1. It wouldn't let me read some comics.
2. It wouldn't let me read some comment pages.
And finally, the straw that broke the camel's back...
3. It stopped letting me send e-mail.
That's right, I said send. I could receive just fine.
So now Norton and I are through. And if Macafee pulls the same crap, I'm moving to Linux.
Years go by. Things change.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.
My thighs and my back hurt. Who knew that keeping your knees bent while stepping back and forth in a smooth lateral motion and swaying your hips would be so hard?
But I had tons and tons of fun.
I dropped Historical Criticism of Children's Literature and picked up Hawaiian Dance. Children's Lit involved waaaaaay too many papers to write, and I already got the fun of reading all the books.
But I had tons and tons of fun.
I dropped Historical Criticism of Children's Literature and picked up Hawaiian Dance. Children's Lit involved waaaaaay too many papers to write, and I already got the fun of reading all the books.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Busy week
First week of school. The classes are pretty good, but oy! The work!
Already we have 2 pages due Wednesday in Children's Lit., a quiz on Wednesday in Religion, and LOTS of reading to do everywhere.
I'm liking my Biology professor very much. She showed us a scene from Monty Python & the Holy Grail to discuss the scientific method. She's also talked about stomach acid, and tons of other good stuff. I'm going to try to introduce her to my Communications prof. from Spring term. I think they'd get along well.
Tomorrow I've got a 3-hour lab starting at 0830, and I'll be trying to get into a Hawaiian Dance class in the afternoon (fulfills the Gen. Ed. requirement for global understanding, and sounds like fun!)
Muffin Man is sleeping peacefully on new rocket-ship sheets. He didn't want his blanket to cover them (but we tucked him up anyway after he'd gone to sleep).
Already we have 2 pages due Wednesday in Children's Lit., a quiz on Wednesday in Religion, and LOTS of reading to do everywhere.
I'm liking my Biology professor very much. She showed us a scene from Monty Python & the Holy Grail to discuss the scientific method. She's also talked about stomach acid, and tons of other good stuff. I'm going to try to introduce her to my Communications prof. from Spring term. I think they'd get along well.
Tomorrow I've got a 3-hour lab starting at 0830, and I'll be trying to get into a Hawaiian Dance class in the afternoon (fulfills the Gen. Ed. requirement for global understanding, and sounds like fun!)
Muffin Man is sleeping peacefully on new rocket-ship sheets. He didn't want his blanket to cover them (but we tucked him up anyway after he'd gone to sleep).
Monday, August 28, 2006
Review - This is Chick-Lit
A couple of months ago I was contacted by BenBella books, did I want a free copy of a book they were publishing? Needless to say, I did. And they sent it to me.
This is Chick-Lit is a response to Random House's 2005 release, This is Not Chick-Lit, which Lauren Baratz-Logsted thought was insulting. What's so bad about Chick-Lit? And, actually, the lines drawn between Lit and Chick-Lit seems to echo the lines drawn between WOHM and SAHM. And y'all know how I feel about that.
The short stories in TiCL are well-written, often funny, occasionally sad. Most of the women in the stories share a common trait: a lack of a fundamental self-confidence. For most, that self-confidence is found by the end of the story. They are stories "by, for, and about women".
My favorite story of the group is Two Literary Chicks, which starts with college aquaintances bumping into each other on the street. They had met in a writing class years before and each despised the other's writing then. The meeting, and what happens to each of them because of it, rings true and is written lovingly.
One story goes into Stephen King territory. The Third Eye is a strange and eerie telling of the consequences of ill-considered plastic surgery.
Another one, Meeting Cute, has haunted me for the last few days.
These stories have been written especially for this book as a response from the Chick-Lit world to the gauntlet thrown down by the literati. As an olive branch, each author also included her favorite Serious Female author. I can see that during my next vacation, I'll have a ton of reading to do.
This is Chick-Lit is a response to Random House's 2005 release, This is Not Chick-Lit, which Lauren Baratz-Logsted thought was insulting. What's so bad about Chick-Lit? And, actually, the lines drawn between Lit and Chick-Lit seems to echo the lines drawn between WOHM and SAHM. And y'all know how I feel about that.
The short stories in TiCL are well-written, often funny, occasionally sad. Most of the women in the stories share a common trait: a lack of a fundamental self-confidence. For most, that self-confidence is found by the end of the story. They are stories "by, for, and about women".
My favorite story of the group is Two Literary Chicks, which starts with college aquaintances bumping into each other on the street. They had met in a writing class years before and each despised the other's writing then. The meeting, and what happens to each of them because of it, rings true and is written lovingly.
One story goes into Stephen King territory. The Third Eye is a strange and eerie telling of the consequences of ill-considered plastic surgery.
Another one, Meeting Cute, has haunted me for the last few days.
These stories have been written especially for this book as a response from the Chick-Lit world to the gauntlet thrown down by the literati. As an olive branch, each author also included her favorite Serious Female author. I can see that during my next vacation, I'll have a ton of reading to do.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Home again, home again.
We spent the morning at the pool. MM demonstrated to us that, yes he could too dunk his head underwater without shrieking so he could so ride the water slide into the pool. "Well," we thought. "He did LOOOOOOVE Splash Mountain." So we let him slide (wearing a life vest and with MS waiting at the bottom to scoop him out of the vortex of swirling water).
"WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
"LET'S DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!"
Repeat 8x. (MS and I switching off who got to slide and who stayed to catch). Turns out that we never actually need to catch, he did great.
Back to the room to finish packing. Took the shuttle to the airport. Flew home. MM slept for the last hour of the flight (murmuring "Do it again! Do it again!")
At the home airport we did something clever. We split up. MM and I went to get the car while MS got the luggage. We swung by to pick him up and ZOOM! we were outta there.
Dropped MS off at the library for a meeting and MM picked out some books and a movie and got his very own library card (I'm so proud).
Home, ate dinner, and read two of his library books (Mermaids, and The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet). Tomorrow he'll get chapter one of Mary Poppins.
He's back at school tomorrow and I'm back to school on Monday (Research Methods, Religion, and Children's Lit.)
Oh, and I really loved both The Golden Compass and Despereaux. I can't believe there are so many good children's books I never heard of before! Now I'm starting on The Story of the Amulet which I also never read. Inexcusable, since I loved 5 Children and It, and The Phoenix and the Carpet.
"WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
"LET'S DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!"
Repeat 8x. (MS and I switching off who got to slide and who stayed to catch). Turns out that we never actually need to catch, he did great.
Back to the room to finish packing. Took the shuttle to the airport. Flew home. MM slept for the last hour of the flight (murmuring "Do it again! Do it again!")
At the home airport we did something clever. We split up. MM and I went to get the car while MS got the luggage. We swung by to pick him up and ZOOM! we were outta there.
Dropped MS off at the library for a meeting and MM picked out some books and a movie and got his very own library card (I'm so proud).
Home, ate dinner, and read two of his library books (Mermaids, and The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet). Tomorrow he'll get chapter one of Mary Poppins.
He's back at school tomorrow and I'm back to school on Monday (Research Methods, Religion, and Children's Lit.)
Oh, and I really loved both The Golden Compass and Despereaux. I can't believe there are so many good children's books I never heard of before! Now I'm starting on The Story of the Amulet which I also never read. Inexcusable, since I loved 5 Children and It, and The Phoenix and the Carpet.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
WDW Day 3, Pt. 2
Back at MK, ate dinner at the Plaza Restaurant. The club sandwich w/ potato salad is good. The steak sandwich is meh. Ate dessert. Edy's Ice Cream. I'm surprised it's not Blue Bunny, since they have some Disney branded flavors.
Prime Time Cafe wins hands down as best meal of this trip. We'd have loved to have eaten again at the SciFi Diner (ate there last time we were down here) but we didn't opt for the park hopper this time around.
Rode not one, not two, but three! rides! between dinner and the parade. Pirates of the Caribbean (no wait!), Aladdin's Magic Carpets (loved 'em!), and the Jungle Cruise. Splash Mountain is still winner and champion.
We saw the parade and MM was just astounded by the lights, the characters, and the music. He just loved it to pieces.
Went right back to the bus afterwards and watched the fireworks as we were driving away. They were beautiful but we were glad to be watching them from the bus.
Tomorrow we'll pack and then spend a few hours in the pool before we get on the bus for the airport.
Muffin Man doesn't ever want to come home. "I wish we could stay at the Magic Kingdom forever."
Prime Time Cafe wins hands down as best meal of this trip. We'd have loved to have eaten again at the SciFi Diner (ate there last time we were down here) but we didn't opt for the park hopper this time around.
Rode not one, not two, but three! rides! between dinner and the parade. Pirates of the Caribbean (no wait!), Aladdin's Magic Carpets (loved 'em!), and the Jungle Cruise. Splash Mountain is still winner and champion.
We saw the parade and MM was just astounded by the lights, the characters, and the music. He just loved it to pieces.
Went right back to the bus afterwards and watched the fireworks as we were driving away. They were beautiful but we were glad to be watching them from the bus.
Tomorrow we'll pack and then spend a few hours in the pool before we get on the bus for the airport.
Muffin Man doesn't ever want to come home. "I wish we could stay at the Magic Kingdom forever."
WDW Day 3, Pt I
Woke early, ate cereal in our room.
Ran off to Magic Kingdom (we were still late for Little Ones Magic Hours). Rode Stitch's Great Escape, Buzz Lightyear, the tram.
Rode in the nose of the Monorail (got stickers!) to go to a character breakfast at the Grand Floridian (Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Wendy from Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger). The omelets at the GF are delish.
Back at Magic Kingdom. Did the Mad Tea Party, Indy Speedway, and went into Mickey's Toon Town Fair (saw his house, Donald's Boat (the fountains weren't working), Goofy's Barnstormer - MM LOVED IT!, and played in the play area (where we saw well-behaved 3-year-old quintuplets. V. cool.))
WDW tip #5: If you see something going wrong at WDW, do let a supervisor know. They will most likely give you some fast passes good for any ride at that theme park. We saw some grown-up goof-balls cutting the line for Goofy's Barnstormer by Climbing! Over! The! WALLS! And even though we let the ride operator know about it while! it! was! happening! she let them ride anyway. Another family backed us up when we were talking to the supervisor about it and we all got fastpasses.
Rode the train to Frontier Land and used our fastpasses to ride Splash Mountain. This was MM's favorite ride of the whole day, maybe even the whole trip. Walked back to Main Street, buying a Micky-shaped ice cream on the way back. Hosed down MM and then left to go back to the hotel for a 2-hour nap.
We're going back again in a bit for dinner and the parade and maybe the jungle ride.
Ran off to Magic Kingdom (we were still late for Little Ones Magic Hours). Rode Stitch's Great Escape, Buzz Lightyear, the tram.
Rode in the nose of the Monorail (got stickers!) to go to a character breakfast at the Grand Floridian (Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Wendy from Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger). The omelets at the GF are delish.
Back at Magic Kingdom. Did the Mad Tea Party, Indy Speedway, and went into Mickey's Toon Town Fair (saw his house, Donald's Boat (the fountains weren't working), Goofy's Barnstormer - MM LOVED IT!, and played in the play area (where we saw well-behaved 3-year-old quintuplets. V. cool.))
WDW tip #5: If you see something going wrong at WDW, do let a supervisor know. They will most likely give you some fast passes good for any ride at that theme park. We saw some grown-up goof-balls cutting the line for Goofy's Barnstormer by Climbing! Over! The! WALLS! And even though we let the ride operator know about it while! it! was! happening! she let them ride anyway. Another family backed us up when we were talking to the supervisor about it and we all got fastpasses.
Rode the train to Frontier Land and used our fastpasses to ride Splash Mountain. This was MM's favorite ride of the whole day, maybe even the whole trip. Walked back to Main Street, buying a Micky-shaped ice cream on the way back. Hosed down MM and then left to go back to the hotel for a 2-hour nap.
We're going back again in a bit for dinner and the parade and maybe the jungle ride.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
WDW day two
Hotter than yesterday, I actually broke down and bought one of those shpritzy fans.
We did Snow White's Scary Adventure (all), Dumbo (MM & me. Boy Howdy does that MM ever like heights!), Winnie the Pooh (MM & MS), met Tigger, played in the Pooh playground, met Ariel, played in the fountain there, Peter Pan's Flight, lunch, Haunted Mansion (mistake...nightmares), Merry-go-round, and finally Mickey's Philharmagic (excellent! really the best thing of the day aside from meeting Ariel).
Then we came home and took a short nap (interrupted by said nightmare), ate a popsicle, went to the pool, and went to dinner. MM was in bed by 8:00 but was still awake at 8:40 because of "scary eyes" he kept seeing. He was sound asleep at 8:45 after I promised to come to bed by 10:00 and turned the clock to face him. Please note, I have not kept my promise but I will go to bed after I finish typing this.
So WDW tip #4: don't assume that just because your 4-year-old loves Snow White's scary adventure and loves the scary parts of both the Snow White movie and the Curse of the WereRabbit, that he is ready for The Haunted Mansion.
We did Snow White's Scary Adventure (all), Dumbo (MM & me. Boy Howdy does that MM ever like heights!), Winnie the Pooh (MM & MS), met Tigger, played in the Pooh playground, met Ariel, played in the fountain there, Peter Pan's Flight, lunch, Haunted Mansion (mistake...nightmares), Merry-go-round, and finally Mickey's Philharmagic (excellent! really the best thing of the day aside from meeting Ariel).
Then we came home and took a short nap (interrupted by said nightmare), ate a popsicle, went to the pool, and went to dinner. MM was in bed by 8:00 but was still awake at 8:40 because of "scary eyes" he kept seeing. He was sound asleep at 8:45 after I promised to come to bed by 10:00 and turned the clock to face him. Please note, I have not kept my promise but I will go to bed after I finish typing this.
So WDW tip #4: don't assume that just because your 4-year-old loves Snow White's scary adventure and loves the scary parts of both the Snow White movie and the Curse of the WereRabbit, that he is ready for The Haunted Mansion.
Monday, August 21, 2006
The rest of Day One
MM woke up at 4:25 and made it to the motorboats just in time. They had a blast. I got pictures.
We went to dinner at the Prime Time Diner (at MGM, the wait staff won't bring you dessert if you haven't finished your dinner and they remind you to keep your elbows off the table). We had a really great dinner and MM fell asleep pretty much as soon as we got back to the hotel (well...first he brushed his teeth and whatnot...).
Tomorrow, we're going to the Magic Kingdom. We've decided to spend two days there rather than go to any of the other parks. This is based purely on the sheer amount of stuff to do there and the three hour nap MM took today.
KLee: We're staying at the Coronado. We chose it because it's the only mid-priced hotel with suites. MM is sleeping in the other room as I type.
WDW tip #1: Make dinner and lunch reservations in advance. Preferably before you even get here. Especially if you want to eat at Cinderella's Castle. This whole week was booked by the time we got here Sunday. We learned our lesson, though, and now have reservations at other restaurants for lunch and dinner for the next two days.
WDW tip #2: Read these tips from Chris. The only qualifier I have is that if you have 2 kids or less and you're not particularly on a budget, you should stay in the park and not have to deal with driving.
WDW tip #3: The Coronado has a marina which has foam life jackets. They will let you keep one for your whole visit if you're staying at the hotel, so you can use it in the pool, too.
We went to dinner at the Prime Time Diner (at MGM, the wait staff won't bring you dessert if you haven't finished your dinner and they remind you to keep your elbows off the table). We had a really great dinner and MM fell asleep pretty much as soon as we got back to the hotel (well...first he brushed his teeth and whatnot...).
Tomorrow, we're going to the Magic Kingdom. We've decided to spend two days there rather than go to any of the other parks. This is based purely on the sheer amount of stuff to do there and the three hour nap MM took today.
KLee: We're staying at the Coronado. We chose it because it's the only mid-priced hotel with suites. MM is sleeping in the other room as I type.
WDW tip #1: Make dinner and lunch reservations in advance. Preferably before you even get here. Especially if you want to eat at Cinderella's Castle. This whole week was booked by the time we got here Sunday. We learned our lesson, though, and now have reservations at other restaurants for lunch and dinner for the next two days.
WDW tip #2: Read these tips from Chris. The only qualifier I have is that if you have 2 kids or less and you're not particularly on a budget, you should stay in the park and not have to deal with driving.
WDW tip #3: The Coronado has a marina which has foam life jackets. They will let you keep one for your whole visit if you're staying at the hotel, so you can use it in the pool, too.
Oh! I forgot to tell you!
At Dulles International Airport they now have two security lines.
One, the one we were in, is for everybody. The other (which was empty) is for First. Class. Passengers (AKA Premium Passengers).
I AM NOT KIDDING.
You can now pay your way into a shorter security line.
Our tax dollars at work.
One, the one we were in, is for everybody. The other (which was empty) is for First. Class. Passengers (AKA Premium Passengers).
I AM NOT KIDDING.
You can now pay your way into a shorter security line.
Our tax dollars at work.
WDW Day One
Arrived yesterday, spent time in the pool. Muffin Man had a ball!
Today we went to MGM. Saw Muppets, Little Mermaid, Back Lot tour, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Got to meet lots of characters! Ate lunch and came back to the hotel. MM went right to bed for a nap and has just refused to wake up 2 hours later. When he finally does wake up we'll go for a boat ride on the lake if the boat rental place hasn't closed (it closes at 5:00).
Otherwise, maybe we'll go back to the park or just go swimming.
We've got lots of pictures, including some bloggable ones. I need to thank KLee and Chris for your great suggestions.
Today we went to MGM. Saw Muppets, Little Mermaid, Back Lot tour, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Got to meet lots of characters! Ate lunch and came back to the hotel. MM went right to bed for a nap and has just refused to wake up 2 hours later. When he finally does wake up we'll go for a boat ride on the lake if the boat rental place hasn't closed (it closes at 5:00).
Otherwise, maybe we'll go back to the park or just go swimming.
We've got lots of pictures, including some bloggable ones. I need to thank KLee and Chris for your great suggestions.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Gone to WDW, see y'all Thursday.
Muffin Man is so excited. He can't sit still! Actually, he's asleep now...but all day long it was, "Are we going yet? When are we going?"
We're leaving tomorrow. See you next week!
We're leaving tomorrow. See you next week!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Books, books, and more books
I love re-reading books I loved reading the first time around.
Which is to say, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is still lovely. I was going to save it for WDW, but I couldn't wait that long. I'll bring The Golden Compass and The Tale of Despereaux instead.
I also read Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi. It was on a pile of stuff I hadn't read yet that I found while trying to straighten up the bedroom. It's a pretty good young adult Fantasy genre novel about a girl who finds the changes of puberty to be a bit more dramatic than she expected.
Which is to say, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is still lovely. I was going to save it for WDW, but I couldn't wait that long. I'll bring The Golden Compass and The Tale of Despereaux instead.
I also read Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi. It was on a pile of stuff I hadn't read yet that I found while trying to straighten up the bedroom. It's a pretty good young adult Fantasy genre novel about a girl who finds the changes of puberty to be a bit more dramatic than she expected.
Monday, August 14, 2006
My tv habit
Dr. Who is coming back on SciFi in September!!!!
Currently hooked on:
Life on Mars (BBC America). If you're not watching this, you are truly missing out. It's like Reginald Hill made a tv show.
Hell's Kitchen (Fox). It ended tonight and Heather won. YAY!!! (select that blank spot. It's white text.) I love watching Chef Ramsey yelling at the staff. All the cussing of the Brit Wit show Chef! and all the pathos of Project Runway. Who could resist?
Who Wants to Be a Superhero (SciFi). Silly and campy, but good fun.
Lost (DVD). First season. We're on disc 5. Wow that's a good show. How'd I miss it the first time around?
Mystery! (PBS). Depending on which ones they're airing. Foyle's War is our favorite.
We just caught an episode of another Chef Ramsey show on BBC America. He tries to save failing restaurants from bankruptcy by working with their chefs for a week. If that's a regular show, I'll watch it.
If Gilmore Girls returns this Fall, I'll give it one last shot. But boy howdy, they were really annoying me last season.
Muffin Man's still watching Lazy Town, but he's starting to let go of Higglytown Heroes and Little Einsteins. Oobi's already out. I miss him (especially Grampoo and Inka's romance). Unfortunately, he's been asking to watch The Cartoon Network. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
What are you watching?
Currently hooked on:
Life on Mars (BBC America). If you're not watching this, you are truly missing out. It's like Reginald Hill made a tv show.
Hell's Kitchen (Fox). It ended tonight and Heather won. YAY!!! (select that blank spot. It's white text.) I love watching Chef Ramsey yelling at the staff. All the cussing of the Brit Wit show Chef! and all the pathos of Project Runway. Who could resist?
Who Wants to Be a Superhero (SciFi). Silly and campy, but good fun.
Lost (DVD). First season. We're on disc 5. Wow that's a good show. How'd I miss it the first time around?
Mystery! (PBS). Depending on which ones they're airing. Foyle's War is our favorite.
We just caught an episode of another Chef Ramsey show on BBC America. He tries to save failing restaurants from bankruptcy by working with their chefs for a week. If that's a regular show, I'll watch it.
If Gilmore Girls returns this Fall, I'll give it one last shot. But boy howdy, they were really annoying me last season.
Muffin Man's still watching Lazy Town, but he's starting to let go of Higglytown Heroes and Little Einsteins. Oobi's already out. I miss him (especially Grampoo and Inka's romance). Unfortunately, he's been asking to watch The Cartoon Network. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
What are you watching?
A Muffin Man Moment
MM: Daddy? Can I have a new toy?
MS: Not today.
MM: Why not? Can't I please have a toy?
MS: Well, toys cost money. Do you have any money?
MM: Umm...I don't know.
MS: Do you know how you could get money?
MM: No.
MS: Well, we work for money. Would you like to do some work and earn some money to buy a toy?
MM: Yeah!
MS: Okay. Mommy and I are going to weed the garden today. If you help us, I'll give you 50 cents an hour.
MM: Yeah! Let's do it!
I wish I'd gotten a picture of him in his little hat and gloves, going back and forth between us gathering our piles of pulled weeds and putting them in the trash bag. After that, we admired our tomatoes (they'll be ready soon!) and went inside for a celebratory glass of water and a fresh peach from our neighborhood farmer's market (run by our own friend Mr. Farmer).
Later, he took his money he earned! himself! and a dollar his grandpa had given him and bought a (small) toy at the new local toystore (Go Bananas!) He was so proud. He told everybody in the store that he'd earned! the money! himself!
MS: Not today.
MM: Why not? Can't I please have a toy?
MS: Well, toys cost money. Do you have any money?
MM: Umm...I don't know.
MS: Do you know how you could get money?
MM: No.
MS: Well, we work for money. Would you like to do some work and earn some money to buy a toy?
MM: Yeah!
MS: Okay. Mommy and I are going to weed the garden today. If you help us, I'll give you 50 cents an hour.
MM: Yeah! Let's do it!
I wish I'd gotten a picture of him in his little hat and gloves, going back and forth between us gathering our piles of pulled weeds and putting them in the trash bag. After that, we admired our tomatoes (they'll be ready soon!) and went inside for a celebratory glass of water and a fresh peach from our neighborhood farmer's market (run by our own friend Mr. Farmer).
Later, he took his money he earned! himself! and a dollar his grandpa had given him and bought a (small) toy at the new local toystore (Go Bananas!) He was so proud. He told everybody in the store that he'd earned! the money! himself!
123! 5! 4!
Profgrrrrl brought this Meme out of mothballs. Y'all remember the rules. Nearest book. 123rd page. 5th sentence. Post 4 sentences. No cheating.
To the left of me: Blindfold Game by Dana Stabenow.
To the left of me: Blindfold Game by Dana Stabenow.
"Very big boom." Kyle relaxed a little. "Is that realistic?" "You tell me, Kyle," Hugh said, his voice hard."
To the right of me: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy From Mars by Daniel M. Pinkwater.
"Absolutely, yes sir, this very day sir," Samual Klugarsh said. "Can I run out and get you som more hot chocolate? A cheeseburger? The contents of my savings account?"
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Ooooh, books!!!
Since school let out a week and a half ago, I've read:
Alice in Wonderland (re-read)
Holes
Freak the Mighty
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Classic Fairy Tales
Zel
Blindfold Game
Danse Macabre
The first 6 are for my Children's Lit. class in the Fall, I'm trying to get ahead of the reading. I'm amazed that I missed reading Holes, Freak, Great Gilly, & Zel before. They are really fantastic. Zel is my least favorite of this group and Holes is my favorite. This is the class where we've been assigned HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm taking that one to WDW next week.
Blindfold Game and Danse Macabre have been sitting on my shelf awhile, awaiting a free moment to read something non-school related. Blindfold Game is a thriller by Dana Stabenow: terrorists threaten an American city with a dirty bomb. Really quite good, though I prefer her straight mysteries. Danse Macabre, by Laurell K. Hamilton is...well...basically it's her usual fare: Anita Blake, Vampire Executioner gets it on with her 7 or so boyfriends. Fun and sexy, but not a whole lot of story going on. But you know I'll buy her next one.
This post really should have lots of links, but I'm not feeling the linky-love tonight, mebbe I'll update tomorrow, m'kay?
Alice in Wonderland (re-read)
Holes
Freak the Mighty
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Classic Fairy Tales
Zel
Blindfold Game
Danse Macabre
The first 6 are for my Children's Lit. class in the Fall, I'm trying to get ahead of the reading. I'm amazed that I missed reading Holes, Freak, Great Gilly, & Zel before. They are really fantastic. Zel is my least favorite of this group and Holes is my favorite. This is the class where we've been assigned HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm taking that one to WDW next week.
Blindfold Game and Danse Macabre have been sitting on my shelf awhile, awaiting a free moment to read something non-school related. Blindfold Game is a thriller by Dana Stabenow: terrorists threaten an American city with a dirty bomb. Really quite good, though I prefer her straight mysteries. Danse Macabre, by Laurell K. Hamilton is...well...basically it's her usual fare: Anita Blake, Vampire Executioner gets it on with her 7 or so boyfriends. Fun and sexy, but not a whole lot of story going on. But you know I'll buy her next one.
This post really should have lots of links, but I'm not feeling the linky-love tonight, mebbe I'll update tomorrow, m'kay?
Friday, August 11, 2006
Okay...
According to the TSA website, baby's bottles are being allowed through security and on the plane, as are laptops, pdas, and cell phones.
However, I would check their site before you leave to go on a trip and print out what they allow. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the screeners don't necessarily comport with what the official policy is.
However, I would check their site before you leave to go on a trip and print out what they allow. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the screeners don't necessarily comport with what the official policy is.
Hold everything.
Profgrrrrl has a post up about the newest security screenings at airports which brought up a comment which is leading to this post.
How many parents with infants and young toddlers are rethinking their plans to fly with their kids now that no liquids are allowed? I mean, what are they going to do about milk bottles?
Do the math: you get to the airport at least 2 hours early to get through the security check. If your flight is on time and you have the world's shortest flight, that's still an hour in the air. A half-hour to get out of the airport on the other side. Does anyone have an infant or young toddler who's willing to go nearly 4 hours at a minimum without milk? Does this mean only nursing babies can fly?
Yeesh.
How many parents with infants and young toddlers are rethinking their plans to fly with their kids now that no liquids are allowed? I mean, what are they going to do about milk bottles?
Do the math: you get to the airport at least 2 hours early to get through the security check. If your flight is on time and you have the world's shortest flight, that's still an hour in the air. A half-hour to get out of the airport on the other side. Does anyone have an infant or young toddler who's willing to go nearly 4 hours at a minimum without milk? Does this mean only nursing babies can fly?
Yeesh.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Lovely week - Now with Bloggy Playdates!
On Monday I went into DC to meet Liberal Banana - who is just as lovely as her picture and just as funny and smart as her writing. We talked over lunch about everything under the sun (that we could fit into her lunch hour).
Today, I met up with Mrs. Coulter and Lyra at Nearby University. And we talked about everything under the sun while sitting in the sun watching Lyra play in the fountain. Oh! The cuteness that is Lyra! She's so smart and funny and athletic. And oh! The cuteness and niceness that is Mrs. Coulter!
Best exchange between MC & L:
MC: May I have a bite of your blueberry muffin?
L: No. It's MY muffin.
MC: Are you going to eat the whole muffin?
L: No.
MC: May I have a bite please?
L: No. It's MY muffin.
MC: Okay.
L: You can have a bite of my muffin, Mommy.
MC: Thank you for giving me a bite of your muffin.
L: Yew welcome. (pause)
L: Thank you for taking a bite of my muffin, Mommy.
MC & Me: (Cracking up)
Next time, I'm bringing Muffin Man along (he had school today).
Today, I met up with Mrs. Coulter and Lyra at Nearby University. And we talked about everything under the sun while sitting in the sun watching Lyra play in the fountain. Oh! The cuteness that is Lyra! She's so smart and funny and athletic. And oh! The cuteness and niceness that is Mrs. Coulter!
Best exchange between MC & L:
MC: May I have a bite of your blueberry muffin?
L: No. It's MY muffin.
MC: Are you going to eat the whole muffin?
L: No.
MC: May I have a bite please?
L: No. It's MY muffin.
MC: Okay.
L: You can have a bite of my muffin, Mommy.
MC: Thank you for giving me a bite of your muffin.
L: Yew welcome. (pause)
L: Thank you for taking a bite of my muffin, Mommy.
MC & Me: (Cracking up)
Next time, I'm bringing Muffin Man along (he had school today).
Waiting...
...for my final summer grades. Three out of four are posted...A, A, A+ (but the plus doesn't count.) The fourth one is the one I'm worried about. I'm hoping I got at least a B. Please, please let me have gotten at least a B.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Stinky Feet
Muffin Man's Land's End sandals are pretty, hard-wearing, and abuse-loving but BOY HOWDY are they ever stinky.
MM has never had a problem with stinky feet before. Not ever. So I know it's the sandals that make his feet smell like a cow barn.
Seriously. Smelly, smelly, stenchy, yucky. Foot odor not even a mother could love.
So today we went sandal shopping and...sadly...found nada. The stores don't seem to care that it is still 100 degrees in the shade. It's Back To School time and that means no more sandals to be found.
Once again, his stinky peyooey sandals are in the wash.
Anyone got any advice on fighting foetid foot odor?
MM has never had a problem with stinky feet before. Not ever. So I know it's the sandals that make his feet smell like a cow barn.
Seriously. Smelly, smelly, stenchy, yucky. Foot odor not even a mother could love.
So today we went sandal shopping and...sadly...found nada. The stores don't seem to care that it is still 100 degrees in the shade. It's Back To School time and that means no more sandals to be found.
Once again, his stinky peyooey sandals are in the wash.
Anyone got any advice on fighting foetid foot odor?
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Friday, August 04, 2006
Verklempt
Luau day today in Muffin Man's class.
One of his teachers is Hawaiian and she brought in food and has been teaching the kids to hula. So today we got to eat delicious dishes and watch our kids do beautiful meaningful dances while their teacher said things like, "Okay now! Look at your pretty, pretty shells! Now throw out your nets! Be a fish! Pull in your nets! Look at all the fish you caught! Wave Aloha! Again! The other way! Now be a fish again!"
And I watched my little man dance in his "grass skirt" (streamers on construction paper) and I got all choked up.
Mahalo, KindBeautifulLongHairedHawaiianTeacher.
One of his teachers is Hawaiian and she brought in food and has been teaching the kids to hula. So today we got to eat delicious dishes and watch our kids do beautiful meaningful dances while their teacher said things like, "Okay now! Look at your pretty, pretty shells! Now throw out your nets! Be a fish! Pull in your nets! Look at all the fish you caught! Wave Aloha! Again! The other way! Now be a fish again!"
And I watched my little man dance in his "grass skirt" (streamers on construction paper) and I got all choked up.
Mahalo, KindBeautifulLongHairedHawaiianTeacher.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Bullets of School's Out
- I have off until the 28th. Yay!
- Tomorrow: Lunch with Dad, Luau at Muffin Man's school (he's gonna hula!)
- Saturday: Birthday party for MM's classmate at (groan) Chuck E. (bleah) Cheese.
- Monday: Grades?
- Coming up in the Fall Semester: Intro to Bio (plus lab); Children's Lit (HP 4, Alice in Wonderland, Holes, Great Gilly Hopkins, Hobbit, Amulet, and assorted others); Analysis and Interpretation of Psychological Data (plus lab); Research Methods in Psychology (plus lab); and Religion.
- So far I've spent over $440 on books (used) and will be spending at least $30 more (backordered). Just for this one term.
- I got my hair cut. I'm now sporting a chin-length bob. Had to get the hair off my neck. It was just. Too. Hot. It'll be easier to grow in now that it's all one length.
- Still with the pimples. Hate them, hate them, hate them.
- We went out with friends tonight and their daughter sat for MM. He charmed her socks off and she would like to sit for us again. We are loyal to SoccerPlayingBabysitter, but she's often busy, y'know, playing soccer. So we're going to keep friend's daughter as a sitter too.
And that's it for tonight. More meaningful posts coming soon.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
Fives Meme
I'm seeing it everywhere...
Five things in my 'fridge:
Five things in my 'fridge:
- Leftover Annie's Shells and Cheese from tonight's dinner.
- Leftover taco meat/bean mash from dinner/lunch/dinner over the weekend.
- Skim milk.
- Jack cheese.
- Truffle butter.
Five things in my closet:
- Muffin Man's prize bag (for, y'know, potty prizes).
- Boxes of wool and knitting needles.
- Shoes.
- A beautiful green jaquard corset that I will never, ever fit into again.
- A sweater I started knitting for Mr. Spock when we still lived in NYC.
Five things in my car:
- Three pairs of sunglasses (one is a clip-on for my regular glasses).
- An ice scraper.
- A travel sewing kit.
- The Dog Train cd.
- A pink noodle.
Five things in my purse: NOTE: My purse is 4"x4"x9"
- My cell phone.
- My Palm Tungsten E.
- A small FRS radio.
- My wallet (a bi-fold, with a long pocket for cash).
- A change purse.
Banging my head on the desk
This happened in my district. Y'know how you always think it can't happen here? Well, it can.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
Four going on Fourteen
Muffin Man stands before me, hands palm up at his shoulders. A very valley-dude voice says:
"Mooooom. The printer's not working."
Hands move to his hips, arms akimbo:
"It's a real problem."
Where did this teenager come from and what did he do with my son?
"Mooooom. The printer's not working."
Hands move to his hips, arms akimbo:
"It's a real problem."
Where did this teenager come from and what did he do with my son?
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Guess what?
I just bought my books for Fall term using Nearby U's on-line bookstore and there's one book I don't need to buy 'cause I already own it:
Aren't you jealous?
Aren't you jealous?
Friday, July 21, 2006
Conversation at 5:42 AM
"Mommy?"
"Mmgrrwha?"
"Mommy? Can I watch some TV?"
"Whatimeisit?" (I take a bleary look at the clock). "No. You have to wait until the big hand is on the 12."
"Mommy? Can I snuggle in with you?"
"No, love, you have to go back to your own bed and wait until the big hand is on the 12."
"But I want to snuggle! Or watch TV!"
"Little hand on the 6, big hand on the 12, kiddo. That's the rule."
"Oh alright."
At 7:30 I had to go and wake him up.
"Mmgrrwha?"
"Mommy? Can I watch some TV?"
"Whatimeisit?" (I take a bleary look at the clock). "No. You have to wait until the big hand is on the 12."
"Mommy? Can I snuggle in with you?"
"No, love, you have to go back to your own bed and wait until the big hand is on the 12."
"But I want to snuggle! Or watch TV!"
"Little hand on the 6, big hand on the 12, kiddo. That's the rule."
"Oh alright."
At 7:30 I had to go and wake him up.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Memory Avenue Revisited
Last year I took a stroll down Memory Avenue. I gave y'all the grand tour of my neighborhood through the years. Today I'm going to do something a little different, I'm going to show you an actual picture of what it looks like today:
7th Avenue & 2nd Street, looking Northeast, click on the backcover link to see the Southeast view.
Looking Northeast you can see a little cafe and Tarzian Hardware, which has been there forever. I truly thought that all hardware stores looked like that. Imagine my surprise when I saw my first Home Depot.
Looking Southeast, you'll see the weird defunct bar, Met Food, and a Maggie Moo's in the spot where there used to be a newstand until the owner was shot. Next to Maggie Moo's is Pino's Pizzaria (greasy, but oh-so-good) which used to be next door where there's now a strange sort of diner/burger joint.
Anyway...I used to live about a hundred yards to the West of where that man in the plaid pants is standing.
7th Avenue & 2nd Street, looking Northeast, click on the backcover link to see the Southeast view.
Looking Northeast you can see a little cafe and Tarzian Hardware, which has been there forever. I truly thought that all hardware stores looked like that. Imagine my surprise when I saw my first Home Depot.
Looking Southeast, you'll see the weird defunct bar, Met Food, and a Maggie Moo's in the spot where there used to be a newstand until the owner was shot. Next to Maggie Moo's is Pino's Pizzaria (greasy, but oh-so-good) which used to be next door where there's now a strange sort of diner/burger joint.
Anyway...I used to live about a hundred yards to the West of where that man in the plaid pants is standing.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Seriously, I should get a commission.
SoccerPlayingBabysitter LOVED Nearby U.
She wasn't planning to. She was looking forward to being in real college classes and getting a college professor's perspective on the book she's reading for AP English which we covered today. But Nearby U is...well it's nearby. Lots of kids from her school end up going there and she thought that she really didn't want to hang with them anymore.
But that was before she saw how big parking lot K is. And then the 5 minute walk through the lovely, tree-covered outer campus, past the Cultural Center and the Performing Arts Center and up the hill to the Large Building with the food court and gourmet coffee shop inside.
"I had no idea Nearby U. was so BIG." she gasped.
"30,000 students." I replied.
After coffee and an eclair for me and a hot chocolate and a croissant for her, we went to class.
"He'll spend about an hour talking about the author and the context of the Vietnam War," I had told her in the car on the way over, "and then he'll have one of us read a paragraph or two and discuss it. We'll get through maybe two stories today." She was so impressed when he came through as expected.
My professor was really kind to SPB, and made sure she had a chance to join in on the discussion and even had her read a paragraph.
Then we went to our second class. In the car I told her about what this professor would do. "He'll talk about [his google-able hobby] and he will emphasize at least once the definition of the concept we're talking about today [I quoted him to her], and he'll talk about the Yankees." Again, right on every point.
This professor is really great, his class is always fun and he explains concepts clearly. He did a great job of including SPB and spent 10 minutes talking to her after class. Come to think, he should get a commission too.
After class we went to meet Mr. Spock for lunch in the Large Building and then I gave a tour of the campus. I showed her the student union buildings and the libraries and the computer labs and the exteriors of the dorms (I've never been inside the dorms myself). There are MANY dorm buildings and we looked at the construction sites for 3 more that will be adding 1000 beds.
"It looks like I'll have lots of opportunities to make new friends here, huh?" She said.
"Yup."
We ended the tour at the bookstore, where Mr. Spock bought her a Nearby U shirt she was about to buy for herself.
"Wear it in good health." He said.
"I will."
I think we may have made the sale.
She wasn't planning to. She was looking forward to being in real college classes and getting a college professor's perspective on the book she's reading for AP English which we covered today. But Nearby U is...well it's nearby. Lots of kids from her school end up going there and she thought that she really didn't want to hang with them anymore.
But that was before she saw how big parking lot K is. And then the 5 minute walk through the lovely, tree-covered outer campus, past the Cultural Center and the Performing Arts Center and up the hill to the Large Building with the food court and gourmet coffee shop inside.
"I had no idea Nearby U. was so BIG." she gasped.
"30,000 students." I replied.
After coffee and an eclair for me and a hot chocolate and a croissant for her, we went to class.
"He'll spend about an hour talking about the author and the context of the Vietnam War," I had told her in the car on the way over, "and then he'll have one of us read a paragraph or two and discuss it. We'll get through maybe two stories today." She was so impressed when he came through as expected.
My professor was really kind to SPB, and made sure she had a chance to join in on the discussion and even had her read a paragraph.
Then we went to our second class. In the car I told her about what this professor would do. "He'll talk about [his google-able hobby] and he will emphasize at least once the definition of the concept we're talking about today [I quoted him to her], and he'll talk about the Yankees." Again, right on every point.
This professor is really great, his class is always fun and he explains concepts clearly. He did a great job of including SPB and spent 10 minutes talking to her after class. Come to think, he should get a commission too.
After class we went to meet Mr. Spock for lunch in the Large Building and then I gave a tour of the campus. I showed her the student union buildings and the libraries and the computer labs and the exteriors of the dorms (I've never been inside the dorms myself). There are MANY dorm buildings and we looked at the construction sites for 3 more that will be adding 1000 beds.
"It looks like I'll have lots of opportunities to make new friends here, huh?" She said.
"Yup."
We ended the tour at the bookstore, where Mr. Spock bought her a Nearby U shirt she was about to buy for herself.
"Wear it in good health." He said.
"I will."
I think we may have made the sale.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
I hab gad a code
Ad I hab a sidus idfecshud. I ab tryig nod to ged an ear idfecshud.
In short, I feel like shit. And I couldn't get through to the doctor today. Ah well.
Tomorrow, I'm taking SoccerPlayingBabysitter to visit Nearby University and she's going to sit in on my classes. I arranged it with my professors and she's read the assignments. The book we're discussing tomorrow is one she's also reading for AP English in the Fall. So now, she'll have a bit of a head start on her classmates. She's a rising senior and she's so excited about going off to college next year! Tomorrow I'll let you know how she liked her taste of college.
In short, I feel like shit. And I couldn't get through to the doctor today. Ah well.
Tomorrow, I'm taking SoccerPlayingBabysitter to visit Nearby University and she's going to sit in on my classes. I arranged it with my professors and she's read the assignments. The book we're discussing tomorrow is one she's also reading for AP English in the Fall. So now, she'll have a bit of a head start on her classmates. She's a rising senior and she's so excited about going off to college next year! Tomorrow I'll let you know how she liked her taste of college.
Monday, July 17, 2006
That little leap of faith
Today was Muffin Man's last swimming lesson of this session and...he didn't pass into the next group up. He won't hold his face in the water for 3 seconds. Actually, he will. But he's never done it for his teacher, the little imp. He's got everything else down pat. Ah well. Out of his class of 6 kids, only one was allowed to move up. His teacher says this is pretty normal, that most kids need 2 or 3 attempts at the beginner's class. So he'll be a Waddler again in the fall. Thank goodness for indoor pools!
His confidence in the water has gone up amazingly, I'm going to be practicing skills with him for ten minutes a day a couple of times a week at our local pool and every day during our vacation in Walt Disney World. That way, when class starts up again in the Fall, maybe he'll be ready to take that leap of faith of holding his face under water just long enough.
His confidence in the water has gone up amazingly, I'm going to be practicing skills with him for ten minutes a day a couple of times a week at our local pool and every day during our vacation in Walt Disney World. That way, when class starts up again in the Fall, maybe he'll be ready to take that leap of faith of holding his face under water just long enough.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Why?
Early this afternoon, a child I know died of a brain tumor. He was diagnosed in November and fought hard. He was four.
Excuse me while I go hug my son.
Excuse me while I go hug my son.
Friday, July 14, 2006
How to make a Frankenfurter outfit
For the Googler who found me while looking for one:
Ingredients:
1 pr. VERY high-heeled shoes. Platforms are best, chunky heels are preferred, but stillettos are acceptable (and affordable, they sell them at Pay-less)
1 pr. Fish net stockings. NOT panty hose.
1 black garter belt with red trim
1 black leather/pleather vest that laces up the front. If you can't find one that laces, buy one without and add the laces yourself
1 black corset. You will have to sew on your own sequins and stuff to make it match.
1 operating gown, green.
1 pr. pink rubber gloves.
Makeup:
2 black eye pencils (one for your face, one for the tattoo). Let's not infect our eyes, m'kay?
2 red lip pencils (ditto)
Mascara
Blue eyeshadow
White grease paint (just a touch!)
Red lipstick
And don't forget the attitude.
Ingredients:
1 pr. VERY high-heeled shoes. Platforms are best, chunky heels are preferred, but stillettos are acceptable (and affordable, they sell them at Pay-less)
1 pr. Fish net stockings. NOT panty hose.
1 black garter belt with red trim
1 black leather/pleather vest that laces up the front. If you can't find one that laces, buy one without and add the laces yourself
1 black corset. You will have to sew on your own sequins and stuff to make it match.
1 operating gown, green.
1 pr. pink rubber gloves.
Makeup:
2 black eye pencils (one for your face, one for the tattoo). Let's not infect our eyes, m'kay?
2 red lip pencils (ditto)
Mascara
Blue eyeshadow
White grease paint (just a touch!)
Red lipstick
And don't forget the attitude.
Good Housekeeping can kiss my...
The blurb on the current issue says Rachel Ray talks about her weight. Her weight? She has FOUR popular shows on the food network and they're asking her about her weight?
I don't particularly like watching her shows (except for $40/day, that's pretty cool), mostly because I get a little nauseated by her cutesiness, but I seriously hope she doesn't have any problems with her body image because she looks really healthy and happy.
I shall now commence banging my head on my desk.
I don't particularly like watching her shows (except for $40/day, that's pretty cool), mostly because I get a little nauseated by her cutesiness, but I seriously hope she doesn't have any problems with her body image because she looks really healthy and happy.
I shall now commence banging my head on my desk.
Musical musings from yesterday morning's commute
These songs were playing unrelatedly between 7:30 and 8:30 on various stations yesterday morning. What do they have in common? Am I right to feel freaked out?
Suite Judy Blue Eyes, by CSNY
Hungry Like the Wolf, by Duran Duran
Take a Walk on the Wild Side, by Lou Reed
Tom's Diner, by Suzanne Vega
Suite Judy Blue Eyes, by CSNY
Hungry Like the Wolf, by Duran Duran
Take a Walk on the Wild Side, by Lou Reed
Tom's Diner, by Suzanne Vega
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The weather today is swimming with a chance of listening.
Raining? You guessed it!
Muffin Man did a great job of listening on Monday and is looking forward to listening again today. Dinner and ice-cream at Bob Evans if he does a good job of listening to the teacher, who wouldn't sit still for that?
It's so fun to watch him floating with the big pink noodle. On his back he relaxes to let the water get in his ears. On his front he "swims", kicking his legs and having a good time.
His favorite part is playing "Ring-around-the-rosie" and blowing bubbles.
Today is his penultimate class. I'm signing him up for the next class up that starts in September.
Muffin Man did a great job of listening on Monday and is looking forward to listening again today. Dinner and ice-cream at Bob Evans if he does a good job of listening to the teacher, who wouldn't sit still for that?
It's so fun to watch him floating with the big pink noodle. On his back he relaxes to let the water get in his ears. On his front he "swims", kicking his legs and having a good time.
His favorite part is playing "Ring-around-the-rosie" and blowing bubbles.
Today is his penultimate class. I'm signing him up for the next class up that starts in September.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Ants...and how they led to a cute thing Muffin Man said
We were straightening the living room and I was putting two of Muffin Man's cds away in the carosel when I noticed a little movement under the DVD player.
We have ants.
They're carrying crumbs and marching in a little line out from under the rug to under the DVD player, out from under there to a clump by the wall. We see that they have some food back there and Mr. Spock diagnoses the food source. "Tortilla Chips." he says.
Muffin Man says, "I ate some tortito chips the other day. They were magic tortito chips. The tortito chips had wings and the tortito chips could fly and I ate the tortito chips and they flew ooooooout of my tummy and I ate the tortito chips and then I could fly too."
So, at the same time that I am completely grossed out about the ants (getting traps ASAP!), I am complete plotzing from the cuteness of my son.
We have ants.
They're carrying crumbs and marching in a little line out from under the rug to under the DVD player, out from under there to a clump by the wall. We see that they have some food back there and Mr. Spock diagnoses the food source. "Tortilla Chips." he says.
Muffin Man says, "I ate some tortito chips the other day. They were magic tortito chips. The tortito chips had wings and the tortito chips could fly and I ate the tortito chips and they flew ooooooout of my tummy and I ate the tortito chips and then I could fly too."
So, at the same time that I am completely grossed out about the ants (getting traps ASAP!), I am complete plotzing from the cuteness of my son.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Life is pain*
We just finished reading some stories by Flannery O'Connor. Holy guacamole is she ever depressing. Life sucks, then someone shoots your whole family.
*Bonus points if you know what movie that's from.
*Bonus points if you know what movie that's from.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
If it's Wednesday it must be raining
Because Wednesday is swimming lessons and there hasn't been a single lesson day where it hasn't rained. Thank goodness for indoor pools, eh?
Muffin Man did great at his lesson during the parts where he was an active participant, the waiting parts? Not so much...we need to work with him a bit on listening and waiting patiently. Yeah, I know...he's four. And he wasn't the worst offender in his class, but he certainly was in the top three.
But he's blowing bubbles and putting his whole face in the water and dunking his whole head under water and leaning back in the water and floating and kicking with the help of a bright yellow noodle. I'm really very proud!
In other news, today was the first day of my new classes. Lots of reading to do. Three short stories and a textbook chapter due by tomorrow. Night all.
Muffin Man did great at his lesson during the parts where he was an active participant, the waiting parts? Not so much...we need to work with him a bit on listening and waiting patiently. Yeah, I know...he's four. And he wasn't the worst offender in his class, but he certainly was in the top three.
But he's blowing bubbles and putting his whole face in the water and dunking his whole head under water and leaning back in the water and floating and kicking with the help of a bright yellow noodle. I'm really very proud!
In other news, today was the first day of my new classes. Lots of reading to do. Three short stories and a textbook chapter due by tomorrow. Night all.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Blogger Playground Playdate!
The players: APL along with AB and NSAH; Crunchy Granola along with Politica and Curious Girl; and yours truly along with Mr. Spock and Muffin Man.
The locale: Most truly excellent picnic area with more playground equipment than I've seen all together in one place.
The food: Delicious.
The talking: Copious. Isn't it amazing how you can just start right in the middle when you meet someone whose blog you read all the time? You already know quite a bit of the backstory and the jokes and all that's needed is a little of the fine detail. I feel like I've known these women and their families all my life.
The playing: Rambunctious, infectious, and totally hilarious. AB ran after Muffin Man who ran after Curious Girl who ran after AB...and wow! Curious Girl can really climb! And AB can run fast!
Politica took lots of pictures, including a few bloggable ones. Coming soon to blogs near you.
The locale: Most truly excellent picnic area with more playground equipment than I've seen all together in one place.
The food: Delicious.
The talking: Copious. Isn't it amazing how you can just start right in the middle when you meet someone whose blog you read all the time? You already know quite a bit of the backstory and the jokes and all that's needed is a little of the fine detail. I feel like I've known these women and their families all my life.
The playing: Rambunctious, infectious, and totally hilarious. AB ran after Muffin Man who ran after Curious Girl who ran after AB...and wow! Curious Girl can really climb! And AB can run fast!
Politica took lots of pictures, including a few bloggable ones. Coming soon to blogs near you.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Words he read today
Watermelon
Red
Canteloupe
Book
Oven
Door
Floor
House
Horse
There are others he read with help, but these he read on his own.
I invented a game! I made little strips of paper with one word printed on each and then put them in a hat and asked him to pick them out one-by-one. As he picked out each one, I asked him to read the word and go find something in the house that matched it. His best one was definitely book.
"Buh...uh...uh...kuh. Buhk. Buhk? Book!! It says BOOK!" He taped that one to the largest book we own: The Oxford American Dictionary. Quite the book indeed.
Red
Canteloupe
Book
Oven
Door
Floor
House
Horse
There are others he read with help, but these he read on his own.
I invented a game! I made little strips of paper with one word printed on each and then put them in a hat and asked him to pick them out one-by-one. As he picked out each one, I asked him to read the word and go find something in the house that matched it. His best one was definitely book.
"Buh...uh...uh...kuh. Buhk. Buhk? Book!! It says BOOK!" He taped that one to the largest book we own: The Oxford American Dictionary. Quite the book indeed.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Er Eh Duh
Muffin Man (looking at a balloon from a nearby eatery): "Er...Eh...Duh. Erehduh. RED! It says RED Mommy!"
My big boy read a word all by himself!
And right after it, he said this: "Er...ah...buh...in. Erahbin. ROBIN!"
He's starting to READ!
My big boy read a word all by himself!
And right after it, he said this: "Er...ah...buh...in. Erahbin. ROBIN!"
He's starting to READ!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
I love my new swimsuit
It's a Land's End tankini. The top actually fits, which is practically a miracle. And the bottom is skirted so I'm not playing tug-of-war. And I can swim in it! Though I admit it took me a few minutes to get used to the feel of the skirt.
BTW, the virtual model on the Land's End web site is pretty cool, but they are unable to translate what she's wearing into bathing suit sizes yet, so somewhat limited in utility.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
My big boy
I went to pick him up at school today. "Swimming lessons!" I said, and immediately he jumped up and followed me into the bathroom to pee and then get his swim trunks on. After only three lessons, he's got the routine down pat.
Hop into the car, say "Hi!" to Daddy. Drive to the (indoor! Beach entrance!) pool nearby. It's raining of course, so I let him and Mr. Spock out at the door and find a parking spot. I go in to find the lesson in progress: blowing bubbles, submerging completely, jumping into the pool like bunnies, kicking while holding onto a dayglo green noodle.
Lesson over, change, go to Panera for dinner (meh), go to Bob Evans for dessert (meh), drive home. POURING RAIN. Deluge. Buckets. "No talking." I say, holding onto the steering wheel for dear life.
I bypass our usual exit because the road I often take was closed last night due to flooding, I'm guessing it will be again. I take the slightly-longer-but-less-likely-to-be-under-water route. I pull into our drive way and look at Mr. Spock. It's still pouring. Sheeting really. He looks at Muffin Man and nudges me to look too. Muffin Man is sound asleep.
Sound. Asleep. In the back seat. He hasn't done that in a really, really long time.
Mr. Spock and I sit and watch our little man sleep and wait for the rain to stop or at least slack off. We notice how the rain makes weird shadows on our shirts. It looks like snake skin or a really cool lava lamp.
Finally it slacks off. I run to unlock our front door and turn off the alarm. Mr. Spock releases MM from his car seat and carries him indoors. He's still sleeping.
Mr. Spock slips off MM's sandals and puts him in bed. Covers tucked up to his chin.
Two hours later I check in on him. He hasn't moved.*
My sweet baby. My big boy. My little man.
*Oh dear. He hasn't peed since 5:45. I'd better get a change of sheets ready.
Hop into the car, say "Hi!" to Daddy. Drive to the (indoor! Beach entrance!) pool nearby. It's raining of course, so I let him and Mr. Spock out at the door and find a parking spot. I go in to find the lesson in progress: blowing bubbles, submerging completely, jumping into the pool like bunnies, kicking while holding onto a dayglo green noodle.
Lesson over, change, go to Panera for dinner (meh), go to Bob Evans for dessert (meh), drive home. POURING RAIN. Deluge. Buckets. "No talking." I say, holding onto the steering wheel for dear life.
I bypass our usual exit because the road I often take was closed last night due to flooding, I'm guessing it will be again. I take the slightly-longer-but-less-likely-to-be-under-water route. I pull into our drive way and look at Mr. Spock. It's still pouring. Sheeting really. He looks at Muffin Man and nudges me to look too. Muffin Man is sound asleep.
Sound. Asleep. In the back seat. He hasn't done that in a really, really long time.
Mr. Spock and I sit and watch our little man sleep and wait for the rain to stop or at least slack off. We notice how the rain makes weird shadows on our shirts. It looks like snake skin or a really cool lava lamp.
Finally it slacks off. I run to unlock our front door and turn off the alarm. Mr. Spock releases MM from his car seat and carries him indoors. He's still sleeping.
Mr. Spock slips off MM's sandals and puts him in bed. Covers tucked up to his chin.
Two hours later I check in on him. He hasn't moved.*
My sweet baby. My big boy. My little man.
*Oh dear. He hasn't peed since 5:45. I'd better get a change of sheets ready.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Things I love about Wegman's
Ah, Wegman's. My favorite "date" place. During this short respite between Summer Session A and Summer Session C, Mr. Spock and I have been heading there after dropping off Muffin Man at Posh Place (formerly Posh New Place, but after 6 months of attendance I think we have to drop the "new").
When we arrive a smidge after 8 AM, the parking lot is nearly empty. We go inside and choose a pastry or two from their patisserie (I generally choose their pain au chocolate, which is actually a traditional size (ie: it doesn't look like it's intended to serve three) and is truly delicious. Then we go over to their coffee counter and get some really good coffee. Two coffees and two pastries ring up to $5.88 with tax. And they're better than Starbucks.
Then we carry our goodies upstairs to their seating area and schmooze away a quiet half-hour.
After the last bit of chocolatey goodness has been consumed, we return downstairs to browse their fish counter (their soft-shelled crabs are still wiggling when you buy them), and their meat counter (I told you about their prime rib, right?), and their vegetable market (organic bananas! black truffles! bagged baby carrots!) and their gourmet frozen foods, and their wines, and their cheeses....
And they also sell regular grocery stuff.
And they have prepared yummy foods.
And they have a play area for potty-trained kids ages 3 and up. With better security than the old daycare we used to send Muffin Man to.
And their bathrooms are clean and pleasant.
And did I mention that most of their stuff is cheaper than Nearby Regular Grocery?
So, that's where I'm spending my early mornings this week. Heaven.
When we arrive a smidge after 8 AM, the parking lot is nearly empty. We go inside and choose a pastry or two from their patisserie (I generally choose their pain au chocolate, which is actually a traditional size (ie: it doesn't look like it's intended to serve three) and is truly delicious. Then we go over to their coffee counter and get some really good coffee. Two coffees and two pastries ring up to $5.88 with tax. And they're better than Starbucks.
Then we carry our goodies upstairs to their seating area and schmooze away a quiet half-hour.
After the last bit of chocolatey goodness has been consumed, we return downstairs to browse their fish counter (their soft-shelled crabs are still wiggling when you buy them), and their meat counter (I told you about their prime rib, right?), and their vegetable market (organic bananas! black truffles! bagged baby carrots!) and their gourmet frozen foods, and their wines, and their cheeses....
And they also sell regular grocery stuff.
And they have prepared yummy foods.
And they have a play area for potty-trained kids ages 3 and up. With better security than the old daycare we used to send Muffin Man to.
And their bathrooms are clean and pleasant.
And did I mention that most of their stuff is cheaper than Nearby Regular Grocery?
So, that's where I'm spending my early mornings this week. Heaven.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Blogger meet-up. Now with fewer Muppets!
Commenter Extraordinaire Genevieve, her son - BoyWhoBegsMomToBlog, Mr. Spock, Muffin Man and I all met up at the National Museum of American History today. My family would have been on time, except we couldn't find a place to park and so we were circling the area for half an hour, a task made more difficult because of the National Barbecue Battle that was going on.
Anywhooooo, we went to the museum to see the Muppets! Exhibit! and we were so excited! And then we saw them. And it was 5 glass cases with a total of about 15 muppets. Seriously. However, they do have the first-ever Kermit. And he's pretty cool.
But hanging with Genevieve and her son was lots of fun. Muffin Man ADORES BoyWhoBegsMomToBlog and wants to be him when he grows up. BWBMTB is six. That is a Very Big Boy. After the museum (and a donut) we all went for Tex-Mex food and chattered about the world. And we plotted how to get Phantom Scribbler and family down here for a real-life pixie party.
And then we came home and put MM straight into bed. Not even the Very Loud Thunderstorm we're having tonight will be able to keep that boy awake.
In other news, Muffin Man is taking swimming lessons and doing rather well at blowing bubbles and putting his whole face in the water. Next up, learning to kick and float.
Also, I will not have to take IT 103, as I passed that test (Thanks Mr. Spock for helping me study). Wouldn't you think that 10 years spent as a computer programmer should have gotten me out of the class without having to take a silly test?
Thanks, y'all, for the nice comments on the Dean's List post. If you'd asked me a few years ago, I'd never have guessed that I'd be doing so well in school.
Anywhooooo, we went to the museum to see the Muppets! Exhibit! and we were so excited! And then we saw them. And it was 5 glass cases with a total of about 15 muppets. Seriously. However, they do have the first-ever Kermit. And he's pretty cool.
But hanging with Genevieve and her son was lots of fun. Muffin Man ADORES BoyWhoBegsMomToBlog and wants to be him when he grows up. BWBMTB is six. That is a Very Big Boy. After the museum (and a donut) we all went for Tex-Mex food and chattered about the world. And we plotted how to get Phantom Scribbler and family down here for a real-life pixie party.
And then we came home and put MM straight into bed. Not even the Very Loud Thunderstorm we're having tonight will be able to keep that boy awake.
In other news, Muffin Man is taking swimming lessons and doing rather well at blowing bubbles and putting his whole face in the water. Next up, learning to kick and float.
Also, I will not have to take IT 103, as I passed that test (Thanks Mr. Spock for helping me study). Wouldn't you think that 10 years spent as a computer programmer should have gotten me out of the class without having to take a silly test?
Thanks, y'all, for the nice comments on the Dean's List post. If you'd asked me a few years ago, I'd never have guessed that I'd be doing so well in school.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Quick Lost post...
We just finished watching the 8th episode (so we've finished the first two discs of Season One) and I just wanna ask y'all:
Sawyer - top pick for the Gilligan/Dr. Smith Award, right?
Sawyer - top pick for the Gilligan/Dr. Smith Award, right?
Almost done
Linguistics final - done!
Linguistics paper - done! done! done!
Psychology final - done!
IT exam for credit - studying for the exam on Saturday. I need to get at least a C to get credit and not have to take the frelling class.
Talk to you all later!
Linguistics paper - done! done! done!
Psychology final - done!
IT exam for credit - studying for the exam on Saturday. I need to get at least a C to get credit and not have to take the frelling class.
Talk to you all later!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Fizzy brain, so here's a list:
My list of the best children's literature, in no particular order.
A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Little Lord Fauntleroy all by Frances Hodgsen Burnett
Anne of Green Gables (and most of the other books by L.M. Montgomery)
Little Women
Jane Eyre (what? you don't think of this as Kid's Lit.? She's nine when the book begins!)
The Borrowers
All the Harry Potter books
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
All-of-a-Kind-Family (the whole series)
Five Children and It
Half Magic
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Shoes Books by Noel Streatfeild (all of 'em. Heck, anything she wrote. Don't ask questions, just go to Amazon.co.uk and buy them all.
All of Paula Danziger's books - but my favorite is The Pistachio Prescription.
Nancy Drew (the earlier, the better)
Judy Blume, natch. But I think my favorite is Then Again, Maybe I Won't.
All of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Indian Captive and Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
Everything ever written by E.L. Konigsberg.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - and the rest of the series.
Heidi
S.E. Hinton's stuff.
The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, and Beauty all by Robin McKinley
Eva, and King and Joker by Peter Dickinson (he's married to Robin McKinley)
Dragonsinger, Dragonsong & Dragondrums by Anne McCaffery
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Diary of Anne Frank
4.50 From Paddington (also known as What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!) by Agatha Christie
The Boggart
Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck (his other books are good too!)
Happy Endings Are All Alike (older readers - contains some hard themes like rape).
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
The Windmill Summer
Younger Readers:
Maurice Sendak. Who needs to say more? Anything he writes or illustrates is worth reading.
Lyle, Lyle the Crocodile (the whole series)
When Ira Sleeps Over
Katy No-pocket
Olivia
Corduroy
Blueberries for Sal
One Morning in Maine
Make Way for Ducklings
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
The Snowy Day
Goodnight Moon
The Going to Bed Book
Peter's Chair
Many Moons
If you can find them, One Eighth of a Muffin and Apple Pigs are excellent.
Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom.
Anything Dr. Seuss.
Well, that's it for tonight. I know I left some fantastic ones out. I'll worry about it later.
A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Little Lord Fauntleroy all by Frances Hodgsen Burnett
Anne of Green Gables (and most of the other books by L.M. Montgomery)
Little Women
Jane Eyre (what? you don't think of this as Kid's Lit.? She's nine when the book begins!)
The Borrowers
All the Harry Potter books
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
All-of-a-Kind-Family (the whole series)
Five Children and It
Half Magic
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Shoes Books by Noel Streatfeild (all of 'em. Heck, anything she wrote. Don't ask questions, just go to Amazon.co.uk and buy them all.
All of Paula Danziger's books - but my favorite is The Pistachio Prescription.
Nancy Drew (the earlier, the better)
Judy Blume, natch. But I think my favorite is Then Again, Maybe I Won't.
All of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Indian Captive and Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
Everything ever written by E.L. Konigsberg.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - and the rest of the series.
Heidi
S.E. Hinton's stuff.
The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, and Beauty all by Robin McKinley
Eva, and King and Joker by Peter Dickinson (he's married to Robin McKinley)
Dragonsinger, Dragonsong & Dragondrums by Anne McCaffery
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Diary of Anne Frank
4.50 From Paddington (also known as What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!) by Agatha Christie
The Boggart
Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck (his other books are good too!)
Happy Endings Are All Alike (older readers - contains some hard themes like rape).
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
The Windmill Summer
Younger Readers:
Maurice Sendak. Who needs to say more? Anything he writes or illustrates is worth reading.
Lyle, Lyle the Crocodile (the whole series)
When Ira Sleeps Over
Katy No-pocket
Olivia
Corduroy
Blueberries for Sal
One Morning in Maine
Make Way for Ducklings
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
The Snowy Day
Goodnight Moon
The Going to Bed Book
Peter's Chair
Many Moons
If you can find them, One Eighth of a Muffin and Apple Pigs are excellent.
Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom.
Anything Dr. Seuss.
Well, that's it for tonight. I know I left some fantastic ones out. I'll worry about it later.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Free Gone to good home: UPDATED
Children's footwear
1 pr. Sandals, Navy, size 7.5-8 (European size 24) - Jacadi
1 pr. Sandals, Brown, size 8.5 - Payless Smartfit
1 pr. Sandals, Spiderman, size 9 - Payless
1 pr. Slippers, Navy and Green plaid, size M (7/8) - LL Bean?
If you are in the Northern Virginia area and you want any of these let me know in the comments. The cleaning ladies took them for their grandkids.
1 pr. Sandals, Navy, size 7.5-8 (European size 24) - Jacadi
1 pr. Sandals, Brown, size 8.5 - Payless Smartfit
1 pr. Sandals, Spiderman, size 9 - Payless
1 pr. Slippers, Navy and Green plaid, size M (7/8) - LL Bean?
Friday, June 16, 2006
What? Already?
Y'all remember that I started my first Summer session of school back there at the end of May? Well, I've got one more class day and then it's finals. Finals!
Woof. That went fast.
Most interesting items so far: Definitely phonemes.
z --> s/C[-voice]__#
z --> ez/C[+affricate]__#
Thus z, s, & ez are all allophones of the same phoneme. Cool, right? Oh...it means that when we are speaking and pluralize a word, such as dog or nose we make a z sound at the end. The z sound is almost universal except for words that end in an unvoiced consonant such as cat or mop where we use the s sound. Words that end in an affricate such as church or fish get an ez sound added to them.
What's truly interesting about this both phonetically and morphologically is that you don't have to teach children these rules, they just absorb them. And they know that the rules are there because they over generalize them (gooses, childs, foots). Not to mention goed and comed.
Really very cool.
The second half of Summer classes (Social Psychology and Recent American Fiction) starts July 5.
I won't be around much this week due to studying for a CLEP exam I'm taking a week from tomorrow.
Woof. That went fast.
Most interesting items so far: Definitely phonemes.
z --> s/C[-voice]__#
z --> ez/C[+affricate]__#
Thus z, s, & ez are all allophones of the same phoneme. Cool, right? Oh...it means that when we are speaking and pluralize a word, such as dog or nose we make a z sound at the end. The z sound is almost universal except for words that end in an unvoiced consonant such as cat or mop where we use the s sound. Words that end in an affricate such as church or fish get an ez sound added to them.
What's truly interesting about this both phonetically and morphologically is that you don't have to teach children these rules, they just absorb them. And they know that the rules are there because they over generalize them (gooses, childs, foots). Not to mention goed and comed.
Really very cool.
The second half of Summer classes (Social Psychology and Recent American Fiction) starts July 5.
I won't be around much this week due to studying for a CLEP exam I'm taking a week from tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Who?
So my mom calls me up the other night. "I've got a message here on my machine from someone calling for you from your old university. Do you want his name and number?"
"Sure." Hmmmm. I don't recognize this name. But the last name is the same as my old English teacher, maybe it's about him?
So I call the number and this guy answers, and slurs the name my mom gave me.
Right then, I should have hung up.
But did I? No. That would be rude.
"Hi." I said, "My mom called me with this number. I used to go to Old University. My name is Liz?"
What followed was really sad. It's this guy who I have really no memory of. He's drunk. And what he remembers about me is my height and my...shape. Specifically the shape and size of my rack as it was then. Which was quite large for someone of my height. Even larger now, but let's not tell him that. And did I mention he's drunk? Eighteen-year-old-boy-at-first-frat-party kind of drunk. And I couldn't place his name, or his description of his long-ago self. Or anything else about him.
"I'm truly sorry. I really don't remember you. It was 19 years ago. I'm very flattered that you remembered me, but I can't recall you at all. Goodbye"
Gah.
"Sure." Hmmmm. I don't recognize this name. But the last name is the same as my old English teacher, maybe it's about him?
So I call the number and this guy answers, and slurs the name my mom gave me.
Right then, I should have hung up.
But did I? No. That would be rude.
"Hi." I said, "My mom called me with this number. I used to go to Old University. My name is Liz?"
What followed was really sad. It's this guy who I have really no memory of. He's drunk. And what he remembers about me is my height and my...shape. Specifically the shape and size of my rack as it was then. Which was quite large for someone of my height. Even larger now, but let's not tell him that. And did I mention he's drunk? Eighteen-year-old-boy-at-first-frat-party kind of drunk. And I couldn't place his name, or his description of his long-ago self. Or anything else about him.
"I'm truly sorry. I really don't remember you. It was 19 years ago. I'm very flattered that you remembered me, but I can't recall you at all. Goodbye"
Gah.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Really liking Lost
Truly. 4 paws up as The Bears would say.
So far it's quite odd. Sort of Myst meets Jurassic Park meets Castaway. Lots of mystery and intrigue.
I can't wait to see what happens next!
So far it's quite odd. Sort of Myst meets Jurassic Park meets Castaway. Lots of mystery and intrigue.
I can't wait to see what happens next!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
As seen at Angry Pregnant Lawyer's
Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti
(Though, of course my real favorite is Inigo Montoya.)
She also has a quiz up about which RHPS character one might be. As y'all know, I'm Janet...and Columbia...and Magenta...and Frank.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Political stuff
Y'know, I hardly ever talk politics here. Partly because I talk politics quite often IRL, and partly because there are so many other people who do it: Bitch PhD does it rather well, as does Phantom Scribbler, and lots of other folks to the right here --->
But there's a primary coming up in a few days here in Virginia and two pretty good candidates are goin' head-to-head for the chance to run against George ("Health Care Crises? What Health Care Crises?") Allen.
I think both Webb & Miller are good, strong, electable candidates. I'd be fine with either of them in the Senate, but I'm voting for Miller in the primary and here's why:
While both Webb and Miller agree on many, many topics, Miller has been a strong Democrat forever and will help bring the Democratic faithful to the polls which we need desperately if we're going to defeat the homophobic, bigoted, and misguided amendment to the Virginia constitution that's on the ballot in November. The Amendment not only would ban same-sex marriage (disgusting enough on its own), it also would ban any contract that bestows the privileges of marriage: so if your Aunt Laura wants you to have her Health Care Proxy, it probably wouldn't be legal. If you want to form a company in partnership with your friend Josh, and you set it up so that each of you has survivorship rights in the company, no can do. Many lawyers say that it could void most contracts and Wills.
Webb used to be in Reagan's cabinet. He voted for Bush against Gore and for Allen the last time around. He'd probably get the votes of moderate Republicans and maybe the Independents, but he's unlikely to get core Democrats motivated and seriously unlikely to get highly Liberal folks out for him. And they're the ones we need to defeat that Amendment.
I like Webb. I think he's a good man. He's been against the invasion of Iraq since before the invasion. That's great. But...He voted for Bush 6 years ago. Back then we all knew certain facts about Bush: he was against gay marriage, he was for lowering taxes for the wealthy, he was for cutting services, he was for conservative (aka anti-choice) judges, he was for prayer in schools, he spoke at Liberty College. Does any of that sound like a platform a Democrat should vote for? And yet he did. Six years ago.
I am close to several people who have made that conversion: people who are fiscally conservative and socially liberal who voted for the Republicans (and for Bush against Gore) because they saw them as the party of fiscal responsibility and didn't see the creeping social conservatism fostered by the religious fundamentalists. Those folks are now the hardest of hard-core democrats because their social values are under siege. And I hope that Webb is one of these. I do. But I fear he may not be. And I wonder if others share that fear and may not be motivated to go out and vote in November when we need them.
With Miller, we know what we're going to get. A strong Democrat who's going to push to fund education and health care. He'll back Warner for President and he'll push to bring the troops home. If we get enough Democrats like him voted in, they might even impeach Bush, wouldn't that be a hoot?
So, on Tuesday, I'm voting for Miller.
But if Webb wins that'll be okay too.
Either way, I'm voting against Allen and the Amendment in November.
But there's a primary coming up in a few days here in Virginia and two pretty good candidates are goin' head-to-head for the chance to run against George ("Health Care Crises? What Health Care Crises?") Allen.
I think both Webb & Miller are good, strong, electable candidates. I'd be fine with either of them in the Senate, but I'm voting for Miller in the primary and here's why:
While both Webb and Miller agree on many, many topics, Miller has been a strong Democrat forever and will help bring the Democratic faithful to the polls which we need desperately if we're going to defeat the homophobic, bigoted, and misguided amendment to the Virginia constitution that's on the ballot in November. The Amendment not only would ban same-sex marriage (disgusting enough on its own), it also would ban any contract that bestows the privileges of marriage: so if your Aunt Laura wants you to have her Health Care Proxy, it probably wouldn't be legal. If you want to form a company in partnership with your friend Josh, and you set it up so that each of you has survivorship rights in the company, no can do. Many lawyers say that it could void most contracts and Wills.
Webb used to be in Reagan's cabinet. He voted for Bush against Gore and for Allen the last time around. He'd probably get the votes of moderate Republicans and maybe the Independents, but he's unlikely to get core Democrats motivated and seriously unlikely to get highly Liberal folks out for him. And they're the ones we need to defeat that Amendment.
I like Webb. I think he's a good man. He's been against the invasion of Iraq since before the invasion. That's great. But...He voted for Bush 6 years ago. Back then we all knew certain facts about Bush: he was against gay marriage, he was for lowering taxes for the wealthy, he was for cutting services, he was for conservative (aka anti-choice) judges, he was for prayer in schools, he spoke at Liberty College. Does any of that sound like a platform a Democrat should vote for? And yet he did. Six years ago.
I am close to several people who have made that conversion: people who are fiscally conservative and socially liberal who voted for the Republicans (and for Bush against Gore) because they saw them as the party of fiscal responsibility and didn't see the creeping social conservatism fostered by the religious fundamentalists. Those folks are now the hardest of hard-core democrats because their social values are under siege. And I hope that Webb is one of these. I do. But I fear he may not be. And I wonder if others share that fear and may not be motivated to go out and vote in November when we need them.
With Miller, we know what we're going to get. A strong Democrat who's going to push to fund education and health care. He'll back Warner for President and he'll push to bring the troops home. If we get enough Democrats like him voted in, they might even impeach Bush, wouldn't that be a hoot?
So, on Tuesday, I'm voting for Miller.
But if Webb wins that'll be okay too.
Either way, I'm voting against Allen and the Amendment in November.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
My brain is frozen
One of our local radio stations has an "eclectic lunch" every day. And every day has a different theme; on Tuesday, it was songs about the devil (06/06/06).
A few days ago, it was a theme inspired by the National Spelling Bee and all the songs had to do with spelling. The eclectic lunch started at noon, which is just when I had to go into my Linguistics class, so I have no idea what songs were played.
For the life of me I can't come up with an hours worth of music for this theme, can you?
So far, I've got:
A few days ago, it was a theme inspired by the National Spelling Bee and all the songs had to do with spelling. The eclectic lunch started at noon, which is just when I had to go into my Linguistics class, so I have no idea what songs were played.
For the life of me I can't come up with an hours worth of music for this theme, can you?
So far, I've got:
- Gloria
- Respect
- Saturday Night (Bay City Rollers)
- Lola
- I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am
- Rocking in the USA
Any more? What am I missing?
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
So far so good.
As I said to Mrs. Coulter, it looks like there might be some excellent opportunities for snark in that there television show.
I can't remember why we didn't catch on to Lost in first run, I think it may have conflicted with one or another of our televised addictions. But that's okay, 'cause we're in the summer doldrums so we can catch up!
The images of the downed aircraft were disturbing and I'm wondering how they discussed that at Di$n3y.
Next episode on Thursday. We're rationing 'em to two a week.
I can't remember why we didn't catch on to Lost in first run, I think it may have conflicted with one or another of our televised addictions. But that's okay, 'cause we're in the summer doldrums so we can catch up!
The images of the downed aircraft were disturbing and I'm wondering how they discussed that at Di$n3y.
Next episode on Thursday. We're rationing 'em to two a week.
I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there...
Mr. Spock and I are about to watch the first episode of the first season of Lost.
I hope one of you wrote this
In Gene Weingarten's chat today, there was a discussion of shopping cart shame. I seriously hope one of you was the one who started the discussion with the mention of the "'til menopause box of tampax".
I snorted and nearly fell out of my chair laughing.
I snorted and nearly fell out of my chair laughing.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
We have brownies!
Cooks Illustrated. Delicious. Fudgy. Excellent glossy top crust. Non-cake-like brownie consistency.
Ingredients:
2 oz unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
5 oz semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chips (chopped)
8 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter (diced)
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 & 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
Equipment:
1 8x8 pan, sprayed with PAM or equivilent and then lined with two pieces of tinfoil cross wise to each other.
1 sauce pan.
1 heat-proof bowl.
1 medium mixing bowl.
1 wooden spoon.
1 large whisk.
Preheat oven to 350.
In the saucepan bring some water to a simmer and then place the heat-proof bowl over the saucepan and in the bowl, melt both kinds of chopped chocolate along with the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and whisk briskly until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
In the medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, whisking briskly. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined (IMPORTANT, DO NOT OVER MIX.)
Pour batter into prepared 8x8 pan, making sure the batter gets into the corners. Shake the pan a bit to make a smooth surface. Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cut out 1 inch slices as needed, don't cut slices until you are about to eat them (to prevent them drying out). Cover the remainder with plastic wrap.
Ingredients:
2 oz unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
5 oz semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chips (chopped)
8 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter (diced)
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 & 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
Equipment:
1 8x8 pan, sprayed with PAM or equivilent and then lined with two pieces of tinfoil cross wise to each other.
1 sauce pan.
1 heat-proof bowl.
1 medium mixing bowl.
1 wooden spoon.
1 large whisk.
Preheat oven to 350.
In the saucepan bring some water to a simmer and then place the heat-proof bowl over the saucepan and in the bowl, melt both kinds of chopped chocolate along with the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and whisk briskly until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
In the medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, whisking briskly. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined (IMPORTANT, DO NOT OVER MIX.)
Pour batter into prepared 8x8 pan, making sure the batter gets into the corners. Shake the pan a bit to make a smooth surface. Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cut out 1 inch slices as needed, don't cut slices until you are about to eat them (to prevent them drying out). Cover the remainder with plastic wrap.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Ugh
Thursday night I felt like I'd been pummelled in the kidneys. I had been an uber-bitch to my son. I felt like shit.
Friday morning, blood draw for cholesterol, breakfast with Mr. Spock, get to Nearby College for my Linguistics class and...
On my way to the classroom I feel queasy and weak, so I go to the bathroom and find that I have had a good reason for my testy, crabby, crampy behavior.
The tidal wave has hit once again. Mystery Mommy is on the rag.
Now normally, I know when it's due. I pay attention to these things. Truly. But for some reason this month I let it totally blind-side me.
And, of course, it's worse than usual. Cramping. Nausea. Headaches. Bitchiness. Quick temper. Sensitive sense of smell so I feel stinky too. And the constant damp, gooey feeling (even with a tampon!) is just squicky.
When I'm prepped for it, it's less of a drain. I usually dose up on some ibuprophen for a couple of days before, and stock up with the chocolate. The squick factor is less when I'm prepped, because I have a tampon with me - this time I had to buy a pad from the dispenser at school and even though I've showered since, I still feel sticky. And if it were just about the old blood and gunk, it wouldn't bother me. Why in the world does it also have to drain every ounce of energy AND make me hurt AND turn me into the Holy Hag from Hell?
I hate me like this. I feel like the World's Worst Mother and the World's Worst Wife.
A point in my favor: I made a killer batch of Baked Shells (formerly known as Baked Ziti) last night and we had leftovers.
A point against: I ate the last brownie...and didn't share.
Friday morning, blood draw for cholesterol, breakfast with Mr. Spock, get to Nearby College for my Linguistics class and...
On my way to the classroom I feel queasy and weak, so I go to the bathroom and find that I have had a good reason for my testy, crabby, crampy behavior.
The tidal wave has hit once again. Mystery Mommy is on the rag.
Now normally, I know when it's due. I pay attention to these things. Truly. But for some reason this month I let it totally blind-side me.
And, of course, it's worse than usual. Cramping. Nausea. Headaches. Bitchiness. Quick temper. Sensitive sense of smell so I feel stinky too. And the constant damp, gooey feeling (even with a tampon!) is just squicky.
When I'm prepped for it, it's less of a drain. I usually dose up on some ibuprophen for a couple of days before, and stock up with the chocolate. The squick factor is less when I'm prepped, because I have a tampon with me - this time I had to buy a pad from the dispenser at school and even though I've showered since, I still feel sticky. And if it were just about the old blood and gunk, it wouldn't bother me. Why in the world does it also have to drain every ounce of energy AND make me hurt AND turn me into the Holy Hag from Hell?
I hate me like this. I feel like the World's Worst Mother and the World's Worst Wife.
A point in my favor: I made a killer batch of Baked Shells (formerly known as Baked Ziti) last night and we had leftovers.
A point against: I ate the last brownie...and didn't share.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Bands I haven't listened to in years...
& yet can come into the middle of a song and sing every word in perfect time:
Hall & Oates ("Kiss on My List", yesterday while going to school)
Nena ("99 Red Balloons", yesterday coming home from school)
Aha ("Take on Me", this morning on my way to meet Mr. Spock for breakfast)
Peter Schilling ("Major Tom", a few days ago)
So what is it about this week that the local radio stations are all playing these songs from my very distant youth? And what is it about me that I STILL know all the words?
Hall & Oates ("Kiss on My List", yesterday while going to school)
Nena ("99 Red Balloons", yesterday coming home from school)
Aha ("Take on Me", this morning on my way to meet Mr. Spock for breakfast)
Peter Schilling ("Major Tom", a few days ago)
So what is it about this week that the local radio stations are all playing these songs from my very distant youth? And what is it about me that I STILL know all the words?
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
A Book About [Muffin Man]
Each phrase has a photograph accompanying it. Muffin Man in tiger make-up, dressed as a pirate, banging cymbals, riding his bike, sleeping, with his artwork, playing with his friend, cuddling with me.
[Muffin Man] is a tiger.
[Muffin Man] is a pirate.
[Muffin Man] makes noise! BANG!
[Muffin Man] rides his bicycle.
Shhh! [Muffin Man] is sleeping.
[Muffin Man] likes to draw.
[Deep Voiced Toddler] and [MM] are friends.
Mommy loves [Muffin Man].
It was a big hit.
[Muffin Man] is a tiger.
[Muffin Man] is a pirate.
[Muffin Man] makes noise! BANG!
[Muffin Man] rides his bicycle.
Shhh! [Muffin Man] is sleeping.
[Muffin Man] likes to draw.
[Deep Voiced Toddler] and [MM] are friends.
Mommy loves [Muffin Man].
It was a big hit.
Weekend: Short form
Saturday: Soup-and-Bread, Pool. (View of Fireworks from my window)
Sunday: IHOP, Wegmans, Playground and Pool with Deep-Voiced-Toddler and his mom.
Monday: Soup-and-Bread, some quiet contemplation, Mr. Spock and Friend come home, Lunch out, Pool, Wegmans, Dinner and Brownies.
I think something's not quite right with my oven. The brownies (recipe from Cooks Illustrated a couple of years ago) got a leetle over-cooked. They were still delicious though. Next I'm going to try the ones that Brooklyn Girl describes.
Tomorrow: Class and hanging out with Friend. Also homework.
I hope you all had a lovely weekend!
Sunday: IHOP, Wegmans, Playground and Pool with Deep-Voiced-Toddler and his mom.
Monday: Soup-and-Bread, some quiet contemplation, Mr. Spock and Friend come home, Lunch out, Pool, Wegmans, Dinner and Brownies.
I think something's not quite right with my oven. The brownies (recipe from Cooks Illustrated a couple of years ago) got a leetle over-cooked. They were still delicious though. Next I'm going to try the ones that Brooklyn Girl describes.
Tomorrow: Class and hanging out with Friend. Also homework.
I hope you all had a lovely weekend!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Front row seat
Memorial day fireworks, right outside my window. I'm watching them as I type. Beautiful.
So glad I got Muffin Man to bed early tonight!
So glad I got Muffin Man to bed early tonight!
Friday, May 26, 2006
Countdown
In 15 minutes, I am leaving to pick up Muffin Man from Posh New Place. Today was a big day for him. He had his very first dentist appointment (and did very well, cooperative and no cavities) and his first full day of Pre-K.
This weekend he and I are on our own. Mr. Spock is out of town shmoozing with a friend. They will both come back here Monday afternoon so that Muffin Man and I will also have a chance to schmooze with said friend. This is important because soon our friend is moving to Canada to live with his new bride, also a friend (and frequent commenter, Hi Jenn!). She lives about as far away as you can get and still be on the same continent.
But the point is that MM and I are going to be on our own. The communtity pool is open this weekend, and it's going to be in the 80's, so we're probably going to spend quite a bit of time splashing about. We're going to bake those brownies I've been wanting to try and we're going to maybe eat a strawberry if it gets ripe enough.
We'll probably color and play with Tt(F)TE and almost certainly watch some movies. And I will try to focus on him and not get too irritable when he tries to weasel out of having some quiet time in the middle of the day.
And I will give him a book that I made for him today. A book that he just might be able to read all by himself. Maybe. Because I used words I know he can recognize even though he's not really reading yet.
So I'm going into the forest of short-term single parenthood. Don't send out a search party if you don't hear from me until Monday. I'll be back!
This weekend he and I are on our own. Mr. Spock is out of town shmoozing with a friend. They will both come back here Monday afternoon so that Muffin Man and I will also have a chance to schmooze with said friend. This is important because soon our friend is moving to Canada to live with his new bride, also a friend (and frequent commenter, Hi Jenn!). She lives about as far away as you can get and still be on the same continent.
But the point is that MM and I are going to be on our own. The communtity pool is open this weekend, and it's going to be in the 80's, so we're probably going to spend quite a bit of time splashing about. We're going to bake those brownies I've been wanting to try and we're going to maybe eat a strawberry if it gets ripe enough.
We'll probably color and play with Tt(F)TE and almost certainly watch some movies. And I will try to focus on him and not get too irritable when he tries to weasel out of having some quiet time in the middle of the day.
And I will give him a book that I made for him today. A book that he just might be able to read all by himself. Maybe. Because I used words I know he can recognize even though he's not really reading yet.
So I'm going into the forest of short-term single parenthood. Don't send out a search party if you don't hear from me until Monday. I'll be back!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Today's class...
Was about the physical and cognitive development of children ages birth to 3 years. So naturally we discussed childbirth. And big news! I'm not the only mom in the class!
The teacher asked the moms in the class to give our opinion on natural vs. medicated childbirth and I said, "If I hadn't already been married, I would have proposed to my anesthetist. But then, I had pitocin." And the other mom said, "Pitocin is the pits." And we both did the surfer nod. The one so aptly demonstrated by Crush the sea turtle in Finding Nemo.
And then we watched movies of cute little babies being confused by trains that didn't stop when they should have (object permanance).
And my Linguistics class was notable for the amount of blue language that flew around as we were talking about infixes. In English the only examples of infixes are when an entire obscenity is placed in the middle of another word (ie: "Fan-fucking-tastic" or "Abso-bloomin'-lutely"). Great fun!
The teacher asked the moms in the class to give our opinion on natural vs. medicated childbirth and I said, "If I hadn't already been married, I would have proposed to my anesthetist. But then, I had pitocin." And the other mom said, "Pitocin is the pits." And we both did the surfer nod. The one so aptly demonstrated by Crush the sea turtle in Finding Nemo.
And then we watched movies of cute little babies being confused by trains that didn't stop when they should have (object permanance).
And my Linguistics class was notable for the amount of blue language that flew around as we were talking about infixes. In English the only examples of infixes are when an entire obscenity is placed in the middle of another word (ie: "Fan-fucking-tastic" or "Abso-bloomin'-lutely"). Great fun!
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
New News re: Nous.
Big scholastic news here at Chez Mystery!
Muffin Man is starting Pre-K! He visited for a few hours yesterday and today. Will do the same tomorrow and Thursday and then Friday they're going to do a big to-do about moving his name tag and folder to the new classroom. He's uncertain as to whether this is a good thing. On the one hand, the Pre-K kids get to do some stuff that the mere pre-schoolers don't. On the other hand, Deep-Voiced Toddler is not yet ready to make this move and will be left behind in the old class. Muffin Man doesn't like leaving DVT behind and doesn't really want to change teachers. But we're making promises about play-dates and his teacher actually spends part of each morning in the new class so things are proceeding.
The director of Posh New Place says they normally don't move kids into Pre-K this early, but that Muffin Man is "quite advanced". Thus ends the bragging portion of this post.
Yesterday also marked the start of my Summer classes. I'm taking 4 classes this Summer, 2 in the first half (May/June) and 2 in the second half (July/August). Each session is four weeks long and the classes meet more often for longer periods. This first half I'm taking Developmental Psychology and Linguisitics. So far in DP, we've covered research methods and ethics (briefly); Cognition and Learning; and Fetal Development. (Extra special thanks to Andrea from Beanie Baby for her in-depth analysis of how genetic counselling can be seen as eugenic in nature. I was able to take the "con" position in a pros and cons debate in class today. Also thanks to so many of you who have described CVS on your blogs so that I could helpfully point out that it carries a risk of miscarriage.)
In Linguistics, we're reading about Morphology. I am now going to get my (actually, Mr. Spock's) copy of the Oxford American Dictionary so that I can make an approximation of how many words I know. (Open a dictionary. Count the number of words you know on several pages chosen at random. Divide the full number of words you counted by the number of pages you found them on. Multiply that number by the number of pages in the dictionary.) I'll report the number later.
UPDATED: And the number is.....a little under 70,000. However, my teacher pointed out that there is no real way to tell how many words you know. When you factor in the family of numbers (1 through infinity), you actually know an infinite number of words.
Muffin Man is starting Pre-K! He visited for a few hours yesterday and today. Will do the same tomorrow and Thursday and then Friday they're going to do a big to-do about moving his name tag and folder to the new classroom. He's uncertain as to whether this is a good thing. On the one hand, the Pre-K kids get to do some stuff that the mere pre-schoolers don't. On the other hand, Deep-Voiced Toddler is not yet ready to make this move and will be left behind in the old class. Muffin Man doesn't like leaving DVT behind and doesn't really want to change teachers. But we're making promises about play-dates and his teacher actually spends part of each morning in the new class so things are proceeding.
The director of Posh New Place says they normally don't move kids into Pre-K this early, but that Muffin Man is "quite advanced". Thus ends the bragging portion of this post.
Yesterday also marked the start of my Summer classes. I'm taking 4 classes this Summer, 2 in the first half (May/June) and 2 in the second half (July/August). Each session is four weeks long and the classes meet more often for longer periods. This first half I'm taking Developmental Psychology and Linguisitics. So far in DP, we've covered research methods and ethics (briefly); Cognition and Learning; and Fetal Development. (Extra special thanks to Andrea from Beanie Baby for her in-depth analysis of how genetic counselling can be seen as eugenic in nature. I was able to take the "con" position in a pros and cons debate in class today. Also thanks to so many of you who have described CVS on your blogs so that I could helpfully point out that it carries a risk of miscarriage.)
In Linguistics, we're reading about Morphology. I am now going to get my (actually, Mr. Spock's) copy of the Oxford American Dictionary so that I can make an approximation of how many words I know. (Open a dictionary. Count the number of words you know on several pages chosen at random. Divide the full number of words you counted by the number of pages you found them on. Multiply that number by the number of pages in the dictionary.) I'll report the number later.
UPDATED: And the number is.....a little under 70,000. However, my teacher pointed out that there is no real way to tell how many words you know. When you factor in the family of numbers (1 through infinity), you actually know an infinite number of words.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Past, Present, Future
As seen at Angry Pregnant Lawyer.
20 years ago: I was 17. Dating this guy. Hanging out with this guy.
10 years ago today: I looked like this.
5 years ago today: I looked like this. And conceived this.
1 year ago today: I wrote this.
So far this year: I've started and finished one semester at college. And I'm loving every minute of it. And am so grateful to Mr. Spock for working his butt off so that I can go to school full-time. I love you, sweetheart. Happy Tenth Anniversary.
Yesterday: I wrote most of this post.
Today: I celebrated our anniversary by taking my car in for an oil change, aren't I romantic?
Tomorrow: The three of us will take the train up to NYC to see my parents and grand-parents.
20 years ago: I was 17. Dating this guy. Hanging out with this guy.
10 years ago today: I looked like this.
5 years ago today: I looked like this. And conceived this.
1 year ago today: I wrote this.
So far this year: I've started and finished one semester at college. And I'm loving every minute of it. And am so grateful to Mr. Spock for working his butt off so that I can go to school full-time. I love you, sweetheart. Happy Tenth Anniversary.
Yesterday: I wrote most of this post.
Today: I celebrated our anniversary by taking my car in for an oil change, aren't I romantic?
Tomorrow: The three of us will take the train up to NYC to see my parents and grand-parents.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Muffin Man: Trend Setter.
Scene: Posh New Pre-school.
Personnel: Muffin Man, me, all his beautiful little classmates, and his teacher.
Muffin Man and I sweep in at 8:45. He has not yet had breakfast (bad mommy!). We put his jacket and backpack his hook in the cubby area and head for the breakfast table.
Me: Oooh, look! Waffles! Would you like one?
MM: Yes, please.
Me: Syrup?
MM: Yes, please.
I serve him. I look up. There is a herd of beautiful little pre-school girls surrounding him.
BLPSG1: Can I have a waffle, too?
BLPSG2: And me?
BLPSG3, 4, & 5: Me too!
Teacher: Wait a minute! Ten minutes ago you all said you weren't hungry!
BLPSGs: {silent}
BLPSG1: Muffin Man is having one. I want one, too.
BLPSG2, 3, 4, & 5: Me too!
I left them still trying to sort out how to split 2 waffles among 5 girls. They may have had to order up extra rations.
Personnel: Muffin Man, me, all his beautiful little classmates, and his teacher.
Muffin Man and I sweep in at 8:45. He has not yet had breakfast (bad mommy!). We put his jacket and backpack his hook in the cubby area and head for the breakfast table.
Me: Oooh, look! Waffles! Would you like one?
MM: Yes, please.
Me: Syrup?
MM: Yes, please.
I serve him. I look up. There is a herd of beautiful little pre-school girls surrounding him.
BLPSG1: Can I have a waffle, too?
BLPSG2: And me?
BLPSG3, 4, & 5: Me too!
Teacher: Wait a minute! Ten minutes ago you all said you weren't hungry!
BLPSGs: {silent}
BLPSG1: Muffin Man is having one. I want one, too.
BLPSG2, 3, 4, & 5: Me too!
I left them still trying to sort out how to split 2 waffles among 5 girls. They may have had to order up extra rations.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Tests are over. Now in other news...
Mr. Spock and I weeded a bit and planted some flowers in our front yard and some strawberries, tomato plants, and rosemary in our side yard. Gardening! I'm hoping that the strawberries and tomatoes bear fruit for us to eat. I've never eaten anything I've grown myself. This is exciting!
I placed an order from Amazon for some books for my Recent American Fiction class that I'll be taking the second half of the summer. Seven books, two of which I've read before. I've read parts of the others in the past as well.
Authors include: Cisneros, Walker, O'Brien, O'Connor, Vonnegut, DeLillo, and Carver. Turns out, "Recent" means "Since WWII". Which is fine. But seriously, our whole country's only 230 years old, pre-1960 counts as recent? Not that I'm complaining. I'm looking forward to the class.
Interesting discovery: when ordering more than a few items from Amazon, it makes fiscal sense to buy the books new directly from Amazon, even if you can get them cheaper used from their "marketplace". You save more on shipping than you pay for the books.
I placed an order from Amazon for some books for my Recent American Fiction class that I'll be taking the second half of the summer. Seven books, two of which I've read before. I've read parts of the others in the past as well.
Authors include: Cisneros, Walker, O'Brien, O'Connor, Vonnegut, DeLillo, and Carver. Turns out, "Recent" means "Since WWII". Which is fine. But seriously, our whole country's only 230 years old, pre-1960 counts as recent? Not that I'm complaining. I'm looking forward to the class.
Interesting discovery: when ordering more than a few items from Amazon, it makes fiscal sense to buy the books new directly from Amazon, even if you can get them cheaper used from their "marketplace". You save more on shipping than you pay for the books.
Monday, May 15, 2006
ROAR!!!!
Muffin Man formally dressed for dinner last Wednesday. Tiger face paint courtesy of the restaurant which has a "kids eat free, get balloons, and face painting" night each week.
He is also sporting his Summer uniform shirt from Posh New Place.
He is also sporting his Summer uniform shirt from Posh New Place.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Brownies
Muffin Man and I made brownies yesterday. We used Moosewood's recipe and they came out really well...if what you want is very good chocolate cake. Which I love, but it wasn't what I was going for. Cakiness included: consistancy and a matte top crust.
So as soon as my Women and Work final is over, I'm going to try the recipe from Cook's Illustrated several years ago, which goes into great detail about how to avoid cakiness and get that true brownie panache. According to them, the secret is fewer eggs and a mix of semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate with a bit of cocoa powder. Also, more vanilla and less butter. Hmmm. I'm looking forward to trying it.
Still. The Moosewood recipe comes out deeply chocolatey and is really scrumptious with frosting. It just may be the best recipe for chocolate cake I've ever used. The question is, do I go down for one more piece before bed tonight? Or do I have some for breakfast in the morning?
So as soon as my Women and Work final is over, I'm going to try the recipe from Cook's Illustrated several years ago, which goes into great detail about how to avoid cakiness and get that true brownie panache. According to them, the secret is fewer eggs and a mix of semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate with a bit of cocoa powder. Also, more vanilla and less butter. Hmmm. I'm looking forward to trying it.
Still. The Moosewood recipe comes out deeply chocolatey and is really scrumptious with frosting. It just may be the best recipe for chocolate cake I've ever used. The question is, do I go down for one more piece before bed tonight? Or do I have some for breakfast in the morning?
(shhhh! don't tell anyone!)
But Muffin Man earned a huge reward today.
Huge.
It's been a full week. A week I tell you! Every poop he's made during the past week has gone into the toilet without prompting from me or Mr. Spock. But...I don't want to jinx anything. You know how our children are. Blog about it and it's gone.
So he's earned his reward and he's oh-so-happy being a veterinarian. With a lab coat. And a stethoscope. And bandages. And an emesis tray.
But....shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone!
Huge.
It's been a full week. A week I tell you! Every poop he's made during the past week has gone into the toilet without prompting from me or Mr. Spock. But...I don't want to jinx anything. You know how our children are. Blog about it and it's gone.
So he's earned his reward and he's oh-so-happy being a veterinarian. With a lab coat. And a stethoscope. And bandages. And an emesis tray.
But....shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone!
Happy Mother's Day!
To my two moms: QuiltsAlot and SingsLullabyes. I love you both. See you next weekend!
To my sister and my grandma: Love to you too!
And to all the other moms I admire: You are all there on my blog-roll except Chris, and I'll be adding you soon. PS, APL, YT, Andrea, Susie Sunshine, Mommy D., Elswhere, Marla, Jody, CCW, Lawmummy, Anne Glamore, Lucinda, Suzan, PK, Susan, Jo(e), Klee, Angie, and I'm leaving people out, and, and, and especially Moreena. You are all sources of inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing your lives and your mommy-hood with me.
To my sister and my grandma: Love to you too!
And to all the other moms I admire: You are all there on my blog-roll except Chris, and I'll be adding you soon. PS, APL, YT, Andrea, Susie Sunshine, Mommy D., Elswhere, Marla, Jody, CCW, Lawmummy, Anne Glamore, Lucinda, Suzan, PK, Susan, Jo(e), Klee, Angie, and I'm leaving people out, and, and, and especially Moreena. You are all sources of inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing your lives and your mommy-hood with me.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Two down - UPDATED
One to go.
I got an A on the Communications final, and an A in the course. Yay! That's two definite A's, one probable A, and two I don't know about yet.
UPDATED: I just got my final grade in Statistics: A!
So that's three definite A's and two I don't know about yet.
I got an A on the Communications final, and an A in the course. Yay! That's two definite A's, one probable A, and two I don't know about yet.
UPDATED: I just got my final grade in Statistics: A!
So that's three definite A's and two I don't know about yet.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Mama's got a brand new bag...
New backpack, that is. It is so sweet. It's a laptop bag, but it'll comfortably hold books. Which is mostly what it'll be carrying except for those rare times when I have presentations. Like yesterday, when I was hauling my laptop in one bag and my books in another.
Also, I bought a new binder which hopefully will actually bind. And paper. Ooooh.
What is it about new school supplies that get a person all giddy? I feel like I should put brand new pennies in my loafers.
Also, I bought a new binder which hopefully will actually bind. And paper. Ooooh.
What is it about new school supplies that get a person all giddy? I feel like I should put brand new pennies in my loafers.
Classes are over
I just posted my last assignment to our virtual class. I'm done with classwork.
Now I just have 3 finals to get through.
I've really enjoyed this semester. Even the parts that weren't so fun were interesting. I worked hard, never missed a class, sat up front-and-center in every class, and participated (maybe too much at times).
Excuse me if I'm not around much the next several days...finals...must...study...
Now I just have 3 finals to get through.
I've really enjoyed this semester. Even the parts that weren't so fun were interesting. I worked hard, never missed a class, sat up front-and-center in every class, and participated (maybe too much at times).
Excuse me if I'm not around much the next several days...finals...must...study...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Another Void
Yankee Transplant-
So much wit and wisdom. Two gorgeous daughters. Philosophy and insight into human nature. Anger and joy. Smart and funny. Whimsical and loving.
I'll miss your postings.
I wanted to know so many things: OD's prom and graduation and first days of college. YD's high school adventures.
Your life with The Attorney. Front porch photos.
Big hugs to you.
We'll miss you, YT. It's not fair to lose you and Corndog in the same week.
So much wit and wisdom. Two gorgeous daughters. Philosophy and insight into human nature. Anger and joy. Smart and funny. Whimsical and loving.
I'll miss your postings.
I wanted to know so many things: OD's prom and graduation and first days of college. YD's high school adventures.
Your life with The Attorney. Front porch photos.
Big hugs to you.
We'll miss you, YT. It's not fair to lose you and Corndog in the same week.
Monday, May 01, 2006
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Corndog has taken down his site.
We may never know the story of his time in a fraternity.
We may never find out the end of the top 100 of 1978.
I miss him already.
Come back soon, Corndog.
We'll miss you, Corndog. Come back soon.
We may never know the story of his time in a fraternity.
We may never find out the end of the top 100 of 1978.
I miss him already.
Come back soon, Corndog.
We'll miss you, Corndog. Come back soon.
Well, that's a relief
The term paper, she is done. Not just done, but delivered.
Here is what my professor wanted included with the 13 page (including References) paper:
Here is what my professor wanted included with the 13 page (including References) paper:
- Copies of all the sources I used (since my References ran a page and a half, you can imagine the heft). Fortunately, I only needed to copy the pages I cited from the two books I used, but I had to include complete copies of all 12 artucles.
- Copies of three previous drafts with peer reviews and the professor's notes.
- Copies of the draft and final version of my in-class presentation slides.
- and...I know I'm forgetting something, but it's in the folder, you can bet on it.
Thank goodness, I am able to use most of the paper for my W&W class (due tomorrow). So all papers for this term are DONE. DONE!!!!
On the down side, I did putridly on my Stats test today. But that's okay, he's going to drop the lowest score and I'm going to studystudystudy for the final next week.
Phew.
Only 4 days more of classes, then 4 finals, then Spring semester is over. And the Summer semester starts 3 weeks from today.
Anyone have any chocolate?Saturday, April 29, 2006
Zoo!!! Now with Blogger Meetup!
Went to the petting zoo with Muffin Man, Angry Pregnant Lawyer, and Angry Boy (who's not so much with the angry, by the way. She really needs to think of changing his pseudonym to Angelic Boy)
Much fun was had feeding and petting the goats and donkeys and singing to the ring-tailed lemurs ("I like to move it, move it..."). Beautiful day for it.
Then we came back here for lunch. And now APL and AB are off back home and MM is having quiet time.
Much fun was had feeding and petting the goats and donkeys and singing to the ring-tailed lemurs ("I like to move it, move it..."). Beautiful day for it.
Then we came back here for lunch. And now APL and AB are off back home and MM is having quiet time.
Stop the Presses!!!
Muffin Man woke up. Went to the potty and made a poop! Without waking us up! (he woke us up to wipe his butt)
He's so proud of himself.
Unbeknownst to him I had a special prize waiting for just such an occasion. He's playing with it now.
He's so proud of himself.
Unbeknownst to him I had a special prize waiting for just such an occasion. He's playing with it now.
Freaky Friday - Now with Blogger Meetup!
1. Communications class cancelled. I didn't find out about it until I got there and saw the note on the door. Couldn't leave to go to blogger meetup early because of...
2. Study session scheduled for after Communications class. But I should have left anyway because both study partners stood me up.
3. The printer system at school wasn't working until the very last minute for me to print out directions to get to Dupont Circle to meet up with...
4. Profgrrrrl! Who is even funnier and nicer than she is on her blog, and was very kind about me being late. Oh, AND she's gorgeous, which she never says on her blog. And we attracted a flock of sparrows who coveted our food. She rescued my day....seriously. I hope I didn't make her think I'm always as flaky as I must have seemed today.
Glad you got home safely, Profgrrrrl!
5. And then I had to get home, dress up in my finest toggery (I looked mahvelous, as did Mr. Spock), go pick up Muffin Man (oohs and ahhs on the toggery), drop him off at my SIL's, and go with Mr. Spock to a local political shindig. Mingled. Sat with a former co-worker and car-pool partner and his lovely and intelligent wife. Left as early as we could after the last of the speeches. Retreived a sleeping Muffin Man. Got home. Tore a hole in floor-length skirt. Thank goodness, it can be rescued with a bit of judicious hemming.
2. Study session scheduled for after Communications class. But I should have left anyway because both study partners stood me up.
3. The printer system at school wasn't working until the very last minute for me to print out directions to get to Dupont Circle to meet up with...
4. Profgrrrrl! Who is even funnier and nicer than she is on her blog, and was very kind about me being late. Oh, AND she's gorgeous, which she never says on her blog. And we attracted a flock of sparrows who coveted our food. She rescued my day....seriously. I hope I didn't make her think I'm always as flaky as I must have seemed today.
Glad you got home safely, Profgrrrrl!
5. And then I had to get home, dress up in my finest toggery (I looked mahvelous, as did Mr. Spock), go pick up Muffin Man (oohs and ahhs on the toggery), drop him off at my SIL's, and go with Mr. Spock to a local political shindig. Mingled. Sat with a former co-worker and car-pool partner and his lovely and intelligent wife. Left as early as we could after the last of the speeches. Retreived a sleeping Muffin Man. Got home. Tore a hole in floor-length skirt. Thank goodness, it can be rescued with a bit of judicious hemming.
Friday, April 28, 2006
At pick-up today...
Muffin Man comes running to me shouting, "Mommy, Mommy! SweetPrettyGirl and I got married today!"
SweetPrettyGirl (whose mom is standing right beside me) says, "Yeah! He's my prince and I'm his princess!"
Muffin Man: "She's my bride."
SweetPrettyGirl (whose mom is standing right beside me) says, "Yeah! He's my prince and I'm his princess!"
Muffin Man: "She's my bride."
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Every letter makes a sound...
ABC meme
Most recently seen at Jo(e)'s, I've also caught sight of it at Phantom's and Raising WEG.
Accent: My linguistics professor at First College couldn't place my accent closer than "somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic States." He got everybody else within about 10 miles.
Booze: Allergic. Sigh....
Chore I Hate: Cleaning the bathroom. I hate scrubbing and I never get it as clean as I want it to be.
Dog or Cat: Both.
Essential Electronics: Hmmmm....probably this laptop. Otherwise how would I catch up with you all?
Favorite Cologne: None. Ugh.
Gold or Silver: Gold jewelry, silver hair.
Hometown: BROOKLYN!
Insomnia: Rarely. Unless I've got some big deadline the next day.
Job Title: Mommy. And Full-time Student.
Kids: One.
Living arrangements: Single family house 10 miles west of Dulles airport, with Mr. Spock and Muffin Man.
Most admirable traits: Smart-alecky, Good Hugs.
Number of sexual partners: My parents read this, so I will just say "More than Mother Theresa, Fewer than Messalina."
Overnight hospital stays: One. Muffin Man's birth.
Phobias: Small high spaces.
Quote: "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Religion: I put the "ish" in Jewish.
Siblings: One sister.
Time I wake up: Generally whenever my alarm clock awakens me.
Unusual talent or skill: I can read while walking.
Vegetable I love: Artichokes served with breadcrumbs sauted with garlic.
Worst habit: Chewing on or picking at my cuticles.
X-rays: Teeth, chest (whooping cough), nose (broken at camp), foot (broke small bone walking dog while wearing high heels), neck (car accident), wrist (stupid mistake).
Yummy foods I make: Osso Bucco, Ham, Prime Rib.
Zodiac sign: Pisces.
Most recently seen at Jo(e)'s, I've also caught sight of it at Phantom's and Raising WEG.
Accent: My linguistics professor at First College couldn't place my accent closer than "somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic States." He got everybody else within about 10 miles.
Booze: Allergic. Sigh....
Chore I Hate: Cleaning the bathroom. I hate scrubbing and I never get it as clean as I want it to be.
Dog or Cat: Both.
Essential Electronics: Hmmmm....probably this laptop. Otherwise how would I catch up with you all?
Favorite Cologne: None. Ugh.
Gold or Silver: Gold jewelry, silver hair.
Hometown: BROOKLYN!
Insomnia: Rarely. Unless I've got some big deadline the next day.
Job Title: Mommy. And Full-time Student.
Kids: One.
Living arrangements: Single family house 10 miles west of Dulles airport, with Mr. Spock and Muffin Man.
Most admirable traits: Smart-alecky, Good Hugs.
Number of sexual partners: My parents read this, so I will just say "More than Mother Theresa, Fewer than Messalina."
Overnight hospital stays: One. Muffin Man's birth.
Phobias: Small high spaces.
Quote: "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Religion: I put the "ish" in Jewish.
Siblings: One sister.
Time I wake up: Generally whenever my alarm clock awakens me.
Unusual talent or skill: I can read while walking.
Vegetable I love: Artichokes served with breadcrumbs sauted with garlic.
Worst habit: Chewing on or picking at my cuticles.
X-rays: Teeth, chest (whooping cough), nose (broken at camp), foot (broke small bone walking dog while wearing high heels), neck (car accident), wrist (stupid mistake).
Yummy foods I make: Osso Bucco, Ham, Prime Rib.
Zodiac sign: Pisces.
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