weapons of massdistraction

This week the little man has got me especially worried. Each morning he’s begun protesting about an hour before the school bus comes. He says “school makes me sick” then illustrates this with a weak *cough cough* noise, as though the very thought of it is bringing on an allergic reaction. I could understand this in an older child, maybe post-puberty, when the going gets rough (did for me, at any rate). But this is preschool we’re talking about. And he usually boards the school bus with a spring in his step, looking forward to a morning of playing with his peers. Which makes me wonder just what is going on. Is one of the kids being particularly crappy to him? Has one of the teachers or aides “redirected” (read: disciplined) him a little too harshly? I don’t know, and he’s not telling. But whatever it is, it’s been distressing to the both of us. I’ve left a voicemail for one of his teachers, so now it’s all wait and see. Which seems to apply to a lot of things in our lives these days. Sigh.
Bonus: For something less serious…Tetsujin niju-hachigo (Ironman # 28). There’s nothing like virtually-indestructible Gigantor robots to get me in a good mood (though I wish I could read their movie blog).
Plus: Last weekend Ryanne was lucky enough to experience the marvel that is Leslie & The Ly’s firsthand. In my excitement I tried to comment on this, but blogger kept timing out on me before my comment finally showed up…three times. Yarr.
And: A little boy named Leonard. Made me smile. Zophia had this reaction:
“that makes my ovaries hurt!!! how freaking cute!” Indeed. Also adorable, the amazing Maxwell, who is now one. Happy Birthday Count Blogula!
Lastly: Castro gives rice cookers to women on Women’s Day. The hell?

It was a fine weekend, with a good balance between activity and, well, inactivity. We dined out a couple of times, ran errands, visited the library, and hung out with friends and family. Yesterday the little man and I dropped by to see the results of an annual snow culpting contest, but those folks picked the wrong weekend for it. Saturday was wintery enough, but Sunday was Springlike, with temps near 60. It was so wonderful to go on a walk through the neighborhood, without jackets. But today it’s back to reality…especially for the husband. He went back to work, to both jobs, for the first time in, oh, ten days or so. Ouch.

In other news, it’s been brought to my attention, again, that this blog has been suffering…due to my excessive flickr-ing. I’m sorry. I just can’t help myself. And flickr is just a gateway to other distractions. My latest find, Kid Ethnic. His tagline:

I’m that Lebanese Japanese Indian White kid. The ain’t got a right kid. The party all night kid.

How can I resist his charm? He’s got some fabulous photos, and even more wonderful writing. But, after a little La Coquette yesterday, I came to realize I have a thing for expat blogs. Aussies in Switzerland, Canadians in Australia, Brits in the U.S., Americans in Paris, Japan, Taiwan, etc. I can’t get enough of ‘em (yes, living vicariously through these folks does help ease my wanderlust some). So I found this article especially interesting.
Now I’m off to get my hairs cut. Chop chop!
Bonus: Que Sera Sera’s awesome pictures of her brother.

Last night our family unit attended a fundraising banquet, for our friends at Compassionate Action for Animals. It was even fancier than we’d expected (had I realized I might have worn something a little classier than cargo pants and chucks). The dinner was held in the President’s Room of Coffman Union. We were assigned to tables where volunteers served us food from area restaurants (the husband provided two of his chocolate almond midnight cakes for the event). And, here’s the kicker, the little man was on his best behavior. We can’t explain it. But he sat, fairly quietly, mostly in his own seat, for nearly an hour and a half. There was no frenzied running around, jumping up and down, screeching or screaming. The boy sat calmly beside me, allowing me to converse with the person seated on my other side. At one point he seemed a bit bored (but quietly bored) while waiting for the main course to arrive, so we read through a book I’d prudently grabbed when leaving the house. It was such a pleasant time out with him…we started to worry he was ill or something. But I think it was just a fluke.

I received an email update from the folks behind the Tideland site (one of Terry Gilliam’s upcoming movies). There’s no trailer just yet, but some behind the scenes footage, photos and suchlike. From the synopsis:

Jelia-Rose drifts from the harsh reality of her childhood and escapes into the fantasies of her own active imagination. This is a fantasy world to rival all others; here fireflies have names, bog-men awaken at dusk, monster sharks swim down railroad tracks, and disembodied Barbie heads share in her adventures.

Sounds good to me. In other movie news…at long last, there is an official trailer for the upcoming Wallace & Gromit full length (via Jonathan). And Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior is finally showing on the big screen…in the Twin Cites, anyhow.

And lastly, some short-lived happiness. For his birthday the husband unexpectedly received an iPod mini from his parents. A very generous and thoughtful gift that he played with, non-stop, for a few days. Until the hard drive died last night. Doh. I’m hoping it will be relatively painless for him to have it exchanged or repaired. On the more painful front, he has his job interview this afternoon. Mine’s on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed.
Bonus: Starfire has struck off on his own with Le Garage, and the fabulous Diablo Cody is back at the Pussy ranch.

One thing I learned this past weekend…it would seem that, post-motherhood, I am no longer very adept at relaxing. As we lounged (or attempted to) I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should be multi-tasking. If we’d stayed home instead, while still sending the little man to his grandparents, I would have had serious guilt…stemming from the certainty that I really could have been doing a thousand and one things other than relaxing. But we were 271 miles away from home. And that was a good thing. Upon arrival at the Arbor House we found we’d received a complimentary upgrade to the John Nolen room. The room with a two person whirlpool and radiant flooring. Score! And the husband didn’t have to endure breakfast with strangers. It was a quiet weekend at the inn, so we were served breakfast in our room. It was all about food really. The husband’s big plan for his birthday was, simply, to eat. Two evenings in a row we dined at a wonderful little Laotian restaurant called Lao Laan-Xang. The birthday day itself was cold and gloomy so we ventured over to the Botanical Gardens to warm up for a bit, before eating lunch and taking in a matinee. And that was about it, really. Aside from excessive use of the whirlpool. While in it I think my brain melted a little, and I managed, temporarily, to not obsess over the To Do list that burns bright in my brain. But I was happy to return home (as an aside, we did not partake of the abundance of roadside fireworks, cheese and porn available on the drive back). Not so much to return to reality and all of its accompanying troubles, but to see the little man. I was missing him like crazy. Tonight, the husband’s bold plan continues. We’re meeting friends and family for dinner at Udupi Cafe. Followed by cake, of his making. That might seem sad, making the guy make his own birthday cake, but it was his idea, honest. And it’s better this way.
Bonus: All garlic, all the time.
Plus: There are more trip pix here.

That last post was all doom and gloom and not a good note to leave off on for the weekend. Besides, it’s amazing how much a cup a coffee can change one’s attitude. That, and a reassuring phone call from the little man’s psychologist. So I’ll try to post some happy happy joy joy links while this upbeat-ish mood lasts.
First off, I’m quite enjoying the indescribable beauty of Bearsuit (just received their latest from microindie records, as well as a bonus ‘badge‘ that has been described as wicked).
Secondly, I’m thinking of signing up the little man for an apprenticeship with Lorika. I don’t know how she does it. We get this crappy, fluffy, powdery snow that I can’t seem to do anything with…yet she builds these beautiful sculptures. I suspect super-special fairie magic is involved.
Thirdly, speaking of magic…some French art students created this very, very sad but beautiful and brilliant and slightly creepy tribute to Jim Henson and the Muppets.
Fourth-like, this portrait of Johnny Cash made me think of Receptionista.
Finally, I’ve never owned a pair of Fluevogs because a) when I most wanted ‘em I couldn’t afford ‘em and b) when I finally could afford ‘em, I’d already gone vegan and stopped wearing leather altogether. But that doesn’t stop me from looking at them now and again. Recently I was admiring these Maxi Bondgirl Boots but realized that, even if there were a vegan version out there, they’d likely reach my chin as I’m just barely 5′0″. Oh well.
Bonus: I’ve only just discovered Grim Fandango. I’m intrigued.