Friday, May 30, 2003

I have so much written work to finish in the next ten hours I can barely breathe. so I've gone to small hands to get caught up on the wordy quizzes. idiot quizzes are good for short term procrastination, and you know I love the pictures, but it's the wordy ones that really get me.

This or That

1. Do you prefer silence or do you like background sound (music, TV, etc)?
well, I mean, for what? it depends. I usually want music.
if I'm writing intensely, then I don't notice or care, but for working with the kids, or on the house, or something otherwise hands-on, I need music. for doing lay-out, I want music or tv. last time I did the mama calendar, I was watching grace under fire at 5 in the morning and it was awesome. the first calendar I made to the repeated playings of red, hot & blue. the last zine got laid out to the background noise of tapeheads, then eat drink man woman.

2. Bathe/shower in morning or evening?
what I used to do: shower in the morning, bathe in the evening. but in this house, showers are often mysteriously unsatisfactory temperature-wise, so I take baths almost all the time. short, unsatisfying baths, but at least they're free of sudden, radical temperature changes.

3. Sleeping in complete darkness, or with a nightlight on?
darkness, but there is light coming up from the stairwell.

4. Lay out clothes the night before, or just grab what's closest in the morning?
grab what is in on the top of the pile... although for sunday mornings I often do pick something out ahead of time, and for certain things I fret about an outfit for days... weeks...

5. Hang up/fold clothes neatly, or just toss them wherever?
both. well, not wherever, there is a pile. there are a few piles.

6. Work out at a gym, or at home on your own (or do you not bother with exercise)?
work out. that's funny.
I do a lot of walking on my own, and with the kids. sometimes some yoga. at home. I miss having a yoga class.

7. Talk on the phone, or via IM/e-mail?
for something brief and specific, it's email, but I love actually talking to a person that I know. you know? when an old friend asks me via email what I've been up to I feel blank. I want them to hear me. I want to hear them. etc.

8. Are you usually on time, or late?
usually? I think that really, usually, I am on time. but it drives me insane when I'm late.

9. Spendthrift or frugal?
neither, although I'm sure the frguality movement people would call me spendy.

Weekly Wrap-Up #51 - Planes, Trains & Automobiles

1. What's your favorite method of travel? Why?
road trip with someone else driving. because there's so much to see. because it takes forever in a really good way, drawing it out, making it last. I like stumbling into roadside diners and stretching out at rest areas, finding cheesy radio stations late at night. I love cheap motels.

I also love the train. so much to see, and from odd angles, it's fascinating.

2. What's the longest road trip you've ever taken? Where?
from atlanta, georgia to skagway, alaska in the summer of 1992. and back.

3. How many plane trips have you taken in your life?
wow, so many!
two as a young child, one at 12, two at 15, and then approximately 6 a year from ages 16-28...
and only six total since nash was born in 1997.

4. What method of travel do you fear so much or intensely dislike that you avoid it? Why?
well, fear, that would be if I had to do the driving. I'd fear that big time and I do avoid it.
I have taken the bus a LOT of times, mostly all over florida and massachusetts in my teens but sometimes as far as atlanta to fort myers, or sarasota to dc... I'd prefer not take the bus ever again, and certainly hate the thought of having to take it with the kids.

5. Describe the worst travel experience you've ever had.
any of the trips that involved broken cars, or vomiting. I have never been carsick myself, but have done some road time with folks who are... eeech.
how about that short but painful plane ride between blacksburg and charlotte, when every single passenger but me was puking their guts up? and I was getting close. not becuase of airsickness (never), but because of all the rest of them, the small, enclosed space, the smell... yeah, that was really bad.

and last week's:

Weekly Wrap Up

1. What was your favorite book as a child? Why?
I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass repeatedly... also the Little House Books many times, and Harriet the Spy, Treasure Island, everything by E.L . Konigsberg, I was always reading.
but when I was very little, my favorite book was Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book.

2. How often did you read as a child? Describe your preferred reading area or situation.
I was always reading. anywhere, anytime.

3. What children's literature series did you read when you were younger? Why?
The Little House books, the Chronicles of Narnia, The Five Little Peppers, The Great Brain, the Bagthorpe books, all of Tolkein... why, because they're engaging and suspenseful and fun and cool.

4. Do you still read children's literature? Why or why not?
I read to my children every day, but also, I am still a sucker for smart kids getting up to mischief. I have read John Bellairs and JK Rowling in the past few years for my own enjoyment.

5. What children's book would you recommend for a child's library? Why?

the Little Bear books are perfect for very young children, as well as Goodnight Moon, and More, More, More Says the Baby. I can't imagine a kid's house without Hop on Pop. I love If You Give a Pig a Pancake and all the rest of Numeroff's books. every 10 year old should have Harriet the Spy.

3 For Thursday

1. What are your 3 favorite current TV shows?
does current mean that I currently see them sometimes?
zoboomofoo
square pegs (saturdays at midnight)
what not to wear

but if I had access to frank's place, my so called life and/or freaks & geeks, I'd be there. and though I never watch it anymore, I love roseanne, especially that period with tons of sandra bernhardt, and the one when roseanne's father dies, and the dope smoking episode, oh my god, it was brilliant. I just pretend the final season didn't happen.

2. What are your 3 favorite shows from your childhood?
scooby doo
sonny & cher
the rockford files

3. What are your 3 favorite TV/movie/fictional characters?
Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird
Melrose Plant from Martha Grimes' Richard Jury mysteries
eh? I guess favorite characters are not my thing.

4. What are your 3 favorite movies of all time? Movies you can sit and watch over and over.
tapeheads
local hero
metropolitan

5. What are your 3 favorite books?
Crime & Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Rubyfruit Jungle - Rita Mae Brown
Son of the Circus - John Irving

Thursday, May 29, 2003

I still don't know whether I'll really make it to LA this july, but look, look at this.

Sunday, May 25, 2003

this is from december, but I only just got it scanned.
oooooh, aaahhhhh.
I can't get over how short nash's hair was.

Thursday, May 22, 2003

today I want to go back twenty years and tell John Holt all my troubles.

"I wish I had a dollar for every ... defender of the schools who talks about Real Life; it's almost never the fascinating courses, or the challenging teachers - their only concern [is] that home-schooled children will miss the "social life" of schools. And when I point out that for the most part
the social life of schools is mean-spirited, selfish, snobbish,
conformist, ruthless, cold-hearted and often downright cruel and violent, nobody disagrees. "That's Real Life.'" they say, ... "[y]ou have to prepare children for the real world. How else are they ever going to get along with
others?" Notice that they don't mean others who treat each other with kindness and dignity; they can't seem to conceive of that ..."
John Holt

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

I've been asked for suess's black bean cake recipe. it looks like I lost my hip mama recipe files in the last complete computer breakdown, so I'm typing it out for you:

3/4 pound dried black beans, washed, picked over, and soaked for 12 hours in 2 quarts of water, or canned (I use canned)
2 tablespoons salt (I use less)
1/2 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use a little more)
4 tablespoons safflower oil for frying (I use olive)

drain beans and transfer to a large bowl. add other ingredients, except oil. mash together to make a lumpy paste (suess uses her hands, I use a potato masher).
shape in to balls, then flatten to 3" in diameter.
place in hot skillet with 2 T of oil and fry about 4 minutes on each side, til golden brown. then transfer to baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes (I just realized that I missed this step). serve with lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, avacadoes, anything you like, and dressing. you can top them with sour cream or yogurt and chives, salsa, whatever. suess recommends mango salsa. I have them with just the dressing.

the dressing:

2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons key lime juice (or just ordinary lime)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns
3/4 cup safflower oil
salt to taste

whisk together all but the oil and salt. add the oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking til incorporated. season with salt. cover tightly and set aside at room temperature until needed.

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

I should be over the poem generator, but, but, but:

supercenter a dr. pepper
and work... okay,
what
super coleen 6:15 PM [+] :: ... :: This quiz. yet.
have you seen the episode of arthur in which buster decides he's amish? pretty surreal. but it doesn't compare to the one with art garfunkel as the singing moose, narrating via perky jingles the time when buster comes back from his trip around the world and awkwardness ensues... which is just as good as the arthur holiday special when muffy gets irked at francine for missing her party and then realizes that it was all because of hannukkah (rather than an intentional snub, you see) and so muffy comes over to apologize and her dad gives francine's dad a ham.
well anyhow, I'm pointlessly angsty and have that ticklish throat sneezy thing going on and was struggling to find something to do with myself beyond you know, working, so I decided to cook. I made suess's black bean cakes because I felt that all the mincing and mashing would do me good, and besides, for once I had all the ingredients. we're never out of black beans, but it's rare to find fresh basil and jalapenos just when I need them. they're a little more spicy than last time.... which was, lemme see, during mardi gras, right before matt & elizabeth got here. I love them. the kids hate them. more for me.
buster's mom: "sweetie, do you have to be completely amish? couldn't you be just a little bit amish?"
This or That

1. Large or small family?
ah, medium? the family I come from always felt larger than it really was.

2. Potato chips or pretzels?
oh chips. I only want pretzels if they're covered with chocolate.

3. House or apartment?
House. please.

4. Zebras or giraffes?
giraffes.

5. Candles or potpourri?
I have candles. I have no potpourri. and certainly no incense.

6. Flowers or trees?
flowers on trees? no. both are good. more than good. necessary.

7. Right or left-handed?
right handed.

8. Model trains or dolls/stuffed animals?
no! for what? a stuffed animal on the bed. toy trains all over the floor. this is what I have.

9. Comedy or drama?
can't I have both?

10. Thought-provoking question of the week: The city of Boston has recently banned smoking in all restaurants and bars. Would you want to see such a law passed in your city/town/country, or not?
that'd be so nice. I'd go out way more often because I wouldn't have to dread the inevitable smoke inhalation hangover.

Saturday, May 17, 2003

did I really just hear jonathon on a commercial for I don't know what?
I just poured out nine beautiful, purple, lavender scented venus of willendorfs and realized that, what with my freezer being full of frozen waffles and peas from the co-op, there ain't no room for soap. so no short cuts, I'll be up late.
but: square pegs comes on at midnight! yes!
now that we'll be here til at least september, I wanna try and really enjoy the things about this house that made me love it so much in the beginning. since there's no way I'll pay for cable anytime soon, I wanna tape some of my cable favorites over the next few months. so if you get wind of a freaks & geeks marathon, lemme know...

Friday, May 16, 2003

my friday five is just four:
1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?: I drink bottled water now. I grew up drinking well water, and city water just ills me right out. when I get my own place I am psyched to get a purifier or something.

2. What are your favourite flavor of chips?:
bbq by zapp's or that kc masterpiece, you know? but I also love kettle chips, and their green onion is way better than their bbq. crunchtators in bbq is also fine. you know what chips I miss, those cajun spice chips that were all the rage in 1987. I used to get cajun ruffles and a dr. pepper and be so happy.

3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?:
I love to make yogurt-garlic alfredo-ish sauce with lots of parmesan and have it on tortellini or linguini or fettucine, they each have their own special charm... with mushrooms and broccoli.
4. How do you have your eggs?:
over medium with hash browns and a bagel. or fancied up with sauce, you know, benedict or sardou, that sort of thing. I haven't had any in quite some time.
sure, okay. what they don't mention is that freya was balder's mother, balder who was killed by loki via some mistletoe. one night during mardi gras - it was after our failed attempt to enjoy endymion - the kids and I were coming home on the ferry and nash told the entire story of balder and the mistletoe to a tenacious young woman who wanted to know if we'd accepted jesus christ as our lord and saviour...
HASH(0x8686678)
You are Freya! Freya is the godess of love and
fertility. Freya lives in the beautiful
Folkvang [battlefield] and each day she chooses
half of the slain warriors to split with Odin.
She had a husband named Od, whom she somehow
lost and cried golden tears for. Many believe
Od is Odin.

Freya's chariot is drawn by male cats and she owns
the precious Brisings' necklace, which she
slept with four dwarves to acquire. She also
owns a feather coat which she could use to fly
between the worlds.
Freya is the most beautiful of all godesses in
Valhalla, and she is not afraid to use her
beauty and charm to get her way. She is also a
loving and sensual person who believes in the
good in people. She is known to be somewhat
"easy" though, but she'd probably say
that's part of being the godess of love.


Which Norse Mythology character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

I love this quiz. the first time I saw my so called life I was unpacking and settling in to my room at the house on second avenue in atlanta, in march of 1994. upstairs, with my dog and my tons of clothes and my little tv, wondering if 25 isn't really too old to be so enamored of a high school show. and that was what, five years before freaks & geeks? anyhow, look how pretty:
Rickie
You are Rickie Vasquez. You are sensitive,
empathetic, and a hopeless romantic. You always
get stuck in the middle of things involving
your friends. You are gay and like to hang out
in the girl's bathroom, but that's what makes
you so unique. I love you...


Which My So-Called Life character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

in other news, liam fell down and broke one of his (already somewhat broken) teeth off today, it's awful. run on sentences are what blogging is all about. brutus, don't dillute us. regardless, so, yeah, it's the dentist tomorrow, if I can get him in.
and I did see x2 last night, blah, along with the Worst Previews Ever.

Tuesday, May 13, 2003

tonight's dilemma:
go and see a mighty wind by myself?
or x2 with my friends?
or stay home and work... okay, so that's not even a contender. I want bad theater popcorn way too much for that.
but look, look at this. it's the first time a website alone has brought me to tearful laughter. I'm wheezing here. the sad part is that now I'm actually hungry.

Saturday, May 10, 2003

nash is in the bathrom talking to himself right now. one self is explaining to another self how great it is to be on a soccer team. "let me get this straight, we can play anywhere in the world?" "yes, you've got it!"
liam is gone for his first overnight away from either parent. my parents whisked him away and nash was pretty glad to see him go. we've been having a big kids only celebration by watching harry potter and the chamber of secrets and eating popcorn for dinner. he was just as terrified by the big spiders as I expected, but he loved it. we had a nice time cowering under the covers together for a change.
liam, this morning, after I woke up enough to change the channel from the damn Wiggles (nothing worse than Wiggles inspired dreams), picked up his play phone and said, "hello, police? it's liam. I need for you to come to my house and arrest coleen, because she turned off playhouse disney while I was watching the wiggles. okay, so come now. thank you, goodbye."
when did he get so officious?

Friday, May 09, 2003

the friday five
1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not?
yes I would, because I remember more things than I forget, and I usually know what day it is and I am very rarely late. even though I now lose my keys on occasion, I still think I have a core of organization that keeps everything going. no really, I mean it. even my six year old knows that if something is lost, I am the person to ask. I am a great finder.

2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly?
I have a datebook, yeah, and I either use it like mad or forget about it for a week.

3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now?
it IS in spite of all appearances. I know excatly what's in that stack of tiny pieces of paper and business cards with jotted down phone numbers.

4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter?
no no NO. although I used to group my books by genre, and I will again once I get moved into a space big enough for me to unpack them all.

5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize?
uh. large groups of people. adults, especially. adults are very hard to organize. they resist change like nobody's business.

Thursday, May 08, 2003

I was up at 5:30 and it's not even liam's fault. last night, after eating a chicken caesar salad from the brewhouse, I became agonizingly achey and queasy and laid in bed suffering until I fell asleep at 9. I know in theory it's good to get lots of rest but damn I had so much to do last night, phone calls to make that I sure as hell couldn't make at five thirty.
so I went back to sleep at 8 while the kids ran wild until 9:30, but hey they didn't break themselves or anything, so it's alright I guess. I had an intense and unhappy dream in which I was attacked and bitten by a skunk who had come into to the house, and everyone was very concerned that I not upset the skunk and all but damn, it was biting me! and then I was freaking out about going for rabies shots and people were telling me to calm down. yeah okay.
mbd has to go to work early so I have very little time to get some work done, bah. but we're hanging out with meghan this afternoon and evening, she's here for a few days from new york and she's making us dinner, whoo hoo!
aimee mann tells me: "I wish I was both young and stupid." me too, today, today I really do.
I like this quiz, though:

wheee!


How random you are, but then this is a random ass quiz. You are a lovely snippet of sheet music. Can you even read sheet music? The world may never know. So go spread the love.

What random piece of crap are you? by Grace


Monday, May 05, 2003

if it's monday and your kid still has an ear infection, you may want to try the poem generator:

mamas I let is martinique?! but
of his delivery,
because I have
been resurrected, and
I still have so here supercenter ::
a:banjo at jazz fest in some
way but it is. ::
no I
have great questions decided by Quizilla ::
because
I told this
long soothing
bubble bath or
a ticket for
you! like to
be of videos.

Saturday, May 03, 2003

from the writer's almanac:
It's the birthday of folk singer Pete Seeger, born in New York City (1919). His mother was a violinist and his father was a musicologist. As a teenager he rebelled against his parents' love of music, and decided he wanted to be a painter. But the first time he heard the sound of a banjo at the Folk Song and Dance Festival in Asheville, North Carolina, he fell in love with folk music and dropped out of Harvard.

It's the birthday of the "Godfather of Soul" James Brown, born in a one-room shack in the pinewoods of Barnwell, South Carolina (1928). His family gave him up for dead after his delivery, because he wasn't breathing or moving, but his aunt Minnie picked him up and blew into his mouth, and he screamed for the first time. As a singer, he became known for his scream. He also developed a sequence in his live performance, in which he collapsed to the floor exhausted, but as members of his band helped him off the stage, he suddenly threw off their arms, as though he'd been resurrected, and continued on with the show. He began a recording career with a song called "Please Please Please" (1956). It was a huge hit, and went to number six on the R & B charts. He went on to record such songs as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (1965) and "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965).
mmm, I just listened to npr while making breakfast, they had a spot on jazz fest and now I feel like crying. now that I'm feeling better, I really wish I could go. but I can't.
hey, if anyone wants to give me a ticket for tomorrow... and take care of my kids, one of whom is kinda fragile right now... no, I thought not.
but, something funny: once upon a time when I lived in atlanta, someone I knew invited me to go to miami for the weekend, "just to go somewhere" and I was like, why not new orleans instead? it's closer, it's beautiful... and he said, no way, there's too much gang violence in new orleans, especially during jazz fest, I would never go there...

Friday, May 02, 2003

this week's friday five, on friday, since I'm still on sick kid lockdown:

1. Name one song you hate to admit you like.
I don't know that I get embarrassed but I sometimes feel like I have to do some explaining. Or urging of folks to keep an open mind. I remember reading an interview with Pete Townshend when I was 14, he was saying how he didn't want to like ABBA but then he heard this one song on the radio and was just hooked. Right on. I love Mama Mia.

2. Name two songs that always make you cry.
Hallelujah
Suzanne

3. Name three songs that turn you on.
Let's get It On
Let's Stay Together
One Long Pair of Eyes

4. Name four songs that always make you feel good.
Flashlight
Atomic Dog
No Matter What
Gigantic
Burn Hollywood Burn
oops that's five...

5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without.
Back in Your Life
Everyday Clothes
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
A Message to You (Rudy)
Here Comes Your Man

I love new orleans in the springtime...





three for whenever, from small hands (my answers aren't as sexy as hers):

1. What are 3 things you love to feel on your face?

My son’s hair.
kisses.
warm water.

2. What are your 3 favorite smells/scents?

My son’s hair.
chocolate chip cookies baking.
lavender

3. What are 3 sounds that you love to listen to?

my children singing their own songs
elvis costello singing anyone's songs
the ocean (I'm betting that is a big cliched answer, but it's the truth)

4. What are your 3 things you love to see?

My children’s faces
coen brothers films
tree lined streets

5. What are your 3 favorite tastes/flavors?

Chocolate
vanilla
bacon! for real.

this or that
Which is more comforting for you...
1. Lying down on the couch, or stretching out on a recliner? Lying down on the couch. but a bigger, softer, nicer smelling couch than mine.
2. Going barefoot or wearing soft slippers? Barefoot, unless it's cold and then I want socks.
3. Eating ice cream, or pizza? Ice cream.
4. Watching on TV...a classic movie or a reality show? Classic movie. a stack of them.
5. Wearing: blue jeans or sweat pants?
flannel PJs, or long johns
6. A long, soothing bubble bath or a quick, invigorating shower? Long, soothing bubble bath. for sure.
7. Furniture: leather, or something more on the fuzzy side? Fuzzy... I guess.. butnot too fuzzy.
8. Soft, classical music, or upbeat rock & roll?
elvis costello
9. Darkness or light?
something in between
lsat week's friday five with this week's answers...

1. What was the last TV show you watched?
um. we've been watching a lot of videos. maybe between the lions.

2. What was the last thing you complained about?
the yuckiness of the "couscous" that accompanied my dinner from the brewhouse the other night. it's not couscous at all, it's big, gooey pearl pasta in a nasty sauce.

3. Who was the last person you complimented and what did you say?
I told this guy I love his shoes. because I do.

4. What was the last thing you threw away?
the tab from the inside of a soy milk lid.

5. What was the last website (besides this one) that you visited?
bust

Thursday, May 01, 2003

yesterday was the anniversery of nash's first (big time) concert. jonathon richman and willie nelson (not together) at the midtown music fest in atlanta, april 30, 1999. nash was just turned two. it was the shortest set I've ever seen jonathon play, and for the smallest crowd, but it worked well for the toddlers present (there were a handful). it was strange to see him outdoors, in broad daylight.
it was willie's birthday, and he was awesome, but we left halfway through because I couldn't tolerate the screaming guys behind us anymore. that night was also the first time nash rode the marta train. thrills galore!