My earlier fears were not unfounded. It *was* one of those days. Not a complete loss, mind you. But still. I had it in my head that taking the boys to the Dragon Festival would be fun for the whole family. There’s much I would have liked to have seen, but the little man and J have similar tolerance levels for these sorts of events…next to nil. So I stuck to the plan of going in for the Taiko drumming, then getting out as soon as things got ugly. It didn’t take long. We started out a tidge on the cranky side. The only available parking was a good hike from the festival. No problem I thought, it was a nice day and we’d left early. But the Taiko drumming that was supposed to start at 3pm seemed to have kicked in early. How early we don’t know, but it was in full swing when we stumbled along at 2:50pm. I found it that much more vexing, as their schedule seemed so precise…with other performances slated for 12:58, 1:05, 1:12, 1:32 and so on. Oh well. The portion of the performance we did see put our minds off of it. Afterwards we found a playground area so the little man could burn off some excess energy. He may have burned off too much, though. We had to cajole and carry the cranky child on the journey back…very much like dragging a cat on a leash. Not a surprise he fell asleep early this evening. There’s more Taiko drumming tomorrow (allegedly at 12:05) but I think we’ll skip it.

This morning I awoke to see my son, my sunshine, light of my life…emerging from the computer room, with a screwdriver in hand and a smile on his face. I quickly snatched the screwdriver away and rushed into the room. So far I haven’t detected any damage, to the little man or to the computers. Only time will tell. A little while later I was cleaning in the kitchen. Stepped back into the dining room to check on the lad to find that he’d been busy…adding some salt and fresh ground pepper to mommy’s morning coffee. I fear it’s going to be one of those days. Must be cosmic retribution for his excellent behavior yesterday. The two of us took a two-hour boat ride down the Mississippi River. I expected the worst but was pleasantly surprised by how mellow and relaxed he was. Not once was I afraid he was going to jump in. Nor did he run around the decks, wreaking havoc. There was a large school group handling that angle. Instead he calmly sat by my side for the first leg of the tour, in a cabin near the stern. For the second leg we stood quietly on one of the lower decks, with the breeze in our faces. It was lovely. Go figure.

Paid a visit to my favorite lending library this evening. It can be a bit frustrating at times, as the stacks aren’t organized very well. Or at all, really…considering the books are haphazardly strewn about the edges of a spare bedroom (cum computer room). Still, I can always find a few titles to suit my fancy, and can borrow them for as long as I like. It’s fortuitous to have friends like Dave…who frequent Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore. He’s also just returned from a trip to Portland, where he scored a pile of used books at Powells. Tonight, however, I grabbed just three titles to tide me over. I was already on a Michael Swanwick kick, having spent some of the day perusing his amusing Periodic Table of Science Fiction short stories. So I picked up “Stations of the Tide“. The blurbs are promising:
“In this highly readable, futuristic detective novel, a bureaucrat/agent tracks a bush wizard who appears to be using a restricted brand of high technology to work his magic.”
Also grabbed Graham Joyce’s “Dark Sister“. A review mentions the main character, a mother, and the chaos of her small children. I can relate. And last but not least, a book of short stories by Jonathan Lethem. I’ve been a long-time Lethem fan, so it’s no surprise to see reviewers write such things as:
“There is no mistaking his range or ability as he writes skillfully about subjects as various as Hell and the NBA.”
Now it’s just a matter of choosing the order to read them in, while lounging on the deck or in my favorite comfy chair. Oh, I’ve got it so rough these days.

Our weekend included: a big adventure. Dawdling. Raspberry picking. Many mosquito bites. Further friendster fixation. Futzing. Extreme klutziness. Uber crankiness. Scavenging. Playground mishaps and mayhem. Powerpuff Girl bandaids. Mac’n'cheeze. Spray’N'Wash. Strange sleep patterns. Ongoing Evergreen addiction. Hiccups. FFX. Thrift store shopping. Italian for beginners…and perfect pirates. Yarr.

So that’s an outright lie, but I was on a dirt road last night…and the Manitoba song of the same name goes nicely with the photo I took of it. We set out on a mini road trip to visit friends and got a little lost along the way…but were back on track before too long. As long as we’ve known these folks they’ve been wanting to buy a house. For a while the usual stuff was getting in the way (student loans, credit card debt). This year they were finally able to make it happen, but the market is insane. I’m lucky to have scored my house when I did, even if certain folks think I live in the leper colony (you know who you are). Houses have been going up 20-40% every year since I bought mine. So when our friends were looking they had to cast their net further and further out. They wound up in an outer-ring suburb with a rural feel. But they’ve got a gorgeous house, and a movie theater, with stadium seating, within walking distance. Not too shabby.

I’m making up the rules as I go along. And thus have decided that matinee movies are allowed, occasionally, within the parameters of the new budget. Especially when they star not one, but two of my Hollywood boyfriends…as in the case of “Pirates of the Carribbean“. I am powerless to resist the pull of Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. But I may save it for another day. Not a rainy day, necessarily…just a hotter one. When I’ll be begging for the freezer-like a/c that only movie theaters (and meat lockers) can provide. That was the case just last week…but the past several days have been mild and spring-like. Better take advantage of it while I can. So it’s playgrounds instead of pirates for today.

I’ll admit it…as uncool as it is…I do not own a functioning turntable. The one I’ve got has been broken for years. Been meaning to fix it, but now I’m too broke too. Perhaps it’s for the best. There are too many temptations out there. Pitchfork reports a new Elliott Smith single is due out next month, for one thing. Hmmm…maybe I could get some cool kid to tape it for me.

Yes, more distractions for the permanently distracted. First, friendster, which I was invited to join recently. It seems to be part online community/part dating service, and everyone and their brother is signed up. I’ve already heard from a couple of people I haven’t seen in years. And the fact that their server is down 50% of the time only makes me check back 50% more compulsively. In other news (and an odd turn of events) the little man has taken a liking to plastic swans…requesting that we alter our route through the neighborhood in order to spot as many as possible (I’m hoping it’s just the happy mutant in him). Unfortunately he now fears live action animals…such as seagulls, squirrels, pigeons and the like. We have Duluth’s Canal Park to blame for this new neuroses, but I can’t hold a grudge. There’s more going on in that town than its denizens get credit for. And such goings on may be noted in a new collaborative weblog, Perfect Duluth Day. I’m especially excited about one event…and hoping to get crafty for it with another new distraction, a second hand sewing machine that I’m picking up tomorrow. I’ve got plenty of time to whip up something to wear…the next Geek Prom isn’t until April 17th, 2004.

Potential distractions abound lately, and with my newfound freedom I would like to partake of them. Alas, I’m going to need to rein in my spending. So I skipped the New Pornographers show Saturday night, as well as Jay’s latest performance. But I still needed to get out of the house. Opted for a movie at the plush Riverview Theater instead. Yeah, I’d already seen X2. But it was worth the $2 for another viewing (especially of the opening scene with Nightcrawler), and the a/c. That sets the tone for this summer…it’s all about cheap or free activities. Including, but not limited to, the various ‘music and movies in the park’ series around town. I’m especially looking forward to the one-two combo of Deerhoof and “Rocky“. On the fiction front, I’ve taken a little break from space opera. Borrowed a copy of “Girl With a Pearl Earring“, an absorbing novel inspired by the Vermeer painting. Then it was back to fantasy with the Canadian/UK edition of “Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix“. Closely followed by the myth and magic of “Dry Water“. Not sure what’s next. I’ve been contemplating the sad stack of half-read books residing on my nightstand for some time, but I may move on to something more intriguing. I was given a copy of “The Bondwoman’s Narrative” for my birthday. It is “believed to be the oldest novel written by an African-American fugitive slave woman yet found - and the only such work to be uncovered in it’s original, unedited condition”. But it’s not all luxurious inactivity for this gal. The little man can be a force to be reckoned with…a tornado of energy to be funneled. In an effort to keep him from tormenting the cats (too much), I’ll try to keep him occupied. For him it’s going to be a summer of playdates, picnic lunches, fingerpainting and playground fun…interspersed with library and children’s museum visits. As well as the odd festival or two. We missed the Art Car Parade (doh!) but Mu Daiko will be performing at a few upcoming events that should be fun for the whole family. Except for the cats, perhaps.

We had a fairly strange fourth. It had been miserably hot and muggy on the third…so we threw in the towel and installed the a/c units (we being J). We also pulled the little man’s mattress into our bedroom, so we could share the magical cooling powers of a/c, and hopefully each catch a decent night’s sleep. But a funny thing happened around 4am. I woke up to silence, punctuated by occasional thunder and lightning. The boys slept on, completely oblivious. But I immediately knew something was wrong. The storm had knocked the power out. I lay back hoping it would only be temporary, that the a/c and air purifier would whir back to life at any moment…but I kept waiting. I nudged J into half-awareness, trying to tell him…and to see if he’d understand the repercussions. He didn’t then, but several hours later he woke up, wheezing, with his asthma aggravated…as my house continued to wage its war against him. J had no choice but to flee, as his only weapon had been rendered useless. His parents live nearby yet were unaffected by the power outage. I was jealous, but sent J on his way. It was a gloomy morning, so the house was dark without additional lumination. My favorite distractions were unavailable as well…no computer, no playstation, no videos. After preparing a dull, dry breakfast for the little man (cereal, raisins, almonds) the temptation to open the fridge was too great. We had to get out of the house. First we headed to Seward Cafe for breakfast, then visited a playground I’d been meaning to stop at for a while. Both were decent distractions, causing us to be out and about for a few hours…but when we returned the house was still powerless. Finally I called Xcel and had my fears confirmed. Power might not be restored until noon, the next day. Ugh. Admitting defeat, I called around to cancel the bbq we were scheduled to have. What would have been my fifth annual fourth of July bbq. I’d spent much time the night before preparing the marinated tofu/veggie kebabs, but it wasn’t to be. Eventually J returned from his folks house, to unload our fridge and transfer the goods to their spare (thankfully they’ve got a spare). We did end up grilling our kebabs (no electricity needed) and taking the cooked food over to J’s family bbq. The weather had pulled a 180 so it turned into a lovely afternoon and evening. Afterwards we returned to our house to pack for an overnight elsewhere, but just as we were preparing to depart the power came back on. And we’ve been making use of it. This morning I woke up, after a storm-free sleep, with that dang Schoolhouse Rock song stuck in my head.
“He knew that it had somethin’ to do with lightnin’, It’s all uh…Electricity, Electricity.”