weapons of massdistraction

Still coming to terms with the idea that I can’t do it all. I have neither the time nor the motivation (but I would like to refrain from being so constantly disappointed in myself). In the last week I’ve missed: The Clientele show, family day at the Walker, Cat Power at The Varsity, the chance to take the little man to the State Fair, the end of the Delightful exhibit at the Rosalux Gallery, the Minneapolis PPK Vegnic (vegan picnic), a deadline to submit to Mental Contagion, my Wednesday night workout, and more.

Even so, the past week has been an eventful one:

• Tuesday afternoon. The little man played outside with the neighborhood kids for over two hours. This may seem trivial, but it was the first time this had happened in ages. Often neurotypical kids aren’t particularly kind to or patient with kids who are other (especially if their parents aren’t teaching them tolerance) and the little man’s autism separated him from the pack long ago. His interactions had made him wary to even go out in our own backyard, but on this day things went well. Though my heart was in my throat the whole time I did my best not to hover and he enjoyed himself.
• Tuesday night. We received a phone call from some random courier company. The husband’s missing luggage had turned up, but no details were given. It was delivered after midnight. The contents were intact but everything was mysteriously…damp. And odd-smelling. Miraculously the laptop still works, but there were also two hard drives in the bag. One works, one does not. Thankfully they contained the same data.
• Wednesday. At work we had an out-of-the-norm four hour staff meeting scheduled. Turns out it was just a ruse. We were really in store for a surprise field trip, to the State Fair. It was loads of fun.
• Wednesday evening. I served the husband’s family an all-vegan all-Lebanese meal of grape leaves, tabouleh, lavosh, hummus and Lebanese green bean stew. They enjoyed it (or at least they claimed they did).
• Thursday was a blur.
• Friday morning. The little man and I had an early start at the Children’s Hospital for his EEG. He was hesitant but cooperative. We should be getting results back by the end of the week.
• A designer friend at work made these kickass Star Wars-themed invitations for the little man’s upcoming birthday party. The boy is seriously stoked.
• We went up north for the weekend, to my in-laws’ place. It was lovely, even if we were without internet access.
• We returned last night, so as to celebrate my sister-in-law’s 30th birthday today. Happy Birthday Sarah!

Bonus: On Sunday, September 10th Mizna is putting on a benefit show at the Cedar Cultural Center, with proceeds going to the Mercy Corps to aid the people of Lebanon. I’ll be there.
Plus: While up North I finally got around to watching Fearless Freaks, the documentary about the Flaming Lips. That only served to strengthen my Wayne Coyne crush, especially after watching him mow his lawn while wearing froggie-style rain boots.
And: How can we make America better? Minnesota-style…