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Maya’s Rockin’ Hair
Maya went and got her hair done yesterday. She’s channeling Hayley Williams (from Paramore). Here’s Hayley, for comparison. She’s cool, right? Maya’s cooler. And cuter. I think the folks at our local Paul Mitchell beauty school did an awesome job, don’t you?
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Friday Again
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFnIP2NT5Yc[/youtube] I guess I’m not doing NaBloPoMo this year, huh? Figured that out already, haven’t you? Also, it’s starting to look like I probably won’t finish my book challenges for this year. I mean, I might, but I’m just not sucked into reading right now. More interested in sitting in front of the TV most nights. Pathetic. And my passion for blogging is at a low point right now. Not terribly interested in reading, not terribly interested in writing. None of it. Pathetic. I’m afraid I’m boring the hell out of you. I mean, so many bloggers right now are singing this same tune. Not motivated, miss the heyday, think…
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Veterans Day, part II
Just saw this video on Suebob’s blog, and I had to share. Nothin’ like doggy love, is there? [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKAVyXi0J4[/youtube]
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Thank You
(Photo of Union Soldiers occupying the U.S. Senate during the Civil War, found here.) Thank you to all of the veterans of our many horrible wars, just and unjust. Thank you for putting your life on the line, for risking all. Thank you to the families, the husbands, wives, parents, and children, of those who are sent into harms way, over and over again. Veteran’s Day is a day of Remembrance, a day to ponder the sacrifices of those who serve. A day to ponder our future, and whether this might, perhaps, be avoidable now, and in the future. For now, though, thank you. Ted and I happened upon a…
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Ted is a Good Sport
So for years, whenever I make a batch of cupcakes, Ted likes to amuse the family by cramming a whole cupcake into his mouth. It’s amazing. Today, Maya went to a birthday party, and brought home a HUGE cupcake for Ted, and double dog dared him to shove the whole thing in his mouth. He’s a pretty good sport, so he went for it. WARNING…if you’re eating or drinking anything while watching this video, it may end up all over your computer screen.
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Teaching Your Children to Read
When Maya was 3 or 4, LeapFrog came out with their LeapPad line of products, and I really wanted one for Maya. I remember thinking that the kids that had this toy might have some advantage, might learn to read more quickly than she would, might learn to love reading more than she did. But they were expensive. So I was hoping one of her grandparents might get her one. At that time, my mom used to come down for a month in November. She would spend a week with me, a week with her friend Kate, and two weeks with my Grandma and Great Aunt. During her week with…
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Don’t Analyze, Act!
I’ve heard a few things about Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, “Bright Sided“, though I haven’t read it. But the idea has intrigued me, because it’s the idea that our world of positive thinking is too much, and it’s somewhat dangerous. She says that when someone gets cancer, and is told that positive thinking can heal them, they’re lying in a very cruel and dangerous way to those people. And really, they’re blaming that person for not being positive enough. If they don’t get better, it’s then their fault, for not keeping up that sunny disposition all of the time. This reminds me of those who say some variation of, “God never…
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Gift from the Sea
“Herein lies one key to the problem. If women were convinced that a day off or an hour of solitude was a reasonable ambition, they would find a way of attaining it. As it is, they feel so unjustified in their demand that they rarely make the attempt. One has only to look at those women who actually have the economic means or the time and energy for solitude yet do not use it, to realize that the problem is not solely economic. It is more a question of inner convictions than of outer pressures, though, of course, the th outer pressures are there and make it more difficult. As…
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The Zombies ~ She’s Not There
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5IRI4oHKNU[/youtube] Z already? The end of the alphabet? That means I’ve been doing this A – Z thing for 26 weeks, 1/2 a year. Crazy, huh? I don’t know a lot of Z bands. There are the Zombies, and ZZ Top. I know there are plenty of others, but these are the only ones I’m familiar with. And I’m not very familiar with either, really. Anyway, enjoy the Zombies, (appropriate for Halloween week, no?), and I hope you enjoyed ‘ABC Music Monday’, which was influenced by Gina’s ‘Music Monday’, and then was picked up by my friend Simon as well. Simon lives in Belgium, and I don’t think we’ve ever…
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Friday Randomness
Friday morning, and instead of exercising like I should, I’ll write a post. Good thinking, right? So, what’s up in the world of J and her family, and the world at large? Genevieve is still blind. Not that that’s going to change. We still don’t know if she has Cushing’s or not, and if she turns out to have it, we’re not sure what we want to do about it. Blech. Last Saturday was Diwali, and after a day in the City that included a trip to the Conservatory of Flowers and some yummy crab melts, we put on our salwar kameez and went out to have a lovely puja…
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Wordless Wednesday ~ San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
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Spiced Lamb Chops and Smashed Peas
I found this recipe in the new Real Simple magazine, and the idea of seasoning the lamb with curry powder, and then cooking them without a sauce, intrigued me. The verdict? Three thumbs up. One from Ted, one from me, one from Maya. They were lovely, although the success of the dish probably depends on the quality of the lamb, and of the curry powder that you can find. Ted’s mom hooks us up with some amazing curry powder, and I splurged on the lamb for this one. Really good. Also, really easy and quick, with dinner on the table within 30 minutes. Spiced Lamb Chops and Smashed Peas Ingredients…
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Yaz(oo) ~ Only You
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9DOmlfICGw[/youtube] Yaz in the U.S., Yazoo in the U.K.. Either way, I really liked both of their albums, Upstairs at Eric’s and You and Me Both. When they broke up and Vince (who was previously with Depeche Mode) went on to Erasure, I loved that, too. Funny how he found a guy to sing that sounded so much like Alison Moyet. I guess I was just a big fan of the synth pop sound of the 80s, huh? There wasn’t an official video for Only You, just this, which sounds kind of….muddy. If you care about such things and want better sound, listen here. Want more? How about Didn’t I…
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It was 20 years ago today…
(photos from SF Gate, except where noted) That I stopped enjoying earthquakes. Before October 17, 1989, I thought earthquakes were mostly fun. The surprise of it all. The wondering if it might get worse, which it never did, so there’s that danger that’s not really dangerous feeling in your stomach. The feeling that for at least one brief moment, everyone in the area is thinking the same thing at the same time. Turn on the radio, and suddenly instead of baseball or politics or celebrity gossip, everyone is talking about the earthquake, trying to figure out how big it was, etc. It’s kinda cool. (San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge) But…
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The Things We Miss…
By not watching TV during the day time. Or being near a computer. Thursday is my day to deliver meals for Meals-on-Wheels, and this week I was training a new person, so I didn’t hear the story of the boy being aloft in his family’s homemade hot air balloon until it was well under way. The last house on my route, the woman asked me in to watch, and there was the balloon, at about 1,300 feet. Colorado had a lot of snow over the last week or so, so I’m guessing that high up would be really, really cold. I don’t know about oxygen. My heart sank for that…