July 4, 2004 at 12:21 pm · Filed under blather
We’re heading over to our friends’ house tonight for our annual viewing of the Elver Park fireworks from their deck. Haven’t seen them for a while, so it should be fun catching up. We’re bringing a salad.
I love fireworks. In Madison, we have a gigantic fireworks show on the Saturday before the 4th, and it draws a huge number of people. Like, a hundred thousand. We’ve only attended once, because we’re usually busy that Saturday. Last night it was rained out… it’s rescheduled for Monday. Huh.
I once worked for a guy who was nuts about fireworks. He set up a fireworks stand every year, just for the fun of it. One year he gave me a bag of goodies and gushingly described the cool effects of each item. I was too paranoid at the time to actually light any of them on fire, but I came around the next year. Moon must have been about three or four. She and the neighbor boy (a year older) sat together on our lawn and oohed/ahhed as I put aside my fear of burned fingers and lit up our little cul-de-sac.
When all is said and done, we all have an adolescent boy living in our brains, and any holiday involving lighting stuff on fire is cool with him.
July 3, 2004 at 10:57 pm · Filed under family
We had a joint birthday party today for me, Moon and Sister #4. I’m now the proud owner of Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, a Starbucks card and several cool new Italian charms. I also received some money for whatever strikes my fancy, so I just bought an inexpensive Blythe doll on eBay. It’s coming from Hong Kong. The total, including shipping, was only $27 – which seems very, very low and makes me wonder what I’ll really get. I figure it’s worth the risk.
I am all psyched up to watch the Matrix trilogy, but the kids wanted to see Josie and the Pussycats tonight. (A rental, of course.)
July 2, 2004 at 12:26 am · Filed under mememe!
Okay, it’s a few minutes past my birthday, actually. After a fine day at work, the four of us went to the Great Dane for dinner. The kids had meat; Pete and I shared our vegetarian entrees (a spinach calzone and a portabella mushroom sandwich). Then back home for dessert and presents. Pete made a delicious chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Moon decorated it. Sweets two days in a row! I’m ruined!
Moon gave me a lovely pendant on a silver chain, and Peter gave me a pair of Holly Yashi earrings which perfectly matched the pendant.
Pete has ordered me a zodiac bracelet. It hasn’t yet arrived, but I modeled the printout he had put in a jewelry box for me to unwrap.
Courtesy of various friends and family, I heard the birthday song several times throughout the day. I can’t help thinking about the new birthday song that Jack Black introduced on Saturday Night Live some time ago…
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June 30, 2004 at 10:55 pm · Filed under blather
After I came back from Milwaukee, my co-workers surprised me by gathering the students, marching into my office with a cake and singing “Happy Birthday.” I was doing an interview with a potential student at the time. (They had told her what was going to happen.)
I was given a “tranquility” scented candle, a book on tranquility (do you sense a theme here?) and a card. Of course Brad had to write “Happy 50th Birthday!” which did not make me feel especially tranquil. Stinker.
We continued the celebration at home by going to Stone Cold Creamery. Moon and I had “Cookie Doughn’t You Want Some,” Pete had the Founder’s Favorite (brownies, chocolate, caramel and pecans), and Peter had Candy Land (Kit Kats, M&Ms and Snickers). Good thing we worked out first, eh?
June 30, 2004 at 6:04 pm · Filed under mememe!
Heather and Jodi did it, so now I must.
A – Age: 41 and 365 days (because this is a leap year, and it’s my birthday tomorrow).
B – Band listening to right now: No one specific, but I’m getting my ’70s groove on today.
C – Career future: Spiritual web design.
D – Dad’s name: Nolan.
E – Easiest person to talk to: Pete. (ALF and Carrie, too.)
F – Favorite song: “I Feel Good” and just about anything by Yes.
G – Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Neither. I’ll take some Jelly Bellies, though.
H – Hometown: I grew up in Rockford, Illinois. But Madison feels more like home now.
I – Instruments: Piano (10 years of lessons, ergh), clarinet, bari sax, and tambourine.
J – Job: Admissions Coordinator.
K – Kids: Two.
L – Longest car ride ever: Wisconsin to the North Carolina coast. After that trip, I swore off road trips. We’re flying from now on.
M – Mom’s name: Let’s just say it’s more unusual than my dad’s.
N – Number of people you slept with: I know this is probably shocking, but the only person I’ve done potentially pregnancy-inducing activities with is SpiritMan.
P – Phobia[s]: crawly things and guts. I used to fear flying, but that’s pretty much over.
Q – Quote: Scrumpdillyicious, man.
R – Reason to smile: I lead such a charmed life.
S – Song you sang last: Mony, mony
T – Time you wake up: around 7:15, but then I go back to sleep.
U – Unknown fact about me: A friend ran over my foot when I was 16 years old. It hurt. And I’m allergic to sulfa.
V – Vegetable you hate: celery
W – Worst habit: playing with my nose ring
X – X-rays you’ve had: teeth, foot (after it was run over), chest (checking for pleurisy, then checking for a rib fracture)
Y – Yummy food: ice cream
Z – Zodiac sign: Cancer with Taurus rising
June 29, 2004 at 10:36 pm · Filed under family
Our new dining chairs were delivered last night, so I no longer have to sit on a fitness ball when I’m eating dinner. Although it was 10 p.m. by the time we had them unpacked, we all decided to sit around the table and try out our new seating.
Moon is thinking about starting up her own site, so we were brainstorming domain names. “How about FeistyRedhead-dot-com?” Pete suggested. The two of us came up with bunch of other suggestions, most based on babyhood nicknames. We settled on “FussyLumpkins-dot-com” as our parental favorite. (I checked – it’s available!) Moon was not amused.
We also discovered that the letters in Peter’s name can be rearranged to spell “create gorilla soup.”
June 27, 2004 at 4:12 pm · Filed under blather
I wrote a bit more about my funnel cloud sighting. Coincidentally, it looks like another storm is on the way…
June 26, 2004 at 3:38 pm · Filed under family
I was kinda miffed that I left the camera at home yesterday, so I made up for it by taking some pix today.
Not much going on here. I slept until almost 9, and Moon stayed in bed even longer. I worked out and had lunch, but that’s about it. Another gorgeous day outside. Did I move to southern California without noticing it? I can’t remember the last time we had so many perfect days in a row.
Which reminds me of something that took me by surprise: commercials (on TLC) for California cheese. Everyone knows that dairy products only come from Wisconsin.
June 26, 2004 at 11:57 am · Filed under family
After a somewhat quiet day, the four of us went downtown for a belated Father’s Day dinner at Peacemeal. Peter had a double-decker grilled cheese sandwich, and the rest of us all ordered BBQ seitan. Mmmm. Of course we had the vegan chocolate cake for dessert. The kids had kind of complained on the way to the restaurant, but by the end of the meal they were very satisfied.
We strolled down State Street and stopped in Little Luxuries and Puzzlebox (which is closing! bummer). Peter fell in love with the stuffed animals, and we ended up buying a very cute bat puppet. Turbo carried it around, and several people commented about its uniqueness.
Across the street, we spotted a crowd gathered around a young man who was creating art with spray paint. No, not graffiti – detailed pictures of skyscapes and planets, on paper. It was fascinating to watch him. He used crumpled paper and awls as his brushes. Moon was thrilled, because she had seen a similar artist on a previous trip downtown with her friends. We talked to several of the people in the crowd. (“Cute bat!”) A biker stopped to watch, and we noticed he had a dachshund in his bike basket. Turbo went over to pet it, and the rest of us followed. The dog’s name was Dieter Klaus, and he was an extremely gentle and laid-back hound. He actually belonged to the biker’s roommate.
It was such a pleasant evening… watching the people, petting strange dogs, seeing street performers, enjoying the unseasonably mild weather. The kids agreed it was much better than any video game or DVD. And that made their dad smile.
June 23, 2004 at 11:25 pm · Filed under blather
I saw the tornado warning on TV when Moon and I were working out at the Princeton Club, but I didn’t think much of it. I figured we’d be finished and at home before the storm reached our part of the county.
The rain was just beginning when we went out the door. All of a sudden, the wind picked up and I felt the sting of sand and gravel against my bare legs. Loose bits of paper flew by. “Run!” I yelled. “Get to the car, NOW!” As Moon and I dove into the car seats and slammed the doors, I had second thoughts. Maybe we should head back into the building and wait the storm out.
Nah. Home was only a half mile away, and other people were getting into their cars. I turned the key in the ignition and scanned the darkening sky nervously. We were off.
I tried to keep my eyes on the road, but my attention kept wandering to the clouds. They were moving so quickly. Across the sky… and down…
“Oh my god, that’s a funnel cloud,” I concluded, with a mix of horror and fascination. “Keep an eye on it,” I told Moon. The mom in me was compelled to explain, “It’s not a tornado unless it touches down. That’s just a funnel cloud, it’s not touching anything on the ground.”
It was less than two miles away. And it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Despite all my dreams about tornadoes, I’d never seen a funnel cloud except in pictures.
I gazed at it as we pulled into the driveway. Now I understand why people sometimes feel compelled to chase after the darned things. I reluctantly went inside when the downpour started. The kids were already in the basement, and Peter was walking in circles with his blanket, saying, “I’m freaking out a little bit. You might not be scared, but I’m only 10.”
That was two hours ago. I wish I’d had the camera in the car, but I suppose it’s all for the best. Driving and photography don’t mix well.
June 22, 2004 at 10:23 pm · Filed under shopping
So I was reading the summer issue of Bust magazine a few weeks ago, and ventured upon an article about doll collecting. Which is something that had never interested me, not in the slightest. Such an enthusiasm for dolls always seemed a little freaky and creepy to me, to be honest.
I turned the page and saw a face I vaguely remembered from my childhood. The face you see before you now. Blythe. She of the mysterious, changeable eyes. And now I want her.
My fantasy is to find her tucked away somewhere among my keepsakes, but I don’t think I kept a single toy from my childhood. To be honest, I can’t remember if I actually had a Blythe or just saw the commercials on TV. Anyway, a vintage Blythe is apparently beyond my means. (Check eBay and you’ll see why.) She’s on my birthday list anyway.
I’ve been satisfying my Blythemania by looking at SqueakyMonkey (where I snagged the photo) and ThisIsBlythe.
So I’m wondering, do you remember the original Blythe? Did you have one? And if you did, what happened to her?
June 21, 2004 at 7:40 pm · Filed under pete
In honor of Pete, our family declared a “Media Free” Father’s Day. No TV, video games, DVDs or computer. Nothing to distract from quiet, old fashioned family fun. (Notice I didn’t post anything yesterday. Didn’t read my e-mail, either.)
It wasn’t that difficult, since we spent a good portion of the day visiting our respective dads. First we drove to the in-laws’. We ordered pizza, although dad-in-law is on Atkins and doesn’t touch the stuff. He had a bratwurst in a low-carb tortilla instead.
It was a gorgeous day, so the kids and Pete threw the football around, and I ran with Foxxi. Dad-in-law, who did not declare a Media Free Day, watched golf on TV.
Later we went to my parents’ house. My brother Bob and his wife were there – it was the first time we’ve seen each other since Christmas. (My nose ring was a surprise for them, I think.) We all sat on the deck, ate casserole and chatted.
During the drive home, Peter and Moon wistfully talked about movies they want us to rent. Later Peter muttered, “I hate Media Free Day.” I ignored the comment and started reading Little Children. (Which I couldn’t put down, and ended up finishing at 1:30 a.m.)
June 18, 2004 at 10:46 pm · Filed under mememe!
Cool. I found this at Jeff’s, and it looked kinda fun.
Appetizer
What kind of car do you drive? If you could make an even trade for any other car, what would you want to drive?
I drive a 2002 Toyota Prius (aqua-colored), and I wouldn’t want anything else. (Okay, maybe I’d trade for the same thing with a CD player.)
Soup
Take your phone number and add each number together separately (example: 8+6+7+5+3+0+9=38) – what’s the total?
29 … but if you add those digits together, it’s 11, which is a magical number that shouldn’t be further reduced. Sweet!
Salad
When were you last outside, and what were you doing?
About three hours ago, I went out to pick up dog poop.
Main Course
What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you usually order there?
Peacemeal: BBQ seitan sandwich with blue corn chips, homemade salsa and a side of hummus.
Dessert
Name 3 things in which you occasionally indulge.
Wine. DQ Blizzards. Magazines. (The key word is “occasionally,” and the list is least to most occasional.)
June 17, 2004 at 8:42 pm · Filed under moon (rachel)
Moon will be 13 on July 8, and she forwarded me the birthday list she had e-mailed to the relatives. (The bold face is hers.)
~ System of a Down CD “Toxicity” (parental advisory)
~ System of a Down CD “Steal this Album” (parental advisory)
~ Tenacious D CD “Tenacious D” (parental advisory)
~ Angel Season 1 DVD (expensive)
~ Charmed Season 1 DVD (expensive)
~ Anything Harry Potter POA Related (NOT the video game) posters, soundtrack, t-shirts(XXL), pins, etc. Please no action figures.
~ If you don’t want to get any of those things Money is fine.
*******Expensive means between $45-$55
*******POA means Prisoner of Azkaban
*******It is fine that the CDs have parental advisories. I just thought that you should be aware of that so you aren’t hesitant to buy them.
I’m just glad to see that she doesn’t put an extraneous apostrophe in “CDs.” That’s my girl!
June 14, 2004 at 7:33 pm · Filed under moon (rachel)
I’ve declared a moratorium on shaving my legs, in preparation for a waxing extravaganza. MoonChild wants to give it a try, and it sounded like the perfect mother-child bonding experience.
Okay, maybe not. But we’re going to do it anyway. Moon hates shaving, but I think she’d like to wear shorts (or at least capris) this summer.
As for me, not shaving for several weeks will be tortuous. Let the stubble begin!
June 14, 2004 at 10:25 am · Filed under blather
The kids are home, and my fondest hope is that Peter will find other things to do than play video games. We had a family talk this weekend about Expectations. Kids can do laundry! Pick up the house before parents come home! Even make dinner now and then!
Pete was wonderful about cleaning after my apathy whine. To the kids’ credit, they went through their stuff and filled several bags with things for our upcoming garage sale. (Yes, that’s one of our Fun Summer Projects this year.)
I mowed the front lawn after dinner last night with our swanky new mower. (It’s exactly like the one I ran over last year. I gave up on finding parts for now…I figure someday we’ll have twin mowers.) The clouds thanked me by sending more rain.
June 12, 2004 at 2:57 pm · Filed under blather
Okay, I’m not really apathetic. I care, deeply. I’m just having a hard time getting motivated. There are a zillion little tasks that need doing, and it’s taking all my willpower to begin any of them. After the dishwasher was loaded, there were dishes in the sink. And crud on the counter. Piles of books everywhere. Dog hair.
Let’s not even talk about the bathroom.
I’m going to work in a half hour or so to meet a potential student. So instead of taking on any of the aforementioned tasks, I’m whining about my lack of motivation.
Moon, bless her, is doing her own laundry. She took Peter’s clean stuff into his room, but I’d bet money he hasn’t folded anything. That’s okay, though… he’s reading and listening to music. He and F pretended to be secret agents all morning, spying on the rest of us.
I just wish I was in the mood to clean.
June 11, 2004 at 1:50 pm · Filed under mememe!
Actually, it’s not ALL there is about me. Lord, no.
(Found at Dave‘s)
- What image is on your desktop? (include a screen capture if you can!)
Tree and Moon from Vladstudio.
- Which websites do you visit most? (gimme links!)
Salon, Bloglines, Beliefnet, Backwash.
- What are you obsessed by? (Obsessed with.) The Web. Picking at stuff. Decluttering.
- Name one artist/musician/writer that inspires you (pick one or more)? Beethoven. Davis Sedaris. Lynda Barry.
- What are you working on now (outside of your journal)? Self-improvement.
- What do you read in bed? Whatever book I’m currently into, or a good magazine, like Bust or Real Simple
- Favorite city? Why? Madison, because it’s home.
- To you, what qualifies as a good celebration? Anything with fun people and lots of laughter. Actually… life in general.
- If you only had 3 albums of music to take to a desert island, what would they be and why? Yeesh. That’s almost an impossible question. I know one would be Fragile by Yes. I’ll get back to you on the others.
- If you could do anything else with your life, what would it be? Travel. Or live in a commune.
- What keeps you awake at night? Wanting alone time, and not wanting to miss anything.
- And finally, any famous last words? We’ll see.
June 8, 2004 at 10:58 pm · Filed under fitness
After the kickboxing class (and the 5K and a weekend of yard work) I was incredibly sore. But I didn’t want to miss the introductory spinning class yesterday! So I went, and I lifted weights afterwards.
Today my body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I took a break from working out, and sneaked in a massage this afternoon. It was just the ticket. The student was excellent at deep tissue work, and she made my hamstrings good as new.
Just in case I haven’t mentioned it lately, it’s awesome working at a massage school.
June 6, 2004 at 9:59 pm · Filed under fitness
Once a month, my gym has an intro to kickboxing class, and today was the day. I was already pretty sore from yesterday’s 5K walk and an afternoon of yard work, but I didn’t want to miss my chance to be among newbies.
I was the first one there. The class was taught by two outstanding – and shall I say perky? – women. My butt is duly kicked, but I feel quite good about it.
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