want to see this, preferable while listening to this;

(the visual provided by the video is not nearly as good [for me] as this sculpture)

oh yes, baby.

2011-10-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Have some perspective!

2011-10-10T23:56:00.000-07:00

Back in 2007, for his 8th birthday, Thing Two wanted to visit the Space Needle.

I took this photo and thought the image of the Needle behind him at this angle was kinda fun.

Last month

I tried the same trick with another visitor to the Needle.

I had to work a little harder to get the shot this time,

and had someone else lurking in the shadows photographing my somewhat less that dignified efforts.

Nevertheless, it is a rather fun shot, yes?

This is what a good time looks like, sample A

2011-10-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of Lime and me at Chateau St. Michelle

Wheeeeee!

2011-09-28T07:25:00.001-07:00

We are having fun!

(insert mental photo of fun here)

It's alive!

2011-09-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Mr. Logo ordered a pump online, watched an online instructional video on how to replace it, popped our dishwasher out of its little hole, fixed it like magic, put it all back together and make it work!
YAY!
He is my hero.

Oh,
also,
tomorrow marks the day when I started this blog back in 2005. Wow, I can't believe it's been 6 years.
Back in the days when Ariella was blogging my very first comment was made by... Lime.

In March of 2006 I started blogging in my own voice with a list of 100 things about me.
I've decided to see how many of them still apply.

1 I am 35 (Now I am 40)
2 I was born on Whidbey Island, WA (this is still true)
3 My dad was in the military (yes, the passage of time did not change this either)
4 My mom was a registered nurse (uh huh)
5 I have an older sister (yup)
6 I have a younger brother (still true)
7 I have middle child sydrome (you know, I think it is possible this is overdiagnosed)
8 I married an only child (oh honey, ain't it the truth)
9 I have a nine year old son (and now he is 15)
10 I have a six year old son (wow, 12 now, my baby is not a baby anymore)
11 I have lived in seven different places in my life (still true)
12 Three of those places are in Washington state (yup)
13 Two of those places were in Europe (uh huh)
14 I have only owned one American made vehicle (still true, although my honey has had a couple Ford trucks)
15 I have owned two Renaults, one BMW, one VW, two Subarus, one Toyota, and one Honda (add to this list a Yamaha, and a couple more Toyotas)
16 I currently drive a Toyota mini-van and a Honda motorcycle (scratch that, it is a Yamaha now, and there is a Toyota sedan in the mix as well as the van)
17 I think the motorcycle is more fun (still true)
18 I want a Yamaha V Star Classic 1100 ( I HAVE a Vstar 1100 Classic!!)
19 I always wear protective gear, even for short rides in my neighborhood (still true)
20 I have a deep fear of road rash (oh yes, I do)
21 I have had road rash (Oh yes, I did)
22 It hurt, but not as much as the accompanying injuries (true, it all sucked)
23 I walked in front of a car going about 35 mph (don't do that)
24 I spent two weeks in the hospital (bleck, still true)
25 I didn't walk for a year (it was so annoying)
26 I am now I safety nazi (still true)
27 I still plan to go sky diving (still planning)
28 I hardly ever wear a watch, or any jewelry for that matter (very true)
29 I drink a lot of tea (way true)
30 I also drink coffee (yup)
31 I am an information junkie (still true)
32 I love learning new things (mmm hmmm)
33 I do alot of reading (not as much as I'd like, but true)
34 I am currently rereading So Long and Thanks for All the Fish (I am currently reading Extra Lives)
45 I am quite fond of Shakespeare and Dr. Suess (still true)
46 I am a fan of Dave Sedaris (true)
47 I am also enjoy McSweeney books (Ohhhh yes, Your Disgusting Head, Giraffes? Giraffes!, and that is just for starters, still so very true)
48 I recently finished Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans (no longer true)
49 I also recently finished Warrior in the Shadows (I recently finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night)
50 I already have the next book I am going to read (still true)
51 I want to read What If? (It was good)
52 I got it for my dad on his birthday last year (been longer now)
53 He just loaned it to me (then he borrowed it back, then I borrowed it back, it is here again)
54 I spend alot of time on line, probably too much, but we are not opening a poll on that question (the poll is still not open, and don't judge me!)
55 I don't watch very much TV (still true)
56 I fix our computer issues, do the appliance programming and occasionally get called on to assist others but refuse to regard myself as a techie, or geek or whatever. (still true)
57 This is mostly because I know some actual techheads and I am nowhere near their level of expertise...or geekiness (I'm totally sticking to this story)
58 I have voted in every election since I turned 18 (yup, still true)
59 My choice for president only made it to office once (been twice now)
60 I am left handed (still)
61 I am 5'5 tall (yup, although with Thing One looming overhead that seems shorter)
62 I started chatting online in 1996 (I really did)
63 My first online friend was from New Zealand (awwwwa, Boz, he was so awesome)
64 I did a minor renovation of my kids' bathroom summer before last (today I am going to paint my own bathroom, in between we've done the living room, breakfast room, dining room, guest room, both the kids' bedrooms, our bedroom, and two of the walls in the family room)
65 I did wiring and replaced moulding and the vanity myself (yes I did)
66 I faux finished the floor to look like pebbles, I am rather pleased with how well it turned out (It still looks pretty good but there is some surface cracking on the sealant, overall it is holding up pretty well)
67 I set all my clocks to exactly the correct time, according to the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado (I still do this)
68 I have never watched an entire episode of Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch (or the Partridge Family, or Sanford and Sons, or Different Strokes, or Glee, or America's Got Talent, or So You Think You Can Dance, or Family Guy, or Two and a Half Men, or ... you get the idea)
69 I am not a morning person. (so very true)
70 I own 10 pairs of jeans and two dress. (I have a couple less pairs of jeans, but I still don't wear dresses)
71 I didn't realize how good red wine could be until I lived in Italy (still true)
72 I was born on a Thursday, so was my husband and both my kids (hasn't changed)
73 When I was about one my sister broke the fingers on my right hand by shutting them in a door hinge (isn't that a nice story?)
74 About a week after the cast came off my mom shut them in the car trunk (she claimed it was an accident)
75 I have had my left cornea scratched twice (ages 9 and 11) (true)
76 I looked dashing in an eye patch (as dashing as 11 year old girls can appear)
77 I detached a muscle in my shoulder when I was 10, I was in a sling for several weeks (Pledge on floor, add socks and high velocity) (it was fun while it lasted)
78 I broke my left thumb when I was 14, playing Capture the Flag (and I can't even remember if my team won)
79 I am ever so slightly clumsy (you might have already concluded that) (still true)
80 I fidget...alot (mm hmmm)
81 I have great patience with kids and animals, less with adults, and next to none for inanimate objects (none with bureaucracy either)
82 I don't have a poker face (very true)
83 I love playing trivia games (still)
84 I have been married 15 years (21 YEARS!)
85 I love being married, and I love him (yup)
86 I learned Greek when I lived in Greece (I did)
87 I learned Italian when I lived in Italy (mmm hmmm)
88 I can't really speak either of them anymore (sadly true)
89 I used to do some ASL interpretation (a looooong time ago)
90 I haven't really used it in years, I probably couldn't even sign a complete convo these days (I've taken another class since then and I probably still can't)
91 I get a lil crazy if I don't get to spend enough time by myself (ohhhh, it's tue)
92 I tend to forget birthdays, anniversaries and appointments (yes, I do)
93 I can't remember phone numbers (Thank God for contact lists)
94 I find zoos depressing (they so are)
95 I can't knit, crochet, or sew. I don't cook and I hate shopping (Oh, oh! I knit now!)
96 I do enjoy decorating though (still true)
97 I know how to change tires, oil, oil filters, air filters, and how to clean and gap spark plugs or replace them (probably still remember this)
98 I would rather have someone else do it (definitely still true)
99 I don't have a visble birthmark (still true)
100 I rarely know what the date is (I do today, but no, I'm still not reliable on this)
101 I have a magic eight ball, I love it and consult it often. I then do whatever I bloody well please. (yes, this is still true)

There ya have it!

...things happened, and there was stuff, and shenanigans...

2011-09-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

I cannot seem to hit upon the correct balance of interesting things to blog about and sufficient time in which to blog about them.

So I am going with the bullet point approach

Doing lots of prep for teach 24 kids about this. Fun trips to the hardware store, lemme tell ya.
I am very excited about this
My dishwasher is dead
My son is playing football...kinda. At the moment he is recovering from a back injury. Let's not talk about that any further. It makes me want to hurt football coaches.
This is the kind of rabbit we have living here. He growls when annoyed and likes to chase Ariella.
I have redecorated Thing Two's room
I have COMPANY COMING SOON!!

Sooooooo, um...

2011-08-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

My laptop has finally returned from HP.
Now I have to re-personalize it but at least it works!!

In other news,
the rabbit's name is Perry.

We just got back from Silverwood, it was AWESOME.

Tremors and Aftershock were both amazing in daylight but we did them again right before the park closed and they were even BETTER in the dark.

Thing One was very disappointed that none of the rides were too scary for me. I am unclear how he has known me for this long and yet was still suffering from the misapprehension that I wouldn't be a coaster fan.
I don't know why but my reaction on any ride like that is laughter, in fact, according to Thing One it is "maniacal laughter."

Anyway, we got to visit family, friends, do the water and theme park at Silverwood and still make it back in time for school to start tomorrow, whew.

Ooooooh the humanity!

2011-08-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

I got a laptop about 87 days ago.
This week... it DIED.

I probably won't have it back til the week after next.

Hold me.

In other news,

Thing One got himself a sweetheart.
No, not a girlfriend. He bought a baby bunny.

Cutest little thing!

Pictures to follow.

chocolate chip cookies and red wine

2011-07-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

My sister introduced me to Menage a Trois.
Yum

Also,
check this out.
Lemme get my hands on that tie we will see some terror!

Mmmmmm

2011-07-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Nothing to say, so I thought I'd put up something I like to look at
:D
As you were.

Update!

2011-07-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

I have been helping Thing Two with redecorating his room. If we both survive the experience it should be quite rewarding.

Mr. Logo and Thing One have been renovating a boat he was given. It is about 18 feet long. It is a 1965 fiberglass inboard/outboard and they are hoping to have it ready in time to fish some pinks. As suggestive as it may sound I am actually completely ok with my husband and son going out because the humpies are running.

My children each set fire to about $25 worth of fireworks over the holiday. They were in a patriot play and learned that John Adams would have wanted it that way. After all, he said~

“I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance; it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations (fireworks) from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

We had 20 some odd members of my extended family over for a picnic this last weekend (so, yes, some were, quite literally odd) and had a great time. The 4 teenage boys, Thing One and assorted cousins, played football, even including the younger sibling a bit. It didn't end til there was blood (just from a knee) and some tears ("It was an accident!") and stinging nettle rash on a couple of them. Good times, good, good times.

Thing One was forced to sign a Teen Driver's Contract with his parents, because we are cruel, overbearing parents who disapprove of running red lights and other nonsense like that. Some people! Thank GOD he can't get his license til next year.

It seems my old computer is getting a new hard drive and will relocate to Thing Two's bedroom. In what has been described as wanton cruelty, I decided he would not have internet access on that computer, but he could use it for offline gaming and doing school work. He does have his own account on my laptop for internet access but it's not the same.

I decreed my children would arise before 10 am tomorrow. This inspired such disbelief and horror you would have thought I sold them into slavery.

Thing One recently heard my husband make a comment about someone being a "mouthy redhead" and assumed he was the subject being discussed. Yah, not so much.

2011-06-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Cooper has given me an award!

He think I am versatile (not in that reversible jacket way, I hope).

The horror! The horror!

Alright, so I am now meant to tell you 7 things you don't already know about me.
I asked Thing One to come up with some for me.
Here are his contributions.

1. I throw spoons at my children.

To be fair, TO ME, it was one spoon, it was more of a toss, and there were sharp knives available. Also, he totally deserved it.

2. I am a tree hugger.

This was his conclusion when I came home with the water bottle shown above. I have been reusing it, since I don't have to worry about the chemicals, and I do like the fact it can be commercially composted. However, to be honest, the main reason I bought it was...I was thirsty and it was cheap.
Also, dendrophilia can be a lot of work; trees are so sappy.

I am not a fan of all the icrap.

Thing One just got himself an ipod. He would love for me to download iTunes onto my computer. Ain't happenin'.

Courtesy of Thing Two

4. I insist my clocks be set to the correct time.

When Mr. Logo fiddles with the clock in my car, setting it 5 minutes ahead, I respond by randomly resetting the time. In my opinion, your clock is right, or it is wrong. If you like it to be wrong who cares HOW wrong it is? Might as well have fun with it!

5. I need my morning cup of tea, no really, I do.

I can occasionally made do with coffee if I must, but it's just not the same for that first cup of the day.

6. I come from a long line of Nazis... safety Nazis that is.

I've chosen a different pet peeve. I'm am merely a grammar Nazi, according to my children.

7. As nominated by me~ I never follow the rules of a tag.

I love all the blogs and whatnot linked in my sidebar, if you haven't checked them out, get to it!
If you haven't gotten this award, consider yourself tagged.

Many thanks to Cooper for nodding this direction and nudging me into writing a post, finally.
Last and not least, since he brought it up...
"I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now."

Out with the old...

2011-06-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

My 'puter died.
I have a laptop now.

I am having new computer blues.
Thankfully most of my stuff was backed up on an external drive.
Sadly, getting everything to the new one is a pain in the @$$

And I can't find my Word disc, grrrrr

However I've been out hacking on the shrubs with my great big yard scissors, and that is a great way to work off some aggression.
Yay for yard scissors!

I have to push the pram a lot!

2011-06-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

I had 19 lovely pieces of spam to delete from my comment mod file today.
Several were in Asian languages, a couple in Russian, and some were in English but still
too cunning to be understood.

For example;

"thanks in the course of this delicate tips and quite polite blogs"

This stunningly cogent gem came with an imbedded link for viagra... of course!!

Then there was this beauty,

"look at this - [defunct link] don't is beautiful I deliberate on so"

Isn't that fun?
In other news Thing Two had developed a Doctor Who fascination and it's catching.

Ohhhh...

2011-05-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

Did I mention Thing Two turned 12?

He did, and he had a great time with a couple buddies to celebrate.

Thing One is in a play. They are rehearsing twice a week and it looks like it's going to be a great show.

He also had a little Emily Dickinson in the yard yesterday and I had to get a picture. The juvenile robins are just big enough to get themselves into trouble but not quite grown up enough to get themselves out (wonder if that reminds the child of someone he knows). Anyway, the bird seems quite calm once he was perched on Thing One's glove and appeared to enjoy the view!

Logo™ the Obscure

2011-05-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I ended up breaking a window in order to get into the house where my keys, cell phone, and laptop. The glass guy is measuring it today to replace the pane I threw a rock through.

When I told the tale today I was called a vandal. I replied, "Hey, at least I'm not a Goth."

*blink, blink*

Ah well, I thought it was funny.

A card for every occasion

2011-05-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

I found this site through a friend who sent me an Ides of March card. Here is how you know you have an awesome friend;

1. She/he knows about a site like someecards.

2. She/he remembers the Ides of March.

3. She/he sends you a funny card for the occasion.

Here is a little example of their fabulous ecards.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

2011-05-09T06:59:00.001-07:00

Metal and glass in bushes,
I love it!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

WEv

Every year,after I moved back from Italy, I took my mom on the Mother's Day Weekend Art Studio tour that is held in our area.

This year my family is taking me.

It's a beautiful day for it!

tee hee

2011-05-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Norwedian-Lutheran humor
(we've alot of Norwedians in this area and this is soooo them!)

Makes us giggle.

Also,
TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF!

Hope you had a fabulous May Day!

2011-05-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

We grilled burgers and had s'mores over a fire in the back yard.
We have freshly mowed grass, partially wacked weeds, and a mostly tiled tub.
I took Thing One out for a couple hours of quality road time. He only tried to kill us once.
I also got to go for a motorcycle ride.
I must say, it's good a gooood day.

In Praise of My Bed

2011-04-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Since the poem about staying in bed was so popular I thought I'd share this one about going to bed.

In Praise of My Bed

by Meredith Holmes

At last I can be with you!

The grinding hours
since I left your side!
The labor of being fully human,
working my opposable thumb,
talking, and walking upright.
Now I have unclasped
unzipped, stepped out of.
Husked, soft, a be-er only,
I do nothing, but point
my bare feet into your
clean smoothness
feel your quiet strength
the whole length of my body.
I close my eyes, hear myself
moan, so grateful to be held this way.

Only ONE (1) more day in National Poetry Month. Find one you love!

I want some recognition for my self-control

2011-04-27T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's almost the end of April and I've hardly shoved any Auden down your throats at all!

Here are some quotes by the man and then afterward, a poem by Dorothy Parker, the queen of snark before the word even existed.

Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table.

Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the creation of time and will, any marriage, happy or unhappy, is infinitely more interesting than any romance, however passionate.

May it not be that, just as we have to have faith in Him, God has to have faith in us and, considering the history of the human race so far, may it not be that "faith" is even more difficult for Him than it is for us?

No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.

--------------------------------------------

Inscription for the Ceiling of a Bedroom
by Dorothy Parker
Daily dawns another day;

I must up, to make my way.
Though I dress and drink and eat,
Move my fingers and my feet,
Learn a little, here and there,
Weep and laugh and sweat and swear,
Hear a song, or watch a stage,
Leave some words upon a page,
Claim a foe, or hail a friend-
Bed awaits me at the end.

Though I go in pride and strength,
I'll come back to bed at length.
Though I walk in blinded woe,
Back to bed I'm bound to go.
High my heart, or bowed my head,
All my days but lead to bed.
Up, and out, and on; and then
Ever back to bed again,
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall-
I'm a fool to rise at all!

Pictures and a poem!

2011-04-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sugar cookie egg decorating!

Our new-ish couch.

The extension of our backyard patio.

The site of our future shed.

If I could tell you

Time will say nothing but I told you so,

Time only knows the price we have to pay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

If we should weep when clowns put on their show,
If we should stumble when musicians play,
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

There are no fortunes to be told, although,
Because I love you more than I can say,
If I could tell you I would let you know.

The winds must come from somewhere when they blow,
There must be reasons why the leaves decay;
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

Perhaps the roses really want to grow,
The vision seriously intends to stay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

Suppose the lions all get up and go,
And all the brooks and soldiers run away;
Will Time say nothing but I told you so?
If I could tell you I would let you know.

by the fabulous and brilliant
W. H. Auden (1907 - 73)

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, Spring, Passover, etc.

I had a lovely day yesterday, good times, including a motorcycle ride, wheeee!

Here, have some poetry for Easter!

-----------------------------

Easter by Joyce Kilmer

The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
and sings.
----------------------

An Eastern Ballad by Allen Ginsberg

I speak of love that comes to mind:
The moon is faithful, although blind;
She moves in thought she cannot speak.
Perfect care has made her bleak.

I never dreamed the sea so deep,
The earth so dark; so long my sleep,
I have become another child.
I wake to see the world go wild.

----------------------------
Easter, 1916 by William Butler Yeats

I have met them at close of day
Coming with vivid faces
From counter or desk among grey
Eighteenth-century houses.
I have passed with a nod of the head
Or polite meaningless words,
Or have lingered awhile and said
Polite meaningless words,
And thought before I had done
Of a mocking tale or a gibe
To please a companion
Around the fire at the club,
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn:
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

That woman's days were spent
In ignorant good-will,
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill.
What voice more sweet than hers
When, young and beautiful,
She rode to harriers?
This man had kept a school
And rode our winged horse;
This other his helper and friend
Was coming into his force;
He might have won fame in the end,
So sensitive his nature seemed,
So daring and sweet his thought.
This other man I had dreamed
A drunken, vainglorious lout.
He had done most bitter wrong
To some who are near my heart,
Yet I number him in the song;
He, too, has resigned his part
In the casual comedy;
He, too, has been changed in his turn,
Transformed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

Hearts with one purpose alone
Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted to a stone
To trouble the living stream.
The horse that comes from the road.
The rider, the birds that range
From cloud to tumbling cloud,
Minute by minute they change;
A shadow of cloud on the stream
Changes minute by minute;
A horse-hoof slides on the brim,
And a horse plashes within it;
The long-legged moor-hens dive,
And hens to moor-cocks call;
Minute by minute they live:
The stone's in the midst of all.

Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven's part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse -
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

The Kama Sutra of Kindness: Position Number 3

2011-04-20T00:38:00.000-07:00

It's easy to love

through a cold spring
when the poles
of the willows
turn green
pollen falls like
a yellow curtain
and the scent of
Paper Whites
clots
the air

but to love for a lifetime
takes talent

you have to mix yourself
with the strange
beauty of someone
else
wake each morning
for 72,000
mornings in
a row so
breathed and
bound and
tangled
that you can hardly
sort out
your arms
and
legs

you have to
find forgiveness
in everything
even ink stains
and broken
cups

you have to be willing to move through
life
together
the way the long
grasses move
in a field
when you careen
blindly toward
the other
side

there's never going to be anything
straight or predictable
about your path
except the
flattening
and the springing
back

you just go on walking for years
hand in hand
waist deep in the weeds
bent slightly forward
like two question
marks
and all the while it

burns
my dear
it burns beautifully above
you
and goes on
burning
like a relentless
sun

"The Kama Sutra of Kindness: Position Number 3" by Mary Mackey, from Breaking the Fever. ©
Here is someone's take on this poem.

In other news, I sent this picture to The Esteemed Elder Sister to let her know that her secret superhero identity was out. She also looked through the t-shirts available from Natalie Dee, Married to the Sea and Toothpaste for Dinner. She called me laughing so hard she was wheezing, so I am considering the entire venture a success.

2011-04-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Mr. Logo and I didn't buy a TV til we'd been married about 4 years. Mostly we got it so we could watch videos, which is a good thing, because we immediately moved to Greece with it where it couldn't receive television signal anyway. So we watched video cassette tapes on the built-in VCR, whoooooa, old school. Periodically after that we actually bothered with getting cable, but sometimes not.

In 2002, it died. It was tossed in a dumpster, with no particular honors despite it's many years of faithful dust collection and distinguished service as a child distractor so I could occasionally engage in acts of extreme neglect, like dashing through the shower or preparing a meal without a small child attached to my hip.

The new TV was a duel system, enabling us to watch European AND US television stations. It returned to the US with us and mostly we used it more movies and video games, but from time to time, we have paid for television as well.

But...

some friends were in a transition recently and we played host to this for a while.

What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in a sleek silhouette, clarity of picture, and sheer enormousness.

This week it went to Spokane to our friends' new home and we decided to upgrade to a flat screen, after all, it is not really sexy for your television to have junk in its trunk.

Thing One was pushing for a TV large enough to cover the whole freaking wall, and Thing Two thought the same size would be perfect.

Mr. Logo and I however, decided to go with a screen just about the same size as our old TV.

Ah, juuuust right!

And now, some poetry
-----------------------------
Dilemma by David Budbill

I want to be
famous
so I can be
humble
about being
famous.

What good is my
humility
when I am
stuck
in this
obscurity?

---------------------
The Discovery of Sex by Debra Spencer

We try to be discreet standing in the dark
hallway by the front door. He gets his hands
up inside the front of my shirt and I put mine
down inside the back of his jeans. We are crazy
for skin, each other's skin, warm silky skin.
Our tongues are in each other's mouths,
where they belong, home at last. At first

we hope my mother won't see us, but later we don't care,
we forget her. Suddenly she makes a noise
like a game show alarm and says Hey! Stop that!
and we put our hands out where she can see them.
Our mouths stay pressed together, though, and
when she isn't looking anymore our hands go
back inside each other's clothes. We could

go where no one can see us, but we are
good kids, from good families, trying to have
as much discreet sex as possible with my mother and father
four feet away watching strangers kiss on TV,
my mother and father who once did as we are doing,
something we can't imagine because we know

that before we put our mouths together, before
the back seat of his parents' car where our skins
finally become one-before us, these things
were unknown! Our parents look on in disbelief
as we pioneer delights they thought only they knew
before those delights gave them us.

Years later, still we try to be discreet, standing
in the kitchen now where we think she can't see us. I
slip my hands down inside the back of his jeans
and he gets up under the front of my shirt.
We open our mouths to kiss and suddenly Hey! Hey!
says our daughter glaring from the kitchen doorway.
Get a room! she says, as we put our hands
out where she can see them.

2011-04-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

What I Know

by Lee Robinson

What I know for sure is less and less:
that a hot bath won't cure loneliness.

That bacon is the best bad thing to chew
and what you love may kill you.

The odd connection between perfection
and foolishness, like the pelican
diving for his fish.

How silly sex is.
How, having it, we glimpse
our holiness.

What I know is less and less.
What I want is more and more:

you against me—
your ferocious tenderness—

love like a star,
once small and far,
now huge, now near.

This arrived in my inbox today courtesy of the Writer's Almanac.

Favorite Poems

2011-04-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today I am not posting any poems.
Instead, I am posting a link to this site.
I love this project! Watching little kids reading Robert Louis Stevenson, or Casey at the Bat is just sweet. Each person gives the reason they chose their poem and how they relate to it.
Hope you can listen to some, they're worth the time!

Nostalgia

2011-04-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is a poem I recall my dad reading to us as kids. He loved it, probably still does.
This is exactly his kind of logic.

The Deacon’s Masterpiece or
The Wonderful "One-Hoss Shay": A Logical Story

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)

Have you heard of the wonderful one-hoss shay,

That was built in such a logical way

It ran a hundred years to a day,

And then of a sudden it — ah, but stay,

I’ll tell you what happened without delay,

Scaring the parson into fits,

Frightening people out of their wits, –

Have you ever heard of that, I say?

Seventeen hundred and fifty-five.

Georgius Secundus was then alive, –

Snuffy old drone from the German hive.

That was the year when Lisbon-town

Saw the earth open and gulp her down,

And Braddock’s army was done so brown,

Left without a scalp to its crown.

It was on that terrible Earthquake-day

That the Deacon finished the one-hoss shay.

Now in building of shaises, I tell you what,

There is always a weakest spot, –

In hub, tire, felloe, in spring or thill,

In pannel or crossbar, or floor, or sill,

In screw, bolt, throughbrace, — lurking still,

Find it somewhere you must and will, –

Above or below, or within or without, –

And that’s the reason, beyond a doubt,

That a chaise breaks down, but doesn’t wear out.

But the Deacon swore (as deacons do,

With an "I dew vum," or an "I tell yeou")

He would build one shay to beat the taown

‘n’ the keounty ‘n’ all the kentry raoun’;

It should be so built that it couldn’ break daown:

"Fer," said the Deacon, "’t’s mighty plain

Thut the weakes’ place mus’ stan’ the strain;

‘n’ the way t’ fix it, uz I maintain, is only jest

‘T’ make that place uz strong uz the rest."

So the Deacon inquired of the village folk

Where he could find the strongest oak,

That couldn’t be split nor bent nor broke, –

That was for spokes and floor and sills;

He sent for lancewood to make the thills;

The crossbars were ash, from the the straightest trees

The pannels of whitewood, that cuts like cheese,

But lasts like iron for things like these;

The hubs of logs from the "Settler’s ellum," –

Last of its timber, — they couldn’t sell ‘em,

Never no axe had seen their chips,

And the wedges flew from between their lips,

Their blunt ends frizzled like celery-tips;

Step and prop-iron, bolt and screw,

Spring, tire, axle, and linchpin too,

Steel of the finest, bright and blue;

Throughbrace bison-skin, thick and wide;

Boot, top, dasher, from tough old hide

Found in the pit when the tanner died.

That was the way he "put her through,"

"There!" said the Deacon, "naow she’ll dew!"

Do! I tell you, I rather guess

She was a wonder, and nothing less!

Colts grew horses, beards turned gray,

Deacon and deaconess dropped away,

Children and grandchildren — where were they?

But there stood the stout old one-hoss shay

As fresh as on Lisbon-earthquake-day!

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED; — it came and found

The Deacon’s masterpiece strong and sound.

Eighteen hindred increased by ten; –

"Hahnsum kerridge" they called it then.

Eighteen hundred and twenty came; –

Running as usual; much the same.

Thirty and forty at last arive,

And then come fifty and FIFTY-FIVE.

Little of of all we value here

Wakes on the morn of its hundredth year

Without both feeling and looking queer.

In fact, there’s nothing that keeps its youth,

So far as I know, but a tree and truth.

(This is a moral that runs at large;

Take it. — You’re welcome. — No extra charge.)

FIRST OF NOVEMBER, — the Earthquake-day, –

There are traces of age in the one-hoss shay,

A general flavor of mild decay,

But nothing local, as one may say.

There couldn’t be, — for the Deacon’s art

Had made it so like in every part

That there wasn’t a chance for one to start.

For the wheels were just as strong as the thills

And the floor was just as strong as the sills,

And the panels just as strong as the floor,

And the whippletree neither less or more,

And the back-crossbar as strong as the fore,

And the spring and axle and hub encore.

And yet, as a whole, it is past a doubt

In another hour it will be worn out!

First of November, fifty-five!

This morning the parson takes a drive.

Now, small boys get out of the way!

Here comes the wonderful one-hoss shay,

Drawn by a rat-tailed, ewe-necked bay.

"Huddup!" said the parson. — Off went they.

The parson was working his Sunday’s text, –

Had got to fifthly, and stopped perplexed

At what the — Moses — was coming next.

All at once the horse stood still,

Close by the meet’n'-house on the hill.

First a shiver, and then a thrill,

Then something decidedly like a spill, –

And the parson was sitting upon a rock,

At half past nine by the meet’n'-house clock, –

Just the hour of the earthquake shock!

What do you think the parson found,

When he got up and stared around?

The poor old chaise in a heap or mound,

As if it had been to the mill and ground!

You see, of course, if you’re not a dunce,

How it went to pieces all at once, –

All at once, and nothing first, –

Just as bubbles do when they burst.

End of the wonderful one-hoss shay.

Logic is logic. That’s all I say.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He said it!

2011-04-05T01:25:00.000-07:00

I love Ogden Nash, and he is a giver of very good advice.

A Word to Husbands by Ogden Nash

To keep your marriage brimming

With love in the loving cup,

Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;

Whenever you’re right, shut up.

To A Small Boy Standing On My Shoes While I Am Wearing Them by Ogden Nash

Let's straighten this out, my little man,

And reach an agreement if we can.

I entered your door as an honored guest.

My shoes are shined and my trousers are pressed,

And I won't stretch out and read you the funnies

And I won't pretend that we're Easter bunnies.

If you must get somebody down on the floor,

What in the hell are your parents for?

I do not like the things that you say

And I hate the games that you want to play.

No matter how frightfully hard you try,

We've little in common, you and I.

The interest I take in my neighbor's nursery

Would have to grow, to be even cursory,

And I would that performing sons and nephews

Were carted away with the daily refuse,

And I hold that frolicsome daughters and nieces

Are ample excuse for breaking leases.

You may take a sock at your daddy's tummy

Or climb all over your doting mummy,

But keep your attentions to me in check,

Or, sonny boy, I will wring your neck.

A happier man today I'd be

Had someone wrung it ahead of me.

2011-04-02T01:36:00.000-07:00

Do you know about poetry slams?
They are all kinds of awesome.
Poetry is made to be enjoyed aloud so if you can, follow the link to youtube. However, the first poem I've linked is also copied below from Taylor Mali's webpage below so you can read it even if you can't see and hear his amazing performance.

What Teachers Make (performed by the author)

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.

I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

The The Impotence of Proofreading (tee hee, this one is funny)

and just one more, because I really just had to

Totally like whatever, you know?

It's National Poetry Month again!

2011-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

I do love poetry, not just the formal kind, any lyrical expression of words will work, really.
I have to start the month off with Auden, cuz I luffs him.

The More Loving One by W. H. Auden

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.

How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.

Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.

Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total dark sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.
-----------------------------
Over here you can hear him read his poem On the Circuit.

It's another stolen meme!

2011-03-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Lime was having fun with this, and so was Cooper, so I played along. The Queen's Meme #76

The Prissy Meme

1. What is your favorite lipstick color and why?

As you can see, my lipsticks are all variations on a pretty similar theme; matte in a vaguely natural shade. When I'm wearing makeup I like to look like me, but ever-so-slightly more attractive, you know, that I just had a great...
walk
sort of look.
2. How long does it take you to get ready to go to work in the morning?
Anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, in actual getting ready minutes. If I get online...it may take longer.

3. Do you have your nails professionally done? Mani? Pedi?
I have my toes done from time to time. It's been about a year though. My favorite part is sitting in the massage chair with the little mini whirlpool massage thing working on my feet, hmmmmm... feels so goooooood. Then I had the gal paint my nails bright green.

4. Tell us about your latest spa experience - real or imagined.

I got a gift certificate for a massage and facial. It was AWESOME! I love being

stroked, and rubbed, and you know...all that.

5. Is there something you'd like to change about your appearance? Would you ever have cosmetic surgery?

I think I'm mostly ok with what I've been issued.
As for surgery? Well, ask me again in 10 years.

6. How do you take care of your skin?
It rubs the lotion on its skin.

7. Tell us your secrets for vibrant, shiny, healthy-looking hair.

Don't shampoo it.

8. What is your favorite fragrance?
I tend to like real scents; verbena, lavender, vanilla, cinnamon, or coconut,
no artificial chemical substitutes accepted!!

9. Everyone has a certain color they love to wear. What is yours?

Ummm, I am going with...brownish

10. Do you have ink?

At the moment, yes, all over my hands, dang Sharpie markers!

11. How would you describe your personal style?
Eclectic
----------------------------------------------------------------
Also,

This is a hat, scarf, and fingerless glove set I made for the esteemed elder sister for Christmas, modelled here by a thrilled looking Thing Two.

Have you noticed this?

2011-03-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

JAVIER BARDEM JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN

Are we sure this isn't the same guy?

What I'm listening to today - Stephin Merritt

2011-03-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Gothic Archies

Magnetic Fields

Magnetic Fields

Magnetic Fields

Pictures as demanded

2011-03-07T00:24:00.000-08:00

First, I was gone for Valentine's Day so I missed my usual opportunity to mock.

To make up for it here is a bouquet for you all.

See how much I love you? I give you the very best.

Here is a picture Thing One used for his poster in World History in their treatment of Fascism.

Here is Notre Dame. I got to see Notre Dame, isn't that AWESOME?!?!

This next one is Sacre Coeur. Walking up all the steps to this church make me think I was probably going to see Jesus quite soon. Holy cow, it's a long way up.

This is the inside of the Orsay Museum which was once a train station. It is gorgeous on its own and THEN, when you count all the Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Morisot, Renoir, etc. etc. it is one of the most beautiful places in Paris!

Mr. Logo was spoken to quite sharply for taking that photo. I hope you enjoyed it.

Here he is at the Moulin Rouge. Last time he was in the area he went in for a show.

Next, you have the Champs Elysees as seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

As you can see, we brought our NW weather with us.

The stairs in the Arc de Triomphe.

For reasons that defy understanding Mr.Logo decided he need a photo of my ass as I went up to look at the winged victory.

Who knows...

Rue Cler is the home of a really yummy pastry shop where I got a Napoleon.

This is some sidewalk art we found.

The English language book shop on the Left Bank.

You knew I had to go there!

In which Logo™ exhausts Mr. Logo...over and over and over

2011-02-21T08:42:00.000-08:00

get your mind out of the gutter
:p

Paris was fabulous,
but of course!
I got to see most of the stuff I wanted to see,
and that was a pretty long list.

Sunday:
Even though we arrived in the afternoon I didn't see why we couldn't get in a full day of sightseeing. So we headed off for Sacre Coeur, the MontMartre area, the Moulin Rouge,and Trinite church in the Pigalle area. Dinner was quiche from a bakery, mmmm.

Monday (Valentine's Day):
I got to see the Louvre, surrounding area, and then Eiffel Tower.
We had pizza and red wine in a tiny, saphire-red restaurant right down the street from our hotel, delish.

Tuesday:
The Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Orsay Museum, bus tour of major sights,Pere Lachaise cemetary, Then we did a Rick Steves historic walk with his downloadable audioguide. AWESOME!
The stops on that include;
Notre Dame on Ile de Cite, Deportation museum, Ile St. Louis, the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter, St. Severin, Boulavard St. Michel, St. Andre de Arts, and Place St. Michel.
I did stop to feed the poor Mr. Logo though, on Rue St. Severin. We had a really incredible meal, I had dizzy chicken (3:30) and he had beef burgandy.

Wednesday:
Versailles (holy crap that is a big place), Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb, Rue Cler, and back to the Latin Quarter for dinner. GYROS!

Thursday:
We met with a Parisian Greeter who took us all through the Marais district. We started at Place de la Bastille, where the prison is long gone but there is the new opera house, and saw Hotel de Sully, Place des Vosges,Victor Hugo's house, Rue des Rosiers, walked a Thursday street market, then Rue des Francs Bourgeois, and went to the Carnavalet Museum, and Rue Pavee, and finished off with a visit to the Holocaust Museum.
After Patricia left us we went to St. Chappelle, and the Rodin Museum which were two CAN'T MISS sights as far as I was concerned and then...
to the river front for a twilight boat tour up and down the Seine.
Our last stop was the Shakespeare and Company bookstore on the Left Bank.

Friday, my actual birthday, we lounged around, ate a late breakfast, packed up and headed for the airport.
Oh, after a brief stop at the pharmacy for a wrap. I, um, yah, I may have fallen off a curb, or two Wednesday, and...well, I think maybe I did something to my tendon.

Anyway, because the flight west was on my birthday I got to have 8 extra hours, which is pretty cool, although I did end up spending them on an airplane, which is less than spectacular.
We left Europe at 4:55pm and arrived in Seattle at 4:40pm the same evening.
Neat trick, eh?

5 days to go!

2011-02-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

Did you hear about the Frenchman who jumped into the river in Paris?

He was declared to be in Seine.

Ba-dum dum

It's been AGES since we last had a really good chat!

2011-01-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Some friends moved in with us (they lost their house and their move to Spokane is happening in stages). They moved into our renovated guest room at the end of November, two of them headed to Spokane at New Years, one more is headed over at the end of January, and the last one will head over when the weather in Eastern WA lends itself to working for a living in the outdoors.
Celebrating the holidays and whatnot without mom for the first time was a little rough, but we all made it through and no one even had to take any mind-altering drugs (Ariella doesn't have to count the catnip, does she?).
We began eating honey that was made by bees who lived with us last year. Of the 4 hives, three of them are thriving and the one is..well, we aren't sure they are going to make it to spring. My papa, the apiarist, was just out there yesterday checking on them in his bee suit, NOT the high of Milan fashion but very functional.
Thing One is a first-born 14 year old. For those who know that statement is all I need to say. He is on track to finish his first semester at public school with 3 As and 3 A-s. He says high school takes way longer than home school, but he doesn't have to work anywhere near as hard. We've started getting titles from one of those, "Books Everyone Ought to Read" lists and he carries one with him to fill the downtime in classes (of which there is a SHOCKING amount).
Thing Two is in Eastern WA (ok, fine, for those picky other-side-of-the-mountain folks, CENTRAL WA) this weekend with a kids' group doing some ice skating, sledding, etc. We are hoping he remembers he is suppose to stay with the people who brought. He has a tendency to make friends everywhere he goes and then look around later and realize he has no idea where his group is. Next weekend his boyscout troop is headed across the mountains too. He and I went to Spokane last weekend so that will make three weekends in a row for him over there, which is a family record.
Ariella is having surgery. She has developed a nodule on her snout and a fatty deposit on her leg. She is 7 this year and the middle years are NOT being kind. She has also gained rather too much weight so the vet was none too pleased with us. Time for her to start going on walks (and me too!).
Mr. Logo is working for a place that makes parts of airplanes and other machined parts. He is their quality control guru and doesn't hate it at all.
Last but not least, Mr. Logo told me last week that...

HE IS TAKING ME TO PARIS NEXT MONTH FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Best advice EVAH

2011-01-14T12:40:00.000-08:00

Two notes:

2010-12-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

The days are getting longer which makes me happy.
Also, polite cherries (cordial) are really rather vile, and handing them to unsuspecting people who are expecting a nice truffle is rather unkind.

Thank you,
that is all.

If I were a rich man

2010-12-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Sooo,
you know how sometimes I link my old posts?
I've decided to go one better and just repost a whole one. It's really long and a pal who was looking through my archive single it out for a compliment so I thought I'd share it again (and update the song and phone referenced).
Here it is, from October of 2007, a really freaking long meme...

----
Jocelyn did a Jedi mind trick on me and made me do this. It took DAYS to finish so I think it only fair to give you days to read it. I'll be back next week. Feel free to pace yourself.

If I were a beginning, I would be…. "It was a dark and stormy night..." Name that book?

If I were a month, I would be…September, while learning is still something to be excited about and the fall colors are showing. It's not cold but a cozy polar fleece is perfect.

If I were a time of day, I would be… 11:11 Auspicious but in a useless way.

If I were a planet, I would be…orbiting Sirius. Don’t want to get toooo close though.

If I were a season, I would be…..Fall, bring some shorts, sandals, a warm jacket and an umbrella, who knows what you are going get!

If I were a sea animal, I would be….salty, wanna lick?

If I were a direction, I would be….west.

If I were a piece of furniture, I would be….a cozy chair; versatile and comfortable.

If I were a sin, I would be…mortal, you do know what you are getting yourself into, right?

If I were a liquid, I would be…mercury, because liquid metal is awesome and gallium just doesn't sound as cool.

If I were a scare, I would be…the one that haunts your nightmares and gives you a chill down your spine. Ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?

If I were a gem, I would be…semi-precious.

If I were a flower/plant, I would be…some sort of scrubby little flowering shrub.

If I were a kind of weather, I would be….capricious.

If I were a musical instrument, I would be…a cello.

If I were an animal, I would be…wild.

If I were an emotion, I would be….swinging.

If I were a vegetable, I would be…delicious.

If I were a sound, I would be…water, sometimes soothing, sometimes overpowering.

If I were an element, I would be…plutonium. Can’t touch this!

If I were a car, I would be…a hybrid; a little of this, and a little of that.

If I were a song, I would be... catchy but hard to understand in spots.

If I were a food, I would be...Thai; salty, sweet, spicy, sour and sometimes bitter, but always in balance.

If I were a place, I would be…a magnetic pole, prone to wandering.

If I were a material, I would be…plaid silk.

If I were a taste, I would be…fleeting but worth repeating.

If I were a scent, I would be…floating in the air.

If I were a religion, I would be…misunderstood and misused.

If I were a sentence, I would be…compound (with plenty of parenthetical phrases thrown in for good measure).

If I were a facial expression, I would be…transparent.

If I were a subject in school, I would be…self paced.

If I were a colour, I would be...vibrant.

If I were a thing, I would be…a noun.

If I were a book, I would be…library bound.

If I were an artist, I would be…messy.

If I were a collection of poems, I would be…eclectic, an anthology type of deal.

If I were a landmass, I would be…Europe, separate but attached.

If I were a watch, I would be…superfluous. Who needs a watch?

If I were God, I would be…a goddess.

If I were a vowel, I would be...rounded.

If I were a consonant, I would be…an alveolar trill, or a sibilant s.

If I were a theory, I would be…more than mere hypothesis.

If I were a famous person, I would be…mocked for my fashion choices.

If I were an item of electronic equipment, I would be…a Droid.

If I were a sport, I would be…a contact sport.

If I were a movie, I would be…a comedy.

If I were a cartoon, I would be…the Animaniacs.

If I were an explorer, I would be…intrepid, it only seems suitable.

If I were a scientist, I would be…mad.

If I were a relation, I would be…tenuous.

If I were a river, I would be…relentless.

If I were intoxication, I would be…all-consuming, enslaving, freeing, euphoric gratification. I am the new drug.

If I were alone, I would be…relaxing.

If I were a question, I would be…leading.

If I were a habit, I would be…addictive.

If I were in an atom, I would be… possessed of charm or maybe topness.

If I were you, I would be…tired of reading this.

"I thought of love with its head ripped off still trying to sing..."

2010-12-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

the hookers, the madmen and the doomed

by Charles Bukowski

today at the track

2 or 3 days after

the death of the

jock

came this voice

over the speaker

asking us all to stand

and observe

a few moments

of silence. well,

that's a tired

formula and

I don't like it

but I do like

silence. so we

all stood: the

hookers and the

madmen and the

doomed. I was

set to be dis-

pleased but then

I looked up at the

TV screen

and there

standing silently

in the paddock

waiting to mount

up

stood the other jocks

along with

the officials and

the trainers:

quiet and thinking

of death and the

one gone,

they stood

in a semi-circle

the brave little

men in boots and

silks,

the legions of death

appeared and

vanished, the sun

blinked once

I thought of love

with its head ripped

off

still trying to

sing and

then the announcer

said, thank you

and we all went on about

our business.

"the hookers, the madmen and the doomed" by Charles Bukowski, from What Matters Most is How Well You Work Through the Fire.
------------------------------
I know I've mentioned The Writer's Almanac before it must be linked again because
Since the 1st, when this was the poem of the day, the phrase I used as a title has been dancing around in my head. Sometimes a poem or song phrase will stick in my head... for YEARS!
Like this line in Lovers in a Dangerous Time,
"...gotta kick at the darkness til it bleeds daylight."

It just speaks to me.

Show and Tell

2010-11-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

I got some new shoes. That is them up there.
They make me taller than Thing One.
:D
Mama like.
It isn't going to be long until there won't be shoes capable of acheiving that feat for me, so I plan to enjoy it while I can. Plus, these shoes are actually pretty comfortable.
I needed new shoes.
See, there is the community Christmas thing and since there is a pretty strong Scandinavian influence here, one of the productions being performed is a stage play about early northern European immigrants.
There are some Sven and Ole sketches, among other things. The full cast, including chorus (that would be me), is about 40 people.
Mr. Logo is reprising his role of last year as Ole.
Thing One is reappearing as one of the youth leads, and Thing Two sings AND dances, although he didn't want to try out for a speaking role.
We'll be performing every Sunday night in December.

Also,
I got a new-to-me monitor. My last monitor was roughly the same size as a small island nation, or, well, anyway, it was BIG! I don't mean the screen size either, I mean the rear side of that thing stuck out about a foot and a half (and no one needs a computer monitor with back, ok, that is NOT sexeh).
So a pal gave me the monitor below when we started having a little monitor issue.

Turns out, it may not have been a monitor problem so much as a computer issue. I got this computer almost 4 years ago. I'm a little worried this might be the beginning of the end for it.

Oh, and the car won't start again.

Fricking, fracking, frugging...

Copied from my Facebook note

2010-11-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

because I haven't uploaded the pics I want to show you.
:-p

Once you've been tagged.... (1) Turn on your MP3 player or music player on your computer. (2) Go to SHUFFLE songs mode. (3) Write down the first 25 songs that come up--song title and artist--NO editing/cheating, please....

Alrighty then, you asked for it, but it's an odd list!

Candy - Presidents of the United States of America
I Feel It All - Feist
Song of the Cenury- Green Day
Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Stormy Weather - Etta James
Mr. Bad Man - Tori Amos
3 AM - Matchbox 20
Add It Up - Violent Femmes
Commissioning a Symphony in C - Cake
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
Life Less Ordinary - Carbon Leaf
Long, Long Time - Guy Forsyth
Black - Pearl Jam
I Want to Break Free - Queen
It's a Beautiful Day - Sarah Brightman
Seven Nation Army - White Stripes
Mummer's Dance - Lorena McKennit
Don't stop Believing - Journey
Thanks That Was Fun - Barenaked Ladies
Barracuda - Heart
Creep - Radiohead
With or Without You - U2
Pork and Beans - Weezer
Better - Regina Spektor
Dreams - Cranberries

What can I say? It's what I like!

2010-11-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

I tend to be a very utilitarian book owner. I don't typically buy or hold onto books just because I really enjoyed them. If I don't plan to read or refer to a book again in the future it will not take up residence with me. Consequently, my collection is heavily weighted in favor of reference books.

My public library serves most of my pleasure reading needs and I usually stop by at least once a week.

My personal book collection is small-ish.

I have one narrow bookcase in my living room,

a storage box in the corner of my bedroom closet,

oh, and a big wicker trunk,

and, um... a smaller wicker box.

I've attempted to teach my children the importance of having good books to read available but not to be hoarders. They each have a bookshelves in their rooms (which are packed to nearly overflowing, but we sort them from time to time and pass on anything they don't read if they don't love it too much to part with it).

Anyway, my point is, homeschooling requires books, lots of books. If one surrenders one's very cool schoolroom to be remodelled into a guestroom it only stands to reason that the books will have to find new homes. So Mr. Logo built this, but it only gets partial credit because the books have to share space with the printer and all the photo albums and whatnot.

Of course a few of the books can fit in the twin cabinets from the school room, but mostly they are full of other critical homeschooling supplies.

So, the far end of my breakfast room was stacked high with boxes of books and the overflow was taking up the windowsills, to which Mr. Logo objected. A clever solution was found and so this new cabinet found its way into our home.

Oooooo, shiny.

It goes really well the black table and chairs in the breakfast room and it holds a metric buttload of books (that is more than the US standard buttload, but the British buttload is larger).
Not to mention, I can store stuff on top of it!

Now, if someone with too much time and lots of spare mental energy were look at that picture closely they might wonder about why I have a cash register (I'm assuming the globe, test tubes, and balance are self-explanatory). That cash register features a fully-functioning calculator and it turns out, given the choice between a boring old calculator and the cash register version, most children and lots of adults will opt for the ulta-cool cash register model. Also, it hold full-sized coins and bills and is therefore awesome for garage sales, bake sales, etc.

I also think that learning to make (or check) change is a critical life skill and obviously the cash register makes that WAY more entertaining.

Anyway, the cabinet has cleared the boxes out and gotten the books out of the window sills. This is the drawer that looks sort of well-organized.

Soooo, now I have another big box of books arriving this week and we get to start the hunt for more book storage again, but

I really NEEDED these books, for school, and references, and important stuff like that.

Sometimes there are just no words

2010-11-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

photo credit

The weather of late had been unbelievably good. Warm, gorgeous fall days have featured crisp, cool mornings that heat up to glorious afternoons and then chilling off to clear, beautifully-starred nights.

My yard is covered in leaves and the colors on the trees are unbelievable. Western Washington often has soggy, insignificant autumns with the turning of the leaves lasting for only days.

This year we are having a bonafide FALL, and it is lovely.

So here's the thing...

2010-10-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

I went to get my "new" and "repaired" car, and guess what,
go ahead,
guess!

It wouldn't even start.
So they sent me home Friday in a loaner (score!) and then,
because that didn't suck enough all on its own...
Monday afternoon I had a pal over and started feeling a little bleh.
Next thing you know,
I was puking my guts out and today is the first time I've eaten since then.
I freaking HATE being sick.

However,
Saturday I did get to go see a charity concert that featured some awesome music;
Long Winters,
The Presidents of the United States of America,
Sean Nelson (lead from Harvey Danger),
and I got to drive my zippy little loaner Yaris around downtown Seattle including some nifty little sidewalk driving
:D
tee hee

As of this evening I feel almost human, mostly.

Colorful metaphors!

2010-10-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

It is a consistent feature of my adult relationships that although I tell people I grew up in an incredibly conservative environment it is not until some detail arises and shocks them that they truly grasp HOW conservative an environment I mean.

I recently mentioned that I got detention for using "colorful metaphor" at school. I do not mean I used a colorful metaphor ( for example - "Double dumbass on you!"), oh no.
I mean that on the volleyball court, during practice, a gal bumped the ball offsides and I went scrambling after it, when I missed it I muttered...and I quote, "Colorful metaphors!"

This was deemed a euphemism and highly inappropriate.

Today we are taking our newly-purchased used car back to the dealership for repairs for the second time in the week that we have owned it. Twice now it has konked out on Mr. Logo on his way to work. There is a distinct lack of lighted-heartedness, mirth, or joy on this subject.
It is, in fact, what some might refer to as
a sore subject.

As we transport the gimpy &*%$&%$ thing back to where we purchased it so they can attempt to actually repair it...
let me just tell you,

forget the euphemisms; I am using some colorful metaphors!

I may be picky but I know what I like!

2010-10-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

So for dinner the other night I made mac and cheese to go with meatloaf. Actually, it was ziti and cheese, but you get the idea. After I was finished the kitchen had that,
"Logo's been cooking again" sort of look about it. Mr. Logo does adore it so.

The answer to the obvious question there (obvious to SOME people anyway) is, "No, I don't neeeeed all the cupboards open. That is just a bonus!"
Anyway,
I started with a roux, and used about a pound of sharp cheddar cheese. However, I swear it wasn't as unhealthy as it could have been (the roux used more olive oil than butter for example), and at least it wasn't fake food.
Some things should NEVER be in a powdered form, and cheese is on that list.
As are toys for children (those are NOT monkeys, and that ain't the sea)
and tea (Get thee behind me, Lipton).

So this was the stage where I couldn't keep Thing Two out of the pot,
and here is what it looked like afterward.

I had to eat fast because my pal and I had big plans.

The guy who wrote Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet did a stop over not tooo far from where I live and since we both love this book, it seemed the perfect way to pass an evening.

Jamie Ford was articulate, funny, smart, and all the things you hope for in an author making an appearance. I totally have a crush now.

He met his wife at a library and proposed in a bookstore. Now, THAT is a relationship with an excellent start.

Single worst moment of the evening though? When the old, and apparently backward, woman in the row directly behind me asked the half-chinese author of the book how you can tell Chinese people from Japanese people when you are looking at them. I KNOW my face registered horror and disbelief in the split second before I realized people looking at her from the front half of the room could totally see my face so then I attempted to slap on a nonchalant and neutral expression.
I probably managed to appear startled and addled, but it was the best I could do at short notice.

I mean, really???

Jamie Ford was very kind and diplomatic in answering the question, far more so than I would have been. That might have gone more like this,

"How do you tell a Swede from a German? What differentiates the apppearance of a Scot from the Welsh? How do you distinguish a Russian woman from a French woman? Oh, you can't always tell? I wonder what you might extrapolate from that?!"

Grrrrrrrr...

This is me

2010-10-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

on Friday evening in a hat and scarf I made my very own self.

That is my Logo logo ™

I am soooo up-to-date.

Texting

2010-10-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

I don't really get to chat as much as I have in the past
(much less time to be in front of the 'puter these days)
but,
now that I have unlimited text,
that's ok because now I can chat via text,
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE!
Score!

Football games go so much quicker when you are texting with your friend.

Since I'm not all

2010-09-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

coiffed and whatnot but I was being harassed about posting a pic showing what my hair looks like currently (post black hair) this is what you get.

This is what it looked like from February til about July.

It was fun and I made an interesting discovery.

If your hair is yellowish you are a blonde,

if your hair is red you are a redhead,

if your hair is brown you are a brunette,

if your hair is black you are a ...

2010-09-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

Flash Fiction

2010-09-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

The steamy rumble of water boiling in the electric kettle reached its anti-climatic conclusion with the soft click of the auto-shutoff. Carrying a steeping cup of tea and a half-read book she cuddled into a well-lit cozy nest. She had the house to herself and she intended to ignore obligations and savor a peaceful moment.

I had a free day this week and I sooooooo enjoyed it

Here is a little flash fiction Thing Two has written as a school assignment. It's a bit more than 55 words but it is in keeping with the general concept.

When he saw the tornado he ran for the house. Then he was swept up by the force 40 tornado. It launched him into a tree, breaking every bone in his body. As he clung to life it was just bad luck that an old tree fell on him. Unfortunately, the ambulance crashed before it could reach him. He now laid, a lifeless heap, on the ground.

The cruel and unjust end

Oh my, a meme

2010-09-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Cooper tagged me to answer these 8 questions.

One might think my answers would reveal something unusual about me but if you ask me, the questions reveal much more about Cooper.

1) It’s your second date with a person you met on match.com. They invite you to a formal party at a friend of theirs who lives on a massive estate in the country. The two of you are dressed to the nines and drive up a long curved drive surrounded by trees. Eventually you pull up to a huge stone mansion with lush green grass as far as the eye can see in all directions. Your date takes you inside, walks you across cherry wood floors, past delicate antiques and plush furniture to the back patio where about 70 people all sit in a dozen or so hot tubs. Everyone, of course, is naked. What’s your next move?

I am missing a critical piece of data necessary to make a decision; how is the food?

2) You have the choice of having David Letterman chaperone your daughter to her senior prom or having Stevie Wonder paint your living room. Which do you choose and why…

Stevie, hands down.

First, think how awesome that might turn out? Definite potential in the wacky yet very cool category.

Second, paint isn't permanent.

Third, I prefer Dave to stay on the other coast and crack mean jokes about celebs at a distance.

3) Twenty people are protesting in front of your house. What are they chanting?

No Nukes! No Nukes!

4) When Harry Met Sally. The diner scene. Could you pull that off? In public? (applies to male and female)

Uh huh, given the right motivation, I would totally do that. Depending on who's with me, I'm just not sure I'd still have company when I finished.

5) There are but three foods left in the world: Twinkies, avocado and spam. How long will you last before resorting to cannibalism?

I lack the background on this to choose wisely. Do people taste better than Spam? I'm sure I'd last a week before I was motivated enough to experiment with that.

6) Speaking of which, the zombies are on the march. What skills do you posses that will keep you alive?

I can shoot, use an axe or hachet effectively, drive, run faster than a zombie (for a while anyway), am possessed of a surprisingly vicious streak when properly provoked, can survive being hit by a car, and can swim and kyayk.

7) You’re in the library browsing through the stacks in the far corner when a good-looking stranger catches your eye. This person walks up to you and says you are the most beautiful/handsome person they have ever seen and will give you $50 if the can lick your feet for five minutes. OK. Now what?

In this scenario, am I wearing sandals?

8 - Religion is outlawed in favor of personal spirituality. How will that alter the rest of your life?

As long as I'm allowed to reach out to the homeless and loveless and guard against corruption I can live without the rest of it.

there are so many things that fall into this category

2010-09-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

2010-09-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

actually, that's not true.
If it were the Pacific NW would be a truly foolish place to live.

We had a picnic/bbq yesterday because we knew the weather was going to be better and the schedule was more open.

We had 15 people all together.

It was interesting to watch the kids. They played touch football, capture-the-flag and Wii games together. Thing One and two of the kids are within about a year of each other age-wise, and Thing Two and the others are just about the same age as well.
One of my pals moved here from the south and after her kids were born her folks moved out here too. The two of them came along and my dad was here so the three of them got to know each other a bit and seemed to enjoy themselves.

I stopped by the super ultra cheap cheap store and got fall paper products (cuz I'm not only cheap, I'm also lazy), and was amazed how much milage I got out of that.
I was lauded as being nearly Martha Stewart-esque.
All for $5!
Score

"We must love one another or die."

2010-09-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Rabbit rabbit, and welcome to September.

Hope your month goes well.

* If you know why I named my post that I have a little intellectual crush on you now. Just so you know

Thank you, India. Thank you, terror. Thank you, disillusionment.

2010-08-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

You know, sometimes you find opportunities for gratitude exactly where you'd expect;
a coach who helps your kid, a kid who actually does all the stuff expected and then goes an extra mile, a kind friend who once again shows love to you with a gesture that speaks of an intimate knowledge of your heart.

But SOMETIMES,
these opportunities arrive camouflaged, well-hidden in the shadows of annoyance, frustration, time-pressures, and stereotypes.

So to you, mean mom at Target who was screaming at her kids, cussing at the clerk, and generally being a nightmare of a human being, to you I say thank you.

When I saw you, I was aghast in a superior and distant sort of way. Your dirty-faced kids, scruffy appearance and foul-mouthed ranting at the lady from the store about coupon specials made me feel a haughty sort of pity for your family.
When I ended up in the check-out line behind you I was annoyed. I had one item, and the $5 bill to pay for it in my hand, waiting impatiently, and your rude, loud urchins were unpiling a UNICEF life flight quantity of store-brand microwaveable quasi-food items and mac n' cheese onto the convey belt.
When the older kid decided to shove the cart as hard as she could into her little brother and he fell back toward me, it was instinct to catch him. The fact you didn't turn around at his yell surprised me a little, but at least you did decide to look when you heard me ask if he was ok.
Your whole face changed when you saw the red mark on his forehead. Instead of some heinous *itch at the store you suddenly looked to me like a fellow mommy who loves her boy.
When you thanked me and apologized and I said you were welcome, then added, "We've all been there," I pretty much meant it.
Then,
you stepped out of the shadows I'd cast all around you and created that moment.
"You only have that one thing? Why don't you just go ahead of us."

It wasn't a kidney, it was one moment of your time, but in giving it to me you reminded me of how stereotyping closes my mind and heart and no one deserves to be regarded that way, even if I don't act on it noticeably.
So thank you, thank you for being a better person than I was being in that moment.
Thank you for reminding me that most of us are just doing the best we can at any given time to make it through life and the benefit of the doubt is really the very least I owe my fellow-humans.

It happened again!!

2010-08-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

I had a list of books on hold from the library and they were taking forever.
Ok,
well, I got some of the book I own and haven't read yet taken care of and then I bought a book (it was Nick Hornby, and was only $1.99, even in restrospect, I do not regret that choice, the pink skullhead journal [originally $12.99] for only $1.50 may have been a mistake even with that enormous discount, but I spend more on coffee some days and I can always give it away as a gift...if I can find someone who likes pink and little skulls all over their blank books) and then I stopped at the library and found a book on the shelves I'd been wanting to read (A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, he sort of turned me off with his book about his travels in America but I did like his book about Europe, and the book about Australia was really fun so I decided to take a chance on it and I even found the version of the book for kids called A Really Short History of Nearly Everything, which Thing Two and I are going to read together as a warm up for starting school soon) so I brought that home as well.
Now, wouldn't you know it, I log into my email today and guess what is awaiting me?
An email notification that I have 4 library books awaiting pick-up at my local library branch, FOUR BOOKS!
How does this happen?!
I was between number 6 and number 20 in those hold lists; how do 4 of them land on the hold shelf at the exact same time??
So now I have school rapidly approaching, 5 library books to finish in two weeks, and I'm halfway through the Nick Hornby so I really want to finish that as well.

Oh, and I'm on the board this year for that co-operative school we are involved with, and there are some fascinating complications in my life due to that.
The program Access™?
Yeah, it is a tool of satan.
I'm also the social media chick for the free clinic I volunteer with, and now I'm helping with PR in general.
Soooo, basically?
As much as I'd like to just lock myself in my room and read, I don't know if that is going to happen.

Eat me!

2010-08-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

My dear pal Lime did a food bio meme she found over at Cooper's place.

Ten food that define who I am,
here goes;

1. Pizza, from the rock-hard, whole wheat rectangles my mom specialized in, the Chicago style place Mr. Logo and I loved as newlyweds, to the authentic Neopolitan magic we ate in Italy and have located in Seattle and the yummy american-style place we love here locally, pizza plays a prominent and delicious role in my life.

2. Yorkshire pudding, with leg of lamb or roast beast, served with mint jelly, gravy, mashed 'tatoes, and usually peas. My gramma made this, my mama made this, and sometimes I do too. So delicious and tastes like big family dinner.

3. Nachos, of the homemade sort. This is one of the things my friends and I would eat TONS of as teens, huge cookie sheets full of tortilla chips loaded with toppings and broiled til the cheese was bubbly and the chips were starting to brown on the upper tips. Yum
This is still a favorite of mine, just made some last week!

4. Sixlets, discovered at the corner store by my grandparents' house and a much-loved nostalgic treat ever since.

5. Napoleons, the pastry, OH EM GEE! Also called Mille Feuille, and delicious either way. Discovered as a child at the local bakery and much prized. We didn't do a lot of bakery shopping and when we did it tended to be that we had to order the run-of-the-mill donut rather than a Napoleon. Once I was earning my own money I would indulge more often. I last had one of these at a friend's house about two weeks ago. I exercised a great deal of self control and did not hurt any of the other guests in an attempt to take their serving.... but I thought about it.

6. Cinnamon rolls, oooh how I love cinnamon rolls. Regardless of the fact they can take hours I actually love them enough that I make them from scratch periodically. My sister made some last time I was visiting and her son calls them "Lovin' from the oven."

7. Waffles, I have loved waffles ever since I can remember. Recently, (after I failed to prepare food for the children at what COULD have been considered dinner time) my honey said, "What are you going to do if I die?" Thing One said, "Live on hot dogs and mac n' cheese." Thing Two and Mr. Logo immediately replied, "No, she wouldn't!" Thing Two added, "She hates those!"
Thing One admitted, "You're right. Oh! I know, waffles! She'd live on waffles."
This could be true.

8. Eggs Benedict, I didn't discover Eggs Benedict til I was an adult but when Mr. Logo is looking to really impress me with breakfast in bed he knows this is the sure hit. One of the local places does a crab Eggs Benedict, mmmm, yummy.

9. Curry, whether Indian or Thai is always a big, big hit for me these days. My mom's curry was never my favorite though. I don't know if I grew into it or if the curry of my adult life had just been better. My mother, a woman of diverse and sundry skills, was perhaps not the most talented chef ever to walk a kitchen floor. Either way, I love it now. I enjoy it when Mr. Logo makes it, I will actually even make it myself, and adore eating it at the local Thai place. We don't have an Indian place very close to home but when I do visit one, I always enjoy it.

10. Casseroles, this is to provide some contrast. I, as a general rule, despise casseroles. If it contains pre-processed veggies, canned condensed mushroom soup base, or Bisquick, chances are...I'd rather have a sandwich or a bowl of cereal. There are very, VERY few exceptions to this rule.
Mr. Logo considers this damage from my youth; I call it having a moderately discriminating palate.
When my friend (who specializes in french cooking) made us a casserole a few months ago she started with a roux, fresh veggies, and chicken stock she'd made herself. I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious that dish was, mmmmm, fantastic.

So there you have it, some food favorites.
When you inviting me for dinner?

lefties ROCK!

2010-08-13T00:25:00.000-07:00

It is International Lefthander's Day

Lefties have rights, you know!

Trivia
Left Handed Facts and Trivia:

Sinistrophobia is the fear of left-handedness or things on the left side.
While many people are left handed, very few are 100% left handed. For example, many Left handers golf and bat right handed. On the other hand, there is a high percentage of righties who are 100% right-handed.
Lefties are also called "southpaws". The term was coined in baseball to describe a left handed pitcher.
Tuesdays are Lefties luck day.
Only about 10% of the population is left handed.
During the 1600's people, thought left handers were witches and warlocks.
International Left Hander's Day was first celebrated on August 13, 1976. It was started by Lefthander's International.
They say everyone was born right handed, and only the greatest overcome it. (he,he,he)
It is believed that all polar bears are left handed.

ALSO!!
According to this article,
I'm a creative problem solver and forgetful because I'm a lefty,
which means it's genetic, so get off my back, maaaaaaan.

Random much?

2010-08-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

I made nachoes yesterday, they were so delicious.
I bought a basket for trash in our vehicle. There's still wrappers on the floor.
Dust seems to migrate purposefully to my house.
I hate it when I turn something on and the volume is already set so loud it rattles my teeth.
Are we sure a little child abuse is really such a bad thing?
I think I'm going to go buy a book today.

Warning, warning* POV ahead*

2010-08-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sooooo,
someone posted this little quote on their Facebook or somewhere;

Most of us will never be the beautiful girl. We’ll never have the prettiest eyes or the blondest hair. We’ll never have the flattest stomach or the most flawless skin. We will probably never have an impenetrable heart. We will never become exactly who we expected to be. But this doesn’t mean a thing. You’re beautiful with scars on your knees and freckles on your chest. You’re beautiful with the frizzy hair and the dark chocolate eyes.

What the hell is that about?!

This strikes me as deeply problematic, but it's not the surface reassurance that is my issue.
I agree wholeheartedly with the assessment that every human is beautiful and worthy exactly as they are.
I am a more than a little appalled at the underlying assumption that if you aren't blonde, airbrushed, and bitchy, you should be feeling inferior. The implication is that if that is not what you are, it is what you should have wanted to be.

Who the hell EXPECTED to be that, exactly??

I have NEVER had the least blind bit of interest in possessing an impenetrable heart, nor have I ever associated that with being beautiful,
psychopathic perhaps, but not beautiful.

What I do have, I have scars and freckles. Red frizz is the natural state of my hair.

And you know what?

I have absolutely no need for some lousy, consolation-prize declaration telling me I'm beautiful even though I'm not all thing things some jackass deemed actually beautiful.

Don't re-enforce idiocy in a lame attempt to be faux encouraging.

I am smart, funny, weird, fierce, cute, and loving. I am more than enough.

Spam, spam, spam

2010-07-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Despite the Flying Circus' and Hawaiians' apparent affection for Spam™
I am not myself a fan of spam in any of its forms.
How closed-minded am I? hmmm?!
I know,
but I'm ok with it.

We won't even discuss the gelatinous goo in a can. I can't bear to think of it, gaah.
Regarding email; I have to say, I've never once felt the need to enlarge my penis or improve its performance. I am aware this is attributable more to my gender than my porn star capabilities, nevertheless, I have no interest in these offers.
I don't want to cash your check, see your naked pictures, or find out about your amazing job offer; leave me ALONE!!
And who are the people this works on?? WTF?!?!

Last but not least annoying, not by a long stretch, is blog spam.
Seriously? Who decided this was a good idea?!
I had to activate comment moderation because I was getting spam on every single freaking post.
Does it seem to the casual viewer that this blog would be a fruitful place for Chinese ads??
Because to me, that seems like not only spam, but STUPID, annoying, unnecessary, pointless spam.
We did however, discuss above that my approach could be interpreted as closed-minded.
It's a good thing those spam comments don't track back to individuals because I might be tempted to do something unlady-like...
bwah hah hah.
Ok, I made myself laugh, I actually can't recall the last time I did ANYTHING lady-like.
ANYWAY, that is not the point,
the point is,
they make me want...
to do such things,
I know not what,
but they shall be the terrors of the earth!

More shirts

2010-07-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

that make me giggle.

2010-07-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Loving the flowers, but

not the allergies. My whole family is getting hit hard with the snots and the sneezing this year. The eyes are the worst, bleck.

Lawn mowing is a never-ending task round these parts. 3 hours of solitude for thinking.

Loving the sunshine!

Yesterday I went to the beach to read for an hour while I waited for Thing One to finish mowing a friend's lawn.

Perfections; waves lapping gently, sun sparkling on water, a light breaze, and good entertainment.

It's summer!

2010-07-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

We are playing outside a lot.

Hope you are too!

Me so sleepy...

2010-07-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

my dad and I stayed up way too late getting our geek on.
There may have been Star Trek episodes involved.
I feel a little ashamed now, but I had a good time, dang it,
and I will probably do it again.

I have run away to Spokane!

2010-06-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have come to visit the Esteemed Elder Sister and her family. Her spawn are growing so fast! Spawn the younger (female type) just managed to convince her daddy she really ought to be allowed to get her ears pierced (her mom was totally on board). Spawn the elder just celebrated his 7th birthday; he actually had his party at my house. The EES rented a bouncy house and it was an awesome good time.

Yesterday I headed east with a friend of mine. My pal's family lives along Lake Roosevelt and she wanted to visit them. My sister lives just west of Spokane and I wanted to visit her so we headed over here together.

In just a little while we will head to Auntie's Bookstore,
w00t!!
I am VERY excited about that!
I shall stay here til Saturday so I can be home to see Thing Two (who has become a Scouting Boy) participate in a flag ceremony honoring veterans on the 4th of July.
Hope you have something planned in the next few days that will delight you!

Solstice and Midsummer's Eve

2010-06-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos taken in my yard by Thing Two.

Rabbit reclining by bird feeder
Teeny bunny eating very long stem.

Baby squirrel racing around as if on speed.

Bonfire!

Fire and Pyro

We had our annual summer solstice fire.

We moved our firepit because we now have bees (4 hives) in the part of our yard where we previously had bonfires; we didn't want any drifting smoke freaking them out.

The fire pit is now right off the back patio.

Did you know that just a couple nights after the solstic there is another perfect excuse for a bonfire?

St. John's Eve (patron saint of beekeepers) is the 23rd!

There has been much with the s'mores around here.

In other news,

My dad started going to work out at a cardiac rehab and is recovering really well.

The sun's been shining and I've been out riding a lot.

We've a new community park that I took the Things to visit.

It has a huge fort/castle/ship play area and SWINGS!

Thing Two loves to swing, and really, that is the best part of any park experience.

Swings are fabulous.

Oh, and here is a fun link to remind you to use a lot, rather than alot.

Serendipity, disappointed

2010-06-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

While browsing the shelves on my way back from the library's return desk, as I am wont to do, I happened to see a book about Naples and it HAD to come home with me, of course. The author has lived in Naples, on and off, since the 50s and I figured this would be a great way to relive some memories and enjoy a return trip on the cheap.

I've written a bit about living in Naples before, both the good and the bad.

So I very much expected the author to wax descriptive and poetic about the glories and joys of a half century in Napoli.

Turns out?

Not so much.

You know what it sorta reminded me of?

There is this scene in Sense and Sensibility in which the Dashwood sisters are discussing Edward and how the elder Miss Dashwood feels about him. Marianne is underwhelmed by Elinor's proclamation of undying passion,

"I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him, that I greatly esteem him."

I was less moved than I expected by Shirley Hazzard's dispatches from Naples.

I was wanting something...

more open, loud, affectionate, all-embracing, all-pervading, boisterous, bellicose, beautiful,

I guess,

something more akin to a Neapolitan style.

I've read Sense and Sensibility, so I will not doubt the author's affection and esteem for Naples, but I did not get (to my mind) and authentic taste of Naples in this particular volume.

2010-06-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

So my Things are almost done with their school year. This should be the last week. They are done with testing and have just a few things left to do.

Next year we are sending Thing One to the local high school.
It will be the first year we haven't homeschooled.
It will be a huge adjustment but we are all looking forward to it.
We started homeschooling in Italy when our educational options were very limited. He did NOT want to learn Italian, which ruled out most of the possibilities, I didn't want to send my kindergartener to the DOD school which offered only a full day schedule, beginning and ending each day with an hour-long bus ride featuring all grades,
including high school,
alllllllll together.

Mama said no.

Instead I found an amazing group of gals and started homeschooling.

A new friend gave me the book, The Well-Trained Mind, and I loved it.

In a former life (right after graduation) I thought I wanted to be a teacher so I had a little foundation for this, and the Well-Trained Mind gave me all the false confidence I needed to plunge headlong into the venture.

(Thing One on mid-tour vacation at Gramma's house in 2002)

(Classic science experiment on the balcony with dad, baking soda/vinagar volcano, 2001)

By the beginning of his first grade year Thing One was bringing in National Geographic nature books to read to me instead of his primer. They were more interesting, you know.

When he reeled off,

"Marine biologists learned the migratory patterns..."

I realized I was not teaching this child to read.

I was merely standing in the vicinity while he learned to do it.

In a shocking display of competence I've managed to get the help, materials, and cooperation of my child to the extent that he is ready for high school without ever having been in a traditional school.

I regard that as a miracle in some ways.

Thing Two will be entering the middle school years officially.

I am rather looking forward to only teaching him next year. Of my two kids, he is the only more similar to me. Unlike his big brother he doesn't need to know what is on the schedule for the day, and if I want to jump in the car and just go somewhere to do the rest of school...

elsewhere,

he can dig it.

I've been sorting books this week (which for me is somewhat akin to deciding which children to keep) and after passing on some to friends, putting some into a sale, and deciding I just can't part with others, I have bins of books that need assigned quarters somewhere in my house.

I love my books.

More than that though,

I love that for my kids' whole lives (so far) they've thought of me as the someone who knows the answers, which is a role more often given to teachers than to parents.

I love that we've slept in when the mood struck, eaten breakfast and lunch together, cuddled on the couch during reading time, baked cookies for chemistry and measurements, watched Discovery channel and TLC for history, visited the Science Center nearly monthly, visited museums often, done school on the beach, cancelled school to help friends and relatives who needed us, and spent an absolutely absurd amount of time together every single freaking week of their little lives.

My goal has been that they would love to read and learn, and as far as I can tell so far,

it's working.

Life is good.

It's Monday

2010-06-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Gaping Void, baby,
get some.

To each their own...

2010-06-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Mr. Logo is on a Food Network kick,
which is fine.
HOWEVER,
earlier today he was subjecting me to the nails-on-chalkboard-like voice of Paula Deen.
I just couldn't take it so
I put on my headphones and started some music.

That's more like it.
Mr. Logo doesn't prefer it.
The only tune on the whole album they like is 21 Guns.
Ah well,
to each their own...

Further Despair

2010-06-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

More demotivational posters because I do love them so very, very much.

Just in case you haven't had quite enough BP nonsense, here are some shirts.

Look!

2010-06-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here are my Things and I on Mother's Day at the Rocky Reach Dam in eastern WA. T'was a beautiful day and we had a great time. See how Thing One is taller than me now? Yah, he LOVES that.

This is the party for Thing Two when he turned eleven.
Water balloons + little boys= successful party!

Here is Thing Two, grandpapa and the ever-present heart pillows.

Here is Thing One scootching through grandpa's temporary bedroom (the breakfast room) on his way to talk to his buddy on the phone. Don't get between him and the phone, ok, don't, you will get run over.

Here is Mr. Logo making magic on my floor!! Lookit, lookit!

It's all Italian looking and awesome! I love it!

He stained and installed a little rug to floor thingee. See how I try to totally ignore the nasty p**k carpet?

Oh, and did you notice that new color on my toes?

Hee hee, that is my new "YAY, it's spring!" color.

In this pic it's on the new stone in my master bathroom.

This project is AAAAAAAAAALmost done. There is some grouting left to do, but since it's not done yet you can see...

the awesome heated mat that keeps the stones warm, LOVE IT!!

THIS is the purple on two of the walls in the family room, and the brownish color is the same at the dining room. The other two walls will be completed before summer is out (we hope).

There ya have it, some of the new-ish stuff around here.

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

Remembering...

Thing Two loves this pic

2010-05-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've no idea where the photo came from, Thing Two found it somewhere online.

A little kid lost his binky over the fence while admiring the seals at a zoo somewhere and this guy decided he would make use of it. How stinking cute is that, hm? Possibly cuter than kittens and baby monkeys even.

This is a tree

2010-05-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

that grew in very difficult circumstances, heavily filtered light and surface soil with bad drainage. When a tiny seedling this tree found a safe place on a nurse log. The nurse log provided nourishment, a boost from the underbrush, a bit more access to light, and protection.

After a time, the seedling developed its own roots and could take care of itself, and later still, as is inevitable in the circle of life, the nurse log disappeared completely, leaving a healthy, thriving tree behind.

I was asked to find a picture from a magazine, etc. that I felt illustrated my relationship with my mom. When I saw this one, it kinda spoke to me. It's not a perfect anology, but there is no such thing, is there?

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

2010-05-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

My papa had quadriple bypass surgery on Monday. He had some trouble but finally got to come home with me today. We've rented a hospital bed and brought the ejector seat (lift chair) that my mom had over to my house for dad. We have converted our breakfast room to a temporary bedroom and he will be here for about a month.
I'm so so so tired.
Na'night