weapons of massdistraction

Nothing makes me feel like an orphan quite like the holidays. This Thanksgiving the only relative I saw was the one I brought into this world. I used to rely heavily on J and his family, to ensure my beautiful little man would be surrounded by people who loved him. All year round and not just on holidays. And it worked…for a time. Sadly that’s been on the wane since J and I split up last year, and even more tenuous lately (the connection with his family, not with J). But this year I’ve found myself connecting and reconnecting with some amazing friends, who are just another kind of family. I’ve always loved my people, enthusiastically and wholeheartedly. As long as they don’t fuck me over. Yes, you too can have my unconditional love…if you don’t engage in cruel shenanigans and mind games. Ok, that isn’t entirely unconditional - but it’s not unreasonable. As I’ve gotten older my tolerance for b.s. has decreased dramatically. I now choose to live in a little oasis of posi attitude and good vibes. I want to be with other people who are awesome at life, or aspiring to be. And that’s what this Thanksgiving was all about, complete with a rousing game of Apples to Apples (my new favorite thing).

Bonus: I want to buy you flowers.
Plus: I’m such a sucker for Kevin Cornell and his Mojo. Yep, I ordered Curriculum Vitae, a Mojo Collection.
And: Back to Bones. I’m almost all caught up. And then I’ll be left hanging, just like everyone else, when we start feeling the effects of the writer’s strike. Doh.

Last night I watched Heroes on the teevee, in all it’s grainy glory (I can just barely tune in to NBC). I was appalled by the early onslaught of obnoxious holiday commercials. The most sickening are all those sexist diamond jewelry ads and Home Depot ads. Gah. Still, I’m no grinch. The holidays sometimes get me down, sure, but they can also give me the warm fuzzies. This year I’m participating in a punk rock Secret Santa thingie. And planning to score some handmade gifts from the No Coast Craft-O-Rama and the Handmaiden’s Craftmas. And then there’s the little man. He’s just chomping at the bit to get a Christmas tree (even though we’re not Christian). Must’ve rubbed off on me too because I’ve already finished shopping for him. Good thing he doesn’t read my blog - yet - or he wouldn’t be surprised by the following items:

• An R/C Mario Kart
• Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robots
• The Ratatouille DVD
• The Meet the Robinsons DVD

I’ll likely get him some books too, and I always fill his stocking with little whatsits and doodads and vegan chocolates. But before all of that, we’ve got our annual vegan Thanksgiving to look forward to. This time we have two functions to attend in the same neighborhood. It’s going to be fantastic.

Bonus: Batman by Dostoyevsky (via Drawn). Brilliant.
Plus: I watched plenty of Mork & Mindy when I was a wee lass, and fully appreciate these whimsical Men’s morkers, morkers for girls, and mini morkers (shout out to Irish Girl for the heads up).
And: Ex Machina Vol. 6: Power Down arrived today. I’m torn between reading it cover to cover RIGHT NOW, and trying to savor it. I think we all know which one will win out.

Five not-so-fun things:

• After work/school yesterday we were supposed to head over to J’s place, to play the brand new Super Mario Galaxy. The little man, who loves anything Mario-related, was too tired and just wanted to head home. So sad.
• Upon returning home I picked up the mail. A pile of catalogs I didn’t want, plus a notice from Ramsey County. My property taxes are going up again next year, by 17%. Yay.
• Tomorrow morning I take the little man back for his six month dental check-up. When I gave him the heads up he started crying in a panic. After his last dental adventures I don’t blame him (a tooth was pulled and a space maintainer installed), but I can’t get the point across that this won’t be like that. And this cleaning will actually help prevent such trauma in the future.
• I consume far too many processed soy products. My step-mother is convinced it’ll kill me. But hey, it’s the time of year for the seasonal Silk Nog. And now pumpkin spice too!
• I am a pushover. In general. And in some pretty specific instances.

Bonus: Photographic essays of modern ruins. Beautiful. And it brought to mind the deserted farmhouses in Iceland.
Plus: Short films about sheep, by Jemaine (of Flight of the Conchords).
And: There’s about a billion things going on around town tomorrow night. Shows and what not, the Diorama-rama at the Bell Museum, and an art opening with the best flyer ever. Yes, John Grider is a stud muffin.

If I’m concerned about my own morbid preoccupations lately (I broke down and bought the box sets for Bones, seasons 1 and 2), I’m equally alarmed by the little man’s violent proclivities. This weekend we hung out at J’s place, sharing meals and playing games on the Wii. I’m pretty sure Zack & Wiki (which he insisted on calling Zack & Mooki) is rated E for Everyone…but not with the little man’s combative cheer leading. The main character obtains certain tools that help him advance in the game. They are just tools, not weapons, but my son was shouting out “cut him!” or “burn him!” and “punch her!” Even playing Wii boxing he would knock out his opponent and shout “I killed him!” I think it’s just him, being a little boy. But sometimes it’s hard for me to tell where the line should be drawn. And it’s definitely got me rethinking my recent decision…to let the kid watch Saturday morning cartoons. Sigh.

Bonus: This week marks the return of liberty, equality and idiocy - with the return of Doug! His band, Charles De Gaulle, has been on hiatus and will be playing a few times. And there will be much hanging out to do before he heads back down to the dirty South. I need to set up some babysitters STAT.
Plus: Can’t really criticize my son’s behavior…when this comic so accurately sums up my own paranoid/violent delusions. I’ve been running through scenarios like that since I was a kid.
And: I’m not really down on the kid. He’s still my sweet boy. At a friend’s place yesterday he spent a good long while enjoying a set of Russian nesting dolls. Which led me to looking around on ebay last night. There are bizarro versions out there, with badly painted celebrities (like Madonna and Justin Timberlake) or strange movie themes and just about anything else you could think of. I plan to stick with something simple, like kitty cats or penguins.

Most of the males in my life have been deeply flawed. Freddy is just the latest. He can be so cute and sweet, yet I spent the weekend trying to hide paper products from him. Saturday morning I woke to find he’d shredded an entire roll of paper towels in the kitchen. And he played a game of cat and mouse, so to speak, with the toilet paper rolls. Which I kept hiding in different spots, but he eventually got a hold of. Despite that minor frustration it was a most decent weekend. I postponed some of the unfun stuff to enjoy the good weather and good times with friends. Jumping into piles of leaves with the little man, cupcake Saturday, repeatedly rolling down a big hill (said hill will be transformed into a mini golf course in the Spring, with the return of Walker in the Rough) and more. I even got a little grown up time and saw Control with a friend. But that time change can go suck it. Seriously.

Bonus: Needed a little extra something to get me going today, and that something was the latest from Junior Senior. Who could possibly be in a bad mood while listening to the Happy Rap?
Plus: I only just realized Danny Gregory started blogging again (after a little break) and has posted an awesome piece of work called School for Evil.
And: Two Stephin Merritt shout outs today. This morning Pitchfork reported that The Magnetic Fields will be touring early next year, in support of their upcoming album, Distortion. Then on the drive home I heard a piece on NPR, where they gave him some photos and words as inspiration, and two days to turn that into a fully formed song. Interesting stuff.