When I picked the little man up from the bus stop yesterday we engaged in the usual “how was your day” discussion, which, with him, is like pulling teeth…of the non-loose variety. In general he quietly says “fine” and when pressed for details he responds with “I don’t know.” But sometimes he’ll offer up gems on his own, at random. For instance, we’d been driving in silence and had nearly reached our destination when he chimed in, telling me of a classmate who had been pretending he was a toy. And the other children had to try to find his off switch [moment of concern] which, thankfully, was located on his back. So I asked if we should pretend to be toys when we got home. This gave him pause. After a moment of silence he replied, in a very serious tone of voice, “no. Let’s just be real.” Good advice.

Today is the husband’s birthday (Happy Birthday honey). I have the day off, but he’s too busy with work to do anything fun. Pfft. Yesterday we did have a birthday brunch with his family, where I met our newborn niece. After brunch we went our separate ways. The husband went rock-climbing, for the first time in a decade, while I took the little man to the YWCA, where we are now members. It was all right without the husband, but next time I’ll have him join us…being as he’s the only member of our household who actually knows how to swim (the little man will be taking one-on-one lessons soon).

I’m such a nerd. Saturday morning I was watching The Batman cartoon with the little man (it was the first time we’d tuned in to broadcast teevee in months) when I realized Commissioner Gordon’s voice sounded familiar. I thought, hey, that sounds just like Skinner from The X-Files. And I was right. It was none other than Mitch Pileggi.

And another thing. I thought my new headphones were broken already, because the little man is generally rough on my stuff (not that I’m so great with it either) and there was no sound coming in on the right side. Turns out it was just that the balance had been screwed with on my laptop’s sound settings. Possibly the little man’s handiwork still, but much easier to fix than the cables he’s chewed through in the past.

In the past couple of years I’ve heard the word “fluke” used far too many times because my life is, apparently, rather fluke-filled. This morning the husband and I went to the clinic for my post-partum checkup, and to consult with the doc about the long-anticipated autopsy report. Anatomically Felix was perfect. I could tell this when I held his lifeless body, but the autopsy confirmed it. His minor heart problem wasn’t even a problem. They’re not entirely sure what killed him, but think it was a placental abruption. It’s likely that the placenta peeled away from the uterus wall sometime between December 29th (my last prenatal exam, where everything seemed a-ok) and January 6th (the day I was admitted to the hospital, because Felix had stopped moving). The doctor said it was highly unlikely that we’d suffer a repeat of this nightmare if we were to try again. But our previous pregnancy loss in 2003, due to anencephaly, was also highly unusual. A fluke. I can just envision something else going horribly wrong. But we have some time to think about it. My body won’t be ready again for nearly 17 months. 18 months from the date of the c-section. If I were to get pregnant too soon my uterus could rupture. Big fun, that. But if we do try again, that would mean attempting to get pregnant in, oh, June of 2007. With the earliest possible due date some time in March of 2008. I’d be closing in on 35 then, and the little man would be nearly nine. Yowza.

In other heart-in-my-throat news…this morning I had to get up early (despite a late night out at the fantastic Andrew Bird show) to take the little man to his bus stop. Despite my lack of sleep I noticed that my eldest cat, Jasmine, wasn’t making her usual morning demands for food and/or attention. I was a little alarmed as our other cat, Selina, was inadvertently trapped overnight in a closet recently. But I thought to myself, self, it’s all right, I’ll just locate her when I get back. So I returned from my chauffeuring duties but still couldn’t find my aging feline. And suddenly it was time to rouse the husband and head out for the doc appointment. I decided to go out to the car to wait for said husband. While waiting in the car I saw a cat saunter up to our sidewalk. First thought, just a neighborhood stray. Second thought, oh my god, that’s MY cat. My elderly indoor cat. I hopped out of the car and opened the front door of the house, into which she bolted. I quickly checked her vitals and god-damned if she didn’t seem just fine, albeit a little cold. It must have been about ten degrees overnight, and the little miss was declawed years ago. Sadly I didn’t have time to cuddle and coddle her just then as we had to get to the appointment. Though we needn’t have hurried. The doc was a full hour-and-a-half behind schedule. It was just one of those days.

I’m hoping the remainder of the weekend will be better. But it’s overstimulation central with too many options to choose from. The Riverview is showing the 2006 Academy Award nominees for Best Short Documentary (though not the animated shorts, dammit). There’s another somewhat spontaneous flickr photowalk slated for tomorrow. The Mondo Jugglefest is going on this weekend. My friend’s band is playing tomorrow. Twice. And we have a family brunch thingie on Sunday. And I’m sure I’m forgetting something.
Bonus: Raumpatrouille translates as “Space Patrol” in English (via Afrojet).

At 5:39am this morning the little man came into my room and handed me something. Something small. I wasn’t awake yet, so naturally I didn’t have my glasses on. Thankfully I held on tightly to it, and came to realize it was a somewhat bloody baby tooth. That little sucker had been loose for ages, but only slightly. Or so I thought. Then this afternoon, when I picked him up at the bus stop, he informed me that he’d lost yet another tooth at school…and had given it to one of the teachers. Two baby teeth in one day? The boy is growing up way too fast. And that makes for a total of four lost since last summer.

In other news, I’m stepping out tonight…to see Andrew Bird at the Fine Line. Amazing man, crappy venue. Hopefully I won’t end up in Fine Line jail. Anyhow, there are too many other excellent shows coming up as well. Sadly the Neko Case and Damien Jurado shows are the same night and at the same time. Doh.
Bonus: Just discovered Hillary’s Thriftcraft today. Sweet. Also, at her Wee Wonderfuls site, her adorable paper dolls, available for download.

Too many thoughts percolating to the top the last couple of days. I’ve been having trouble choosing one and running with it. Maybe I’ll find my focus later on.
Bonus: “It is a sea of excellently tousled hair.” La Coquette returns to France.

Color me impressed. At 9am this morning (a Sunday) the doorbell rang and it was…the United States Postal Service. What the huh? This was pre-coffee, so it took me a moment to realize the package I was signing for, while still in my jammies, was a crucial one. It contained the little man’s passport. When you pay extra for the expedited biznass they aren’t fooling around. (The husband, however, did not pay to have his passport expedited - I do hope it arrives before our departure date).

Speaking of pre-coffee…the little man is growing up and becoming more helpful. Just this morning I asked him to grab the salt shaker for me, while I was putting together some Cream of Wheat for breakfast. He went one step beyond and started pouring half the bottle’s contents into my bowl before my sleep-addled brain suggested I should stop him. Gee, thanks kid (and thanks sluggish morning brain).

In planning ahead sort of news…this morning I came across Kitty Kowalksi’s photostream. This reminded me of Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade which is, once again, scheduled for the weekend of my birthday (in June). I’ve never been to it, but have always wanted to attend, and am seriously considering going this year…and staying with my fabulous ladyfriends in Brooklyn. I haven’t been to NYC since 2003 after all. Don’t know if I could convince the husband to join me though. One “adventure” with me per year might be enough for him.

Bonus: Speaking of NYC, looks like that was one heckuva pillow fight yesterday. Sigh.
Plus: Feeling badly that Loobylu and her little one are feeling badly, but even so, she still cranks out the most amazing artwork.
And: Last night the husband and I watched “a moody, multi-dimensional love story and sci-fi mystery” - seriously, though, Solaris was better than I’d expected. Now I’m curious about the original Russian version.

Yesterday the site was down due to some nameserver nonsense. But we’re back in business again. Phew. Unfortunately this post won’t be terribly content-rich as I’m feeling completely drained and out of sorts. This week my body and brain have been engaged in an epic battle…over what time of day is appropriate for sleep. The result, I’m sleeping hardly at all. You’d think they could get it together and call a truce, for the common good and all. But oh no, not these brutes.
Bonus: My new five-minute crush…Anna Ternheim, via robot wisdom. Simply beautiful is right. Don’t know if she has any plans to perform in the U.S. or if we’d have to go to Sweden to see her. Hmmm.
Plus: I made the mistake of showing this DIY Yoda Doll to the little man. Looks like we’ve got a new project on our hands.
And: “Remembering how totally un-special I am to the universe is particularly helpful when shit is going poorly, because then I feel less picked on.” A little Mimi Smartypants always makes me feel better. Sigh.

Today was a big day, and it had nothing to do with the holiday. Nope, it marked my first day back to work since we lost Felix. I can’t claim the day was a difficult one. I enjoy what I do and I adore my co-workers. We share common interests and they make me laugh and feel at ease. And I’d talked the husband into baking one of his acclaimed chocolate cakes (aka “the crack cake” - called thusly for its high cocoa content) for me to share with them. So in the morning we got all sugared up, then ordered pizza for lunch, and engaged in some minor Nerf gun skirmishes in the afternoon. No complaints. But I do know my limits. I’m just not ready to go back to working full time. I tire easily and have some healing to do yet. And I want to spend more time with the little man while I still can (he’s in half-day kindergarten for the rest of this schoolyear, next schoolyear it’s first grade all day). So for now I’m going to work part-time. And I’m lucky to work for a company that is okay with that.

In other news, Netflix doesn’t know what to make of the husband. He has eclectic tastes, to be sure, and requests and rates such a strange variety of selections that they seem to be at their wit’s end when it comes to recommending DVDs for him. First off, the number of recommendations he receives has dwindled. Then there’s the matter of quality. His most recent recommendation? The first season of…The Cosby Show. Can I just say wtf?

It’s been a remarkably fine weekend. I think I’ve even been *gasp* happy. Highlights have included, but are not limited to:

• Dinner and a movie with the husband (and Joaquin Phoenix, meowwrrr).
• Sleeping in Saturday morning and heading to breakfast at the Triple Rock. The husband didn’t feel like going to the WPBP breakfast, but claims we’ll send them a donation.
• Yesterday’s flickr photowalk, which I will go into more in a moment.
• The little man’s return from Grandma’s house, and hearing about how he is now tall enough to drive his own bumper car at the former Camp Snoopy, and about his adventures with winter tubing.

Now about the photowalk. There must have been, oh, 14 or 15 of us, including a couple of my lovely co-workers, that met up at the Black Dog. All manner of cameras were represented from subcompact digital point and shoots, to a Polaroid OneStep, and some old film beauties like a Yashica Mat (I think) and an old Argus. It was pretty damned cold out, but it could have been worse. I was having so much fun with the socializing that the weather didn’t really bother me.

Afterwards I checked out the blog of one flickrite, Brettsky, and found a thing or two of interest. Like a recent post over at Make Zine about my beloved Ax-Man Surplus. Oh, and every year I take the little man to the annual Art Car Parade in Minneapolis. Somehow I missed the bad news about the House of Balls vehicle, but Brettsky had the scoop.

From y entonces I found out that my favorite local theater, The Riverview, will be showing all of this year’s Academy Award nominated short films next weekend. I am so there.

It’s shaping up to be a busy weekend. Tonight the little man is staying over at Grandma’s house, so the husband and I are trying to agree on a way to spend the evening, you know, together-like. I wouldn’t mind going to see The Beauty King, but the husband, he is not down with that. Mostly all he cares about is going to Kinh Do. He’s recently become addicted to their tofu and potatoes (crispy-fried, like potato chips). But maybe we’ll go see Walk the Line before or after crispy potato consumption.

Now for my a PSA. Tomorrow morning everyone in the area should head down to the annual Pancakes not Prisons! event.

The annual Women’s Prison Book Project Pancake Breakfast is this Saturday, and we would love to see everyone there!

When: Saturday, Feb 11 8am until noon
Where: Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Ave S in Minneapolis (just off of Lake St and Bloomington Ave)
What: All you can eat buttermilk and vegan pancakes, grits, fruit salad, coffee, tea and juice.
Cost: Adults $6/Kids $3

All proceeds benefit The Women’s Prison Book Project (WPBP). WPBP is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization which sends free books and resources to women and transgender prisoners all over the U.S.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must head to the salon to have my hair done. And damn if I don’t sound all girly. Eww.