My Name is Mommy

the english class that almost wasn't

I almost dropped English today. With a deadline at work bearing down on me, I couldn't see myself getting around to writing answers to essay questions on Fahrenheit 451 this afternoon. Amazingly, I managed to type out about six pages of bull in short order and English was saved to live another day. Boy howdy! The best part was getting my paper back. Yes, of course I got an A on it. 495/500 points. Apparently, my wine-soused babblings on homelessness were entertaining enough.

I'm in the bell jar. The air is closing in on me. Maybe it's more of a crucible, though. Feels a bit warm in here.

I am running laundry. I haven't eaten. I have a project for work that I am presenting tomorrow. My house is a disaster. I have work in my other classes. I have bills to pay. I have pets to feed. I have children to entertain. God help me. That's only the beginning.

Plumbing.

I hate plumbing issues. When we first found out that our sewer line was old and possibly infiltrated with roots, I immediate plunked down $2K and had a crew out within a week with earth moving tools to dig up and replace the sewer line. Just the prospect of having a filthy plumber who has been wallowing in someone elses shit prompted me to fork it over immediately in order to preempt and future plumbing issues. Alas.

Currently our kitchen sink is backing up into the laundry sink and flooding the garage. Apparently, someone poured five lbs of pasta down the garbage disposal. Or something. I mean, what else could it be? All the pets are present and accounted for, so I know it isn't one of them.

Looks like we'll have mr. stanky pants plumber out here this morning.

Oh, and this was discovered at 3am this morning. I'm not doing too well in the sleep department. That makes me cranky.

Fruitcake

I've been thinking about fruitcake.

We get the most wonderful fruitcake every year. I have it shipped from a monastery in Virginia. It is the most expensive cake I buy all year round at $25 plus shipping, plus a donation to the monks(I feel quite good about this additional contribution as I believe it helps ensure that the best freaking fruitcake on the planet will be available again next Christmas).

I love it so much I'm already thinking about it in September.

Fruitcake! Fruitcake!

I love my monastery fruitcake!

Chicken Pot Pie

I made chicken pot pie tonight. Boy, was it good! How is that for some down-home cooking? I even made my own biscuits to put on top instead of using Pillsbury. Actually, biscuits are easy when you have the fabulous kitchenaid mixer. Anyhow, the kids love chicken pot pie and so do I. I make it in my big Le Creuset dutch oven and apply generous globs of biscuit dough to the top. The Le Creuset lid fits on so tightly that the biscuit dough gets a little steamed in there and comes out all nice and tender and fluffy.

Enough about the food.

Avery was so tired tonight at 8 pm she fell asleep on the floor. She didn't wake up even when I changed her diaper and put her in a sleeper. I love sleeping kids.

I'm tired myself. I feel like I haven't caught up.

The house is a disaster zone and I just can't bring myself to care. Next weekend is going to be 'fall cleaning'. I'm setting my sights high and intend to clean out the garage as well.

Nothing exciting to report. I'm excited for all the fall television programming that Tivo is recording for me. I heart Tivo.

Tommorow Land.

I don't even know where to start. Last weekend I was running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done before my trip. I had an absolute panic attack on Sunday over my wardrobe and as a result went out shopping. I did find nice pair of brown shoes. Not sure if I'm diggin' some of the new fall looks. Frankly, I could do without the whole poncho craze. Ponchos are worn by grubby, snot-nosed 5-year-olds with plastic cowboy boots. That's been my past experience. Somewhat like names, it can be difficult to get past a bad association.
After a massive flurry of laundry, cleaning and packing, I was ready to leave. I barely made my 9am flight out of Oakland, didn't get breakfast and then come to find out that Jet Blue does not serve food on their flights. This was fine, actually, since no food is probably better than plane food. However, that meant over six hours with no food and that is serious for someone like me who is sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations. By the time we arrived at JFK, I had rung the stewardess a number of times to be reassured that no, Santa would not be hurt sitting on the wing during landing. The flight was not terribly bad. There was lots of diet coke, which always makes me happy. Mike and I watched Direct TV and looked at his gay magazines. Literally. Well, and he had People en espanol.
JFK is horrendous. You must take a tram to get anywhere. Baggage claim was unreal. People were scrambling, diving and trampling over one another. It was like a a scene from Wild Kingdom involving sharks and chum. On the upside, JFK looks like something right out of a 1950's science fiction movie. Lovin' that Tomorrow Land look. We met up with the rest of our group and hopped in our rental van. Leaving the airport was like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Liem was yammering in my ear the whole time and Danny was on his cell phone. Mike was weaving in and out of traffic, honking and shaking his fist. When in New York...
The next three days consisted of hours upon hours of meetings and presentations broken up periodically by bad food. On Tuesday evening we had a wine tasting class which was fun. Everyone was pretty well done for by the end of that. Afterward was dinner at the Japanese restaurant where I received a souvenir Hotei mug from my Bonzai! drink. It's all a blur. I do recall coming back and finishing my essay due in my english class on Wednesday. Oh, yeah. That was a GREAT essay. Wednesday evening, our entire team went to a cooking class where we made our dinner and then ate it. It was okay. The tiramisu was a little too soggy for my taste. I did get to make a fabulous foccacia bread in the food processor. That is something I'll probably make at home.
I did manage to get in some running. I was completely exhausted when I left on Thursday evening. Mike and I slept alot of the way back, and I watched ER on the Direct TV. We ate lots of animal crackers. I broke my shoe as I was leaving Oakland airport. I finally got home at 11:30. Boy, was I glad to see my kids. And Dean. And my own bed. Ahh.

So, ever since I got back I've been working. I have a presentation on Wednesday on shelf facings in Kroger for one of our clients. I've been chugging away at that. I'm putting the work away today and am goin g to spend some good old quality time with my family.

Viola has every single doll and stuffed animal laid out in her room and in the living room and covered with blankets. They are 'sleeping'. Shhhh.

I've returned.

Thank god.

What a week. A long, long week. I'll write all about it later.

Just wanted to say hi.

Bye for now.

I'll be travelling on business this week. Who knows, I may be so busy enjoying being trapped with my coworkers on an island clam bake that I might even forget to write.

Probably not, but I didn't want you to worry just in case.

Napping

I just had a nap. Avery fell asleep in my arms and so I settled back in the recliner with her and read for a bit. After a while I drifted off. When I woke, Viola was sleeping on the living room floor and Dean was napping on the couch. Avery was still soundly asleep and we were warm and snuggly. It reminded me of the first few months when I would often sleep sitting propped up with Avery in my arms. I don't think she was ever out of our arms for the first three months of her life.

We didn't go camping.

We didn't go camping. I decided I needed to stay healthy since I am travelling next week and the best way I can do that is to rest this weekend. If I am feeling spectacular tomorrow we may just go for one night.

Now that I am considering the almost-chilly night air coming through the window, I'm glad I'll be sleeping in a bed tonight.

I just wasn't ready for camping. I hadn't steeled my self mentally and psychologically for the massive effort it would require.

I am so lame. I know.

The best day ever.

Well, maybe not BEST but it was awfully good. I woke this morning to Baby A scooting around in the bed. It was a little chilly and she was in a onesie. She'd managed to get out from under the comforter which is usual for her. So I scooped her under the blanket with me and we snuggled up and went back to sleep. I woke up again a little later and got up to go running.

I drove to the Sequoia entrance and ran along the Alameda Creek Trail for about two hours. I did a little over ten miles in all I think, maybe eleven. It was hot and I was without water but I still felt pretty good. After the past couple days of bad running, I was relieved to have a good run.

After my run, I came home and got ready for work. Dean made a big bowl of oatmeal and left it on the counter. I ate just the center bit where he had dumped the butter and brown sugar. That's what happens when you leave your oatmeal unattended.

We found Viola's lost ladybug earring. That was a good thing. They are these darling gold and enamel ladybugs and my mom got them for her birthday. She was very upset when one went missing as she never takes them out of her ears.

I went to work. Work was blessedly short.

I picked Viola up from preschool.

We went to Costco. Costco had giant tins of Walkers Shortbread for sale. I bought a whole bunch. I love Walkers Shortbread.

Now we are home, resting. Costco is a force unto itself.

Looking back, nothing much exciting happened today, but for some reason it was just a great day.

Crossing the line.

I've officially passed over into the land of nutty horse people. I order two sets of horsey christmas cards from USA Equestrian. Granted, it is in support of the Equestrian Health Research Fund (whatever that is), but I am now feeling compelled to go buy a bumpersticker or two. I'm thinking particularly of "Ride Naked (Put some color in your cheeks!)" or perhaps "My Horse Bucked Off Your Honor Student" or even "Mr. Ed For President!".

Yeah. Speaking of the horse. Cosette seems to be coming along well. She is so much more relaxed at the ranch now that she is being worked and ridden almost daily. I'm working on being very consistent with my routine in hopes of alleviating some of her bad manners. She gets very impatient when she knows that food is waiting for her in her stall. She will stomp and prance while she is being groomed on occasion, especially if she is tied up outside of her stall. So now, I always take my time grooming her every time I take her out. I make her stand outside that stall until she behaves. She is a smart horse and almost never misbehaves for me, but Dean is another story. He is somewhat new to the horse thing and can be intimidated by prancing feet when he is trying to pick her hooves. She seems to know this, of course, and acts up when he is putting her away. It can be frustrating for me sometimes because horses are like children with respect to the fact they will try and get away with whatever they are allowed to get away with. I'm not quite sure how you makes someone not afraid of picking hooves. I mean, actually, it is kind of a scary thing. I used to ride a horse that would take a kick at you with his hind every time you tried to pick up a back hoof. I just learned eventually to grab hold and hang on and stay out of the way. After a couple of times he figured out I wasn't going to go away and he picked his feet up like any other horse for me. But what rational person thinks that is a good idea? Grab hold and hang on while a 1200 lb creature is trying to kick you?

Bad monkey.

Stress. I have stress. I am leaving on Monday for a trip for work which I have been long dreading. My biggest issue is that I am going to be away from my kids for five days, one of whom is still breastfeeding. Um. How's that going to work? Don't ask me, I just go where people tell me to go and occasionally cook a turkey meatloaf while I'm there.

On top of that, because I will be away, I am missing my English class and I have a paper due. That means I need to write the paper before I go. The problem? It is supposed to be on homelessness. I have a complete block. I absolutely refuse to write the "How Drugs and Alcohol Contribute to Homelessness" or "How Religious Ministry Can Save All Those Poor Homeless People" paper. Instead, I want to write a paper called "The Urban Forager" and make a somewhat controversial argument that most of the homeless we SEE are those who have chosen their career. Those we don't see are seeking services and trying to amend their situation. We get the two confused. People make decisions about policy based on what they see and I think that is an inaccurate view.

On top of all that, my office is holding the annual camping trip this weekend to which I have committed my family. So, while I should be working on stuff for both my English classes and my history class, instead I will be stuffing my craw with smores. This also means I have to do laundry, make food for next week and pack for my trip all before I leave for camping on Friday.

My stressful life aside, has anyone read anything about those monkeys in India? Apparently, they make quite a commotion and occasionally attack people. They run freely through villages and towns and do bad stuff like throw things at people, steal stuff and mock officials who try to shoo them away. All this because monkeys are sacred and cannot be harmed or killed. People often feed them in hopes of getting rewarded in the next life. Of course, you know what happens when you feed a stray. Pretty soon they are sitting on your kitchen counter throwing feces at you. Anyhow, now they have 'monkey jail' which sounds pretty sad. I kind of think we should have a mascot monkey at work.

Hey, if you are in India and reading this and you have an extra monkey would you please send him to me? I have some people at who I'd like feces thrown. Many thanks!

What's wrong with trailers?

Okay, I want to know what the deal is with the trailers. Why does living in a trailer make you trash? I kind of like the idea of a home that can pick up and go. I like the idea of inexpensive and efficient living. My Grandma lved for a while in a retirement 'community' that was little more than a trailer park. Everyone had 'manufactured homes' which is pretty much a double-wide with a floor plan. The place was swank with a golf course, community center and pool. Everyone had their own little golf cart in which to toodle around. Hey, at least when you live in a trailer you aren't listening to people stomp around above you or smell the might-be-catfood that the neighors downstairs neighors are cooking. Hey, and if you have roaches, at least they're your roaches. I imagine hail makes quite a racket but how often does it hail? And I think I'd like to be in a trailer during a hailstorm sometime.

Of course I am.

You are Lawrence Ferlinghetti! Modern rebel and
owner and proprietor of the City Lights
Bookstore in San Francisco, Lawrence
Ferlinghetti is known for his playful tone and
innovative style. He is MY favorite poet, and
the works of lawrence are always eye-opening
socio-cultural critiques in a light-hearted
tone. He is recognized as one of the most
influential poets of the beat era.


Which famous poet are you? (pictures and many outcomes)
brought to you by Quizilla

Where do YOU go?

I like food. Really, I do.

Lemee see.

For a good Chile Relleno go to El Patio. They know how to do the sauce just right.

For the best Eggplant Bharta go to Bombay Garden. I'm not a big fan of eggplant. It's not that I don't like it, but it doesn't tend to be terribly exciting. This eggplant goop though, well, let's just say if I was on Death Row this would be one of the things on my list for my Last Supper.

For the best ice cream ever, go to the Italian Eis Cafe just across the street from the ice rink in Nurnberg, Germany. They have Spaghetti Eis there that is to die for. It's this sundae sort of thing where they put the ice cream through a press to make it look like spaghetti noodles. Then they douse it in strawberry sauce and sprinkle it with white chocolate 'cheese' to top it off.

For the best wine, come over to my house. I probably have something you'll enjoy out in my garage.

If you want latkes, then Kate's house is the place to be. I've never had a potato that I liked better than the latkes we had for New Years a couple years back.

My mom makes the best pecan torte that ever was. She won't give me the recipe, either. I wait all year to have this delicacy at Christmas. Really, nothing else compares.

My sister has a most enviable talent. All her years of vegetarianism and she is the only person I know who can make macaroni and cheese when there is no milk and no butter in the house. I don;t really want to know her secret, but she's nice to have around in a pinch.

Rebecca makes a mean cobbler, which is crazy because she doesn't use any dairy products. Somehow, though, it is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Of course, maybe the conversation coupled with the cobbler makes it extra delicious.

Yeah. You know, right now, I miss my friends. They are all scattered to the ends of the earth these days.

If you ever needed a crepe in which to drown your sorrows along with some butter and homemade strawberry jam, well, the kitchen is always open around here. I make the best crepes. And if you question that, then I challenge you to a duel!

Geronimo

Did you know that while Geronimo and the other men of his tribe went to do some friendly trading with the Mexicans, a troop of said Mexicans snuck back and killed most of the women and children of the tribe? Geronimo's young wife and their three small children were all murdered along with his mother. He became the chief of his people after that because he was the last man standing after leading the retaliatory attack on the Mexicans.

I imagine an event like that is entirely character defining. I wonder what events have been the crucibles by which our current potential leaders have been tested and shaped?

Walnuts

Went to Walnut Creek this morning and ran the 10k. I felt fat and slow and tired. It's hard to be a good runner when you have a bad case of anemia going on. Still, I finished the race and that's a good run for me. I even got a t-shirt for my trouble. Ha ha.

Afterward, I went to Starbucks and had my usual Oat Fruit Scone and grande toffee nut latte. I went next door to Barnes and Ignoble and browsed the discount section. They occasionally have discounted books with a bg 50% off sticker on them and I can't resist. Shelf candy at worst- I figure, how can you go wrong paying $2 for a hardcover? Even if it isn't a good book, someone sometime might want to read it. Occasionally these books are former bestsellers, then I'm really excited if I don't have it already. They must be overstocks or something.

Not sure what the plan is for today. I am all crusty and itchy right now but I'm going to take a shower. Dean is suggesting the zoo, dim sum, swimming, visiting the horse. Why not?

Okay, I'm hungry. I'm craving nuts for some reason. This t-hirt from the run is way cool. How many people do you know who have t-shirts with walnut people in jogging attire adorning it? Cool.

Things that go Boom! and make mushroom clouds.

I'll take "Things that go Boom! and make Mushroom Clouds" for bucket of Hagen Daz Cherry Vanilla, Alex.

Yes, apparently, North Korea somehow set off a nuclear bomb today. Now everyone is running around trying to divert the good American people with idiotic tales of a forest fire the 'could potentially create a mushroom cloud 2.5 miles in diameter that could be seen from Mexico City'. And this likely scenario after reports of a crater that could be seen in plain view from a satellite. Hmm. Yeah, a forest fire.

DO I LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT?

Okay, so maybe I do but couldn't they have come up with a better story than that?

And, definately, if the North Koreans tell us that it wasn't a nuclear blast I think we should, like, trust them and stuff. You know, like how we trusted good old George W. and stuff. Cause that turned out good and stuff. Like, I know alot of people died in Iraq, but it's better now cause they are liberated and can vote and stuff. Totally!

Pork is a nice, sweet meat.

I have to say I'm impressed with the slow cooker. I threw the spareribs in there yesterday with low expectations. After simmering for 12 hours in its own juices, the pork is about the tastiest thing I've ever eaten. Dean made me skim the fat off but I would have eaten it, grease and all. Mmmmm. Now we have a giant bucket-o-pork in the fridge. Yum.

I bow to thee crockpot.

Slow cookin'

Yep. I got out the 'Slow Cooker' this afternoon. You wouldn't believe what I put in it. Makin' some bar-b-que spareribs. I haven't removed the lid as yet but I'm thinking that by tomorrow morning there is going to be some tender pork in that there 'slow cooker'.

Everyone is asleep, except me. I just drank a bunch of diet coke. Work was ridiculous today. I got nothing done and not for lack of trying. We went to Bombay Garden for dinner. It was the all-you-can-eat-and-then-some buffet. For some reason I was unable to eat more than half a plateful which is highly uncharacteristic of me. This happened to me at lunch the other day, too. I was having this fabulous panini and then all of the sudden I couldn't eat one more bite or I was going to explode and I had only eaten half of it. I'm totally paranoid but I keep having these 'oh my god, maybe I'm pregnant' moments. It is utterly impossible but I'm still paranoid. It is my OCD. I must always obssess over something. Or nothing. Anyhow, I think I am going to go in and get an IUD. Andrea tells me I can get one that leaks progesterone and stops one from having a period. She should know, she's the doctor. Then she described the cervical block she does when she installs one. That about made me not want to get one. Having a needle plunged into my cervix is not my idea of a day at the spa. Plus, I know firsthand of someone who got pregnant with an IUD in place. That idea really freaks me out. Part of the reason that I am obssessing over the whole being pregnant thing is that I am still breastfeeding Avery and I haven't had a period yet since before I was pregnant. So, two years of not having a period has disoriented my preganancy detection system. Sort of like hormonal jet lag. See, and all this from not being able to stuff my face at dinner.

I just watched Dirty Pretty Things. It is a fantastic movie and if you haven't seen it you should send straight away to Netflix for it. I rarely have seen a movie that good. There is a whole thing about black market kidney trade that is quite disturbing and I love to be disturbed. Especially about kidneys. I was very disturbed when I heard the story about the person waking up in a bathtub full of ice with a note to call 911, missing both his kidneys. For days I railed, "Why take both?" "Why leave him alive then?" Come to find out, much to my disappointment, that it is only urban legend.

Running in a 10k on Sunday. It is out in Walnut Creek, part of the Walnut Festival. Mike has instructed me to bring my spending money so I can buy some handmade crafts after the run. Maybe I'll find a walnut shell painted to look like a little animal with a magnet on the back for the fridge. I hope the t-shirts are good. I know it is going to be hot. Hot like hell.

It goes on.

Today my calendar has a quotation from the fabulous Robert "Nothing-Gold-Can-Stay" Frost:

In these words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on.

Although I am not terribly fond of R. Frost, it seems strangely appropriate when contemplating that tomorrow is September 11th. Tomorrow's Latin for the Illiterati entry is also quite appropriately "bellum atrocissimum" which means a war of atrocities.

9/9

Today was a long day. I went to visit Mondavi in Napa. That is a long drive. I forgot my cell phone. Mike and I were supposed to drive together from his place but I decided to go through the canyon and got stuck in traffic and missed him. The day was minorly productive, although we did have a lovely lunch at Tuscany's.

I am completely drained tonight. I know I am going to have to go to the doctor soon. I've been having lots of bruises popping up and been feeling very tired and weak. I'm lightheaded when I stand up and sometimes even when I don't stand up and I am getting skin rashes that won't go away. I think this all points to my anemia getting worse instead of better.

I just don't have time to hassle with iron infusions and multiple trips to the city for bloodwork right now.

On top of that, Viola's been getting nosebleeds lately. I have a little nagging worry about that because it is one of the symptoms of HHT(Hereditary Hemmorhagic Telangiectasia) which runs in our family. I have some aspects of this including severe nosebleeds and some telangiectases. Nosebleeds are often the first outward sign and so the fact Viola is having nosebleeds is a concern. The disease can vary in degree. So far, I haven't had any arteriovenous malformations like my sister, Erica, who has surgery a number of times to block off these abnormal vessels in her lungs. Some people just get nosebleeds, some people have AVM of the brain, spine or lungs that can cause debilitating side-effects. Of course, lots of people get nosebleeds and don't have HHT. Hopefully, Viola is one of those.

Sorry to be such a bummer tonight. I'm just tired.

Butt cream.

It's Butt Week in the Y. household. Avery has had a bad case of diaper rash due to some gastroenteritis and ensuing diarrhea. I can't stand to hear her scream because of diaper rash so I am the booty-nazi. We get out the cotton cloths, sterile water and hair dryer for butt cleaning and drying. I mix up a concoction of titanium oxide, hydrocortizone and nystatin to cover all my bases. So, knock on wood, Avery's butt was pretty much cleared up today when Viola came down with a case of ouchy-po-po. Viola pretty much gets the same treatment but in the tub with the sprayer instead of wipes and diapers. I gave her dose of ibuprofen and sent her to bed. At one point today, Avery climbed up on the changing table and got into the butt cream. Really, got fully into it. Anyhow, I hate all this butt stuff. It's no fun having a sore butt. You don't know what torture is until your baby struggles to get away from you because it's going to hurt them so badly to have their diaper changed.

Gorilla hungry for a na-na!

Today was hot. Nothing else to describe it. Just hot.

Got up this morning with an overwhelming sense of dread. I needed to go running, had to go running. Yet, the sun was shining like it was noon and it was only 7am. I decided the only thing I could do was go back to bed. Got up later. Still hot. Even more hot, actually, if you can believe it. I got dressed in my running capris and laced up my shoes. Dean asked me where I was going. Um, where I usually go when I am wearing the boob-squashing bra and the lovely tight pants that silhouette and accentuate my cellulite. It was then decided that Dean and the kids were going to come along.

We picked up a couple of Big Wheels at a garage sale yesterday for 2 bucks, so we threw one in the back of the Sub along with the stroller. Everyone piled in and off we went to the levee. One of the nice things about the levee is that you can make a loop by running down one side, crossing a bridge and coming back along the other side. I started at the Isherwood staging area and headed for Decoto Rd while Dean and the kids crossed over the Isherwood bridge and started walking toward Sequoia. I crossed at Decoto and eventually caught them at the Sequoia bridge. Not before I decided I was having a heart attack and heat stroke simultaneously. I literally felt my brain start to bubble in my overheated cerebrospinal fluid. Luckily, the stroller was equipped with water.

After our outing along the levee, we headed back to the house for showers and then back into the car. This time we went to the zoo. The San Francisco Zoo, where we got free admission because we are Friends of the National Zoo(we joined when we were visiting DC), was a fabulous place to be today. It wasn't quite as hot over along the ocean. The kids spent lots of time in the family farm area. We bought some sort of generic farm pellet feed out of a candy machine and fed it to some giant, over-fed ducks. The kids brushed the goats. After that we wandered over to the insect house where I got all creeped out looking at the giant tarantulas. Those things just terrify me. Anyone who tries to be all reasonable and say stupid crap like how they keep the flies in check and whatnot, whatever dude. I just keep thinking about having one of those things in the bottom of my sleeping bag. Our last stop was the African Trail where we saw the gorillas. That was the highlight because BayA has been on a kick about the Gorilla. She is always saying, "Gorilla ran away!" then we ask her, "Why?" and she says, "Gorilla hungry for a na-na!" Of course!

After the zoo, came home. Everyone slept in the car on the way home except for me which was good because I was driving. We saw a really bad accident near Daly City. There was a dead person slumped over the dash of a car that had completely wrapped itself around a pole and knocked the pole down entirely. A fire truck was just arriving as we drove by and of course, we were almost killed by someone rubber-necking and speeding at the same time.

Back at home the roof was hovering over the house, held up by a geyser of hot air issuing forth from our well-insulated (not) home. I threw together some chicken and broccoli and put it in the oven(or maybe that was the closet but either way it was 400 degrees inside). We decided to get out of the hot house and go see the horse.

Cosette was all freaky. She kept spooking and bucking when I was lunging her in the round pen. She doesn't like to go out in the dark. She knows the cows are out there, waiting to eat her. Anyhow, I saddled her up and she settled down. We had a nice ride in the indoor arena. She tried to spook maybe, but I was anticipating it each time and she didn't even get a little hop on me. We even did some canter work and she was fine.

Now I am here procrastinating writing a response for my English class on Geronimo. Best get to work.

Notes on American History.

Hi. Again. I'm taking an online class about American History. I like history but I've never had a college level course in history. All my social science credits were in pseudo-social-science like 'history of genetics' or straight philosophy which was my major. Anyhow, so I thought, "Geez, I should bone up on my history. It'll be good to get some perspective on the development of democracy in our country as it begins to meet its demise."

Beware, the harbingers of doom forsay that a new generation of idiot is upon us. Here is another for the annals:

I think there is a huge difference between the situation in Iraq and the English and Spanish treatment of the Indians. First of all, the people of Iraq were being brutally tortured, raped and killed by their own leaders. Women were treated worse than animals and not allowed to attend school. I truly believe that rather than exploiting the people of Iraq, the goal in Iraq is to bring Freedom and democracy to its Citizens. Unfortunately, Saddam was not willing to give up his tyrannical control of Iraq and in the process of removing him from power , many Iraqi and American lives were lost. I hope that true peace and freedom come quickly for the Iraqi people because all people deserve to be free.

No, one cannot draw any parallels between our freedom-loving, idealistic plunge into war on Iraq and the imperialism of the Spanish and English leading to the annihilation of millions on the American continents. For that, one would have to believe that our primary motivation for invading and occupying Iraq is for financial gain. Then you would also have to assume that we have little respect for the Iraqi people and their religious and cultural traditions. You would also have to establish that we believe their way of life to be inferior and that they are a barbarous people. Nope, none of that going on around here. Most people I talk to don't freely and incorrectly associate 'Muslim' with 'Terrorist'. Most people here don't get Iraqi women confused with Afghani women under the Taliban regime. Naw, we are much too well-informed by our responsible and unbiased media to think things like that.

Woo, can't wait for this semester to get into full swing!

Shots fired.

It was an amusing scene at our house last night(rather, this morning) at 1:40 am. Somewhere in the neighborhood, a firearm was discharged. That's right. We heard a GUNSHOT. It seems that Oakland is expanding. Dean and I were slugging about in the guest room cum all-night-internet-cafe when we heard the noise. To me, it was unmistakable. Dean was skeptical. To me, however, a gunshot and a firework sound very different. Anyhow, Dean still jumped up and turned off the light. The guest room faces the street.

"Should we call the cops?" I said. "what if someone is hurt?"
"Someone has probably already called," Dean replied confidently. We both noted the old lady across the street was lurking and her porch light went on, off, then on again. One if by land, two if by sea...
"But what if everyone thinks that someone else has already called the cops and no one has?"
Then we heard the sirens.
Happyville is an older community with a homeowner's association that has been around since before dirt. Emergency vehicles are not even allowed to honk their horns on a Happyville street unless it is a Class 1, Grade A, Extra Large egg. Emergency, I mean. Emergency. Let alone run with lights and sirens at, GOD FORBID, 1:40 am. Dean and I hung out in our darkened doorway for a while listening to the sirens. They seemed to finalize in the general vicinity from which we'd heard the gunshot.

"Hey, hasn't that car gone up and down our street a couple of times now?" I asked suspiciously as a silver Ford Focus cruised past. A few minutes later another silver car drove by.
"Was it that one?" Dean said.
"No, I don't think so. I saw that other one go by three times at least."
"Maybe you saw one car go by twice and this car go by twice," Dean proposed.

I scanned the local news today several times but to no avail. I know, deep down, that we were witness to a life or death drama unfolding somewhere in the night. I think. Either that or some damn kids were playing with fireworks again. That never happens on a Saturday night in Fremont, though. Heeeeeeck no!

Hot enuf for yer?

Today was so hot that I laid on the couch and pretended I was a chocolate chip cookie baking in the oven. It was, of course, too hot to actually bake cookies in the oven. I wanted to. I have been craving some chocolate chip cookies.

We went to see the horse this evening. The ranch is up on the side of a hill and the sun was setting. The sky was gorgeous and the city lights were all sparkly in the distance. It was warm, dusty and breezy. Being out there sets me right. Even when I don't ride, just being in the presence of the horses makes me happy. Dean took Cosette out this evening. I didn't have my boots or breeches with me but Dean didn't want to canter Cosette(he, also, only had his tennis shoes). So I hopped up on her and cantered her around for a bit and since I was wearing capri pants and tennis shoes, gave myself a nice little raw spot on the inside of each of my legs. It's not like I didn't have big scars there already, either. Cosette was in a huge hurry to get to her bucket of grain and so was being a pain in the butt while I was grooming her. By the time we finished, it was almost dark and all the horses were snuffling about in their stalls. I was feeling very content.

Then we went to 'Buster Dave's', as Vi likes to call Dave & Busters. We played games and hung out. Dean won the jackpot. We traded in some tickets and got a big, giant, humongous Spongebob ball. Dean kept telling Viola not to bounce it inside, so I got a little oppositional and went running all through the place doing an exaggerated dribble of the Spongebob ball. Viola chased after me, laughing her head off. People dove out of our way. Dean was defeated.

Oh, hey. I got sunburned this afternoon. I think the hole in the ozone layer likes to hang out above my house. Anyhow, I was outside for like 15 minutes tearing up all the tomato plants. Avery has been going out there and eating hoardes of tomatos off the plants and having horrible diarrhea and diaper rash as a result. I can't stand it anymore so I tore up all the tomatoes. Now the temptation is gone. And I look like a boiled lobster.

The Daily Show

... makes me laugh so hard I want to pee my pants. Did you see their bit on Sen. Zell Miller's speech at the RNC? Bwah ha ha!

Animal husbandry.

An interesting post over at Crystal Clear has me thinking this morning. I'm pretty lucky to have such a great husband. He isn't so good at the cleaning stuff but he does do the dishes daily. Importantly, he is the best dad I've ever seen, hands down. I am entitled to making sweeping generalizations like that since it is my blog.

Anyhow, these women who treat their husbands badly must also be the type to treat their children badly. If they really feel their husbands are like another child in the home, why don't they nurture their strengths and downplay their weaknesses and mold them into wonderful human beings like people should be doing with their children? When you are a successful, confident human being then you bring out the best in the people around you, kids, husbands, friends, coworkers and even the family dog(who isn't really a person, but sort of).

See, I think it works like this: if your husband comes home and lays on the couch and watches television, makes a mess, doesn't help with the kids, etc. and then you scream at him, berate him and belittle him, it only compounds the problem by breeding resentment. I would expect he would want to go and watch more television (or in our house Tivo) in order to escape from the terror of his daily existence. I learned a little trick from a manager I had once: make people want to do what you want them to do. She was one of the best managers I've ever had because she was nice and people respected and loved her and the work got done and was done well. Why? Because we liked our manager so much that we would exert that little bit of extra effort in order to be cooperative with her. Why did we like her? Did she just have that I-m-a-popular-person spark? No. We liked her because she made us all feel like what we did was important and appreciated. We liked her because she focused on solving problems rather than placing blame. We liked her because she took an interest in us and let us know what she thought we were good at.

It totally works. That whole thing about making people feel important and appreciated is the key because then they want to make you feel good in return, they want to lift you up. We all need that.

This is all my opinion. Duh! It's a blog!

Anyhow, to you women who think your husbands suck, well, in the words of Mr. Brady, "When you tell on someone else, you're really telling on yourself!"

Parents who scream at their kids in the grocery store.

Stop it, would you? I like going grocery shopping. It is therapeutic for me. I like taking my kids grocery shopping because we do fun things like name all the fruit and say what color they are, then we open a bag or box of junk food and eat it. We leave a trail of crumbs and disaster down each aisle. When I see parents screaming at their children in the grocery store I feel angry. I become confrontational. I want to call 911. I want to punch someone.

Today, at Safeway, a woman had her two little girls strapped into the kiddie cart side by side. One of the little girls was about 3 and the other was five or six. The little one kept throwing things out of the cart and was bugging her sister. The mother was screaming at both of them like there weren't twenty horrified people standing around them in checkout lines staring at them. Finally, after threatening the little girls several times with various withholdings and punishments, the woman got right down in the little girl's face and snarled, "Don't you throw one more goddamn thing out of this cart!" She had every ounce of vile and hatred she could muster in her voice, I could tell. Why do people talk to their children as if they hate them? I just don't get it.

I know I lose my temper. My kids drive me up the wall sometimes. I try not to admonish them in front of the whole world when they are acting up. I certainly do not get an inch from their face and say "I HATE YOUR f-ING GUTS, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" which was the subtext of what this woman was telling her kids in the store today. Maybe she doesn't even realize it.

We just have such a short time to give our kids all the good stuff before the ugly, mean, hateful world sinks its teeth into them. It makes me sad that some people choose to show their kids what awaits them at the hand of a third grade bully long before they get to third grade.

I wonder what the parents of all those dead Russian children would have to say to that bitch in the grocery store. I hope they would kick her ass, I know I wanted to.

Here's to Friday!

Today has been fabulous.

I started my day by heading out to the barn. Cosette had a long grooming session where she got to listen to all my shit and get all nice and shiny. There was alot of activity at the barn today. I'm usually out there when things are slow, so it was nice to see some other horse owners out and about. I worked Cosette in the round pen and she was the most lovely, obedient girl ever. Our ensuing ride was perfect. I barely had to think of what I wanted her to do and she was doing it. She had a lively little trot going but was very leisurely and together in the canter.

After riding, I headed into the office for a couple hours of work which went by quickly. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from the office and picked up some doritos and a watermelon. Now, here I am, about to play Memory with Viola while BayA naps. We're going to do something fun later. I don;t know what, but it'll be fun.

Last night Dean and I went to see the Manchurian Candidate. It was great. I know everyone loves Denzel but I don't know that I would have chosen him for this. He was pretty good. It could have been better. Still, one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I'm not even going to comment on this versus the original. You just have to see it as if the original is an entirely different movie.

Anyone have any plans for the weekend? It didn't fully dawn on me that this was a long weekend until, well, like two days ago or something. Oh, and now I'm making paht-stikas! AND I found some chocolate banana napoleans in the freezer!

Ridin' along.

I love my horse. Really. I think with horses it is alot like people. Sometimes you meet someone and you have that instantaneous click, like you must have known them in a previous life or something. Cosette always seems to know what I'm talking about even when I'm not speaking clearly. When I'm riding her I barely have to think about what I want her to do and she does it. I have never had to use a crop or spurs on her. Last evening we were riding in the arena and there was something new. Someone was vacuuming her horse next to the arena rail. Not only that, but the vacuumee was not being very cooperative and was getting upset. The vacuum was being turned on and off sporadically and the horse in question was struggling against the cross-ties and whinnying nervously. Cosette's path required her to travel a mere couple of feet from all this commotion. As we came up on horse and vacuum, Cosette pricked her ears forward and stopped. I felt her gather up a little, preparing for whatever was coming next. I've ridden some horses who like to bolt and buck and this gathering sensation is not unfamiliar to me and I associate it it directly with the few ER visits I've had as a result of riding incidents. So I asked Cosette to move forward, knowing she might resist or worse she might go forward in a bolt to run past the danger. She had her head way up in the air with her ears focused entirely on the horse being tortured with the vacuum but then one of those ears flicked back to me, she lowered her head and moved forward without even a sidestep. The lady has class.

Thoroughbreds are not known for their sanity and good dispositions. Most horse people I know use words like 'hot', 'high-strung' and 'tempermental' to describe their thoroughbreds. But again, horses are like people and each has its individual personality. Cosette is my baby, so of course she is fabulous. Cosette has some great names on her pedigree, including Man O' War a few times over. Her pedigree goes back as far as the late 1600's with relatively few holes. She is a descendant of Lister Turk and Goldolphin Arabian. I can't even trace my own family back that far. This is true of most thoroughbreds, they are all royalty in their own right. Of course, they are bred and inbred and bred some more. Thoroughbreds have been bred for speed but sometimes what enhances speed also amplifies other genetic traits, as well. There is an interesting article on the breeding of thoughoubreds here.

Well, speaking of horses, I'm going to get my britches on and go for a ride.

Viola and the Olympics

Viola watched some of the Olympics with us this year. I mean, really, how could she not? It wasn't like the Tivo was spewing Olympic coverage out of our television screen for 23 hours a day, or anything. We, too, as Megan with her daughter, thought gymnastics would pique her interest since she takes gymnastics at The Little Gym. I sat her down in front of the tv and we 'ooo'-ed and 'ahhh'-ed over balance beam and uneven bar routines. Really, though, she wasn't very interested. That is, until someone fell. Then she jumped up and said, "Mommy! Did she mess up?!" I nodded solemnly in response and said something like, "Isn't it sad, now she's going to lose?" Viola began watching more intently and at each wobble she would say, "Did she mess up?"

Viola has captured the meaning of the Olympics for me and many other couch-potatoes like myself. How we wait anxiously to see a prime human specimen, who has trained for years for this one moment, this one shot at glory and fame and millions of dollars in endorsements, 'mess up' and all of it go down the drain. I tremble with anticipation. Yeah, it's great when they win but how I do so enjoy it when it all goes awry. Olympic losers!

No Wining.

I just read an excellent article, Through a Glass Darkly, over at The New Yorker. What is interesting to me is that when I've seen people in the wine industry get together and drink wine, I don't hear too much of that wine-snob talk. Maybe there is a sense of snobbery-understood when we just say to one another, 'Now this is a good wine'. Of course, I think this article fails to recognize that one's taste in wine is acquired. Not too long ago, I read a report that stated consumer satisfaction actually went up as the price of a champagne product went down. Fancy that. Isn't the best supposed to be the most expensive? But then there isn't the same aura of snobbery surround champagne, at least not to the depth of the wine snobbery. As long as it gets you buzzed and is palatable, most consumers are probably pretty happy with their bubbly.

Woo! I knew it!

I knew there were aliens! CNN reports that a telescope in Puerto Rico has picked up a mysterious radio signal. It's aliens. I know it.

It would explain everything.

Like a fool.

I'm sitting here in my riding tights. I'm going to go riding shortly. I'd have some kind of ninja-horse-rider thing going on since I am all in black but the cottage-cheese-thigh-thing is kind of ruining the ninja mojo.

After I go riding, I'm going to go to my english class. I'm a little surly about having to take English 101. Call me arrogant, but frankly, I'm above it. I know I make a number of spelling and grammar mistakes here on a regular basis, so you're probably saying, "Go, go now! That'll be the best $35 you ever spent!" Tuition was surely more than that, but whatever. In my defense, I never proofread these entries and I have fake nails on and punctuation is often an afterthought when I'm on a roll. Still, when I remember to use an apostrophe, I know when it should go between the 'it' and the 's'. I also know that there are only so many options for ending a sentence and one of them is not ';'. For some reason, though, the State of California needs me to take this class.