When I dropped the little man off at school this morning his clothes were smeared with soy yogurt. But I’d noticed too late to do anything about it. Maybe the school staff won’t notice, because they’ll be distracted by the white rubber gloves the kid donned just before dropoff. He’s still fixated on Mario and anything Mario-related. After school last night he insisted I take him to a store to acquire overalls, a red hat and some sort of water cannon…to complete the outfit. Unfortunately, for him, this mission was not accomplished. And sadly, for me, another mission went unaccomplished last night. Yet again I missed out on all of the Bruce Campbell-related events. Photos from locals haven’t turned up on flickr yet, but at least there are some recent pix from his How to Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way book tour. Some day I will see that man in person, I swear it.
Bonus: I like I Like Drawing’s Rubbish Drawings.
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Summer GorgeFest ‘05 has now come to an end, as April concluded her visit with us early this morning. But last night we wrapped it up in style, at Galactic, with vegan cheese bread, two 14″ pizzas (one the Paul Bunyan, the other a Pizza Bianca), and three pieces of Muddy Paws vegan cheesecake. But that feast wasn’t consumed by just the two of us. We had a full party of six, including the little man (the kid can pack away as much if not more food than I can). One of our dinner companions happens to be very vegan-friendly, but not completely vegan. The little man questioned her about this:
“Are you vegan?”
“No, but I don’t really eat much dairy.”
*pause*
“Oh, you’re real then.”
*laughter erupts*
“I mean, you eat real food.”
Where he got that from, I have no idea. I’ve tried more than once to explain that vegan food is plenty real…but each time I’ve been met with a blank stare. Sigh.
Bonus: “Don’t be afraid to open up your world to someone else’s world.”
Plus: Be sure to check out The Hungry Cyclist.
And: Tonight, weather-permitting, The Triplets of Belleville will be shown in Lowell Park, downtown Stillwater.
Still alive. Just busy having a good time with our houseguest. So far we’ve taken the out-of-town vegan to Muddy Paws Cheesecake, Taste of Thailand, Evergreen and the Tea Garden. Still to come, brunch at Seward, pizza at Galactic, and possibly some soy ice cream at Izzy’s. In between all the eating we’ve also squeezed in a trip to IKEA, the art car parade, and the Dressy Bessy show. Some pix up at flickr, naturally. I’d say it’s been a full weekend.
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Woke up early this morning to an amazing thunderstorm, but it didn’t rouse the boys…even with the eardrum shattering thunderclaps. But nearly nothing would wake those two - they sleep like the dead. So I enjoyed the storm, leisurely drinking my coffee, while lounging with the cats. And was relieved when I drove out later, that the ‘urban flood advisory’ didn’t affect my morning commute. A commute which is even longer these days. I’m now clocking over an hour each way, as I’m chauffeuring the little man to and from his new school. But again, it is totally worth it. Especially since we had a little extra time this morning…a window of opportunity which allowed us to stop by Caffetto. Where we were rewarded with vegan banana chocolate chip muffins and the presence of proprietress, and friend, Tami. Not a bad start to the day.
Previously I mentioned that the husband hadn’t succumbed to the vegan cheeto addiction/affliction (as the little and I have). That was because he hadn’t yet tried them. Until last night. I came home from the co-op with two fresh bags. He asked if he could open one. I said yes, and was there to see the look on his face as he took his first bite. He lit up like a christmas tree. They are that good. And he put away more than half a bag in short order. So now I’m going to have to start hiding them not just from the little man, but from the big one too. Great.
There are too many upcoming events to name. Saturday alone sees the annual Art Car Parade at Lyn-Lake, the Musicapolis opening event at the Minnesota Center for Photography, the Twin Cities Zine Fest at Stevens Square Center for the Arts (featuring a performance by the fabulous Falcon Crest), the Fallout Art Festival, the Brother and Sister show at Triple Rock, and lastly the Dinosaur Jr. show at the Quest (now that brings me back). I’m hoping to enjoy one or more of these events with a potential houseguest. April, who has been living and working in Beijing these last few years, is due to visit the states, with a weeklong Twin Cities stop, and may or may not be crashing on our couch for part of it…starting tomorrow. Guess I should start cleaning. Doh.
Bonus: Continuing on the global tip…many thanks to the incomparable Kenji, who helped translate bits of my Japanese Book. Apparently the title is Transformation Tunnel and the tagline reads “Everyone will turn into someone when passed through the tunnel! What are Kappa and Robot transformed into?” What, indeed. One character seems to have become a ricefield.
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Upon waking up this morning the little man was excited to go back to kindergarten today. That’s always a good sign. And his teacher…oh how I adore his teacher. She emailed me last night, to let me know that day one had gone well. Totally worth the mountains of paperwork required to enroll the lad.
After such a big day, the little man and I turned in early. He curled up with his teddy bear, I curled up with The Half-Blood Prince (my, that sounds rather sinister and/or naughty). It wasn’t quite dark yet when I was starting to nod off, but I was roused by loud noises. Over the whirring of the window fan I initially thought it was more thunder. But no. It was, inexplicably, fireworks, being shot off from Harriet Island. Naturally I got online and checked out the park’s web site, and the city’s, but there was no event listed on any calendar for this random Monday night. I watched the fireworks for a bit, but hated not knowing what they were in honor of.
How could I have missed this? Just last Saturday we were at the Oak Street, with little Dave, who pointed out a notice posted about Man With the Screaming Brain and said something about Bruce Campbell. I was too focused on popcorn acquisition for this to register. What is wrong with me? Just hearing the man’s name should have stopped me in my tracks. And now I find that the man, the myth, Bruce Campbell himself will be at the Oak Street, on July 27th. And I could have acquired my tickets already, along with the popcorn. Doh. Hopefully it hasn’t sold out yet. I can always attempt to swing by his book signing…for Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way.
Bonus: I’m curious about The Edukators, and not only because it features Daniel Brühl from Goodbye Lenin (a favorite film of mine). Looks like it’s getting a limited release, stateside, staring this week.
Plus: The husband surprised me by returning from his business trip bearing gifts, for both the little man and I. Haven’t taken pictures of the Playmobil swag yet, but I did snap off a few off my new book. Anyone who reads Japanese is welcome to offer up a few translations.
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The internets lied to me. Last night I compulsively checked the Northwest Airlines site, to check the status of the husband’s flight. At 5:40pm the plane was estimated to land at 5:45pm. I figured that was a good time to leave the house…to give us about 20-25 minutes to get there, and for the guys to hit the baggage claim and be out on the curb. I figured wrong. We got to the airport in about fifteen minutes. And the guys were nowhere to be found. We looped around ten times. For about 48 minutes total, before acquiring our targets. Which means that we averaged about 4.8 minutes per loop. What’s more difficult to calculate is how much my crankiness levels skyrocketed with each circuit completed. It helped, but only a little, when the husband called my cell phone, around the 7th loop, to let me know they’d been so very close to landing at 5:45pm…but at the last minute had to pull back up, because the plane on the runway ahead of them hadn’t taken off in time. Doh. So while we were circling on the ground, they were circling overhead. I wouldn’t have minded so much…if I’d been feeling better, and it had been earlier in the day. Instead I was feeling craptacular and the little man wound up having his dinner and bath late, and got to bed over an hour later than I’d intended. And today is such a big day. You see, this morning marked the first official day of kindergarten at his new school. I do hope it’s going well.
Plus: Speaking of schooling and such, I’d really like to take these classes in the Fall…the Arabic Language for Beginners course even covers the Lebanese dialect, which is pretty awesome, but I already feel like I’m stretching myself too thin.
This morning I enjoyed watching Starfire’s Starfire vlog post (that is one beautiful car, and a well done and very Minnesotan story). But something else in it caught my eye, near the beginning. There was a guy on a motorcycle. A motorcylce with a sidecar. And in the sidecar was a little kid. Recently someone at work planted the seed of an idea that I can’t seem to shake. You see, this co-worker has a beautiful Russian URal bike…and now I find myself longing for a Troyka to tool around in. The little man would be so stoked to go cruising around in a sidecar like that. Such is the stuff of dreams. In reality we don’t even have a garage.
We were out and about earlier today, to see some Classic Looney Tunes at the air-conditioned Oak Street Cinema, and afterwards to pick up a few groceries. What I completely forgot to pick up was the new Harry Potter book. And now it’s too hot and we’re too tired for us to venture out again. Drat.
The husband’s imminent return is more imminent than I thought. I misread his itinerary and had it in my head that he was coming back Monday night. Turns out it’s tomorrow night. Doh. And we’ve been partying teen-movie style since he left. Going to have to clear out all those empties in a hurry. As if. But really, the week went by much more smoothly (and quickly) than I’d anticipated.
Bonus: A movie I’ve been wanting to see for ages, The American Astronaut, arrived via GreenCine the other day. Now my big dilemma is whether or not to wait for the husband before viewing it. Since he took Olympos away with him, when I was in the middle of reading it (even though it may not be the best book ever written), I’m disinclined to wait. Does that make me petty? Don’t answer.
Plus: Another San Francisco-related realization. When we’re there, I can stop by the McSweeney’s Pirate Store, at 826 Valencia…on the way to Giant Robot, even. Yay!
And: From the Too Much Information department…the squeamish may want to skip this nugget. So. I’m worried that the little man is a bit under the weather (or, who knows, maybe it is because of the weather). But he was in the bathroom a while ago when he excitedly called out to me “Mommy, mommy, I have fake poop!” Perplexed I inched my way down the hallway and he gestured for me to look into the toilet. I tried to avert my eyes but glanced in anyhow. I can safely say…I haven’t seen anything so strange and discolored come out of his little body since he was a baby. Further evidence that the boy isn’t feeling well…just now he handed over his unfinished ice cream cone, the one he’d been wanting since before dinner, and quietly said he was all done. How sad is that?
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So. The weather. The heat. The humidity. Not so happy about it. When I’m inside somewhere, somewhere blissfully, sinfully cooled by central air, I become energized. And make mental notes of all the tasks I will conquer upon my return home. I’ll powerwash the deck. I’ll clean out and organize the bedroom closets (or just the bedroom, which has basically turned into one giant disorganized closet). I’ll tackle all of those pesky items on the old To Do list, and I’ll like it. But then reality seeps and sinks in as I walk out into the air so thick and hot and soupy and all my energy is leeched right out through my pores leaving me thoroughly sapped. A sapped sap. And there seems to be no end in sight. Maybe not until the little man and I leave for the Bay next month. At least that’s less than one month away. That’s the thought that is keeping me going right now. And I’ve just discovered that the San Francisco Giant Robot, which I look forward to visiting, is pretty danged close to the southern entrance of Golden Gate Park, near “one of the biggest and best” children’s playgrounds in town. Score! And the weekend that we’re there coincides with the 32nd Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair in San Francisco’s Japantown. And we will see friends while we’re there. And the Redwoods too, hopefully. So we have much to look forward to in the Bay (not the least of which will be the mild weather).
In other news, last night the little man triumphed where mommy failed. Two nights in a row I attempted to summon the strength of will…to yank out his second loose tooth (the husband yanked out the first, but he’s still out of town). But I just couldn’t do it. So the brave, bold boy composed himself, took a breath, and popped it right out with no muss, no fuss. I’m so proud of the lad. And relieved that I didn’t have to do it. Phew. Unfortunately he didn’t get this whole tooth fairy thing. Last night he put his tooth in the little pocket of his tooth fairy pillow (thank you Zophia!) and was alarmed this morning when there was a dollar in it instead of his tooth. He wanted the money and his tooth.
Bonus: I recently discovered a variety of vegan cheetos, called Tings*, that taste really really good (even though/because they are seasoned with nutritional yeast). So good that I have no will power when they’re around and will eat them until I feel sick. And I’m afraid I’ve gone and gotten the little man hooked too. The husband, however, is somehow immune to this affliction/addiction.
*Made by the same folks who brought us Veggie Booty.
Plus: Congratulations to Chuck on the launch of Minnesota Stories, a daily videoblog…with posts running the gamut from videotaping grandpa’s birthday to fine filmmaking (the site was also linked to by Wired News yesterday).
And: Not to be missed…the magical water-deflecting properties of red russian kale.
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Now and again I check in at Whedonesque, to see what’s new with Joss Whedon and his projects, of course, but also to keep tabs on Whedonverse alums. Which is how I found out that Nicholas Brendon, who was Xander on Buffy, has a new show…one that will be on in the same time slot as another new show featuring Alyson Hannigan, who was Willow on Buffy. Ouch. Truthfully I doubt I’ll be watching either, as I pretty much quit watching teevee after Angel and Wonderfalls went off the air. But I did watch one clip of Willow…I mean Alyson’s new show, How I Met Your Mother. A clip in which the former Doogie Howser proclaimed that Lebanese girls are the new half-asian girls. Well hot damn, if that’s true I guess I’m in luck. Oh wait, just because the husband isn’t here right now doesn’t make me any less married, huh? Speaking of the husband. When the man left yesterday he took with him the book I was reading. The one that I bought at Uncle Hugo’s…and was only halfway through with. Now I desperately want to know how it all turns out and I’m finding that the other books I have on hand are inadequate substitutes. It’s going to be a long week.
Bonus: If we did have television reception, I’d be watching the Guns, Germs, and Steel miniseries on PBS. Read some of the book a while back and found it interesting. But not interesting enough to finish, apparently. Sadly I have a short attention span when it comes to works of non-fiction.
Plus: I know everyone and their brother has linked to this now, but how could I not love a book containing nothing but photos of Japanese Robot Toys. Though I made the mistake of showing it to the little man who doesn’t want the book…he wants the robots. And who can blame him.
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I’m just going to pencil in a nervous breakdown starting, oh, tomorrow. You see…the husband is leaving me. For an entire week. It’s his first ever business trip. And it’s coinciding with the start of kindergarten at the little man’s new school (it’s a year round program). For the first few years of the little man’s life I was a single mother, and I managed. I think I managed fairly well actually. But these last several years I’ve gone soft…with the husband around to help. So this week I’ll get a taste of doing it *all* again, taking over the tasks that have fallen to the husband…while trying to transition the little man and I to yet another new routine. Should be great fun. Other than that, we’ve been trying to keep cool…and visiting with friends and family who are in town.
Bonus: Remember our most favorite neighbors who we absolutely adored but moved away in May and broke our hearts? Thankfully I heard from those former neighbors on Friday. It turns out their new baby arrived a few weeks early, and he had a bit of a hard time at first, but he’ll be all right. Phew. So a big welcome to Encermo Chan! Can’t wait to meet him.
Plus: If you haven’t already seen it…the All-New Sesame Street.
And: Zophia’s been getting crafty as of late, and, armed with her awesome new book from Japan, might make me a stuffed coffee cup. Neat.
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