I just celebrated 10 years of marriage to my wonderful husband on Friday. While we are very happy, we are also kind of in a holding pattern of late. He is looking for a new job, and depending on where he finds it we are most likely going to move. How big a move remains to be seen, so right now we are just waiting. (For me, this includes hypothetical house searching on the internet.) It has been several months now and it is getting harder to wait as we go along. I know the right thing will happen when it's supposed to, I just wish that time was NOW so we could start making plans for when and how to go where we're going. Doing all this with little kids will be a first; when we moved into this house I was in my second trimester with my first son.
For now, I guess the healthiest thing is just to try to be patient, and meanwhile enjoy my time here in the city with the boys and try not to let the little things pass me by while I'm worrying about stuff I can't control.
Haiku News
Blago jury finds
ex-governor guilty on
seventeen charges.
Finally showing
that you can't get away with
pay-to-play 'round here.
TSA denies
asking 95-year-old
to remove diaper.
More testimony
in the Knox murder appeal;
nothing is resolved.
Franco's latest thing:
creating invisible
art offered for sale.
I think I completely forgot to post this after writing it over a day ago. Where is my head?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Running my brain.
Hey folks!
I did my second 8 mile run in two weeks today, and I am pleased to say that while I am still not setting any land-speed records, I did shave a few minutes off last week's time. Probably partly because although it was still quite warm it was much less humid today than last Saturday.
I really wish I could tell two runners I encountered on the path today about their unfortunate wardrobe choices. One woman was wearing white running shorts and a black sports bra, but she (hopefully) had no idea that when her white shorts got wet they revealed the lacy underwear she had on underneath. Even if I had been close enough to tell her I probably wouldn't have, since then she would still have to find her way home knowing how exposed she was. Sigh. Another runner, a man, was wearing light gray cotton shorts to run in, and his groin area was quite sweaty...so that area of his shorts darkened considerably, making it appear as if he'd peed on himself. Guys: if you don't want to spring for technical fabric running gear, at least make it black or some other dark color!! Yikes.
Haiku News
Way to go, New York!
legalizing gay marriage
as everyone should.
This is probably
one of the only times that
they're sixth for something.
As if Holocaust
victims suffered not enough,
some women were raped.
On a lighter note,
Winklevoss twins just can't stop
suing Zuckerberg.
I did my second 8 mile run in two weeks today, and I am pleased to say that while I am still not setting any land-speed records, I did shave a few minutes off last week's time. Probably partly because although it was still quite warm it was much less humid today than last Saturday.
I really wish I could tell two runners I encountered on the path today about their unfortunate wardrobe choices. One woman was wearing white running shorts and a black sports bra, but she (hopefully) had no idea that when her white shorts got wet they revealed the lacy underwear she had on underneath. Even if I had been close enough to tell her I probably wouldn't have, since then she would still have to find her way home knowing how exposed she was. Sigh. Another runner, a man, was wearing light gray cotton shorts to run in, and his groin area was quite sweaty...so that area of his shorts darkened considerably, making it appear as if he'd peed on himself. Guys: if you don't want to spring for technical fabric running gear, at least make it black or some other dark color!! Yikes.
Haiku News
Way to go, New York!
legalizing gay marriage
as everyone should.
This is probably
one of the only times that
they're sixth for something.
As if Holocaust
victims suffered not enough,
some women were raped.
On a lighter note,
Winklevoss twins just can't stop
suing Zuckerberg.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
They're back!
I think it's high time to reinstate Haiku News. I don't even know why I stopped doing them. I am also going to try and post at least a few times a week for the rest of the year, we'll see how that goes.
"Jackass" Ryan Dunn
wrapped his car around a tree;
don't drink and drive, kids.
In related news,
Ebert's comments on Dunn's fate
got his page removed.
Megan Fox was fired
from "Transformers" sequel by
linking Bay, Hitler.
"Lost" actor marries
teenage girlfriend; I'm sure they
have tons in common.
Stay tuned for more!
"Jackass" Ryan Dunn
wrapped his car around a tree;
don't drink and drive, kids.
In related news,
Ebert's comments on Dunn's fate
got his page removed.
Megan Fox was fired
from "Transformers" sequel by
linking Bay, Hitler.
"Lost" actor marries
teenage girlfriend; I'm sure they
have tons in common.
Stay tuned for more!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Father's Day.
I don't know if this day will ever get easier for me, since it always serves to remind me how much I miss my own dad. He left us so suddenly, we never really had time to say goodbye. I still have times where I wish he could magically show up at the front door like nothing had ever happened. Alas, that can only happen in soap operas and fairy tales, but I know I'll see him again someday when I get to heaven.
At least I can enjoy watching my husband become a better father day by day. He is such an attentive, gentle and loving father to our boys. They are so lucky to have him. Whenever he's home, he will help with our older son's dinner and give him his bath, read to him and put him to bed while I tend to the baby. Sometime soon he will likely at least be reading to/ putting both of them to bed once the baby is weaned. There is nothing like the smiles they give him when he walks in the door from work. I also love hearing my big boy talk to him on the phone during the day. His "Hi, Daddy!" must put a smile on his face as it does mine. It's fun to see my husband's smile or a funny face he makes cross their faces. I have a feeling I'll be laughing a lot more as they get older and develop some of his quirky sense of humor.
So, happy Father's Day to all the awesome dads out there. Keep being amazing, your kids will thank you for it and your wives will appreciate you for it!
At least I can enjoy watching my husband become a better father day by day. He is such an attentive, gentle and loving father to our boys. They are so lucky to have him. Whenever he's home, he will help with our older son's dinner and give him his bath, read to him and put him to bed while I tend to the baby. Sometime soon he will likely at least be reading to/ putting both of them to bed once the baby is weaned. There is nothing like the smiles they give him when he walks in the door from work. I also love hearing my big boy talk to him on the phone during the day. His "Hi, Daddy!" must put a smile on his face as it does mine. It's fun to see my husband's smile or a funny face he makes cross their faces. I have a feeling I'll be laughing a lot more as they get older and develop some of his quirky sense of humor.
So, happy Father's Day to all the awesome dads out there. Keep being amazing, your kids will thank you for it and your wives will appreciate you for it!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June already?
Whew, that was quick.
I just got back on Monday from my 10 year college reunion. While we were only there from Thursday through Monday, it was fun to see so many of our old friends, most of whom had never met our kids and we hadn't seen at all since we moved away 7 years ago. It was so strange to be back in the place we'd spent so much time, but hadn't seen in so long. So much has changed. They've built new buildings, many of our professors have retired. But some things haven't: we found all our old houses (on and off campus), we visited the zoo (a lot the same as I remember), and the summer weather was perfect: sunny and 75ish on Saturday. I realize that we were lucky, they've had an unusually cold year so far, but we were grateful for the reprieve the weekend we were there, particularly since we came home to oppressive heat.
The boys did very well. I was particularly impressed with how well the little guy did on his first trip to the West Coast. He adjusted fairly quickly to the time change and slept in the pack n' play with very little struggle. Of course, he didn't take much of a nap most of the days we were there, but I couldn't blame him there since we were often too busy to go back to the hotel room to give him time to lay down. My back reminded me that I was not used to carrying him around the majority of the day. He also voiced his frustration occasionally for not being able to move around. He officially started Army crawling a few days before we left, and he could not believe I wasn't going to let him down on the floor of the airplane to explore the passengers' shoes and carry-on baggage. Sorry, buddy, I think that's a bit too dirty for you. He is so funny to watch right now with his crazy wiggle/drag/contort movement. I describe it as either a baby zombie or that he's trying to breakdance.
We were also able to sing in the alumni version of the concert choir we sang in while in school. It was nice even though only one other member was actually singing in it during the same years we were. The other folks we met there were quite nice and we had a good time.
Perhaps one of the best parts of all was when we got home and we were all bone tired, and the boys actually had to be woken up Tuesday morning. The little one actually slept till 10:00! I was happy to have the extra sleep, and was glad they were able to catch up on some rest they didn't get while we were gone.
So, it's probably about time for another poetry challenge...what say you all to Paige's mom's idea of using the word verification as an inspiration for a poem? Let me know.
I just got back on Monday from my 10 year college reunion. While we were only there from Thursday through Monday, it was fun to see so many of our old friends, most of whom had never met our kids and we hadn't seen at all since we moved away 7 years ago. It was so strange to be back in the place we'd spent so much time, but hadn't seen in so long. So much has changed. They've built new buildings, many of our professors have retired. But some things haven't: we found all our old houses (on and off campus), we visited the zoo (a lot the same as I remember), and the summer weather was perfect: sunny and 75ish on Saturday. I realize that we were lucky, they've had an unusually cold year so far, but we were grateful for the reprieve the weekend we were there, particularly since we came home to oppressive heat.
The boys did very well. I was particularly impressed with how well the little guy did on his first trip to the West Coast. He adjusted fairly quickly to the time change and slept in the pack n' play with very little struggle. Of course, he didn't take much of a nap most of the days we were there, but I couldn't blame him there since we were often too busy to go back to the hotel room to give him time to lay down. My back reminded me that I was not used to carrying him around the majority of the day. He also voiced his frustration occasionally for not being able to move around. He officially started Army crawling a few days before we left, and he could not believe I wasn't going to let him down on the floor of the airplane to explore the passengers' shoes and carry-on baggage. Sorry, buddy, I think that's a bit too dirty for you. He is so funny to watch right now with his crazy wiggle/drag/contort movement. I describe it as either a baby zombie or that he's trying to breakdance.
We were also able to sing in the alumni version of the concert choir we sang in while in school. It was nice even though only one other member was actually singing in it during the same years we were. The other folks we met there were quite nice and we had a good time.
Perhaps one of the best parts of all was when we got home and we were all bone tired, and the boys actually had to be woken up Tuesday morning. The little one actually slept till 10:00! I was happy to have the extra sleep, and was glad they were able to catch up on some rest they didn't get while we were gone.
So, it's probably about time for another poetry challenge...what say you all to Paige's mom's idea of using the word verification as an inspiration for a poem? Let me know.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Pressing "Save."
Things I want to remember:
How my three-year-old tucks in his Buzz or Woody stuffed figures and says, "There you go, nice and warm!" and how he gives kisses and hugs to his little brother.
How my sweet 10 month old boy shrieks in glee, how his winning smile always gleams when presented with a game of peek-a-boo, and how his velvety forehead feels under my lips as I kiss him above his sleepy eyes.
How my three-year-old is getting good at singing songs, particularly "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story. His version: "You've got a FRIEND in ME, you've got a FRIEND in ME. As the YEARS go BY, you NEver DIE." He will also fill in the instrumental line at the end. So cute.
How my baby is trying SO hard to crawl, but he still doesn't have much idea how. He is happiest lately when you set him on the floor, where he nearly immediately flops onto his stomach and settles into a combination of rolling and wriggling to get where he wants to go. It is remarkably effective.
How my three-year-old tucks in his Buzz or Woody stuffed figures and says, "There you go, nice and warm!" and how he gives kisses and hugs to his little brother.
How my sweet 10 month old boy shrieks in glee, how his winning smile always gleams when presented with a game of peek-a-boo, and how his velvety forehead feels under my lips as I kiss him above his sleepy eyes.
How my three-year-old is getting good at singing songs, particularly "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story. His version: "You've got a FRIEND in ME, you've got a FRIEND in ME. As the YEARS go BY, you NEver DIE." He will also fill in the instrumental line at the end. So cute.
How my baby is trying SO hard to crawl, but he still doesn't have much idea how. He is happiest lately when you set him on the floor, where he nearly immediately flops onto his stomach and settles into a combination of rolling and wriggling to get where he wants to go. It is remarkably effective.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Poetry Challenge: Rewrite a bad song/ write a poem on a day of the week.
I'm not sure why I'm doing this tonight, as I am still recovering from an annoying sinus infection (is there any other kind?). But I'm by myself and nothing is going on so I guess I figured tonight would be a good night to try it.
If you don't have a social media-savvy person in your house, you may have been spared the atrocity that is Rebecca Black's "Friday" video. In a nutshell, this 13-year-old girl's parents paid a small record/video company $4000 to write her a song and produce the music video. It then went viral and was widely declared the "worst song ever." I won't make you watch it, but I will embed it here if you are brave enough to allow its assault to your ears. The poor girl has suffered quite a bit of abuse about it already, but suffice it to say, although it is a slickly produced video, I am amazed and depressed that two full grown adults were paid to write these brainless lyrics. Without further ado:
I will also enclose the lyrics here, in case you didn't catch them with all the auto-tuning going on in the video.
"Friday"
(Yeah, Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ark)
Oo-ooh-ooh, hoo yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Seven a.m., waking up in the morning
Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs
Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal
Seein' everything, the time is goin'
Tickin' on and on, everybody's rushin'
Gotta get down to the bus stop
Gotta catch my bus, I see my friends (My friends)
Kickin' in the front seat
Sittin' in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
7:45, we're drivin' on the highway
Cruisin' so fast, I want time to fly
Fun, fun, think about fun
You know what it is
I got this, you got this
My friend is by my right, ay
I got this, you got this
Now you know it
Kickin' in the front seat
Sittin' in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin')
We-we-we so excited
We so excited
We gonna have a ball today
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after ... wards
I don't want this weekend to end
R-B, Rebecca Black
So chillin' in the front seat (In the front seat)
In the back seat (In the back seat)
I'm drivin', cruisin' (Yeah, yeah)
Fast lanes, switchin' lanes
Wit' a car up on my side (Woo!)
(C'mon) Passin' by is a school bus in front of me
Makes tick tock, tick tock, wanna scream
Check my time, it's Friday, it's a weekend
We gonna have fun, c'mon, c'mon, y'all
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
My favorite part of this whole debacle was this past March when Conan O'Brien parodied the video, suggesting she ripped off his video of a song called "Thursday." I do recommend you watch this one, especially if you actually watched the original.
Now, the challenging part. I am going to take the germ of the idea for the song ("Friday") and try to write a better song for it. If anyone wants to join me, choose a day of the week (you can do the same one if you want!), or choose a poem or song you hate and rewrite it.
All right, for better or worse, here's what I would have written (in a very short time span, mind you) for a 13 year old girl who wanted to sing about Friday. Not what I would sing about it, as I am considerably older. :)
Friday
As I arise and the sun hits my face
My mind awakes and I smile.
My favorite day at last arrived
and nothing can erase
my joy this morning.
Flying through my routine,
blowing kisses out the door,
time for the day to begin,
I don’t wanna miss a minute.
On the bus my mind wanders,
skipping ahead to tonight.
Where will my friends and I go?
Movies, sleepover, shopping?
(Chorus:) It’s Friday, Friday,
the best day of the week.
Been looking forward to this
For what seems like years.
Hanging out with friends,
sleeping in and relaxing,
nowhere to be and
nothing we have to do.
Friday night, finally,
spending time with my friends.
Anywhere we go we’ll have
fun talking and laughing.
Tonight we’ll catch a movie,
then we’ll go to my house,
sleepover party with karaoke!
Next week it’s my BFF’s
turn to be the social planner,
I know whatever she chooses,
we’ll have fun together.
Maybe we’ll tell scary stories
and try to stay up all night,
playing jokes on each other
and imagining our future lives.
CHORUS
At the end of this weekend,
I’ll wish it could last forever,
but then I’ll start looking forward
to the end of next week.
Every week has a bright spot,
the end of the tunnel,
something to get us all through
till we can start having fun again.
As you can see, I cut out all the "ah"s and the rap section and cut a few refrains, since I think they were unnecessary anyway. It probably wouldn't match up with the song, but then again I don't think even without bad lyrics that it is a terribly good song, so we're not missing much there either. So there you have it...anyone else want to take this on with me? :)
If you don't have a social media-savvy person in your house, you may have been spared the atrocity that is Rebecca Black's "Friday" video. In a nutshell, this 13-year-old girl's parents paid a small record/video company $4000 to write her a song and produce the music video. It then went viral and was widely declared the "worst song ever." I won't make you watch it, but I will embed it here if you are brave enough to allow its assault to your ears. The poor girl has suffered quite a bit of abuse about it already, but suffice it to say, although it is a slickly produced video, I am amazed and depressed that two full grown adults were paid to write these brainless lyrics. Without further ado:
I will also enclose the lyrics here, in case you didn't catch them with all the auto-tuning going on in the video.
"Friday"
(Yeah, Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ark)
Oo-ooh-ooh, hoo yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Seven a.m., waking up in the morning
Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs
Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal
Seein' everything, the time is goin'
Tickin' on and on, everybody's rushin'
Gotta get down to the bus stop
Gotta catch my bus, I see my friends (My friends)
Kickin' in the front seat
Sittin' in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
7:45, we're drivin' on the highway
Cruisin' so fast, I want time to fly
Fun, fun, think about fun
You know what it is
I got this, you got this
My friend is by my right, ay
I got this, you got this
Now you know it
Kickin' in the front seat
Sittin' in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin')
We-we-we so excited
We so excited
We gonna have a ball today
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after ... wards
I don't want this weekend to end
R-B, Rebecca Black
So chillin' in the front seat (In the front seat)
In the back seat (In the back seat)
I'm drivin', cruisin' (Yeah, yeah)
Fast lanes, switchin' lanes
Wit' a car up on my side (Woo!)
(C'mon) Passin' by is a school bus in front of me
Makes tick tock, tick tock, wanna scream
Check my time, it's Friday, it's a weekend
We gonna have fun, c'mon, c'mon, y'all
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin' forward to the weekend
My favorite part of this whole debacle was this past March when Conan O'Brien parodied the video, suggesting she ripped off his video of a song called "Thursday." I do recommend you watch this one, especially if you actually watched the original.
Now, the challenging part. I am going to take the germ of the idea for the song ("Friday") and try to write a better song for it. If anyone wants to join me, choose a day of the week (you can do the same one if you want!), or choose a poem or song you hate and rewrite it.
All right, for better or worse, here's what I would have written (in a very short time span, mind you) for a 13 year old girl who wanted to sing about Friday. Not what I would sing about it, as I am considerably older. :)
Friday
As I arise and the sun hits my face
My mind awakes and I smile.
My favorite day at last arrived
and nothing can erase
my joy this morning.
Flying through my routine,
blowing kisses out the door,
time for the day to begin,
I don’t wanna miss a minute.
On the bus my mind wanders,
skipping ahead to tonight.
Where will my friends and I go?
Movies, sleepover, shopping?
(Chorus:) It’s Friday, Friday,
the best day of the week.
Been looking forward to this
For what seems like years.
Hanging out with friends,
sleeping in and relaxing,
nowhere to be and
nothing we have to do.
Friday night, finally,
spending time with my friends.
Anywhere we go we’ll have
fun talking and laughing.
Tonight we’ll catch a movie,
then we’ll go to my house,
sleepover party with karaoke!
Next week it’s my BFF’s
turn to be the social planner,
I know whatever she chooses,
we’ll have fun together.
Maybe we’ll tell scary stories
and try to stay up all night,
playing jokes on each other
and imagining our future lives.
CHORUS
At the end of this weekend,
I’ll wish it could last forever,
but then I’ll start looking forward
to the end of next week.
Every week has a bright spot,
the end of the tunnel,
something to get us all through
till we can start having fun again.
As you can see, I cut out all the "ah"s and the rap section and cut a few refrains, since I think they were unnecessary anyway. It probably wouldn't match up with the song, but then again I don't think even without bad lyrics that it is a terribly good song, so we're not missing much there either. So there you have it...anyone else want to take this on with me? :)
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