I spent my weekend in the land of the Lost, attempting to recover from this ever-lingering migraine, while devouring all of season one. Now I know why I avoided that show. It is seriously addictive! I even started in on season two yesterday. So I spent most of the weekend out of commission, leaving my poor son to amuse himself for the most part. If I’d been feeling better I may have been able to ask for assistance from someone but the sad truth is we’re running low on “someone” options. Instead I waited for those brief bright spots, where I could stay upright without wincing, to take the boy out. Saturday night to dinner at E Noodle Cafe and bowling at Sun Ray. And Sunday we escaped the steamy-hot weather by going swimming indoors at our Y, which was, surprisingly, not all that busy. But I should have been. I’d intended to use the weekend to catch up on To Do list tasks and pull together travel plans for next month’s All Tomorrow’s Parties in New York. Plans that are in danger of unraveling at this point. Anyone care to join me?
Tonight I am planning to see Times New Viking, for free, at Loring Park. Tomorrow night is The Breeders at the Fine Line (probably not going) and Friday night Vampire Hands plays the Turf Club. We shall see.
Bonus: Patton Oswalt’s upcoming movie looks strangely serious. Big Fan looks to be more depressing than funny but the trailer is most compelling.
Plus: “Parenting is just Groundhog Day with more lawyers and different cuts of jeans.”
And: Right up my alley…the Blab Show’s 21st Century Apocalypse at Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, with some of my favorite artists.
This morning I was tempted to go back to bed, until the internets had healed themselves. But I forced myself to forge ahead even without twitter and Facebook to keep me company. How brave of me, I know. But let me tell you, I am one tough broad. Though if it had been my beloved flickr experiencing the denial of service attack? I might have gone into the fetal position.
Where has this week gone? I feel like some higher power has been messing with my head. Hitting the fast forward button making some days fly by, then yanking it back to replay the horrible little bits (like my burgeoning migraine, ceaselessly squeezing my skull) over and over again while other times have been big with the buffering buffering buffering (like the endless waiting at the school bus stop). The weekend is nearly here and we have no concrete plans. And I find myself somewhat apathetic about that. My creative juices have been running dry and I’ve been consuming more media. Saw the new Harry Potter movie. Read Jim Butcher’s Turn Coat in a couple of days. Caught another episode of Warehouse 13. Broke down and watched my first ever episode of Lost last night. And still have season one of Gossip Girl to get through, at my man-friend’s behest. But I’m hoping inspiration will strike soon, perhaps when this headache dissipates. Hopefully before the weekend. Which should unfold in real time.
Bonus: Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer - the actors who play the lead characters, and couple, on True Blood - are getting married in real life. In other TB news, Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd who plays Eric is totally Darryl Hannah’s doppelganger when he’s in drag. Seriously.
Plus: Yeah, I tweeted about this yesterday but I just watched it again. It is just so good. Captain Kirk wants to make love to the mountain.
And: Yesterday’s CSA delivery was a pack-your-own-basket affair, which yielded the biggest take home yet. Cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, yellow onions, red onions, three different kinds of potatoes, green beans, garlic and more. There will be lots of cooking and baking in my future, though maybe not so much during the heat wave that is supposed to hit soon. Hmm.
Friday night was a quiet one. Somehow I got hooked on the hokey Warehouse 13. Watched all four episodes in one sitting! Thanks Hulu.
Saturday morning we weren’t hindered by the boy’s desire to watch cartoons. Since the switch to digital the signal is so janky, even with our fancy new TV and antenna, that trying to watch broadcast television is more frustrating than fun. Fine by me. He didn’t even put up a fight when I declared we were leaving to hit up the Mill City Farmer’s Market, where we lucked into a decent parking spot. Then, while hunting for quarters in the car to feed the meter, I recovered a book that had gone missing. A Lee Martinez’s Monster had gotten wedged under the passenger seat. At the market we ran into a few friends, scored some sweet corn and blueberries, and snarfed down tasty veggie momos for lunch. Then it was a quick trip over to Mitrebox, for our first miel y leche Cupcake Saturday in months (only later did I realize I had tomato chutney on my chin from the momos, but no one pointed it out). After a little visiting we continued on to a playground, to bear witness to some weirdness. Seeing a group of my friends clad in athletic type clothing, scrambling around a basketball court. I know next to nothing about the rules so it just seemed like an excuse for them to get sweaty and push each other around but hey, if it makes them happy and keeps them healthy, cool. And my son got a kick out of watching them play. The boy is woefully under-informed about sports, due to my general lack of interest. We haven’t hit up a Saints game in over a year and should get to one before the season is over. After our brush with basketball we popped by the new Mississippi Market on the way home. There I found what I’d been looking for at the farmer’s market. Garlic scapes! And lobster mushrooms (I’d really been wanting chicken of the woods mushrooms, but these were good too). I whipped up a tasty pasta, utilizing both items, but there are more recipes I’d like to try like pesto made with garlic scapes and white bean and garlic scapes dip. My son also talked me into baking him a blueberry pie (really had to twist my arm on that one) and that evening a few out of town friends joined us for another backyard fire, which the lad stayed up too late for.
Thankfully he did sleep in Sunday morning. So late that we missed our window of opportunity for me to get a workout in at the Y (the childcare program has goofy hours) but we did venture out to Hyland Park Reserve’s Chutes and Ladders play area. Then it was more cooking/cleaning/lounging/reading at home (with the house to ourselves, as our unpredictable new roommate disappeared again). A lovely weekend, all around.
Bonus: This is beautiful: stop motion with wolf and pig. Sadly it was completely, blatantly ripped off for commercial purposes (via Tubes).
Plus There will be more mini golf in our near future. The Science Museum’s Big Back Yard has a deal, $5 to play mini golf after 5pm, without paying museum admission. I’d also like to venture to Lilli Putt sometime.
And: I was recently invited to join Aardvark. Need to poke around some more.
A few weekends ago I was making our usual Saturday morning pancakes while listening to Marketplace Money, as you do. One piece in particular caught my attention about entrepreneurs seeing the upside in downturn. Turned out my old high school chum Marie had been interviewed about the Portland, OR business she started, the Sellwood Garden Club - “purveyors of ultra-local produce.” She and her cohorts “take yards and lawns throughout SE Portland and turn them into micro-farms that feed not only the land-owners, but also patrons of the Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market” and some area restaurants. Neat! I’ve heard of some similar options in the Twin Cities, like A Backyard Farm, via the Lazy Person’s Guide to Eating Local. While I love the idea of it I can’t afford the price tag so I’ll just stick with my CSA for now. This week’s delivery included cabbage, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and beets. I still have some of last week’s summer squash and onions too so I am thinking I’ll have to veganize Stetted’s summer vegetable latkes and possibly make some zucchini blondies (sans coconut) from Crafty Lass.
Bonus: Utter brilliance. William Shatner, reciting Sarah Palin’s tweets as though they were poetry: No Rain, No Rainbow
Plus: New from Fuck Buttons, Surf Solar, from the full length Tarot Sport due out in October.
And: Kirstie’s photo alerted me to the existence of the Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby. Maybe we’ll have to be in Chicago for that next year.
I had an epiphany the other day. Some combined knowledge finally gelled in my brain. The bits that 1) my son is a delight to travel with plus 2) he enjoyed CONvergence ever so much, dressing up as Batman while surrounded by other similarly attired folks = we should most definitely go to San Diego Comic-Con summer 2010. Duh! Don’t know why that hadn’t dawned on me sooner.
Five other good, geeky things:
Recently I was inspired after seeing photos of empanadas made by the Blackbird Cafe. When I was poking around, looking for vegan versions I discovered the vegan ronin blog. “I am the Vegan Ronin. I travel the world, my knives my only companions. You will only know me by my trail of tofu.” Love it! Then, serendipitously, I embarked upon another fantastic round of pizza farm adventures last night, where I happened to meet the owners and some staff of the Blackbird Cafe…and wound up discussing their empanadas with them. Lovely people, all. And willing to prepare some vegan options. I need to get myself over there sometime. Soon.
Speaking of pizza farm, perhaps we shouldn’t be. Shhhhhh, it’s a secret. Or maybe if we spread the word that Scott Seekins was there it might scare some folks off?
This past week has been a little rough around the edges. Came down with a crummy summer cold just as the roommate was moving in. And as it has been YEARS since we’ve had a roommate, re-adjusting to life with one is going to take some time (especially with just one bathroom in the house, ugh). Also? My latest tattoo is not healing well which is troubling. Hoping I don’t end up shelling out for a doc visit because of it. Boo hiss. But in addition to these lowlights, life hasn’t been without its highlights too. While I regret skipping The Future of the Left show last Wednesday, the little man and I enjoyed the show at Eclipse earlier that night. We also checked out both the new Mississippi Market co-op location and the nearby newly opened Trader Joe’s. And Saturday I gave in and took the lad to see G-Force, in 3D. Saturday night was mild and perfect for another backyard fire with friends. Sunday the lad and I finally road tripped it down to Kellogg, MN to check out Lark Toys. Their carousel was cool but we really dug the mini golf, with the Gatorade looking waterfall.
Our day trip got me thinking we need an extended stay elsewhere. Preferably in the Duluth/Superior area. Sadly we can no longer afford the Mountain Villas but some cheaper alternate contenders are Betty’s Cabins, Bob’s Cabins, Gooseberry Cabins or Ghost Lake Lodge. If we end up at any of those spots I’ll just have to force myself to not think of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s creepy Cabin in the Woods. Eep eep.
Bonus: I will most definitely be seeing the new Tron movie. The trailer makes me a little bit giddy.
Plus: I love my wacky and creative flickr contacts.
And: Torn between Pizza Farm adventures for tomorrow or seeing Tiny Music play with Paul Metzger. Hmmm.
My brain capacity has been diverted to other projects lately. Don’t worry, it’s only temporary. In the meantime enjoy some random awesomeness:
Have a lovely weekend!
Life is fraught with uncertainty. That is the nature of the game, sure, but it has always bugged the hell out of me. So tenuous. Everything up in the air at all times. I would like certain aspects of my life to have more structure and be just a bit more definitive. But, as always, I’m trying to roll with it. And sometimes unexpected goodness rolls my way. This weekend I’m shooting a pretty dreamy wedding. The bride and groom are people I know, they have chosen interesting ceremony and reception sites, many of their guests are friends of mine and the catering is all vegetarian, with some vegan cupcakes. Score! And I was just asked to shoot another wedding, for other friends, in September. I have at least five more weddings lined up for 2009. That’s just about right. And another unexpected boon has come along. After I signed up for a roommates.com account initial results were discouraging - nothing but international spam - but Friday a legit inquiry came along, from a student attending a nearby university. We’ve met a couple of times since and it seems like a done deal. I don’t want to get my hopes up until after he’s moved in, but I am cautiously optimistic. So much so that I spent a good chunk of the weekend deep cleaning the house (which was much easier in my son’s absence).
Other recent highlights:
The rest of this week should be quieter, spent preparing for this weekend’s wedding. And for the arrival of our potential roommate, who is tentatively moving in next week. And for whatever else the universe might throw my way.
Bonus: Cats Do Control Humans, Study Finds
Plus: Saudi family sues genie, alleges harassment
And: Dude watchin’ with the Brontës
Looks like the lad and I will be missing the Dragon Festival again. Last night I got a call from my son’s itinerant grandparents. They’ve sold their house and are moving away. Right on out of the country. Next month. Before then they’ll be taking my son for an extra long weekend. Something of a last hurrah. Which does mean I’ll be able to hit up all of the grown-up activities I’d been considering. Not all of them would have been kid-unfriendly, exactly, just hella boring for my little dude. These include but are not limited to:
Next week he’ll be having more fun without me, with a weekday visit to Valley Fair with my ex. But after that we’ll be snapping back into our usual routine. Childcare/work during the week, with some weekend roadtripping soon.
Bonus: Spoofing the upcoming disaster porn film, 2012, watch this hilarious trailer: 2012: It’s a Disaster!
Plus: Slashfood reviews ‘Vegan Soul Kitchen‘ - oh hell yes.
And: Since I was tattooed recently a friend says he’s been seeing the Red Owl everywhere, on t-shirts, hats, etc. I haven’t but do know there’s a local yokel who makes Red Owl pillows. I should have one. In other consumerist news, I used an Amazon gift certificate to get myself a Chemex coffee maker. And another friend is making me want fancypants drawer organizers.
Frustrations abound, mainly in the single parenting realm. Not with my son, himself. The boy is as rad as ever. The other night we had dinner with a friend before venturing to Stevens Square Park’s Cinema and Civics series. As we walked from the car to the park my son randomly uttered “life’s not fair. Except for vampires.” Man, oh man, is he ever my kid. Not long after that he approached me and very slowly, with gears almost audibly turning in his brain, said “bananas are a fruit…so how are they planted if they don’t have seeds?” An excellent question! One which prompted some googling and led me to learning a new word. Corm.
So the child isn’t the problem in my single parenting scenario. But childcare sure is. I’m paying more now than I did when he was an infant, and the childcare program is only open intermittently over the short summer break. So our schedule is all effed up for the next couple of weeks. I’ve been scrambling to get it sorted. In the meantime I’ve made due by working from home some mornings with the boy and taking him to the office with me some afternoons. And that’s all well and good except it’s got him spending too much time staring at a monitor with headphones on. There will be more than enough of that in his future, I’m sure, so I’d rather limit it now. But while at my desk he did randomly doodle the most amazing shark for me, on a scrap of paper. I’m so taken with it that it may be my next tattoo.
We haven’t left the house today. Because our holiday weekend was a busy one, with lots of running around. But my favorite part? A fairly quiet afternoon that saw just the two of us walking down from our house to the Taste of Minnesota for corn on the cob, Sno-Kones and carny rides.
Bonus: Very few actual moonwalks on eternal moonwalk, but a cute idea, just the same.
Plus: This is so last week, but WCCO did a nice piece on Clockwork’s resident rockstar astronomer.
And: Russian Revolution Zines of 1905! Those reminded me that the Twin Cities Zine Fest is happening this coming weekend, July 11th & 12th, at the Stevens Square Center for the Arts.
