MIMI RICKETS

Wasteland - On Writing

2011-11-21T08:15:00.003-07:00

Wow. I look at 2010 and see 15+ posts a month. I look at 2011 and I see... I posted once in August.

That's just sad.

So what have I been up to since August, you ask?

I have no idea. The last few months have just flown by, faster than I've ever personally experienced. School - party mine, mostly The Kid's - has taken over our lives, and I have barely had a moment to breathe much less write anything that wasn't about art or literature, which sounds all lofty until you realize the truth of the matter...

I'm using up all my writing juice on school.

Now I could be completely pretentious and post my A-work writing, but do you really want to read about what I think of Kate Chopin's feminist views, Theodore Roethke and William Blake's mental illnesses and subsequent genius, or whether or not Shakespeare was a fake?

Probably not.

Nor do you necessarily want to hear about my trips to the Denver Art Museum or the Osmosis Gallery, written for my Art Appreciation class. Well, maybe the DAM one, but only because there are pictures.

The reason you don't want to read these is that they were not written for you - they were written as a means to an end, an answer to a question posed by a teacher. That doesn't make them bad writing, but it does make them boring writing, and I don't want to be dull. Better to go months without a post.

But enough about that, how about an update on me? I'll do it for myself, if nobody else is reading - and who could blame you. Nothing like a dead blog.

Let's see...

I've been re-exploring my knitting "skills"... I use that term very loosely as I have none. I can knit a little, but I am far too impatient for really careful work. That's why I like crochet! I also have fat hands, so I can't do the fast-knitting technique I see others employing. It takes me twice as long to do it that way, and I end up knitting WAY too tightly, though I have tried to make myself just to try to train up. Alas, I'll just have to do it my way!

The Kid has been very active in orchestra this year, and is beginning to think about colleges. Fort Lewis, in Durango CO, is a real contender, although it would mean she was stuck during the winter. It is a bit isolated in that it's in the mountains, across a pass that is often closed for weeks during the winter. It's the modern age, of course - she can always hop on Skype to interact with folks off-campus - but still.

Another contender is UNC - the University of Norther Colorado. Located in beautiful downtown Greeley CO, it isn't quite the town she loves but the school, and the location not too far from home. She'd still live on campus, because the commute can be a real bear in winter, besides the obvious fuel cost issue. In that vein I may encourage her to look at CSU - Colorado State University - because of the fact that there's a bus that runs from along the Front Range and she wouldn't have to drive.

We'll see.

She of course still wants to at least look at Oregon, since she loves it so, but that is kind of a remote possibility.

At any rate, no matter where she goes, she is going to continue her sport - orchestra! We have decided this really is a sport. There are evening practices, special clinics, mandatory performances - if that isn't a high school sport I don't know what is. She can even letter in it!

Speaking of high school traditions, we also ordered her class ring this fall. I always thought it was a Senior Year kind of thing, but I guess not!

One more exciting that that happened this fall - my mom finally got to see The Kid in concert! We planned it as a surprise for Kid, and she was totally surprised indeed. We spent a great weekend driving around and enjoying the gorgeous weather, and though it means we'll be spending the holidays apart, it was worth it to get some real, quality, no-holiday-stress time together.

Oh, and I'm re-learning how to rollerskate.

So that's it! That's pretty much the long and short of what I've been up to, besides the usual - being ridiculously smitten with TR, wishing death on creepy-crawlies, trying to keep afloat of all the bills.

I hope your fall has been good, oh 3 remaining readers - I've missed you.

I May Not Update Often, But When I Do... I Ramble Endlessly.

2011-08-01T08:47:00.003-06:00

So my friend Frenzy wrote me today to tell me that she's pregnant - not just pregnant, but 6 weeks out from her due date! She and I were at school together in the long ago - we shared some stuff that we will take to our graves, some stuff we still snicker over on the occasions when we're together, and some stuff that would curl your hair and alter your opinion of the calm (ha), collected (*snort*), together (*deadoflaughing*) person I am today should I share the tales.

I won't.

You're welcome.

I wrote her back and shared the advice that I gave Mrs. Dandy last September - then realized that Peanut is now almost a year old! Unbelievable! And he is so cute, can I just tell you? You should go check out her blog and see. And if you have a baby of your own, you should also check out her baby food blog. I wish it had been around when The Kid was small!

Speaking of The Kid, I'll update you. It's been summer vacation, so not much has gone on of course, but some stuff has.

What The Kid Has Been Doing

Thing one... Derby is now at an end, at least for now. After a particularly nasty, tailbone-jarring fall, we decided it was time to pursue other options. She really loves skating, and Derby culture, but she'll have to be involved some other way - maybe being a ref! Stay tuned, I will *definitely* update you about that sometime within a year of its occurrence.

Thing two... LEARNER'S PERMIT. She has her learner's permit. Holy crap. It's cool, too, and way different than when I was her age! It's a real photo ID, the only difference being that it's sideways for easy spotting of the under-21 crowd. She hasn't been able to practice for a couple of weeks due to my car being in the shop, but yeah. Learner's permit.

Thing three... She's officially dying her hair now. She chose a color called "pomegranate" that actually really suits her. She was always meant to be a redhead I suppose, because even her eyebrows don't give her away. The only tell that she's not a natural redhead is the terrible, terrible streaky coloring that is result of her mother dying her hair for her.

Next time we'll go to a salon. Know thyself.

Other Updates From Mimi's World

I mentioned the car was in the shop. That's because I got rear-ended. In true Mimi fashion, however, I didn't just get rear-ended, I got rear-ended TWICE IN THREE SECONDS. *sigh*

Long story short, I stopped for a fire truck, and the people behind me did not, at least not without my assistance.

The car's almost done at last (3 weeks later), and I'm not paying for any of it thankfully, and nobody was hurt which is most important of all, but still. I am seriously skittish, too, although it's getting better all the time. It doesn't help that I'm driving a beast of a rental. It's sort of grown on me (Ford Edge) but still, it's huge, and apparently at night I have shields up which prevent others from seeing me. Awesome.

Let's see, what else...

TR was away for 3 weeks seeing the final Shuttle launch (amazing) and U2 in Nashville. I got to see them in May, which was amazing. I'd never seen them live before...if you have the chance, try to catch them!

Anyway, while he was gone I watched his cats and house for him. It was weird being in the house without him there, more so than it was when I watched the cats at the apartment. Still, on a hot Saturday it was nice to hang in his cool downstairs, and he very sweetly ordered us remote dinner. The cats were happy, we were well fed, and the house felt full.

This whole summer I've been taking that Intro to Film Arts class I mentioned a few posts back. It's been interesting; the in-class experience has had its positives and negatives, but all in all I will be glad to get back to online-only. My time table is just too weird for the rigidity of Every Tuesday At 6.

Things I've Learned In Film Class

Week 1: Thomas Edison was a bit of a jerk (poor Georges Melies). DW Griffith was a genius, but bat-shit crazy.

Week 2: King Vidor was ahead of his time, but so was everyone else. How did they come up with this stuff?? Vidor, though, was daring.

Week 3: Musicals are still fantastic, and more influential than I realized. We watched Singin' In The Rain, one of my absolute favorites.

Week 4: Orson Welles. You've heard it before, but now I really see it - Citizen Kane was unbelievable! He did things in that film that I'm not sure people have had the dedication to do much since.

Week 5: Russian film after the revolution was terrifying and brilliant and I wanted to see more. We watched The Cranes Are Flying, and all agreed that while we understood the reasons behind the ending, we were way too Westernized to like it much.

Week 6: Television and post-war America radically changed the game, for the better I think, but that's just my opinion. We watched Good Night and Good Luck, which made me angry in all the best ways.

Week 7: German Expressionism has always been hard for me to watch, it's so nightmarish, but now I know why... that was totally the point! Their goal was to be as far from normal as you could get. Nosferatu was weird enough that I still remember the last scene playing on a TV when I was pretty little. Also, Italian Neorealism was really depressing. We watched Bicycle Thieves, which made me really anxious the whole time. I hate chaos in my own life, I can't stand watching it in others' lives. Italian movies always seemed so strange - ever seen Suspiria? - and the reason is that they overdub everything! Fellini was still doing it in the 70s.

Week 8: French New Wave is so far up its own ass I'm amazed they even got enough lighting to finish anything. I appreciate their significance, but... We watched Hiroshima Mon Amour, and I never ever need to see it again. Gah. I get it and everything, but... No.

Week 9: Japanese film is sad even when it's trying to be happy. I think it's the lighting. We watched The Most Beautiful, filmed right before the end of WWII. Kurosawa really was amazing.

Week 10 is tomorrow, the final one for the course. We'll be discussing digital cinema, and watching what from all accounts is a seriously uncomfortable film by Spike Lee, Bamboozled.

The thing I've appreciated most in the whole class is the slice-of-life that old films gave. I hated that French New Wave crap, but it was cool to see glimpses of 1960's Paris. It was amazing to watch the "phantom rides," which were some of the earliest pieces of film, and see Georgetown, Colorado circa 1903. (It looks almost the same, which is interesting.) Even the depressing Italian and Japanese pieces were entrancing because without film we'd only be reading about those places and times.

Film is like time travel that way.

You can see the Georgetown Loop here: CLICK ME!

So yeah! That's what's going on in my world.

Coming Soon

Perhaps a little travel. Could my passport finally get broken in? Maybe!

School continues - Intro to Literature and Intro to Art. I like starting from the beginning with these - as I learned with the English Comp classes, it's not just writing, it's learning how to write for academia in particular. I need to talk to an adviser and make sure I'm taking the right stuff, of course, but it's still early. I waffle now and again on my idea for an English degree, but then I remember all the notes I proof-read in grade school. I was born to edit!

The Kid is starting Sophomore year. Spanish and Art will be new subjects for her this year, and I think she'll really enjoy them!

I'm still on Twitter, by the way... follow me there! Emilio Estevez does, and so should you. No I'm not kidding. Two-Bit is following me, and possibly mocking my pants!

Happy Monday...

F-Word Friday: Fast Forward

2011-05-06T07:50:00.003-06:00

Don't let the title fool you - I have little faith that I'll be able to maintain a daily theme schedule anymore, but I felt it was appropriate since this is a follow up on exactly one year ago.

Last year, I wrote this:

Whining.

I'll save you the trouble...it was a post written on Graduation Day. My office has the unique feature of a window which looks directly out onto the plaza in which everyone gathers before entering the stadium each May. All the kids ("kids" who are 22, God I'm old) are in their Grad finery, all the family and friends are looking proud.

Last year...
I wrote about how every year I was a crabby, jealous mess as I watched the festivities, full of lament about my lost chances.

This year...
I just finished my first 4 classes. I got A's in all of them.

Last year...
I wrote about how I wondered if I could ever go back, if I could ever get to that day myself.

This year...
I proved to myself that although I am going to be up to my ears in student loans when I'm done, that I'm not too old, or too slow, or too comfortable to put in the work.

I know it's going to get harder - it was just some English comp and Algebra after all - but I did it.

Thanks to TR & The Kid, and all of you who have encouraged me, helped me get my act together, and who have been my cheering section. I may not get my day for a good six or seven years, but now I know it's coming.

Now my only problem is figuring out what I want to be when I grow up...

Happy Friday!

Well.

2011-05-05T08:24:00.006-06:00

So that's it for another semester!

If anyone's still reading this blog, my apologies for being away so much. It was a very long few months, full of mystery and intrigue and algebra and researching effective ways to teach literature to teenagers in the Facebook age.

Here's a rundown of what I've been doing. I know you'll be riveted.

I wrote 4 papers, one of which got a perfect grade from a teacher who doesn't give perfect grades.
I did several thousand math problems.
I drove back and forth to Arvada and Denver about 500 times (happily, but still).
I lusted after gardening supplies (going to try just growing some grass first, though).
As a temporary measure to quell my lust, I helped TR a little bit in his fabulous yard.
I watched a lot of Top Gear episodes while I wrote papers and imagined myself in a Jaguar while I drove my ailing Nissan.
I finally got to see Bob Schneider live - an awesome thing. Tarantula!
I got really sick, sicker than I've been in a long time.
I turned 37.
I grew some grey hairs.
The Kid grew some grey hairs for me.
I gained some weight (stupid holidays!).
I lost a little of it (yay stationary bike!).
I spent too much money.
I discovered I don't really like yeasty beer.
I discovered that I really DO like wheaty beer. A lot.
Tried to go to Moab, was stymied by weather.
Went to a christening, complete with the first time I've been to mass in years; it made me miss my childhood faith...it was so easy then, ya know?
Drove with TR through and to some of the most gorgeous country in Colorado.
Discovered Penzey's Spices and OMG. The paprika!

Just in the past couple of weeks...

I've taken my math final - no more math for a while I think
I turned in my final paper (well, my rought draft, but the teacher felt it was done so there ya go... woohoo!)
Been in Derby upheaval as we've tried to decide whether to stick with RMRG or not (long story for another day)
Signed up for a Summer class to keep the momentum
Registered for Fall classes
Been to 3 meetings about the stupid new procurement system my work is foisting upon us
Researched fencing companies (only one got back to me)
Crocheted half a dragon (it's going to be SO CUTE)
Cooked pulled pork for the first and definitely NOT the last time
Cooked stuffed shells for the first time as well; good but needs modification

I've been so busy it occurred to me only after about 2 weeks that I hadn't even spoken to my mother for more than 5 minutes at a time - she's pretty busy herself, and our work schedules don't mesh very well. Or she's mad at me. Jury's out.

So you see, it's not that I haven't *wanted* to blog...

It's just that I had to shoehorn sleep in there somewhere.

So. What else.

I could talk about that Osama thing... I have my own opinions. They aren't shared by everyone. I believe it's a good thing he's dead, and that it was the right decision not to involve Pakistan; their culture is very different than ours. The man was living in a military neighborhood, and nobody even asked a question, just saying. I don't believe it's the end to "terra" but I do believe it's the end of an era (ooooh, poetry!). Bush is dead, long live Obama. Moving on.

Also, Donald Trump is a moron who got his ass served to him on a platter at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. I'm normally a very "let's all get along" sort of person, a "don't mock others" sort of person, but Trump? He can go piss up a rope, to put it succinctly.

Weirdo. RACIST weirdo.

Anyway.

Hoping to get back into the swing of things now. I don't think this will ever be a daily blog again, but I hope to share with you some of the cooler points of the Intro to Film Arts course I'll be taking over the summer. Apparently the teacher is a friend/acquainted of some friends of mine, and by all accounts he's a swell guy. Looking forward to it!

Tonight...

Trivia maybe. TR definitely. All this busy-ness has made it so our time is often really abbreviated. We had a couple of relaxing days around my birthday while The Kid was in Disney, and it was lovely. I need some more of that chilled time with him, and more often.

He calls to share his sunsets with me, I should tell you.

This pleases me.

Until later... here's a thing. It made me smile today.

Apache from oneedo on Vimeo.

No Relation... I think.

2011-03-21T18:16:00.004-06:00

I've mentioned Mimi Smartypants before. We are of no relation, though our first names are the same. Mine was a childhood nickname, hers... well she's never actually said but I'll hazard a guess that it's some kind of similarly parentally-administered moniker.

Though I've often thought that she is clever and funny, once in a while she says something that is so in tune with what I meant to say along that it kind of gives me shivers.

Today...

"I like to keep things with uncertain outcomes to myself, until their outcome is certain."

OMG YES.

This is so me in a nutshell.

My friend Christine (among others) often chastises me for not sharing with her my trials and tribulations. She shares with me, and doesn't understand why I don't unburden myself more freely. It's not that I'm stoic or stubborn or even strong... I just don't like to talk about stuff until I know what I'm talking about. I hate speculating. Speculation leaves me in a puddle of ruminating tears and/or yelling.

A puddle of yelling?

Just go with it.

Anyway, I often don't discuss things. It's not a lack of trust in my friends or family, it's just that I like to know what's next before I look at what's now.

Weird? Maybe. But it's worked so far...

The only time I discuss things out of context these days seems to be with TR and The Kid, poor souls. For some reason TR brings out the talker in me. It's a two way street, which is why I feel so comfortable I'm sure. This may seem to fly in the face of what I just said before about not liking to talk about stuff, but...

I don't know. It's TR-specific I guess?

I have no explanation.

The Kid of course needs no explanation... we're a team, that's all. It's unconventional as far as mother-daughter relationships go, I suppose. I don't overburden her, I at least respect tradition that much, but she ends up being subjected to a lot of my thinking-out-loud rants.

In other news, The Kid is off to Florida in a couple of days. Despite much paperwork and miscommunication, all has fallen together and she's off for a fun week! I've tried to help her understand how huge WDW is, and I think she gets it, but she'll only truly learn by experience I suppose. She's got money for food, money for fun, and more clothes than she'll really need I'm sure.

It should be noted that The Child thinks I've been over-plannery again. (Probably true.) I don't care if she's 15, though, she's still my baby going off to the other side of the country without me to wander the wilds of WDW.

Thank goodness for TR's calming presence, I'd be a wreck without him around to keep me chilly.

I say again...

Poor guy.

Happy Spring At Frickin' Last!

Kool-Aid

2011-03-11T09:05:00.002-07:00

Okay. So obviously I have no time for Le Blog very often, but does that mean I don't have weird random thoughts that I feel compelled to share with all 6 of you? NO IT DOES NOT.

So I have joined The Twitter. I have no idea how to work it, so forgive me in advance if I fail miserably.

I miss my blog.

Things of note...

* My latest paper was added to the "Wall of Fame" in my class, so go me!
* I had the plague.
* Now the Kid has the plague, but it's almost done I think.
* Derby is still on deck, though we were taking a break... Child is not competitive, and wasn't sure if she should continue, but we've decided to give it another year. At the very least we have to get something out of the new wheels I got her!
* I don't know how I feel about Algebra.
* TR remains very cute.

So yeah! Come find me on The Twitter if you'd like! I can almost guarantee random bitching, occasional hilarity, and proper use of the apostrophe.

http://twitter.com/#!/mimirickets

I Am Sentimental

2011-01-24T13:03:00.005-07:00

You know, I really try to be level-headed. I don't give in to sentimentality very often, but maybe I should because boy oh boy, when I get something stuck in my head and let myself sap out, it's just purple prose everywhere you look.

So yesterday I helped TR clean out his now-former apartment the rest of the way. There wasn't much really, just some spackling to be done (I looooove to spackle, it's possibly a matter for psychological study), the fridge to be cleaned, that kind of thing. We had to make a few trips up and down stairs which are more like ladders than stairs - you have to do everything on your toes and it's rough on the legs!

After everything was done - plants and frozen food and cleaning supplies successfully crammed in the back of the van, garbage in the dumpster, fridge sparkling, and unwanted stuff already being picked through by the local dumpster diving team (waste not, want not!) - we went back upstairs so TR could say goodbye to the place. He wasn't terribly upset about leaving the apartment behind, but still it was home for 4 years or so and deserved a goodbye.

The weird thing for me was that despite not actually having lived there, I was kind of verklempt at the idea of never seeing it again. While he swept, I sat in the window well and reflected for a while on all that had happened in that place. I started the best first date of my life there, and had my first kiss with TR standing near the front door. I remember little things here and there about us in that place, things I won't forget. In my mind the apartment will always exist as it was just a little bit.

There's one really distinct memory that sticks out. One night we were curled up on the chaise lounge next to the main room's windows, just at dusk. The chimes that hung next to the terrifying stairs across the alley were making a lovely sound. Suddenly the wind kicked up and pulled all the leaves off the trees at once, swirling them up into the deep blue sky and they twirled away like something illustrated.

Yesterday, sitting at the window next to where the chaise used to sit, looking in toward the now-empty apartment, the chimes - TR's favorites of the ones that hang on that building - kicked up again. While TR was thanking the apartment, they kept giving us a little background music.

As soon as he switched off the lights for the last time, the chimes stopped.

I will certainly miss that little bitty apartment with it's creaky floors and amusingly complex shower.

I won't miss the stairs, though.

Essay The First - Super Long Post

2011-01-22T06:49:00.006-07:00

Due to the squashed nature of Blogger, this post looks like it's about four feet long. I'm sorry.

So last semester I meant to post some of my school writing for you to "enjoy" but didn't like any of it enough to put out there. I wondered why - after all my teacher seemed to like it - but I think I've nailed it down.

The subject matter wasn't my choice.

The last post had more to do with something of interest to me (which only sounds self-centered, I swear!) but still it was a forced sort of thing. I had a set topic (digital technology) and although I came up with a subject regarding that topic I liked well enough, it still didn't have a lot of ME in it.

Does that make any sense at all?

Possibly not.

Anyway.

I've found that in Research Writing (capital R, capital W) one of the major points seems to be to take oneself out of the picture entirely. As a blogger, this was reeeeeeeeally hard. Like so hard that I had to rewrite stuff multiple times just to get that third person perspective to focus. I want so much to give my opinion - I know you're just shocked by that statement - and I almost felt like I was typing one-handed not being able to share it.

I think I'm getting better though.

What follows is the epitome of the quick-and-dirty research paper. This is the first assignment of my new English Comp II class, and isn't even for a grade so I'm not sure why I worked it over so thoroughly.

Wait, yes I do. I'm an overachiever and am obsessed with making a good first impression. I think for days after meeting someone knew about what I said, and how I said it, and did I sound snotty, and did I sound like a know-it-all. Etc. Take last weekend for example. I helped (a little bit) with throwing fellow Bastard and all-around swell guy Chris a surprise 40th birthday party. His wife cooked it up, I made cupcakes (pirate ones!), and TR got him there. It was awesome! At the party were several folks of whom I've only heard tales from TR. Desperate to make a great, I'm-cool-I-swear impression, I'm sure I babbled. In my quest to seem like I belonged there at all (I have an inferiority complex - true!) I may have just ended up sounding like a moron and talking about myself too much. Again.

Hopefully the usual will hold true and nobody was paying that much attention to me (ohpleaseohplease), because first impressions are not my strong suit.

ANYWAY.

Okay. On to the essay!

The goal here was to write about how emotional rhetoric is used in media. At first I was going to do something regarding overly dramatic music in movies. Do you ever feel like you're being herded toward a particular feeling because of swelling violin notes? When done well it's an enhancement, but when done poorly it's just manipulative.

That subject went nowhere fast, because all the info I could find was speculative. I started considering going to the library to look up music psychology when I remembered - NOT FOR A GRADE, MIMI. Calm yourself!

So I started again. How about the way political ads are specifically aimed at making particular people feel specific emotions? Is there some reason we as a group can't just go on facts? I started to write about that and then I started getting incensed and then...

Yeah. I had to take a break. F you Boehner.

Anyway.

In the end I decided to keep it as simple as possible. I would find a subject with a plethora of reputable online research opportunities. I knew I would still go way past the minimum - five paragraphs? ME?! - but I figured I could still keep it sensible.

And here it is, updated for Le Blog with links instead of a Works Cited page. My apologies to any folks in the television news industry that might see this and take offense: I know fark-all about it and this was strictly me talking crap, speculating, obsessing over comma placement, and writing something that at least sounded halfway knowledgeable and used the correct essay format. Bonus: I got to use "snowpocalypse" in a college essay. SWEET.

Stay Tuned!

Breaking news! Local information stations want attention, and they will make every effort to get it - usually by being as loud and garish as possible. Why all the bold type and startling headlines? Broadcast networks rely on advertising income to stay afloat. The companies running those ads are going to give their money most readily to the networks that get the most viewers to tune in and see their thirty-second spots. With all the local news stations reporting the same information, how can they compete for those sponsor dollars without merely parroting each other? The networks must make their stories more interesting than their rivals' offerings. They must also use emotionally charged imagery and language in order to keep a viewers’ attention firmly on their channel and not the one next door.

The basic business plan of any local news station is to attract the most lucrative commercial sponsors possible since the ads those sponsors buy are the source of a majority of a stations’ revenue. Many local stations are owned by recognized companies like NBC but most are owned by businesses that are merely aligned with those larger networks (Shumway). This means that despite the fact that your local news says it’s the city’s NBC station it may not be benefiting from that super-network’s revenue dollars. Instead a station may be on its own as far as drumming up funds to keep their anchors in hairspray and makeup.

The stations may need the advertisers, but the advertisers aren’t big on spending their money unless they can be certain they’ll see a return on their investment. In recent years the cost of running a prime-time commercial has dropped, but it will still cost a company well over $100,000 to televise an ad during prime-time news (Mandese). The sponsors must assure themselves they’re going with the station that will get their spot aired most affectively. That means choosing a network whose viewer numbers are highest.

So how do the networks get those high ratings and attract large-dollar sponsors? They get viewers to watch their channel and not the one a remote-click away. It’s no easy feat. Chances are that it’s going to be snowing now matter whose weather report is seen. The President’s speech is going to sound the same whether it’s on NBC or Fox. It’s up to the stations to be sure they are successful in keeping viewers interested in how they report on those stories if they want to keep their advertisers as repeat customers. While loyalty no doubt plays a part in viewership, even the most loyal NBC supporter is going to look elsewhere if the argument is strong enough to do so.

Stations can stay frontrunners in viewer numbers by having more compellingly told stories than rival networks. According to media blogger Geoff Meeker, whether the news is of sports, business, politics, or even the “good news” story of the day, inevitably conflict is the heart of the tale. The conflict might be between two people, or people and the world around them, or even people and their own lives. Any story the news reports is a battle presented for viewers to cheer or lament (Meeker). It follows then that keeping good journalists on hand to write compelling stories is a smart option for any station trying to stay ahead, but stations also have a psychological tool for use in keeping viewers glued to the screen.

A study published in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media found that “arousal elicited by emotion” actually causes us to remember more effectively than by just telling us what’s happening (Lang, Potter, and Grabe). The use of emotionally evocative language and imagery is a way to catch the eyes and ears of viewers, and keep them tuning in long after the initial headline is presented. Words like “showdown” or “crisis” may not really fit the event in question, however the use of them might make a viewer remember the story and tune in for updates later on. Using bright bold-typed and shocking visual headers to accompany an important story will garner attention, but it will also convince a viewer to seek out information about that graphic image if they haven’t been listening. Phrases like “breaking news,” “stay tuned,” and “coming up” might seem straightforward enough, but in fact they are subtle cues to viewers that they’ll be missing out on important information if they start channel surfing after the weather report. In addition to the broadcast stories themselves, news channels use convincing words like “leader” and “exclusive” in advertisements for their stations in their quest to convince a potential viewer that their station is superior to another.

Despite the increased presence of multiple online news sources most Americans are still watching television to get their daily news (“Internet Gains”). For the foreseeable future, viewers will continue to tune in over breakfast, or after dinner, or just before bed. Though the race for the top of the heap in local news media might seem like a tempest in a teacup it’s a small price to pay to ensure that there are multiple lines of communication staying open. The News At Five can be forgiven for coming up with words like “snowpocalypse” as long as they’re giving similarly loud attention to reports about important news like local and national politics. The competition is important as well because although one news channel could get the information out as effectively as multiple stations, if there was only a single source its accuracy would be in question. That being said, it’s equally important that news stations keep the parable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf in mind. Too much high-emotion reporting may find viewers ignoring important information by equating a real crisis with a slightly overblown one.

Throwing In The Towel... Sorta

2011-01-10T10:59:00.005-07:00

See how I'm not even trying to be up to date anymore?

Actually I've been thinking a lot about this ol' blog and have more or less decided that of all the bajillion things in my life, if one has to suffer neglect, this is it, and I'm okay with it.

I'm still around, of course, lurking, reading your posts and commenting with as little snark as possible.

But for now it's math. And English papers. And driving the Kid to derby practice. And hanging out with my very cute boyfriend. And trying to cook as often as I can.

Just probably not posting in here more than once a month or so, because otherwise I seem to only say "Um...still alive and here's a video!" and that's just dull.

So you know, don't take me off your blogroll or anything!

Just forgive me if I don't post all my little weird thoughts so often anymore on the meaning of Christmas or why I hate lying politicians with a fiery passion or how awesome TR is or how much my kid rocks my socks off on a regular basis.

Summer may be a different story.

You might even get sick of me.

But for now...

VIDEO! Because I'm lazy. And really busy. But look how cute Maru is! If you don't have 3 minutes, just forward yourself on to 2:15. You'll thank me later.

If you don't have 3 minutes, just forward yourself on to 2:15. You'll thank me later.

Did he hypnotize you into thinking this was something akin to a real post?

Good job, Maru!

Nearly Christmas. Oy.

2010-12-16T11:50:00.003-07:00

It's been a week of goodies around here.

Cookies, amusing gifts of outdated calendars (a tribute to my annual skunking in the gift swap at work - thanks Ruth!), and mystery presents for The Kid that I may be more excited about than she is have appeared on my desk.

The first Christmas cards have begun arriving in the mail, and a plethora of boxes have been materializing on my front porch.

Lots and lots of holiday lights are up all around my neighborhood, which are all beautiful except for the ones that blink on and off so fast I'm concerned about the drivers who pass by. Your standard twinkly blinky lights are lovely, but those strobe things have got to go!

Always a critic.

So! Things to report!

School is officially done for the month.

My English grade: 102.5%. Is that an A?

My teacher made the following comment: "I am going to miss reading your work." This followed the comment "I have so enjoyed reading your work. You write like a professional, with grade, humor, introspection, heart, and clarity."

Clearly she has not read my blog, but what a compliment!! I was pretty tickled.

My Math grade: 97.09%. I got a 95 on my final, so Ruth's candy and your good wishes did the trick!

Phew. Two A's. I'm not getting cocky though... that's only 7 credits down and 113 more to go until I have my bachelor degree.

But still! Pretty cool!

Also cool... Ms. Hannibal Lexter is getting interviewed for the Longmont paper! She was nominated by her coach, who is a reporter for the paper, as part of a large list of nominees for the "100 Coolest People In Longmont" special section that comes out in March. (That's probably not what it's really called, but it will do for now.) Because she does derby and is generally a cool chick, I feel that she will at least be in the top 5, if not the coolest person on the list.

I wonder if I can make this work for some kind of college scholarship for her...

Hm.

Anyway, this week will continue to be crazy busy... there are cards to send! Crafts to finish! Gifts to mail! (Only 2 but still...thank goodness for click-n-ship - really if you haven't used this, START.) Cookies to make! I've gotten so many nice treats that if I don't reciprocate I'm going to feel like a heel.

Shortbread and chocolate chip cookies for everyone! The fact that they're easy recipes doesn't take away from the intent right?

Happy Thursday...

PS... Here's something pretty for you to enjoy. TR, you'll appreciate the clouds and windmills!

Please Hold While I Connect Your Blog

2010-12-10T08:25:00.003-07:00

Okay. I'm sorry.

I keep saying that but truthfully I've had the most busy, chock-full couple of weeks that I'm amazed I can even type at all much less put a coherent sentence together. Even that remains to be seen... check back at the end.

My favoritest bloggers, Mimi Spartypants (no relation) and Allie Brosh of Hyperbole and a Half, often go ages without a post, so I feel okay with it all, but still! I miss talking to the 5 of you!

Let's see. When we last left off, it was 2 days before Thanksgiving. I was happily anticipating TR's return from Nashville, being excited about his house, and trying to plan a respectable outfit in which to meet his dad on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was really nice! TR's dad is sweet and nice and complimentary, making a point to say what nice kid Kid is (and she is - he's obviously also very smart). He came through on his promise to "not be too scary," and for that I'm eternally grateful. What is it about "meeting the parents" though?! It's not like I'm some unestablished teen or something. I'm a grown-ass adult! With a house! And a car! And, ya know, debts and other adult-type stuff! I know how to schmooze, how to rhetorically mold myself to any situation and charm the shit out of people! Or something.

I'm not sure if that makes me a mature adult, but whatever.

Anyway he was nothing but nice, El Rancho was fabulous, the turkey was good, the chef was funny, and I looked like a mom for once. As a bonus prize it's located right near Buffalo Bill's grave, which despite living here for nigh on 7 years I had yet to visit, so even though it was freezing and I was in a dress (I KNOW) we trekked over. It was a beautiful sight, TR bought The Kid a pair of awesome purple beaded earrings, and I got to drive a really awesomely fun road back down the mountain afterward. I got to be in first gear and not touch my gas pedal. Yay mountain driving! (I can name at least 3 people who would have been crapping themselves on that drive, but NOT ME MAN. I live here now.)

TR very sweetly arranged a couple of rooms at the very cool Renaissance hotel, wherein lies a pool. He thought it would be fun for me, the Kid and himself to go and relax, enjoy some squashy Marriott bedding and the hot tub which was so hot I think I actually may have damaged myself for a moment. The Kid enjoyed having a room all to herself, what with the TV and snack bag, and TR & I enjoyed sleeping in. All in all it was a seriously stress-free holiday. And no dishes!

Alas that also means there were no leftovers. Old habits die hard, and it being the season for such things, I had put aside a turkey for emergencies. Turkey emergencies are more common than you might think, and just such a thing arose last week! After a long weekend of helping TR shop for furniture (including a successful trip to acquire a washer and dryer) it was time for some tryptophan. And I made the works... turkey, stuffing (Stovetop OH YES), fresh greenbeans, mashed potatoes. Jarred gravy because I'm lazy and would only ruin a roux.

And I discovered something.

Despite all this fancified turkey-making, with all the brining and basting bags and smoking and deep-frying and Turducken madness (though none of those are bad things, except the Turducken but only because I'm not eating anything where the first syllable is "turd"), the old-fashioned, in a pan, buttered & salted & peppered, basted-every-hour turkey is still the best.

And the dishes were minimal, mainly because despite my laziness I am totally OCD when I cook. I do dishes as I go and use my dishwasher as much as possible, so that by the time the food is done my kitchen is still fairly clean. Work smarter not hard right?

Other than that, things have generally been all about school. I'm almost officially done with my first semester of college, go me! My English teacher loves my work, and I did okay in Math, better than I expected to. That's the last step, actually, a Final Exam full of graphing and factoring of binomials (wish me luck). I'm taking it Monday, and then it's NO SCHOOL for over a month! The new semester doesn't start until January 18. I'm looking forward to the break, because even if I'm only doing 2 classes, it's plenty exhausting.

It's not that the work is all that hard, not that I'm bragging. It just really isn't that tough if you pay attention. It's time consuming, sure, but it's time-consuming for a reason. It's forced studying, something I didn't understand in high school. "So you're saying that if you do the homework and assignments and show up, you'll learn stuff and not have to cram and do better on tests? Oh I see."

The thing that sucked me dry was the constant schedule.

When I wasn't actually doing any work, I was thinking about the next deadline. As the next deadline was approaching, I was thinking about the deadline after that. As each test passed, as each discussion was posted, I was making sure I reminded myself constantly to check the content page, check the discussion board, check the calendar. You're never resting.

So trust me when I say that I'm really looking forward to a month with no reminder for myself other than "make sure you get your books and do your taxes and put in your FASFA and apply for scholarships".

Oh.

Damn.

Well at least I'll be able to read a book! And the Kraft Krazy, though sorely missed for several months, has begun to re-emerge, so I'll be able to work some of that in as well.

I made TR kitchen towels (well, I embellished pre-existing towels anyway) with palm-tree fabric, which he actually put in his kitchen! I call that crafting success. No pictures, I forgot, but if I remember I'll take one of my signature bad camera-phone shots next time I'm over.

I've also made some kid-toys, for two very cute babies and my very cute baby. She was popping through my patterns one day on Evernote (which I love) and fell in love with Mooshy Belly Bunny. It's really for little kids, but sometimes she likes to be a little kid and who am I to deny her? It's one of my favorite things about her, the fact that she's not all "whatevs, I'm a teen". Does it make her seem a little naive sometimes? Maybe. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. She's been through enough crap in her life, and can take care of herself when needed, and that's all I can ask for. I think the world can indulge her occasional need for footie pajamas, hot chocolate, cartoons and stuffed animals.

ANYWAY.

Behold, Mooshy Belly Bunny, hanging out with his friend Lopsided Sun-Like Creature Mit Ribbon (he's very avant-garde).

My attempt with ribbon boy wasn't so professional, but I think his attended audience will not care. The photo is crap of course, he's MUCH brighter, but you get the idea.

Behind him are placemats whose pattern is an amalgam of the original jelly roll place-mat pattern I found last year and started but never finished**, and the amazingly awesome lazy-crafter Godsend that is self-binding backing, as demonstrated in the baby blanket pattern I found but haven't yet used.

** You may remember the tale of the jelly-roll bait-ball. Just a reminder - don't ever wash jelly rolls. Plan a project that doesn't require washing, or accept that your project will look weird when you finally do wash it post-project, because if you pre-wash you will be a sad, sorry panda.

My mitered corners are not, of course, as nice as the original, but I gave myself a break because the binding was so narrow I couldn't really do the box-corner thing successfully. They still came out nicely, and frankly they're kind of folk-arty so it adds to the charm, right?

Of course it does.

See how I didn't photograph the corners? There's a reason.

The picture, of course, does nothing to really demonstrate the bright, fun fabric which, though it made me cry during the hours of untangling and de-threading post-wash, still delight me.

This is them:

I don't know who "Sanae" is but clearly he/she enjoyed the 70s.
Or never actually lived them.
Either way.

Aren't they fun? I had a good time matching the colors up, insomuch as you can match screaming orange with wistful green. It worked.

And though any quilt shop would make this face at me if I tried to pass them off as containing anything resembling good binding work...

... I like them. And I think their recipients will like them too.

Or they'll stick them in a drawer and only take them out when I'm over.

Which is fine.

Happy Friday! Wish me luck on my test!

I Talk To Myself A Lot

2010-11-23T08:14:00.004-07:00

Holy Hell.

It's Thanksgiving this week! How did that even happen?

This is what I never knew about doing the school/work combo - it eats time like it was a bag of (fill in your favorite snacky item here - salt & vinegar chips for me, thanks).

All of a sudden I'm down to the last of my third paper, and the start of my fourth and final.

Without seeming to feel it, I've managed to get to my last set of homework and quizzes for math, and will be facing my final in just a couple of weeks. Not to brag, but I also got 101% on my most recent test. GO ME.

On top of that there's been Derby (The Kid won her most recent bout, by the way), and moving TR's brother & wife (his brother's wife, not TR's DUH). I managed to pack the be-all end-all of emergency supply boxes, too, containing tea, coffee, mac and cheese and spaghetti. You could seriously live a week on that box.

Too bad I hid the silverware (they found it eventually).

Anyway, point is I've been unbelievably busy. Not too busy for you, baby, don't cry! Just too busy to blog.

Today, though, I felt the need to share, even though I've probably alienated everyone by now with my absence. At least it's there, right?

But what to talk about?

How about the fact that The Kid has the ENTIRE week off for Thanksgiving? We never got the whole week off, what gives?! Not that she's complaining. She's got an entire week of crafting and sleeping in and watching episodes of Monk on the Netflix.

(By the way, if you have internet and a Blu-Ray, a Wii, a PS3, TiVo or one of those fancy internet TVs, Netflix now has a streaming-only option for their service for 8 bucks a month. It's awesome! Who needs cable! Netflix should give me a month's credit for plugging them. Spread the word.)

Oh and guess what! I'm going to be in Geek Bowl 2011 in January. It's the throw-down event of the year for Geeks Who Drink, and I'm super excited! Even if we don't win it will be awesome fun. We're thinking costumes, even - maybe hats. Who knows. It doesn't matter, really, because I will be too busy being thrilled to be part of the world's biggest nerd herd.

How are we preparing? Mexican food and 5-hour Energy Drinks. We will ROCK IT.

Let's see, what else.

TR bought a house! He should have keys in hand today, in fact, and I'm so excited for him. It's an excellent house with an unbelievable view and the most beautiful oak tree out front. It has only the minorest of needs (minorest? Really, Mimi?), all which are fixable with no real fuss, and I think he's going to be really happy there.

Well...

He'll be happy once the move is done. Moving SUCKS, but since he's smartly hiring movers it should be less horrific than one might usually expect. No taking fifty loads in various cars, or arguing with U-Haul. No back-breaking labor (besides the actual box-packing).

Movers are SO worth the money.

Anyway it's lovely inside, and I am really going to have to restrain the Kraft Krazy. When I looked at it I could almost see the floor pillows for the fire-place cozy. I could feel the weight of firewood in the hand-made log-carrier. I could nearly feel the whoosh of cotton slipping between my fingers as it feeds under the piercing needle, folding and pressing itself, creating neat lines and...

STOP IT MIMI.

Ahem. Sorry.

Craft porn. It happens.

Anyway, it's an awesome house, which will only get awesomer (awesomer? REALLY MIMI?) when he puts his touches on it all. I predict tikis.

Also, speaking of Kraft Krazy...

I love this so much

Just in case you thought I was the only one.

Actually I haven't been crafting much lately, I've been TOO BUSY, but I have some projects lined up. I was almost thinking no crafting might happen this holiday season, but that was just crazy talk.

It might not be much, it certainly won't be an embroidered Robert Smith pillow, but it'll be something!

Alright...back to my homework.

tap tap tap

2010-11-15T13:44:00.002-07:00

Oh hi! Miss me?

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint but today's post is going to be just as lame as the last one. There's just tooooo much going on.

Too much.

Like moves.

And papers.

And back pain.

And Dead Like Me. (It's been sucking up my evenings - but there were only 2 seasons so that's done.)

But ya know what?

My paper's almost done (I think I'll share it with you).

The move, for better or worse, is almost done...there's another on the horizon, but not for a couple of weeks yet.

Admittedly my back hurting has nothing to do with anything but I'll feel a lot better when it's over. Ug.

So, ya know...

Watch this space!

I can almost hear my mother - WHY, IS IT GOING TO DO A TRICK?!

Well, yes mom it actually is.

Watch!

I heart Doug Henning. That's all I have to say about that.

Happy Monday!

Busy Bee

2010-11-03T06:45:00.003-06:00

Maybe it's that I've been using up all my writing points on a class, and haven't got anything left.

Maybe I need the forced-topic of daily themes again.

Maybe it's the deep-tissue massage, which has been beating the heck out of my shoulder, making typing difficult.

Maybe it's the fact that despite 2-plus months of leaving the house at 6:45 AM we are *still* not used to it.

Or maybe I'm just pooped.

Any way you put it, I've been a blogging slacker. I hope you understand!

Here's a brief rundown of things that have happened in the last week.

The very awesome Formerly Almost Mrs. Dandy is now a mama. And her baby boy is gorgeous NATURALLY (as in "duh" not as in "without surgical enhancement"). And he was born on Halloween, which means he will have the best birthday parties ever, forever.
I carved many pumpkins. Only one got smashed (I hate kids who do that), and the pumpkin seeds were fantastic and yummy. My favorite part of the pumpkin, for sure.
TR maybe found a house to buy! I'm excited for him, though I wish I could erase the stress factor. Anyone who's bought their first house already (or their second or third) can understand his frayed nerves I'm sure... I remember freaking out mightily the night I made the offer on my little piece of Earth. I don't think I slept for 2 days.
We managed to do trick or treating on Halloween despite being stood up. I'm not going to go into it - water under the bridge - but I can tell you that in the future I won't be bending over backward and rushing to accept an invite from the folks in question again. I broke land-speed records racing back from Derby so as not to make our party wait too long for us, only to find out that they had changed their plans and gone earlier, and never let us know. THANKS GUYS.
I went in a corn maze. At night. I hate corn mazes - so creepy - but with the added bonus of being the responsible adult in the situation I was unthrilled. But I persevered, limbs all attached and no bites from anything living in the stalks. The things I do for my Kid!
I started a new writing project for school, all about how the elderly should get on Facebook for safety and social purposes. Wish me luck! Any ideas?
I realized that Thanksgiving is in just over 3 weeks. Holy crap.

What did you do last week?

This weekend I plan on relaxing if at all possible. Right after I'm done with my project. And cleaning. And math homework.

PS...I know it's filleriffic, but this video was too cool not to share.

Happy Wednesday!

Rollerpunks Are Badass

2010-10-26T08:48:00.003-06:00

I'm still hoarse. What a game!

Thank goodness there were photographers there, because I suck at pictures as we all know.

Check it out!!

Jay Vollmar, the artist behind the awesome RMRG art, took this one.

That's The Kid, with the red pigtails. Isn't she fabulous?!

Dave Wood took these.

Doesn't she look so intense there?

Victory Lap! They won 31-30. Unbelievable.

The Kid only got to be in one jam... but she *was* the pivot. And she *did* block like a champ. And it *was* only 10 minutes long, so there ya go!

The rest of the weekend was lovely. TR came up Friday night to hang and play Life and eat Halloween candy.

It was so nice not to have to drag my butt out of bed at 5:30 AM, because Saturday was a lovely, cool grey morning. Perfect for a lie-in before being pummeled by my massage therapist again - she found a trigger from which I'm still recovering. Ow! I had planned on carving pumpkins but I was short a carving arm as a result of the massage. Instead The Kid did her own, start to finish. It's the first time she's ever done that, and I think she was really proud.

We still have a few to go...I think I'll put her in charge.

Saturday night, of course, was THE BOUT! I slacked as a parent, and The Kid had to do her own getting-ready. The massage really took it out of me and I ended up taking a 2 hour nap. She looked great though, and I probably would have fussed over her hair or makeup or something anyway, annoying us both. As it turned out, she did just fine without me (as you can see!) and all was well.

And she kicked ass!

Sunday, despite being wiped from the night before, was yet more Derby practice! She's still feelin' it, let me tell you. She got elbowed by some rotten kid on the other team Saturday night, and she's got the ow to prove it... thank goodness for Ibuprofen.

Last night, Monday, I had a math test.

Um...

Well, there's always the next one I suppose! This one, not so much.

I'm so glad I'm going for an English degree.

Happy Tuesday!

Halloween Kraft Krazy

2010-10-20T07:52:00.005-06:00

It's so good to know I'm not alone.

There are entire websites dedicated to others with the Kraft Krazy, and while normally they restrain themselves to useful things like sweaters and bags and such, sometimes the creativity really shines and you find something so awesome, so truly beyond what you might have thought of yourself, that you can't help but share.

One of my favorites is Craft, because they not only take the time to find really cool stuff, they also don't just stick with known designers. If someone posts a picture of their craft to the Flickr account, they will see it. If they think it's cool, and particularly if you have a website with a tutorial or some such thing, they'll put it up and everyone will get to enjoy, or participate in, your creativity. Cool, right?

Today, since it's only 10 or so days til' Halloween, I figured I'd share some of their latest Halloween finds, because I know not everyone obsessively looks at the blog daily looking for patterns they'll never make but lust after anyway... it's why I have an Evernote account.

I'm enjoying Halloween a little more this year. Last year I wasn't in a great place, very bummed all the time and kind of just... I don't know, out of sorts. I was broke a lot...truly I'm *still* broke a lot but I've evened things out a bit and am *less* broke, and less often. Anybody who thinks money can't buy happiness hasn't ever truly been broke, or had to decide between this or that in any real way. I'm *much* happier when I have enough to buy a couple of pumpkins at Halloween, or the occasional German pancake for my daughter on a Sunday morning, knowing that even though I indulge a few dollars like that there's no worry of not being able to afford gas or groceries, that I'll have to decide how to stretch $50 for 2 weeks of food. (It can be done, but it sucks.) These things may seem insignificant, but they are things that make The Kid's and my world go round, and while I'm not suddenly rolling in dough now, far from it, I do have a little breathing room. A little goes a long way.

Does that make *any* sense at all?

Anyway.

Though we did buy pumpkins this past Sunday, we have yet to carve them, which is okay because I sort of like them sitting on my kitchen table, being orange and Fall-y.

But I digress! Halloween KK ahead!

First, my favorite today... Zombie Barbies!

If only I'd thought of this; can you just imagine a gaggle of these on your front lawn, pushing their way out of the dirt?! Creepy, but funny, and I don't think Barbie would mind too much. It's just a costume after all... right? Anyway, a zombies attack could never really last long. Science proves it!

From creepy to cute we have these little things.

Cute, right? If I had time, and didn't know the pain and agony that making teeny tiny little amigurumi items could bring, I might try it this year, but.... no. Instead I will just admire.

Craft can entail more than fiber and glue, of course, and this is certainly an original:

Uh... yum?

Blood slide candy. Brilliant! And gross! There are actually a lot of grody (yet probably delicious, if you're brave enough to try them) foodstuffs out there, like disturbingly realistic bread organs and bloody brain cupcakes. Me, I like the cuter side of Halloween, like the blood bank cupcakes I made a couple of years ago, or the dead gingerbread men.

I called it "Tasting Day At The Blood Bank". They were only a little gross, filled with raspberry jam so they "bled" when you bit them, but they were more funny than... well... bread hearts. Seriously if you haven't clicked the link up there, do it and tell me that's not severely realistic.

While looking for that picture, I came across the photos of what The Kid made last year. I still love these tiny pumpkins The Kid made, and the detail on the little bag. She's so creative! In fact, I decided to add the pumpkins to the Craft Halloween contest this year. Wish us luck!

Be careful with your Kraft Krazy, though... much like the awful bag I made Elise for her birthday, the items on this page show that just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD. Take, for example, the following actual pattern book that somebody really wrote and published.

Enjoy your nightmares of pie and stalkers!

Regretsy, a seriously funny website dedicated to finding the weirdest stuff on Etsy, dug up this gem and asked its followers to make ones of their own, because why not, right? Proving yet again that I'm not alone in my Kraft Krazy, the Regretsy folks ended up with more than they bargained for, which they are now selling in order to donate money to a young boy named Aidan, who's battling Leukemia. Nice, right?!

They're still creepy though.

I will grant you the following.

These look really hard to make, so props to the skilled knitter who pulled them off.
They look really warm, something I can certainly get behind, especially as my tolerance for cold gets lower and lower.

However, I say again. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, unless it's for charity.

Happy Wednesday!

That's A Mighty Long Post For A Lazy Weekend

2010-10-18T09:19:00.005-06:00

The Kid and I had a fun weekend. We were very relaxed and lazy, and it was glorious.

I have found more and more that since my return from Planet Vacation, I have had a much more calm view of things. I'm a lot more willing to let stuff go and just kind of rearrange as needed. I know I go on about the whole vacation thing, I mean people go on vacation all the time right? They don't all come back with revelations about themselves, do they? I'll shut up about it soon (probably) but for now I'm kind of enjoying riding the wave of "eh, whatever - let's go for a drive" that has appeared as my new attitude about life. I'd like to keep it, actually. It's awesome!

Saturday morning we slept in a little bit, and I tried to contain my shock at the revelation that my Child appears to have gotten herself her first boyfriend. I don't entirely approve of him, but she said yes to his offer of a date because "he's funny". It's a good start. I told her to be sure not to let him talk her into anything stupid, but like I told TR, I have to trust that I've taught her well enough that she'll make good decisions.

I also told her not to agree to hold any sort of anything for him unless she has first visually verified that there are no police cars anywhere.

"Is this from personal experience?" she asked, illustrating that I've told too many tales of my misspent youth. If I can't be a good example, I can at least be a horrible warning, right? (In truth, it was a friend, but I had to run with said friend, and it was awful and a pain in the ass.)

After running the gamut of "OH MY GOD MY BABY" and "Do I want my kid dating a boy who listens to Insane Clown Posse?" (only for the music, she assures me, and not for any of the "juggalo" nonsense), I woke The Kid, gave her my lecture, made her pancakes and took her to the school fundraiser she had signed up to work.

Then I went home and watched a Karen Black movie while crocheting a bikini because the Kraft Krazy senses the Christmas Kraft Krazy approaching and must be vented somehow or else about 10 afghans will get started and I'll be a wreck. Know your strengths, I always say, but more importantly know your limits.

After picking up Child from the very boring fundraiser (ask me later about how disappointed I am with the whole Leadership Academy thing), she asked me "can we go to the craft fair?".

Old Me would have been able to find a million errands that had to be run (I need a new shower head and a furnace filter, among other things), would have gone on and on about laundry and vacuuming, but New Me (See? I had a point.) thought for a moment and decided sure, why not.

I did a few craft fairs way back when, after learning how to make wire-wrapped jewelry. I was very proud of what I made, it really was nice stuff, but what I found out is that craft fairs are horrible for vendors. You shell out many dollars for a booth you have to set up and stock, and then you sit and hope that people will do more than just touch all your stuff and rearrange your displays. They rarely do, and unless you have extraordinary luck, you will not only be one of 10 other vendors selling exactly the same thing, you'll probably be right next to them, because rare is the event coordinator that stops to consider the idea of variety. It's frustrating, and discouraging, and I decided after the 3rd one that I was going to stick to being an attendee. I just don't have the patience to sell my wares, and frankly because of it I ended up losing interest in jewelry making.

I don't even enjoy going to craft fairs anymore, really, because I feel for the poor crafters stuck behind their huge displays of fake flower arrangements and stuffed animals made from socks and Hobby Lobby fabric. I know their pain. I also have this really awful tendency to look at stuff and mentally figure out how to make it myself.

I'm a terrible person.

I did have fun with The Kid picking through the bargain bin at the card making stuff booth; we found some supplies for making our Christmas cards this year on the cheap and learned some new things, like did you know you can use a wood-burning tool on contact paper and make stick-on stencils for glass-etching? NOW YOU DO.

After that we headed home and were shocked (SHOCKED!) to see it was already 5PM! My shoulder was hurting, so I gave in and ordered pizza, which was pretty good - I had them overcook it, so the cheese was brown and perfect, and they included a deliciously fresh salad. I talked TR through a good chunk of Kansas, and The Kid played an awesome new online game, a sort of animal themed "university" where you earn degrees in various subjects by learning new things (and this is why I don't worry about her - that's her kind of fun). A little bit of Pushing Daisies on Netflix (a great show!) and it was off to bed for both of us.

Sunday, at about 8:30 AM, The Kid woke up with a craving.

"It's Sunday," she said.

"Dur," said I.

"It's before 10 AM..." she coaxed.

Silence from me. I knew what she wanted... I just like to make her work for it. So mean.

"And?"

"Can we? Pleeeeeease?"

See, there's this restaurant, Aunt Alice's. It's a diner, the kind I've always loved and the only one around, really, at least in Longmont. It's totally un-updated with a counter and old booths and the same waitresses who have worked there for eons and have regulars they greet by name.

Sunday mornings, they make German Pancakes which are awesome & cheap, and a quick calculation in my brain told me we could afford it. (I may have mentioned their German Pancakes before, but who knows. This is post #348, can you believe it?)

But here's the thing...

Old Me would have made us get dressed, maybe thrown a load of laundry in first, vacuumed or something, and generally screwed around being obsessive about stuff for an hour. After all that, Old Me probably would have managed to rationalize herself out of spending the whopping $15 it would take to have a nice morning's breakfast with her Kid and ended up making eggs instead.

New Me said "can we wear our sweatpants, do you think?" and we were off in 5 minutes flat. Lucille's I would have nixed as too pricey, but a couple of pancakes seemed pretty do-able. Life is for living!

After breakfast, it being a gorgeous Fall morning, we decided rather than go home and hole up until it was time for Derby, we'd take a drive into Lyons and go to the quilt shop. It was closed, alas, but we had fun anyway, driving around and looking at little tucked-away houses. The views from some of them are amazing, but I imagine it sucks after a heavy snow.

On the way back, we noticed a pumpkin patch. Did Old Me take over and say "we don't need pumpkins, wait for next week," and drive by? Nope. New Me said "Awesome!" and pulled in. We walked a corn maze, stared at some really bored-looking goats, and picked out 4 perfect pumpkins, plus a few little ones.

I really like New Me a lot better. She's way more fun.

The afternoon was nice... I took The Kid to practice, and after grabbing our tickets for her BIG DEBUT this Saturday (I'm so excited for her!), I headed over to see TR. It had been a long time since leaving Florida (he was still there awhile, then in Nashville with his brother), and I was glad to see him! He was a bit cross-eyed, having only returned at 4AM after the rest of his very long drive through Kansas and points East, but glad to see me too, and I was able to relieve him of several bags of Disney goodness that were clogging his floor...my how those things multiplied!

The Kid loved her Mickey ears... I love mine too! TR got them for me after I left for home, because he's awesome like that. Mine are blue and sparkly, and have fireworks on the ears, and The Kid's are more traditional...black with gold stitching. We both agree we have the best ones.
She also loved her giant Eeyore (I saved it for last) and her awesome Japanese swag (Totoro cards and flip-flop-socks that are as she put it "like mittens for your feet!") and various other goodies.

I had fun going through everything, and realizing that although I remember being seriously hot the day I got my Germany beer stein, it's only in the vaguest of ways. What I really recall is how delightfully cold the beer was, the talk about German Christmas glass with the nice kid in the ornament shop, how much I laughed at the players getting slayed by the Chilean Ham, and how much fun I had with TR. That's why we get souvenirs, ya know? It might appear to just be a plastic beer stein with a Disney logo on it, but for me it's a fantastic memory.

After a dinner of almost-not-burnt brats and boiled potatoes with butter (oh yes), I settled down to some math homework, The Kid went to bed (we're trying a closed door now, since the cats are a nuisance, cute though they may be) and that was that.

It was lovely and relaxed weekend, and I didn't worry about anything, and you know what? I still got my laundry and cleaning done. Just... later.

And the world didn't explode or ANYTHING!

Today's a beautiful day, and I have no complaints.

I hope you have a lovely Monday!

Ow.

2010-10-13T09:23:00.002-06:00

So remember when I managed to hurt myself at work, just sitting there making phone calls and scanning and stuff?

Well, things have gotten progressively better as time has worn on, thanks to the addition of a headset for my phone and moving stuff on my desk around for better access, but there's still some ick.

It should be noted that in Florida, my shoulder never hurt once. Not even on Space Mountain.

I'm just saying.

So the workers comp docs, after doing what they can, sent me to Be Well Body Works for a few sessions of deep tissue massage.

Have you ever had this done?

It hurts, but in that "I know this is going to be good for something" kind of way.

So first of all, the house wherein the magic lies is this adorable blue confection in downtown Longmont. It's got a beachy sort of sunporch where clients wait and listen to the sounds of waves crashing on the shore (courtesy of a sound machine). Needless to say I let my mind wander awhile with that - I think I need one of those things.

When my turn arrived, Kelly (owner & operator & goddess) took me to a room filled with quiet and little bits of spiritual happiness from all walks of faith - feng shui gold coins, a buddha, a lovely wooden cross - and a candle that was scented so lightly as to be completely ignorable. She knows her stuff.

She had me lay down... and then got to work. "You're gonna hate me for this," she said.

I didn't. But I maybe cried a little.

Just a tear or two.

Next time will be better.

It's hard to wear a bra today, though. Ow.

Last but not least... I want to note that Kelly also has a website featuring "Massage and Merlot". I think this has to be explored.

Quickly.

Vote For Me! (There's Potential For A Giveaway...)

2010-10-11T10:53:00.003-06:00

Don't ask questions, just vote for me!

You can't just go on faith? Fair enough, here's the details.

So there's this catalog I love, GaelSong. They have all kinds of celtic pretties and Ren Fair type things that would only collect dust in my house but STILL. I stay on their mailing list, despite having not ordered anything in probably 10 years, just so I can drool inappropriately from time to time.

WELL. Imagine my delight when I got their most recent email and it advertised... a writing contest! If I win, I get a $500 gift certificate...or a $100 one, which is just as lovely.

And I'm not above bribery...
If I win, I will buy something to post as a giveaway!

I hope you'll go vote for me, I don't think you even have to sign up for anything.

The goal... to describe the imagery on the Halloween catalog's cover, "spinning a tale" as they put it. I hope you like it!

Fall brings the simple pleasures of early twilight and the rustle of fall leaves underfoot as we walk beneath the watchful eye of the ravens that fly above.

What will we reap during our harvest-time, as we begin our trek into the dark from the balance of the Equinox? What will we gain as the dark comes on full-force, as we wait for the balance that Spring will bring us once again?

White-frosted grapes in the scrying ball seem to speak of good food and wine during the cold of the Winter months… and they will be long and snowy. The bare branches and drifting flakes of the smaller seeing-eye tell us that.

But what do our cards tell us? The Moon speaks to us of intense emotion, of cycles…what kind of emotion are we bringing with our red candles? Perhaps caution should be our friend. The Wheel turns ever onward, though, and we are reminded that the snows and dark – inside and out – won’t last long. All will pass with time. And what of the Princess? She is free of burdens… will Spring bring a freedom of our own?

Best to light our fires, check our stores, and guard against the dark…

Because here it comes!

I Love Florida, But Oh You Kid!

2010-10-08T09:04:00.002-06:00

I loved Florida. I miss Florida... those palm trees! The food! That ocean! And my SKIN... oh it felt like I had permanent lotion. "Ocean Lotion" as TR called it.

But...

Mornings like this remind me of what I love about Colorado.

Dear Universe:

Please let me win the lottery so that I can quit my job, spend lots of time with TR & The Kid, pay off my house in Colorado, buy a house in Martin County, go to school full time and get a teaching certificate in Colorado and Florida. You know, for commuting purposes.

Thanks a bunch,
Mimi

(My demands are few.)

Happy Friday!

Music

2010-10-06T11:46:00.003-06:00

I was thinking about how musical tastes change as we get older. Driving in to work this morning, Nine Inch Nails' Closer came on. I used to love that song, but it was, as I discovered, something I only loved in a particular context. I'm not a 20-something malcontent in fishnets anymore, for better or worse, and NIN no longer applies. I still think the music is genius, but I can't imagine a place for it in my life anymore. Same goes for most of the Gothier music I used to listen to; it was stuff I enjoyed at a particular time in my life, but very little of it stuck.

One can only listen to so much Joy Division.

I find that the music I still listen to tends to be more upbeat and warm-blankety, if that makes any sense?

Did you have a favorite band when you were growing up? Of course you did.

My first favorite... The Monkees.

I LOVED me some Davy Jones.

I would scour garage sales for their albums, listen to Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius and Jones, Ltd. over and over (I LOVED Pleasant Valley Sunday), and fantasize about what I'd say if I ever got to meet them.

Would I ask for Micky's autograph? Scream and cry and wail at Davey? Crack jokes with Peter?

Ask to touch Mike's toque?

LOOK AT THAT THING. I wonder if this is why I like crochet.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that the shows I'd been watching had been filmed before I was even born, and that in fact they'd been broken up for ages.

What!? I was like TEN. What concept of time periods did I have yet?

Time marched onward, though, and a love of one British cutie turned in a love of 5.

Duran Duran.

I'm not sure what it was (besides John Taylor, second from the left there, who is still as cute as ever - I suspect dealings with the Devil), but I loved them to pieces. They were the first band whose images I cut from magazines, taping them to walls in my room, whose clothing style I wished to mimic (the cuffs were pushed up BELOW THE ELBOW, thanks very much). I had all their albums, and of course listened to them incessantly. I still love them... The Chauffeur and Save A Prayer still show up regularly on personal playlists.

I even "choreographed" a really bad dance routine with a friend for a sixth-grade gym assignment. It didn't go well, and it haunts me still!

Next up, just in time for junior high, was INXS. I went through a huge Australia phase, starting with Crocodile Dundee (don't mock me!) and Big Pig, who did one of my favorite nobody-knows-about-it albums ever. (Sidebar - TR does. This is one of many reasons I like him.) Somebody introduced me to Michael Hutchence's curly locks and Aussie accent, and there was no going back.

DAYUM

I obsessively collected all their tapes, all the way back to the very first one which nobody had but me. I had to get it imported, and that was BEFORE the internet...it took doing!

After Michael Hutchence died - my first experience with humanity in an idol - I threw all my tapes out. I regretted it later, but at the time I was sure I could never listen to them again. Fans of The Beatles might understand this, though I'm in no way comparing the two, merely the sentiment. I can enjoy their music again now, but then? Not so much.

During the wane of my INXS obsession came the advent of the band whose continued presence in my life has irritated some, amused others, but always given me comfort.

The Cure.

Not too long before high school, I had foot surgery. It was done on both feet, and I was laid up for a solid 6 weeks, watching Santa Barbara and hobbling around with a walker. To ease my pain, my mom brought me a couple tapes of music... I don't remember the others, but one was The Cure's Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, which remains one of my favorites.

What is it with me and accents?

True FANDOM set in with The Cure. There weren't just posters and concerts and tshirts and stickers, there was identification with and memorization of lyrics. Many Cure songs made it onto horrible mix tapes. I could assign a Cure song to any situation. I even used one song, How Beautiful You Are, as my public speaking assignment in my Freshman year drama class.

I drew fan art - some of it pretty good - and even showed some early Kraft Krazy by using fabric paints to make my *own* fan shirt. It got lots of compliments, and then it got stolen - a true testament to not only the cool art but also to the fact that I was not alone in my obsession.

The Cure was the first band where I found and participated in a community. Cure concerts are fun places to people-watch because of the diversity of that community! Young Goth kids who appear to have raided my 17-year-old self's closet, 60-year-olds in Hawaiian shirts who probably went to their first shows way back when the band first started, and my generation who find ourselves somewhere in between. We still want to pull off the raccoon eyed look, but we're becoming more and more aware that Hawaiian shirts and sneakers are just so much more comfortable than PVC and leather on a hot July day.

Those groups give each other the eye, the young kids wondering what the hell Grampa is doing there, the old folks wondering if the be-leathered whippersnappers have any concept of The Cure before Disintegration. All that goes away once they take the stage, though, and when everyone collectively freaks out and yells the lyrics to this song or that, we're all together and on the same page.

Overstating it a bit? Perhaps. But it's the truth.

I've experienced other concerts and music venues in much the same way, but The Cure will always be the first one, because I've been 2/3 of that crowd so far, and I'm well on my way to the last bit. The last show I went to, I brought The Kid. And I wore Crocs. And my back was hurting so I used my handi-tag.

I don't listen to The Cure very often these days, although sometimes I feel the need to bust out The Head on the Door or one of the other myriad bits of memory-filled music I own - and I have a LOT. Their music is so ingrained in me, it's almost like I don't have to listen anymore to hear them.

These days my musical tastes are all over the place. I mentioned the warm-blanket feeling, and that's really what drives my choices now. If I'm feeling content with the world, I gravitate toward mellow stuff like Dave Mathews, or some Beck if I want to drive a little faster than ol' Dave will take me. If I'm feeling blue, I try not to listen to the Smiths, but sometimes I want to wallow and only Morrissey will do. If I'm feeling the need to relax, I throw on TR's Black Rock City mix from last year and lose myself in there for awhile. If I need to be a badass for awhile, Garbage works almost every time - nothing like channeling Shirley Manson to really get that "don't mess with me" look on your face.

So what are you listening to these days?

What bands did you LIVE for way back when that you almost never put on anymore, but which still hold a place in your heart?

(Thanks go out to Wikipedia today...they provided all my links, and made my life easier.)

Florida, Part the Third... and Derby Names

2010-10-05T10:18:00.005-06:00

When we last left off, TR & I had finished up at Disney and were on our way south.

TR smartly planned a little sojourn afterward, I think knowing that we'd both need a little relaxing after the madness of Disney, and it ended up being my favorite part of the trip. Even more of a favorite than Space Mountain and drinking our way through Epcot. It was good to spend a couple of days doing nothing much.

After Kyle the Amazing Luggage Guy got all our stuff down to the car...

Oh wait, did I mention the car TR rented while his van was in the not-really-AAA "AAA Car Care Center" outside Disney?

Dude

Have you ever driven a Mustang convertible? I have, and yes I'm totally bragging. I loved that car.

Anyway we tucked our stuff in the bitchin' auto and headed south on the Florida Turnpike. TR had good memories of stopping at the way-stations along the road as a kid to collect information brochures (you know the ones, there in a tantalizing array, promising fun for years on end), and The Kid & I like looking at those as well (we always have a good pile when coming home from pretty much anywhere), so we stopped at one. They reminded me of the oasis that show up here and there in Illinois, straddling the highway with promises of bathrooms and Baskin Robbins. They were irresistable! While we were there we also grabbed a sandwich to share from Earl of Sandwich, which was really good! Grilled bread, some kind of yummy sauce or other, hot turkey and crispy bacon...I wish they were in Colorado! We had wanted to eat there while at Disney but hadn't gotten the change. So... kismet!

We kept on driving and finally made our way onto Hutchinson Island and the Atlantic Ocean. There were some tropical storms brewing out on the ocean, so although we had clear skies, there were strong winds and heavy surf, and it was gorgeous. The hotel was lovely, quiet and our room had an ocean view.

I love this picture

TR had planned it so that we would be in our room and on the balcony in time for the moon to rise over the ocean; he even brought the mead I bought him for Christmas, producing a couple of glasses as a surprise. Très romantique, non? I thought so.

We were hungry, so we used Trip Advisor (which is awesome) to find something to eat that didn't involve the hotel. I wanted something a bit local - Floribbean as it turns out - and we found just what we were looking for in Cap's Island Grille.

Cap's is awesome! The food is fantastic - the fish tacos alone are worth the trip - and the guys who own it (Craig & Paul) are really nice. They made TR & I feel right at home! We even left a record of our trip on a dollar for their wall-o-bills. It's like a time capsule waiting for the next time we go there.

Saturday we lazed about for a little while before heading out for breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. It was your standard buffet, but it had a ton of fruit, and TR made a fruit salad to end all fruit salads... it was so good we had it Sunday, too! After breakfast we took the 'stang out for a tour of the surrounding area. It's gorgeous there, did I mention this? Two things of note...

Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge. This place was awesome; we toured the museum, learning about some seriously horrific wrecks, and enjoyed the view from the porch, but the best part was talking with the two owners, who had chucked it all and moved to Florida some time before, and now run the place. They are truly livin' the life.

PP Cobb's General Store in Fort Pierce. We were looking for a coffee shop next door, but it was closed. Kismet again! We walked in and were immediately awash in kitsch and fantastic music. Truly a general store, the shelf by the register featured a jar of mayo (one jar, mind you) a few cans of cat food and some allspice, among other things. The owner also has a collection of pre-WWII music CDs he's put together. TR bought all 4 and we enjoyed them immensely the rest of the trip... at one point I thought I was going to bust something laughing at one of the songs in particular.

After touring around all day, we needed some time in the ocean. We stopped at one of the many, many parks set up along the way, getting our feet wet and admiring some Sand Pipers, which were being cute and probably eating sand fleas, which aren't actually fleas. Who knew?! Well, TR did...he knows stuff.

Deciding that it would be nice to actually go in the water (rather than just getting our feet wet) we decided to go back to the hotel and hang on their beach. We weren't able to go in too deep, because the undertow was really strong... we both ended up getting knocked around like defective Weebles just standing calf-deep, much to our own and others amusement. Thankfully, there are places to shower off and de-ocean, because there is, as I now know, nothing quite like getting a wedgie from the Atlantic when it's kicking up sand!

The regular pool, as it turned out, was warm as bathwater, and we spent some time there (we still wanted water, and the pool offered less danger, though only slightly less sand) before deciding it was definitely time to eat... it had been a long day.

After the moon-rise, it was time for dinner at Cap's again, much to our delight, and then it was back to the hotel to crash and sleep in Sunday morning.

Sunday... well, Sunday was a kind of a bummer, much as I tried not to let it get to me. I really didn't want to go home, and the car ride back to Orlando was quiet, at least until the GIANT F'ING BUG appeared. I'm still not sure what it was, but it was enormous, red and lived in the back. We could hear it buzzing. Why didn't we just put the top down and let it go on its merry way, you ask?

Lovebugs.

There had been a few flying around when we were in Disney, but the bit of rain at the end had really upped the population. They're harmless, but EVERYWHERE.

You can't linger at the airport drop-off, so it was a quick kiss, grab the luggage and then...

I was on my own again.

Want to know something really silly?

I cried on the plane when it was taking off. It sounds really girly and dramatic, I know...and so unlike me! I analyzed it later and I think it was just like the day after any big event. The "hey wait, I wasn't done with that!" factor was HUGE.

I think it's proof that this vacation was more than just a fun trip when I realize that it really truly feels like it's been a month since we were there - in fact I keep telling TR that I'm looking forward to him coming back (he's in Florida still, and headed to Nashville shortly to help his brother move). I am looking forward to that, of course, but it's like I haven't seen him in ages; it's only been a week! He probably thinks I'm nuts. (No news there, but still.) I was so removed from my normal life that coming back felt like returning from another planet. I really needed that, I think... the removal of me from myself. I'm not sure I've ever had that before. It was just really different than anything I've ever done, and it was surprisingly affective.

The problem, of course, is that I want more. Not just more Disney, although that's a blast, and not just more beach and palm tree action, though the ocean is calling to me. What I want more of is...

Time.

Time to do jack shit if that's what I want to do. Time to look at things and SEE them, not just take cursory glances because I'm on my way somewhere else. I want time to stop and smell the roses. I fear going to my grave not having seen more than a sliver of what there is to see.

Or maybe I should just relax and enjoy my memories... I just wish they didn't seem so ancient already!

Anyway, back to the world...

It's Monday!

And I have exciting, non-Florida news!

The Kid? She passed her skills test. All the hard work she did paid off. Now we just have to come up with a good name for her... Daisy Mayhem, it seems, is taken. Even T-Lex (her other choice) seems to have been co-opted at least twice. I suggested Lexcessive Force, but she didn't like it... too many letters, I think. She wants something punchy!

I suggested she think of a name she'd like to be called, since your Derby name is how you'll be addressed, and she came up with Clementine and Jude. Clementine is taken, both as Clementine and Darlin' Clementine, but Jude only shows up once... as Jude O'Chop (which is hilarious). I had thought of Jude Betterwatchit, but it seems clunky.

We are open to any and all suggestions, got any?

Happy Monday!

Disney Madness, Part Two

2010-10-01T09:44:00.004-06:00

Let's see, where did we leave off.

Oh yeah, Epcot! Gorgeous, fun, best food ever, drank like a fish, I can't wait to go back! Etc!

So besides Epcot, we had a brief visit to Animal Kingdom. We didn't spend as much time as we would have liked, for sure, since it was pretty hot and we were both fairly pooped (and I had a bit of a headache). We got to see some wildlife, like flamingos and spoonbills and crested cranes and gorillas (which are just awe-inspiring), plus the Tree of Life. I would have liked to see it closer up but it was hard to get to... what I did see was unbelievable!

This guy was posing for me

There are so many animals carved in here, I wonder if anyone's every seen them all!

I loved Dinoland, U.S.A., a love-note written to the days of Route 66 and the American road trip, complete with cracked and repaired blacktop roads and a theme of the end of the Dinosaurs. They also had Motrin, so they get extra points.

We also rode Everest, which turned out to be another favorite roller coaster! It's scary, but...

So.

Much.

Fun.

TR has been to Nepal, and says you'd swear you were there with the design! Those Imagineers, I tell ya. I mean look!!

Does that look like an amusement park to you? There are all these little bits of decor all around the park, including things you'll only see if you explore them. Those are definitely some of my favorite things at Disney, like the Hidden Mickeys, things that you'll only see if you really look. Like most things in life, it is what you make of it. You can go to Disney and just ride rides, or go for the good food (hello Food & Wine Festival!), or go for your kids, or just to relax, but you can also explore and see all the little things that have been left for you to find.

I like that option. I'm a big fan of the behind-the-scenes tour. I like knowing the hows and whys.

I definitely want to visit Animal Kingdom more next time, to spend a full day there and go on one of the safaris, and have more of the awesome barbecue at Flame Tree.

We visited Magic Kingdom a couple of times, occasionally by boat which was awesome. I love being on the water. (Note to Elise...when we all go together, and we SO WILL, we're going to have to rent a pontoon boat and bring a cooler, seriously.)

Magic Kingdom is definitely the "classic Disney" spot. There's Main Street USA, which greets you when you arrive and has windows emblazoned with the names of significant members of Disney history.

There's lots of shopping of course, and everything smells so good! There's lots of shopping everywhere in Disney, actually... a trip to Downtown Disney proved that for good and all! It's like Disney's mall over there, with the added bonus of Cirque du Soleil and Ghirardelli Chocolates.

The first visit to Magic Kingdom was also right around lunch time, and TR was looking forward to get some more of one of his favorite spots to eat there, Columbia Harbour House, so off we went! They have awesome fish, fantastic sea-faring decor and a birds-eye view for people watching and checking out the little Disney touches that are everywhere, like Tom Sawyer's fence - only half white-washed, of course. Another one of those things that you won't see if you aren't looking!

Like Epcot, there was a LOT to take in, but it was different in that it was more about classic Disney than innovative Disney. There were a lot of icons here, most notably Cinderella's Castle, which looks huge (a testament to those Imagineers), the statue of Walt & Mickey out in front of the castle, and rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan.

That crane on the left there was up and down all week, decorating

We explored a little bit that first day, riding Splash Mountain (no I didn't flash anyone) which was awesome and just thrilling enough at the end to elicit a good sold yelp. That drop is pretty steep! We also rode Pirates and Haunted Mansion a couple of times, though my eyes couldn't take it all in - the details are unbelievable! I loved the pirate ship sailing far off under the ghostly moon on Pirates, and the deeply creepy, almost unseen portraits of Gruesome Cousins of Yore that lined the walls of the Mansion.

We also went to see The Enchanted Tiki Room, something I've always wanted to see, and the Hall of Presidents, which made me want to stand up and cheer! There wasn't a dry eye in the house at the end of it all. I think all American kids need to see this at least once in their life, to remind them of who we are... or at least who we're supposed to be.

The best time, though, and really I can't believe how we lucked out, was the Halloween Party Thursday night. It's a special thing they're doing all month. There are jack-o-lanterns in all the windows, special fall/Halloween decor and gifts everywhere you look, and at night...

Oh, at night it's transformed!

We happened to go at just the right time. Thursday was a full moon, the Fall Equinox, and the weather was fantastic. TR & I both brought costumes with us, so I in my Pirate Garb and he in his Burner Fantasticness both got to run around and be admired (the kids LOVED his purple boots), and act like kids. Riding Pirates of the Caribbean, in pirate gear, with my brand new fancy shootin'-iron tucked decoratively away in my bodice, was definitely a highlight. I even got into character a bit, lightly threatening the loud girl behind us (she loved it, as evidenced by all the giggling).

We also rode Peter Pan, which charmed me utterly. As TR said, you could almost hear Uncle Walt telling the designers "no, make it FLY!".. and it does, over London, Nana, the Lost Boys, the Mermaids, Princess Tigerlilly... the whole 9 yards. We rode it twice in a row... the bonus of going to these after-hours things is there are practically no lines for anything!

The Haunted Mansion was, of course, totally done up for the occasion, with cast members dolled up and lurking, doing their best to give chills to those brave enough to venture inside... there was even a real live ghost hanging out and chatting on the front lawn! She was hysterical.

We attempted to take some professional pictures, though I'm not sure how they came out. Despite the nice weather it was still pretty swampy, and my hair was wet, so I'm sure I looked like a drowned rat; that's okay though... You'll notice a lack of photos, in fact, and this was on purpose. I took a few with my camera phone, of course, but I wanted to experience it all with my eyeballs, and avoid spending too much time on memorializing. I'll save that for next time.

There were special fireworks for the Halloween Party, too, and this is where they really went all out! The crane we saw all week working on the castle turned out to have been decorating and re-decorating every day just for this! Now THAT is dedication.

They managed to make Cinderella's confection of a castle into this evil-looking, acid-green monstrosity, a place you'd be afraid to visit even in the full light of day... and the fireworks were unbelievable. We watched from the circle in front of the castle, the moon full and riding high in the sky, grinning with delight. I know it's hokey, but that was when I truly felt Disney make magic for us... real magic, the kind that you can't explain or deny. I'm always one to rationalize myself out of true enjoyment; I can always see the seams on a costume, or the bolts on a ride, or the switch on the wall of a display. Disney makes it so that you not only don't see those things, you forget they might even be there.

Yeesh, I sound like a commercial. But so be it!

After the fireworks and some more rides, we found that once again, 5 hours had zipped by and we only had half an hour left! We raced across to Space Mountain, and let me tell you...

WOW.

This was one of my favorite rides in the World. It's super fast, super fun, and though it's a bit awkward to get in and out of (especially when in a corset - yowza), it was unbelievably fun... and FAST.

Our last day in Disney we went to Magic Kingdom one last time. The weather was finally starting to get interesting, and we even managed a good solid downpour! I got to ride one more icon of Disney, the Jungle Cruise, which was hysterical and very Bob Hope. One more bit of fish from Columbia Harbour House, and one last go on Space Mountain...

And that was it!

It's kind of cool that the first ride of Disney was Spaceship Earth, and the last was Space Mountain... and our last Monorail ride was the green one, my favorite! I can't wait to go back.

Well that's enough for today I think... I have one more tale to tell, all about fast cars, palm trees, moonlight, music and fish tacos.

Next week!

Happy Friday, and I hope you had a wonderful week. Me, I'm aghast that a week ago right this minute I was riding Space Mountain. It feels so long ago already... I'm already back to my routine, although I seem to be more relaxed about it all.

I think this trip changed me.

Thank goodness!

Disney Madness, Part One

2010-09-29T11:10:00.004-06:00

Does it tell you anything about my trip that it's taken me 2 days to even coordinate myself enough to sit down and write something?

And even now that I *am* sitting, I can guarantee it will be less than cohesive.

Note to self... schedule a day for down time next time, because dropping right back in is a fool's errand.

So let's see. Where to start.

There's the... um, adventure?... TR endured on his way to Florida in Le Van. About halfway through the middle of nowhere, his check engine light came on. AWESOME! He spent the next, oh, 20 hours or so fighting with that, attempting to find service stations. Finally he decided to just hope for the best, and of course he made it, but the van needed a doctor visit.

Which is fine, because that meant we rented a car.

What kind of car? We'll get to that later.

As for me, I spent Thursday furiously working through everything possible, cleaning my desk so that nothing would hang over my head while I was gone. I was mostly packed, but knew I'd have to finish up some last minute stuff... my mind was mostly at work, but halfway onto the plane!

I had been working hard to get as much school work done as I could, too... who wants to do homework on vacation?! My English teacher was kind enough to give me an advanced list of the Week 5 (already??) work, so I was able to get pretty caught up. I still ended up doing some homework while I was there, but not much!

So at last it was Friday morning. I got The Kid up and ready for school, dropped her off and then headed back home to meet my friend Melissa, who I plied with Starbucks in exchange for a ride to the airport.

I did homework while I waited for the plane, having gotten through security in 3 minutes flat and thus burdened with an excess of free time. No moment wasted, I tell you. I'm SO EFFICIENT.

Anyway.

I totally lucked out on the plane; TR set me up with a window seat because he's awesome, but as an extra bonus, the seat between the window and the aisle ended up unoccupied! The nice guy on the aisle and I high-fived over that one.

Finally landing after our very pleasant flight, I admired the gorgeous landscaping at the Orlando Airport. Well... I thought it was landscaping, turns out that's just how Florida looks. It's unbelievably gorgeous. Those palm trees! All that green!

TR picked me up in the ailing but able van, and presented me with a lei (we were staying at the Polynesian), a button saying "1st Visit!", and my Key to the World.

Isn't that cool? I felt so welcomed... and I wore that pin all week! It earned me greetings, discussions on how my trip was going, and a thorough Fairy Dusting which I'm still finding bits of even now, thankfully!

We arrived at the Polynesian and were immediately greeted by the thing I was looking forward to seeing in person most... the Monorail! I love the Monorail. I wish we had one.

There's no way to accurately describe this place, so I'll just direct you toward the link up there, and give you this picture to look at, which was the view from our room.

We could see the boats going back and forth, the castle at the Magic Kingdom and Space Mountain across the lake, both lit up all night, the other two lagoon-side resorts (the Contemporary and Grand Floridian), the ibis and lizards that were everywhere, and the monorail. We could also see the fireworks at night.

It was absolutely glorious! In fact we spent a whole day there, our feet and legs too tired to go on, renting a boat and eschewing our dinner reservations for pizza, mojitos and fireworks from the balcony. It was tough, but we managed.

The boating happened again. It was necessary. I drove, TR took many photos, and we shared (sort of - I got carried away) a Mai Tai when we got back. A lovely afternoon.

And look what was waiting on the bed for us the first day! We loved our room attendant, Sylvia. She also left us what we named The Towel Princess, and a cute towel dog who I neglected to photograph. We loved Sylvia.

It would have been perfect if not for the adjoining door. Know what happens when you have an adjoining door at the Happiest Place On Earth?

Small children.

Well, a little bit of imperfection just highlights the good stuff, right?

Right?!

Once we had our stuff sorted, it was time to head out and start experiencing the parks themselves!

First, though...

Dinner.

Kona Cafe is part of the Polynesian, and we ate dinner and breakfast there twice. Dinner was the same thing both times because oh my...

Tuna Oscar**
Served with Fried Green Tomatoes,
Tempura-fried Jumbo Lump Crab,
and Wasabi Hollandaise

**That is not my picture. The thing I love about Disney best is the Disney Freaks. There are literally photographs of everything we ate there, taken by other people. This a) shows the consistency of deliciousness available there and b) shows that people are insane. I'm insane too, I just didn't have a good camera with me so *my* picture of the Tuna Oscar was atrocious. Just so you know.

Yeah. Twice.

For desert the first night, in celebration of a week of not having to be an adult in any capacity if I didn't feel like it, I got the most ridiculous desert on the menu.

The Kona Cone.

Again, not my photo. As evidenced by the copyright. Duh!

This is a waffle cone. Filled with two scoops, one vanilla, one chocolate. With a chocolate Mickey in it. And sprinkles. And M&Ms. And cotton candy.

Who would feed this to their child? Seriously!

It was pretty awesome.

It was a good thing I loaded up on the sugar though, because we had a long night ahead of us...

Epcot at last!!

There's no way I can go into full detail about our time at Epcot. There was too much. The first and last ride at Epcot for me was Spaceship Earth. I was completely blown away by the detail and everything else, and was a weepy mess by the end. That happened a few times actually, most notably the Hall of Presidents, American Adventure and Last Day rides.

Okay, there's no Last Day ride. But I was bummin', and there may have been hormonal imbalances going on, so there.

So since I can't quite detail everything for you, I'll sum up. During our week, we experienced all of the following at least once.

Air conditioning pit stops.
Test Track at midnight.
Mission Space is not for the faint of heart, but if you're going to do it, do the orange line and grab a sick sack.
Stupid Judy!
The fountain of a thousand oversprays! So welcome on a hot day. And they were all hot days.
The Land Pavilion... baby alligators, feeding fish, hydroponic instruction, Farmer Mickey, the best salad ever on Earth and SOARIN'! I loved that ride so much.
Turtle Talk is the coolest thing ever.
The store in Japan was enormous.
Canadian steaks and soup and Tropical Mojitos.
Strawberry Oolong Tea Slushies in China.
Orange Cream Vodka Slushies in France.
Margarita Slushies in Mexico.
German beer by the murrfurrin' quart. (Yes we pretty much drank our way through Disney. Vacations RULE.)

The detail on all the buildings blew my mind, and Hidden Mickeys are EVERYWHERE. I got a little obsessed actually, I started seeing them even when we weren't actually at Disney. Like in the fan at the hotel on Hutchinson Island. And in the fields on the way home on the plane. I think I have a problem.

So that was Epcot. Not really, but you get the idea.

Well, I think that's enough for one day... I have at least 3 more blog posts I can squeeze out of this trip! There's Magic Kingdom! Animal Kingdom! The beach! It's all coming. If I can remember.

It's all getting hazy...

I think I'd better go back there and do some fact checking.

You know, for accuracy.

Still Finding Sand

2010-09-27T08:46:00.002-06:00

Hi guys! I'm back!

I had an incredible vacation. As you can imagine, I'm totally and completely swamped with work and catching up to life.

TR has often told me about how hard it is returning to the "default world". I sort of understood before - it's hard to go off-planet and then try to jump back in - but now I really get it; I haven't disconnected like that... since...

Well, never actually! I've never been that out of touch with the world.

And it was wonderful.

And I want more.

Le sigh.

Anyway I'm back! And I have lots to tell you. Just not today, because holy hell.

I'll just leave you with this for now...

Holy Spontaneous Surprise Clapping Babies, Batman!

2010-09-17T05:00:00.008-06:00

So today I get to be part of something awesome.

Jana and Sasha, mutual blog friends of the Famous Formerly Almost Mrs. Dandy, got together and planned an awesome online baby shower! I've never heard of doing this before, and so of course I'm convinced we are the first. Don't burst my bubble if you know different!

They are super cool girls and I'm so grateful to them for inviting me to be part of it.

Click that right there...there should be a whole list of blogs shortly!

We're treating this just like a regular ol' baby shower, too, minus the cake unless you thought ahead like me and are eating a cupcake while typing.

Let's see, what comes first?

Oh right. Games.

Can I confess something to you? I hate Baby Shower games. But this is a traditional baby shower, dammit, so here goes.

First up, the "Don't Say the B-Word Game", wherein you get a safety pin, and lose said safety pin to the diligent attendee who hears you say "baby".

Whoops! Already lost that one... I've said it like 20 times already.

Okay moving on... how about Baby Bingo? Okay I'll start. Clear your Free Space. B-1!

Oh you don't have a board? Hm. I don't either, now that I think about it. Maybe the games will have to wait.

Let's just skip to the best part...

Presents!!!

From Babycakes & Decor, an AWESOME Etsy shop. The Dandys have been calling the Dandyling "Peanut", which is adorable, and look what Mrs. Dandy found for him and put on her extremely convenient registry?!** They even wrapped it sweetly, which makes me feel better about not having something ready to wrap and send myself.

**If you want to send her something too, email me privately and I'll give you her name - gotta protect the innocent!

"Wait, Mimi," you're saying. "Don't you have the Kraft Krazy running in your veins? Where's the handmade goodness?"

Well, it's coming. I'm working on it. DON'T PRESSURE ME!

No seriously, I have something fun in mind that I obviously can't tell you about but I can guarantee The Dandys will like it! I hope! I'll share pictures when it's done.

Now that we're done with the games that don't work and comparing presents, it's on to the most important part.

Advice.

My first bit of advice is don't listen to any of it too closely. Everyone is going to have things to offer, bits of wisdom, experiences to share, and your experiences will be the same sometimes and vastly different at other times. Every single pregnancy, birth and baby is different - that's why it's so much fun!

Having said that, here are some things I remember about when The Kid was a tiny thing.

Breastfeeding is awesome. Your nipples are going to hurt for a little while though, so have some nice cold packs ready to go! (No really, you have no idea how powerful a vacuum a baby's mouth is - one time in the doctor's office, she was hungry but the doctor was coming in, so I let her suck on my chin - don't ask me why. The resulting hickey took 2 weeks to subside.) I read somewhere that cold, wet tea bags are a good option, but honestly who wants cold wet teabags stuck to them?! I'm sure there's a fetish out there, but for this purpose I'd say go with a little ziplock, filled with frozen peas, covered in a little bit of cloth. It's important not to use paper towels or flannel or anything that might leave a trace. Trust me on this. A handkerchief will do nicely, folded up so you don't freezer-burn your tatas.

Bottles are equally okay! I was only able to breastfeed for a few months because I had to go back to work and it just wasn't a viable option. You've seen photos of my Amazon... it clearly did not stunt her growth. The point is, do whatever works for you! Others' opinions are exactly that... opinions.

Sleep is important. Make sure you two take turns taking care of him, because not only are you both going to *want* to, you're going to need to in order to stay sane.

Couple time is important too. Let your mom or another trust friend babysit! You and B go out and have an awesome dinner. Eat cheese. Drink wine. So many couples make the mistake of suddenly becoming a threesome and not remembering where that threesome started! It's okay to leave Peanut home with a sitter now and again.

Germs are okay. They're even important! Sanitizing is important, too, but don't overdo it. Play pass-the-baby at Christmas, it's okay! If he gets sick, it's okay too. He'll get better. Building up those antibodies is important!

Speaking of which, medicine is a good thing! Lots of people have differing opinions on immunizations and such. I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do, but I *will* tell you The Kid has had every immunization imaginable, and other than getting a severe case of Sassy Teen, she's been absolutely fine. Immunizations aside, though, trust me on this one... BABY IBUPROFEN. USE IT. If he doesn't have an allergy, it's SO the way to go. It will bring a fever down and relieve teething pain in 15 minutes flat. Tylenol doesn't do that! Of course, this is just my advice. Again, don't use it if it doesn't work for you.

On the subject teething... It's awful. Their noses run, they cry, their ears hurt, they run fevers... give him medicine. They say if an adult went through teething they'd die from the pain. Baby Anbesol, Ibuprofen or Tylenol if that works... whatever it takes! And here's an awesome thing I discovered! When he's doing the Two-Year Molar thing, hand him a frozen waffle (younger than that and the waffle might be too much in the way of foodstuffs). He'll thank you for it. It's cold, tasty, and the ridges feel AWESOME. Ever have a sinus headache, and find just the right part of your cheekbones to push so it relieves the pain? Yeah, like that.

Accidents are going to happen. Don't worry too much. Babies and small children are unbelievable resilient. And wiggly. I discovered The Kid could roll over when she plopped down into the open sock drawer in which I was rummaging at the bottom of her changing dresser. Lesson learned! One hand remained on her belly from then on if I had to multitask. You learn as you go along, and they learn with you! Remind me to tell you about the time I dislocated The Kid's elbow. Twice. Lesson learned... Nursemaid's Elbow is not something the doctor made up to make you feel better!

Sometimes, big accidents happen. This doesn't make you a bad parent! Broken bones and road rash are par for the course, unfortunately... kids are daredevils! Know where your insurance card is at all times, and keep the kid's doctors phone numbers in your cell phone.

Is your head spinning yet? Okay, okay, tell you what. I'll just wrap it up with one more bit of advice.

Trust yourselves. "What, that's it?" you're asking. Yes! Trust yourselves. You are a smart woman. B is a smart man - he married you, didn't he? You two will figure it out. If you want advice, trust yourselves enough to ask one of us Mamas. Just don't take it as Bible Truth - take what makes sense to you, leave the rest, and go with your instincts! There's no instruction book. You do what feels right, what feels like it's best. That's your best compass.

Okay I said I'd quit with the advice, but I want to just say one more thing.

It's okay if you don't do everything perfectly. I swear. Peanut will remember hugs and kisses, his favorite teddy bear, his favorite book, car rides where he throws up spectacularly, and traditions of holiday joy - these are the things that stick!

Good luck, guys... you're going to be awesome.

Oh, and Mrs. Dandy? The diet's almost over. I promise.

So Much Time, So Little To Do... Wait, Rewind!

2010-09-13T15:05:00.002-06:00

Ah, my weekly post. Is this how it is now? Apparently.

I feel better knowing that some of my favorite blogstresses (Mrs. Dandy & Finny to name two) don't post every day, either, but still!

I think that because I've been writing SO much for my English Composition class that I *feel* like I've been writing every day... which I have, just not in here. Which I need to fix.

Anyway.

So it's Wednesday! It's 8:30AM and in about 50 hours (read: not soon enough) I will be...

Wait, sing it with me...

"Leeeeeeavin'... on a jet plane! Don't know when I'll be back agaaaaain..."

Well, I DO know, but you know what I mean. And now you have an earworm. It's my gift to you, no need to thank me.

So! My weekend, to sum up, this weekend I...

* Went to a Doctor Party
* Filled my backyard with dust (well, TR did)
* Stuck things in my ears and set them on fire
* Watched Disney videos from a by-gone age
* Celebrated an anniversary of gestational completion (Happy Birthday, TR!)
* Held a small, crying dark-haired baby
* Got 100% on my Math quiz... at 11:45PM (high fives all around please)

All in one weekend. I was exhausted.

Our friend Chris graduated with his Doctorate just lately. We're all very proud of him, and this past Saturday a few folks got together to celebrate! TR was pretty bushed still from his journey, having just gotten back the night before, so we only stayed for a couple of hours, but it was really nice to be able to say congrats, and I met the most fantastically chill cat ever. Enormous, black, and even small children did nothing to disturb the calm.

Sunday, TR suggested we do some ear candling. Have you heard of this? (No pun intended.)

There is a lot of literature saying it's bad for you, but equally as much touting the benefits. Being a fan of the holistic approach, I figured why not? I already can hardly hear, not like I'm going to damage my eardrums further (thanks Groovie - 20 years and counting!).

Ear candling is definitely an exercise in trust. You lay there, your head and eyes covered with a towel, a lit candle crammed in your ear and another person poised above you with sharp scissors and a bowl of water. I, of course, felt perfectly safe - TR being TR - but still!

And you would not *believe* the crap that came out of my head. I want to do it some more, not only because I want to see what else I can pull out (carrots, potatoes, possibly small mammals) but also because it felt AMAZING. It has the official Mimi Rickets seal of approval, but don't do it alone is all I'm going to say. And do it lying down, not sitting up like the picture shows. Trust me.

While we stuck flaming muslin wands in our ears, we also watched two videos full of those old Disney educational videos, which I love. There's something so delightful about the music, the saturated color... and Uncle Walt, of course. He's just *excited* about everything! It's no wonder he did what he did.

I always loved the nature videos, they were so lovely! The DVDs TR found were full of WWII and Atomic Age videos. By the powers of You Tube, I give you...

THE WINGED SCOURGE!

Malaria blows, and mosquitoes suck. I made a funny!

OUR FRIEND THE ATOM

Part 1 of 5... you can watch the rest online!

Sunday was also TR's birthday! We didn't make a big fuss, at his request, but a bunch of people did meet for dinner thanks to his brother's quick work.

And I got to meet Moira, owner of the fabulous plaid bibs! She's just a bitty thing, with a full head of black hair and lungs that put Maria Callas to shame. She had had JUST ABOUT ENOUGH when they showed up, having spent a full day getting passed around no doubt, and just really wanted to be swaddled. And I almost made off with her. I think I made her parents nervous, actually. I'm such a spaz.

Sunday was also the deadline to take Quiz #2 for my magical math class. I had to finish it by 11:59 PM... and at 11:45PM I scored 100%, thus proving that - at least occasionally - I can still function like the high school student I once was.

I'm really learning, too, though how much I retain is up for debate. For now, however, I can solve the following, and did.

On a 255 mile trip, Gary traveled at an average speed of 70 mph, got a speeding ticket, and then traveled at 60 mph the remainder of the trip. If the trip took 4.5 hours and the speeding ticket stop took 30 minutes, how long did Gary speed before getting stopped?

Can you answer it? I CAN. I am totally tooting my own horn, because that sucker was tough.

This week so far has been full of getting ahead on school work (who wants to do Algebra on vacation!?), watching The Kid practice her skating, packing, and daydreaming about Florida.

I can't WAIT to get outta here.

Happy Wednesday!

Hither And Yon... On Fire!

2010-09-08T08:02:00.004-06:00

First, a news break... to all of my out-of-state family and friends, I'm okay! The fire is creating a ton of smoke and ash down here, and breathing is kind of rough at the moment, but I'm okay. Lots of folks have lost their homes, but there's been NO loss of life! That's the important thing.

I can't believe it's Wednesday. Where the hell did he week go already!? Oh yeah... long weekend.

Let's see, where to begin!?

Friday night The Kid and I hung out at home, had some dinner and just relaxed awhile. It was really nice, and in retrospect a good thing since the rest of the weekend was busy busy busy!!

Saturday morning was spent doing lots of homework. I know I bitch about it a lot, but truthfully it's not so bad - there's just a TON of it! I'm also learning, though, not only about fractions (which are useful even though they're making me nutty) but also about how I am now as a student.

I have to have a plan.

When I was a youngin', I could go by the seat of my pants. Now, I need a checklist! I've also learned that I remember more effectively now, so that's a real bonus! The math book is helping with that - lots of repetitive questions which is awesome...practice makes perfect! The teacher is also fabulous.

I'm continuing to enjoy my writing class, though it sometimes seems a bit redundant. There's a lot of prep work, and some of it seems unnecessary, but I think it's because I'm a more experienced writer than the intended audience. That sounds snotty, I know! What I mean is that whereas the book is intended for a fresh-from-High-School first or second year student, I've been in the working world and writing for personal enjoyment for years, growing as a writer and learning by doing.

I think what I've enjoyed most so far is the excuse to sit and WRITE. I just write, the whole time! Some of it isn't stuff I'd choose to write about, but it's all fodder, yes?

Right now we're starting on our Personal Essay. It's basically a 4-page blog entry. I think I can, I think I can!

So that was my Saturday. Also most of my Sunday, and a good chunk of Monday. But I did other stuff too! I swear!

Saturday afternoon I put together dinner to take down to Chris & Robyn's house. Chris set up his computer so it showed on his TV, and we were able to watch Burning Man as it happened! I made my oh-so-famous baked pasta and a salad, which everyone enjoyed. I had to leave before the actual lighting, so I'm hoping to run across some photos...

Why did I have to leave, you ask?

Because I had to pick The Kid up from a party. A HIGH SCHOOL party. With boys.

Ug.

Sunday was Derby practice, and you'll be glad to know that things are really looking up! After emailing with her coach, I found out that a) she can skate at the local outdoor hockey rink - which I can see from my front step - with her regular wheels (meaning no shelling out for specialty wheels or something), b) she, the coach, and several other highly skilled skaters took ages to pass their skills tests and c) there was a special one-on-one training going on Monday morning.

I'm really glad I emailed her!

So Sunday early in the day, we headed to the hockey rink. The Kid worked hard, and I was able to work some good techniques out with her, like using her ab muscles and not her back to hold her form - it hadn't occurred to her, and it made a huge difference in her confidence level. I came up with a great thing for her to remember, too, when trying to think about how her body should be positioned. One of her favorite Halloween movies is Hocus Pocus (I love it too!). At one point in the movie, the witches in question hunker down and stalk forward after their intended prey. I realized that's exactly what she should be doing! Forward, aggressive...it made for a great touchstone and she's been using it!

After our mini practice, we headed to TR's to check on the kitties. I spied em', but they were pouting. I scooped the boxes, refilled the food and water, and talked to them for a few minutes. I knew they were there and figured a little human voice couldn't hurt, especially one they know!

Afterward, we went and joined George & Elise, TR's brother and his wife, for lunch and hanging out in their very cute house. We ate at DJ's Berkley Cafe, which was lovely! The Kid had the most delicious-looking club sandwich... we were bummed when we realized we left half of it in George's fridge, but it's just as well. We still had to get to practice, and it was HOT! It wouldn't have survived.

At practice, it became evident that the rink-practice and the mirror-work from the night before (another tip from the coaches) had us on the right track. Her instructors made a point to tell us that she was much improved! Score. I feel better (because it's all about ME right?!) because I was able to give her assistance in some way. I was feeling really helpless about it all - I'm supposed to be able to help my kid... and I did!

After practice, it was up to Greeley for us. I spent a little time on homework again - it's my new hobby for right now - but we also had a delicious dinner of home-made pork green chili, which was beyond spectacular! (Thanks guys!)

I watched the Temple burn out on the playa, and wished TR well, then hit the sack. I was beat from all the heat and driving!

Monday morning, despite the holiday, we were up early and, after a delicious breakfast of crepes courtesy of Nova, we were out the door and back to Rollerpunks for the special session practice. It was totally worth it. The Kid is now feeling super confident, has a concrete list of things to work on - it's short, but noteworthy, and we're going to work on it tonight.

After the practice, we did yet more driving, and headed down to Parker to spend some time with Melissa and her family. It was lovely! She bought a metric ton on ribs, made her own sauce (tangy, spicy and AWESOME) and we chowed down contentedly. Though Parker isn't too far from the practice space, it's a good 50 miles from home, so we took off not long after eating, though I would rather have lingered!

We were able to see the plume from the fires as we drove home - scary stuff.

The Kid and I were pretty wiped after our long weekend, so it was straight to bed and a dreamless sleep for both of us.

Tuesday morning, I got up, got ready for the day, got The Kid off to school and was just heading to work when suddenly my phone beeped... "Reminder: Doc @ 9:40".

Good thing I put it on my calendar! I would have been in Boulder, at my desk before I realized.

Since I had a couple of hours to kill, and was tired of homework, I got some sewing in. I've already seen that I can get really obsessive about the school stuff; I know that if I don't fit some Kraft Krazy in there somewhere I will go Konventionally Krazy. Nobody wants that!

I plugged in the sewing machine, fixed one of TR's favorite sheets (the edging was almost entirely ripped off), altered a tank top... it was like taking a deep breath. I MUST make sure I fit more of that in.

Remind me, ok?

Okay this is going to be really corny. You've been warned.

(corn)

The best part of Tuesday?

TR called.

He's out, and safe, and mostly in one piece. His duds worked out wonderfully, he had a (mostly) awesome time, and is on his way home.

Welcome back, TR... I missed you!

(/corn)

What?! I warned you! Quit rolling your eyes.

And yay for HTML nerditude!

Last but not least, I am happy to report that although it's going to cost me $1200, I now need no longer feel guilty about going to Disney World without The Kid. This March, she's going with her Orchestra to play a festival there, and they get to spend 3 solid days running around the parks! I worked out the bucks, it'll be tight but do-able.

I told her, though... whatever fund-raising activity they've got planned (and they do), she should plan on participating to the fullest extent possible. I'm willing to pay, but she can help that way!

Countdown to Florida:

9 days, 1 hour and 13 minutes until takeoff.

Woohoo!

Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch

2010-09-07T13:46:00.003-06:00

I will post all about my exciting weekend of driving hither and yon soon, but in the meantime, I give you the funniest photo I've seen in awhile!

All your memes are belong to us!

I love memes anyway, but this just really made my morning! And it's hypnotic... you look and look and it just goes deeper and deeper... it's like Inception: The Picture. I guess... I haven't actually seen the movie.

See how my brain works today? This is why the post shall wait.

Happy Tuesday... real live post soon!

The Process

2010-09-03T08:39:00.002-06:00

Things I've learned this week (week 2 of School: The Time-Suck)...

Online learning takes way more time than regular in-class learning. I can't imagine this is not true. I'm doing okay but...

Wow.

I'm looking forward to the time when The Kid can get herself to school and back, and I can take traditional classes, because I think I will enjoy that environment a lot more.

ANYWAY, I really did learn something besides fractions these last two weeks!

(Clearly it wasn't how to tell a cohesive story. That comes later. You hope.)

The "fastwriting" continues to be my favorite part, mostly because as you do this you discover things you didn't already know. This has always been my Achilles heel - doing things I don't already know how to do. It sounds arrogant to say that I can figure most things out and do them well, but...

It's true! I can't help it!

So when faced with something I *don't* know (like fractions) I get very frustrated with myself.

This often happens when I sit down to write... even this blog. You may have noticed me floundering around a time or two, posting videos rather than writing something... that was me not knowing what to talk about, or how to articulate what I *did* want to say.

This method really gets the creative juices flowing, and I have found myself not only with lots to say (I can't write fast enough with some of the prompts) but also with *new information* - things I didn't read about, or sit down and contemplate, but which came unbidden as I wrote.

I discovered, for example, that while I am still the perfectionist I've always been, and still seek praise, my idea of perfectionism has changed greatly, and though I still enjoy the motivation of being appreciated by others (don't we all?), the praise I seek most often is my own.

Hm.... I think I just started my personal essay! :)

So! Enough about school. I don't want it to become my life (tooooooo late).

I'm feeling a little bit better about the whole Derby thing, though not great. I'm really going to try to back off, although I did send a note to her coach asking for some advice, and to hopefully prevent some serious hurt feelings. Their team shirts are in, and I'm not sure The Kid is on the team since she hasn't passed her skills test. How embarrassing would that be for her?! So I figured I'd ask in advance. The coaches haven't been super clear on all this, which is understandable since this is the first year and they only see us once a week. I don't know what will happen, which is probably half of why I'm so anxious about it all, but I know The Kid will be okay in the end.

I hope.

I know disappointment and embarrassment is part of life, but how can I let it happen if there's something I can do to prevent it? She's had plenty of disappointment already. She's definitely not sheltered.

On deck this weekend...

Noshing and watching The Man burn with some of my favorite people and probably being slightly depressed for a little while - I so wish I was there in person, but I'm enjoying Camp Envy at least! The Nut compels us! (Don't ask.)
Writing and Math homework (OH GOD WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS).
A trip to the mall to scout non-jean pants for Florida - I hear it's swampy.
Visiting with TR's kitties and giving them a good brushing.
Trying to just be supportive and not so worried at practice Sunday.
Hanging with The Fabulous Greeley Crew.
Sleeping in on Monday - yay for 3-day weekends!

Happy Friday!

PS... Here's something I liked today.

Now Playing: Pity Party!

2010-08-31T10:21:00.003-06:00

If my life were a series of movies, the top-grossing, star-studded adventure this week would be...

SCHOOL
Week One: The Reckoning

Now I realize, I brought this on myself. Me and my need for pieces paper saying I has the smarts.

And you know I'm exaggerating.

As predicted, after the first week (was that really just one week?) I am feeling much more calm about the whole thing. Work is going along well so far, I got a compliment from my writing teacher (I'm a leader in the Discussions-capital-D... a LEADER dammit!), and it's been fun chatting back and forth with my fellow attendees. Some of them are very young, some are inexperienced but earnest, some are old farts like I am. The point is they're all really participating, and though this makes for a f!!!load of emails (pardon the swear - Lily Allen is running around in my brain today) to check every day, it also makes me feel better because I'm not alone, and I know it. If I really needed math help, I could ask for it.

I'm just too stubborn.

Another cinematic offering?

MOM GOES OVERBOARD
A Tale Of Parental Worry Gone Awry

So this Derby thing is stressing me out, and in turn The Kid. I really try to be hands-off, I DO, but it's so hard to watch the coaches keep having to pull her aside. I don't care if she's tops, I really don't, I just want her to keep up! I think she thought this would be an easy sport and honestly, so did I... not easy as in "it won't make you sweat or work hard" but easy as in "learn it, do it, play it". And she is having such a hard time learning these last few things for the skills test, which she has to pass or she can't be on the team.

She is trying, I know that (and told her so - also that I'm proud of her because I sure as hell couldn't do what she does). I just really hate seeing her be left out. She's so good when they're in-game, but the skills test is keeping her back.

I know on the surface it must seem like "Chill, girl, it's only a game!", but it's like watching her fall behind, watching her have such a hard time and be left behind, brings back all the helpless feelings of "how can I help her" that I felt when she was struggling in school. I couldn't afford tutors then, and I can't afford better skates/more time now. It makes me feel like a failure as a parent somehow, which yes I know is WAY overdramatic... but I have a feeling some of you parents know what I mean.

I've been dropping her off at practice, then picking her up afterward, because I'm stressing her out and we both know it, but then I get the stink eye from the coaches, and I missed her getting to be lead jammer - and scoring! - twice now... this of course makes me mad because her coaches are telling her she's not doing things right... so then how did she make lead jammer twice then?! Is she good at this or isn't she?

I can't even have her practice more, at least not reasonably. Do I consign more of my limited time to driving her down to the nearest skate rink, which is 25 miles away? I guess I'll have to, I mean how else can she practice? But she'll be practicing alone because everyone else lives down in Denver and goes to Littleton. I'm not driving to Littleton, I'm sorry... that's 46 miles away.

But of course, having said that, I got her into it, so doesn't that mean I'd better commit to doing whatever is necessary?

But WHEN?

It's supposed to be fun, but it's devolving. What do I do? How can I help her without being overbearing?

Should I help her, or should I leave her be? I tried asking her coaches what they suggested, and their only answer was "she needs to skate more".

I am carrying all this guilt... I was the one who suggested this whole thing, and got her all excited. What happens if she can't pass the skills test? What happens if she never gets to do more than go to practice and watch all the other girls get to be part of the team?

What if she fails at this?

Sometimes I think I am not cut out to be a parent.

Um, Wow.

2010-08-27T08:06:00.003-06:00

So yeah, it's been a long week.

Things I've discovered:

Algebra is as awful now as it was in high school, only now I have to pay for it.

Community College is just as hard as any "regular" college - any prejudices you might have about that should be officially throw out the window right.... NOW.

I really love writing with a pen, on paper.

One of the classes I'm taking uses a book called "The Curious Writer". The title is, admittedly, slightly eyeroll worthy, but truthfully I'm really enjoying it!

A technique the author pushes right off the bat is "fastwriting", which means keeping the pen moving, and giving yourself permission to write badly, poor grammar and spelling be damned. It's an idea-generation process, and it really works!

One of the first exercises was to spend 10 minutes fastwriting about a room in which you spent vast amounts of time as a child. Mine was about *my* room specifically, although it was an amalgam of the many rooms I occupied growing up. Writing that way brought back smells, sounds, and extremely vivid visuals which makes me sound like I licked a toad first but honestly it was just really evocative!

So that's a good class.

Math?

Well, I shouldn't complain. I got very lucky with this teacher and her book choice. It's pretty cool, actually, the whole book is not only hard-backed but also accessible online. While doing homework online, if you get stuck on a problem, you can do one of several things, including seeing an example, looking at the actual chapter in the book in a clear, color digital format, or in some cases seeing a video of someone working the problem out and explaining as they go.

So while math does, in fact, appear to still be a convoluted mess of extraneous information (unless you're an engineer, in which case I solute your perseverance in that venture), at least the teaching methods have evolved from just "memorize this" to "memorize this, but here let me explain why".

I still hate fractions though. I can't help it.

The Child's high school experience is going fairly well. She's going through a few things I knew she would, like separation from closer grade school friends. Her friend M doesn't even share lunch with her, much less any other class or a locker nearby, and as a result they don't do much more than text now and again. Of course it's only been a week, but you know that's just an eon in teen-years.

M is also a social butterfly, so her calendar is pretty full, all the time. She also, over the past summer, experienced her first obsessive friendship. You remember those, don't you? The friends you absolutely worshiped and would move heaven and earth to see? It wasn't romantic, it was just really focused. M found that kind of involvement with a brother & sister team, and although they aren't in the same school as she is, it makes it all the more painful for her, and all extracurricular time is dedicated to them.

It doesn't leave much room for other friends.

It's tough to watch The Kid deal with this, but I am pleased to report she's making new friends of her own, and getting into stuff at school. Yesterday she went to the Fall play meeting (well, it's more musical theater, but same diff). She's not interested in being on stage, but rather being part of the crew! She'll be doing lighting, which is amusing only because my old friend Quinn did the same thing during our high school time together. She even made a career out of it!

She's also working hard on Roller Derby still, and even worked her way into being Lead Jammer again last Sunday!

She's definitely working on her own life.

It doesn't make those inevitable changes, those changes to tradition, any easier.

Oh and here's something scary...

Next Spring?

DRIVERS ED.

Oy.

Well this weekend should be fairly calm, though filled with lots of hither-and-yonning. Tonight might include an appearance of Miss M mentioned above, though I'm not holding my breath for obvious reasons. Either way I'll be doing some serious math homework.

Tomorrow, more of the same, hopefully with a little time for sewing fit in - I really want to make these tank tops I've been aiming to make for the Florida trip! They shouldn't take too long, but that still means finding the time.

In the evening we'll be headed up to Fabulous Greeley to hang with the fam there and get The Kid's hair dyed a little bit... only the ends, Mom, I swear! I successfully talked her out of dying the whole thing, because in order to dye her hair at all it will involve bleach. Bleach the whole head and you ruin your hair completely. Just the ends though? Eh. That can get cut off.

Sunday, it's Roller Punks again, and I'll be going to check in on TR's cats, who are lonely and need some company! It'll be a struggle having to cuddle with 2 cats I adore for an hour or so, but I'm sure I'll muddle through.

Happy Friday!

And we're off!

2010-08-23T08:50:00.002-06:00

Well it's certainly a week for adventure, isn't it?

TR's headed out to the desert today - two whole weeks working and having fun and hopefully not getting too sunburned. At the very *very* least he is going to be the coolest cat there, with his robe (no, I don't have a picture DON'T JUDGE ME) and his fuzzy purple boots and Purple Robe of Cairo and so on and so forth. I had so much fun making stuff for him, and I'm already half-planning next year's selection because I have the Kraft Krazy as we all know.

There will be sheepskin!

Anyway so he's off on his journey, and today I start my very first official college classes! I don't really count that Accounting 101 course I took about a million years ago, though given the price of admission I wonder if I shouldn't look into that... think 18 year old credits from out-of-state schools count? Yeah me either.

Being the over-achiever that I am, I even already posted my first assignment for my writing class. It's a course aimed at "writing for the reader"... that means my blog posts will be even more awesome than they already are, right?

Right?

*sigh*

I think I may be in over my head here, kids... or I'm projecting. I know this shocks many of you, the idea of me freaking out over something.

Anyway, as promised, I will be sharing with you any amusing posts, and maybe even the responses (with names changed to protect the innocent of course, and assuming it's okay with the teacher).

Here's the first one.

The assignment was to write a brief paragraph describing how you got your name, in 250-300 words. It's meant as a tester, so that the instructor can tell you how you *would* have been graded if she was grading. I think that's absolutely fabulous... what better way to help you understand her expectations!

Okay here goes. Don't laugh.

"Each family, it seems, has stories of how poor Elspeth got saddled with her moniker, or why Grant Milford Plankton Hallingsford-Wattersworth (The Third - Gitzi for short) need all those names.

My name isn't nearly as exciting, though it's certainly added color to my life over the years (literally - I used to see it in rainbow colors, though I blame Punky Brewster for that). My father wanted to call me Mary, but my mom won out... "Jaime" called to her from the cover of a TV Guide, the enchanting name of some soap star or other.

The name has had its pitfalls over the years! It gets misspelled as Jamie, Jayme, even Jaimiey (not sure how that one happened). It gets misheard and mispronounced... you have no idea how much mail I get for Mr. Jaime, in Spanish, for various mens magazines and products! Spanish is a beautiful language, but I can't read it and I don't need a subscription to GQ. And in grade school, I got put in the boys gym class no less than 3 times... not as fun as it sounds, trust me.

My last name gets the same treatment of course... can you guess how to pronounce it the first time out? (Don't worry, nobody gets it right the first time.) I think it's the only argument for Mary having been the preferable choice - only one name to mangle!

Of course I do get one or two claims to fame... Jaime Sommers was the Bionic Woman, and Jaime Pressley of "My Name Is Earl" fame has no doubt suffered as I have.

In the end, though it took years to get there, I'm quite proud of my name. I can guarantee nobody else in the world shares it!"

Yeah. It's 8AM. I'm only freaking out a little bit. What have I gotten myself into!?

Happy Monday... I'm going to go locate a paper bag to breathe into.

tap tap tap Is This Thing On?

2010-08-18T08:01:00.005-06:00

I'm not even going to bring up how I was all "I'm going to post daily!".

Obviously my life is way too busy at the moment to get that done successfully, which a) isn't surprising given the amount of stuff I've been attempting lately and b) is kind of a good thing since being bored is bad for you.

So what has been going on, you ask?

Well I'm probably going to forget some stuff, so I'll just start writing and we'll see where we go.

First off, the weekend was full of crafting!

I finished the copper-colored Experimental Space Cowboy vesty-dustery thing, which actually came out pretty well! The Kid was running around in it, making it flare out dramatically and humming the Imperial Death March, which was funny considering it looks more like a Jedi robe than a Sith Lord's getup, but I guess when you think about it, Anakin Skywalker did start out a proper Jedi, right?

Insert nerd cough here. You know the one.... coughnerd!cough

Anyway, assuming you don't look too closely at the seaming, it looks fabulous, and I think out in the desert sun it will really look shiny! And if you know what I mean by that, you get 10 internets and a plastic pony.

Also completed was the satiny/silky Purple Robe of Cairo which is actually more of an indigo, but purple works with my title so let's go with that shall we?

After much pinning...

If you want a nice sleeve you have to work for it!

... and sewing and using the seam-ripper and swearing (only a little bit on those last two), it was done!

This is the robe you were looking for.

Ain't he cute though?

I'd call it a huge success.

Once we'd squared that away, we moved on to the next bit of business...

The fur.

Fake fur can often feel so rough as to be off-putting, but this?

All I can tell you is that it's taking longer than it might normally to bring this second robe into creation, not because of any problems with the fabric but rather because I've carefully scheduled time into the creative process to cuddle with it.

Though easy to work with (surprisingly so), it was seriously messy to cut.

Ever cut fake fur? We had to resort to doing it outside, and it looked like it was snowing! We were smart enough to stand up-wind, but my neighbors were probably wondering what the hell was all over their lawn the next day. I'm exaggerating (SHOCKER) but not that much!
TR & I both inhaled a fair quantity of tiny fur bits despite our best efforts - I'm sure they'll come out eventually, but at the very least we have the most luxuriant lungs ever.

We took a break and had some lovely AJUUA!!!!! (now with extra exclamation points) for dinner with Nova, who came down to visit. I have yet to have a bad meal there, and this was no exception. I even got a margarita out of it (thanks Nov)! Good thing TR was driving because that sucker was STRONG.

Sunday I got back in the groove and lined the pieces of the coat/robe with a super-soft white jersey-knit cotton which, combined with the incredible softness of the fur itself, makes for a weighty, delicious piece of comfort and joy. The Kid and I keep feeling it up, and I actually fell asleep under it Monday night after finishing the lining on the back piece (the biggest part).

As of this very day I have managed to do all the lining and get it to the point of attaching the collar, which runs from one bottom corner to the other. It's pinned and ready to go, but I had to get to sleep at a decent hour last night since this morning started our new routine of getting up at 5:30 (give or take).

It required coffee.

In other, non-crafty news, last night I picked up my school books!

2 books, to be specific. Guess how much they cost!

C'mon, guess. I'll give you a minute. While you think about it, here's a video of a corgi jumping into water because there is nothing like a flying potato dog.

Give up? Well, for the same cost I could contain a Corgi of my very own, power an RV, or buy some awesome shoes.

I can't believe how much these things cost! What a racket.

But you know what? I love my new books (I always loved new books and school supplies) and I can't wait to get started, and anyway I had a grant so it's all good.

Remind me I said that when I'm bitching about how I have no time for anything, mmkay?

So yeah.

I've been busy. I even managed to squeeze in some house-hunting help for TR, not that I've been much help. My advice is more based on my feelings about maintenance than anything else... yard work makes me tremble and a saggy floor makes me nervous. Me, I want to move into a house and only make improvements if I *want* to... not because I have to.

Unfortunately most of those types of homes are unbelievably dull, and he's looking for something a little more interesting than that.

One of the houses fit the bill... older home, nicely kept, fantastic floors, beautiful view, mature fruit trees, gorgeous kitchen (I of course was selfishly imagining myself baking stuff with fresh fruit in that kitchen - this is why I'm no help at all), but it definitely had some what-ifs, in particular a bit of a poo smell in the basement, which makes me think it might sewer backup issues.

Ha! Sewer backup issues... use that word with its other, craftier pronunciation, and it sounds like me about 2 weeks before Christmas!

This is how my brain works. My apologies.

Tonight, after a first-day-of-school photo of my Kid, I'm going to finish up the collar and set in the sleeves and finish the sides and bottom of the robe, plus doing 15 minutes of my new exercise routine and making a nice chicken dinner.

I'm so ambitious... let's take a bet on how much of that actually happens.

Tomorrow... purple furry boots! Hopefully. We were going to line them with leftover soft white jersey but...

I ran out.

6 yards of this stuff and I ran out. HOW?! I have no idea, but I suspect that the "60 inch" width description was a big fat lie.

Instead I think I'll be raiding my old t-shirts and lining with that instead. It won't be seen and should provide a good solid barrier against the rough backing of the purple fur.

At least we know in advance...

WE WILL CUT THIS OUTSIDE.

Happy Wednesday!

I Blame Television

2010-08-12T09:45:00.006-06:00

When Allie Brosh posts I just want to bask in her awesomeness, re-reading her posts and giggling madly all the while feeling a disturbing similarity between us like some kind of obsessed stalker.

Today she posted about how her expectations of herself often don't match up with her actual abilities.

I blame the media! But then I often do.

The perfectly executed easy grace we see on TV and in the movies rarely illustrates real life - it is, after all, a series of scenes written by people who wish those scenes to be so - but even knowing that doesn't keep us from hoping that will be how our attempts at greatness turn out.

Dancing, singing in public, heck even losing weight are presented to us as simple tasks any fool can perform!

I'm aware of this to the point where it's almost a handicap... I don't try many new things, or even suggest ideas, because I'm fairly convinced I will look like a dork, over-extend myself to point of deep failure, fall on my ass, and quite possibly offend others.

I can picture myself mambo-ing flawlessly to my favorite Bob Schneider song at a show, but in reality I know I'd just look silly, so I'll probably be standing off the side, or worse... chair dancing.

Me too, Allie. Me too.

I can absolutely see myself getting up on stage at Kick-Ass Karaoke night, belting out some Sheryl Crow, garnering applause and adoration from the audience, but I know that I would probably forget half the lyrics, sound like a dork, and end up slinking back to my table, hoping nobody remembers it EVER.

These are natural fears of inadequacy, of course, and nothing of which I'm ashamed, though I do wish I could practice what I preach and stop thinking everyone's judging me, because it would cause me less anxiety in social situations.

The problem comes when there's *so* much anxiety about not being able to accomplish a task you've set out to do that you start second-guessing things you absolutely know you will be able to pull off with ease.

Like, say...

College?

I mean, it's math and writing. I do both daily. What's to fear?

ANYWAY.

So last night I got almost all the way done with the blue robe, and totally finished the copper experimental garment, which The Kid declared "very space-cowboy" so that's a win in my book.

As long as nobody looks too closely at the seams.

The blue robe is really coming along! I thought I could finish last night but the collar took some doing. It was totally worth it because it looks completely fantastic and professional! I had to give in and go to bed after I started the sleeves, though. I hate doing sleeves! It's just so impossible to get them just right, because there's supposed to be ease and there are curves and so on and so forth... it just takes ages.

And you have to do it TWICE! This is exactly why I fear sock-knitting. I think if I ever manage to take that up I'm going to have to just jump straight into the two-at-a-time circular needle method because otherwise I'm going to have a lot of really expensive, time-consuming cat toy fodder as a result.

Thankfully the Simplicity people seem to know that after all that folding and hemming and lining and arranging, you're going to want to end on easy notes, so the arm and side seams are left for last, as well as the bottom hem. These are basically just long straight bits of stitching, no utching required, and you end up on a very positive note instead of "OMG that was horrible I never want to do this again".

I look forward to doing this with the fur, and the sheepskin too, because although it will take longer, the mistakes will be nearly invisible. I'm vain, I know, but I want the reaction to be "Wow, she MADE that?! You are so lucky to have a ladyfriend of such talent and hotness. I seethe with jealousy at your obviously charmed life." and not "Oh... wow... uh, I know a good store where you can buy something that won't look like a horde of armed monkeys was let loose in a fabric store, but you are so brave and loyal to wear that anyway... at least she's cute and has big boobs!".

It's not that much to ask, is it? :)

Happy Thursday!

Determination

2010-08-11T09:18:00.005-06:00

I feel really accomplished!

Last night I managed to get all the pattern pieces cut for the robe, not only from the pattern itself (you sewing folks will know what I mean by that - it can be absolutely back breaking) but from the fabric as well! I even ironed the pattern pieces like you're supposed to. (I often skip this part - don't tell my mom.)

And I finished the hem on the copper experiment! Not the arm holes, though I did get them half-pinned... I just ran out of steam. That'll be done tonight, and hopefully so will most of the robe! It's not the neatest job in the world, but it hides the raw edges so there ya go.

The fabric looks absolutely fantastic, and I think TR will really dig the final result.

Yay for Kraft Krazy!

I have to tell you about my lunch yesterday, though. Our department went out to Braisserie Ten Ten, an absolutely delicious French (well, French-inspired) restaurant in Boulder which I love, just as a pre-Fall kickoff sort of thing.

I had been there once before several years ago with my friend Christine. Working at the University, I see a lot of receipts from professors for places I wouldn't have even thought to try but where they tend to eat on a regular basis, and this was one of those winners!

The food there is unbelievable... and reasonably priced (the most expensive lunch entree was 14.00) which appeals to me greatly of course! I had the Brique Poulet. The menu describes it as "salt and terragon crusted Petaluma Farms chicken" but it is not just roast chicken, trust me.

And the fried fresh green beans we had as an appetizer... oh my friends, you need these in your life! They were a special yesterday, but they really need to be on the menu as long as the beans are in season, in my humble opinion. They were lightly fried in tempura batter with a little bit of pepper. (They were also gone quickly!)

I would have taken pictures, but...

I was eating!

If you're ever in Boulder, I really can't recommend it enough.

Weekend Catchup: Cushy

2010-08-10T10:33:00.005-06:00

I mentioned Friday that we'd be scattering the ashes of Colorado Alternadad's wife on Saturday morning, which we did. It was a beautiful day, her daughters were grateful and I...

I had a bad reaction.

I'm not sure if it was the lingering result of holding someone's ashy remains in your hands (and, in fact, getting some on your shoe due to a hole in the plastic bag), or just all the memories of her rapid decline getting stirred up, but I was very down-in-the-dumpy Saturday night. I couldn't sleep... I just kept picturing her pacing back and forth, and later how she looked in the nursing home. The thing that stuck out...

Her dirty hair.

She was such a neat person when she was lucid, and seeing her with dirty hair, not filthy but definitely with that particular smell of being unwashed, kind of made it hit home that she was no longer herself anymore.

Saturday was the last, final, good-and-all end to that misery-laden period, and I'm happy for her and it was a positive thing (she now has a lovely natural rock outcropping out on a hillside in the mountains, her picture laminated and tucked away inside), but at the same time I think I exorcised the last of my sadness for her afterward, and it affected me more than I was expecting it to.

I take comfort knowing she's now a part of this:

Click to see it bigger... it's hard to believe it's a cell phone photo!

That's the view from her memorial. She would love it.

Thankfully I had plenty of distraction Saturday afternoon and evening to help keep my mind off things, although as I have discovered...

I am not a seamstress.

Well, I do alright but I have discovered that while others may be able to wing it, I definitely need a pattern if I'm going to end up with something that passes for not-sewn-by-a-monkey.

This weekend (amongst other things) I made my own pattern, basing it on TR's awesome black wool coat that I love.

"Easy!" thought I. "It's just a bunch of straight lines!"

HA!

The end result isn't *that* bad, but I definitely zigged when I should have zagged in a few spots. I used a large bit of fabric that had been lurking in my fabric stash, one of those shimmery dual-color satiny bits where when it moves it changes color - pretty cool stuff actually. This particular swath is coppery orange with a green undertone, and reminds me of what copper looks like with a light patina.

The shell itself was fairly easy, just a few pieces that I modified slightly to give a more flared effect on the bottom edge. I managed to get one sleeve on before going to meet TR on Sunday for some textile shopping (and can I just tell you it delights me to no end that he likes playing fabric with me?). It fit just okay, but he actually preferred the sleeveless side.

Thank GOD. I so did not want to sew on that other sleeve!

And so now I'm just tweaking it, finishing the raw edges as well as I can, adding a collar that isn't too weird looking... but really I think the color will distract everyone who sees it from the poor hemming job. It's like fashion camouflage!

I also give myself a bit of credit for creating a pattern based on a coat that was already put together... deconstructing a garment to make a pattern is easy, but doing it while it's still constructed?! That takes some...

Well I'd say skill, but I think I'll call it luck.

Sunday was not as productive in the sewing department, since I hadn't slept much Saturday night between the sewing and the ruminating.

The Kid was feeling pretty gross - headache, fatigue, etc. - so she skipped derby practice, but I still had an appointment with Denver Fabrics to attend to with TR, so I headed down to Denver and let her sleep.

We found some absolutely awesome faux fur that is so soft I just want to wrap up in it - it will be a robe - and some equally fantastic faux silk (or who knows - it could be real!) in a deep magenta, it's backing satin a rich blue that will actually be the outside of the other robe I'm making. Flowy and/or warm clothing is nice to have at Burning Man, and I volunteered to get TR set with a couple of pieces for this year.

Next year will be sheepskin. We're going to have to start in January though, I think, because it's going to take AGES! The good news is that The Internet Provides, and I have found many tips and tricks for working with sheepskin that will save me lots of Craft Angst later on.

After picking up an ungodly amount of fabric and notions, we headed to Ted's for an absolutely delicious dinner... a full turkey dinner for me (with all the trimmings) and a fantastic burger for him, plus coke with crushed ice which, as TR put it, was like summer in a glass.

Fabulous!

After dinner we drove around to spy on some houses TR's been eyeballing online. Anyone who's bought a house knows that the pictures on the listings often don't show the true nature of the home or its surroundings, like the adorable 1920's house I was so enamored of until I saw a train track literally runs right down the middle of the street, or the flawless Craftsman home TR found which is right next to a 7-Eleven on a ridiculously busy street.

This was never more true than with the fantastic mid-century modern gem he found... which is surrounded by a deeply horrible neighborhood full of meth labs (one can only assume). One's first home experience shouldn't be fraught with danger and ATF agents.

Not a big fat lie, however, were the couple of houses he found in Arapahoe Acres, an historic district full of houses built between 1949 and 1957. They are all beautiful, and the one he likes could be an unbelievable deal if it's not hiding some sort of fatal flaw.

We watched a lovely sunset while driving around, and discovered another neighborhood that's definitely worth looking into. He's really got a pretty clear idea of what he wants, but the question remains... where to find it?

Back home, The Kid seemed to be feeling better after some food and additional sleep. In fact she slept all night, despite having slept all day! There was no fever, no nausea, nothing at all to demonstrate illness, which means...

GROWTH SPURT.

Help!

Happy Monday/Tuesday Amalgam! :)

Tonight it's me and some satiny blue material and the sewing machine.

Wish me luck with that! I want it to look fantastic.

Wow

2010-08-06T08:31:00.003-06:00

I just re-read my post from yesterday, and...

"Wow" just really doesn't accurately describe my insanity.

I do ramble on when I'm brainless!

The good news is, I successfully wore myself out writing that sucker (and sending an unbelievably involved list of info to TR about his coat-to-be), and only had enough sense left to realize that I should not, in fact, be making an hour-long drive to Arvada (and the subsequent return trip).

I barely made it home from work!

So no trivia last night, which was fine - we were the Invisible Bastards!

Given my total exhaustion, I didn't get much else done last night, though I had intended to start working up a pattern for the coat mock-up I'm planning. Given the cost of sheepskin, I don't want to experiment on it, but would rather spend the extra time making multiple sample versions of cheaper material. They won't be wasted efforts, of course; because I'm me, I'm going to make the mock-up as cool as possible!

Anyway, that didn't happen last night. I was sleeping.

Today, The Kid is at her grampa's practicing her skating downstairs, though I hope she'll remember to not practice her baseball slides, but rather stick with practicing her upright skills - that concrete is wreaking havoc on her skates!

Her grampa's two step-daughters are coming in today. Some of you may remember me mentioning that his wife Tanya passed a few months back. It was a blessing! She had suffered with Alzheimer's and serious dementia for over 10 years, and the last couple had been nothing more than her body continuing to breathe and beat its heart. Her mind was long gone, and when she passed we all felt nothing but joy for her, that she was finally free of all that sickness.

We are going to at last put her ashes to rest tomorrow. She loved, in her last lucid years, to go to this one spot up in the mountains - it was the only time I saw her smile and laugh the last few years - and we'll be trekking up there to let her hang out there on a more permanent basis.

It'll be nice to see her daughters, too... they weren't the best at communication while their mom was alive, and I'm unfortunately pretty sure that once this is done we won't hear from them much anymore. I'm glad to have known them, however briefly, and wish them the best in the future! There's no bitterness - as we all know, relationships with parents aren't always what we wish they were, and these girls deserve to move on.

Well, I'm not one to leave you on a downer note (though I really do believe it will be a joyous thing), so here's a video to take you into the weekend... it's about the cutest thing I've seen all week!

Happy Friday!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2010-08-05T14:35:00.004-06:00

I am soooo wiped out today.

I'm totally fine with it (sometimes being tired is just a price you have to pay for brainstorming and hanging out with your night-owl fella), but because I'm so out of it, you get a lame post!

That's the price *you* have to pay.

I am going to drag myself to trivia tonight. I promised, and our team is short since two of them are on vacation in Fabulous Detroit. Besides, The Kid wants to come with, and she's only got a couple more opportunities to do so before....

HIGH SCHOOL.

Dropping her off yesterday for the retreat, we sat in contemplation of the mammoth beast which is her school in less than 2 weeks.

She's pretty nervous.

I reminded her that she's going with friends, she'll know a whole lot of the Sophomores and Juniors on top of that, and assured her that most of the school is gym (so true - it takes up half the building) so really it won't be *that* confusing, and also reminded her that they give the Freshman a whole day to try their schedules out.

I also told her that I know once she gets into the routine it'll become exactly that, and she'll wonder what she was so nervous about.

Of course I said all that because I'm a supportive mom, but also because...

I'm anxious enough for both of us.

She's really showing her duality - that easily-flipped switch between My Kid and Teenager. Though she had just been having a heart-to-heart in the car, once I handed over the check to the nice lady at the sign-in desk and The Kid spied one of her friends, it was "Bye, Mom" with barely a glance.

I was smiling as I walked away...

Because I know when I pick her up my big, bad, Derby-girl high-schooler is going to squeal like an 8-year-old when I tell her we're going to Arvada for trivia...which is next door to the candy shop.

She may be a BBD-GHSer (that's a mouthful!) but she's still my baby.

After dropping her off yesterday, I took myself home and, rather than be productive and make a shirt, I painted my toenails dark blue, read a book, and watched a really weird (but good!) movie called "Teeth". Click that link right there, but don't say I didn't warn you...

Weird.

TR came by after finishing up his day, and we spent a nice evening coming up with ways to make him look like a polar bear caveman.

The sheepskin coat I'm going to concoct is going to take quite awhile, and so won't be ready for this year's Burn, but I think some of our other ideas are totally do-able on a fast track!

Purple furry boots perhaps - practice for sheepskin later - and I think a silky duster-like coat made to really fan out on the bottom (like Morpheus from The Matrix, but with less despair and misery). He's going to look AWESOME!

Well...

He already does, but you know what I mean.

Okay that was corny. I told you, I'm exhausted! I can't be responsible for the things my brain comes up with when I'm running on empty.

Happy Thursday!

Tuesday's My Day Off, Don't Hassle Me

2010-08-04T09:17:00.005-06:00

Even when I *was* posting daily before, I regularly skipped Tuesday most of the time since last November I designated it Tome Tuesday and that didn't really work out and... and... yeah!

It's still daily, it just might be a length of time more suited to a day on Saturn.

Not Jupiter though. Jupiter freaks me out. It has no solid surface!! It's like a cosmic jellyfish.

I know, I'm the only one berating myself for my nonconsistency (so not a word), but it keeps me motivated.

Anyway.

So TR is house hunting.

He has a pretty clear idea of what he wants in a house (namely no granite counter tops or cherry cabinets), and since he's got some time to do this it's proving really difficult to choose! It sucks to be in a time crunch, like I was, but it does have the upside of lessening the options.

The upside of options... shopping partners!

In hopes of getting some outside opinions (very smart - I mean I can barely buy pants without a second opinion), he sent the short-listed and B-listed groups to a couple of people, including me, which means I got to house-hunt vicariously, which I do sometimes anyway but not with the aid of an actual realtor sending listings! You know the stuff you find online is never a complete list... the realtors keep those good ones for their clients. Sneaky!

I found a few favorites (one with a 50's diner pre-installed, one with a stunning garden, and a Craftsman bungalow all had me wishing for a lotto win, as did this Frank Lloyd Wright number in Iowa - the location being its only downfall despite the flood damage from which it's still emerging), but tried to be helpful and commenty about the rest as well.

There were a lot and I'm not sure I was all that helpful since I had a lot of the same opinions he did, but I at least gave him some other stuff to consider, like sprinkler systems for big back yards.

Last night The Kid and I went to the Boulder County Fair for a little while to eat some unhealthy carnival food and visit all the animals. Today, of course, I'm suffering the after-affects of all that animal hair and hay, but it was worth it because of the baby bunnies and one-month-old foals.

I love the county fair! The food wasn't too bad, actually (well, except for the funnel cake)... smoked turkey legs, grilled corn on the cob... we skipped the fried Twinkies, though we were sorely tempted just for curiosity's sake.

There were lots of vendors there, naturally, and one caught our eye. Open Range is a locally-based internet provider that offers cheaper service than Qwest, and I likes to savings the money so I decided to give it a go!

Well...

No.

Good thing it was a free trial, because it's running at probably half the speed of Qwest. I called them this morning to cancel my order, but they convinced me that given the free month, I should give them a chance to figure out the issue first.

Fair enough, but it better be damned amazing!

Last but not least (I say that a lot, huh?)... this was on the Craft:blog yesterday.

Yarn Bombing!

I'm not new to the non-destructive graffiti joy that is yarn bombing, but this is my favorite yet. I really need to start doing some of this!

Tonight The Kid is doing the sleepover retreat for her leadership academy thing, and I'll be working up my new clothing project and figuring out even newer ones with TR.

Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Catchup: Home Sweet Home

2010-08-02T13:49:00.003-06:00

There is nothing quite like your own bed.

With the exception of a Marriott bed. Ever slept in one? Oh my goodness. But I digress.

Spending the last week and a half shuttling back and forth, and moreover sleeping elsewhere, really took its toll on me, especially since the dogs are on such a strict schedule, and the cat is a whiny bastard who pees in shoes. (True! I had a little present waiting for me last Wednesday morning. Good thing I wear Crocs.) Friday night was our last night at the other house, and I barely slept! Honestly as much as I love dogs, I think if I ever have any of my own they will have a doggy door, and an afternoon feeding time. I will happily do a weekly poop patrol rather than have to be woken up every morning to let them out. It's like having a baby in the house!

Sunday, after an extended lie-in (I didn't get up until 10:30!), The Kid and I did some house-cleaning and then it was off to drop her at derby practice. I didn't stay this time, but rather headed to the other end of town to view The Only Slightly Inappropriate Bar, which I guess was worse before, but now is just a lot of nudity and pinups... a spicy collage that will be well-received wherever it goes. The bar itself is amazing, tricked out with electrical and everything!

My favorite part...

The picture of Kathy Griffin's head on a naked man's upper body. She would LOVE that!

Also on hand was this incredibly wooden structure, a pyramid-shaped frame from which will swing a lyra hoop, but which Sunday featured a porch swing. It was simple, and really beautiful, and kind of nerve wracking to watch come down at first until the clean design really showed all it had. Gorgeous!

This week is going to be slightly hectic, but not too bad. The Kid is leaving for her overnight Leadership Academy retreat Wednesday afternoon, and although I was going to go back to work (TR being up to his eyeballs in Burning Man prep means he won't be available until the later evening) I think I'll go home and do some sewing. I got a new pattern for tank tops that I'd like to try out, and I want to get my machine all prepped for my next big project...

A kilt!

Sort of!

A real kilt, of course, is a huge undertaking (9 yards of fabric!! NINE!), though the more I see of the how-to's, the more I know my little OCD heart is going to love making one. Even hems! Pleats of precise measurement! Crisp seams and edges! This will have all of that, but I won't have to get all crazy matching plaids. It's more for fun than for regimental perfection.

I'll also be working up something cool with some amusing and soft purple fake fur that I've had forever and bequeathed to TR for Burn purposes - not sure what form it will take just yet, but no doubt I'll be covered in purple furry bits in no time flat! I couldn't resist it - $2 a yard for this stuff was a steal and a half - but the 2 yards I got have been sitting in my closet for about 5 years now. It's time it got used.

Last but not least, here's something weird I found on Vimeo (naturally). It amused me though, and I hope it tickles you too!

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty from Darragh O'Connell on Vimeo.

Happy Monday... here's hoping for a calm week wherever you are. Somebody should have one!

Stories of the Kid... and the Jane Austen Fight Club!

2010-07-30T12:42:00.003-06:00

OMG YES.

Up this weekend... one last day of dog-sitting, and roller derby practice Sunday for the Kid, during which I'm going to try to go to one of TR's friends houses for a little while and see what I've heard tell is possibly the filthiest bar in creation.

I've seen some pretty raunchy stuff in my day (don't be shocked!) but I'm prepared to be amazed!

I'm also looking forward to meeting some of the folks TR has talked so much about! It's always cool to put a face with a name... or a voice with a face and name... or... oh you know what I mean!

Last but not least, as promised yesterday, here is a Story of the Kid from August 9, 2002, dragged from the depths of Live Journal.

She was 7.

On Tuesday, I found out my little daughter is a budding kleptomaniac...okay that's exaggerating, but she did get busted "looking for dollars" in her friend Alexius's bag.

She got a huge lecture from several sides, and got grounded off TV for the rest of the week.

After the first round of lecturing, I asked her what she had learned, and she said (I'm quoting here...)

"Don't do something if you think you'll get caught!"

I tried not to laugh, and corrected the sentiment.

I had forgotten all about that until yesterday's stroll down LJ Archives Lane (it's like Memory Lane but with more parking).

Happy Friday!

Thrilling Thursday: Two! In A ROW Even!

2010-07-29T11:14:00.005-06:00

So I got this new computer at work yesterday.

It's super spiffy, even if it *is* a Dell!

It uses the Windows 7 interface, versus Vista which we bypassed entirely (thank goodness). Have you used Windows 7 yet? If not, there's one word that sums it up nicely...

Macbooky. (Yes I made that up, SHOCK!)

There's a toolbar on the bottom on which to stick icons (so your desktop is less cluttered), and the old windows themselves even look like what pop up in File Finder. It made learning the new setup a *lot* easier.

Of course there were problems... no printer recognition, which meant the whole afternoon was filled with IT guys trying to figure that out. They did, but deleted my bookmarks in the process!!

I had no idea how important that listing really was, but thankfully they still had my old one sitting around and were able to fix it, but not before I spent a good half hour or so trying to figure out how to rebuild! We're talking all my client files, all my bill websites...

Not to mention all my saved passwords. I know you're not supposed to do that, and I don't for really important, secret stuff, but for all my many vendor sites?! Oh it's a must!!

Restoring all those was a joy, let me tell you.

But it's all better now.

The only thing permanently gone seems to be my Webshots desktop, which sucks because I had a lot of cool pictures saved, but it isn't a tragedy. I felt it would be pushing it to ask for it back...

Especially since they installed Flash without batting an eye, even though you know they know it was not in any way going to be used for any business purpose...

Pretty much just I Can Has Cheezburger and The Daily Show reruns.

It pays to be nice to your IT dudes!

Anyway, as I was picking through what we at first thought was a restoration of my links, I discovered it was actually one from 2007! This means it included Live Journal.

Live Journal!!

Does anyone use that anymore?

I used to, I started my account in 2002, and kept it up pretty well for a long time, but eventually I just kind of slacked off. Posting daily became posting weekly became posting monthly became once a year...

And I don't want that to happen here. It's been a really long month or so, and I fallen out of the habit, but (long story longer, as someone cute and clever is fond of saying) I am going to be working hard to get back on a daily update, even if I have to resort to lazy posts...

Like tomorrow's, where I'll regale you with old posts from LJ that amused me.

(I'm still retiring F-Word Friday though. It was fated to fail. Hey! Double F-word!)

Looking through all that old LJ stuff, I relived a few unfortunate incidents, but also remembered some great things I'd forgotten.

My writing style, surprisingly (or not), is about the same now as it was then, which makes me extra glad to be starting up this English (maybe Art maybe Business who the hell knows) degree...

Maybe I'll learn some proper writing!

Or not.

Last but not least, I was looking back over the blog and saw that it has been really ugly and boring of late... no photos (I haven't been taking any), no video, nothing!

So here's something to break up all that dull.

'The Florist' from MORPHOLOGIC on Vimeo.

According to the website...

" Decorator crabs demonstrate a remarkably prescient instinct to be able process the information required to successfully camouflage themselves to match their preferred habitat. Unlike the typically fast-scuttling crabs of the mainstream, decorator crabs move at a deliberately slow pace to reduce being noticed.

This particular decorator crab species boasts a brilliant red exoskeleton that it has disguised with the zoanthids. The crab has carefully nipped individual zoanthid polyps from a larger colony and placed them upon its carapace (back) where they attach down on their own and continue growing. My experience suggests that it takes at least two days for a polyp to begin attaching down to new substrate. I have yet to observe the crab going through the whole process of zoanthid 'decoration', but clearly it is a very patient animal."

Crabs that decorate themselves! It's probably mostly for camouflage, but I'd like to think there's a little bit of flair to the process. You just know there's a percentage of these crabs that just pick any old zoanthid, just one maybe, and a whole bigger section that just tries to outdo each other with their displays.

Happy Thursday!

Watch This Space

2010-07-28T22:26:00.002-06:00

Hey remember when I was all "lookit me and my twice a week posting"!

The hubris... it burns!!

So, where to start.

I'll make it fairly brief so as not to make a huge-ass post full of useless info (oh wait, that's kind of my forte, no?).

The weekend was long, and short as well.

Long because I had so much running around to do, having promised The Kid that she could have a sleepover with 3 of her closest buddies, but short because my schedule has been so bizarre with this dog-sitting/house-sitting gig!

Switching back and forth between two houses leaves me a little discombobulated.

Anyway the sleepover was lots of fun, the girls had a blast and my grilling was a hit with nearly everyone! They all got along, due in no small part (I'm convinced) to the lack of cell phones.

Knowing that one of The Kid's friends is particularly bad about using the cell phone, and texting in particular, while with friends - something that irritates everyone - I decided to just call a total moratorium on cell phones for the evening. I stuck them all in my purse and locked the purse in my car, and voila!

Well...

I should be clear. At first I thought I'd go with the Easter basket method and hide the purse up in a cabinet somewhere they wouldn't think of, namely the topmost shelf above the coffee mugs. What I *didn't* think to do was check that the phones were actually OFF. Two of the girls actually had to hold another down when her phone started ringing, once she tracked the source like some kind of bat and discovered my secret.

I have never actually seen a girl go through text withdrawal before. It's not pretty!

So *then* the purse went in the car, and a good time was had by all. There was actual human interaction between the people IN THE ROOM! Amazing!

Sunday I took the whole bunch of them to watch The Kid's derby practice. It was super hot in the warehouse, so it wasn't too much fun for them, but despite their discomfort they all made a point to be supporters, yelling for her as she made her way around the track.

The Punks are getting to the point where they're ready to take their skills test (necessary not only to make sure they're up to par but also to earn their derby names - The Kid has decided on the hilarious Daisy Mayhem), and although The Kid wasn't chosen for the first round, she's really getting the hang of what's needed, and getting more dedicated!

It turns out her grampa's basement makes for a perfect mini-rink, being unfettered and flat concrete, although I had to make her stop practicing her knee-drops since she started tearing up the toes of her skates! Time for some toe-guards.

She spent the better part of Monday and Wednesday practicing. I've been breaking my vow and doing a little pep-talk coaching, but I've been careful just to parrot what I hear the coach saying. The Kid does best with repetition, so I'm doing *my* best to help her out. She loves it so much, but I fear she'll be hampered by her non-competitive nature.

Don't get me wrong, I *love* that about her - it makes her a fair person, and a rarity sometimes - but it doesn't exactly lend itself to the aggro attitude it seems is necessary to success in derby.

Which is totally fine - I'm just as proud of her as a B-team (or hell Z-team) girl as I am if she's a go-fight-win girl.

This week has been full of dogs, allergies and exhaustion. The dogs are disturbed by Mom & Dad's absence and so get anxious in the night. The Kid sleeps through it but it wakes me on the hour! I finally closed myself in a room alone last night and voila...

6 full hours. (That's pretty solid for me!)

So happy Wednesday... here's hoping you have had a lovely week!

And let's face it, here's my wish in advance that you have a great weekend as well, because if the beginning of this week is any indication, it's going to be another one-post week.

It's nothing personal, I promise!!

I love you all!

I'm just...

Tired.

It's All A Blur, But Only Because My Glasses Are Dirty

2010-07-23T09:25:00.005-06:00

Twice a week counts as posting regularly right?

Anyway.

This week has been a bit of a blur, actually, so for all I know it's actually Tuesday and I'm actually on schedule.

I'm dog-sitting for Colorado Alternadad while he's on an Alaskan cruise (SO JEALOUS), which means shuttling between my house and his. This is fine, but causes mild chaos with all the extra stuff to schlep back and forth.

The super-duper upside to dogsitting for them is not the hot tub, which granted is lovely, but the KITCHEN!

I've spoken before of the joyful weeping that occurred when I cooked a steak in a proper broiler for the first time in years, but now I've branched out to the counter space and convenient grill... right there on the deck through the sliding doors! No wrestling with back doors, no battling possible wasps nests, no roasting in the unfiltered sunlight that floods the space so standing over a hot grill becomes an excercise in endurance... it's fantastic!

They have a lovely Weber gas grill, and unlike the crappy metal grates on my beat-up monstrosity, it has these thick black stainless steel ones that leave perfect grill marks. Instead of flame on each of two sides, it has two long, deep-set flames - one in front, one in back - so that you can actually cook food on the WHOLE SURFACE and not just the bottom left, like mine.

I do have to give my grill credit, though. It got upended by a heavy wind a couple of years ago, I mean it ended up on it's lid in the corner of the yard... and it still works!

Even if it ruins bratwurst when I'm not careful.

But I digress.

Wednesday night was our first full evening there, and though dinner was a little later than normal (stops at home and the grocery story were required), it was worth it!

I made these:

Not my photo, but you get the idea

They were a little time intensive, since I hand-chopped the garlic instead of using pre-minced stuff, but were they GOOD!

We had those with some grilled steak and a salad. Bliss on a plate, and I can't wait to make them again!

Thursday evening I brought The Kid with me to Trivia for the first time. She's 14 1/2, she can handle the salty language, and she had a blast! She helped with questions (because she's got the smarts), had some pasta for dinner, and went with Mary (she of the cute purse - which she was using, I was thrilled!) next door to the new candy/ice cream shop that opened there, Scrumptious.

We came in 4th, but only by 1 point, which is quite respectable I think.

Oh that reminds me, I didn't tell you about Monday night's Ales for Females!

To sum up, I discovered that I actually *do* like Guinness... it just had to be cold and right out of the nitrous-powered can. It was creamy and delicious, and paired with a mini chocolate eclair it was like having dessert first! I'm really enjoying this once-a-month treat for the beer of course, but also for the social aspect - we're positively regulars!

Oh AND how could I forget... Tuesday I applied for my first ever passport! It was a Christmas present from TR (but I had to get a proper birth certificate first, which took a long time), and amazingly I even took a good picture! The passport agent must be an amateur photographer, because aren't passport photos supposed to be awful? TR got his passport renewal going at the same time, and all in all it was surprisingly painless. I credit some of that to the amount of phone calls I made to verify all the paperwork I needed to provide (I have a weird birth certificate vs. legal name issue), but if the agent hadn't been so nice I sure it would have been much more involved!

I can't wait to get it... I know it's a little hokey but it makes me feel like a citizen of Earth. Even if I never use it do more than go to Vancouver (we got the Mexico/Canada cards too) I'll know I *have* it if I want it.

So tonight I'm counting on doing not much of anything unless TR's schedule frees itself up a bit**, in which case I'll be making a pants pattern. Otherwise it'll be the hot tub and some knitting, though not at the same time since that would *really* screw up my tension.

KNITTER HUMOR FTW.

**Poor guy - you know how life is generally feast or famine when it comes to how hectic it is? Well he's got a 7-course dinner going about now... never fun, and especially less-fun when it's GO GO GO NOW NOW NOW and in surprise-attack mode to boot, with a heaping helping of "impending change" piled on top. Blech.

Tomorrow The Kid is having 3 of her buddies for a sleepover, as one of them only has about another month in Colorado before she and her family move to LA. It's just for fun, nothing so morose as a final good-bye, but I figured since we had the giant house to play with, might as well!

I'll be grilling some burgers & haddawgs (Vienna yet, thanks to TR's find at Costco!) and probably corn and such, and they can watch movies and play Wii and squeal or whatever it is 14 year olds enjoy while I read in the hot tub with a vodka & cranberry or 3.

OH YEAH.

Happy Friday!

Ups And Downs

2010-07-19T09:42:00.002-06:00

I've decided I'm blaming the weather.

For what, you ask?

For the weird, baseless emotional upheaval I've been experiencing.

For the unusually hectic schedule everyone's had of late.

For the upsetting events in my friends lives (I won't go into detail - nobody died, fear not, but I think everyone needs a vacation about now).

The weekend was actually really nice, and if I could just quell the emotional baggage from shifting in the cabin during turbulence, causing it to fall on my head every time I open the various compartments in my brain, I'd really be a lot better off. (Yay for air travel metaphors!)

My thoughts just starts whirling sometimes, making ridiculous assumptions and drawing conclusions that are entirely fictional but no less dramatic than if they were honest-to-goodness fact.

Bah.

ANYWAY, Friday night was really quiet, since The Kid stayed over at the Girl Scout camp for their end-of-the-week campout, and I had the evening to myself. After some dinner with Melissa, I headed home and to work on a baby blanket I'm knitting, but first spent a little time killing myself on Wii Fitness Coach, Melissa's personal trainer. She had be touting it's ass-kicking ability and she was NOT KIDDING. Half an hour on the demo mode had me sweating unattractively, which is the point of course!

There aren't any games like you find on Wii Fit. I still love that disc, but sometimes I just want a start-to-finish workout rather than having to decide what to do next. The Fitness Coach program sets up different routines for different days, so one day you're working on upper body strength, the next is lower body, and the next is all aerobics.

And as Melissa said, I can swear at this trainer and not get in trouble, so double bonus!

Saturday was lovely start to finish. The Kid and I had a nice leisurely morning (after she de-icked post-campout), and a wonderful evening eating the best pulled pork I've ever tasted! mported from Tennessee via TR's brother & sister-in-law (by freezing it and transporting it in a cooler - but you'd never know!), it was accompanied by Whitt's Barbecue sauce (many bottles of which were brought back as souveniers).

It's a vinegary sauce, not a tomato-based one, and it is officially my favorite EVER. I could eat it on anything, I think... potatoes, veggies of any description, and of course all manner of grilled goodies! Corn, zucchini, whatever.

YUM.

We ate (a lot!), we played Wii games for awhile (I sucked mightily but it was still fun!), and I got to selfishly enjoy delighting an impending parent with some home-made bibs!

The dad totally loved them, and hopefully the mom will too... she had someone else's baby shower to attend (must be in the water!) and was understandably beat considereing she's in the any-minute-now/will-someone-please-get-this-child-OUT portion of the joy of pregnancy.

Time zipped by Saturday night and before I realized it, it was time to head home - 40 minutes isn't that long a drive unless you're totally wiped! With the assistance of some equally-imported Trader Joes espresso bits I made it home in one piece and was only up for a little while before crashing entirely.

Sunday morning... well, we *meant* to go to breakfast, however upon arrival at the Palace of the German Pancakes (aka Aunt Alice's), I found I couldn't get my key out of the car. Awesome! I could turn the car *off*, but I couldn't get it to turn back that last bit to get the key out. I tried for awhile but became convinced that if I tried any more I'd break the key off (just making things worse).

Thankfully the guys at Firestone are geniuses, and in short order figured out the problem, which was not "you need a new ignition thingy" (my term, not theirs), but was rather a tiny curve of plastic under the shifter which had snapped off, allowing the metal arm connecting the key lock to the shifter to pop out (so it couldn't engage the release of the key).

How'd they fix it, you ask?

Glue!

I appreciate DIY in all things.

It won't last forever, but it was an easy, quick-fix option since replacing the mechanism would have been impossible (the Nissan parts distributor is closed Sundays) that will hold me over until the next time, at which point I'll know the problem and it won't be a mess to fix.

Crisis averted!

I'd like to note that I had to turn off Fox News again in favor of Food Network while I waited (I got an oil change too, two birds dontchaknow). At first the other customers (a couple) seemed slightly annoyed, but wouldn't you know it?

We all started discussing bulk-buying spices, local merchants who sell such things, the merits of organic produce, and the best recipes for ham we know.

Way better than listening to talking heads spout whatever their politically-mandated teleprompter feeds them, eh?

Back home I snoozed away the stress of the near-fiasco of the morning (not only did I have to go to Firestone unexpectedly, our time there kept us past the German Pancake cutoff!), then headed to The Kid's grampas house to go over this and that in regards to dog/housesitting for the next 10 days while they're on a cruise in Alaska.

I hope they bring back an iceberg, because it's HOT here!!

On my plate this week... passports, dogsitting, a candle sale on Saturday, a sleepover with 4 teenagers the same day (one of them is moving to California shortly, the least I can do is grill some burgers for them and let them watch horror movies one last time), and hopefully cool enough evenings to merit time in the hot tub.

Oh, and I plan to work very hard on stopping the spinning thought thing, because it's not helping anyone, least of all me.

It's annoying as hell, in fact.

Nerditude, The Doctor Edition

2010-07-15T10:51:00.004-06:00

Okay you know I love Doctor Who, right?

Well TR reminded me this morning of The Timelords (actually KLF) who did this awesome mashup (before there were such things) of the Doctor's theme song and Gary Glitter's stadium favorite Rock & Roll Part 1 (or part 2, take your pick).

I remember actually having an argument with someone who insisted that "Doctoring The Tardis" (though we didn't know the name back then) was, in fact, the Doctor Who theme. I don't remember who, but I was pretty young, which just goes to show you that my nerditude is not new!

The fun thing with Youtube, of course, is that it suggests all kinds of amusing stuff for you to watch that you would never have known existed otherwise!

Like the sendup on Top Gear...

Or the Dalek Workout, which is slightly intolerable but still amusing by way of its mere existence.

Don't say I didn't warn you... you'll feel the need to cough about every 5 seconds.

The best one, though, was one I couldn't imbed for you...

Say hello to the sofa of reasonable comfort!

Now I need to go watch some Black Adder. Damn my schedule!!

Happy Thursday!

Facebook Made Me A STAR!

2010-07-13T13:23:00.003-06:00

Okay see that title there? That title says "I've given up entirely on a weekly update for now, so my themes make no sense except to me."

Only shorter.

Oh, before I go any futher... HEY DANDY! I can't comment on your blog (or I did 5 times, which will make me look extra-crazy) so can I just say your recipe for the chocolate salted-caramel cake thing better come quick because OH YES.

Moving on!

So the weekend was nice, very relaxing with a bit of chaos, which is sort of the norm for me, yes?

Friday night I was *supposed* to go volunteer at the Rhythm on the River event, however I punked out because my car was making fun noises and I wanted to take advantage of some child-freeness to get it taken care of.

And can I just tell you, while I know my tolerance for cold is progressively diminishing, that Discount Tires was murrfurrin' COLD. It wasn't just me, either... there was definitely some tooth-chattering going on.

(As it turns out, the guy who rotated my tires - my vain attempt at correcting the noise - put the hubcaps on poorly and now I am down 2. Luckily I got up the nerve to call and complain, and they're replacing the whole set for me! Score!)

We had an early morning Saturday, so after some dinner with Melissa & her mom, The Kid & I went home and hit the sack.

Up and out by 6:30AM, we made our way to the festival and our 3-hour long stint as water bottle fillers which I must say was much harder than it sounded! It was pretty easy at first - fill a few, fill up more when those few dwindled - but as the crowd amped up we were scrambling like the cooks at The Weiner's Circle after a winning Cubs game.

There are *too* winning Cubs games, you take that back!

Anyway.

After finally getting relieved (we worked extra - a little penance for skipping out Friday night) we took some time to explore the vendors and grab some lunch, and then settled in to watch my favorite local band (I may have mentioned them once or twice), The Indulgers!

But here's the coolest part!

So I'm sitting in the front row, having moved up after the *excellent* bluegrass band had finished up (Oakhurst... they were really amazing!), and as they were going into their second song of the set, In Like Flynn, the lead singer looks my way and says...

"This one's for Jaime, who made it out and got in the front row! Well done!"

Okay I don't remember the exact words, but my name was involved and it was a real live honest-to-goodness shout out. That's all that matters!

Of course I had to buy another CD after the show, not only because it's the least I could do after that, but because I wanted to shake Damien's hand and say thanks and tell him how cool that really was!

Thank you Facebook!

So the rest of Saturday was pretty tame after that. The Kid & I were both pretty wiped, so we headed home and got some much-needed rest.

We managed to sleep late Sunday, then it was up and out for Rollerpunks once again! The Kid got quite a beating at the hands of her coach this week... they did something called a "Black Widow" amongst other things that looked like they'd kill me if I tried them (a full minute of falling to your knees repeatedly while skating in a circle!). She was hurtin' Monday morning!

After practice, TR took us to dinner at the thai place The Kid likes so much, and lent me a book on Epcot that is about blowing my mind... the thought and time that went into building some of the stuff there is absolutely unbelievable! These are not just false fronts and a little paint and signage... there's perspective, aging, detail that you wouldn't expect and maybe won't even notice - but the put it in anyway, just to be thorough.

This deeply appeals to my Kraft Krazy.

This week we have the second of Kid's two sessions of Girl Scout day camp, which includes the requisite S.W.A.P.S. (Special Whatchamacalits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere) that need to be created for - you guessed it - swapping on the last day of camp! We managed to finally find a use for the approximately 1 billion perler beads currently living in our house (and God help me if The Kid ever finds that website), thanks to the discovery of a perler bead board (usually the forms are just small shapes to fill in) at Michael's.

I was up until 11:30 last night making little "CD" trinkets (her camp counselor name).

There's nothing like the smell of melting plastic to really send you off to sleep right!

Also on deck this week...

Um...

Nothing!

Well, except for Saturday. The Kid, bossypants that she is, informed TR that he will be coming to our house for game night. This means of course that I need to cook something good, and I think that seeing as how TR's brother just came back from Nashville with some of his favorite barbeque sauce, I will attempt the cheater pulled pork recipe I found the other day.

It seems like it's easy enough that even I can't screw it up!

Just one question... what the hell is liquid smoke?!

On second thought, I'll make sure to have to have some chicken thawed, just in case.

F-Word Friday: Finale

2010-07-10T05:44:00.003-06:00

Okay I'm officially retiring this theme. I'm totally out of F-words that make any sense.

Well, I'm often out of *all* words that make sense but usually only toward the end of the week!

So Wednesday night, I, The Traveling Geek, drove my butt way up to Fabulous Greeley Colorado for a new (to me) location of Geeks Who Drink. There is no photo of us there as the Quizmistress only takes pics of the top 3 teams and we came in 4th - not bad considering the winning team cheated, though I forgive them because of their name... The Evil League of Evil. If you know me at *all* you know why!

Still though... bad form, ELE! We saw what you did! And we'll be watching.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!!

Anyway, the margarita I had was fabulous (it's the best thing going at The Rio), however the soup I had was... well, let's just say I won't be getting it again. It was tortilla soup, but while the ingredients had me expecting something akin to my favorite soup at Ajuua!, what I got was a bowl of taco-seasoned chicken with a chunk or two of avocado thrown in for color and the liquid from the taco-pan tossed in so it looked like soup. It was the saltiest damn thing I have ever eaten, and I like salty foods so that's saying something!

Even still, the quizzing was good but TOUGH! There was a whole round on documentaries that nobody liked, which made me feel better about the fact that we got not *one* question right on that round.

Thursday's quizzing down in Arvada was much more rewarding, with a 3rd place win for the Bastard Children of Your Name Here... we were all a little overwhelmed this week, I think, so lazy won out over clever.

The best part of Thursday's D-note amusement, however, was the new feature... Karaoke after the quiz! I did not sing, as I had to drive home and so couldn't ingest the requisite amount of alcohol needed to get me up on stage, but I did have fun hearing everyone else, and the catalog is great so it could happen. Someday... if there's rum. I was heartened to see that everyone was in it just for fun and the stage is set up so that you really can't see anything or anyone past the monitor, so I think I could actually do it.

If I do, it will either be All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun by Cheryl Crow, or Good Morning Heartache by Billie Holiday.

I am a strange girl.

Friday was pretty quiet at work, thankfully, which gave me a little slack time to start getting really excited about the upcoming Disney trip! The resort is GORGEOUS, the food looks amazing, there is *so* much to do there, and of course (glurge alert) a whole week with TR, no work deadlines or time obligations hanging over me, will be lovely and relaxing. (Hey TR... in case I forget to tell you... I had a great time, and thank you!)

This weekend will contain Rhythm on the River once again (our 4th year, their 15th!), including a 12:30 show on Saturday by my favorite local Irish band, The Indulgers! I'm excited.

Have a wonderful weekend, stay cool and do something fun!

Weekend Wednesday WTF Catchup... Or something.

2010-07-07T11:56:00.006-06:00

I'm not even trying to post regularly anymore, things are just too nuts! But here's a few updates for you.

I know you were waiting with baited breath.

(Where does that phrase come from? It just makes me think of worms and teeth at the same time and that's not a good thing.)

So the weekend! The weekend was nice.

Long, fairly uncluttered, and I got lots done.

Friday night The Kid and I had a nice dinner of pasta from Trader Joes (figures my Tucson souvenirs would be food), and just relaxed. Nothing exciting, really, but definitely a nice calm evening.

Saturday I was a sewing fiend!

One of my Trivia buddies, Mary, admired my black purse and requested one of her very own. Being that it's one of my favorite things to do (making things for others) I told her to grab some fabric and I'd whip it up...

Even I didn't expect myself to do it one day, but my ADD/OCD kicked in (it's a killer combo) and there it was!

I forgot how much pinning these suckers require, but in the end it came out really cute.

She chose a very Merimekko-style big poppy print which is just her taste (obviously, she did buy it after all) but is apparently also The Kid's taste, seeing as how she kept threatening to make off with it. (Mary said I could keep the leftovers, so I think a wallet will be in her future - a consolation prize.)

What you can't see is the lining, a simple but pretty Amy Butler print.

Thank you internet!

It's different but really a pretty good match!

Between all that Kraft Krazy, and the installation of my new disposal, there went my Saturday!

Sunday, being the 4th, The Kid and I both had firework-viewing plans, although this year they didn't mesh. She and I both had some barbeque with her grampa and related family, and then she stayed with them and I headed down to Denver to watch the show at Mile-Hi Stadium.

Ours was a bit late, due to the unusual and determined downpour (which was fantastic, by the way), but in the end it was impressive and grin-inducing fun!

I love fireworks.

They're so unapoligetically noisy.

And after was another of the best burritos I've ever had in my life, from a drive-through 24-hour Mexican joint that you would swear would give you 3 different kinds of intestinal dissatisfaction, but in fact is amazingly delicious!

Sunday brought a first for me... Gunther Toody's, a 50's themed diner along the lines of Ed Debevic's (for you Chicago readers). The waitresses seem a little jaded in their "Later, Gator" exit greeting but considering it wasn't full of screaming children (which TR told me is the usual state of the place) I figure it was more auto-pilot, calm-before-the-storm quiet and less forced gaity.

Of course I could be over-thinking it.

I do that on occassion.

ANYWAY after lunch we headed to the largest Bed Bath & Beyond I've ever seen in my life so TR could grab some Hercules Hooks (they work so well, really I can't recommend them enough!) and then it was back home to take a nap because why not?! What good is a free day off from work if you can't freely slack.

Oh! And TR & I also started looking at stuff for an upcoming trip to Disney World! I feel like a kid about it all, actually. I've never been (I went to Disneyland once when I was little) and I am ridiculously excited! I've promised The Child I will bring many goodies back with me, since she'll be in school at the time (FRESHMAN YEAR OMG) and not coming with us. You can bet that a set of mouse ears will be in that lot.

I don't think it's wrong to go to Disney without kids in tow, do you?

Monday night The Kid and I had some dinner with her grampa (grilled talapia, YUM) and then headed home to watch The Lovely Bones, which had I not read the book I would have liked better.

We also very nearly disassembled the couch looking for earwigs. It's that season, and they do find their way in, but since I'd seen 3 in as many days next to or on the couch (which is by the front door), I finally cowboyed up and pulled the cushions out to search for a nest.

There wasn't one, thank goodness (I've had an infestation once in my life, in a gross apartment - my first, how charming!) and trust me, there's no mistaking it. I felt better for having checked, though.

Remember when I said I was getting Terminix in the fall?

This is why.

And now I have cooties again.

Tuesday was full of physical therapy (ow - but getting better!) and lots of work, plus dinner with my friend Melissa and her mom, who is in from out of town. There's an Irish pub in downtown Longmont whose name I contantly forget, to the point where I finally listed it in my checkbook this morning as "Murphy O'Slappy's" because I just couldn't come up with it. Though I finally remembered (it's Mike O'Shay's) I think it's going to be permanently re-monikered, at least in my own head.

Tonight, Triva in a new location (The Rio in Fabulous Greeley Colorado) and a very large margarita (their specialty!) while The Child babysits her cousins. And it's rainy and cool - it hasn't even broken 60 degrees today!

Fabulous.

Happy Wednesday!

Thrilling Thursday: An Actual Real Live Post!

2010-07-01T11:58:00.004-06:00

Quick, before I forget (as I sit eating a cold-chicken sandwich directly from my Disney Princess Fairy sandwich bag - oh but I do love the dollar store!), are some things that have just lately gone through my head.

Fields full of green grass and prairie dogs make them look like they're a bunch of farmers out in a field of tiny corn stalks. Very small, furry, plague-ridden farmers.
I'm having Trivia withdrawal. I have been finding myself looking for any opening to share random knowledge with others.
Making customer service people laugh is absolutely the key to getting stuff done quickly and well.
Olive-oil based low-fat mayonnaise is, I'm sorry, no substitute.
This is my new best friend:

My physical therapy doctor gave it to me today, and it is FANTASTICALLY FANTASTIC. If you've ever had a sore muscle ever, you need one of these. Trust me.

Well besides the hectic nature of year-end work crap, this week has been really full!

The Kid started volunteering at the library on Tuesday (after a brief interview Monday night - naturally, the librarian in charge of Teen Services loved her and wanted her there immediately, which only sounds like bragging if you don't know my Kid), and participated in Duck Tape Day, her very favorite activity every summer! She made another tie, but her creativity has really amped up. Whereas prior year's ties have been simply stripey, this year's involved a rainbow of carefully cut-out squares in a gradual rainbow pattern along a backdrop of standard grey.

Pictures, you say? What are these "pictures" you speak of? (I'm working on it.)

I gave her some cash so she could go get herself some lunch today. Try as I might to think of her as a young adult, I still can't help but hold on to this mental image of her having to reach up to the counter at the pizza place, although I know the reality is that she's old enough (and tall enough) that wait staff don't even give her a second glance. She's just another patron, a teen certainly, but no little girl. It makes me proud and a little verklempt all at the same time.

So after Duck Tape Rapture on Tuesday (she got to take home the leftover tape even!), she and her friend Maddie (of the November Friendiversary) went back to our house to veg out until I got home to cook a quick dinner before heading off to the Rhythm on the River volunteer training (this will be our 4th year!) and then back home for a disco nap before I, sucker that I am, took them to a midnight screening of Eclipse.

Me, who can't stay up past 10:30 without serious stimulus.

I made it though, and I have to say it was a pretty enjoyable flick! The actors seem to have relaxed a bit in their roles, the action was exciting, and there were quite a few tongue-in-cheek jokes thrown in for laughs. It is definitely my favorite so far.

It was, of course, as amusing as the first movie for sheer squealing; there's nothing quite like a roomful of teen girls amped up on excitement and hormones, although nothing quite matched the pitch-level of the group squee emitted when the first Big Kiss occured in the first movie. That was nearly deafening.

Oh, and double bonus! Previews included the new Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia movies (they're doing my favorite book of the series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader). Both look fantastic!!

Wednesday, naturally, I was pretty wiped so I took the bus rather than drive half-awake. Despite my stupor, though, I managed to get lots of work done AND finally register for my first 2 online classes. I ended up deciding on a Math course (the only one I *have* to take if I'm going towards English as a major) and English 121, a beginner-level writing class. I figure those are good starter classes, especially since for now I'm going to be strictly online, and trying to learn that new method, amping up my schedule, *and* attempting to learn something I know almost nothing about is probably a bad combo.

I even managed to finish a sewing project, the bibs I had started for friends of TR who love them some Scottish Pride. I attempted to find a tartan or two from their actual clan, but that was tough to pull off despite the many options (that clan is a busy bunch it seems) though I did work the colors in at least. These are just more "inspired by" than the real thing. Like those horrible colognes at Walgreens!

Love "Diamonds"? Try "Cubic Zirconia!" It's the same, only different!

The colors don't really come through in the photo (since no matter what I do, everything in my house has a yellow hue in photos), but from left to right are a larger green/red plaid with a forest green back, a purple/green plaid with a pear-green back, and a green/blue/red plaid with a navy blue back. They're very cute, very soft and I hopefully not too small! I think the pattern was intended for infants, and I haven't held one in many a moon, so my judgment is off.

Things seem to be going back to normal, at least I hope so, so I hope to get back to a *really* normal writing schedule; I miss the daily challenge!

I can't promise it'll keep up once school starts (!!!!OMGWTFBBQ!!!!) but I'll do my best. Hey if nothing else, you'll all get to be my term-paper (or whatever they call them now) guinea pigs. LUCKY YOU.

Happy Thursday!

Weekend Catchup: I Need A Vacation

2010-06-29T08:08:00.003-06:00

Did I mention that last week was hellish? I might have.

The result of this was doing not much of anything all weekend, like at all.

Of course you know me better than that... "not much of anything" means cleaning my house, changing lightbulbs, 4 loads of laundry and shuttling The Kid to and fro, all before 2PM on Saturday.

Maybe I need valium.

Saturday afternoon was much more relaxed though, once I got home and applied my newly purchased specialty 5 DOLLAR LIGHT BULBS - they are the size of my pinky nail, which made that price a little shocking.

I finally finished watching Torchwood, all 8 billion hours of it, and it ended...

Well, let's just say I really hope there's a 4th season, because the end took a page from Joss Whedon's Killing Off People We Love book, but managed to ramp it to a whole new sobbing-even-though-it's-fiction level.

Oy.

My evening improved dramatically with the appearance of TR (fresh from a Burning Man BBQ which sounds wrong when you take it out of context), who came bearing chicken and cupcakes, and found a good movie on Netflix, Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. I hadn't ever seen it, but if *you* have, you'll understand why my dreams were pretty wild later! But they were good, which is what matters.

Nothing like a stressful work week to create a lot of bad dreams, and last week was absolutely rife with them, so it was a lovely change of pace.

After a nice sleepy Sunday morning, TR headed off for more Burning Man fun (I was going to truncate that to "BM fun" but again... context), and I took The Kid to Rollerpunks practice - her first in 3 weeks! She jumped right back in, I needn't have worried.

She really loves it. Something I was struggling with last week was the fear that with me starting school and such, that it might be too much to get her there very often, and I wondered if it might have to get sacrificed, but given the fact that she was able to just drop right back in after 2 weeks away, I think we'll be able to make it work...

I just have to stop projecting so much! This is just what I do when I don't know what I'm doing.

Facing the unknown always makes me a bit frantic, and the unknowns are piling up at the moment (how to do school successfully, The Kid starting high school, my busted disposal) so I'm on overdrive.

Don't know how much posting I'll do this week - I think the daily thing is, for now, falling to the side, but I'm trying to stay current anyway. It's important to me!

On deck this week... more work madness, the Eclipse premier (for The Kid, and since it's summer I agreed to take her and a friend to a midnight show because I'M INSANE), more doctorin', and hopefully some nice fireworks.

Can you believe it's already the 4th of July this weekend?!

F-Word Friday: Fried

2010-06-26T22:18:00.004-06:00

That was the longest damn week in history.

I'm just saying.

Since I am now totally without brains, I'm officially designating this Jack Harkness Weekend in the Mimi house, but I don't want to leave you hanging too much, so I'll just leave this here.

As one blogger said... now she's just toying with my heart.

My sentiments exactly!

Happy weekend, and wish me some normalcy next week!

Thrilling Thursday: ZOMBIES

2010-06-24T18:52:00.002-06:00

I have no brains left.

I have so little brains at the moment, in fact, that at first I typed "I have no brians" which is a big fat lie. I have several in fact, although none of them live here.

Wait, what?

Anyway.

It's been a VERY long week; The Kid is currently doing week 1 of her Girl Scout camp counselor action, which means I leave at 2:45 every day.

That would be all awesome and stuff, except that I also had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning, and one tomorrow too, and between all that I am SO BUSY I CAN'T SEE.

I need a vacation.

Yes, yes, technically I just had one but you know what I mean!

Here's a nice catchup for you!

Monday night...

Ales For Females! This week Robyn & I learned all about hops, although the one thing that sticks in my mind is that it's the only other plant in the family cannabinaceae other than the other one (you can probably guess). That explains a LOT!

Tuesday night...

Cheap Mexican and girl talk with Melissa. Poor Kiddo was exhausted and home eating mac n cheese.

Wednesday night...

Yet more Mexican, this time with Colorado Alternadad, only this time it came with an extra bonus...

A Southern Gentleman Waiter.

All that Yes Ma'aming and No Ma'aming and Right Away Ma'aming had me feeling a bit spoiled, but I think that's ok! I rarely like getting "ma'am"ed and this was a definite exception.

After picking up The Kid today, I managed to get my butt to Front Range to meet with an advisor.

We decided it's probably best I don't kill myself right off, and so I'm going to go with 2 classes and not 4. I was on the fence until I found out that I have quite a bit of financial aid to work with and won't really incur much expense! What little I will have to pay out will be covered by some very cheap government student loans.

Lookit me, bein' a college student!

Well...

I'm taking a couple of classes anyway. I have a hard time thinking of a couple of classes as really working very hard, but it's the best I can do, and it's something, right? Baby steps.

Finally, right this minute I'm sitting, exhausted, ignoring my sandwich and watching Giant Squid vs. Megalodon (starring Debbie - excuse me, Deborah - Gibson and Lorenzo Lamas!) on Netflix. It's all I have left.

Happy Thursday!!

Weekend Catchup: Hella Hot

2010-06-21T09:41:00.003-06:00

I don't do well in heat.

This is not news to those who know me, but it still seems to surprise me every time!

Sometimes it's okay, like if I'm in the shade, or a pool, but just out and about? Not so much.

I AM WUSS... hear me kvetch.

Thursday night, I should just briefly mention, we watched a movie called An Education. It was lovely to look at, had a great soundtrack and excellent costuming and lovely filming, and featured Peter Sarsgaard doing what he does best - being a bit of a bastard.

He's so cute though - even more so when he's
not photoshopped into looking like Ewan McGregor.
Not that I don't love Ewan!
Anyway.

Friday night we went out for sushi at Sushi Garden, which features an all-you-can-eat-for-twenty-bucks special. This is fun, of course, and a great way to try a few different things, assuming you remember that each item you choose is by the ROLL and not the PIECE. My stepdad ended up with a massive amount of California rolls, much to our amusement. Live and learn!

I had a particularly good pick, the Tootsie Roll, which was some kind of something sushi-like (it all kind of melds together after awhile, doesn't it?), but with the added bonus of being rolled up in tempura flakes and drizzled with some kind of soy sauce or other.

I admit I'm still a bit mystified by the presence of sushi in the desert, but it's the modern age after all. Thank goodness for freezer trucks!

Saturday my mom was able to get off work (yay!) so we spent some time running hither and yon.

After the best omelette ever and a brief stop to check on the Horse Formerly Known As Legend (who is fine and dandy - it's a long story), we browsed at Fire Ranch Glassworks for awhile, then it was on to Claire's Cafe (a client of my mom) for a sandwich that was so full of avocado I had to give up trying to be neat about it. Mom and The Kid each had a turkey sandwich on sourdough with bacon and so on - good stuff!

After lunch and a little browsing, we headed for the The Mini Time Machine, a museum of nothing but miniatures. We didn't have as much time as we would have liked (who closes at 4 on a Saturday?!), but we had time enough to check out most of what they had to offer.

Their current feature is a fantasy-themed room, with Christmas villages behind glass on the wall and under foot, a huge sculpted tree complete with a fairy flying around inside, and a Halloween house that I was particularly enjoying. The miniatures are fun, nothing as elaborate as the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute, but definitely made with care and passion.

After a quick dinner, we headed out to a local park for some musical theatre...

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

I kid, I kid - they were very cute, and obviously thrilled to be doing what they were doing, and in all honestly the female members had fantastic voices. It was a treat to hear them sing "Because I Knew You" from Wicked, which is my mom's new favorite show.

Sunday we had a morning flight, so we were out of the house by 8AM having successfully remembered everything (I think). After a quick stop for coffee, it was off to the airport and up and out!

It was a long, short trip.

TR picked us up and we had a quick lunch at Ted's (mmmm, Ted's), where I grossed him and The Kid out in equal measures by eating the pickles they brought like they were going out of style.

We managed to spend a little time with Colorado Alternadad for awhile in the evening (it being Father's Day and all) and...

Then it was home where we CRASHED.

Have you ever been so tired your hair was dragging? Yeah.

Last but not least, you may have noticed my lack of comment regarding oil spills and BP executives. This is because I'm pissed off to such a degree that I become nauseous every time I see any footage of anyone or anything involved with it, in particular the head of BP who is about the biggest jackass I have ever seen ever.

Even worse than Dane Cook, and that is REALLY saying something.

Nope

So because he's had to be inconvenienced and forced to answer for his company's actions, Tony Hayward said "I would like my life back".

I realize he's not personally responsible, but with the title comes the work.

I'm sure the Brown Pelicans would like their lives back too.

/soap box/

I hope you had a lovely weekend!

F-Word Friday: Back On Track, or Finally Posting Again

2010-06-18T07:19:00.009-06:00

Okay! Back to regular posting, which means posting more than once a week. Lucky you.

Well, it's Friday morning, rather early, and I managed to find an unsecured wireless connection in my mom's neighborhood. I feel a little bad, but I'm not a hacker and have no motives other than getting online for awhile, and I have to lay on the bed in the guest room with my head on the window sill to use it or the signal goes dead, so there ya go. Karma has been served!

So I didn't get into Tucson until about 9:30 Wednesday night, which was rough on me but also my poor mother, who's used to being asleep by 8:30 or so! (Thanks mom.) I've been away too long it seems, because only one of her dogs was happy to see me, and it wasn't my Max. I was strangely upset by this, though it's silly to be. Buster (the boxer) was deeply disturbed by my presence, though he always is so no shock there. Greta was her usual sweet self - toss (well, roll) her ball for her, and she'll be your buddy!

Buster eventually warmed up a bit, though I'm still a bit wary of going into the hallway at night. None of them would ever hurt a fly, of course, but there's nothing quite as startling (and humiliating - nothing like waking the whole house up because you need to pee at 1AM) as a very large dog barking deeply directly at YOU!

Veeeeery early Thursday morning, I was up and eating cereal with my mom. I figured since I was already up I'd walk her to work and see her new digs! It's a pretty fast walk, and truly Tucson's weather is gorgeous at that hour. It's just later that it heats up to...

Well the news folks said it hit 105, but the car thought it was 117 in the sun.

BRUTAL.

The morning, though, was truly lovely. Though it is a desert environment, Tucson is full of color and life - it just hides out in the hotter hours. First thing in the morning, however, I saw deep red flowers, delicately green mesquite and my favorite purple Prickly Pear cactus, not to mention tiny green lizards, birds everywhere and, of course, saguaros in every other yard.

Not sure what they are, besides hardy

Much purpler in real life

I ran for coffee next door to her office while my mom was getting her day started, a cute place called Rock N Java (they feature live music, thus the clever name). The nice lady who runs it in the morning, Heather, made me an iced coffee the way she likes it, and it's my new favorite. I'll be sorry to not be able to get it until next time I'm out here!

I hadn't had much caffeine (besides iced tea at J Alexanders last Sunday) in awhile, so I was extremely perky by the time I walked back to the house to get The Kid up and moving.

We both got dressed, and then it was off to the Pima Air Museum! I first went there a couple of years ago on a whim, since it wasn't far from my mom's work at the time (the acursed JB Steel, who can suck it).

I was amazed by their collection, but I only saw a fraction at the time! We saw a whole lot more this round.

Since it's cooler earlier in the day, one of the volunteers (a group of ex-Air Force fellas with a ridiculous amount of knowledge between them) suggested the tram tour that takes you around most of the 80 acres or so (!) of land to see almost all of what is outside. There's another tour that goes to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance Regeneration Group (the "Boneyard") on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base next door, but we didn't make that one since it didn't leave until 2. It was really hot and we knew we wouldn't make it until then. In the fall or winter I could definitely see spending a day or two really getting into the exhibits and walking around the property, but mid-June?

Not so much.

I've always had a fascination with WWII history. I'm guessing it started with early viewings of South Pacific and period movies and stars my mom loved (Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and the like), but later there was Empire of the Sun, Hope and Glory, and of course a deep fascination with aircraft - and the WWII planes were no doubt the prettiest. There's something so lush about their wide lines, riveted hulls, big props and straightforward machinery. There were computers after a fashion, but nothing so hands-off as we have now. Not that there isn't highly evolved skill required to fly today's planes, of course, but there seemed to be more of a partnership between man and machine then. They named their planes, gave them tattoos even!

The planes then weren't just tools, they were deeply loved, and that love lingers on in how they are still revered, restored and cared for.

Of course I've romanticized it. It's all about that first scene in South Pacific, and one of the best in Empire of the Sun.

Walking around the museums indoor exhibits, I was particularly fascinated by their newly restored P51 Mustang, and the B29 bomber taking up vast amounts of space in Hangar 4 (the Pacific Theatre display - shocking that I would aim there). That one ended up being The Kid's & my favorite, since one of the volunteers saw us drooling all over it (it really is glorious) and came over to give us a visual tour of the guts of the Sentimental Journey, as this one was dubbed.

So gorgeous!

Back home, we rested a little while, then got suited up and headed for the pool. It was the hottest point of the day, but we knew the cold water would feel fantastic! Of course the bonus of such a dry climate is that science works... when water evaporates from your skin that quickly, getting out of the pool means the sun and heat feel *good* rather than like punishment.

For a minute anyway.

I did sunblock the bejesus out of myself, I'll have you know, yet I still managed to get a bit pink around the edges.

And this is only June! I can't imagine August here. My mother is either very adaptable or totally bonkers. Probably both.

(Love you mom!)

The Kid and I headed back after a couple of hours and then it was Hungry Howie's for dinner than off to bed for us! It had been a long day.

Today's Friday, and on tap today is probably a little more time in the pool, and miniatures museum which promises to be amazing, plus sushi for dinner! Yum.

Happy Friday!

It's Aliiiiiiive!

2010-06-16T07:12:00.002-06:00

OMG you guys I bet you thought I was dead or something huh!

Well I'm happy to report that not only am I *not* dead, I am currently 10,000 feet in the air and climbing. (Well I was on Wednesday at about 5:30 anyway.)

Have you ever flown over the mountains? It's amazing. I was telling TR (who drove me to the airport, big thanks to him!) that every time I do this, I look down on these peaks and valleys and wonder if I'm seeing something nobody else will notice, or land that has never known human footfalls.

I look for this kind of stuff flying over the desert too, but then I'm looking for alien spacecraft and secret military bases.

You know how it is.

Anyway sorry for the lack of posting... it was a long week for only 2 days.

The past weekend was supposed to have included U2, but since Bono hurt himself and the tour was postponed it was cleverly decided that a few U2 concert videos wold do well as a replacement. No need to sacrifice the night entirely!

After we left I was feeling a little peckish yet (despite the delicious guacamole at Chris & Robyn's), so we stopped for drive-thru Mexican food.

This made me nervous, but I can't quite put my finger on why. All trepidation abated, however, after the first bite of what is possibly the best burrito I have ever had ever! Fresh pico (home-made - you can always tell), grilled flank steak seasoned just perfectly... it was total bliss.

It was blissfully chilly when we got back to TR's, but rather than close windows (thus squandering what was probably the last cool weather we'll see for a few months), I borrowed some sweats and enjoyed the cool breezes.

Right up until the fire alarms. AWESOME.

Actually I only heard a little, I was pretty bushed (and super cozy under an awesome fuzzy blue blanket) but apparently they squaked for a good hour or so, until the fire department finally showed up. Turns out it was a dead battery in one, which made all 4 on the second floor go off. The building manager, who clearly hadn't been changing the batteries as required, got a nice phone call at 3AM from the fire chief.

I love justice!

We slept in Sunday, but got up in time for a lovely lunch at J Alexanders (it was definitely a day for chicken tenders and sourdough), then headed to Dillards to do a little shopping. TR got the coolest Hawaiian shirt, and I got a pair of swim shorts to go with my bathing suit. I also picked up an awesome new pajama set courtesy of TR that are about the softest things I've ever worn! I attempted to get some shirts too, but of course everything in the larger sizes was hideous. There was one cute dress, but the hem was weird, and for 70 bucks it better be perfect all around!

Just as well, looking at the design I realized I could totally make one, and fast.

Being the crafty sort can make shopping difficult.

I headed home after our shopping and did a little sewing (and of course watched some Torchwood because I'm obsessive). I am midway through making some very cute plaid bibs for a friend of TR's who's having their first baby. They are so cute! And tiny! And not done yet! That's okay, she's not due until July. Pictures when they're complete, I promise!

Monday... well, Monday was a bear. I got into work at 8AM and left...

At 9PM.

Thirteen hour days are for suckers.

Truthfully my goal was to get as much done as possible so I could take the day off Wednesday, and I was successful so there's that! But man was I tired.

Tuesday morning I had another appointment with the Workers Comp doctor, and though I was finally able to get the meds he had prescribed, I decided not to take them. Prednisone is bad shit, guys. It can cause everything from simple dizziness to DEEP PSYCHOSIS. I swear, it was really in the warnings! Plus it specifically notes The Pill and hypothyroid treatment as two things to be careful of when taking that particular dosage, so ya know.

No.

I'll hang on to it, though, just in case it gets really bad. I'll send The Kid off to her grampas for a week and sequester myself away from all the pointy things.

After getting lots more work done Tuesday, and doing online check-in (I love the modern world), i headed for TRs. I wanted to just sleep in Wednesday, relax and enjoy the day before heading to the airport, and the best way to do that seemed to be to just stay put in Denver for the night.

We had a nice evening, had pizza from Fat Sully's which was fantastic, as was the dessert of Nutella-filled pizza dough. SO good.

This morning (Wednesday) we had a nice lazy sleep-in, getting up long enough to have breakfast at Snooze, only to head back home and back to sleep.<

It was a fabulous lazy vacationy morning... just what I wanted.

And so now I'm on a plane to Vegas! It's a bit bumpy at the moment, nothing too awful but it's hot down there in the desert. We're flying over the Grand Canyon right now... I think. Whatever it is, it's gorgeous.

I love to fly.

The rest of the week will be nothing but relaxing, despite it being 104 every day which is just brutal. There will be pools, and even better the Pima Air Musieum, which I got to tour once before but only briefly. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the WWII aircraft they've got on display... there's rumour of a Mustang, so I'll be on the lookout.

I'm not sure what else we'll be doing, but that's kind of the best part of vacation, isn't it... just putzing around.<

Happy Wednesday!

F-Word Friday: Is This Thing On? Oh Um... Frenetic!

2010-06-12T08:44:00.003-06:00

Hi kids!

Miss me?

It's been a hell of a week, let me tell you. Oh nothing along the lines of oil spills and crippling unemployment, sure, but it has been a long and (clearly) time consuming one!

Let's see if I can remember... I'll set the wayback machine for Tuesday, when I posted last.

Tuesday was fun - a day of alternately whining about my stupid arm and scanning invoices.

Woohoo! Hold on to something, I don't want your excited freakout to cause you injury!

I ended up leaving early, actually, it was just too tough to sit at the desk anymore.

The one good thing that came out of it, however, was the realization that the cause of this injury is my job - at least I have a place to start in my attempt to remedy the situation and keep it from reoccurring if at all possible. The scanner is behind and to my right, and I have to reach behind and to the right a LOT to do the job, and the answer seems to be to move the scanner so that it's in front instead.

It also means I'm *just* ridiculous enough to be able to hurt myself with a scanner.

My life

Wednesday was extra SUPER DUPER fun... I got to take my sore arm to the dentist!

It was a necessary thing, and thanks to the kindness of one of the practice's doctors I didn't have to pay a dime, but it still sucked ass a bit. I have stubborn nerves, and even after 4 face-numbing shots of novocaine I could still feel about 50% of the drilling on the right side.

NOT FUN. But at least he was quick!

Wednesday night, as you can imagine, was full of a lot of me laying on the couch wishing for soup and generally feeling sorry for myself, drowning my sorrows in Captain Jack Harkness.

Obsessed? What do you mean exactly?

I finally gave up on the pity party though, in favor of some egg drop soup from my favorite local Chinese joint. It helped immensely!

Thursday I woke up and decided that it was going to be a better day. Do you ever find yourself needing to do that? Just suck it up and say "I can either be a crabby bitch or slap a smile on and hope for the best"? I was 75% successful.

I kept busy, but there was more scanning so by the end of the day - you guessed it. I had TR & Trivia to look forward to, though, so I slammed so more Ibuprofen and got on with it.

I got to drive through an absolutely glorious storm (I took a picture but I swear I was stuck in traffic at the time), had some delicious breadsticks and a glass of wine, and though we came in 4th or so, it was a fine showing.

High: Reiki from one of our tablemates. I slept better that night than I had in a week.

Low: 4 Non Blondes singing. Loudly. I hate that frickin' song, you know the one. I mean I HATE IT. I hate very few things in life, but for whatever reason that song is right up there.

Chris & I plugged our ears, but while I suffered in silence it drove him right over the edge after about 3 minutes.

Think Ralphie in A Christmas Story when the bully finally pushes him too far. I think it's the only time I've ever laughed while that song was playing, but I'm sorry it was at the expense of his sanity.

And bonus! I got my new phone! I love you, Verizon.

I keep wanting to call it a Truckin' Convoy

It's simple, but sturdy (good thing, due to my helmet-needing ways), has a great camera, CNet likes it, and it has a low radiation level. (I don't want to cook my brain too quickly.)

Friday was a better morning than I'd had all week, thanks to a large supply of Advil liquigels (thanks TR, you take such good care of me) and that reiki - I'm convinced!

Sure enough though, about halfway through the workday, it all started going downhill again. Shooting burning pain, etc. I finally mentioned the scanner thing to my boss and lo a light was shined into my life...

It qualifies for Workers Comp.

So I left early again, and headed to the doctor. An exam was had, x-rays were taken, and although I wasn't able to actually get the prescription he gave me for steroids for various reasons (just as well - I'm not sure I want them), I felt like I had taken steps.

Sometimes, just taking action can be enough to start you on the road to recovery.

Friday night I just kind of hit my limit for the week. It was gloomy, it was rainy, and while normally I like that sort of weather, after a weeks worth of ick I just couldn't deal. I didn't want to be alone, and thankfully Melissa was available so we had some cheap Mexican and watched a few bad movies.

The best one...

Oh. My. God. Sex, blood and drag queens. WIN!!! Melissa & I loved it!

This weekend is a mystery... not sure what I'm going to do! The Kid is still in Tucson, and I'll definitely be down in Arvada tonight for a U2 Is Missing party and hopefully a little live music, but beyond that, who knows?

This weekend I'm living the life of the unfettered, but slightly crippled.

Anything can happen!

Happy Weekend!

Weekend Catchup: Pinchy

2010-06-08T08:56:00.003-06:00

Another long weekend, which is lovely of course except when you have mysterious pains in your neck.

Not the figurative kind either; mysterious pains in the neck of the amorphous kind would be much preferable!

Instead I have what appears to be a pinched nerve bundle under my scapula or similar.

Translation:
OW OW OW !@#$ WHAT THE HELL

I'm trying not to complain of course, because I hate to be a pain, which means I'm overextending myself like a moron.

ANYWAY.

The weekend really was lovely and fun!

Friday night The Kid and I had a lovely evening in. Movies were watched, dinner enjoyed, laundry completed (I liked that part anyway).

Saturday morning I got up early and got the house cleaned so I'd be all motivated to take my placement tests at Front Range. I'd sort of been putting it off based on the website's assertion that I should plan on about 3 hours all told, and it was only Saturday that I finally had a whole morning to dedicate to the process, and...

Okay this is going to sound really arrogant. Prepare thyself.
That was the easiest thing I've done in a month.

20 math questions, 20 sentence structure questions, and a 600-word essay. I was done in an hour and 15, and only that long because I don't remember how to consolidate fractions in algebraic sentences.

They gave me my results right away and it was recommended that I:

Take Algebra I (not surprising - I took Algebra probably 18 years ago)
Take the CLEP (I thought this meant Cumulative Life Experience Placement, but apparently it's College Level Examination Program) test to get rid of whatever English credits might be basic requirements, since my scores were ridiculous.

I'm not sure I'll do that, because I don't know if those CLEP credits are transferable, but it's good to know that if I do have to take those basic English courses, they'll be a breeze.

Told you... I am arrogance itself. Someone should slap me.

Or remind me of my Algebra score.

So, having completed this task early, I ran a few errands then went back home to relax out of the heat.

Saturday night, of course, was the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls bout, wherein they absolutely slaughtered the Charm City girls, 214-77 which is just ridiculous! I agreed with TR that I felt bad for the Charm City team (they didn't quite know what hit em').

Looking over the DNN (Derby News Network) listings, I see this kind of point difference isn't all that unusual, so I feel a little better for them, but still...

OUCH!

RMRG is holding steady at #3 nationally out of the top 25, right behind Washington's Oly Rollers and New York's Gotham Girls.

AND NOW YOU KNOW.

Sunday morning I made a big breakfast (thanks to help from TR, my right arm being mildly useless) and we relaxed in the A/C awhile before heading back to Denver for Rollerpunks practice, and can I just tell you, The Kid got to be a jammer! Not only that, she quickly made herself LEAD jammer, and got to call off the jam and everything.

I know this might sound like Greek to you, but trust me, I was very proud of her.

After dropping TR at home, The Kid and I made our way back home (after a quick visit with some family in from out of town) and packed her up for her trip to Tucson Monday afternoon.

It's a bit of a hike out to the airport and back, so I just decided to take the whole day off, and after seeing her on her way (without incident - although we were mildly worried because I started talking about B1 bombers and The Kid smartly said "should you be talking about that in here?"), I headed to TR's to "help" put his A/C unit in the window, which means I was decorative.

We also folded up an enormous 50-star American flag (easier said than done), and hung up the 48-star gem he found online recently. It's beautifully aged, hand-made (you can just tell), and you can feel the history coming from it. It's really unfortunate that a lot of these giant flags you can purchase here and there online are actually casket flags. They graced the last ceremonies of men and women who died in service, and it's really rotten that their families didn't see any point in keeping the symbol.

I wish they embroidered the names and relevant dates on those flags - there could be a museum donation option instead of having thousands of these flags being sold on eBay (callously displayed on the floor, which is just adding insult to injury) or moldering in basements.

Despite my sore arm, it was a lovely evening! We had dinner at Racine's which was absolutely delicious - the best I've had there yet - and then I got to listen to some live music among friends, which put me to sleep, not because it was dull but because it was so completely soul-soothing that it was nothing if not a lullaby.

I hope I didn't snore...

This week should be pretty tame. I have an all-day dentist appointment Wednesday, which sounds more awful than it is since I get a break (during which I'll be going to a new-student advisor orientation in advance of seeing an advisor myself), and I plan on getting some sewing done and catching up on Torchwood (I love that show - thank you Netflix).

Oh Captain Jack, you naughty thing you

Happy Monday!

F-Word Friday: Fast and Furious

2010-06-04T06:21:00.004-06:00

It's Friday already?!

These short weeks mess me up.

Posting has been difficult this week obviously; it's been unbelievably busy at work, which means by the time I get home I'm beyond beat.

So you get TWO update posts this week! See how everyone wins?

First up...

WTF WEDNESDAY

Or, as these folks might prefer it, WTF Wensday.

The Spelling Society, a group out of the U.K., feels that the English language is too complex, too outdated, and that it should be modernized. Or "modernised" if you're from there.

They like to protest at spelling bees with signs that say "Enuf is enuf. Enough is too much."

I'm of two minds on this.

On the one hand, yes English is hard to learn.

There are bits of verse out there that illustrate this fact, like...

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through.

Etc. etc. It's a weird, involved language. Point taken.

But you have to admit... it's interesting!

Don't you feel a sense of accomplishment when you can look back over your work and see you've used "your" and "you're" correctly? Or "yore" for that matter? That you've aced the whole "there, they're, their" thing?

I do! But I'm a nerd, so...

Their day may have come, though... one of The Kid's teachers actually told her spelling doesn't matter as long as she gets the answers right. Call me old fashioned, but...

No.

And of course there's the dreaded spellcheck. I use it now and again, certainly, but I don't rely on it even a little bit.

Also falling under WTF Wednesday... Macy's. As with Old Navy, they have now decided that we large people only get to order our clothes online, and aren't allowed to shop in their stores. Are they afraid we'll ruin their reps? Or maybe they're concerned we'll roll around like a bunch of Weebles and ruin all their carefully crafted displays.

Who knows.

Point is, I went in to look for a pair of capris to cover my large, non-corporate-friendly butt, and when I couldn't locate the Women's section was informed by the tiny 18-year-old sales girl that they "only carry normal sizes".

I'm surprised I wasn't more offended... actually I just laughed. What else can you do? I'll stick with being "abnormal", thanks... at least I know my curves are appreciated.

(Yardsticks. They're important.)

THRILLING THURSDAY

I did manage to find time for Trivia Wednesday night, and we took first place!

I didn't get to enjoy our win, though, as I was busy discussing the gift certificate from our *last* win with the manager.

It seems they've changed their policies, and the Trivia winnings aren't for use on Trivia night. Instead you have to bring them back and use them at a different time.

Whaaaa?

According to the managing partner (to whom I was directed to voice my complaint), this is so that their expenses to run GWD - the host's tab (she had two beers), the fee to run it (I can't imagine it's thousands of dollars) and the gift certificates (which they "don't have to do" according to him) - can be offset by further income and butts in seats.

This makes no sense to me, and it feels very unwelcoming. We go in there, we spend money regardless. As I told him, what makes more sense - that I use my $25 winnings for a couple of beers and appetizers, or that I come back on Ladies Night for $2 beers and really maximize the potential of those Trivia Bucks?!

He was unm0ved.

That's fine, though. There's no restriction on the gift certificates regarding hoarding. I'll just keep going back, not ordering anything at *all* when I do, winning as much as possible, and in a few months it's Party of 10. $25 a week adds up fast. (My but we are overconfident.)

Vindictive?

Maybe.

FINALLY FRIDAY

So yeah, it's been a long week. My alternate at work is on vacation, which means I'm doing both our jobs.

Naturally, this means that many many emergencies and weird situations have cropped up to be handled.

This weekends should be lovely though! Tomorrow morning I'm finally going to go do that testing for Front Range Community College (time hasn't been cooperating), and in the evening we're joining TR for a Rocky Mountain Rollergirls bout against Maryland's Charm City Roller Girls.

Sunday of course is Rollerpunks practice. The new skates are helping truckloads.

It's also another 3-day weekend for me... The Kid is leaving for Tucson mid-day Monday, and it's a bit of hike to the airport, so I'm just taking the day off. It'll give us a chance to sleep in and have breakfast before she takes off on her adventures! This also means lots of laundry Sunday night, and hopefully I'll be able to shoehorn in another visit with her Great-Gramma, who's currenty visiting.

And people wonder why I'm exhausted!

Sheesh.

Happy Friday, and have a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Catchup: Never Enough

2010-05-31T07:36:00.005-06:00

Happy Memorial Day!

Instead of sleeping in this morning like a sensible person, I'm up at my usual crack-o-dawn hour.

Gotta love that internal clock.

HUGE POST ALERT! TR & I crammed about a week's worth of activity into around 36 hours this weekend, and there's a lot to share, but I promise it's worth it! Ghostly prostitutes! 80s bands! Yummy food! Miles of walking! Advil! This post has it all.

Friday after getting The Kid settled at her grampa's for the weekend, I headed down to Denver in a fairly speedy fashion, having miraculously found a gap in the get-out-of-town-quick traffic.

We headed to our friends Chris & Robyn's house to visit awhile with them and some of Robyn's family, and we all got a bonus... TR & Chris played some of their excellent music for us! They play beautifully, and everyone really enjoyed it. I had only heard them recorded before that, so it was really cool to hear it in person! (I recommend downloading from iTunes vs. Amazon, but Amazon had the easier-to-link listing, so there ya go.)

After relaxing there awhile, we headed over to TR's brother's to grab a ride to the hotel for the weekend. It's a downtown hotel more intended for business travelers with expense accounts, so they charge a lot for parking, even for guests. Can't say I blame them, I suppose, but we had other options so we took em'! After a quick, late dinner at Ted's (alas, the salad wasn't the joyful thing I remembered, but my burger was fantastic), we landed at the gorgeous hotel and turned in for the night.

Saturday morning I was, of course, up early. I really wonder about myself sometimes... comfy bed, no pressing obligations... do I go back to sleep after waking up and realizing I don't need to be conscious? Nope... but not for lack of trying.

We had scored a free breakfast, so after admitting defeat in the battle to sleep, I roused TR (I'm so mean, I know!) and we headed down for what proved to be a surprisingly yummy meal! It was definitely not your usual hotel breakfast buffet spread. They had the usual oatmeal/cereal/fruit display, of course, but they also had perfect bacon, an omelette lady, and some of the best home-made sausage gravy I've ever tasted. It was so good that we were trying to think of things other than biscuits to use it with (Chex Mix was a front runner).

The hotel was a block up from the 16th Street Mall, which is like Boulder's Pearl Street but with less hippies. We walked over to wander a bit after breakfast, enjoying the weather (hahaha) while we waited to meet up with Chris & Robyn & co again to take a walking tour of LoDo (the lower downtown Denver area - moniker courtesy of the mayor).

It was awesome! I learned lots of things about the city. You know I'm a fan of random information, so nuggets like the first cheeseburger (well, the home of the first folks to patent the name anyway) and the reason for the metal decorations on the sides of brick buildings (which are not just decorative after all - they're end caps for support beams!) were right up my alley. There was a ton of information, not all of which could be remembered by anybody but our tour guide Kevin and probably TR (that kind of retention is amazing stuff), but my favorite bits were the stops at Blake Street Vault for a tour by the the owner (and a drink called the Denver Donkey, a.k.a. the Moscow Mule, which about knocked me sideways - I need another, and soon!), the stop at the Cruise Room at the Oxford Hotel (an absolutely stunning Art Deco style room modeled after one of the lounges on the Queen Mary), and the ghost tour bits at both those places (a woman in brown, a merchant marine and a postman on a mission) as well as others along the way.

We learned about the ghosts that frequent Union Station, the PF Changs we passed on the way (a creepy tale of a bricked-in room, a skeleton, and scratches on the walls), and LODO, a restaurant which is housed partly in what used to be Mattie's House of Mirrors, one of the most famous of the many many MANY brothels that used to exist in that part of the city. That one was the most interesting, and I dared to venture back upstairs to where the tour guide insisted many had felt interesting things, and even seen and heard activity.

Mattie Silks

I didn't really sense anything unusual, but my thought was that I'm a woman, and maybe a man might not feel welcome up there. I can't imagine that the ladies who used to work there are big fans, given the stories that we hear about how they were treated (and still are, I'm sure). They're busy being ghosts, they probably don't have time to do much more than generalize between gender.

My inner Ghost Hunter came out, though, when I went back downstairs and spied the enormous amount of electrical wiring that's all over the ceiling, right underneath where the activity was said to be strongest, including ill feelings, strange sounds, etc. It's thought that high levels of electromagnetic energy (the kind emitted by electrical wiring, circuit boxes, etc.) can make people feel sick, feel like someone's watching them, or even hallucinate. Given the history of the place (suicides, the saucy nature of the place itself, and of course the general feeling that permeates any old building) and those conditions (huge bundles of wiring right under the floor), my guess is that if it *is* haunted, it's only by memory.

But you know me, I like to rationalize stuff.

So after all that walking, TR & I were pretty beat and decided to skip out on dinner with the group, though we did take our time getting back to the hotel (it was 5 or 6 blocks away, and we weren't in much of a hurry). On the way we stopped at Sakura Square to admire the statues and peaceful presence, and as we were walking from there we could hear music drifting toward us from the mall. There had been an arts and music festival that day, and the tail end of it was wrapping up. As we were walking and listening TR started to realize that he recognized the music, and we figured out that was because the band he heard playing was really there...

The Fixx!

Now admittedly, I don't know much of them past their radio hits from way back when (namely Saved By Zero and Stand or Fall (my favorites), Red Skies At Night and One Thing Leads To Another, if you don't remember) so I didn't realize they were as prolific as they were - 9 studio albums!

Where I know not much beyond what was popular, TR is a big fan, so he was totally thrilled and I found out that they were much more than a few hits back in the 80's. They are a really tight band, and the bass player was amazing! I'm really glad we stumbled across the concert, and not just because I got to sit down, although that was a definite bonus. I really enjoyed one song in particular of those that I hadn't heard before, How Much Is Enough?. It wasn't a huge hit when it originally came out, but TR thought maybe that was because when it was released (1991) we as a culture were still pretty hip-deep in glossy, pretty prosperity (or the quest for it) and most consumers of that attitude weren't looking for socially conscious lyrics. Now, though, given the collapse of our economy, the mortgage crisis, the current BP oil mess (which we now know was pretty much entirely due to money-saving shortcuts), etc., maybe it's time for this song again.

Oh, and guess who was playing up the street at the same time?

Fishbone!

They're another one I never really got to know in-depth, they were more of a theme-music kind of band backing the skaters I was obsessed with Freshman year, but they're immensely iconic, so it was really cool to see them! Well, hear them, mostly... we didn't want to walk over to the stage, because we were both about to fall over.

Back at the hotel, we were desperately in need of some hot water, so we went down to pool area and had an amusing conversation with a young couple from Minnesota in town for a fun 3-day weekend. We soaked for a good hour (the staff was nice enough to let us slip past the 11PM cutoff since we were being good), then hit the hay after some serious dechlorination. I understand the need to put that stuff in the water (otherwise eeeeeew), but it's so rough on my skin!

Sunday morning we did manage to sleep in, but got up in time to catch room service for some toast and bacon and tea for breakfast, but went right back to sleep. I love a lazy morning, particularly when it's in a quiet room curled up under a heavy comforter with the a/c cranked.

We grabbed a late lunch with TR's brother & his wife at Snooze - I had breakfast tacos with carnitas that were absolutely lovely - and then it was time to go pick up The Kid at Rollerpunks practice.

After that the day still wasn't done! It was up to Greeley to visit with Nova (who is recuperating nicely). A bit of dinner then it was back home to get some rest.

The weekend was long, but too short as always... but too short is better than not at all, ya know?

Today will be a lazy one again, I think. Granted, I was up way too early, but still I have nothing in particular to accomplish other than picking up The Kid's gear from her grampa's and watching movies.

Last but not least, and I'll keep it short just because I'm being extra wordy today (and that's saying something for me)...

Happy Memorial Day again. Keep the folks out there defending our country, or who have in the past, in your thoughts today.

F-Word Friday: Again With No F-Words At All

2010-05-28T10:55:00.006-06:00

I really do need a new theme.

Or maybe I'll just *keep* the theme and hope for the best?

I'm sure I'll say this about 50 more times before I actually do anything about it. Apologies in advance.

SO!

Last night was Trivia Night, natch, which was lovely as usual though the vibe was slightly different. I'm not sure what it was - perhaps it's that it isn't dark until trivia is almost over now, making it seem less like a Fun Nighttime Grownups Activity and more like a Wholesome Family Fun Extravaganza (Where They Say F*** A Lot).

Oh well.

I never did post about last week's trivia amusement, where we had too many people and decided to play boys vs. girls (Bastards vs. Bitches), and we girls totally kicked their asses for them AND got 3rd place and a gift certificate.

Woohoo! The Bitches took a lovely photo, but my arm looks weird - I was holding up our end of the fort - and I have to admit that the person giving the finger to the Bastards in their picture is, in fact, me.

I couldn't help it! All that trash talking from their end of the table had my Irish up. Them and their "helpful hints" about Boy George and Bon Jovi.

Well, that and two glasses of wine.

What did I say about letting me near wine?

The waiter is Travis, who is to be commended
for managing to photobomb BOTH of our teams

So last night, we did it again (with less crude gesturing), and although we came in 4th that's okay because we beat the pants offn'm once again!

I think we definitely need a single team again though. Between the two of our teams, we totally could have won both weeks.

See? Together we stand, divided one of us gets a gift certificate and the other is bitter.

The weekend will be really nice. It's a long one, yay Government Holidays!

The Kid is hanging with her grampa Saturday & Sunday, and they're going to see Iron Man 2, and to the fabulous Boulder Creek Festival, and they'll be making a quest to the Mothership (that moniker just amuses me to no end) so he can get ready for his entire family visiting this coming week.

They were going to go to the Colorado Ren Faire (beware! embedded music site!), but it's actually not open yet so there goes that! She & I (and whoever else wants to join us) will probably go later in the season. We don't get quite as much out of it as we did in Illinois, mainly because we don't really know anyone who works there, but we still get to dress up, and eat stuff off sticks, and window-shop, and it's a gorgeous drive out there, so there ya go.

I'm not sure what TR & I are doing, actually, other than spending a couple of days together, which is good enough for me. It's hard to believe, but it's been an entire year since our first date!

Don't worry, I'm not going to get all retrospective on you, but I will say this...

It's been a wonderful year, and I'm happy.

What more can I ask out of life?!

Last but not least, happy, healing thoughts to Nova, who just finished getting some surgery done. She's doing well, and will be even better soon, and the surgery went - as the doctor put it - "better than great". That is SO what you want to hear!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Grill something!

WTF Wednesday - Endings And Beginnings

2010-05-26T11:33:00.002-06:00

Well, it's done!

My kid has officially metriculated (or whatever constitutes for same) from 8th Grade.

She's now a high school kid.

And therein lies the WTF... as in WHEN TF did this happen exactly?!

Five minutes ago she looked like this:

Okay she still looks like that

And now she's in high school!

So of course this week I've been terribly verklempt, thinking about all the firsts she's had in the last 8 or 9 years.

The first day of Kindergarten...

The first day of 1st Grade for that matter! I still remember thinking how big she was then.

Then there was the first day she started at her now-former middle school. They had moved the 5th Graders over there for that year to relieve the overcrowding and everyone was freaking out because OH GOD THE CHILDREN. Like somehow rubbing elbows with 6th graders was going to make them grow up too soon.

The Kid was unfazed.

The first day of 5th Grade was the BEST DAY EVAR

She had a viola to play! New teachers to charm! Friends she'd been with for 2 years already!

I even remember her first orchestra concert. I remember even more, though, the last viola concert of 5th grade, which was also the last orchestra concert for the out-going 8th graders. I remember thinking that it was going to be ages before The Kid was playing *her* last 8th grade concert.

And now it's passed, and I realize that all those 8th graders from 3 years ago are now going to be Seniors in high school, and their parents are probably freaking out way more than I am.

But still...

There are so many more firsts to come!

The first day of Freshman Year, with all its awkwardness.

The first time she drives a car.

The first time I have to ground her ass for breaking curfew.

I know in 4 years I will be a complete mess, that the end of high school and graduation itself will mean my baby is truly grown up and on her way to a future, so I'm just going to relax and enjoy the next bit of time with her, because I know now for certain that what all those other parents, including my own, always said was, indeed, the absolute truth...

Time flies.

She'll never stop being a dork, though. Thank God.

Totally Random Tuesday: Don't Panic!

2010-05-25T08:23:00.004-06:00

I'm sorry Star Wars Day, but today trumps you for sheer nerdiness and genre-specific geeking out.

It's Towel Day!

I grew up knowing about The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy... my aunt's license plates growing up read "ZAPHOD1" and of course I had to ask!

So why a towel?

"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

- Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I remember seeing bits of the old adaptation of the radio plays, and having fun getting lost in the books. They are so deliciously weird, but kind of like Tom Robbins' books, if you just go with it you'll have a hell of a time even if you feel like part of your brain was stirred when you're done. It's kind of a good feeling, actually.

I was skeptical when they started filming the newer version, and while they did make a few changes they were fairly small (and necessary since they probably weren't going to do all the books anyway), and all in all I loved it...

Sam Rockwell was born to be Zaphod.

Improbable knitting!!

So enjoy Towel Day! Take a look at the "official" website - there may be something fun to do in your neck of the woods! If not, though, it's okay...

Just be sure you know where your towel is, and don't panic!

Weekend Catchup: Carniverous

2010-05-23T10:30:00.004-06:00

Okay, first I have to show you this.

Isn't that awesome!?

So I finally got some relaxing done this weekend!

Friday night was lovely and calm. I worked a little late (The Kid was at her buddy's house) and then headed home to get a little exercise in (my new goal - to do this at least 3 times a week) and clean the house before TR came over.

After a quick trip to pick up a few ingredients, we set to work making beer cheese soup, which was fantastic and smelled absolutely amazing! Bacon, carrots, celery, bacon, beer, bacon, cheese, beer & bacon. Oh, and milk and stuff so it was even sort of healthy!

Sort of.

Saturday after picking The Kid up, we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day and take a ride up in the mountains!

TR hadn't been to Estes Park in ages, so we decided to take the circuitous route along Peak to Peak Highway, which looks a little scary on a map but which is, in fact, pretty tame and absolutely gorgeous.

It was fun playing tour guide! We went to The Stanley, which was of course the inspiration for The Shining, and lo and behold...

It was the 30th anniversary of the Kubrick movie! Which has almost nothing to do with the Stanley, but whatevs. They had a Jack Nicholson look-a-like running around on the porch with a cigar, taking pictures and being generally smarmy (he was quite good).

We had a slighty overpriced lunch at the restaurant there (but as TR pointed out, it's ridiculously expensive to maintain someplace like that, so really paying 14.00 for a burger is part food, part support), which was delicious despite us having gone there based on the menu in the Estes Park visitor center that was rather out of date. I had a lamb burger and yes I am that much of a carnivore. Stop judging me.

Not only was it a lamb burger, it had lamb *bacon* on it, and goat cheese from a local producer called Haystack Mountain.

TR had BBQ Pulled Elk, which was absolutely delicious. My apologies to you vegetarians out there, but in fact it's a good thing that elk are hunted out here, otherwise we'd be overrun and they'd be ill and suffering due to overpopulation. And if we have to thin the herd, well there's no use wasting resources, right?

Plus, mmmm. Elk.

(Sorry.)

After lunch and bumming around the place (it wasn't showing itself to be very haunted this time, I think because there were way too many people around, or maybe the cheese factor of a Jack Nicholson impersonator was too much for them to deal with), we headed to Estes Park Glassworks Studio, where we watched their resident glass artist make gorgeous art, and oohed and ahhed and coveted.

Not my picture, but that sums it up

Their website is being redone at the moment, but if you troll around you can see some of the amazing stuff they offer... it's nothing quite like being there in person, though, so if you get the chance, stop in! The owners are very nice, and they have super-comfy old metal lawn chairs out front that harken from the days when men were men and women were...

Oh, sorry.

You how I am with the tangents.

Anyway it was a lovely drive, and I'm always happy to let someone else enjoy the view awhile.

Besides, I love driving in the mountains!

When it's sunny!

And dry!

Otherwise I'll be down here looking up, thanks.

Do you ever play tourist in your own area?

It's fun to go exploring in places you've heard about but never actually seen, especially if they're a reasonable distance from your house.

After making our way home Saturday evening, TR hung around a little while before heading back home on his awesome bike.

Isn't that cool lookin'?!

Sunday was very quiet. We lazed a bit (we're still catching up on season 4 of Dr. Who) then headed to Denver for Rollerpunks practice.

Despite the Skateshop Guy's best efforts, the wheels needed a little tweaking and our favorite Resident Skate Maintenance Expert took care of them in short order. She's like lightening, that one.

And The Kid got her very fist derby bruise! She was so proud.

I was more "GAH" than proud, but thankfully she didn't break an ankle or anything, as one of the other girls did last week. It was just an accident, of course, it wasn't even due to anything game-related, it was just one of those things that can happen when you're rolling around on a slick surface. Poor kid.

Last but certainly not least, head on over to My Mom's Blog and wish her a happy birthday! It was yesterday, but we believe in Birthday Weeks.

I was looking around on Photobucket for birthday-type graphics, and you know what?

There are a lot of weirdos out there.

In particular, there are a lot of Robert-Pattinson-obsessed weirdos.

In the end, though, this one made me laugh hardest, most because it was such a Cake Wrecks kind of greeting, complete with unnecessary punctuation and capitalization!

Happy Birthday to "YOU"!

Happy Birthday to "YOU"!
Happy Birthday Dear "NAME HERE"...
Happy Birthday to "YOU"!

Thrilling Thursday: Me Me Me

2010-05-20T09:57:00.005-06:00

First off, a couple of things.

One, we got 2nd place in Trivia last night, by one point which wasn't bad at all! The important thing, though, is that I won the internet trivia question bonus prize. I gave it to Melissa because she's had a bad month, but not before getting my photo taken with... well, you know.

Second, look what TR found!

I love fiber graffiti, and this is my favorite yet. It's extra funny because The Kid just saw Little Shop of Horrors for the first time. She's been singing about being a dentist for a week now!

Okay now on to the subject of the day.

ME!

So one of my favorite bloggers, Mimi Smartypants (no relation), linked this person in her most recent post.

That person, LCAmazing, wrote a piece about herself and how amazing she really is. She did so with zero apologies, in response to this *other* blogger (I do love the surfing, don't you?) who realized after a talk with a friend that...

"Two women had just had a conversation in which they admitted out loud that they were good at something, without feeling the need to qualify it with a bunch of stuff about how they’re not as good as they could be, or how other people are so much better, or how the things they’re good at aren’t really important in the scheme of things."

Why is that so hard for us? Why can't we say without apology that we're good at something? (This doesn't just apply to women, either. I don't believe for one minute that men don't second-guess themselves, or that they don't downplay their abilities.)

Kids do it all the time - they will show you their scribbles with more pride than you think can fit in a little body.

When do we grow out of that?

So here it is, my very own love letter to myself. I'm not going to edit, I'm not going to go back and re-construct (except to correct my grammar), and I'm not going to apologize for being proud of myself. I'm just going to start with one thing, and see where my mind takes me.

I'm not quite going with her theme, only because I don't like to toss around the f-bomb. I don't think this makes me less assertive, or that I'm giving in to a preconceived notion of femininity. I think this means that I am able to do things the way I want to.

See? One down already!

Why I'm Fantastic, By Mimi Rickets

I can write well. I am really smart even though I never went to college - and I know I'll kick ass when I do finally go because I'm like that. I kill at trivia. I raised my kid well - I had help but ultimately I shaped her - this is the thing of which I am most proud. I have excellent grammar. I remember everything good - dates, birthdays, apartments, instances of joy - and can forget almost everything bad because I know that holding on to that stuff only hurts me. I have lovely hair and am actually proud of the silver in it because it's just like my grandmothers was. I can give a fantastic back rub. I hug tightly. I have never cheated on anyone. I never reveal confidences and secrets. I mean what I say. I can read a book in a weekend. I can draw well though I don't do it enough. I really like my singing voice. I like movies that make me laugh, even if they're juvenile. I tear up at events of every description whether or not they have anything to do with me. I take risks if it seems that taking the risk makes sense. I am intuitive - I can see pictures in my head of things people are describing, as if I was there. I have common sense. I give good advice, but I've also learned when to keep my lip zipped. I can admit when I make a mistake. I have a big heart with room for everyone. I understand - I believe the best in everyone and try my best to see their side before passing judgment. I embrace the kind of woman I've chosen to be even though others may not agree with it or think it's old fashioned. I can defend my choices.

Whew! That was refreshing.

So tell me... what makes YOU amazingly fantastic? Let it all hang out. Don't tell yourself someone else is better at it, or that it's not really a thing to have pride in... Just say it right out loud - what makes you awesome?!

MIMI RICKETS

Wasteland - On Writing

I May Not Update Often, But When I Do... I Ramble Endlessly.

F-Word Friday: Fast Forward

Well.

No Relation... I think.

Kool-Aid

I Am Sentimental

Essay The First - Super Long Post

Throwing In The Towel... Sorta

Nearly Christmas. Oy.

Please Hold While I Connect Your Blog

I Talk To Myself A Lot

*tap tap* *tap*

Busy Bee

Rollerpunks Are Badass

Halloween Kraft Krazy

That's A Mighty Long Post For A Lazy Weekend

Ow.

Vote For Me! (There's Potential For A Giveaway...)

I Love Florida, But Oh You Kid!

Music

Florida, Part the Third... and Derby Names

Disney Madness, Part Two

Disney Madness, Part One

Still Finding Sand

Holy Spontaneous Surprise Clapping Babies, Batman!

So Much Time, So Little To Do... Wait, Rewind!

Hither And Yon... On Fire!

Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch

The Process

Now Playing: Pity Party!

Um, Wow.

And we're off!

*tap tap tap* Is This Thing On?

I Blame Television

Determination

Weekend Catchup: Cushy

Wow

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tuesday's My Day Off, Don't Hassle Me

Weekend Catchup: Home Sweet Home

Stories of the Kid... and the Jane Austen Fight Club!

Thrilling Thursday: Two! In A ROW Even!

Watch This Space

It's All A Blur, But Only Because My Glasses Are Dirty

Ups And Downs

Nerditude, The Doctor Edition

Facebook Made Me A STAR!

F-Word Friday: Finale

Weekend Wednesday WTF Catchup... Or something.

Thrilling Thursday: An Actual Real Live Post!

Weekend Catchup: I Need A Vacation

F-Word Friday: Fried

Thrilling Thursday: ZOMBIES

Weekend Catchup: Hella Hot

F-Word Friday: Back On Track, or Finally Posting Again

It's Aliiiiiiive!

F-Word Friday: Is This Thing On? Oh Um... Frenetic!

Weekend Catchup: Pinchy

F-Word Friday: Fast and Furious

Weekend Catchup: Never Enough

F-Word Friday: Again With No F-Words At All

WTF Wednesday - Endings And Beginnings

Totally Random Tuesday: Don't Panic!

Weekend Catchup: Carniverous

Thrilling Thursday: Me Me Me

tap tap tap

tap tap tap Is This Thing On?