weapons of massdistraction

Today the little man is, officially, six years old. He’s a bit confused about that though, being as we had his birthday party last weekend. But on that day he received many wondrous gifts. Naturally there have been a few standout favorites (two from me, for instance, but who loves ya baby?) though every day this week we’ve spent some time with a different, new present. Last night it was Spell Time, a word game that we both enjoyed. I mostly liked watching him because he was focusing so intently on figuring each word out. And while he was spelling out the words I realized two things: one, I hope he grows up to be a big word game geek (so I’ll have someone to play with). And two, I hadn’t yet done my Arabic homework, and class is tonight (I hope the little man doesn’t become a procrastinator, like me). Our first class was last week, and it was wonderful. But I can already tell that the spoken language is going to be far easier for me than the written…which is the opposite of the experience I had when attempting to learn French…but it is a whole new alphabet to learn.

Lately I’ve been feeling simultaneously overwhelmed

and disconnected, for a number of reasons. First and foremost…my body has betrayed me, with this mammoth migraine I haven’t been able to shake. It’s been waxing and waning for the last six weeks or so (mostly waxing) but never completely dissipating. So this afternoon my stubborness takes a break, and I’ll be seeing a neurologist for the first time. I believe I’ll even be having a CAT Scan. Oh joy.

In other news…I signed up for yet another web service. Now I can waste my time at upcoming.org too. But it reminded me to buy tickets to the upcoming Andrew Bird show, led me to discover that The Arcade Fire show has been sold out for a while now (blast and damn), and made me thankful that a friend bought our Decemberists tickets, even if he may not be able to go to the show after all.

I was just going to lie down for a little while. You know, rest my eyes for a spell before heading to the party. But that’s how it happens every time. When the ladies called to check in on me the husband told them I was already sound asleep. It wasn’t even 9pm. So there went my Friday night. Saturday I managed to get the little man to the Walker Art Center’s family day. But we arrived late, and didn’t stick around for too long. Sunday morning we did make it to Anodyne, to meet up with the ladies at 8:30am, so two out of three (plans coming together) ain’t bad. The rest of the weekend was rather quiet. The guys played the GameCube entirely too much while I devoured any books that came near me (it’s the most effective way to ignore my To Do list, and the World at Large, and to ignore the guilt of ignoring both, and it also helps keep the migraines at bay). Friday afternoon I started reading Reflex, the sequel to Jumper, and finished it Saturday morning. Then it was on to Sean Stewart’s Perfect Circle, which I quite enjoyed (I’ve liked his other books as well). Next up was Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s A Fistful Of Sky. Soon I’ll need to pick upThe Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse, which was recommended to me, by someone whose opinion I trust. But I’d pick it up just for the title alone. Apparently some fans of Jasper Fforde are fond of it, and I certainly am a Fforde fan. Also another fantastic title, this non-fiction selection, Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants, looks like it’s up my alley. But for now, it’s the start of another work week and school week, with assorted errands, tasks and chores heaped on top of the daily grind. Yay.
Plus: A roundup of some music-related Katrina relief efforts.

Still recovering from the weekend. Saturday was idyllic. Sunday was pure hell. Woke up with another damned migraine and spent the entire day flat on my back in a dark room. And I had plans. Plans within plans. All for naught. Still feeling the lingering effects of it - exhaustion (yes, even though I was just lying down all day pain will wear a person out), tenderness, achiness and sensitivity to light, sound and smells. Oh so much fun to be me. But it’d better not happen again next weekend. Maria, who showed us such a good time in the Bay Area, will be here for a few days. Friday night there’s a pirate party to attend, and Sunday morning a brunch thingie. And on Saturday…Stories with Sara, at the Walker Art Center. Sara being Sara Varon, comic book artist extraordinaire. Should be fun. Also fun and family-friendly…I’d long heard rumors of a cool Japanese exhibit coming to the Minnesota Children’s Museum. Rumor is becoming a reality. Jump to Japan opens September 24th, complete with the cat bus and a giant stuffed Totoro. Not sure who will be more excited, the little man or myself.
Bonus: “…double-breasted jackets make short men look like small tough meaty boxes”
Plus: Maybe it was the wicked witch?

It could be said that the husband and I are not very skilled at prioritizing tasks. For instance, today is trash day. The husband could have cleared out our overflowing wastebaskets and rolled the big trash bin to the curb. Instead he ripped my recently obtained CDs (from Amoeba Records) and loaded up the iPod, so I would have something new to listen to today, in the car and at work. Can I complain? Yes. Too much? Well, no.
Bonus: Hillary has outdone herself. This time she has created a fleece version of His Noodly Appendage, the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Another fabulous photo of it is here. This fleeceity is absolutely divine.
Plus: Been meaning to mention, our very own big Dave has now contributed to his second O’Reilly book, and this one has a cover now and everything (his first book had some sort of monkey on the cover, this time it’s a hawk of some sort).
And: Craziness. Last weekend Spacewaitress rented a taxi and drove people from Point A to Point B. She barely broke even, but it seemed to be an interesting experience at least.
And another thing: 7-how-7 on belated spring cleaning. I can relate.