Hey, during my research, I found this absolutely incredible letter to the president elect. it's from the week of October 12, and addresses my deepest hopes for this country. I opened a new post about two weeks ago to post it, and had to cancel it because I didn't have time to actually write anything. Then, I saw it posted on one of the blogs I follow. How cool is that?
Here it is.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html
Written by Michael Pollan, it's a weighty 6000 words or so, and worth every minute it takes to read it.
I guess I can start getting the NYT again, now that Bush is going away. The news just got too sad for me, and I quit, but maybe I'll be able to read about what's happening. I tried last Sunday and this to get the paper, and it turned into the NYT Quest, which was repeated this weekend... so I'm getting it delivered.
My friend Stephanie told me that her dad had to set his alarm to get up and get his paper in the morning, because if he didn't-- his NEIGHBORS stole it!!!! and the time is getting earlier. now it's 20 to seven if I remember correctly. In any case, neighbors of mine-please don't steal my Sunday NYT... once I start getting it!!!
Only two more classes, and then I get the big break of the year, til the first of the year. I have enough projects planned for the next month to fill a good season, so we'll see what actually transpires.
I can't believe how much better I'm sleeping since Tuesday. Despite my children! :D
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Bossy me
Okay, I couldn't watch/listen to the whole thing, but I regretted it immediately and went to their site where you can watch the whole thing. And what do you know? they have their very own myspace page!!! type in Mydebates.org and you get sent to mySpace! (but you don't have to join or have an account)
You can also compare your beliefs about massive complex topics packaged in less than 15 words with those of the candidates. And there's video of all the debates. Even the Say it ain't so Joe one.
Anyway, I did survive the last debate and now can we please just have a new president? Please? Since we're huddled up with NPR often, you know, like every day, I did the deed. In the midst of the plunging economy and the normal bills, I gave some money to Colorado Public Radio, since after all-- they're telling me what's happening. I now have a clear conscience.
Now go give to public radio, you know it's your turn.
And then go to the damn library and check out how cool that place is.
And THEN visit your local farmer's market this weekend before it ends for the season.
I'll stop telling you what to do now. But really, are any of those things terrible? I think not.
You can also compare your beliefs about massive complex topics packaged in less than 15 words with those of the candidates. And there's video of all the debates. Even the Say it ain't so Joe one.
Anyway, I did survive the last debate and now can we please just have a new president? Please? Since we're huddled up with NPR often, you know, like every day, I did the deed. In the midst of the plunging economy and the normal bills, I gave some money to Colorado Public Radio, since after all-- they're telling me what's happening. I now have a clear conscience.
Now go give to public radio, you know it's your turn.
And then go to the damn library and check out how cool that place is.
And THEN visit your local farmer's market this weekend before it ends for the season.
I'll stop telling you what to do now. But really, are any of those things terrible? I think not.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
may I state for the record
That John McCain is not my friend. I am not his friend.
Thank you.
The misery of the debates may continue.
Thank you.
The misery of the debates may continue.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
My dear sweet boys
I only have a one and three year old, but I can already see it coming down the pike. Through my tears that is. This woman is such a great writer, (the Dalai Mama) and I went to Wondertime online to complain about the HFCS and couldn't find a contact email...(does that seem crazy to you? oh, and by the way, it's owned by Disney, which explains why there are a minimum of 20-25 pages of Disney ads in every issue--and why they have the money to put out the very cool things they do in this mag.)
Like HER! http://wondertime.go.com/parent-to-parent/blogs/catherine-newman-blog/09152008.html what a great writer. If someday I can capture a feeling like she did in this entry, well, then i'll be damn proud.
Tonight I actually took notes when Rowan was talking, and I wanted to remember what he said. He is just as fascinating as every other child to their mother, but I cannot for the life of me reproduce almost anything cool that he says or does, unless I write it down the very moment it comes out.
One of his sayings that I love is this: "Did you never do that?" or "Did you never see that before?"
Today we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. How typical is that of american fare?! Damn it was good too.
But this conversation happened before dinner. And since I just went through the ritual of pulling out the clothes that Milo and Rowan have outgrown, and put in all the new ones (more on this later), Milo was wearing a little pair of training underpants that I had for Rowan at this age.
We had the green beans to snap, and Rowan loves doing it, and is VERY good at it too! But now Milo wants to pretty much anything Rowan does, so I had him perched up there on the edge of the chair (yes the little one) while Rowan did sort of a balancing dance move up there too, leaning on the counter. (yes, I was standing behind him so that he wouldn't fall three feet) and we were snapping the green beans to freeze or cook in something. Rowan is half singing a little mini haiku. "Bean juice, splashing in my face" and I know exactly what he's saying, as they snap, the mist of these delicious beans is hitting him in the face! So I listen, but pretend to not hear (otherwise he stops doing whatever I love) and then the verse changes to "grape juice, splashing in my face" to "Ice cream, splashing in my face."
Milo has a green bean in his mouth, and is organizing everything. He is awesome at moving the laundry, imitating any motion that I make while talking, and doing almost any nasty thing that Rowan does to him BACK at him! He's been thwacking Rowan on the head, and hitting, poking and generally letting him know that the field is getting more even, as we speak!
They are awesome together, a lot. They play, are happy, and peaceful most of the time, thank the parenting godesses and gods out there for that.
And of course, I feel extra attentive and sentimental because George and I got a whole night off, got a group tango lesson and a little party, and to sleep in... by our selves!! My parents watched the boys, and they rewarded them with sleeping all night (an almost unrepeated event when I am near) and then waking promptly at six to torture my parents who were trying/hoping that they might get a couple more minutes of shuteye with them all snuggled in the bed. (ha. ha.)
Add the fact that I am neglecting my homework, and you have me, feeling lovey and thrilled to be the mom of these two lovelies. I'm sure it's also because they're sleeping. ! :) But some of that is because you can actually think about them, without continually attending to them when they are motionless and adorable in bed.
Like HER! http://wondertime.go.com/parent-to-parent/blogs/catherine-newman-blog/09152008.html what a great writer. If someday I can capture a feeling like she did in this entry, well, then i'll be damn proud.
Tonight I actually took notes when Rowan was talking, and I wanted to remember what he said. He is just as fascinating as every other child to their mother, but I cannot for the life of me reproduce almost anything cool that he says or does, unless I write it down the very moment it comes out.
One of his sayings that I love is this: "Did you never do that?" or "Did you never see that before?"
Today we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. How typical is that of american fare?! Damn it was good too.
But this conversation happened before dinner. And since I just went through the ritual of pulling out the clothes that Milo and Rowan have outgrown, and put in all the new ones (more on this later), Milo was wearing a little pair of training underpants that I had for Rowan at this age.
We had the green beans to snap, and Rowan loves doing it, and is VERY good at it too! But now Milo wants to pretty much anything Rowan does, so I had him perched up there on the edge of the chair (yes the little one) while Rowan did sort of a balancing dance move up there too, leaning on the counter. (yes, I was standing behind him so that he wouldn't fall three feet) and we were snapping the green beans to freeze or cook in something. Rowan is half singing a little mini haiku. "Bean juice, splashing in my face" and I know exactly what he's saying, as they snap, the mist of these delicious beans is hitting him in the face! So I listen, but pretend to not hear (otherwise he stops doing whatever I love) and then the verse changes to "grape juice, splashing in my face" to "Ice cream, splashing in my face."
Milo has a green bean in his mouth, and is organizing everything. He is awesome at moving the laundry, imitating any motion that I make while talking, and doing almost any nasty thing that Rowan does to him BACK at him! He's been thwacking Rowan on the head, and hitting, poking and generally letting him know that the field is getting more even, as we speak!
They are awesome together, a lot. They play, are happy, and peaceful most of the time, thank the parenting godesses and gods out there for that.
And of course, I feel extra attentive and sentimental because George and I got a whole night off, got a group tango lesson and a little party, and to sleep in... by our selves!! My parents watched the boys, and they rewarded them with sleeping all night (an almost unrepeated event when I am near) and then waking promptly at six to torture my parents who were trying/hoping that they might get a couple more minutes of shuteye with them all snuggled in the bed. (ha. ha.)
Add the fact that I am neglecting my homework, and you have me, feeling lovey and thrilled to be the mom of these two lovelies. I'm sure it's also because they're sleeping. ! :) But some of that is because you can actually think about them, without continually attending to them when they are motionless and adorable in bed.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
New tooth
Yesterday Milo's first tooth poked through his little gums! wait, you think... how old is he? 14 months! He has definitely taken his time with this. :)
I got to see Anne Lamott last night with my book club and a couple of other friends, it was great- she's one funny lady. We got free tickets through Jefferson County Public Library (so did everyone else there). They host an author event every year, and it's such a great place to put money. I got to see Sue Monk Kidd two years ago with my mom, and I guess I just missed the whole event last year due to unprecedented other commitments.
I wanted to pass along these two gems that I found after being totally incensed by an ad in Wondertime. As you've read in the past, I like quite a bit about this mag, except for the advertising which borders on ridiculous. The last issue however, had a full page ad from the corn refiners association. Who They? Our friends responsible for High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS. Here's a couple of the video ads they're running to attempt to change the image of the aforementioned substance:
http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/labels/HFCS.html
And this blogpost that talks a bit about the issue differently:
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=09&year=2008&base_name=the_problem_with_corn_syrup
These are variations of what was in the magazine, directed specifically towards parents of young children. Look in the next 50 things you buy, and if you haven't searched before then you'll find it in just about everything except milk and eggs. Oh, they don't have ingredient lists. but maybe they should....
I got to see Anne Lamott last night with my book club and a couple of other friends, it was great- she's one funny lady. We got free tickets through Jefferson County Public Library (so did everyone else there). They host an author event every year, and it's such a great place to put money. I got to see Sue Monk Kidd two years ago with my mom, and I guess I just missed the whole event last year due to unprecedented other commitments.
I wanted to pass along these two gems that I found after being totally incensed by an ad in Wondertime. As you've read in the past, I like quite a bit about this mag, except for the advertising which borders on ridiculous. The last issue however, had a full page ad from the corn refiners association. Who They? Our friends responsible for High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS. Here's a couple of the video ads they're running to attempt to change the image of the aforementioned substance:
http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/labels/HFCS.html
And this blogpost that talks a bit about the issue differently:
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=09&year=2008&base_name=the_problem_with_corn_syrup
These are variations of what was in the magazine, directed specifically towards parents of young children. Look in the next 50 things you buy, and if you haven't searched before then you'll find it in just about everything except milk and eggs. Oh, they don't have ingredient lists. but maybe they should....
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Rainy September brings square footage dreams
First off, apologies about the sideways pictures. They either get in there sideways, or they don't get in there. I can't change them when I'm selecting them, and I dont want to change the format if I want to print them... so sorry.
Yesterday, George set up our tent to camp in the backyard, and then it started raining. Hard. Rowan didn't care, he wanted to sleep out there, so they did. The benefit of the rain? That the constantly barking dogs in the neighborhood on any normal night were silent and dry INSIDE their houses.
Milo and I did our usual night visiting. He really wants to keep close tabs on us, so he makes sure we're still around when he should be sleeping.
I don't know what's gotten in to me, but I'm back sketching plans of our upstairs, thinking constantly about where we can get ourselves an extra hundred thousand, and wishing for construction to start any minute on our second floor. Oh, it must be rainy and getting cooler. Now for all the months when I feverishly wish for more than one room to be in.
Yes I know that makes me sound snotty and priveleged, considering how much we have, and how insanely lucky we are to be dry and well fed, and not evacuating our flooded home. All the rest of me is very embarassed, but I can't be completely zen about our little houseall of the time, can I? Whether I can or can't, I'm certainly NOT. Yet it serves us just fine. If only it were paid for and we didn't have a mortgage like the rest of the US. Then the whole freddy fanny fiasco wouldn't really creep me out.
And speaking of creeping me out, I just looked at the polls for the first time today, and McCain was ahead. This is the first day I did this, and the last, because I need at least the next fifty days to hope that something will be different in January when our current fearless leader gets the hell out of town.
Maybe you already saw this, but it's worth a view http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm
Yesterday, George set up our tent to camp in the backyard, and then it started raining. Hard. Rowan didn't care, he wanted to sleep out there, so they did. The benefit of the rain? That the constantly barking dogs in the neighborhood on any normal night were silent and dry INSIDE their houses.
Milo and I did our usual night visiting. He really wants to keep close tabs on us, so he makes sure we're still around when he should be sleeping.
I don't know what's gotten in to me, but I'm back sketching plans of our upstairs, thinking constantly about where we can get ourselves an extra hundred thousand, and wishing for construction to start any minute on our second floor. Oh, it must be rainy and getting cooler. Now for all the months when I feverishly wish for more than one room to be in.
Yes I know that makes me sound snotty and priveleged, considering how much we have, and how insanely lucky we are to be dry and well fed, and not evacuating our flooded home. All the rest of me is very embarassed, but I can't be completely zen about our little houseall of the time, can I? Whether I can or can't, I'm certainly NOT. Yet it serves us just fine. If only it were paid for and we didn't have a mortgage like the rest of the US. Then the whole freddy fanny fiasco wouldn't really creep me out.
And speaking of creeping me out, I just looked at the polls for the first time today, and McCain was ahead. This is the first day I did this, and the last, because I need at least the next fifty days to hope that something will be different in January when our current fearless leader gets the hell out of town.
Maybe you already saw this, but it's worth a view http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm
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