Smother of One

Futurer Than 2010

2011-01-01T20:35:00.006-05:00

It's 1/1/11 which means my car is 10 years old, I've been living with Wally for 10 years minus one week (long story), and my cat Geoff is not only 18 years old, he's 18 and a HALF. Wally spent New Year's Eve rocking The Empire, but I spent countdown time going na-nights with my beloved Christmas Nano,

Pitter Pat

...but so many of the songs I have on it are new-to-me and keeping me awake, I needed something mellow and something I knew inside-out. I needed The Wall. So I went two feet and got it off the internet and I was asleep 20 minutes later. Sometimes living in The Future is gooood.

Happy New Year!

Making Good

2010-12-30T20:33:00.005-05:00

My little fisherman and I made good on our 3/50 project today, we visited Free Range Fish & Lobster where I couldn't help but notice that the haddock was pricier than the lobster. Only in Maine! We bought not-so-free-range farm salmon, a product of an industry that I'm told is scheduled to blow up the planet, but I can only coddle one righteous cause at a time. We spent just half of the $16.67 requirement, yet I feel justified since earlier this month we spent a tunzl at Simply Scandinavian Foods on a Princess Torte and other squeezable fish European tube products. That's 2/3 of the 3/50 pledge, but I'm sure I spent enough at the Clipper Mart to make up the difference...for the new year I make it a goal to be more mindful of where I spend our tiny billettes of finance--Enough with The Man sticking it to the little guy, harumph.

My Little Fisherman Guy

Three Fitty, Pleez

2010-12-29T20:46:00.000-05:00

On the evening that my former corporate employer mailed me an end-of-year "fundraiser" letter stating that I was overpaid by $742 and that I needed to mail it back to them (I don't, it's been established that they were wrong and that they should go to hell) I come across this sad depressing article on the state of once-local products, and instantly I've become recommitted to "buying local," something I wish I'd done more of this holiday season (as it turns out, the internet isn't as local as I thought it was.) So here's the 3/50 Project--$50/month at 3 local businesses, that's ***digging out calculator*** $16.666666666666666667 per business per month. Heck, that's...I don't know, I'm bad at math, but still. While it was brief, considering the panic I went through wondering where and how I might come up with this $742 and the ensuing battle I took on with the payroll department when the CEO down the street makes plenty to cover their goliathan error, I know I need to start rethinking things...even when my former corporate employer is local (just nevermind that part.)

Three Slash Fifty! Support Your Local Bands! Three Slash Fifty!

The Nook Hook

2010-12-27T19:04:00.015-05:00

Because 1000sf living doesn't always mean you have room for a dining table (other than the coffee table) Hubby got me this for Christmas:

I'm so excited! It's not yet finished or polyurethaned or installed, but once it is I think it will be like adding a whole new room, I can't wait to eat meals and play Jenga and do homework here, I love it! I got extra spoi-yuled this year with a full stocking (last year it was empty, oops), a watch, earrings, my first very own iPod, a can of mace, dining cards, Stars on Ice tickets, the gifts just kept on coming, it was amazing!

Jimmy's Christmas morning trainset earned multiple "Wow!"s before anyone else was even awake.

I find that he always finds double-duty out of the gifts his grandfather makes for him. Last year he discovered that his new stepstool doubles as a mini dinette:

This year his custom wheelbarrow is also useful as a seat for watching movies, or just plain hangin' out.

And my Festivus party went off so well that we're thinking of spending next Christmas at Disney.

For the restivus!

Festivities

2010-12-24T20:11:00.011-05:00

The past few days have been festive around the house. I made hubby's mother's prized banana bread,

...and received a fun Tower of Gifts from my aunt,

I know with items such as this,

...and this,

...she's looking to get on my hubby's good side. I myself figure when pears come packaged like this,

...that you have to do something special with them, I'm looking into into poached flambé recipes. Biscuits on biscuits flambé. Can't wait!

Jimmy quite by accident discovered that wrapping paper doesn't stop the singing, motorized tire noises, and flashing headlights of one of the presents under the tree---the box acts just the same way the battery operated vehicles he plays with in the toy aisles.

"Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your booty," reeep reeep reeep, uuuuhhhhrrr, screeeeeeech, slam! "Shake shake shake, shake shake shake...." aka WHY did Santa authorize this?

To be honest, Jimmy is a little traumatized by Santa. He certainly likes the idea of presents, but he's not so hot on some big omnipresent man coming here to deliver them. This will *not* stop him from accepting the gifts, but still...not into it. Even so, we put out milk and cookies,

I hope Santa likes almond milk.

...but Jimmy remained ever more interested in the Youtube trains.

There was no problem with Santa and the dairy-free milk.

Many more hours of work to go, Merry Christmas Eve, all!

Ho Ho Ho

2010-12-22T19:16:00.001-05:00

It was Pajama Day at school today, and Jimmy actually sat with Santa there.

Look how happy he is! And how high his pants are!

Puppy Love

2010-12-19T20:05:00.002-05:00

Jimmy and I attended a Yankee Swap for ornaments today, when it was our turn Jimmy turned down opening a new one and opted to steal this one from my stepmother.

He may be saying that he wants a dog, I'm not sure, but this will be the only Golden hanging around our tiny house, that is for sure. Hee! All in all we had a nice time in a beautiful house, I love old Portland neighborhoods!

Lately, I just feel like I want to live in this...

2010-12-18T18:19:00.003-05:00

Atelier Van Lieshout's Vostok Cabin is a kind of blobby, rusty survivalist dwelling made from steel plates salvaged from old boats: "The changing climate, growing poverty, wars and more are only expanding. This movable nomadic dwelling unit provides shelter from this disconcerting situation."

Vostok Cabin by Atelier Van Lieshout

"Everybody shut up and look...

2010-12-16T20:28:00.007-05:00

...forward," Wally dispatched to Jimmy, my nephew Alex, and me as I was crumpled up like a day-old newspaper ball that you'd use to rouse a woodfire, I was folded this way because Alex was in the passenger seat and Jimmy's carseat is on the center hump of the backseat of a VW Cabrio and a 2-door convertible is not designed to be a family car, or any multiple-personmover car. I had to crane my neck to see forward, and once I did I saw a Wienermobile. There are only 7 in existence so I can understand interrupting a post-Cracker Barrel conversation to point it out, why it may've been the first time I've seen one, I'm not sure. I do know it was the first time we visited our new Cracker Barrel, the place where I got in a mraaaaow mix with the waitress over the semantics of flavorless carbonated beverages (she didn't serve me the club soda I requested she said because the restaurant only carries seltzer water on tap) and it was at the Cracker Barrel where we also first learned that Jimmy might be allergic to whitefish. He had a bite of my haddock sandwich, chewed, spit, and puffed up like cute, red, splotchy, runny Jimmyfish. The "spirit" check remained positive (continued smiles, laughs, cuteness) but jeez, who knew! It makes me wonder what the Market Pantry popcorn shrimp is made out of, it's an allergen-free experience each time he eats those. Fishhhy....

Also, if you missed out on Wally's band's radio Christmas performance this morning, do not worry. You can listen to it here! Merry Krizmass!!!

Blogeria Randomia

2010-12-15T20:03:00.009-05:00

Many thanks for the condolences on my MiL's passing, they are much appreciated and hubby is tremendously thankful as well. =]

Weblogus Randomus:

The Shipping News. It used to be that the "Handling" part of "Shipping and Handling" was the only questionable part of mail order products, what is up with this new "Processing and Handling" charge? Really.

The Grumpy Put-Out Guy in the Santa Hat. I was driving down an industrial parkway and there was this grumpy truckdriver guy huffing away from his truck, angry, improperly dressed for the cold, and wearing a santa hat. How does that happen, and why does it happen in moderate regularity, these grouches in the spirited hats?

The North Pole. Jimmy's aunt and uncle treated us to a ride on the Polar Express, what a great opportunity matched by a great time!

The Book of Mormon. I grew up with their commercials and I knew it was them wearing the ties and bikes and traveling in twos, but not until I saw the PBS Special did I realize who The Mormons were, and I find them fascinating. So do the makers of South Park and their Broadway Musical comes out in March...I cannot say I'm not intrigued.

Holiday Spirits. Hubby's band will be playing live Christmas songs on the radio Thursday morning 8am EST, if you're so inclined you can listen live here.

Le Sal-Jolais Nouveau est Arrivé. It's Christmastime which means it's time for Wally's studio landlord to distribute his homemade wine. Its label references the stomping part, wimps need not apply, I can't wait to taste it!

I can't believe there's only 10 days minus 20 hours until Christmas!

Goodbye, Norma T.

2010-12-11T19:28:00.003-05:00

Wally's mother died last night in the home of his sister. He had paid her a birthday visit four days prior, he said that she had gone way way downhill from when we visited her in October. Grammy Norma was 66, an excellent gardener and kitchen expert and fiber artist and hard worker, had cancer all over her body but it started as Lymphoma, Wally is thankful that her pain is over.

Magic of Christmas Fund Raisers

2010-12-10T20:53:00.019-05:00

Tonight Jimmy's school had a babysitting-sorta fundraiser, for $20 they'd take him from 4:30 to 7:30 and let him play and show him movies and feed him pizza so that Wally and I could take advantage of a Street & Co. gift certificate given to us last Christmas by Jimmy's aunt and uncle.

Jimmy was more than happy to bounce into the school after dark, and I felt like the local yokel bouncing into such a restaurant, we hadn't been out to eat as a couple since before Jimmy was born. And Street & Co. is definitely much nicer than Chuck E. Cheese's, I wasn't even sure how to act. We were earlybirds (oops) so we started with a vino/club soda at the lounge and I felt like we were in a cozy wintry Quebecois bistro rather than at a restaurant in our very own town. There was no camera there, and Wally thanked me for that, but the atmosphere was so amiable and warm I knew it could only go up.

I'd researched the menu earlier this week and I felt it was...sparse...which left me optimistic considering Street & Co.'s reputation and longevity, kinda like when Kramer explained to Jerry that thinner deli meats were better because the taste has nowhere to hide. No salmon on this menu, we tossed around the Lobster Diavolo for Two as an option but both off us ordered off the specials menu, which after 10 years I call "A First." Wally ordered the Fisherman's Stew which had all kinds of seafood and chorizo, and I was extra special and ordered something completely new for me, it was a whole Branzino fish stuffed with olives and on top of fennel. The "stuffed with olives" part is what got me, Wally assured that he'd guide me on how to eat a whole fish (a challengey afterthought after the whole stuffed-with-olives part.)

After ordering we were surprised with "tastes" from the Kitchen, our mutual friend sent us DATES WITH ORANGE, MINT AND LABNEH and ABRIGO WITH FIG CAKE AND MEMBRILL (I copied those from the online menu, apologies for the YELLY CAPS) which were so unexpected and so amazing and so tasty. Thank you, Riley!

Soon after our tastes our meals came in pans, I found myself staring at a whole dead baked fish...and it was delightful. Moments later I did take our server's offer to fillet the fish, and the whole experience seems sort of life-changing. Sure, there were moments of hesitation à la Howard Hughes in The Aviator, but for the most part I felt pretty bold in my attack. How could I not it was delicious. It sorta looked like this:

...without the lemons and with half the stuffing and in a pan of carmmmmmelized fennel. A new dawn for this adult, after eating this I feel like I could climb Mt. Everest. But with all mortality aside, the olives perfectly complemented the light mild whitefish, it leaves me with no wonder why this restaurant thrives year after year. And Jimmy had an excellent evening at the school, a complete holiday success, thanks Mark and M!

Festival of Mirror-Based Coruscation

2010-12-09T19:19:00.006-05:00

Tonight Matisyahu, the Hasidic reggae guy who sings this song, shares his annual Festival of Light celebration with Portland, a holiday show that I'm told had previously been reserved for NYC audiences. In the past few weeks I heard little bits and pieces about the four-foot dreidel he uses for this set, then today I learned that it is a four-foot disco ball dreidel which left me wondering what it must look like. ?. I could have just looked at various places on the internet but I just hadn't gotten around to it. Consequently without any effort at all I was able to see what it looks like at our very own State Theatre.

I love it! Ziggy-yiggy-yo viggy-yiggy-yo!

Photos courtesy of the State Theatre.

Blaze Praise

2010-12-08T17:33:00.004-05:00

I wouldn't normally put a candle on the tree, but I'm in love with Jimmy's craft project of the day, it sure puts the pretty in "toilet paper tube."

He's been under the weather for a week, but thank hoozit I think my muffin is finally starting to emerge from the exhausting wrath of Dr. NO!

Messy Diet of the All Too Quiet

2010-12-07T20:53:00.004-05:00

You know something's up when you've been able to write a 20 minute email uninterrupted. This happened today, things were too quiet so I got up to investigate, and found Jimmy sitting in this:

Apolo-cheese for the fuzzy image, but this is sorta how Jimmy was looking covered in Parmesan.

I was just happy his paws weren't in the evertempting bear bottle of honey.

Christmas with the Alpacas

2010-12-04T17:51:00.013-05:00

Earlier this week I was at RSVP on Forest Avenue and my eyes caught a flyer for Christmas with Alpacas at Estabrook's, a greenhouse 3 towns up. I was reminded of an Alpaca Fair I attended several years back at the Portland Expo, there I met a lot of cool people and it was fun.

When I picked Jimmy up at school on Friday I couldn't help but notice that his hands were freezing. It was time for mittens, you bad mommy!

Jimmy's been cranky all week. This morning I thought of the Alpaca Show and how he might enjoy a pair of soft fiber mittens. Fully expecting a screechy, high-toned "NO!!!!" I was caught by surprise with an enthusiastic nod when I suggested Christmas with Alpacas. We were on our way.

Estabrook's must have done some heavy advertising, there were parking issues and guys directing traffic. It was a lot of fanfare for, just a handful of alpacas. Oh well.

Inside one of the greenhouses was a craft fair, hurrah! Alpaca mittens, here we come.

The items were beautiful, and always pricey. I was reduced to peering distantly for small mittens, the vendors were very aggressive (but not as aggressive as the roaming Santa outside. No Santa! He does not want to hold your pinky! Back off!!!)

At one end we found a table of free cookies, hot cider, cocoa, and a man scraping a steaming white substance from a chaffing dish into another bucket, griping about how he thought he was going to be ladling chili and oatmeal for guests, and not doing this (whatever that was.) Jimmy chose an M&M cookie.

M&M Alpaca Crackah

At the other end was a really nice craft table for kids, Jimmy sat down at once but it took some cajoling to get him to do the crafts.

I tried a few different seats and stations, but ultimately he was most interested in the cookie.

Alpaca Slackah

Behind us there were women spinning alpaca yarn.

And a baby alpaca pen.

And I never distantly peered a set of children's alpaca mittens, not that I would have been able to afford them. Oh well!

Inside the main building were some great Christmas trees!

And on the way out we caught one last glimpse of the alpacas.

All in all, it was....moderate! Malpaca Christmas!

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

2010-12-03T18:01:00.003-05:00

A year of Facebook stati, you can get yours here.

Putting the Activity in Nactivity Set

2010-12-02T15:27:00.005-05:00

This is the cutest nativity scene ever.

The angel flies like an airplane, sounds like an airplane, and then buzzes away with the 3rd king on the back of his Little People motorcycle.

BBBLLLVVVVVRrrrrooooommmmmm....

Back on the shelf.

A hit! Can't wait to dig this set out year after year.

People, Places, and Things

2010-12-01T17:00:00.011-05:00

People, Places, and Things (and Links)

It's December! My favorite month! Self-admitted holiday nerd here, I love Christmas culture and the Christmas Version of anything, of music, of movies, of decorations, of commercialism, of dishware, of parties, of menus, of socks, of names, of saran wrap, of scarves, of pasta, of everything!!! I was recently spotted spending a teeny weeny non-fortune on festive eBay sweaters and vests for Jimmy, I started fearing there were not enough days left to wear them all so I stopped. And shifted to the lobster embroidered pants. I'm also perusing this list of Fairs and Festivals.

Ice. It's where some people and princesses skate, we are already planning on attending Disney Princesses on Ice and I just learned that Smuckers Stars on Ice is also coming to the Cumberland County Civic Center, this time with Dancing with the Stars (and that Olympics-thing)'s Evan Lysacek. I'm seriously considering tickets, after a season of the über-nerdsome Skating with the Stars I might be jonesing for something out of Johnny Weir(d)'s closet. (Truth be told, I'd be thrilled if Jimmy pursued the sequined arts, but at the mo [<--ugh, shoot me] it's looking more like the train, tractor, trailer, and truck arts.)

Banana bread, cookies, and fudge. Holiday treats from Minnesota, thanks Sandy!!!

Greenlight Studios. Indoor playground where Jimmy and I spent the morning after an unexpected day off school, also where I realized that we're definitely out of Toddlerhood and firmly into the Preschool phase (the joint is for 0-6 year olds, Jimmy wasn't the oldest one there but I think morning hours mostly draw the youngie youngsters.)

First Impressions. They can be deceiving, like when I mistakenly hated the movie The Polar Express. The first time watching this film definitely stressed me out, but now that I know how everything ends I know that it is fantastic. The story and the animation are great, and the details, the details, the details! I've never heard Tom Hanks do such strong character acting (and this coming from someone who was Hank'd out not too long ago, as seen in the March 27, 2006 post of an old myspace page, entitled "Hank'd Out":

Dear Tom Hanks,

Please stop trying to tack on more "ranges" to your resume and bring back Turner and Hooch.

Signed,

Your Boston Accent Sucks

I guess I was watching a little Leonardo, er, Catch Me If You Can at the time.) But in the Polar Express, when the elves sing for Santa's entrance, my word. Bravo Robert Zemeckis for a succinct, thrilling, creepy, touching, and unexpectedly moving Christmas movie. I hesitate to provide this link because the quality isn't so hot, but on our dvd it's spectacular. I suppose Chris Van Allsburg deserves some credit for writing the book, not that I've read it, a predicament I hope to remedy this season, and every holiday season (I have read that you can get the CD where Liam Neeson reads the book FOR you on Christmas Eve, or...whenever...and I have Sarah to thank for that bit of inspiring tradition-making info.) And finally, hello, TRAINS. Jimmy likes this movie even more than he did last year, we've watched it 5-6 times already this season, I know there was some talk with his aunt and uncle about attending the Polar Express event at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, I'm hoping it comes about!

Thermometer, Jimmy's latest obsession, thankfully he's feeling rather chipper while dealing with axillary temps of 99+°, perhaps it was the OJ & Chicken Stock smoothie concocted after he refused Daddy's homemade chicken soup. He didn't know it was a poultry smoothie, he thought it was just orange juice. Sneaky, yes. Disgusting, outrageously, but these are two life elements one must deal with once becoming a parent. We know most people would have chosen the soup, but we're not talking about most people, this is (warning: bias ahead) the most precious creature on the planet and his Mumma gets a little uneasy about dealing with illnesses. I've worked hard at giving and maintaining his healthy body, he's rarely sick, but thankfully my uneasiness soon turned into fascination, how the fever is evidence that his healthy body IS working, and how proud I feel for allowing the fever to do its job and relying on natural treatments rather than interfering with Tylenol or Motrin. All the research I did, even the more mainstream sites advised that these meds are largely unnecessary, but there are a couple sites I'd like to thank. This USA Today article, particularly its two final lines which reference the input of Dr. Ian Paul,

Sleeping children, he says, already are comfortable. Children with temperatures of 104 degrees almost always feel miserable, he says, but there's no "magic temperature" at which drugs are urgent.

...a phrase that met my eyes just moments after Jimmy had crawled into my lap and fallen asleep, a rare midday occurrence. And I'd like to tip my hat to SouleMama, last June I read her entry about "Feel Better Pops" and mmyeah, at the time my eyeballs did roll a bit because I was like "this is a tremendously popular blogger who maintains a monstrous following, can't she come up with a snappier title for medicinal popsicles than 'Feel Better Pops?' Lame!" Then I spent about 3-4 minutes trying to come up with something catchier and guess what. Nuthin'. Truth is, the name she gave the pops exactly fits her style, and the rest of the post was loaded with sense and simplicity and it was memorable enough for me to check back in with it today, to see how my fellow Portlandah dealt with childhood illnesses. Her answer is:

We don't really do a lot...when someone isn't feeling well, our focus is on Time, Water, and Love. Oftentimes, that's really all I think is needed. That, and the knowledge about and belief in our bodies. Understanding what a fever is, for example, and how the human body works can make it so much less scary for little ones when it's happening...

Time, Water, and Love. With the exception of Chicken OJ, that's all we've needed too.

Late November Happies

2010-11-26T20:39:00.006-05:00

November 25 is Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27 is Happy Birthday Hunny Bunny!

Tonight, relaxin' o sole mio with Channel 8 is Happy Feet!

Pajama Day

2010-11-24T19:23:00.002-05:00

Today was Pajama Day at school, they all brought in snacks and watched Toy Story 3 and talked about being thankful.

Happy Almost Thanksgiving!

How He Rolls...

2010-11-21T19:54:00.002-05:00

Really now, why throw out a broken toaster oven when you can just as easily gut out its electrical parts and plop it on top of the woodstove, good as new.

This is how my Hunny cooked his dinner tonight, he got it up to 450°!

As the hotwings went from frozen to sizzlin', the weather dept (also Wally) was predicting a hard frost which meant it was time to harvest the beets.

Prize Beet!

Preparin' for Picklin'

This all took place in the 40 minutes he was home between work and work. Just another evening in Wally's Kitchen!

Look Out Happy Wheels....

2010-11-20T18:37:00.007-05:00

...Portland's got a new concrete place to break your knees, for no charge! And it's outdoors, in Libbytown, and in my back yard. Today they cut the ribbon at Portland Skatepark so Jimmy and I took a windy stroll to check it out.

I must say, the vibe was very cool. The 14 year olds seemed pleased with the new option and their moms seemed cozy enough in their minivans lined up St. James Street. One of the park's promoters even gave Jimmy one of those BIG ROUND BALLOONS but my camera's batteries wore out by then so no photos and the balloon never made it home. Last I saw it, it was over Cash Corner in South Portland (or so I presume) but Jimmy was too cold to watch it disappear into Scarborough. We wish the best for the new skate park, only time will tell how many more graffiti tags our fence will earn in its honor.

You can pick your friends....

2010-11-19T19:44:00.005-05:00

Imagine my surprise when I uploaded this photo from the camera to the computer, I had no idea he was doing that with his finger. Happy Friday!

¿Esso si que es? And Sandals!

2010-11-18T19:39:00.018-05:00

At school today Jimmy apparently defiled himself all the way down to his shoes and since I'd only packed an extra shirt/pants the school had to make do with what they had, and as a result they dressed him in the most culturally fatal combination alive---they dressed him in SOCKS and SANDALS.

Hold on, wrong photo. Here he is:

One of the socks was lavender and had a feather marabou rim, so yes the socks didn't match each other or his gender. However, the school is completely off the hook because this is where I admit that....I'm ducking here....that I don't really mind this offense to fashion, the whole socks and sandals thing. I'll even go as far to say that I think that it looks cozy, and cute! I wish it were more socially acceptable, the world can be so unkind to those of us who are sensorially opposed to being barefoot. I just didn't expect Jimmy had the same sense of style, if you ask me I think those feet look darn good! Right, Steve?

Don't Stop
Rockin' Your Socks ON

Steven agrees.

Anniversary Lunch

2010-11-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

Today my Hunny Bunny and I have been together for 10 Years! Hurrah, we made it! What better way to celebrate than with a special anniversary lunch with

...this guy! Haha, it's my nephew Alex, a Frosh at a local college, and we were accompanied by

...Mr. Psyched2Bthere! J/k, that's actually my son Jimmy, a Forest Room student at a local preschool.

It was a nice lunch, how could it not be when the convo hops from Westboro Baptist Church to Family Guy to Reaganomics in American ghettos. Once back home to my hubby XO's were exchanged in lieu of gifts, but you don't need gifts when you have the happiest family on the block (hardly the most death defying feat here, but still.) Happy 11/11, Hunny! Many thanks Alex and Jimmy for celebrating with me!

Afternoon Pancakes

2010-11-10T20:22:00.004-05:00

Ok, the stovetop could use a scrub, but I still love the built-in griddle on our 1959 Estate oven.

The pancakes didn't suck either. Happy almost Veterans Day!

"Ma'am, I DID that! I typed 'Gewgle' into email and it's not taking me to your AOL spot!"

2010-11-08T16:07:00.017-05:00

The worst task in the world for someone as impatient as I am is being called upon to help the clueless use a computer. This happened a lot in customer service, answering calls from people who don't know what the internet is or what Num Lock is for, trying to remotely teach golfball sized knuckles to double-click, that sorta thing. The company I worked for wasn't especially helpful, their website and their product in general was ridiculously complicated, I'm presently smarting from several terse flashbacks caused by the following image, forwarded to me by my nephew. Thanks Alex!

Oh beans, if the image doesn't work you can find it here, if your nerves allow.

Ni Hao

2010-11-07T19:00:00.012-05:00

Ni Hao is Chinese for 'Ello, Chap, and is the first half of the title Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, a cartoon on Nick Jr. featuring 6-year-old Kai-Lan. I was first acquainted with Ni Hao, Kai-Lan in the toy aisles of Target, her theme layouts were grouped with all the other licensed character toys and, it is true, my first thought was "Who's this bitch" cuz I thought she looked kinda bitchy, but now that we have cable I have a totally different take on Kai-Lan.

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is cute, cute, cute. The show's animation is like Hello Kitty on a cupcake high, little Kai-Lan speaks to viewers with the biggest eyes and in the cutest voice and her hair and her friends provide many episodes worth of eye-candy, even Jimmy has chosen this show as one of his newest faves in our foray into cable life. Its focus is on introducing cultures to young ones (and maybe their parents) and with it Kai-Lan ushers in Chinese vocab, which I hear is a highly valuable language for Americans to learn considering how world commerce is going. I hardly object to multiculturalism or learning foreign languages, it's just that...

We've only had cable and Nick Jr. for a couple weeks, and I'm no Poli-Sci major but sometimes it seems like little Kai-Lan is sorta...maybe just a squidge...communist. I mean, I'm all for everyone having access to health care and all and I was just as floored as everyone else with the drummers in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremonies, but. I dunno, it's not that I think Capitalism is all it's cracked up to be, but when Kai-Lan starts changing the rules so that everyone gets a seat in Musical Chairs, that's when I saw my eyes going a little lefty-righty as it kicked into my brain that the wee girl might be into wee indoctrination? Propaganda? Maybe? Far be it from me to say that I don't sommmmetimes make connections that sincerely aren't there (Kelly Osbourne has been intentionally promoting Bristol Palin so that she could wedge herself into a guest judge position on Dancing With The Stars and thus score Bristol statistically lower...I know it! Muuaaahahahahigh-5 to Kelly) but each and every episode we've seen seems to be dedicated to denial of feelings and toward working oneself into a smaller role of something bigger. She makes these chants, "When you feel sad, think about something happy and you'll feel better," "When you feel angry, just calm down and you'll feel better," "When you've been violated, just work your job and you'll feel better," etc.

So I Google it up, "Ni Hao Kai Lan Communist" and I get a bunch of rightwinging airheads opposed to the show for boneheaded reasons, and I don't want to be associated with that, I just think that it's kinda weird, right? Not to mention the show's promotional images:

Haha, j/k, someone else created that. But it did make me think about how she's only got a grandfather and no mother (hi, Disney) because we mothers just get in the way of...everything...and there was this one episode where Kai-Lan was sticking her rear end into the camera for multiple reasons (dancing, showing what's underneath the seat of her swing, who knows what else) and that just gives me that shakin' head squinty-eyed nasal sigh sorta thing.

But Jimmy will still be allowed to watch, because he likes it and because his mom likes to point fingers at the screen and shout out "SEE!" when various pinko commie ideologues pop up in children's cartoons. That's Americanism. Thanks, Nick Jr!

First Friday

2010-11-05T20:35:00.005-04:00

We've been treated to a balmy November night so Jimmy and I decided YES on going out to the Children's Museum at no-charge for the First Friday Art Walk. It was a zoo, but really fun, and I'm pooped!

Belting conveyors

Processing eggs

Making Mumma wonder what's he going to do with that thermometer

Proving we're in Maine

Impressing his mother with the brute strength needed to maneuver this sawmill

Catching fish

Architecting

Being thorough

Benching in to get a turn

Vrooming

TCB

Turning left

Being the cutest creature at the joint. I swear, I love watching Jimmy play with others, he is unearthingly patient and easy-going. He likes having his turn, but never hogs anything or gets mad if some (JERK!) kid shoves him off. We had so much fun, many thanks to the folks at the Children's Museum of Maine for offering this free event every month.

November 2

2010-11-02T19:32:00.011-04:00

Today I:

Smiled and nodded and watched Jimmy's teachers fawn, again.

Went to the gym (whoa!)

Watched 2 hours of Kathy Griffin standup at the gym, wondering what I was doing without cable??

Drove Wally to work

Voted (go me!)

Came home and watched this vid, posted by a Libertarian Facebook friend who'd one day prior posted this.

Built a fire, laughed about Jimmy's firewood trains, and then dug out a firewood train splinter from his thumb.

This train hurts...

Asked Jimmy to smile for the camera and got this:

Went scavengering for diapers with my pal Leann

Made a pie unworthy of photos, made this post, and procrastinated my Nanowrimo novel.

Thankfully, I originally planned to write nightly after my programs, so I'm not THAT much of a slacker yet. 986 words so far!

NaNoWriMo

2010-11-01T18:48:00.004-04:00

November might be a little light chez S'mère d'Un because I'm doing it:

Nanowrimo 2010, National Novel Writing Month 2010---writing 50k words in 30 days, I did it back in 2001 and this year I've got a book that's gonna write itself, I sweah. Except, so far on Day 1 I've done more culling of Jimmy's clothes than I have in at least a year, so I better get t'a-crackin'. Wish me luck!! And it's not to late to join yourself!

Punkin' Fun-kin

2010-10-30T19:53:00.002-04:00

October 30, it was about time we carved the pumpkin Wally brought home a couple weeks ago.

Are the insides ever not gross?

Jimmy helped me sort all the pulp off the seeds (yuuuck.)

And I did the carving (yuuucker!) I kinda screwed it up.

But I didn't screw up the seeds,

They were woodstove'sted and YUUUM! Happy Almost Halloween!

October 29th

2010-10-29T18:53:00.014-04:00

...is the day Jimmy's class wore costumes and went singing at a local nursing home. Everyone melted for Captain Jimmy,

...it was too cute! After that we decided we wanted to check out the other October 29th event, the opening of Portland's Trader Joe's!

I hit a little traffic coming upon the site. It kept getting denser and I started thinking "nooo...this can't be becau--. Can it?"

Affirmative, the gridlock was caused by all kindza new Trader Joe devotees. Getting around the parking lot was impossible, the guy they had directing traffic was completely overrun,

...and with my rearview mirror looking like this:

I decided to put off my first trip for another time, which ended up being later this afternoon. My first impression = AWESOME!! It's like Deliciousness and Disney World and Great Prices and Maine all wrapped up with Groceries and excellent customer service. They thanked me for being there. ME! There were thousands of other shoppers there and they still managed to make me feel special and welcome. With that level of customer service, I can pretty much cross Trader Joe's off the list of places that might hire me, which is fine because I'd much rather just shop there. Happy October 29th!

B'ackfrica

2010-10-27T18:10:00.005-04:00

My brother Mark and sister-in-law M, and Laura and Kay are home from their most recent 3 week trip to the Newstart Children's Home in Zimbabwe, and here we are with some awesome treasures! From M and Mark we received this wonderful soapstone carving of Wally, Jimmy, and me:

Does that just not say it all. LOVE IT!

We also received a hippo carving:

...which goes only too well with my other soapstone hippo:

Hippo and Child

And lastly, written responses to the letters Jimmy "wrote" to the kids at Newstart.

Priceless

Each of these is packed with personality, it is unreal. These kids are so well spoken and surprisingly introspective and present themselves with a level of class that I am certain is not taught in our American schools. As I read them aloud I knew they were something special, but it really came true when Wally started picking them up and also reading aloud. Just magical, many thanks to these selfless folks who travel on their own time and dime to help out. These gifts have made my week!

Southward Ho!

2010-10-21T19:54:00.003-04:00

We're leaving in the morning for a wedding, hubby is IN the wedding, a minor detail I learned just a few weeks ago. It's at a yacht club in Connecticut, shi shi! Wish us luck!

Goin' for a Walk...

2010-10-20T19:26:00.005-04:00

Autumn shadow

"Where did that RV go...?"

Pinecone hunting

"Where did summer go...?"

Run-ninnnng!

Stoppin' to watch the game

Loot from an autumn walk around the 'hood!

2 π 4

2010-10-16T19:09:00.000-04:00

Dinner Before:

Dinner After:

I know, I just made a pie yesterday, but as the title implies this was a pie to die for! That's red bell pepper, swiss chard, and eggs, then topped with parmesan and pie crust. I had to make it after being uncontrollably inspired by this recipe. Its photos are amazing, the recipe is amazing, the entire blog is amazing, but I believe the final decision to make this pie hung on the post's final line: You can serve this warm from the oven or wrap it up and serve it cold at a picnic. Sold! Nevermind that it's cold windy Northern Hemisphere October, in fact I think it made it better. Happy Saturday!

Thanks Uncle Sal!

2010-10-15T19:03:00.008-04:00

Wally has an enamorment for the landlord of his recording space, Sal. Uncle Sal is like a, well, an uncle to him and we are periodically recipients of his garden foodstuffs. This week we got:

Swiss Chard

Grapes (Sal turns these into wine, of course.)

A peek of the most delicious Bell Peppers ever!

And a bunch of pears!

Which I baked into a pie.

Mmmmmm! Thanks Uncle Sal!

The United State of Excited

2010-10-13T19:42:00.007-04:00

I know I just posted about the State Theatre, but today they had some press there AND Jimmy and I went and took some photos. Shame they don't do it justice, neither does the news clip...you'll just have to go to a show to appreciate the experience!!

The one bummer,

...this lounge that lead into the ladies bathroom appears to be gone. It was so movie starlet and glamorous, it's really too bad!

Dashboard Questessionals

2010-10-12T18:36:00.013-04:00

Sometimes we'll be sitting there in the car at a light and Wally will bust out a line from nowhere, like:

9/11 was an inside job.

They murdered that princess.

John Lennon was killed by a Manchurian Candidate.

Facebook is a CIA-controlled experiment.

I gotta wonder about that 4th one, it's getting nearly impossible to quit Facebook, about a year ago I read that 22 percent of all computer users have a Facebook profile and just this week I came across this map on my e-friend Julie's blog:

Click it for a huge interesting closeup view.

...which really puts into perspective HOW MUCH the internetally inclined use FB, where they spend their time. And then today Prophecy Girl posted this non-Gylls related post about the pervasive nature of Facebook, touching a bit on what a dink Mike Zuckerberg is (I've read some dickheaded quotes attributed to him before, reflecting a callous disregard for people's privacy) and I'm wondering if the movie The Social Network---if it's not some sort of government smokescreen to deliver misinformation about what is really going on. I know smart, concerned people who have left Facebook over the privacy issues and encouraged Friends to follow them over to Twitter...only to see them back on FB six months later. Facebook has become unavoidable, and we've all been warned over its seemingly unreasonable privacy issues, something peculiar is definitely happening in front of our faces, what do you think about Facebook? I'm curious!

And WTF are all these people doing on Farmville, gawd!

The State of the Union

2010-10-10T19:59:00.011-04:00

Good news! After 4 years the State Theatre is reopening and my smart and talented husband is part of it! Wally lurvingly did sound there for years before it closed in 2006, it was on the sad end of devastating to witness this venue vanish like it did. They even interviewed him about the phenomenon, he was so devoted to the building and appeared that so many others were as well, it was a huge loss to the city.

Then in May the announcement came, the State Theatre--the place which was solemnly rumored to never reopen again, ever--was reopening. No way!

The new management is very exciting, look what they've done to the insides!

Wally tells me the people they've hired are all professional and proficient in what they do, feel free to check out the fall schedule. Alas, in the state of our union, with this awesome fall schedule Wally will be working most weekends, which means.... ....I'mnotworkinganymore. Full-time SAHM I am, and I appreciate your support in the matter. In the meantime, some more fanfare of this grand, grand reopening!

(Circa 1930.)

Wheeee, a great time for the city of Portland!!!

(Photos courtesy Facebook and Portland Monthly.)

Ready, Set, Match?

2010-10-09T20:26:00.015-04:00

You always hear it, the "Aw mah gawd, I so like hate it when people are like boyfriend-girlfriend and they dress alike, that is so grossse!" and you see the people at the mall or at the places where tourists go, these two clean cut hetero people, both possessing the same level of man-ness between them, both wearing yellow and white striped rugby shirts with tan chinos, or some other version of couples dressing alike. What I don't get is---how does this happen? What IS the conversation? 'Cuz whenever I get goofy and jestingly suggest it to Wally, there's always one answer: a hard NFW. Like, he doesn't even entertain the joke, that's how serious he is about not doing it. In real life there have been times when he's changed shirts once he realized we were similarly dressed, so when it does occur with couples, I'm completely in the dark, who does the suggesting? ("Let's wear identically matching rugby shirts!") And who does the agreeing, the man, the woman, who? When and why do they do the shopping? How does it happen, inquiring minds want to know!

Ed. note: Ok, so when I went to search Google Images for a good picture to post for "couples wearing matching shirts" I thought I kept coming across the same couple in matching shirts, it seemed like "Ok, so these two just go everywhere and post their matching photos online a lot" but as it turns out, they're not the same couple, they're a bunch of Asian couples. So, a lesson in culture and in paying attention all in one. Whoops, nevermind!

No Complaints!

2010-10-08T21:07:00.009-04:00

Popping in with a few photos from our last-minute trip to Smiling Hill Farm today. Weather couldn't have been better!

(Little girl on this train first addressed Wally with a nod and a "Hey, I recognize you from the crane!" and then when her grandmother remarked about how nice this train was, she replied "Yeah. But it's made out of wood." Hee! Priceless.)

No complaints.

Vermonstrative Visit

2010-10-06T21:08:00.008-04:00

Since the last post us Ventcils have been to Vermont and back, it was an interesting journey, we weren't sure what to expect but the trip's results were as good as could be expected, I guess. Hubby was a little _____ (<--I trust you to come up with your own word for this) about seeing his ma in such an ill state, but once we got there her spirits were up and it appears to me that she has accepted her fate, which falls in line with her personality--I never took her for a dramatic or emotional lady, instead she takes things as they come and only looks back in matter o'fact-like pragmatism. She is an unpredicted knitter and healthy gardener and keeps her home cozy with warm pillows and light-catching knick-knacks and kitchen supplies, and she instructed that I made myself at home as she skipped some of the many naps her illness has brought into her life so that she could spend some lasting moments with her son, and her *active* grandson (in Jimmy's defense she is the one who had TWO whoopie cushions in the house! <=) I don't want to say too much, just that it was a very special and successful trip. I will say I am sad to report that the leaf peeping in the Green Mountains of Vermont wasn't as good as here in Maine. Vermont's leaves were peaking, but they looked more

When the ones in Maine and NH are more

Wally's mom described this year's Vermont colors as "dull." It was the kind of statement that had the potential to sink an anchor into my gut, that she has a mountain full of trees in her back yard and what a betrayal of nature to cheat the woman from the brilliant colors she could be enjoying in her final fall season (final season?) But to her, it was just another placid observation, that she's seen the same trees change color for 25 years, and that the best adjective for 2010's leaves is "dull." She says it with no disappointment or resentment, just a matter of fact. Fascinating.

Other things that happened--we got to watch some satellite tv (!!!) which led to 3 first-time viewings of 3 shows that I always hear about but never get the opportunity to see. First up:

Glee. I did have a reaction to the show (the reaction was: meh) but my instinct tells me it was a less-than-spectacular episode and that it deserves more watching.

Second:

Curb Your Enthusiasm. OMG, hysterical, but you probably already knew that. I knew the show was about "neurotic" Larry David, but I never conceptualized him as this neurotic. Winner!

And lastly:

Yo Gabba Gabba. This one made me feel very "in" and "hip" as a mother, last week my Facebook news feed was full of hip local parents who attended the Yo Gabba Gabba production that came to town last week and I sorta felt left out. But now we've seen it and Jimmy loved it, and I confess, 45 minutes into watching Nick Jr. made me contemplate getting cable into the house. WILL she do it??? Only time will tell.

Jimmy did great throughout the trip, I was so proud that he was full of kisses for the right people at the right times, and special thanks to Gramma Norma and Grampy Pasta for getting us a room at the Clear River Inn. It was great!

Westward Ho!

2010-10-04T19:01:00.005-04:00

We're leaving early tomorrow morning to pay a visit to Wally's mother. I love Vermont, I think it's a great state, but it always slightly bums me out when I look at the map and see how close Portland and Rutland are:

...and knowing what should be a brisk 2ish-hour drive is instead a long up'n'down 4-hour drive, the nerve! Is this what Eisenhower intended when he ripped off the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate of Defense Highways from the Nazis? Doubt it, but the drive is worth it, Vermont is beautiful and Jimmy really needs to see his gramma. Wish us a safe trip and peace for yet another cancer victim.

Sparkle Motion

2010-10-01T13:58:00.008-04:00

There's a lot of good things about Jimmy's preschool, but this dazzle 'n' bauble-loving mumma thinks that the very best part has got to be the surprise crafts I periodically find in his backpack. A few weeks ago I was presented with my newest and favoritest NECKLACE:

Pasta Posh

And today it was my new sparkle bottle, complete with a blue accent marble.

I love it and cherish it, but not as much as I cherish the way Jimmy shakes it with his entire body. There is no doubting his commitment to sparkle motion, a little Jimmy-shimmy goes a long way!

My Good Pepper Poppers

2010-09-30T19:14:00.006-04:00

I got the recipe from the back of the bag of mini sweet peppers from Sam's Club, they were so good the first time I had to make them again. Jimmy helped!

And for Aunt Betty, I wanted to get a good shot of Jimmy's new Old Faithful shirt, but the model was more preoccupied with other stuff. Oh well, you get the idea...

And it sorta matches the peppers! We hope to see the ol' geyser ourselves someday. And the bison, and waterfalls, and all the rest of it. Thanks again!

Trick or Beets

2010-09-29T18:25:00.004-04:00

Ok, maybe not beets, but I got a kick out of the tomatoes and spinach that Jimmy put into his trick-or-treat pumpkin this afternoon. If we can keep that momentum going we will be all set.

Other news, we wanted to thank Aunt Betty for sending fun Yellowstone and festive motorcycle t-shirts, and for introducing Jimmy to Pez (that was quite an afternoon. =) We love them, photos soon to come. Also, we learned today that my mother-in-law, Jimmy's grandmother was given 4-12 months to live, she has a lot of cancer and we will be making a trip to visit her soon. Any feel-good vibes sent to Vermont are appreciated, I'm sure.

AND tonight Liza Minnelli will be presented with a key to the city, and all that jazz!

Friday Night Movies

2010-09-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

I didn't expect Jimmy to be as serious about this movie as he was, but the whole cuddling-on-the-couch-with -your-3-year-old-as-he-reaches-over-to-give-you-a-kiss thing really made me fall in love with Netflix Watch Instantly. The movie...I still think it kinda stunk, but that's o-kay!

Asn't Seen on Youtube

2010-09-23T20:28:00.011-04:00

So far, 3 out of 3 visits to the Westbrook Shaw's resulted in the same prize item from the $0.25 (eff those 50 cent machines, who do they think I am???) gumball/exotic animal machine at the store's exit. All three times we got the same lion, the same squishy orange felis leo that throws Jimmy into a fit of rooooooarrrring all the time.

Mrrrrrroooooaaaarrrrmmmrrr

I mean, as you can see, the details and the size on this lion are pretty raw, and savage.

So today, exiting Shaw's Westgate, Jimmy was naturally drawn to the same (cheapo) machine, the one with the tiny wild vicious animals. I think we always hope to get the panda or something, but at THIS Shaw's the sign on the machine says:

Whaaaa--aaattt? Since when??? So, when I searched Youtube for "teeny tiny ferocious squishy shaw's twenty-five cent felis leo prize" I got:

...and I don't even know what to think.

Pivot Rivet

2010-09-22T20:22:00.008-04:00

...is the less catchy name for a product I discovered 3 seconds after taking an underconditioned waltz past a utility mirror in Target today. It's the Goody Spin Pin and it arrived into my hands in the very same aisle (fate?) (marketing?) and the poor thing didn't even make it to the checkout before it was boldly ripped from its box and flung into a knot of my hair, and I love it for that. I even took photos!

No chagrin for the Spin Pin!

Also today, Jimmy gets into the parmesan cheese:

...and lots of other neat stuff happening this week, to be revealed soon!

Arrg, t'is th'day ye piratin' folks hath made, yarr!

2010-09-19T10:21:00.009-04:00

The 19th Septemberrrr, arrrr, t'is'zzle tharst Internationalizin' Talk Like a Pirate Day. This piratin' lass, me 'earties, goes on preferrin' a-fashionin' tha Piratespeak akin ta the likes there aboardin' th'Black Pearl, ayyyyyye. An' maybe, ye bonny lasses and mateys, maybe e'en a touch o' th' Snoop-a-spizzle, arrrrizzle. Passin' on da rum, aayyy, Gizzle n' Juice bein' tha grog fo' me, yarrr.

Ok, sorry, that was giving me a headache, too. BUT, I still think it's a fun little holiday, Talk Like a Pirate Day. Even the pope celebrates!

Whoops, wrong holiday.

Theeeere he is. I know it's irreverent, but I think it's cute! Kyrie e-yarrr-son.

And speaking of the Lord, I also just found out it's Adam West's birthday!

Still sexy-wrong at 82

Alas, avast, an' da merry Tizzle Lizzle a Pizzle Dizzle, aaaayyy, frum de likes o'landlubbers Ashton an' da Snizzle Catt.

"Mizzle"

(Is it tomorrow yet?)

Bike Dislike

2010-09-16T19:38:00.007-04:00

It's Fair Season in Maine and evidently today I had a thumbprint on my camera while we were at the Oxford County Fair, so pre-apologies for that. It was at The Big O! (naughty!) fair where Jimmy rode his first Merry-Go-Round,

which was not atop a horse, but a dog.

Later on we walked by some rusty antique stand that featured ornate old outdoor bench seating and curly-q table stands and beautiful old headboards, all of which I l.ove, but the place also showed weird old bikes, which I hate---and of course the bikes were the items that captured Jimmy and Wally's attention. Wonder where Jimmy gets it from!

(I really hate this bike.)

But Jimmy loved this trike!

We're hoping to have some good Oxford County Fair news by the end of the evening. Stay tuned! Or not...

Final Brigade

2010-09-14T19:12:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow night is the Big Brother 12 Finale.

Sit on it, Lane!!!!

Can't wait! Technically I'm pulling for Hayden (blue shorts) to win it all because he's been winning competitions since Week 1 and remaining loyal to his alliance and is straight-up with people he cares about before they get evicted from the house. Enzo (wifebeater) was sort of useless, but good for comic relief and loyal to the alliance. Lane sucked at this game and treated his allies like shit (mostly) and has had everything handed to him his entire life, including cutesy diaryroom lines that never came off as authentic, and possibly $500,000 which makes me a little sick. Ultimately I think it's pretty cool that an alliance actually made it to the finals, but I'm definitely looking forward to an All Stars season in hopes that maaaaybe they'll cast some people who know how to play this game (and just because Dick Donato begged me to be his FB firend doesn't mean I need him back, please, no, enough.)

Some folks'll never eat a skunk, but then again some folks'll

2010-09-13T15:33:00.013-04:00

I’m pretty sure I can pinpoint the moment I stopped judging other people’s use of language (so much), it was the day Jimmy came out. After that I had too many OTHER things to worry about but before then I used to really enjoy knowing when to use a ‘whom’ or an E before an I, and I admit, I sorta liked catching mistakes (except mine), it was like a game. But nowadays I gotta wonder--does convention really matter? Do we really need the language to stay stagnant? Cuz it won’t (<--proof) and it makes me wonder why grammarholics and my old self insist on policing the language, with such (ugh!) conservative verve. It makes me think of English’s very own pride-n-joy, Mr. William Shakespeare and his mastery of the language of his time, and whether proud Elizabethans would’ve been grammar bullies and created a “Presseth LIKE if thou knowest the difference betwixt Thy, Thine, and Thoust” group on Facebook. Hoonoze, but they might have also snickered at any modern-day Michael Bublé lyrics, which is why I’ve stopped caring whether my or someone else’s grammar is “wrong” or inaccurate, because it's always changing and some people might not be able to spell ‘your’ from ‘yore’ or ‘effit' but they probably do things like draw or ice skate or make omelets or hock loogies a heck of a lot better than I do. People should feel free to talk and write as they please, right, we all have the right to express our own thoughts and feelings no matter what BOX some freak-control grammarians try to force upon us. Miss Keeley, my 6^th grade “teacher” once told me (and the rest of the class) that I am not e. e. cummings, that I do not possess ‘poetic license’ and because of this I needed to stop writing in all-lowercase. I was pretty easy to shame in those days but on this topic I knew Miss Keeley was full of shit, that she was not in fact the lady who handed out artistic licenses. That privilege was already granted to me, individuals possess liberties over their own choices in communication, 6th grade me knew that, just like I knew any of us could make up words out of thin air, and like how I knew my husband was in for it when he corrected a double-negative I blurted out in the middle of a sentence last week. Whether double-negatives are unsound or socially acceptable made no difference, I pointed to the English degree on the wall and told him I could go forth on speaking in dong gone all th’double negahivs I wawnt! Because like it or not, double-negatives, mishandled contractions, web jargon, and run-on sentences are part of the lexicon and they have a formative place in our language. Dammit!

And then other days I watch movies like Mike Judge's Idiocracy and I know...we're all just ridin an ambulanche ta hayell.

I suppose I do have one unembarrassed passion. I do judge a speaker’s confidence in the misuse of the first-person singular in the objective case, or as the object of a preposition. “It was so gracious of Professor Julius to dedicate his memoirs to Preston and I.” NO! Would someone ever say “It was so gracious of Professor Julius to dedicate his memoirs to I.” Not likely. So stop!!! It’s as though an entire subset of otherwise intelligent people believe that they will be struck by a bolt of hillbilly if they dare verbally pair themselves up with another person by using the word “me.”

My theory is that it comes from the wee days of childhood, when the adult agenda set in, when it became a sin for elbows to be on the table, when we learned it was more important that a child be corrected for uttering a phrase like “I brang you a rose, Gramma!” than it was for any shipshape grandmother to respect the kind rosy gesture. From a time when an announcement like “Me and Greg are going to the store,” in front of the wrong people might make your mother cry from having to admit that she lives with such a rotten foul-mouthed hick kid. So people learned early that it was just easier to shun any elbow funnybusiness at mealtime, and that proper grammar is more important than offerings or feelings, and that the misassumption that “please accept this million dollar endowment from Larry + I” satisfies the socially discerning ear better than any childish “ME” ever did. It's bullshit.

New Reading Chair

2010-09-11T19:13:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Jimmy got cozy in his book bucket.

Get your Thinking Tongue out!

Today I worked, but the fam played malletball at a Mallett Bros lobsterbake. (Photo courtesy of Facebook. :)

They came home with lobsters, thanks guys! (I tried to see if my camera's face recognition feature would work on this lobster's face, but it didn't.)

Saturday is nearly all done, my workweek is half over. Wheeeee! But also remembering the victims on September 11, 2001--that was a pretty messed up week.

Dinner Surprise

2010-09-09T18:20:00.005-04:00

Jimmy and I wanted to make dinner but didn't really have a plan until we hit the cupboard. There we found a can of tuna, Ritz, and a box of Jiffy Pie Crust Mix (a crust not so much for vegetarians.) The fridge had mayonnaise, butter, goat and parmesan cheese, and away we went.

Our little unplanned flaky puffs were a fluky success, even when we overlooked the spontaneous Sriracha and Mayo sauce Daddy needed to whip up. Yay for Cupboard Dinner Surprise!

Tomato, Basil, and Goat Cheese Gelatin Salad

2010-09-08T18:01:00.009-04:00

A few weeks ago my friend Kelly emailed (or facebooked?) me a link to a recipe by Barbara DeGroot at Modern Comfort Food, a fun twist to the caprese salad. Kelly said she thought of me when she saw it, which I took as a really nice compliment because it looked way better than any gelatinized or aspic'd dish I ever made.

I think we both also enjoyed the blog post that came with it, mainly the matter-of-fact allegiance to jello and the low-key Eff U to all the gelatin bullies out there. At last, an online ally, na na na boo boo!

And today, I made it! The Tomato, Basil, and Goat Cheese Gelatin Salad!

Actually, yesterday I made it and today I ate it.

The cross-section

I really appreciated some of the tips Barbara provided (you can use the freezer for establishing layers. And you can mold in paper cups, how easy!) and also adding the easy balsamic/olive oil dressing on the side, it really made this mold seem like a bonafide salad. Victory!

But I think we liked it best on a cracker.

It was so tasty with our garden tomatoes and garden basil. Mmmmm. Thanks for the tip, Kelly!

Salmon, Jammin', Computer Dealz Examinin'

2010-09-07T19:01:00.008-04:00

It wasn't intentional, but I thought it was interesting when I realized that last year on Labor Day we ate salmon that was shaped like a fish and this year on Labor Day we ate salmon that was shaped like a sausage.

The salmon sausage was...ok. I guess.

And then today, Jimmy played the guitar.

And his school season is off to a great start, yay fall! I heart fall, summer stresses me out and summer 2010 really stressed me out. With any luck next year we'll have a laptop that works wirelessly, sad but true it would make such an impression to our happy home upon a major artery. If you were short on cash and needing a kitchen computer, would you buy this? Just wondrin', cuz I was thinking about it. Hope everyone enjoyed a happy Labor Day Weekend!

Pinkies Up

2010-09-05T21:10:00.006-04:00

Friday afternoon Jimmy found his hands wrapped around a delicious red-flavored smoothie, compliments of the grand opening of Mike's (more on that later.)

Notice how spoutless this non-sippy cup is.

Waiting for the mess...

...thankful we're outside...

...and All Done!

Notice the delicious red mess all over Jimmy's shirt?

Me neither! Yaaaaay! Applause!

The Incredible Shrinking Jimmy

2010-09-03T21:49:00.009-04:00

J immy W.: The Strange, almost stranger than strange. Unbelievable story of, Jimmy W. is the one that must be told. I know because unfortunately, I am Jimmy W. [rewinds tape recorder, and puts it on play]

September 1, 2007

September 3, 2010

R.I.P. Lily Tomlin!!!!!
The Original Incredible Shrinking Person!

Wait, whoops...She's not dead, sorry!

Delaney's Heart Organization

2010-09-01T21:13:00.007-04:00

Jimmy and I have been devoting this week to writing letters to some special people at the Newstart Orphanage in Harare, Zimbabwe. This is a location that many friends and family visited in 2009 and members of the organization have planned a second Adventure in Giving this coming fall. According the website they are still looking for a carpenter if anyone is interested or has ideas.

For local peeps there will be a Night of Fun and Fundraising on September 19 at Fuller Glass in Portland. For anyone, please keep in mind this organization for any donations, Jimmy's godmother has compiled a list of needed items here.

The smiles are amazing, the folks who have committed to this project are well blessed!

Please visit the Delaney's Heart Organization's website to read about their origins and maybe consider giving what you can to this cause.

It's pure vision, baby

2010-08-30T22:15:00.004-04:00

I fell a little sick today, but it didn't keep me from getting fitted for contacts for the first time in about 4 years. About that long ago I had some quack optometrist (byproduct of shitty vision insurance I've since dropped) put me in the most useless contacts, they ripped every time I took them out. The eye doctor said that they weren't ripping, that they were designed to not rip but I assured the asshat that they were in fact ripping and to pleeeez put me back into some Bausch and Lombs, and things just broke down after that so I went to glasses. Nowadays I'm back to my old optometrist and today got fitted for some Bausch + Lomb PureVision lenses, I love them!

Aren't they cuuuuuuuuute. I'm hoping to take my free trial pair on the ferry tomorrow, islands await!

Back To School

2010-08-29T16:43:00.007-04:00

It's BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!!

Horns! Confetti! Plaid pleats! Groans! 3-Ring binders!

Flipping through the local news I read that the Outlook on back-to-school shopping good so far. The things you learn as a parent, I suppose I always knew, but I never knew that stores were relying on this income. Jimmy is coming off a 2-week preschool vacation and starts a heavier courseload this week, and I'll tell you how much we've spent on his back to school shopping. $$ZERO!! I suppose that's not unexpected seeing as Jimmy is all of 3 years old, but now that I think of it....I did get him $8.50 worth of juice boxes at Sam's Club. Hmmm...we all know that juice boxes are primarily used for school lunchboxes, there's a whole industry on school-related products. The backpacks, the sandwich bags, the froot snax, the ice packs, the thermoses, all with kids themes. The foldable sporks, the crosswalk STOP signs, the special buses, the schoolyard equipment, all items created for the child who leaves his home every morning, never mind all the trapper keepers and galoshes and crayons and shitty left-handed scissors that kids could use from home but are nimbly accepted as "school supplies." The system is so suffocating, all these "wholesome" items are just part of the big swindle of The Man to continue to keep us giving the rich more of our money and thus keeping us down, and working. Can I tell I watched a Michael Moore movie in my sleep the other day?

On a lighter note, Jimmy sincerely loves school. I mean, it's preschool, there's no actual "courseload" it's a bunch of kids playing around. Without Mommy. But that's ok, because who woulda thunk that having 3 hours to go to Border's by yourself would be....so....divine. Ahem, but really, how many times can you go to Border's every week, the system isn't actually wholly divine for me, there have been a number of bumps in the road (wtf is this blank 'communication notebook' for, you teachers!!) but "at the end of the day" <--I hate that phrase, except in this case, when I tuck Jimmy in at night and I ask him if he's ready to go to school the next day, and the eager eyebrows go up and the cutest little head nods, I know it's a good thing.

BUTTT, since I saved so much on Jimmy's back to school shopping (and thanks to Daddy for snagging a Thomas backpack at Goodwill last spring), I have an extra $25 floating around to fetch me a brand new pair of back-to-school Contact Lenses tomorrow morning!!! I can't wait, I only hope our living room Emmy festivities tonight don't result in the same kind of ocular pain I subjected myself to the last time I went to the eye doctor.

Yes/No

2010-08-28T14:09:00.005-04:00

Hello folks, I just found this in my work email's Draft folder, from June 27, 2009. I wonder what kind of mood I was in!

Little Lad’s: Yes
McDonald’s: No
Velveeta Shells and Cheese: Yes

Coupons: Yes
Save-A-Lot: No

Hypocrites: No
“Martyrs”: No
Know-it-Alls: No

Disney/Pixar: Yes
DreamWorks: Yes

Plaid: Yes

Child: Yes
Children: No

Michael Jackson: Yes
Woody Allen: Yes
Mel Gibson: No

Whole Foods: Yes
Target: Yes
Walmart: No

Cats: Yes
Mickey Mouse: Yes
Cats who don’t catch mice in the house: No

Vacuum: No
Lawn Mower: Yes
Mowing Dead Field Mice: No

Cloth Diapers: Yes

Internets: Yes
Telephones: No

Canadian Friends: Yes
Canadian Bloggers: Yes
Canadian Customers: No

Maine: Yes
Vermont: Yes
New Hampshire: No

Self-Preservation: No
Self-Deprecation: Yes

Self-Service: Yes
Self-Service Kiosks: No

College Graduation Ceremonies: Yes
8th Grade Graduation Ceremonies: Yes
Kindergarten Graduation Ceremonies: No

Cheap thrills: Yes
Walking: Yes
Gyms: No

Survival: Yes
Living: No

McMansions: No

In personal cheeseball excitement, tomorrow brings the 2010 Emmy Awards, yaay! Go Tina! And then Monday comes the 2010 Dancing with the Stars Fall Contestants announcement (during the most insanely lurid and shameful and high-calorie scrummy ABC show EVER, Bachelor Pad) however, I have read that Bristol Palin has been cast. Talented Not-Really-Celebrities on DWTS: Yes. Using your kids' tv appearances to promote your own career thru cameo shots from the audience front row of a hit show: NO!

It's Just A Phase

2010-08-13T17:07:00.006-04:00

I'm loathe to "blog about blogging" but dangit, presently I'm going through a very "slow" phase, so it hasn't been very home-and-gardeny around here and that lack leaves little worth updating. Hubby is very busy with his stuff, Jimmy is actively lording over the house, and I've been reading fiction as opposed to reading box instructions or bank accounts or about whatever it is that makes my son tick. Looking forward to enjoying fall, to establishing Jimmy's new preschool routine, to watching the sun go down at 5pm...so ready to say adios to summer 2010.

But also deeply lucky to have married the person I did, a spirit who always accepts me without judgment, and always has.

See you soon!

Summer is for movies

2010-08-07T20:27:00.010-04:00

This weekend:

And then

In that order, an order I got guilted into!

My Mug

2010-08-04T21:19:00.006-04:00

My busy hubby mixed the sound for the band Sly Chi on tonight's episode 207, you can check it out here:

It sounded pretty good! AND he brought home a bonafide 207 mug, just like the one host Rob Caldwell uses.

Holding the mug in my hands stirred up the complicated feelings I have for Rob Caldwell--mostly I think I feel like his mother, the kind who says "Why don't you settle down already! Get maah-reed, have a family!" Poor Rob, what's his deal, why do I always spot him alone and in shorts and socks at the Sexy Shop n' Save?

I like the mug even if Wally tells me the store them in cases, I'm just a little sorry there was no Rob Caldwell signature on it.

Maybe someday, I'll get a signed Rob Caldwell 207 mug...

Weak Week

2010-08-03T15:17:00.006-04:00

I bitched about this last year on Facebook, and here I am again. I've had cable for 3 of the past 14 years, I don't want to live without tv but living w/o cable is a-ok, even if it does marginalize us a bit with the watercooler talk. But I do know what it's like to have cable, I'm familiar with the programming for channels like the History Channel, the Food Network, and the Discovery Channel and I know what life is like having these channels in your home at your fingertips, at least circa 2001-2004.

What in the world is up with Shark Week? When I had cable, Shark Week was a week of shows about sharks on the Discovery Channel. It was interesting if you enjoy or are curious about sharks, and it was avoidable if you were anything like me and, say, didn't give a shit. Well, nowadays in the world of social networking (hi Facebook) it is SHARK WEEK!!!!! SHARK WEEK!!!!!! SHARK WEEK!!!!! You cannot live cablelessly and also avoid Shark Week, which was very perplexing to me a year ago. The online enthusiasm for Shark Week led me to believe they'd upped the stakes, that there was something more interactive about the week of sharks, that there were events throughout the nation, that more channels had joined in the festivities, that every cartoon, game show, soap opera, and cop drama got involved and incorporated a shark theme into their programming, sort of a week-long inter-network kumbaya pow-wow over a favorite ocean predator. I thought there must be art contests and community contests and maritime contests and coloring contests with $ to be won, because why else would everyone be so excited about Shark Week? You never see Facebook posts about Martha Stewart's CUPCAKE WEEK!!!! or Jeopardy's TEEN TOURNAMENT WEEK!!!! or the History Channel's HITLER WEEK!!!!!, what gives?

I was anxious to find out how Shark Week had evolved, so I asked Facebook. "What is Shark Week?" I posted, and do you know what the answer was. I was told that Shark Week was a week of shows about sharks on the Discovery Channel.

WTF. What is it about human nature that gets us all to write "SHARK WEEEEEEK!!!" on our Facebook profiles? Some cable exec must be a genius to get all this free advertising, to me this is evidence that the mob mentality exists, people please!!!

Dilly Beans

2010-08-02T23:01:00.002-04:00

A pictorial by my hubby.

The Second Annual...

2010-07-31T20:17:00.010-04:00

...blog trip to the Festival of Nations! After a half-rotten day at work I ran home to collect my fam and head out the door towards Deering Oaks so we could enjoy the awesome weather and a fun spirited festival. Jimmy and I went last year but this year we were happy to have Daddy tag along, and to have a camera.

We arrive!

Soon after arrival we do a lot of following-Jimmy-around.

There were crafts,

and music,

Eric Bettencourt

and where did Daddy go with that fooooood!

We were only there a short while since Hubby had to go to work, but a great time was had by all! Happy Festival of Nations Day!

The Family Omelet

2010-07-30T21:04:00.005-04:00

We used to always make omelets, but not so much recently. This morning [er, ahem, 4:36 in the afternoon] Wally asked me if I was hungry, after a long walk with Jimmy I was, and he suggested a Family Omelet (which is really just a Marriage Omelet) and it was pretty rockin'.

Eggs, avocados, brie, and smoked salmon.

It was so rich I had to wash it down with bag of Sun Chips!

Lately Liking

2010-07-28T19:30:00.003-04:00

What we're liking lately.

The Original No-Spill® Bubble Tumbler® by Little Kids

Jimmy got a less girly one of these for his birthday, and the packaging is true, it's No-Spill and Works Like Magic! We all love bubbles, but I've always gotten stressed out by the mess. Here the folks at Little Kids really have it figured out and the tumbler has gone with us on walks and car rides and Target visits with no tears or slippery puddles anywhere. I just love being greeted by bubbles coming from the back seat, yay for the No-Spill Bubble Tumbler!!!

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

You know your little guy is still little when he squeals and dances and grins ear-to-ear for songs with lyrics like "And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down, and the flood rose up, up, upper." I'm not sure why I never noticed what a genius A. A. Milne is, the voice acting in this short film is ridiculously spot-on and the animation doesn't suck either! Hip-Hip-Hoooray!!!

SunButter

It was called to my non-PC attention that I can't send Jimmy to school with peanut butter, the school suggested Sunbutter and told me they had given Jimmy some and that he loved it. It's peanut butter made out of sunflower seeds and it is mmmmmmm. We bought our first jar at Target, for SEVEN DOLLARS. A bit steep for something I normally pay 1/7th the price for so since pb is such a big commodity around here we are going to flip out full tilt and go for the big bucket.

Super Why!

I'm probably speaking out of term here, but imho (of course) this show is theeee best learning/reading skills program EVER. It's cute, it's not saccharine-y or annoying, it kicks Sesame Street's short-attention spanning's A-S-S, Jimmy loves it to pieces, and it filled in the holes of his alphabetian comprehension (Hi, Q! Hi, I! Welcome to Jimmy's alphabet!) Yes, it's a liiiiittle weird that they rewrite literature, and I think I caught an omnipotent Hidden Mickey, but I'm not about to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I sort of think the rewriting/readjusting thing is good, any nerds ever hear of Fan Fiction? Gregory Maguire? Star Trek paperbacks? I figure that Super Why's methods encourage brainstorming, it has the patience for my little guy, it has a way of supporting early readers without overwhelming them with the later-stuff like rhyming, and their website games aren't half bad either. Love it! Super readers, to the rescue!

Oh gawd, I'm pretty sure I had a fifth item, but it's escaping me! Hopefully I'll remember, but probably not until after tonight's episode of Big Brother. Great season!

The long way

2010-07-26T23:25:00.009-04:00

It was impossible to stay indoors today, the weather was perfect, we decided to head to the Audubon Society and jumped into the Cabrio.

Saying good-bye to Portland

We went the long way and ended up at

The Desert of Maine

We didn't stay, we just took the long way back to Falmouth to enjoy the Audubon.

A perfect day!

Scenes from...

2010-07-23T20:39:00.007-04:00

...Thursday's Alive at 5 outdoor concert.

Preshow Daddy pride

Uncle Mark showed up on his bike

Taking it in

Backstage "I'm with the Band" shot

Checking sound before being announced by Robin Ivy

What's Daddy doing up there?

No more cheap seats, this view is fantastic!

Jimmy finds some dance partners

Some people watched from the rooftops

A return to backstage

Jimmy tries to entertain the handicapped accessible row

Meteors and Ology

2010-07-21T21:05:00.012-04:00

The day started out great, Jimmy and I logged into a newish website for us, Starfall, which is an early childhood learning site and it was the first time we were really going somewhere with it. Jimmy's been showing a lot of interest in the alphabet lately and Starfall really incorporates more interactivity with the whole on-my-lap-with-the-computer-games thing, it's wonderful! Lots of Starfall love from us in the coming months, I'm sure.

I can't log into Starfall.com without the Muse song Starlight coming to mind and cementing itself there, which is always a transformative and ethereal event, not at all like when the "Gimme a break of that Kit Kat bar" jingle gets lodged in there. By the afternoon my little digits led me to an online discussion about the song, I learned so much about people's interpretations, I really felt grounded and alive, ever through the Blackholes and Revelations.

By evening all the local stations became obsessed with reporting tornado warnings with all their maps and graphics and radar predictions and tense deliveries and refusals to break to commercials or regular programming. They kept telling us to go to our basements and to wear helmets and oxygenia and I was freaking out, not everyone has a tv in their basements! They tell me to get into my basement and air phone calls from viewers who survived a tornado which gave no warning, but then keep broadcasting in their cushy studios, what's a panicky mom to trust? It's amazing how light 41 lbs feels when you're sweaty and determined to keep your child in your arms, and thankfully Jimmy was in for the ride and not squirming to get back on the ground. Yes, we did end up in the basement (haven't been there since the laundryroom moved upstairs 4.75 years ago) and thankfully we could still hear the tv from there and could hear that the Tornado Warning was near over, but jeez! Are they going to give me those 3 years shaved off my life back? Doubt it. Why do I always fall for tv fear scams? It's like they scare the shit out of us to earn awards ("we won't leave the air until the danger to life is gone!!!" Thanks, WGME, pssssht!) Wally called right at 8pm to make sure we were alright, he was safely and securely blissed in his studio the whole time and didn't know of the warnings, what a right way to live! Now that Jimmy's in bed I'm back to submersing myself in Muse, cul8r!

Points of Interest...

2010-07-20T23:41:00.001-04:00

...from the 24-hour visit with my old college roomie Jeremy.

The Great Lost Bear The restaurant Jeremy and I patronized for lunch soon after his arrival. We shared a plate of nachos (he's no longer vegan), some Shipyards, and evil yet all-too-savory opinions. An enjoyable meal at a fun Portland establishment, check out their Bear Cam!

My floor. Where I disco-napped before our big night out.

Blackstones. One of Portland's rougher, seedier gay bars. Fun and entertaining, but also full of drama of the lascivious intoxicated gay male variety, which is fine if you're into that sort of thing.

Joe's Smoke Shop. Where I shouldn't have purchased a pack of American Spirits, bad mommy!

My couch. Where I ended up spending the night.

The Brea Lu. Where Jeremy took me out for breakfy, boy were we in need for something greasy!

I owe a big THANK YOU to Daddy for taking over Jimmyduty this whole time, what a wonderful time with my BFF Jeremy and now that he's left to finish his month-long visit home from Hungary, this homebody mumma is glad to be back to life as I know it. I missed my boy!

Miracles of Modern Technology

2010-07-19T09:53:00.002-04:00

Wow, this morning I dropped Jimmy off at school to come home to find hubby's band's tv performance to already be uploaded to the station's website, so excited!

As of right now, Wally's not even home yet so I have no reports on how it went behind the scenes but I thought the vids came out pretty good!

Recording

2010-07-16T21:16:00.010-04:00

Yesterday Jimmy and I paid Wally a visit at his recording studio where he was working on a record for the band Bass Box, it sounds great! And Jimmy just looooves getting his hands on all those buttons and keys and strings and sticks and slidey-thingies.

I swear, fiddling around with this guitar he sounded just like Paul Simon.♥

If the space looks familiar (haha) it might be because it's the same location of our kickass wedding reception. Nowadays it's hubby's dream to raise his son up in the business, and judging by Jimmy's interest (and my exhaustion) I think there's a good shot!

Legal (yes my cat is older than your child)

2010-07-15T21:01:00.008-04:00

My first felineborn is :sob: 18 today!!!

He spent the morning relaxing on the porch.

And we got him a special salmon dinner,

I think he liked it!

Happy Birthday, Geoffie!!!

Mumma's Little Helper

2010-07-14T21:09:00.004-04:00

Today we picked garden peas!

And we used them for a crockpot curry, mmmmm, no curryphotos.

Summer Dayz

2010-07-13T21:05:00.005-04:00

Beans from the gahdin

The greenbean/feta/pecan salad they became

Daddy's little helper

It's only Tuesday but I'm still resting up for my old college roomie Jeremy's visit this coming Monday, he's in town from Hungary for a month. I got a pop-in from him this evening on his way to another social engagement, can't wait for next week!

Outside

2010-07-12T22:15:00.003-04:00

Some of our wood is stacked,

We have this much left.

Look closely, tomatoes!

All them materplants.

Gettin' the Willies!

2010-07-09T11:38:00.009-04:00

Jimmy and I just saw Wally out the door on his way to an interview on NPR with his band, yes that stands for NATIONAL Public Radio, but they're doing the interview at Maine Public Broadcasting Network, so it may just be a Maine thing afterall, but that's ok. Stay tuned for a link once it airs*, meanwhile their WBLM Greetings From Area Code 207 interview is here.

According to Facebook The Mallett Brothers Band CD Release Party is tomorrow night, but when you're on the inside you get an advance copy (gimme a Quagmire-sized "Owwwriiiiiight" for that! Giggidy-giggidy!)

Then on August 13 the band was just booked to play the House of Blues in Boston the same night as Willie Nelson.

And finally, the cd received a favorable review by Sam Pfeifle of The Portland Phoenix. Exciting times!

*9pm update: Today's radio interview can be found here and ed. note, Jimmy is 7th generation Portlander, not 6th Wal-lyyyyyy!

Handsome Devil

2010-07-07T20:37:00.008-04:00

This photo was numbered 666 by my Nikon's cataloging system, it's to show that Jimmy not only got a haircut, he got all of them cut. (<--that was for my dad.) The hairstylist didn't want to be the one to cut off his curls but I assured her it needed to happen, I felt so guilty looking into the backseat and seeing his little face all red. AND once it was cut his attitude improved a thousand percent.

A boy happy with this summer haircut!

A Happy 5th of July!

2010-07-05T22:10:00.010-04:00

Happy post-4th of July! I hope all's went well! Mine stunk. It didn't suck, but it stunk, I worked all day and then got a little sick and by the time I rallied, Jimmy was asleep and his dad not far behind him. No fireworks for the 4th, again.

Today was great! We got 2 cords of firewood,

And then we decided to take advantage of a beautiful day and a thoughtful birthday gift from Jimmy's Aunt/Uncle/Cousin,

They were tickets to the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad!

Thanks M/Mark/Sam! Jimmy loved every inch of it all, starting with the museum part (complete with Thomas train table) and especially during the trainride itself (many affirmations that we were on a train!) At least 30 pedestrians waved to us on the train and I took at least 30 photos of our excursion on my cheapass Jonas Brothers camera, and wouldn't ya know, the Jonas Brothers ate the photos. Poof*memories*gone.

We even extended our Downtown Portland vacation into DiMillo's Floating Restaurant, and the Jonas Brothers ate those photos too.

And then we came home and gardened and watched a crazy episode of The Bachelorette, and had a very happy 5th of July!

The Power of Four

2010-07-03T20:28:00.017-04:00

Quadropedia seems to be all the rage in some of the blogs I admire. I like to read the goings-on of the earthy, stay at home types, the type of mother who really sticks her neck out in the face of modern conformist society and says "That's nice, check this out," and I think it's uncanny, many of these mamas have FOUR kids.

Maybe back in the day it was more normal to have four kids, but in 2.2 Perfectoids + Dog + Picket Fence, USA a family of Mom/Dad/4 kids is not only a rarity, the reality is sort of extravagant. For someone like me, 4 is completely overwhelming, for my hubby 4 is an affront to the planet's natural resources, fawgettabowt our wallet. But for certain blogger moms, no math is adds up better than Mamabear ÷ Two Squared.

Such as, The Sparkling Martins, by Dayna Martin, mother of 4, excellent Facebook friend, and Unschooling Proponent Extraordinare. Unschooling, for those unfamiliar, is a lifestyle of raising children without school. It's not placing a miniclassroom inside your home, it's living as though school does not exist. Dayna and her family's lifestyle can be found on Dr. Phil, Nightline, various documentaries, and Youtube. Most people who are appalled by the Unschooling wave haven't listened to or read Dayna's consistent and winning pearls of wisdom on the matter, her inoffensive manner in exposing popular spoonfed bullshit comes directly from sincerity and a moral compass that points straight to your (inner) child's heart. I personally believe that children do learn what they need to on their own, or in an apprenticeship, not within the confines of a system designed to break people down into Following The Man. The fact that I am sending Jimmy to preschool (and potentially brick-and-mortar Workin' For The Man school) is partially due to the fact that he is an only child whose genetic makeup requires more frequent contact with peers and a specific skillset which I can't bring to the table, mainly social savvy. Learning about life at home in freedom and harmony and confidence with Mom, Dad, and 3 other siblings & co. is what Dayna is all about, and I buy it, she and her husband "do" the whole 4 kids thing well, do yourself a favor and Friend Dayna on Facebook, if just for her periodic mind-expanding "Dayna's Rockin' Thoughts," you'll think you know her for real!

Then there's Farmama, I check out this blog when I'm chained to a multi-line phone and staring at cloth covered demiwalls underneath my headset and reaching for the blood pressure pills, this site is full of eye candy like no other. Sara is another unschooling mama of 4, living on a farm and posts photos that look like this:

...as an example of the day's wind. Just a casual photo of the day, no more special than any of the other fabulous and frequent updates she posts. CAN YOU IMAGINE LIVING WITH THIS VIEW. Yeah, it's been the wallpaper on my laptop for a while now, but for this wonder farmwoman who knits sweaters from the wool she shears from her own sheep, nothing is too wholesome. Her family of 6 is the most wholesome thing this side of her heavenly fields, which makes some people puke with jealousy, but I thank Sara for sharing her life with all us consumer-driven jerks.

And then the Internet's own Soulemama, who could make a post consisting solely of the letter F and would have 75 frothing, adoring reader comments within 5 minutes. Amanda and her blog have a crochet hook firmly latched onto the modern crunchy mom's girlhood Betty Crocker dreams, looped through her anti-Martha Stewart rebel spirit, and slip stitched into her desire for a Eleanor Rooseveltian leader. Amanda knits 4 sweaters a week, she sews 7 dresses a day, she uses a Waldorf model to homeschool her 4 bright, precocious children, she birthed them at home, she writes sumptuous and inspirational books, she has extra talent for purchasing the right funky antiques and placing them perfectly together in the right corners of her home and then capturing the scene ever so dreamily on camera, she promotes worthy merchants, and she rewards her readers with popular vendor giveaways. She empowers her readers, she gives us goals and ideas and any reader could tell you, so much more. Amanda nods especially long in honor of the act of enjoying the moment, smelling the flowers, acknowledging our children's spiritual character. She often writes of swept-away moments of the fourth child, which embodies just one of the alluring traits she brings to the option of Homeschooling. One Soulemama aspect which particularly fascinates me is her ambassadorship for Maine, specifically Portland. The Soules are fellow Portlanders, I get a kick out of seeing her showcase my backyard in the Around Town portion of her blog, some of the things she loves, are things I can't stand, but then again, I don't have 4 homeschooled kids to nurture in a tv-free home.

Other fringe Moms of Four I've come across are Vicki Iovine, author of the Girlfriends Guide series of pregnancy/parenting books which aren't necessarily my style, but I still applaud the 4 pregnancies thing. My new Facebook friend Free-Range Momoffour, I'm pretty sure we were connected through Dayna Martin's Facebook profile, my brief google search didn't turn up a blog and I'm not entirely sure all she stands for, but I did see some co-sleeping/raw milk references in her updates, so yay, and of course there's the 4-kids thing. Also, Brooke Burke, sensational looking Mere d'4, is important at the ModernMom.com website, and let's not forget the originals, my Grandmother Jeannette and my Aunt Laura, both 4-time mothers and definitely add to my list of wondering HOW did they DO it???? Big props from a lowly, smothery, growing mother of 1.

Miniupdates of earlyjuly

2010-07-02T20:45:00.008-04:00

Today at the Libbytown Shaw's I picked up the latest issue of The Bollard and read its cover story about my neighborhood entitled, "Welcome to Nowhere," as I pushed a stroller down the same featured streets of nowhere. On the upside it looks like I'm losing a neighbor, the article isn't yet on their site, or else I'd link it.

I just read Jonah Lisa's post at The Toby Show about how she was weaning her 18 month old, and just thought about that I've never weaned Jimmy. Nope!

I quit Frontierville today, thank gawd.

Jimmy's playing new games with me, and we're at the precise moment where I can't tell if they're games he created himself, or something he learned during his first 2 days at school. New stuff is new territory as he branches into the world. Gah!

There mayn't be muchn't on this earth which is more divine than Indian food, I made some today! The cost factor was so low that it skewed off my lentil gauge and I made enough Sweet Potato Coconut Channa Lentil Masala for 16 people! For $4! Mmmmmm, them Shivi gawds are genii.

Big Brother TWELVE starts July 8, I think the geezer this year is 28.

It's the 4th of July weekend! Happy 4th!

Shrimp Cocktail Suspended In....

2010-07-01T20:11:00.005-04:00

...oh yes, gelatin. I made a shrimp and tomato and horseradish aspic, and it was..."interesting."

I know, I can hear the choir of "MMMMMmmmmmms" from all around (or maybe just in my head?) Like all my favorite foods, it was best at room temperature.

I also caught Jimmy trying out new costumes:

The aim wasn't entirely clear (off the shoulder Ellie Mae? Plaid ancient Israeli? Crazy Frontier pajama man?) but I got a kick out of this continued fascination with adjusting his garments and fashioning our clothes. I also caught him attempting to put his shorts on upside-down (he wasn't upside-down, the shorts were. Just clarifyin'.) Today was his second day at school, he's clearly enjoying the experience as evidenced by a 6:00 bedtime (Ye-essss!) (Naw, that's not fair, I love his company.) And at last, tonight starts the Nateva Festival, wishing Wally and his band well!

That Iconic First Day of School Photo

2010-06-28T14:19:00.004-04:00

Ah jeez, our first-day-of-school photo came out a little weird, I took at least 15 photos and this was the best one, he is squinting because he's preparing for the flash, the only way he will look at the camera is if the flash is pulled up. It was muggy and pouring rain, which helped us discover his summer sandals and his raincoat are Spidey matches!

As for school, he loved it! He gets lots of teacher attention and by the time I picked him up he was in his glory in the school's enormous sandbox. No tears from Mom, not that there couldn't have been plenty, but I was strong and denied my feelings once again, a capital survival skill indeed!

Festivalia

2010-06-26T22:09:00.007-04:00

Logistics kept Jimmy and me from watching Daddy's band perform at today's Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, ayuh. So, yassou, Jimmy and I went to the Greek Food Festival instead.

The old me would have walked to this festival, but the old me also lived 3 blocks away. And didn't have Jimmy. We weren't superhungry, we kept it small.

I really thought the Kataifi was interesting and delicious,

...but Jimmy was a little weirded out by the texture and took over the salad's bread roll.

A little word from the sponsors...

...and we had great fun! I was sorry that we missed the traditional Greek dancers, I think Jimmy would have really enjoyed that, and we missed having hubby and his foodlove there, but since he was having fun at the Whoopie Pie Festival we didn't mind. Festivals all around!

Trying

2010-06-25T22:08:00.007-04:00

Yesterday we tried...

orange homemade popsicles,

and we didn't like them!

Today we tried the strawberry field at Maxwell's Farm...

...and there we tried picking strawberries,

...but found better uses for quart containers.

We also tried tasting the strawberries...

and found 'strawberry juice catcher" is among a face's many uses.

Here is half our strawberries,

...which turned into this.

And only...

Christmas countdown at FlashBannerNow.com

/ducking!/

Yum-MEEEEE

2010-06-23T22:42:00.007-04:00

I just had to share tonight's dinner, it was too yummy!

The rest of the day was too embarrassing to admit, I spent it on the Frontier,

...which is something I said I wouldn't do, I recently heard someone describe what life is like on heroin, and these games are the same, it becomes very important to spend all your time and resources on fake crops aiming to 'level-up!', meanwhile your kid is drinking bleach inside an abandoned refrigerator, somewhere. Still, after planting little crops for 24 hours I got a kick out of the little crops in our own backyard.

Cute! These are the last few days before Jimmy starts preschool, we've been meaning to give him a "school haircut" but everytime it gets mentioned I see this:

and convince myself that summer preschool is "hardly real school" and therefore no need to harvest all those summer surferboy curls. (Or has hubby calls them "His girl hair." Pbfft. Whatever.) Hopefully real strawberry picking tomorrow!

Why having a toddler is like being at a frat party...

2010-06-23T10:14:00.003-04:00

This is from Brenna at Suburban Snapshots, I just thought it was funny*
*judging by that one frat party I've ever been to, having gone to a Major Frat Party College.

Why Having a Toddler is
Like Being at a Frat Party*

Thursday, June 10, 2010

*That one frat party I've ever been to, having gone to a Very Serious Arts College.

10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There's always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.

8. It's best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone's going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definitely going to be a fight.

3. You're not sure whether anything you're doing is right, you just hope it won't get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

Happy Solstice!

2010-06-21T18:38:00.005-04:00

It was a bit of a scorcher today, 85 degrees, and since we don't have an a/c unit at the house we instead took our little family unit back to nature's own air conditioning: the ocean. It was more like 75 degrees at Kettle Cove, the water was divine (so thought our ankles) and since it was the first day of summer it made me wonder what the temps were like in Iqaluit, Canada.

Iqaluit's weather came to mind because this morning my dad emailed me an unexpected photo of an Inukshuk sculpture who appeared in his Maine backyard (he didn't explain how...) (...and I hope he doesn't mind me sharing...)

We've all seen the "image of man's spirit" as the mascot for the Vancouver Olympics, but there's also one on the Iqaluit/Nunavut flag.

I've always harbored a soft spot for Canada and other northern countries, because of the whole "cold" thing. As much as I haaaaate freezing, I just loooove warming up by a cozy fire and I'm fascinated when humans thrive in cold climates. And Iqaluit being a newish city in the Arctic circle: Freaking awesome.

And their Summer Solstice temps: 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Ouch!!! I suppose I do like the 4 seasons afterall (ahhhh, Maine!) Happy Solstice, all!

Coming soon, maybe to a fairground near you, maybe not

2010-06-20T17:24:00.004-04:00

I'm very excited that my babydaddy and his band are going to be appearing at the Nateva Music & Camping Festival, we are going to be a load of camping fools, can't wait!!

Oh, and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you groovy dads out there!

The Costume Department

2010-06-17T21:50:00.010-04:00

The other day I made a FB post about how Jimmy flipped his shirt around and how it ended up looking like an elaborate (gay?) Cecil B. DeMille character, or a Kevin Sorbo spartan:

...and he did it again this afternoon, only today he wore it differently, the look was less cape-y and more Tony Dovolani bullfighter-y:

He also made a new costume out of Wally's t-shirt, we weren't sure what to make of it, was he a little Muslim girl...

...or was it the chainmail part of a knight's armor.

Whatever it was, it was pretty cute. Moments later we caught him applying my compact makeup, this is when Daddy threw in an "alright, alright, alright, enough!" but this mama is pretty pleased with her talented theatrical son!

The Pot Calling the Kettle Cute

2010-06-16T10:37:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we went to go strawberry picking, but oops, they don't open until Thursday, so we hung a left and went to Kettle Cove. Father and son's harmonized sense of balance was too cute for words.

I'm so thankful that Jimmy is so outdoorsy, I'm thinking that someday when the shit hits the fan I'll be able to lean on his survival instincts, cuz I don't have none!

Summer is...

2010-06-14T22:23:00.006-04:00

...molded food season!

All's you need is a KitchenAid,

and some gelatin,

and a host of other ingredients, then even Jimmy can't resist a mold's congealed charm.

Happy pineapple lime cheesecake mold summer!