P/UE@3

That's some secret code, right?

It's my brain-like-a-sieve reminder to "Pick Up Ernest At 3:00!" I leave little notes to myself all over. I write notes on the calendar. Sometimes, in desperation, I write notes on my hand. It usually helps.

He and I have an agreement. I am allowed to "forget" to pick him up once a year without him getting mad. Usually it happens on a Thursday, when school lets out an hour early. But I am in luck this year, he plans to ride his bike on Tuesdays and Thursdays when he doesn't have band.

Today's other cryptic message was P/UpresRA (pick up the HH's prescriptions at Rite-Aid). And then there's still the BILLS post-it on the computer. That's self-explanatory.

What do you do to help you remember?

Here is Where I Get Political

I don't like controversy. Not at all. But I'm very disturbed by the Republican vice-presidential candidate. So I am stepping out of my safety zone here. Don't send me hate mail.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1837918,00.html
Here's an excerpt from that article:

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

Banning books? How dare she? Are we in the Dark Ages, or the Inquisition? If you don't want to read them, don't check them out!

I won't even go into some of the other things I've read.

I'm just fuming here. I'm pro-CHOICE, in all areas of life, not just the one that causes controversy. I choose what I read. I choose how I school my children. I choose how to live my life. (Pretty darn carefully.) I choose who I will vote for.

I choose OBAMA.

Rant over.

Antibacktoschooletc. Part 2.

I didn't know TERMITES went back to school!

I mean, the school has termites, but they are there year round.

What's the craziest back to school ad YOU'VE seen?

And the winner is...

We had a cutthroat game of Monopoly today. "The best game ever invented," said the Handy Husband. The results:

Smalltown Mom: bankrupt after an hour and a half.
Frank: bankrupt after two hours.
Ernest: Bankrupt after two and a half hours.
Handy Husband: the winner, with hotels on all his properties! (Any wonder he thinks it's the best game?)

When it's just Ernest and me playing, he always wins. I must admit, I relished seeing him lose to his dad. Payback time for all the times he's beaten me!

Antibacktoschoolitarianism

I don't fall for that that Back to School major marketing ploy. Granted, it's far easier because I have boys instead of girls. They don't require scads of new clothes. Clad them in some black pants and concert t-shirts and they are happy campers... or happy as clams. Personally, I think they are more clam-like than camper-like.

When school let out in June, I collected all Ernest's unused supplies in a box. He was able to draw on these supplies last week. I did get him a new lunchbag, because his old one ripped over the summer. (Stuffing large plastic containers of chow mein noodles into a small bag will do that.) I also bought refills of .7 mil. pencil lead, for the large collection of mechanical pencils he already owned.

Regarding Frank: when he moved his room we put all the accumulated "school supplies" in a desk drawer. I hope he's been able to find what he needs. If not, he knows where his school bookstore is.

Ernest does need a belt (to hold up his pants because he is skinny) and 2 guitar straps (because he wants to start playing Frank's old guitar and bass)...but THAT IS ALL. That's all I'm going to buy until Christmas. (I say that now...please let me stick to that vow.)

There's no place in this small town to buy children's belts or guitar straps (the guitar store closed last year). So they will have to come from internet, or we can send Frank or the Handy Husband on a lunch-hour mission!

(By the way, I rough-drafted this post with my own personal supply of pencil and paper because the computers were occupied.)

Remote Control

Ernest has been complaining for a couple days that his remote control does not work if he points it straight at the TV. It only works if he points it up at the ceiling. It didn't do that when he first got the TV.

So I said, figure it out yourself or ask your dad. (Because the Handy Husband repaired a remote recently, so he is the go-to-guy for that kind of stuff. I just pay the bills, cook the food, do the laundry, parent the children, and run the house. The electronic gadgets are not my department.)

This evening, Ernest figured out the problem. "There was a box in front of the TV." A box? The TV is up on a shelf, how could a box be in front of it? "It was the xBox360 hard drive." Oh. That's not really a box. That's a thingie less than an inch high, but apparently just high enough to block the remote sensor. And why wasn't it IN the xBox360 where it BELONGED????

I just have to compliment the remote control on being able to bounce the signal off the ceiling at an angle and back to the TV.

B-Movie Marathon

A local video store is going out of business.

Long ago, Blockbuster quickly overwhelmed out the few mom-n-pop stores around here, but these folks came in later. They managed to hang on for a long time. I liked them because it was easier to find new releases there. Although the store always smelled funny. But then came along Netflix. Where it's harder to get new releases because they always have a LONG WAIT, but they arrive in my mailbox with no effort on my part.

Anyway, this store is selling off EVERYTHING (want a security system? or some wall units? or a bubble gum machine? or a Phantom Menace poster?) so Ernest and I bought a bunch of DVDs yesterday. Because they were there. On the way home from the orthodontist. Like I need more stuff.

Without planning this, Ernest and I have had an afternoon marathon of B movies. And by that I mean movies starting with "B".

Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control
Balls of Glory
Beowulf (currently running)
Bucket List (from Netflix) is scheduled for later, when the Handy Husband is home.
[update: There was also time for Blades of Glory]

Yes, Ernest did do his homework. And we're having leftover lasagne, so I'm off the hook!

Buh-bye!

Perseverance

per·se·ver·ance

[pur-suh-veer-uhns] –noun
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

This spunky little flower sprouted up at the corner of the school gym.

It made me smile.

"English Was Interesting Today"

English was interesting today, said Frank.

How so? I asked.

Somebody passed out in the front of the class. The teacher called Campus
Security, they called an ambulance, and we all had to evacuate the classroom for a half hour.

Well, that was a different kind of interesting than I was expecting. He also
spent another $41 on books. That's close to $600 for books so far. He was smiling and talked to me and carried my groceries into the kitchen, so I guess he had a good day.

The Food List

I've seen this on Sarah's Lemon Life and Blackbird's Say La Vee. It made me hungry just to read theirs. Updating my version took a long time and now I'm hungry again, but Ernest has kindly made popcorn for us.

1)Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you have eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

I thought I loved food, but there are a number of things I haven't tried yet. I only crossed out a few, mostly because of too much spice (which equals indigestion) or the fact that it was intestines. And then there's durian. I've been warned.

If I've copied a description, it's from Wikipedia.

1. Venison - Many times. Delicious!
2. Nettle tea - why?
3. Huevos rancheros - How much Mexican food have I eaten in my life?
4. Steak tartare - I think beef carpaccio is close enough.
5. Crocodile - Does alligator count?
6. Black pudding - is this like the blood pudding that my Norwegian aunts made in the old days? Fortunately they had no access to blood after I was born. I would taste it once, just to say I did.
7. Cheese fondue - I've had 2 fondue pots in my life.
8. Carp - I think this is a fish I haven't met yet.
9. Borscht - maybe once? I do love beets. I have beets in the fridge for tomorrow night. I may roast them with some potatoes and carrots.
10. Baba ghanoush - I love middle eastern food (belly dance parties!)
11. Calamari - Especially the little ones that have their tentacles, at lunch at the Enterprise. Much tastier than the flat white slabs.
12. Pho - Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup. If I lived anywhere near a Vietnamese restaurant, I would be eating it right now.
13. PB&J sandwich - Yes, but I dislike peanut butter.
14. Aloo gobi - I didn't recognize it by name, but the description is: dry Indian curry with potatoes, cauliflower and spices. I make something similar at home but it is is a little wetter due to the white wine I throw in (a recipe from Sunset Magazine).
15. Hot dog from a street cart. NYC, way to go! First thing I ate there, in 1988.
16. Epoisses - "a pungent unpasteurized cows-milk cheese." I'll try it once.
17. Black truffle - Would if I could.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - Elderberry.
19. Steamed pork buns - Mmm, pork. [Shut up, Homer.]
20. Pistachio ice cream - Not my favorite.
21. Heirloom tomatoes - Caprese.
22. Fresh wild berries - going back to childhood, picking wild strawberries on my uncle's farm in Minnesota.
23. Foie gras - does liver pate count?
24. Rice and beans - On every plate of enchiladas verdes at Rose Cafe.
25. Brawn, or head cheese - Another one of those things the Norwegian Aunties loved. Head cheese is not that bad. It's better than pickled pigs feet, which is another odd thing they made me eat.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet Pepper- "one of the hottest peppers in the world." Nope. Not for me.
27. Dulce de leche - Ugh. Caramel. Do Not Like.
28. Oysters - preferred raw on the half shell or Rockefeller if I have to have them cooked. .
29. Baklava - Oh, yes. Philo, honey, walnuts. My teeth are screaming with delight.
30. Bagna cauda - "a warm dip typical of Piedmont, Italy. The dish, which is served and consumed in a manner similar to fondue, is made with garlic, anchovies, walnut or olive oil, butter,red wine vinagar and sometimes cream. The dish is eaten by dipping raw, boiled or roasted vegetables, especially cardoon, celery, cauliflower, artichokes, peppers and onions." I want to eat this! And then brush my teeth really well afterwards.
31. Wasabi peas - in a bowl of mixed crackers
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - Best at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. A last resort at Disneyland in New Orleans Square when the sit down restaurants are too crowded. 33. Salted lassi - I think I've had it. An indian yogurt drink.
34. Sauerkraut - Mostly on the aforementioned hot dogs
35. Root beer float - At a local restaurant, they end your dinner with a root beer float or a liqueur (see 36). I usually choose the liqueur.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - the Cognac but not the cigar.
37. Clotted cream tea - can I go to England?
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - I'm not a bar kind of girl, but I wouldn't turn one down.
39. Gumbo - Palace Cafe!
40. Oxtail - I should stew some.
41. Curried goat - I had goat tacos, but not curried, at a birthday party next door with our former neighbors' Birria. It was good!
42. Whole insects - I might have had a chocolate covered ant at some time in my life.
43. Phaal -"the hottest generally available dish from Indian restaurants." I will pass on this. I can't deal with extremely spicy foods.
44. Goat’s milk - yes, and cheese.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - Whiskey, but not THAT expensive!
46. Fugu - No, but I would try it. Once.
47. Chicken tikka masala - I love Indian food.
48. Eel - Sushi, cooked with a teriyaki glaze. Tasty.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - D'oh!

50. Sea urchin - Sushi. Smelled like a bad tide. I won't try it again.
51. Prickly pear - In a Margarita in San Antonio, Texas in 1993.
52. Umeboshi - a sour, pickled fruit from Japan. Hmmm. Ernest did not have one on his trip there this summer.
53. Abalone - I had it in a restaurant. The Handy Husband described pounding it with a hammer way back when, when it was plentiful.
54. Paneer - saag paneer, an Indian spinach dish.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - At age 10 I had to beg my mother for my first Big Mac, instead of the tiny hamburger. She thought I couldn't eat the whole thing. She was wrong.
56. Spaetzle - In my college days, there was a little Swiss/German restaurant a few miles away whose Sunday special was veal ragout with spaetzle. The ultimate comfort food.
57. Dirty gin martini - Dirty is with the olive juice? I'm not up on my martinis. Except for the pomegranate ones.
58. Beer above 8% ABV - Uncertain? Perhaps under the influence at the time.
59. Poutine - "French fries topped with fresh cheese curds, covered with brown gravy, a fast food staple in Canada." If it doesn't stink or burn me, I'll try it.
60. Carob chips - uck. Give me real chocolate any day.
61. S’mores -. Classic camping food.
62. Sweetbreads - When I was 12ish, my dad took me to a restaurant in San Francisco called Cafe Du Nord which was very continental, and we had sweetbreads. I don't remember what they tasted like. The menu for the current Cafe Du Nord seems nothing like the one I went to.
63. Kaolin - This is CLAY! If it is what's in Kaopectate, yes as a child because my mother made me. I would have rather had the diarrhea. Take Immodium instead!
64. Currywurst - "a German dish consisting of hot pork sausage (German: Wurst) cut into slices and seasoned with curry sauce." Sure, why not?
65. Durian - NO! NEVER! The Handy Husband experienced durian in Singapore. It was not pleasant. I think even Andrew Zimmern could not stomach durian.
66. Frogs’ legs - Frank and Ernest both like them, too.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - Beignets are the best.
68. Haggis - When in Scotland... It's stomach, not intestines.
69. Fried plantain - We made this at home. Frank had an English project in sophomore year, when they read "Things Fall Apart." His project was a cookbook of African recipes and he had to have made at least 3 of them. By a lucky twist of fate, the local market had plantains that week. We also made a chicken curry and Lorenco Marques Prawns. Check out the Congo Cookbook.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - Intestines? No thanks.
71. Gazpacho - A cool thing on a hot day.
72. Caviar and blini - Caviar yes, blini no
73. Louche absinthe - "no evidence has shown it to be any more dangerous than ordinary liquor." Send me to France.
74. Gjetost, or brunost - more of the strange Norwegian food forced upon me in my childhood. Why isn't lutefisk on the list?
75. Roadkill - Can it taste worse than lutefisk?
76. Baijiu - "a Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage." If I'm ever in China....
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - Grade school.
78. Snail - Ernest says they taste better in France. The ones in my yard taste the worst (thanks a lot [sarcastically] for the backyard snail recipe, Sunset Magazine).
79. Lapsang souchong - Probably at the Japanese Tea Garden when I was very young.
80. Bellini - MMM.
81. Tom yum - hot and sour Thai soup. Wonderful!
82. Eggs Benedict - My favorite out-to-breakfast meal.
83. Pocky - Sticks!!!!
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant - If I ever got to one, I would try it. Again, send me to France!!
85. Kobe beef - in a burger.
86. Hare - close enough to rabbit.
87. Goulash - I make a nice goulash, if I say so myself.
88. Flowers - Yes.
89. Horse - If in France, I would.... Not where I live.
90. Criollo chocolate - Is it Mexican?
91. Spam - SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM I Love Monty Python SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM
92. Soft shell crab - Again at the Palace Cafe, home to all things Cajun and Creole and inCroyable.
93. Rose harissa - "a North African hot red sauce" This is a maybe depending on how hot it is. I like a little spice, but not overpowering.
94. Catfish - All the time.
95. Mole poblano - Surprisingly, with all the Mexican food available here, I have not had mole. Must remedy.
96. Bagel and lox - ever since the New York Bagel Factory in college.
97. Lobster Thermidor - I prefer the plain tail.
98. Polenta - pre-cooked. I haven't made it myself.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - I've had many coffees, so probably.
100. Snake - I think so. Or I might be confusing it with the alligator.

Life is a Learning Experience

Frank is learning all sorts of things this week, and they're not academic. Here are his lessons for today:

• To find a parking place on or near campus, you need to get to school by 8 a.m.
• If you part on a permit-required residential street, you will get a parking ticket. So will the 20 or more other students that parked near you.
• You can write a check from your new checkbook to pay the $41 ticket.
• "Forever" stamps don't expire. Don't use the Yoda stamps because they are 1 cent too small.
• Your mom will not get mad about this, because she knows you had to park somewhere in order to get to class on time. And you said it wouldn't happen again.
• However, your mom is behind the times and was intrigued by the computer printed ticket. In her college days, they were handwritten. She received several for parking in red zones. (Hey, she lived in I.V. where there was a real parking problem.)

I call these little things "life lessons" and add them to all the other things he has learned, like how to do laundry in the sink when you are traveling (he learned that 2 years ago), and how to change a tire (the Handy Husband taught him that one last month).

The Ubiquitous First Day of School Post

u·biq·ui·tous adjective
existing or being everywhere

Smalltown Mom: I ping-ponged between my two 2nd grade classrooms today. I know all the 2nd graders except for a couple new students. Whoo-hoo! No issues at recess or lunch, so I was a happy camper. It was gratifying to walk in the office and have people hug me and say, "I'm glad you are back!" And I would say, "I'm glad you are, too!" We have a great staff this year.

Ernest: He has Mrs. Gray for Algebra! (Frank loved her sense of humor.) He gets two electives! He's signing up for Advanced Band and Vocal/Guitar. Vocal? Good for him!!!! (I'm surprised he didn't sign up for Drama, because he talked about that this weekend.) But the lure of guitar and rock band was too strong. I don't mind. I can pick him up at the band room every day and gaze from afar at the cute band teacher!

Frank: He was somewhat communicative when he got home. (For those of you who know Frank personally, you know that he doesn't talk that much.) His first two classes at City College (Chemistry and English) were fine. Small, about 30 people. He ran into 5 high school classmates there. He was able to go to work in the 5 hour interval between the 2 classes. Tomorrow he has 2 music classes back to back, then he'll work for a while in the afternoon. Some of the classmates are commuting together but Frank maturely said, "I can't, I have to get to work afterwards." Yay to earning some money!

I was a really kind mom today and washed Frank's dishes. I couldn't control myself. I dropped off something else in his "apartment" and the dirty dishes were there, and I remembered my mother who used to come to our house while we were working and wash our dishes.

She thought it was funny! (She didn't have a whole lot to do. And I didn't have a working dishwasher.) I would come home and marvel, "The Dish Fairy was here!"

Since today was Frank's first day combining work and school, I thought it would be nice to carry on the "Dish Fairy" tradition. My ulterior motive was that I also retrieved the dishes that belonged in my kitchen!

SO, one day done. 179 to go.

We did it Again!

Yes, another Segway ride! I was coordinated enough to ride and take a short video at the same time.

We rode up a hill to a park, where we met the Handy Husband. His office was having a picnic. After showing off our prowess on the Segways, we rode back down the hill and around the harbor until out time was up.



Rejoining the picnic, Ernest found other fun things to do. "Want a hug, Mom?!"


The birds started lining up on the fence. First one, then another.....then.....it was Hitchcock time.

Glorious weather!

Winded

Ernest announced yesterday, "I'm out of shape. I've lost all my lung power."

During the last school year, due to the weird scheduling of his math class, he had P.E. 4 days a week (twice with the 6th grade, twice with the 7th). He loved it. At the beginning of the summer he rode his bike a lot. Then he was away for 2 weeks, and spent 3 more weeks at the zoo . Not much bike riding.

So now he has a get-in-shape plan: ride to the river and back twice a day.

Frank Facts

This is a 3rd person commentary.

The family knows his mother has been fretting about Frank because of his tendency to ...how can I say it politely...Procrastinate? Be lazy? Put things off?

He enrolled and did his tests early enough, but put off making the required counseling appointment. After much nagging suggestion by other parties, he finally tried to make the appointment but found that most of the appointments were booked. The earliest one he could get was a week before school starts. His mother was irritated and had to choke back the ITYS (I Told You So) reflex.

Today, he had the appointment and his mother was surprised that he managed to get some decent classes: English, Chemistry, Music Theory/Musicianship, which are all transferrable to the university.

It's not the greatest schedule -- On MW he has a 5 hour gap between 2 classes but hopefully he can go to work during the gap.

But he didn't write down the exact class #s and sections so he couldn't buy books today. He swears he will do it Saturday. His mother is concerned that the bookstore will run out of books before then. (Only because it happened to her once.)

He had over 2,000 text messages on the last cell phone bill. His mother had no idea. That new girlfriend is a textaholic.

His mother is glad summer is almost over.

The Best Day I've Had All Week

I've been feeling a little punky this week, a combination of an intestinal yuckiness, massive perimenopausal hormonal fluctations, and a strange middle of the night panic attack. Someone else drove for me Thursday, and the Handy Husband kindly took over my carpool duties this morning --Thank you sweetie, that was so nice of you.


However, I pulled myself together this afternoon to keep a promise to Ernest. (I've had to renege on the Disneyland visit next week because I can't get a reservation at the Disneyland Hotels and I refuse to stay anywhere else). So keeping today's promise was important to me.



Yes, we rented SEGWAYS! Oh my gosh, what a blast! That was the most fun I had all summer! I felt better on that Segway than I have all week!


My top 5 enjoyable events this summer were:

1. The Segway Ride,
2. Seeing Mamma Mia!
3. Dining out with my Handy Husband every chance we got!
4. Having my kids return safely (which should be #1 but the traffic issues dropped it down the list),
5. And seeing this grafitti every time I drove the carpool to the big town:

Seriously! There is a string of railroad cars along the coast, abandoned on a side track. They've been there all summer. Graffiti gradually started to appear. Ernest noticed this masterpiece several weeks ago.

Frank's Fair Share

I was spewing a lot of bloggy love about Ernest yesterday. Just so you know, I adore Frank just as much. He just had the nerve to go and grow up on me!

Here are some newly discovered Polaroids of Frank. I think he's younger than 2. Because once he was 2, he only wore Batman shirts.

Look at that cute grin! And the drooled-on shirt!

I HAZ UR BUKKIT!

A boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do...

Vanessa commented that "He's getting up at 8am?? Isn't it summer?" And yes, I think it's a little freaky that a boy would get up so early on his day off. But this boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do.... And he felt he wanted or had to do his Lord of the Rings marathon.

And this turned into a post.

Although he is still a "boy" in the physical sense (no freaky body hairs yet), Ernest oftens seems like a real "man" (in the best sense of the word -- and so much like his dad, the Handy Husband!) in a boy's body.

He embodies the best parts of being a man: He is devoted to his family, he will focus on the tasks at hand, and he will plan ahead for the future. In my book, that's a REAL MAN. And he's only 12. I hope he will keep these ethics, as his dad did, as he grows up. As much as I love my older son Frank, he was not this "together" at 12. (Frank has since show his gifts: a 5 on his AP Calculus test, 4 on AP Physics. He's our math genius.) However, I digress...

For the last few weeks Ernest's focus has been going to "work" 5 days a week at Theater Gone Wild at the zoo, which requires commuting 45 miles each way (with the obliging carpool parent which 3 out of 5 days has been me, the "can't say no" SAHM.). And not complaining at all (from him, not me). Because it's what he really wants to do. And I respect that.

I like that Ernest says his opinion and sticks to it. For example: Do you want to keep this toy? (We are in the middle of a huge Clean Tradey Sweepyness Thing that I can't even talk about right now because I am so overwhelmed by it.) But I can ask him about a silly toy and he will say "donate," "keep," or "Mom, I'm not sure." Not sure means I let him keep it anyways.... Frank would say "Whatever" or "I don't care" which doesn't tell me anything.

And Ernest just showed me how to enlarge what's on the screen so my 48-ish eyes can read it (Control +)!

Ernest and I are planning something fun next Friday afternoon, and hopefully a Disneyish thing the week after (planning all this at the last minute). Happy Face Mom. And then school starts. SAD FACE MOM.

Bythe way, I have promised the HH to go to some drag races in Bakersfield in October. HAPPY FACE HANDY HUSBAND!!

A Late Start

Hour 1 (9:00): Already, Ernest's LOTR marathon is running late. I heard him use the bathroom at 8. But when I went to take his breakfast order (room service, I told you) he was asleep! So the marathon started at 9. Did I mention that he's probably going to spend the whole day in (or on the) bed to accomplish this?

Hour 2 (10:00): Room service provided pancakes and sausage. Why did I decide to make pancakes? I don't even remember how to cook them properly. Usually Frank or Ernest is the pancake chef, and they do a far better job than I did. The first two were burnt and went straight into the trash. I did get a nice cuddle after breakfast.

I dragged a chair in to watch for a while. Viggo The locations are so beautiful -- I want to go to New Zealand! But now his cousin McQueen has come over with a bag of Legos, so the room's going to be a bit crowded. I better do something constructive, like clean up the mess I made in the kitchen.

Hour 3 (11:00): Sean and Orlando The set of Rivendell is so beautiful. Too bad I have to leave to go grocery shopping.

Hour 4 (12:00) Time to order pizza. Marathon Part 2 (The Two Towers) started around 12:20.

Hour 5 (1:00) There's so much Lego. I think McQueen went home and brought back another bag. I can't look. I just got the floor picked up this morning and now...SOB!

Hour 6 (2:00) I keep interrupting Ernest with more boxes to shove to the back of his closet: (Zoob, Slot Cars, Radio Control Cars, The Millenium Falcon Lego Box he says he has to keep). I carry 3 more boxes of toys down to the garage sale pile: (Hot Wheels Tracks, Happy Meal Toys, Bionicles, and a boogie board.)

Hour 7 (3:00) By the way, Ernest has been out of bed for a long time, due to McQueen's presence. He's been on the floor with the Lego for several hours. Now he's playing with the Zoob.
Hour 8 (4:00) Time to start Marathon Part 3 Return of the King! I made an executive decision and moved the marathon to the living room, so I could watch too. It's cooler down here and there are more chairs. McQueen brought the Lego mess supply downstairs.

Hour 9 (5:00) McQueen had to go home, so the Lego has been thoroughly picked up. The Darling Dyson did its magic but could not even find one tiny piece to suck up!

Hour 10 (6:00) The battle rages on. Time for Disc 2.

Hour 11 (7:00) Real food, on real plates for all 4 of us. It's a "family dinner" except we are sitting in the living room. Frank keeps getting text messages, what else is new??!? At least he's in the same room. Frodo and Sam are scaling the evil mountain. Viggo is rousing the troops. [spoilers deleted] I always cry at the end when Viggo says the hobbits bow to no one.

Hour 12 (8:00) Huh? We were done at 8:05. An eleven-hour-a-thon, not a twelver. Ernest did cut off the credits. But there are still hours of Special Features Ahead. (12 hours, says Ernest.)

It's been an interesting day. I would have enjoyed the movies more without the Lego Interval.

Marathon Over. And Out.

Ernest's Plans for Tuesday

He has decided to have a Lord of the Rings Extended Version marathon tomorrow (Tuesday) from 8 a.m. to 8.p.m. I vaguely recall that these are the approximate lengths of the extended versions:

FOTR - 3 hrs
TTT - 4 hours
ROTK - 5 hours

He said...I can't turn it off for bathroom or snacks. Obtuse mom said, why not? Because I'll go over the time limit. I didn't know it was a race.

I promised to provide ROOM SERVICE because I don't want him to starve. The bathroom business he will have to deal with on his own. I am not providing what the truckers use.

Amusements...or NOT

I've been driving a lot of carpools to the zoo. Sometimes I stay in the big town and amuse myself for a few hours before seeing the zoo show and driving the kids home again.

One day involved Frank's annual maintenance -- that sounds like he's a car! A visit to the optometrist happily revealed that for the first time in almost 10 years, he did NOT need new glasses. And we got him a new cell phone. This was promised for his birthday almost year ago, but he was supposed to be proactive and pick it out. Frank, proactive? So a year later...

Another day I had a lovely brunch with the Handy Husband. He had gone to work early so he was ready for a break at 10:00. We ate at a beautiful sidewalk cafe. I looked up at the blue sky and palm trees while I ate my eggs benedict.


Then I went to the Natural History Museum. I saw some beautiful rocks. The malachite looked like the Emerald City of Oz. So I took a picture, only I didn't realize the flash was on. And then this woman shrieked at me, "DON'T USE THE FLASH!!!" OMG, did I break some rule? Is the museum going to kick me out? No, she was just a busy body visitor. While I was fumbling with the camera (it was dark in the room and I couldn't see the settings) she came over and tried to touch my camera:

Her: "Here. I'll do it for you."Me: "No thanks, I got it." Her [looming even closer]: "Be sure to hold it really still." Me [getting annoyed]: "Excuse me but I know how to take pictures." Her: "Oh, I'm sorry. I talk to my kids like that." Me [thinking how sorry I felt for her kids]: .... I said nothing.

I was not amused so I left the room and went back later when she wasn't there. Anyway, the picture WITH the glare of the flash came out best.

Honestly, doesn't that look like the Emerald City?

Creative License

Ernest has forbidden me to post the video of him in the role of Beaverdude. Darn it. I guess he has his limits of how much he'll allow me to embarass him. He was cute, with his tail flopping and slapping the dam.

And the photos of him as Caterpillar/Butterfly are on my cell phone. How do I get them off of the phone?

I've got a photo of someone else in the caterpillar costume, so I've tackily put Ernest's face on the costume. I am a devious and creative mother.

Class of '78 Rules!

Here we are, ready for our 30th High School Reunion dinner. (I LOVE MY DRESS!) It was fun! We're the only class couple still together. (Our 25th anniv is coming up next month, but if you add the 6 years we "dated" it comes to 31. Wow!) However, we weren't married the longest. Someone else, married to a non-classmate, clocked in at 27 years. There were several 24 year marriages, too.

For fun, I brought this 8th grade picture (1974 -- back when we all looked good in bathing suits) to the picnic on Sunday. Can you find me and the Handy Husband? Frank couldn't, but Ernest could. Yay, Ernest.

Hint, the HH is seated on the ground and I'm seated on the wagon. Give up? I'll post clues or maybe an annotated picture later. Our Senior Class president is in this picture --he gets credit for arranging the reunions. Other classes are forgetful about reunions, but they don't have an on-the-ball president like our class does.

There were 4 grade schools that fed into our high school. Some folks we've known since we were small, others for only the high school years. It's a great bunch of people and it's fun to reconnect. It's funny how the mind works. The HH was talking to someone he didn't recognize, finally the guy said his name and CLICK, all of a sudden the memory banks fired and the person became totally familiar--one of his old buddies! We sat at dinner with another friend who was the HH's roommate after high school. He's got the nicest wife!

It was interesting to see where people's lives have taken them:

• One man has become a college teacher (after a long career as a contractor) and is going to Iraq to teach English.


• Another raises beneficial insects for the citrus industry.


• The woman who lived down the street from me is a pilot.


• It's too bad the music-teacher-turned-railroad-man wasn't there. An old friend of my husband's, he was fascinated by railroads as a child. Eventually he followed his dream and went to work on a train for real.


• We wish the class brain (a really nice person) had been able to come. He's a trauma surgeon.


• RIP to the two women who passed away too young.



• We didn't talk about those rumored to be in jail!

We are the Champions!

Japan, by Ernest

At long last, here are some of Ernest's pictures. He and Frank saw the same places, starting at opposite ends of the journey. So I've tried not to repeat the same things that were in Frank's photos. Ernest described all the photos to me when he got home, but now I've forgotten. I'll add some detail when he gets back from the zoo today.

Isn't this beautiful?

More bars in more places. Ernest wants to be an architect. He likes interesting buildings. This was taken from a 45th floor observation deck.

Pet dogs.

The Japanese Alps.

Wagons.

A fairy tale village.

Ernest snagged the coveted rear seat.

This beach and cave were in the opening of Prince Caspian.

Ringing the Peace Bell .
The Itsukushima Shrine at high tide. (Frank visited it at low tide.)

Friendly deer at the shrine.

The group!

John "Cougar" Mellencamp

We saw him in concert Wednesday night! Awesome dude. 56 years old and he still rocks. I'll get to the music eventually. Regular readers may know that my concert reviews are usually a commentary on my whole experience.

We went out to dinner beforehand. I've been feeling empty-nestish, but as I people-watched I realized the emptier-nest has its benefits. Across from me was a couple with a toddler boy (about 1 1/2) and the mom was pregnant again. The dad was kept busy the whole time chasing the boy and hardly got to sit down and eat. Next to them was a table with a 3 to 4 year old girl, who was just the wrong size for every seating device they had: High chair, booster, regular chair. Nothing fit. Or maybe she was just squirmy. So that made me appreciate the benefits having older children -- you can go out to a lovely dinner ALONE with your handy husband. Steamed mussels, a nice filet, and a good local Syrah. Mmmmmm!

We borrowed Frank's car because it is easy to park! (Yet another perk of having an older child. Of course it's still legally OUR car so I think we're within our rights to ask to borrow it. Plus we filled the tank afterwards.) Six blocks to the venue, a hike up a hill, and then the stairs in the ampitheater. Why were so many women wearing high heels? They were tottering and wobbling all the way up.

Between the two acts, Lucinda Williams and Johnny boy, the woman next to me got up. "I have to go potty," she announced. "You should go too!" Warning: rant ahead! I don't like strange women telling me to go potty. I have issues with the word "potty" when said by anyone over the age of 3. I worked all school year to get kinders and 1st graders to say "bathroom" or "restroom" instead of the P-word. But I'm polite in public, so instead of ranting like I did just now, I said,"Thank you, but I already went."

This woman caused me issues all night long. Because she was a jiggler, a bouncer, a dancer. Hips, thighs, elbows. She bumped me with all of them. And that was while we were still sitting down. Not to mention she was apparently his biggest fan, because she was singing along to everything. I like to have a good time at a concert, but I don't like someone else's good time to be so distracting!

The man in front of Jeff spent most of the show playing with his new Blackberry. Two rows ahead of us was Frank's friend Boomer (real nickname) and his dad. Boomer looked a little like Frank does when we drag him along to concerts. Bored? I also saw one of my Rose Sisters!!!! (That's a blog post on its own: one of the great group of women I used to work with...and we lunch at Rose Cafe, hence the name.)

Oh, did you want to know about the music? He opened with "Pink Houses." [Can't embed the official video.] That brought back memories. The HH and I had just moved into our first house. His stereo with the giant 7.5' foot speakers went into the teeny tiny spare bedroom. (The master bedroom was the same size.) "Pink Houses" is one of the first songs I remember blasting out of that system. I worried it would bother the neighbors...we soon got over that after we heard how much noise THEY made. One night while the parents were out, one of the 3 older brothers broke the little brother's nose. Nice neighborhood. We weren't there too long.

Next was "Paper in Fire." And his PA went out! Here's this, from another show:





Please, CHECK OUT THE VIOLINIST! My new best friend, bumping around next to me, was totally hot for her. And told her husband that, many times.

By the third song, the PA was intermittent so I went to the bathroom. Privately. Because at that point the restroom was relatively empty, and my seat neighbor wasn't in the bathroom at the same time! After that there was more and more great music.

I can't embed anything "official" from YouTube so here is an a capella group doing an old favorite:





And here's a home video by some nice person,






More and more great songs.

I think he ended, appropriately, with this:





Goodnight, all!

Refrigerator Blues

Yesterday I was getting ready to drive to the airport to pick up Ernest. I wanted to leave earlier than I originally planned (but that's another post) so I needed a quick breakfast. Scrambled eggs, I thought. That's fast AND nutritious. So I grabbed an egg...and said what the some other word that is not family friendly heck? The egg was hot. HOT. The whole fridge was hot and the temperature display was off. But the freezer was fine.

As I always do in a moment of crisis, I called the handy husband for his opinion. Because he always has good advice. And then I avoid the "well, you should have done this..." conversation that usually happens if I don't call. The Handy advice was, "Unplug it for 5 minutes."

Done, and the display started working again and said 71 degrees. Room temperature. And I had to leave the house right that minute or I wouldn't make it to the airport on time. So Frank agreed to check the fridge periodically to see if it started to cool down again, and if it didn't the Handy Husband would call for repairs.

And it did cool down again ...

What the frickety-frack happened? Maybe it was left ajar overnight just enough that the light stayed on? Who knows? When I got home I threw out milk, eggs, chicken, mayo, yogurt, whipped cream, batter blaster, leftovers...anything I thought would kill us. I did keep the condiments on the lower shelves, and the things in the bins, as they were still cool to the touch.

I wish I could find a song called "Refrigerator Blues." Anyone want to write some lyrics?

This seems the opportune time to post a picture of the fridge, like many other bloggers have done. So here's mine. It's a lot emptier now!

• See the HonestAde Cranberry Lemonade on the top shelf? My kids are addicted to it.
• Me, I like Perrier mixed with a splash of Pomegranate juice (next to the milk).
• How many different kinds of salad dressing do we have????
• The industrial size maple syrup from Costco is almost empty. (The kids make their own pancakes.)
• There are those yummy Rainier cherries.
• GASP, is that some Pace picante sauce hiding behind the Perrier? Someone won't like that.
  

Ernest's Back

Ernest is back from Japan! Yay! I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Tomorrow

My son'll come home

Tomorrow

Bet your bottom dollar

That tomorrow

I''ll see my son!

Just thinkin' about

Tomorrow

Clears away the cobwebs,

And the sorrow

'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day

That's gray,

And lonely,

I just stick out my chin

And Grin,

And Say,

Oh!

My son'll come home

Tomorrow

So I gotta hang on

'Til tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

I love ya Tomorrow!

Ernest's only

A day away!

(I told you I had it bad.)

15 Seconds of Fame

I found this on How About Orange. Make your own museum masterpiece. How's this?

Ernest on the London Eye. He's blocking the view of Big Ben. It's there. Trust me.

There's his 15 seconds of fame. Because I seriously doubt you're going to look at it for the whole Warhol-coined 15 minutes. I got my 15 seconds this morning, with a lovely award from Jen on the Edge.

Now, I'm your prototypical bloggy wallflower. People pass around these awards like chain letters but do I get one? So thank you, Jen, for letting me join the club! Now what am I supposed to do with it? I think pass it on to 7 people. But who? How can I decide? Jen was smart, she did it geographically. But she gave it to a number of my favorite bloggers.

So I'm going to pass it on to the first 7 people who see it and don't have a bloggy award of their own. Leave a comment and it's yours!

Ernest Called Tonight!

I had one call after Ernest arrived in Japan on Sunday the 13th at around 1 a.m. (thanks to his friend Ern's phone, or more correctly -- thanks to Ern's mom for getting Ern the international cell phone).

It's been a weekandahalfplus. And I am jonesing for him. I miss him. So bad. I haven't talked/blogged about it because I'm embarassed that I miss him so much. But he's my baby. He's always been a delightful and stressless child. (His childbirth was way more painful more difficult than his brother's, so maybe his good karma is making up for that????)

It's been easier to let Frank grow up because I still had Ernest. But with Ernest gone too? The nest feels very empty. And I'm rearranging the nest at the same time, so I look at his stuff but he's not here...

And that's starting to sound like a mom version of a Santana song:

Well, let me tell you about the way he looked

The way he acted, the curl of his hair

His voice is deep and cool

His eyes are clear and bright

But he’s not here...

It wasn't so bad last year. His trip and his brother's overlapped, and the HH and I went away for a weekend in the middle... and it just seemed shorter.

Ernest couldn't find the rechargeable batteries for his camera. So he took my camera, and left his. I like his camera. Especially when I found some pictures on it. Here he is last year at Stonehenge.

Stonehenge? How cool freaking awesome is that? There are other great photos but... they can wait.

Anyway, where the heck was I? Oh yeah. The phone rang a few minutes ago. And it was him. He wanted permission to buy a sword. Well, I told him before he left he could get a sword if the shipping was reasonable. But he called anyway -- (12:30 p.m. lunchtime where he is. Where the heck is he??? Kyoto?) -- to ask permission.

Isn't that the nicest, bestest child in the universe? So I'm jonesing for Friday, when I drive 2.5 hours (without traffic issues) to pick him up. And he's probably not. Jonesing for me, that is. And that's OK. It has to be.

"If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were. " -- Kahlil Gibran

Longing for the return...

Trading Clean Sweep Spaces, Episode 1

I may have mentioned, we are eventually moving Frank into the room over the garage. We are also moving Ernest into a bigger room in the house. And moving the sewing room and guest room into smaller rooms.

That involves a lot of purging for me, which I am not good at. But it feels good when I eventually do it. I threw away recycled a huge pile of magazines. I'd been saving them for recipes and craft ideas. I said to myself, "Self, you know you're never going to go through all these. Just bite the bullet." So I did. I'm going to have to do the same with my fabric stash.

We moved Ernest's loft bed last week, while he was gone. It is going to be an awesome room. He will be able to sit up in bed for the first time, and have an extra bed for sleepovers. I had to pack up all his toys, and man, does he have a lot of stuff. That boy is a bigger pack rat than me. When he was little, he insisted on keeping all the packaging the toys came in. At least he's outgrown that.

Once I lost him in his room. Just kidding, but it made a cute picture:

This was about 5 years ago.

I'm going to Clean Sweep it...i.e. only put back about half his stuff, and see what he says. He already agreed to donate several boxes of Lego.

Nephew McQueen helped me move all the sewing stuff out of the room, so I could clean the carpet. Then he helped move Ernest's stuff back in. I paid him with a TV set we don't need anymore. I think McQueen is going to help again today. This time I could pay him off in toy cars, except that he probably doesn't need any more.

The Husband's New Crush

He has a new love. Some Italian Temptress named Pagani Zonda.



Did you hear what the man said when he started her up? "Mmmmm, dirty!" (That's at about 1:52 if you want to skip the talk and go straight to the action.) And at the end, "I've got to earn more money." Because she only costs 400,000 pounds. That's $800,839 at today's exchange rate.

That's one high maintenance woman. So the HH won't be bringing her home during in our lifetimes. But I'll let him look. She'll be his Secret Girlfriend.

My Life with Batman

Batman's been a fixture in my life for.... like forever...

In second grade in 1967, my best friend and I played Batgirl and Robinette. I was Batgirl! Probably the one time in my life I got top billing. (And I take credit for inventing the name Robinette, but if she wants the credit she can have it.... Just kidding Susie, if you are reading this you know I love you.)

I loved the TV show. We got a color TV in 1970 and I watched Batman anytime I could. BOW BAM WHAP SMACK KABLOOEY!!! And Alfred. How could Batman have survived without Alfred?

A Batman Movie was filmed near me.



Tim Burton's films were twisted in his own special way.

Around 1992, my small son became obsessed OBSESSED I TELL YOU with Batman the animated series. He wore only Batman t-shirts for a whole year. It made laundry difficult. He would cry by the dryer while his shirt tumbled. (Yes, I assure all of you who have 2 year olds that he REALLY HAS grown into a normal person. )



And I read an "adult" story, I think it was called Batman Mon Amour. Not for children, it was a different spin on the Batman/Robin relationship. "And like all good superheros, he came in the nick of time."

Val Kilmer... meh. I love him but Joel Schumacher made the movies too cartoony.

George Clooney has freely admitted he killed the Batman series, but the stake was driven before he got there. As a humorous batman, I loved him... He had the best voice. Even though Robin's costume got a bigger "package."

I loved the new start in Batman Begins, but not the Liam Neeson part. More Gary Oldman would have been good. He is one of those great actors who disappear into a role. And Michael Caine as Alfred? I've died and gone to heaven.



Christian Bale is serious and fierce. And better than the other batmen, except when he had to talk a lot at the end and I thought the deep fake batman growl got ridiculous at that point.

And there's Aaron Ekhart. And Heath Ledger, another amazing actor who can disappear in the role. When you watch Jack Nicholson's Joker, you see Nicholson. With Ledger's Joker, you see a....

CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU THINK --- I'M NOT GOING TO SPOIL IT!

Go see. But don't take young children. It's fierce and violent. There are disturbing images. Ernest is out of the country but I'll take him when he gets back because he can deal with it. McQueen's mother is waiting for the DVD. Every child is different and you know your child.

I sent my son a text message

Some of you think this is an ordinary, everyday occurrence. But I don't "do" text messages.

I'm a QWERTY kind of gal. I excelled at typing in high school, and got my first real job without any experience except that I could type 60 WPM. I am one with my keyboard. I can amaze second graders while typing without looking. Back in the day we called that "touch typing."

So a text message on a cell phone, where you have to tap 1-3 times depending on the letter??? It's a technique I have been reluctant to learn.

But since we are relocating Frank to the Fonzie Apartment, I can't just yell upstairs that "DINNER'S READY!"

Instead I sent him a text message. And he didn't get it. I feel so pathetic. Fortunately, he felt it was dinner time and showed up anyway.

I love Musicals

EW put out a list of their top 25 musicals. You can see it here. I have seen every one except #17 (a Busby Berkely compilation disc). Yes, I am a musical junkie.

Here's the top 5:

1. The Wizard of Oz
2. West Side Story
3. Singin' in the Rain
4. Cabaret
5. Mary Poppins

I love them all. I've been indulging while Ernest has been gone. I'm catching up on some Julie Andrews musicals I've missed. I just had Star! and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Darling Lili is in the Netflix queue. Also there were a couple on my shelf I hadn't watched yet: Bells are Ringing and Take Me Out to the Ballgame (in a set from Costco). When the weather eased, I watched On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Because they used some of the songs in Wall-E (which I haven't seen yet), I had to see Hello, Dolly again. Plus the ones I watched when I had the flu.

I'm going to see Mamma Mia on Monday.

If you like musicals, tell me one of your favorites! (Bunny, please comment, even though I know which one yours is!)

A Staycation

Yes, we're having one of those. It's not because of the economy, it's because:

• I'm sick of driving
• I like our Tempurpedic bed
• Our room is quiet
• There are tons of good restaurants in our area
• People pay good money to come here on their vacations
• The weather is lovely this weekend.

We went out to dinner last night: the HH had rack of lamb, I had meatloaf. Delicious meatloaf. At home the HH made homemade vanilla ice cream, which we topped with raspberries and peaches from the farmer's market.

I don't recommend the panini place we lunched today (go here instead). On the way home we made reservations for another dinner out tonight. In between the eating out, the Handy Husband has washed cars and I have been rearranging things in the house, so we haven't totally wasted the weekend.

Plans for tomorrow include seeing The Dark Knight and hopefully another dinner out. Maybe here.

Hired

Franks's got a job, starting Monday as a go-fer in his dad's office. Except that they spell it gopher, which makes me picture him digging nasty little holes all over the place like the fellow that is tunneling under my front gate.

My first job was as a motel maid. Looking back, it wasn't that bad. I worked from 9 until whenever we were done, on weekends and holidays. Other classmates worked there too, so we could talk while making beds and cleaning toilets. There weren't many perks, except for getting free Cokes from the machine. There was nothing better than an icy Coke in a glass bottle. Howver, it may have ruined me because I've hated housecleaning my entire adult life! Although, I could have gotten that from my mother.

The Handy Husband's first job was picking up golf balls. Then he was a paperboy. Our paperboy. I was too shy to talk to him when he came around collecting. I would give him his $2.85 and he would give me a tiny square receipt. That was the extent of our relationship for many years.

[Update re the HH: My M-I-L says, "He especially liked picking up golf balls because he also got to drive and park the golf carts. Driving; one addiction he never outgrew."]

So tell me, what was your first job?

Ernest's Itinerary

Kinkaku-Ji Temple, the "Golden Pavilion." Photo by Frank

July 12. Leave USA.

July 13. Arrive in Japan.

July 14-15. Tokyo. Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Oriental Bazaar. Anime. Nakamise shopping arcade.

July 16. Hakone. Scenic Drive to Mt. Fuji, hiking, aerial cable car ride, Onsen (hot springs bath).

July 17-18. Gifu. Drive through the "Japanese Alps." Stay at a traditional Japanese Inn. Old fashioned town of Takayama. Visit the only surviving "jinya" (shogun's headquarters).

July 19-21 Ishikawa. Visit Shirakawago. Meet your home stay family and enjoy local activities.

July 22. Take the Bullet train to Hiroshima. Visit Peace Memorial Park.

July 23-24. Kyoto. Visit Itsukushima Shrine and Himeji Castle, the Gold Pavilion, Nijo Castle, a tea ceremony.

July 25. Return to the USA. Arrive in the US 3 hours before he departed Japan.

(Frank's intinerary was very similar, except that he started in Kyoto and ended in Tokyo.)

Ernest Embarks

Bye, mom!

This was the view from our hotel the night before.

An article about Frank's trip

Here's a link to a newspaper article about Frank's trip.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/09/local-student-ambassadors-return-home-from-japan/

I Take it Back!!!

I take it back: Birds do use Ernest's birdbath!

The ironic thing is just as I took this picture, the cat came in the house. Good timing, Mr./Ms. Bird.

I have gotten a surprising number of people googling "why birds don't use the birdbath" and arriving on that other post.

Return from Japan

Frank got back on Sunday. I snuck his camera out of his room this morning so I could finally look at his pictures. It's after 1:30 pm and he is still sleeping. Jet lag or the usual teen-age need to sleep late? (UPDATE: He got up at 2 and said it was jet lag.)

Anyway, here are some pictures. Since he's still sleeping, I don't have much explanation for them.

Hiroshima.

Paper cranes.

A gate.

The beautiful home where he stayed.

A happy lunch.

Posing on Mt. Fuji.

An unusual store.

Tokyo at night.

He really enjoyed the home stay. I hope to get him to dictate a little synopsis that I can post later.

Ernest leaves on Saturday.

Rugs

My Handy Husband and I have been looking at area rugs and carpet for a while now. Our small living room rug has begun to wear out. I bought it in 1995, along with some furniture, with a severance pay. The furniture has held up pretty well, but due to the boys and man who have played and relaxed on the rug for close to 13 years, the lush shag has given way to a bare crewcut on certain areas.

I was vaccuuming it one day and wondering while the pile didn't pick up, and it was because IT WAS ALL WORN OFF BY THEIR FEET.

Even though the HH and I both have similar visions of what we like, it's hard to find things that fit our vision. We saw a rug we liked in a catalog, but it was $999. Ouch.

So I walked into a floor model sale the other day and saw something, not as brightly colored, but reasonable: an Andy Warhol $499 rug for $99. The HH liked it too, so we bought it. It is 8x8 square, not the rectangle shown:

The square shape fits well in the room and I love the way it looks, but the blackness of it requires my Darling Dyson to come out of hiding more often. Like EVERY OTHER day.

Meh. For the price, if I decide I hate it I can put it in Frank's apartment. But I'm thinking my nephews McQueen and Mr. Thomas will think those stripes make great Hot Wheels tracks!

And carpet?? For Frank's apartment we are thinking of Flor.

Jen on the Edge has some great Flor in her living room, and great plans for Flor in her new house (I think it is Fonda del Sol?)

Fish Tales

My previous post was pretty fishy.

So here's another fish picture. I scanned this slide a few days ago...it's my dad with a bunch of fish. When? Maybe 1948. It wasn't dated, but it was with some other slides dated that year.

So Dad, nice fish! Where were you and these fish? If it's 1948, I think you are about 22 here? You have a great beard. I think Frank inherited your great beard genes.

Love, your daughter.

Otter News

One of the perks of volunteering at the zoo is the chance to go “backstage” with the animals. Ernest quivered with excitement when he announced that he would get to feed the otters! The big event happened yesterday. In Ernest’s own words:

First we went to the animal kitchen and we cut off the fish heads.
[He starts singing:]
Fish heads, Fish heads
Rolly polly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm
And then we cut the fishes in half. We took the fishes to the otter exhibit and we took turns throwing the fish to the otters, Merry and Pippin. Merry should be considered legally blind because we threw a fish right in front of him and he looked and looked and couldn’t find it. Pippin is larger and has a bigger white spot on his chin. Merry is smaller and has a smaller white spot. They are both males.
[I asked him what the animal kitchen looked like.]
The animal kitchen looks like a regular kitchen but it has raw fish in it.
[How often do the otters eat?]
cat food when they wake up
5 fish during morning feeding
5 fish during afternoon feeding
cat food at night
[How big were the fish?]
They were really small fish.
[He moves his fingers around to show me. I estimate 5”.]
That’s without the head.

Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog!

If you have tweens, I highly recommend taking them to a Weird Al concert. Because he's funny. And his band is great. And you'll all have a great time. And generally because the audience is family oriented, or nerds, no one is smoking those funny cigarettes.

I have great respect for a man who can make a song out of palindromes:

Wobbling Through the Weekend

Last Thursday morning I woke up and I could barely walk. Somehow, in my sleep, I strained something in my ankle* on the right side of the Achilles tendon. What was I doing in my sleep? That's what I want to know.

So I limped around all weekend, taking Ernest to various activities.

• Saturday I doddered to see Get Smart.
• Sunday I hobbled around the Bigger Town while Ernest was at his summer program at the zoo.
• Sunday night I bobbled in line as we took Ernest and McQueen to a Weird Al concert.
• Yesterday I wobbled around a mall while Ernest and Ern played laser tag.

Today was the first day I could walk somewhat normally.

*Now, a friend told me that ankles represent flexibility and the ability to move forward. I'm not at all flexible physically, but mentally? I'm pretty flexible or adaptable. A former boss, who was notorious for RARELY giving 5's (excellent) on our performance appraisals, always gave me 5's for being flexible.