My mind is a messy messy place today. Instead of forming something coherent, I’m giving you a random list.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Eight years of muscle memory, combined with my inherent clumsiness, are conspiring against me. Last week I had our front steps torn out and replaced. They are now up to code, which means they are up two inches higher. After living here so long my body automatically distributes its weight to meet the steps that were. Not the steps that are. It’s amazing I haven’t done a faceplant yet. And just the week before that I had our sad old refrigerator replaced. It was a side by side model. My hands still reach for the ghost handles in the center, rather than the actual single handle on the far left. I’m starting to feel like the befuddled shopkeeper, Mr. Collignon, who was tormented by Amélie’s pranks. Hopefully I’ll adjust before too long.
Bonus: Been uploading a slew of photos to flickr, as usual. A set from our first Saint Paul Saints game (the little man loved it), a set of outtakes from a little project I shot for work, photos of some Clockworkers gearing up for a lunchtime bike ride, and a few photos from Lani’s birthday party. Also? I put together a collection of My Peeps. It’s a work in progress.
Plus: Things that have made me happy today? This wonderfully cool weather, promo shots from the Batman Dark Knight movie, and the little man dressing up in his Halloween costume.
And: Tonight I’m skipping the Square Lake Solstice Festival and Jay Ryan’s poster show opening party at First Amendment Arts. But being in my pajamas in bed just feels so good right now. Going to curl up with a book soon.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
We haven’t gotten around to getting divorced just yet, so today is our fourth wedding anniversary. The last two we were in different places. He was on a business trip in Finland last year. The year before I’d taken the little man on vacation to the Bay Area. But that’s how our relationship has always been. Two people in different places. Or occupying the same space, but not entirely together.
The little man and I have come to a compromise. He wanted a Peter Pan themed birthday party next month. I was unenthused. I suggested we save the Neverland-inspired frippery for Halloween…and have a Super Mario Brothers style birthday this year instead. Since then I’ve been scouring the internets for party favors and whatnot and have come across some oddball items. Like this. And a Goomba ash tray? Just what every kid needs! I’d thought it would be easier to find Nintendo party supplies than Peter Pan themed ones. I just may have been mistaken.
Bonus: There are quite a few fantastic DIY Mario cakes out there, but I don’t think we’ll be making anything so elaborate.
Plus: I’m short on new reading material but am finally catching up on some movies in my queue. Loved Cashback last night. The way so many of the shots were set up, I wasn’t at all surprised that director Sean Ellis is better known as a photographer.
And: Welcome back to civilization Amanda!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The little man had his swimming lesson today. Afterwards we played in the leisure pool for a bit, then retired to a private family locker room. The lad stripped down, toweled himself off and then, rather than getting dressed, he took a few moments to enjoy a naked chicken dance. I couldn’t think of anything to say about this development. All I could do was laugh. But earlier, when we were still in the pool, I’d had another moment of speechlessness. He suggested that I slide down the teeny-tiny kids’ slide but I told him I was too big. His response?
And flat.
I mean fat.
I mean thick.
Gee, thanks kid, for the ego boost. Sigh.
Bonus: Last night Zophia and I saw Stardust. It was entertaining but my OCD had me bristling whenever the story deviated from the book. And that was all too often.
Plus: Tonight I’m taking the little man to his first ever baseball game. Sometimes I wonder about my sanity. At least we’ll be among friends. And hopefully they’ll still be friends after the game.
And: Tomorrow I’d like to make it down to The Soap Factory, for the Plaster the Town ‘07 closing party. But we’ve got a family dinner thing in the afternoon. I just might be able to do both.
Around 2 or 3 in the morning I stood up on my bed, shouting, and hurled a pillow across the room…for reasons I can’t fully explain (thankfully I didn’t wake the little man). I had watched Hot Fuzz before going to sleep, extras and all, but I doubt that to be the source of my troubles. The root cause is more mundane. The usual suspects, parenting and work and house stuff and finances and interpersonal relationship junk all rolled up into one happy-fun ball of stress. In fact, I’ll be writing a check for $2450 to the dudes who ripped out and replaced my front steps and sidewalk today. Such excitement.
Bonus: Tomorrow? Escapism through Stardust. This film adaptation is being described as “Princess Bride meets Midnight Run.”
Plus: The season one Heroes DVD box set, with the never-aired 73 minute pilot, goes on sale August 28th. Yeah, I want it.
And: Mirror-Image Humans Walk Among Us With No Warning
It’s been years since I’ve had a roommate of the platonic variety (and most of a year since I’ve had a non-platonic one). April’s presence in the house has been a comforting one, and has reminded me of the positive aspects of having a roomie. Sadly she flies out of the Twin Cities tomorrow, then back to Beijing in a few days. But maybe it is time to get serious about looking for that special someone…to rent out our spare room. It’s not just the extra cash I could use. The extra company could be nice. In small doses. I’d just continue my practice of holing up in my room when I need alone time. You know, alone time with my powerbook.
The little man is still pre-reading more than actually reading. Even though I do use a text-only email client - pine - I get all nervous when he’s sitting next to me while I’m checking my email, when the porn spam pops up. But who knows, maybe he’d think a penis launcher sounds like a fun new toy. The boy has been writing a bit. I found the best thing ever in his backpack. He’d written this:
I am in a forrest[sic].
I will have a goob[sic] day.
That seals it. We need to head up to Duluth soon, for some walking in the woods, away from everything. I could use a goob day.
Bonus: Oh man. M.I.A. is opening for Bjork in Detroit next month. Miraculously there are still tickets available. I really want to do it, but I just can’t. Being a grown-up is dumb sometimes.
Plus: Something I can feasibly attend…next week’s kid-friendly, and free, Cafe Accordion Orchestra performance at the MN History Center.
And: So a giant Lego man washed up on a Dutch beach. The article doesn’t mention, but contains a photo, showing his chest was emblazoned with the following - “No Real Than You Are” - buh?
Weird weird times, but we keep on going.
Friday night J and I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum, which was brilliant. But would have been more so if the projector hadn’t broken down. Not once, not twice, but three times a lady. And always at such edge-of-your-seat moments. Interrupting the escapism we all needed. At least we were compensated with two free movie passes each.
Yesterday I woke up in a bit of a funk and I was completely out of coffee. Both problems were quickly remedied. The little man and I walked down to the neighborhood coffee shop. This mild, cool weather is just the thing. I am totally loving it. We had a quiet day at home. Cleaning and lounging (and getting another bid for the front steps, $2450) and awaiting April’s arrival. I can’t believe it had been two years! After some catching up we made a co-op run and I whipped up a batch of batter-fried mock chicken w/mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner. She’ll be with us for the next several days. As in the past her stay will revolve around the acquisition and consumption of quality vegan foods - and hanging out. It’s going to be good.
Bonus: 1,500 plus CPDRC inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines, re-enacting the video for Thriller. Amazing.
Update: Just found another video explaining more about the origin of the CPDRC program in the Philippines
Plus: It’s not the article so much as reddit’s very appropriate title for it: The Vagina is Not a Clown Car
And: Love this. Students living in a dorm in Russia “playing” House Tetris with their building.
The little man and I are fine. Should’ve posted last night, but I was still taking it all in and trying to track other people down.
Times like this I’m glad we don’t have teevee reception at our house. The glimpses I’ve had? The television coverage is just so abrasive and off-putting. Instead I’m getting updates from local blogs and vlogs, a message board, twitter, flickr, and NPR - but only in short bursts. Things are just going to go from bad to worse as the recovery efforts continue today.
Emily’s tagged me on this 8 Things meme. My first thought? I’m so open and transparent I can’t possibly have eight new things to tell the world. Any eight things I haven’t already divulged must be so trivial even my filter-less brain recognizes this fact. But here goes anyhow.
- I am unduly grossed out by sweat - my own, and the sweat of others.
- The little man and I took an unplanned break from our YWCA, for at least six weeks (but I was still paying for it). After working out yesterday my butt muscles are seriously sore.
- I don’t mind washing laundry, but I have some sort of mental block against putting said laundry away properly. It just doesn’t happen. Instead I dig through baskets of clean laundry when it’s time to get dressed. Naturally I can’t find a damned thing this way, and end up rotating through the same few outfits that float to the top.
- The Fratellis played in town last night (at the Varsity, and in-store at Electric Fetus). I found out this morning. I am not well pleased.
- While I am very social, I’ve always felt like a disconnected loner. The number of people I feel genuinely connected to is small and shrinking all the time.
- On a related note…I’m pretty sure I’m somewhere on the old autism spectrum, but I’ve never been diagnosed.
- Pacing is a problem. I get my hands on a good book (or a DVD box set) and I blow right through, cover to cover. Can’t stop until I’ve reached the end. If only I could force myself to slow down and savor these things instead of being so damned manic.
- For the last dozen years I’ve been web-obsessed yet, somehow, and I don’t know how, I’ve only just discovered these G.I. Joe parodies. Last one there is a penis pump!
Bonus: Soon I Will Be Invincible was a wonderful read (and over all too soon). Next up? Heart-Shaped Box, which comes highly recommended.
Plus: A friend just got back from ten days in Denmark. Now if he’d just post some photos from the trip.
And: I feel like I killed seen heard read. The last post came just after James met me, and he hasn’t posted since.
