Prop 8: The Musical

My friend Laura (hi Laura!) sent me this video. This is hysterical and I love that it nails the Fundamentalists for "picking and choosing" which parts of the Bible they are going to live by.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Now, pass the shrimp cocktail.

the best step-dad in the world

Guess what David did when he came home from his trip back east. Knowing how much Anna loves donuts, he carried a box of Dunkin Donuts all the way from Boston just for her.

Dunkin Donuts originated in Boston, so it's very special to Bostonians, like lobster from Main or Cafe du Monde chicory coffee and beignets from New Orleans.

I love the visual of him hauling his suitcase, a cup of coffee, a big white teddy bear (a gift from Grammy Susan) and a box of donuts through the airport. If only I had a picture of the white bear sitting next to him and the box of donuts on the table by his Bloody Mary in the "executive lounge" in the San Fransisco and Seattle airports (for there is no such thing as a direct flight between Boston and Spokane.)

Then he drove straight to Eric's from the airport to deliver them to her so that they were fresh. Is that not the sweetest thing ever? Needless to say, she thought that was pretty cool.

Yeah, I think he likes my kid. And I like him.

::big apple::

Finally, the time is near enough for me to mention that MY MOM AND I ARE GOING TO NYC in a week or so! We've been planning this for so long that I didn't want to start talking about it back in, say, August or I never would have stopped. I know, I know, I should at least TRY to be cool. But I can't. I am so excited about this trip!!

See, my mom is amazing. No, really. I know that you think yours is too, but mine really IS. She has been through so much that her life-story would make an amazing book. She would never admit that, but it's true. And she's come through it all with incredible grace and has earned the life-long respect of everyone who knows her. And on top of it all, she is unbelievably generous. She once took our entire family (her kids and our spouses) on a week-long cruise through the Inland Passage. She took me and my siblings to Washington DC. She has paid for countless trips, paid off debts, helped all of us buy our homes, helped put her grandchildren through college and on and on and ON. And she asks for nothing in return.

Now, there are two things that mom has always wanted to do. One is to go to Cornwall, England, the other is to go to NYC to see The Rockettes. So my siblings and I began plotting, and on her birthday this past summer, my sisters and I made a ridiculously embarrassing attempt at a Rockettes performance to tell her that she and I are going to go see the real thing. Why am I the lucky one to go with her? I dunno....I guess because I have done the most travelling in my family and am most comfortable with it. Also, I'm the only one who has ever been to NY before.

I've mentioned here before the trip to New England that Eric and Anna and I took when we FINALLY sold our house and business in Oregon. Part of that trip included staying with my best childhood friend and going into the city for the day. Truthfully, Eric and I both had very low expectations; we expected it to be crowded, dirty, ugly, smelly, dangerous. But we thought that since we were RIGHT THERE visiting Kim anyway, we might as well check it out. The crazy thing is, though, we both loved NY. I mean LOVED it so much that we went back the next day, without our local tourist guide. It was not at all what we expected. We adored Central Park (we couldn't believe all the amazing birds we saw) and I want to LIVE in the Natural History Museum.

So needless to say, I am so bloody excited to go back. We are, of course, going to see the Rockettes (and therefore Rockefeller Center), but other than that we are pretty open. We can't do a ton of walking (my mom's feet bother her) so I'm looking for ideas for what we should do with our 3-4 days there. We are staying in mid-town (east side). Anyone have suggestions?

::holiday weekend::

Anna and I will be home alone for the long weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. Sure, part of me feels pitiful that we won't be with family and loved ones, but really? Being vegetarian means Thanksgiving (as celebrated by 98% of the country) just isn't that big a deal. I'm looking forward to spending the long weekend by the fire, reading books, working on a puzzle, making cookies, watching the occasional movie and making ornaments. In fact, I signed us up for an "ornament swap", organized by two crafty sisters who live in central Idaho. The idea is that you make 8 ornaments around a theme and then send one to each person who also joined. Then each of them sends us one, so every one ends up with 8 new hand-made ornaments for their tree. Cool, huh? The theme is "Winter Wonderland". I went looking for inspiration on Etsy and found some really wonderful ornaments on there (I've updated my Etsy links over there on the left.) We haven't yet decided what we'll do, but I'm pretty sure it will involve felt.

In fact, I've just today decided that I want to learn "needle felting". Needle felting is where you take "raw wool", use a special tool to poke the shit out of it (yes, that's a technical term) and somehow, magically, a shape begins to form and before you know it you have something like this:

Which you can then give to everyone you know for Christmas presents that they have to pretend they love.

Because, you know, I don't have enough craft hobbies that I suck at already.

This is it, in a nutshell.

Speaking of stealing, I blatantly stole that from Fussy. You can double-click on it to be able to better read it.


Coincidentally, yesterday Anna and her babysitter went to their favorite store, a place that sells incense, fossils, stones, Buddha figurines, beads, wind chimes...you know the type. Melissa bought Anna this little Hindu-goddess figurine (I know she must have a name, but being the heathen that I am, I don't know it. Feel free to educate me.) Anna got some of her favorite rocks and created this little shrine.

*For the record, before anyone calls Child Protective Services or sics the missionaries on me, I tell her constantly that I want her to learn about ALL the religions so that she can decide makes makes the most sense to her. I love, love, love that she is being exposed to and beginning to explore the different teachings and practices. I'll respect where ever it takes her.

::overheard from the backseat::

"And then people might think he was a pussy."

Me: "...."

Then: "Anna," (trying hard not to laugh) "What do you mean?"

"You know, people would think he was like a cat."



There is an explanation, but it's far too complicated, trust me.

Suffice it to say that for a mother as twisted as I am, hearing that coming out of my sweet 8 year old daughter's mouth? It just made my day.

::update::

Two things:
One: I've decided I am crazy to try to replace Snuggy. After all, Anna is EIGHT...it's not like she still NEEDS it. Also, Snuggy is just irreplaceable. What made it so wonderful is that it used to be mine, and it was soft and so well-loved and ratty and abused and maybe a bit smelly. Anna and I talked about it a little bit and she decided that what she did want was for me to make her her own little quilt, because her cousin Sarah (who is in 6th grade) has her own little quilt which she takes with her on sleep-overs. So Anna and I went to the fabric store and I made her a little quilt yesterday. Also, she overheard me telling David and Eric what she'd said the other night about "What if someone found Snuggy in the restaurant and is using her as a RAG?!" and she had obviously been mulling it over in her mind...because yesterday she said "Mom, I'm pretty sure I left Snuggy in the pumpkin patch." That is where we'd gone before the restaurant. Eric and I both KNOW for a fact that she had it in the restaurant, but she'd rather believe that her beloved Snuggy came to rest in a pumpkin patch than a cheesy chain restaurant...and I don't blame her.

Two: Remember how a week or so ago our dryer died? And I wrote about how David did NOT get mad? Well, not only did he not wig out, he FIXED it himself!! We have a dryer again! And all for approximately seventy bucks, vs. $150. Woohoo!!