More video by Moi

Bahama Drama

pictures from the yard

Fallen Flower with Peeing Pooch

Nibbled Mango

Cheerleader and the Mascot

Warm and Fuzzy

This sweet little comment happened as I was being dropped off at my friends' house by my cousins. I had not seen these cousins in years, and I met their daughters for the first time that day.

Leyna, age 4 (or 5?) - Cydney?
Me - Yes, Leyna.
Leyna - I had a really great time being with you today!

Maddie, left, Leyna, right.

Ohio

Had a great time hanging with these guys this past week-end. Kristen was my roomate our freshman year at Ohio University and fourteen years later, we are still good friends who keep in touch. She lives outside Columbus with her husband, Chad, (who I also met about a month into our freshman year), and their kids, Anna, alomst 4, and Nathan, 18 months.

Kristen and I went on an outing to Target and picked-up some rug and color samples which Anna later got comfy with in their home while chillin wiht some Spongebob.

This is Mom's side of the family. All of them. I got to visit with them on Saturday afternoon and had a blast!

Leyna's awesome artwork. Including a portrait of me (with the orange hair)

Kristen, Anna and I went on a little visit to a waterfall not far from their home. Our outing was eventful with it's salamander, frog and turtle sightings!

Idol

I TiVoed the American Idol finale. It was a very strange combination of cheesy and cool (the finale, not my TiVo. My TiVo's awesome. How many times to I have to tell you this?). David "G-Rated Dreamboat" Archaletta, one of the finalists...I'm pretty sure there are cartoon birds and chipmunks fluttering around him when he wakes-up in the morning. The other finalist, David Cook, has a strange, generic rocker way about him, like he's only meant for a cover band. Pardon me, tribute band.

Meanwhile, both have wonderful voices.

Various singers, real ones, like ones that have been doing this more than a few weeks, came out to sing with the contestants. Seal, Graham Nash, ZZ Top (they had me at "Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man"...it's so true, after all), Bryan Adams.

The cast of Idol came out together to sing "Freedom" by George Michael. Eventually, they left the stage and the real guy, GM, descended from the stairs at the back of the stage. All I can say is the man looks like crap. Paging Mr. Michael, it's Nosferatu on line two; he'd like his fingernails back.

Now granted, the dude can sing and I love his music, but yikes!

By the way, is it necessary that all the songs the two male finalists sing together be love ballads? Awkward.

I couldn't be more stoked about the unexpected results. Well, I'm lying. I'd be more stoked if I got a prize for David Cook winning. Like five dollars. Or a pony.

That would be cool.

Second Video Attempt

Purple Martin Landlord

Get Outta Here!

Javelin Jaw-dropper

This was sent to me today by a coworker. You'd think a marine who served in the middle east would be more aware of flying weapons.
YIKES!

A Puddle Mystery

I've been having a puddle mystery. Over the past week or so, I am coming to my kitchen to step into a huge puddle or two, of I-don't-know-what. As I am always either barefoot of wearing sox in my apartment, this always results in a grossed-out yelp. I wondered if Oliver was having accidents. Leaving puddles of crystal clear, non-staining, odorless urine.

I have the best dog ever!

No, I was pretty sure that couldn't be it, and as we are in a drought right now, I was confident it wasn't coming from a leak in the roof.

Today at lunch, I figured it out when I opened the fridge to find all of my items in the door dripping with water...water coming from my Brita tank which has a nozzle which is clearly being pushed open when I shut the fridge door, thus unloading all the water into the fridge which then drools it out onto the kitchen floor.

Awesome.

It reminded me somehow, stop me if you've heard this one (or, just stop reading), of when I was in middle school, walking home one afternoon from Galvin Junior High. In my town, there was this super creepy dude - likely a drunk or addict or something, who would wander the main street like a zombie. My friend and I, while still in elementary school, once watch as he vomited down the front of himself with seemingly no knowledge that he'd just done so.

The time I am thinking of, however, is when I was walking home from school and I passed him on the street. Freaked-out and walking alone (in broad daylight, I'll point out), I picked-up my pace. I heard his footsteps behind me and realized he was following me! I walked faster, and I heard him doing the same. Soon, I was running and I could hear his feet pounding the pavement behind me. I glanced back and realized that it wasn't creepy dude following me in an effort to kidnap me in his drunken, disfunctional stupor (in broad daylight), but rather, I was hearing the sound of a strap on my backpack, whacking against my bag as I stepped.

Tree of Buttercups

I remember if you get a reflection under your chin when you hold a yellow flower under it, it meant you loved butter.

No More Record Stores

Watching "A Lot Like Love" with a friend this evening, we discovered why we cannot find ourselves dates. One of the characters is browsing in a record store when she and a handsome young lad essentially reach for the same cd.

It's all clear to us now; our lack of romantic lives can be blamed on the internet, iTunes, and the death of listening booths and vinyl.

It Wasn't An Anvil

I did not drop anything on my toes!
I will not elaborate on the procedure i had to have done except to say that it involved the administering of anesthesia into my foot and me crying like a sissy.

insulin day

Happy faulty pancreas day to me!
It was an easy anniversary considering I didn't realize the date til 11:45 PM.

Pouting

I went to the movies with Rachel the other day. Heading up the escalator while we were heading down was a dad with a little boy, about three years old, on his shoulders. The little boy sat slumped on his dad, his little brow furrowed and his lower lip protruding.

As we passed the two, I heard the dad ask his son, "Are you pouting up there?"

Tivo

I actually got my Tivo hooked-up in, like, a half hour.

I'm awesome.

And so is my Tivo.

Pepper Tumor

New Keens

I love my new Keen shoes. Not only are they super comfortable, but they also smell like the head of a brand new cabbage patch kid.

At least, for now.

AT&T(rifficly annoying)

I would like to take this opportunity to tip my hat to the women of my local, "The New AT&T used to be Bell-South company"

I have been receiving one bill with two charges on it. I couldn't tell it was two separate charges because it was on one bill. basically, the national AT&T was charging me a ridiculous amount of money for their long distance service, while the local "The New AT&T used to be Bell-South company" was also billing me because they were the company I was supposed to have my long-distance through.

Why I was being billed for both? I don't know. Not to mention they are two different companies with the same name, billing together.

Ugh.

After two days of calling back and forth between the local and the national companies, I got a woman on the line at the local company (who actually does the billing). As far as I know, she made it all better. Also, I do not owe any of the $126 bill this month, and next month, I'm credited $88 to make up for the national AT&T shenanigans.

I feel a little better about buying $95 Keen shoes at the mall today (I have foot issue reasons which I will not elaborate on here, you will be happy to know)

Macro Lens

Bird Thief

Dance Recital

This is just what I needed after having more issues with AT&T today. I was over-billed this month (just like last month) and when I called for help, I asked if I could be connected with Preston again (I have the transaction number because he was so helpful last time...or, sort of). The guy told me he could help me, then proceeded to connect me to the automated office of the local AT&T. When I got a human in the phone repair department to answer, he informed me, "Oh, I'm sorry, the customer service just closed two minutes ago. I can't access your bill".

Of course it did.

I got this from my friend Britney and it made my day much brighter. Her daughter is second from the right. It's a little long, but be patient, it's worth it!

"Waiting" Too Long?

I was ironing (it's ironic that I was doing so, actually) when Morning Edition did a segment about young moms. The lead was something like, "...women are waiting too long to have children". READ IT OR LISTEN HERE. This phrase, and the report (although I know I'm being hypersensitive) annoyed me.

Fertility peaks at age 22, it said. By 35, pregnancy is "much harder to achieve". "The American Society for Reproductive Medicine tried to warn women were waiting too late, but they just didn't listen".

"Just didn't listen"?!! "Tried to warn me"?!! Oh, I'm sorry, did I choose to not find myself a suitable mate before age 32? The report says that women have been so focused on career that they are waiting too long to have kids. Are these women so focused that they can't find a decent partner or do they find their partner while becoming super-fantastic in the work force like some yuppy, perfect, feel-free-to-allow-me-to-punch-you-in-your-happy-in-love-face fairy tale. 'Cause personally, I'm not experiencing either.

Although I don't know the solution, perhaps our society needs to find a way to make both possible. Then maybe, we won't be pumping ourselves full of hormones and having four-child litters at age 38 while reminding ourselves how proud we are that we became partners at our law firms.

I remember watching some movie in which the main character said that cultures in which people have arranged marriages may be on to something - then that way we could always blame our parents if it didn't work out.
But I digress. My diatribe about the lack of prospects is for another time (lucky you).

In the meantime, NPR, I'm not waiting til I'm 38. I would like to be married and starting a family, but unfortunately, that whole It will happen when you're ready concept just ain't true (sorry Mom). When I was in high school, I thought I'd meet him in college. When that didn't happen and I was around 22, I thought surely I'll meet him by 25. Still single at 26, I thought, I'm still young, I'm sure I'll meet someone by the time I'm 30. Now 32, I figure I'll give myself til 36, then maybe I'll except spinsterhood and cash in my reporoductive chips. I hear they go for a lot these days, and by the time four years go by and the recession is over, I may be able to get me a bundle for them.

(And the Academy Award for "Self-Pitying Single Girl" goes to...)

Less Mailings

Save a tree.
Register here to recieve less mailings....
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html

Chess Club

I was photographing an elementary school chess club today. Wandering through the group of concentrated Bobby Fischers, I hear the voice of a little girl ask, "Are you gonna interview to us?"
I shake my head as friendly as possible while I continue looking for pictures.

Later, the little girl comes up to me. I am shooting, but since I usually shoot with both eyes open, I can see her in my periphery. Hey!" I say to her.
"Can I say something to you?" she asks.
"Oh course!" I tell her while I keep shooting, "Go ahead!"
"If I were famous and you asked me about chess, I would say that the pawn is only a small piece but it's a chess piece and still a very important part of the game."
"That is an excellent thing to say!" I tell her, impressed with her delivery.
She pulls her shoulders back proudly as she receives the congratulatory high five I offer her, then skips off to her desk.

Brave kid, actually. If I think about it, I'm not sure I would have been self-confident enough to approach a "news person" as a third grader and offered them a statement, confident that it was an insightful one.

Cop 'n' Poop

I parked my car in the company lot while I was away for vacation. When I returned, the birds in the tree under which I had parked did a number on my civic.

Today, after the gym, I motivated to do something about the embarrassing rear window (with poor visibility). I dragged the hose from the side of my place as far across the yard as I could get it. I was standing about twelve feet away from the car and spraying at full-force at the window, hoping to remove the offense when a police cruiser pulled-up.

"Be careful," he said, "there are police around here."
I thought he was referring to the ridiculousness of the scene - me in my gym clothes aiming the hose on it's highest pressure at my car as though I was playing carnival game.
"Oh! I didn't even think of that!" I tell him as soon as it occurs to me - we are in a drought and there are rules about when you can use water, "I never use this hose so that didn't even occur to me (that I was breaking a rule)!"
"Awe, I don't do anything about it anymore," he said, "I just roll up (in the cruiser) and make a joke."
"I'm trying to get the poop off my car," I announce from a distance.
"Well, you gotta get the poop off the car," he agrees, "It'll eat the paint off!"
"Really?" I didn't know, "Then I definitely need to get the poop off.'

I said "poop" to a cop. Twice.

Distracted in Massachussetts

Mom (while simultaneously watching a promo for classic westerns on TV and cooing at and petting Bootsie) - Oh, aren't you just the cutest little...John Wayne!

Me - Did you just say 'John Wayne'?

Mom - Maybe.

Visit Home

Oliver's Report Card

I picked-up Oliver from the vet where he was kenneled while I was visiting family for about a week. I was very happy to see him needless to say (though I did have fun with my parents' dog, Bootsie - spastic pictures to follow), and I think he's happy to see me too.

The people there told me as they handed him over how much they love him, that he was such a good boy. Bravo!

he even got a report card from the days he spent joining the day care clan. (you may have to click on the picture to view an enlarged version in order to read it).

Unschooling

I was browsing around the NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) website today. They now have, along with their monthly newspaper clip contest, an online multimedia category, which includes audio slideshows and videos.

This Los Angeles Times video, Unschooling, was a winner last month in the video category.

The story was about a family in which the daughters teach themselves, or learn things organically, rather than be given a formal structure in their education.
I couldn't help but wonder how this will benefit the children. Yes, it definitely helps them develop a sense of themselves. It helps them learn to recognize when they are interested in something and when they are not. In turn, they likely learn about themselves on a deeper level too; In later years, it may help them figure out what they want to do in life without having to consider the pressures of the rule-filled world.

The problem is, there IS an outside world with rules and structure. That's not to say that the girls are not learning about the outside world, but are they learning to survive in the outside world? In what grown lifestyle will they function and contribute to the world if they don't know how to survive, contribute, or even function within it's structure.

I would think it easier to learn with some structure growing up and then choose to live an unstructured adult life. At least then, you know how to function and you understand the structure and organizion, red tape and beaurocracy or the world and you're choosing to go another route.

I'm not sure it can be done the other way around.

Here's the video.

May Masthead