What I Like About You

Throw Back Thursday indeed! Let's travel back to Fall of 2001 when Max and I first lived together in Davis. I had my first horrible, awful, no good, very bad job ever, and Max completed his BA in Psychology. More importantly, he drove an awesome red Jeep Wrangler (yes, ladies, he was downright dreamy). This was also when Max became an honest to goodness dog lover. Here his is, cuddling the hell out of Ozzy on our old blue Ikea sofa that my Grandpa Henry gave us as a housewarming gift. Talk about a throwback! Yikes!

All Night Long

So what's the deal with 10 hour videos on You Tube? I don't mean like someone posting a Ken Burns series on You Tube, but like whenever I search for a song on You Tube, it seems like there's always an option to listen to the song for 10 hours straight.


OH THE HUMANITY.



Hmm...I just realized that this could be an excellent way to eliminate bad behavior with the kiddo! "Eat your vegetables or I'll play the Chicken Song. FOR TEN HOURS!"

Make Some Noise

Well...it has begun.

I think we all knew it was inevitable. And some of us are even excited about it. But the best--and most surprising--part is that he was more interested in recording me while I was playing, 80's era MTV video style. It was pretty damn awesome, and now I don't feel so bad for showing him those Def Leppard and Van Halen videos the other night. Winning!

It's All Too Much

I was shocked by this bright and clear view of the tower this morning. After spending my morning cimmute driving through some of the thickest fog I've seen in a while, I was not expecting to see such monumental glory just 2.5 hours later. And it still feels more like spring than like Indian summer.

One of these days, I'm going to write an actual post about how it has felt to reach and glide past the 5th anniversary of the discovery of the brain tumor. In a few more days, it will be the 5th anniversary of having the sucker removed, as well as the official diagnosis. So maybe I'll find something worth posting about by then, but for now, It's business as usual. And that makes me really, really happy.

It's A Sunshine Day

I swear, I spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out a clever way to work this CNN headline into a story about my dog, Turkey Sandwich, for this post:

Conclusion: inappropriate. Also, it's way too beautiful outside to think about things and stuff.

At The Zoo

Hooray, Throwback Thursday! Here's a good one for all you BFF's out there:

There's no BFF like a goat BFF. This was back in the olden days of 2011 when Samson was four years old and would pose for pictures. Without rolling his eyes. Or making stupid faces. Or frowning.

Did I mention that today is school picture day?

I'm Waiting For The Man

Instead of managing the exciting world of custom upholstery today, I'm at home, waiting for the plumber. It all started at 6:30 this morning when a sweaty, smelly me got home from boot camp in desperate need of a shower. I turned the handle up to hot and the handle replied, screw you lady, I quit. Meet my substitute, ice fucking cold.

We'd been having hot water issues for a while now, but it was mostly with the kitchen sink--which, by the way, I ingeniously fixed last weekend by simply cleaning the faucet. Huh. Apparently, the little spray nozzles get clogged which brings the water pressure down which stops the temperature sensor on our tankless water heater from functioning properly.

Yes, I know--this is a terribly thrilling blog post.

It seems that one whole week of correctly functioning plumbing throughout the entire house is simply one whole week too many. Still, I'd rather sit in our sunny backyard with Turkey Sandwich and wait for the plumber than deal with the historically more regular plumbing issue we've had off and on here for the last six years. (Hint: it involves toilet paper escaping through one of three clean out valves on the property or a sewer hole in the street in front of the driveway. And it's so super gross.)

Ending yucky plumbing problem transmission. Commencing operation sunny backyard dog belly.

I Forgot

I think I hurt the Sutro Tower's feelings by not posting Tower Monday yesterday.

See? It's being coy. It's OK, I get it. Some of us are sensitive beings. Our feelings get hurt quite easily, and we tend to draw into ourselves to retreat from the cold, cruel world. But then we remember how much love and passion we have for the bright and beautiful world around us, and we emerge from our hidy holes bigger, stronger and blinkier than ever, ready to dance and sing and throw our hands up in the air like we just don't care!

Until someone comments on how nice our hair looks, what with all of the shiny silver that's begun to bloom there.

I Love New England

I did something this weekend that I'm not super proud of, but it was delicious:

Yeah, I know. It wasn't that color when we brought it home. We are horrible, brutal people. Horrible, brutal, well fed people with bellies for of lobstery goodness. Even better, the chef and head sea-fooder was a real live Bostonian! And he made CHOWDER. And it was AMAZING. And now I have to POST THIS (watch the first video!).

Wild Honey Pie

One last bit of Rosh Hashanah for you alls--have a great weekend!

ps. I really miss reading the funnies in the paper. Thankfully, my thoughtful boss get the Chronicle, and knows how to make me laugh.

Rocky Road To Dublin

TBT: Dublin, Ireland, June 2007. The Varros came to visit, and then we pointed at stuff. Go figure.

Circle I

Happy New Year to my MOT peeps! And to everyone else, Happy Wednesday! In some ways, Wednesday is a lot like the Rosh, or head, of the week-- it's sort of  the beginning of the week as the count down to Friday begins on Wednesday, and it's very celebratory in the sense that there is a commercial about it on You Tube, and the star of that commercial is a camel (any one who's worked with me in the last few years knows what's about to happen).



Here's to a sweet new year to all! Chag Sameach!

Catch Me I'm Falling

Happy Fall! Also known in San Francisco as summer. Tower Monday says so:

It's beautiful day, on the heels of a wonderful weekend, and I'm loving life right now. The weather helps, but a lot of the credit goes to the following people/places/things:

1. Max, my genius husband, who got us tickets to go see Richard Cheese at Bimbo's 365 next month!
2. Pancho Villa, who made the perfect chorizo super burrito for me last night!
3. Ira, who is in town for a couple of nights and keeping us smiling with his always charming presence!
4. The Zymogliphic Museum, who had a special last hurrah yesterday before they pack it up and head to Portland!
5. My brain, which has spent the last five years perfecting its handwriting so it could make a giant yet tasteful sign that reads "Tumors Not Welcome!"

Look Back And Crack

Happy workaversary to me! One year ago yesterday, I was overwhelmed with an intoxicating mixture of joy, freedom, excitement, and some very real fear:

"...as soon as I left the studio, the tears came and I couldn't hold them back. While I wandered around the Potrero Hill area, looking for the car I had parked this morning in a panicked frenzy, I cried. While I drove to the kiddo's soccer practice to catch the last 20 minutes of scrimmage, I cried. While a was getting attacked with leaps of love by the dogs, I cried. While I recounted the day's events to friends and family, I cried."

There was also the annual build-up of super crazy emotions associated with another anniversary which was fast approaching:

"...actively living my life as a regular person who does not make decisions solely based on how many more months a neuro-oncologist (and statistics in general) told her she likely had left to live. Four years ago. And, for the record, he was way, way off."

The shop has become a family, a home, and a happy place filled with characters, nicknames, and stories galore. This year has had its massively major ups and its too painful to think about lows. During the last year, I have grown as a parent, a wife, a friend, an artist, and as a whole person. There's no way I can know the details about how this post will look when I write it again in 2015, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be fucking awesome.

Have a great weekend everyone, and we'll talk in a few days when I celebrate another special milestone.

Here's To Never Growing Up

Happy Throw Back Thursday! Bask in the vintagey olde timeyness of the first time we met Little Baby Lilly, who is now nine years old:

Minneapolis, MN. May, 2006.

Little Pink Houses

Step into the not-so-way-back machine and join me on a voyage to July 4th, 2014...when the World Cup ruled the hearts and minds of nearly everyone around us.

Kid: Look at my face Daddy! It says USA!
Dad: It does! Do you know what USA means?
Kid: Yes. It means soccer.

Head Over Feet

Happy Tower Monday! Only feet today:

Apropos of feet, mine are unhappy (which is why I couldn't really name this post "Happy Feet", so I had to find a different foot themed song.). Remember my awesome sparkly red shoelaces? Well, they were attached to very flat converse low-tops so now I have plantar faciitis, AKA Holy Shit I Am SO OLD. These are the shoes that were recommended to me:

My feet are going to have to hurt A LOT more than that before I wear these shoes. No offence intended toward anyone in my family who might have very similar shoes (cough-dad-cough).

My Hands

Another project in progress:

This one is pretty massive; I'm finally using the full 46" width of the loom. It's my biggest piece in many, many years and I've really been enjoying the process of reaching way back into my brian to find the skills I learned so long ago! Check back for progress updates in 6 months or so...

I Don't Want To Play Football

OK, so here are the AYSO soccer coach skills in which I am totally lacking:

1. Soccer playing aptitude of any sort.

2. Soccer playing skills of any sort.

3. Getting and maintaining the focus of 8 six-year-old boys for any amount of time, let alone for 90 minutes.

But there are other facets of coaching at which I naturally excel:

1. Kibitzing with the parents.

2. Telling everyone how great they are! That part is super easy!

3. Cutting orange slices!

I think I'm doing an OK job so far, based on my one-kid survey:

Volunteer AYSO coaching is tough and the pay sucks, but it's totally worth it. In spite of the anxiety and stress. We have a great group of kids and awesome parents, and the whole thing is starting to come together quite nicely. Go Green Ninjas!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

How did you spend your time last night? I spent mine listening to these two jokers affectionately bicker with one other at the Orpheum:

It was just like that, but a thousand times better because it was live, loud, and I went with a super fun gal who knows her business when it comes to classy entertainment in SF. It was a neat mix of SHNSF members, hard-core Cyndi Lauper fans (lots of them!), and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (for reals!), and I had a total blast. Looking forward to seeing the actual show in December!

My Love

Happy Monday! You see that red sign, all the way to the right? Not the stop sign, the sign that says "CO" on it.

The rest of that sign says "FFEE BAR" and walking over there from the shop is one of my favorite parts of the work day. Self serve coffee that is just the way I like it--strong, strong, strong--and, if I'm feeling particularly indulgent, they always have bostocks. And that's all I have to say about that.

Coming up this week: I Can Soccer Coach, So Can You! and My Tablet And Phone Are Conspiring Against Me.

I Can See Clearly Now

I found this picture, and now Samson's extreme love of cats makes purrrrrrfect (HAHAHA) sense!

For his first three years of life, Samson had a very kid-friendly sidekick to crawl after and drool on. Miru was one in a million, and very soft and tactile in general. When he had one eye removed (cat tumor), his awesomeness increased ten fold. he passed away a few years ago, but his legacy lives on in the form of many books about cats, drawings of cats, t-shirts featuring cats, games centered around cats, and--if Samson had gotten his way this season--a soccer team called The Green Cats.

Happy

Summer, 2000. My first multi-day backpacking trip! AKA my last multi-day backpacking trip!  Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe with good ol' Nanna, good ol' Ozzy, and good ol' Dedi.

She's Not There

I'm guessing that things weren't quite this un-summery up here yesterday, considering how swelteringly hot it was down on the peninsula, but I'm probably dead wrong.

This week's installment of Sutro Tower Monday is brought to you by Tuesday, the three-day weekend's red-headed step-sister. Wow, that was a lot of hyphens.

The USS Ronald Reagan celebrated Labor Day by annexing the dog bed:

Resistance is futile, dog.

Another One Rides The Bus

I've finally gotten around to checking out Weird Al Yankovic's new album, Mandatory Fun, and my suspicions are confirmed: IT'S FREAKING AWESOME. The parodies are (of course) hilarious (Word Crimes and Tacky had me giggling pleasantly on the sofa), which is how I usually like my Weird Al. But then, I came upon First World Problems, and I was blown away--not a parody, but a very dead on Pixies style song, down to the Frank Black style shout-singing and the Kim Deal backing vocals. Amazing!

But the prize winner was an older video, another in-the-style-of type, combining two of my favorite things: palindromes and Bob Dylan impressions. I was pretty much laughing myself silly, and that made for a very happy me!

You're welcome!

Free & Easy

Holy crap, I love TBT so much! It's like an instant blog post that allows, nay, DEMANDS that I spend hours going through my old photos. And looky here what I found:

My 24th birthday at Benihana! January, 2000. An yes, that handsome devil IS my brother Paul.

For My Next Trick I'll Need A Volunteer

Somehow, I decided that work, starting second grade, and my extraordinarily busy life in general didn't supply me enough tasks, responsibilities or feelings of panic. So naturally I volunteered to coach Samson's soccer team this season. You know, because I'm totally bat-shit crazy.

The AYSO powers that be took pity on me and placed me as assistant coach. And that, my friends, is awesome because I haven't played soccer in nearly 30 years. But I can organize snack duty, plan pizza parties, and make team banners like nobody's business, so I think we're going to be OK.

Anybody want to sponsor a team of super amazing 6 year olds? You get a team plaque with your name on it at the end of the season!

Day One

Second Grade, meet Samson. Prepare to be rocked.

And yes, that is a tiger shirt he's wearing. Roar!

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

No hat today for the tower.

Coming soon: My Cat Is the Cutest Cat in the World, First Day of Second Grade, and Getting Loomed Up.

Cold Blooded Old Times

Wait...what? WHAT? I comepletely understand "classic" but "oldies"?! Really? REALLY??

Travelin' On

TBT: Bodrum, Turkey--May 2007

Little Green Bag

(Repost from 8/8/14 which I somehow accidentally deleted. D'oh!)

Well, it's not so little. And it's more aquamarine than green. But it is a bag, and I love it! It came in my first Stitch Fix box, and it's my favorite item out of the five very reasonable fashion selections that Haley, my stylist for this box, chose for me. Mind you, the choices were based on a hastily completed online form about my likes and dislikes, fashion and design-wise. Which can be (and was) easily boiled down into three things:

1. jeans

2. t shirts

3. comfort

The Stitch Fix people took this to mean something like:

1. skinny jeans

2. sleeveless blouses

3. adventure

Surprisingly, I ended up keeping all five items in the box, including the skinny jeans (yikes!) and a few definitely-not-my-normal-style tops. Chances are, if I wear these clothes as one well put together outfit, I will end up looking somewhat like an adult. I suppose that was my goal, so this is good. Technically. But it's going to take more than a bright green bag to get me out of my comfort zone of $5 Old Navy t-shirts. Baby steps.

While I was posing in front of the mirror with my bold and daring new bag, the kiddo informed me of his opinion: "I like your oldbag better." Fine, I said. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and I appreciate yours, six-year-old boy in army greensweats with a hole in the rear. "But I suppose you can use this one occasionally."

All You Need Is Love

That's right, love is all you need. 14 years after I fell madly in love with him and seven years after we tied the knot, we still have a seemingly endless supply of it--for each other, for our family, for our friends, for life, for our incredible luck and for our complete awesomeness. Happy Anniversary, Max--and here's to seventy more years of our love.

Gone Daddy Gone

Just like summer vacation, that bar of chocolate in the fridge at work that has been getting smaller and smaller every day, and my patience for road-hog-bicyclists, the tower this morning is pretty much gone.

In other news, I was showing off my fancy new jeans to Max this morning, anxiously seeking approval (I don't usually wear anything fancy or new), and Samson announces from across the kitchen, with a mouthful of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, "You look like a hippie."

Baby Got Back

Woah! I was SO into KPAUL yesterday that I completely forgot about Throwback Thursday! Yikes! Please accept the following as my late entry into the fabulous world of TBT:

Before I had glasses! So I'm guessing this must be early 1977. Which makes my brother Paul about a year younger than Samson and my dad THREE YEARS younger than me! DOUBLE YIKES!

Shout out to my super crafty mom who:

A) Made the matching shirts/dress! 

B) Painted that super graphic on the living room wall!

and C) Took/Sent me this picture in the first place!

Rock Show

Oh joy of joys, KFOG is celebrating Paul McCartney's show tonight by calling themselves KPAUL and playing all Beatles, Wings & Paul McCartney music ALL. DAY. LONG. My favorite today so far was Say Say Say with Michael Jackson. Happy Morning Commute achieved!

Super classy, KFOG! I haven't even had to listen to 103.7's HD2 station, Sunny Radio, which is--of course--adult contemporary soft hits (AKA Soft AC. Yikes.) today. So thank you for that.

Don't Do Me Like That

Dear Jerk Store,

I'm sorry to bother you, but I think I received a delivery this morning that I did not order. It consisted of one super shitty commute, and included a complete lack of space and consideration from other drivers. I did not request the incessant tailgating, nor did I ask to be cut off repeatedly. I'm pretty sure I would remember if I had ordered the last-minute lane changers without signals. Please be sure to credit my Happy Morning account with one dozen drivers who wave "thank you" when you let them in, three boxes of awesome 10 at 10's on the KFOG HD station, and one box of every light between Alameda and 280 being green. I appreciate your support!

Sincerely,
Me

Danger! High Voltage

Oh, happy day! I finally got the LC-A pictures from our New York trip developed and uploaded! Let us bask in the glory!

Sparklers on July 4th! Thanks, Uncle Paul! Not quite finished basking? Try this:

OK, enough basking. Back to feeling sad about Robin Williams.

New Sensation

A new regular feature for Extra Super Fantastic: Sutro Tower Monday. Yes, it's a bit of a cheat post, and I'm OK with that.

Back In Your Life

Let's celebrate my triumphant return to daily blogging by taking advantage of the easiest post of the week: Throwback Thursday! IT'S ON A STICK!

Minnesota State Fair, September 2009

Magic

I haven't kept up with the toddler TV scene, but back in the day of potty training and Go-Gurt, we watched a shit-ton of Disney Junior in our house. It was the heyday of Mickey Mouse Club House, Little Einsteins, and some sort of bastardized version of Winnie the Pooh. There were fillers like Choo-Choo-Soul (yes, is was like Soul Train for 3 year olds), and the power duo of Doc McStuffins and Sophia the First were just getting started.

The channel's theme jingle proclaimed "Disney Junior: Where the Magic Begins!" (It's towards the end of this promo video. Watch it only if you want it stuck in your head, too.) Whether or not the magic began there is debatable. What is not debatable, however, is the fact that this jingle has been stuck in my head for the last 5 years. On a daily basis. Luckily, the "Disney Junior" portion can be replaced by just about any four-to-five-syllable word or set of words. Observe:

"Turkey Sandwich: Where the Magic Begins!"

"Getting new shoes: Where the Magic Begins!"

"Pizza delivery: Where the Magic Begins!"

"Going to Mexico: Where the Magic Begins!"

"Throwback Thursday: Where the Magic Begins!"

This obviously has many applicable uses. For example, it is a fun and helpful way to encourage the kiddo to do his chores and such:

"Setting the table: Where the Magic Begins!"

"Eat your broccoli: Where the Magic Begins!"

"Doing dishes: Where the Magic Begins!"

And as I walked back to work from the local food truckery today with my Chimmichurri Steak Salad, I silently sang to myself  "Mission Dispatch: Where the Magic Begins!"

Lucky 7

Seven things that I have been doing since my last blog post nearly four weeks ago:

1. Looking at a great deal of baby pictures of Samson, who will turn seven soon. Guh.
2. Disposing of the dead critters that my cats AND dog have brought me: 1. a mouse (inside the house! yikes!) and 2. a squirrel in the back yard. How on earth did Turkey Sandwich catch a squirrel? Seriously.
3.  Shopping for school clothes and school supplies and generally getting ready for second grade--WHAT?!--which begins in a few short weeks.
4. Celebrating my sister-in-law's engagement to a handsome and charming young man.
5. Complaining about my stupid lack of sleep due to the stupid exercise class that I stupidly signed up for and which starts at 5-stupid-30 in the morning.
6. Enjoying the ridiculously warm and windless weather that has turned our backyard into a place to be, not just look at.
7. Breathing yet another sigh of relief that my MRI last Friday was clean and showed no new growth in the area where that pesky brain tumor was removed nearly 5 years ago.

So, obviously, I've been way to busy/happy/tired/preoccupied/complainy to blog regularly. Or at all. I hope to rectify this situation by eating more chocolate on a regular basis. I don't know how that would help, but I'm confident that it will.

Authenticity Trip

Where have I been lately?! On a variety of awesome vacations, that's where. Our annual trip to upstate New York was wonderful, as always. The lake, lots of family, Cooperstown and Friendly's, what could possibly go wrong? Immediately followed by a girls' weekend in Napa Valley and I am down for the count, travel-wise. For a few weeks, anyway...

Big Time

A friend's little brother was turning four last weekend, so we got to go to a Pony Party at Lemos Farm!

...and then I realized, I'd seen this picture before...

...in January 2009 when the very same kid turned 2! Yikes!

Where Have All the Flowers Gone

Why haven't I been blogging? I've been wondering that every night for the last two weeks. There's no new drama or trauma or anything exciting like that. There's only been life and the daily challenge to do, to make, to create, to manage. There are enough pressures in ordinary life without the somewhat arbitrary directive of blogging every single day. And frankly, I just haven't had much to say. The kiddo is in summer camp, work is awesome and life is rolling along. And I'm OK with that.

Kentucky

This is attached to the underside of an old chair we are recovering at the shop. I love it when the furniture is labled like this. It's fun to imagine what this chair has seen in the last 63 years...

Le Freak

Last day of school + the county fair + a 48" tall kiddo = AWESOMENESS SQUARED.

I am shocked at how much my boy likes the crazy thrill rides. He wasn't even the tiniest bit phased by the Freak Out--he actually went on it again a few hours later. I didn't dare go on The Gravitron until I was 10, but this kid is unstoppable when it comes to the midway. Which is just how I like 'em.

A great way to end the school year: eating junk food then spinning around on giant amusement park rides that can be folded up and packed onto the back of a truck in 45 minutes. Yikes.

Money

Well, the boy has finally decided to spend money. HIS money. Not MY money. I'm happy because it means...well, I'm honestly not sure what it means. The phrases "growing up" and "financial responsibility" come to mind, but so do "wasteful use of life savings" and "great, more plastic crap for me to step on in bare feet in the middle of the night when I'm walking to the bathroom to go pee."

The point is, we spent some time together yesterday counting his tooth fairy money, the 50 cent pieces that Max and brought back from Las Vegas a few years ago (BLACKJACK!) and various other coins and dollar bills that somehow ended up in his possession. And it was adorable. His baseball-shaped piggy bank was practically vomiting carefully folded dollars and pocket change on to his bedroom floor. Not to mention how his first grade counting skills really paid off--they had learned about counting by 5's and 10's using coins this year.

We counted out $58.97, and today, after a trip to Toys R Us, the kiddo is $26.98 poorer and a Playmobile cowboy set richer. Capitalism is alive and well among the six year old set.

Uber Legitimate

Ever wondered about all those pictures I post of the Sutro Tower? Wonder no longer! It's a long-term and mildly obsessive attraction!

Sunset Soon Forgotten

With Max away for the night, I've got a new bedmate. Samson has always been adept at weasling his way into the big bed, and he's completely aware of how much easier it is when it's just the two of us.

I put Iron and Wine on for bedtime music, and he fell asleep immediately. He managed to effortlessly occupy 75% of the California King sized bed before the first track was over. Even Turkey has ended up on the floor.

Guess I won't be watching season 2 of Orange is the New Black tonight after all...

Summer In The City

Thank heavens for the great big hills that keep the fog where it belongs: the Sunset and Daly City. And Diamond Heights. And a little bit of the Castro. And most of 280 from Belmont to Serramonte.

See America Right

My album of the moment is Tallahassee by the Mountain Goats. For the last week or so, it's been my go-to morning commute album. The ups and downs of the singer's mood coinside perfectly with the curves along 280, in and out of sun and fog. It's a great way to prepare for the ups and downs of the day ahead and a perfect example of how the right music can dictate my mood for hours to come.

"Maybe everything that falls down eventually rises."

You Or Your Memory

I was lucky to have a pretty amazing college radio station when I was a student. After a few mis-directed years spent listening to the Grateful Dead when all I really wanted was an excuse not to shave my legs, I found myself with plenty of time and a pair of very hungry ears.

Punk music didn't work for me, and the Brit Pop thing that was going on behind my back didn't make its way into my CD collection until after graduation when I moved back to the Bay Area. The college station at the University of Oregon in Eugene brought some pretty amazing classic stuff that I had previously overlooked--David Bowie, Talking Heads, Frank Sinatra--but they also introduced me to a future favorite, Cub.

Cub was an all girl trio who called themselves "cuddle core" and they were AWESOME. They were Canadian. Their massive cord variations matched that of the Ramones and they were adorable. Sadly, after three albums, they went their separate ways. I was lucky enough to see them open for They Might Be Giants one Fall in Portland, and they managed to grace nearly every mix tape I made for Max when we first started dating. Thank you, KWVA!

10 Years Later

I've been tracing the roots of some of my favorite music--where I first heard it, who introduced me to it, how it has figured into the soundtrack of my life so far. There is lots of good stuff in the archives, and a ton of it has come from my older brother. I remember sitting in his room when I was in junior high, shortly after I discovered the Beatles (a thousand times thank you, Aunt Mimi!). I had only experienced the pre-Rubber Soul Beatles at that point--good boys for the most part, still the hand-holding type, not the why-don't-we-do-it-in-the-road, LSD gobbling geniuses they evolved into a year or two later in their careers. So when he pulled out his vinyl copy of the white album and carefully turned it backwords with his index finger, revealing the hidden secrets of Paul McCartney's supposed untimely death, he BLEW. MY. MIND. and unknowingly changed the direction of my musical compass. Forever.

Every few years, he tosses me another one. A mix CD, back when people still made those, back before he had kids and there was time to share music so thoughfully and with such painstaking precision. Back then. Or just the mention of a band he'd seen recently, I immediately find something they've got on Spotify and listen to the whole album (a treat in this shuffle, playlist friendly era.).

Thanks, Paul, for Mates of State. For Sufjan Stevens. For Dealership. And for They Might Be Giants 26 years ago.

Thank You

Well, that's better. Having your friend Looming Fog around makes your overbearing heat much more sufferable. That being said, it's very cold and windy this morning, so I suppose this conversation is over. You win this round, Unpredictable Late Spring Weather.

Hot In Herre

OK, Second Almost Summer. WOAH. Let's take a step back, put the breaks on. When I welcomed you with open arms, I did NOT mean for you to turn my house into a sauna. And I'm pretty sure your friend Gentle Breeze would have been thrilled to join you in your lovely visit into my life. So lets keep that in mind next time, shall we? Awesome , thanks.

Bicycle Race

I've never been into bikes or biking or anything even remotely associated with bicycles. The bike carrier that Max attached to the Forester on Sunday may change that.

A Summer Song

Well hello there, Second Almost Summer. Where have you been the past few weeks? Your friends Occasional Rain and Holy Shit It's Windy have been by to visit, we even got to spend a couple of days Could It BE Any Foggier? last week. But it's you, Second Almost Summer, that we've been waiting for, you and the flip flops and shorts you bring with you. It's nice to see that you and your BBQ-ing, tank topping, windows down ways are back. Stay a while. Put your Teva tanned feet up. Have a sno cone.

Mamma Mia

This mother is having a very happy day indeed. All of the STUFF that we have purged from our home over the last three weekends is being picked up by the stuff removal guys this afternoon, and we will be free from clutter. For a while, anyways. The kiddo was great about choosing to chuck lots of toys he has outgrown or just doesn't play with. I think there are going to be some very lucky thrift store shoppers in the coming weeks.

For the first time since we moved here in 2008, the living room is 100% free from kid toys. All Legos, playmobiles, hot wheels, art supplies, etc. have all been relocated to Samson's room, and its wonderful. It's so nice to just sit here and do, well, anything really, without navigating my way through Lego villages and army guys.

And since it's Mother's Day, and I'm not the only mom around, there's something I want to say to my mom: I love you. You have always ALWAYS listened to me and supported me. You have, without a doubt, been my rock during the ridiculously difficult last 5 years, and you have helped me learn to be strong and soft at the same time, and I can never thank you enough. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I Feel Fine

Well, all it took was a class play to get me back in the right frame of mind. One adorable first grader later, and I can handle just about anything. The kiddo has been practicing his lines diligently and it really paid off in this morning's performance. Samson played a character based on his school's beloved, bespectacled, guitar playing kindergarten teacher. And it was full of song and dance of course, and followed by a lovely brunch. Best morning ever.

Hmmmmmmm, who does he look like with those glasses on???

To Lay Me Down

Sleep. I just need more sleep. Then I'll be able to blog regularly again, to resist the temptation of sugar, to stop snapping at the people who love me.

To stop yelling at the dog because she can't decide if she wants to go in or out.

To stop cursing at commuters who use the exit only lane as a means to skip the stop-and-go traffic that we all have to sit through (except them, apparently).

To stop feeling so annoyed by everything. By everyone. Everywhere.

Then I'll be able to get over this hump and remind myself how deeply and fully I love my life and the world around me.

And myself.

No Pants Policy

This sofa has some secrets. At least, it did before we stated prepping it for recovery on Friday. This pair of black stockings stuffed back behind the attached seat cushions completely trumps the confetti and cocktail toothpicks we found in another sofa last month. Ah, if furniture could talk...I'm betting it would have some pretty dirty stories to tell.