Steelers 3-0 (I'm liking the new coach!)(what does Pittsburgh think??? Anyone?? Talk to me people; I'm 1500 miles away from home!!)
CU 3-2 (not the best, but it's a better start than the past couple years)
Rockies 1 game behind San Diego (Yeah, I know, it's not the Bucs; hey, I can go with my 2nd team, can't I??)
Penguins' first regular season game this coming Friday! And the Nugs start preseason the following week! I need to fit in Grey's Anatomy! And what about my crafting??? I mean, knitting is easy in front of the t.v. ; sewing, not so much, considering there is no t.v. near my work table. UGH! Decisions decisions.... Well, maybe it's a good thing the Steelers aren't on t.v very often here. Nah, that's never a good thing. I may have to make a trip up to C.B. Potts to watch a game with some other fans.
29 September 2007
FYI
"lunacorn" = unicorn
"loopalo" = hulahoop
One never knows what one will find in our fridge...cheese sticks...a headband....
The self-tattoo artist AKA known as "Feefer"
the top pic is a princess, the bottom pic is a self-portrait
this is a cat
not bad for a 4 year old AND upside down on her own legs!!!! :P
"loopalo" = hulahoop
One never knows what one will find in our fridge...cheese sticks...a headband....
The self-tattoo artist AKA known as "Feefer"
the top pic is a princess, the bottom pic is a self-portrait
this is a cat
not bad for a 4 year old AND upside down on her own legs!!!! :P
28 September 2007
I <3 the Wreckers
Nikki & her friend/roomie Deon & I had wanted to see these gals earlier this year at the Grizzly Rose. The first show was sold out & we thought to go early the next night to get tickets at the door. Um, no, it was like -20 that day. Not standing in line for ANYONE on a day like that. Maybe if I was about Nikki's age . Hopefully next time they come around, we'll catch them.
26 September 2007
and I'm not even an auditory person; I'm visual/tactile
Have you ever heard music that you just wanted to reach out & touch? That was how the Global Drum Project show on Sunday was for me. It was Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussein, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo. OMG. Before the show began, there were these 2 large, wood-looking free-form sculptures on a table in the middle front of the stage. Mickey walked out and "introduced" them as "Squid" a civil war age grapevine root (?) and "Two Dolphins out of Fire" (or something like that) which was (I think) a large driftwood. He & Zakir commenced to PLAY them -Mickey on Squid with a bass drum type mallet and a gloved hand & Zakir on Two Dolphins with two smaller mallets. What a way to start the show!! I can't even describe it to you. The table was wheeled off stage after that & Mickey took his place behind the drum set at center stage, Zakir was to the right, Giovanni on the left & Sikiru right front. Words escape me now as I try to convey to you what happened over the next hour & a half. It was just one of the best shows I've ever HEARD. I had my eyes closed most of the show because it wasn't that kind of a show. It was all about the sound. It was far more intimate than the Paramount show a few years ago. Just dreamy, floating, driving percussion melding from one melody to the next. OMG. I had to take of my shoes to FEEL the sound under my feet and dance. I kind of wanted to bend over & put my hands on the floor too. But that would have made for awkward dancing. I'm telling you, if I could have reached out to TOUCH the music with my hands, I would have. It was over all too soon, and I found myself spewed back out into the streets of Boulder. I didn't stay for the drumming outside this time because it in no way compared to what I had just experienced; I didn't want to muddy my vibe with the impure sounds of average drumming. I wanted to postpone reality for a little while longer.
If I had the cash, I would certainly have gone again the next night in Denver. If you get 1/2 a chance, you HAVE TO go to this show. Close your eyes & let your body feel the music. I promise you, it will be unlike any concert you've ever encountered before.
If I had the cash, I would certainly have gone again the next night in Denver. If you get 1/2 a chance, you HAVE TO go to this show. Close your eyes & let your body feel the music. I promise you, it will be unlike any concert you've ever encountered before.
opposing views? and an unexpected photo
The other night, as Maddie & I were snuggling at her bedtime, Mad turns to me & says "mom, you know those tattoos on your arms? When you're a granny, I think you probably shouldn't show them to my kids." uh-huh. Interestingly, the next day I see that Fiona had taken a light blue marker & had written her name all the way around her left wrist with a smiley face between the A and the F.
Last week the littles & I had lunch with G. On the walk back from the cafeteria, we spied this photo of the girls.
Last week the littles & I had lunch with G. On the walk back from the cafeteria, we spied this photo of the girls.
25 September 2007
what's next
walking into the school property yesterday from the parking lot, we saw a very large splash of white (paint). Lib looks at it & says "uh-oh, bird poop" yeah, perhaps a pterodactyl.
And today Fi wanted to wear these little hair bows, the kind with velcro on the back for fine baby's hair. I told her no, that they were for babies & maybe we could give them to their new cousin Roisin. That suggestion met with sonorous agreement. And Fi looks up at me and asks "does this say 'baby'?" while pointing to the word at the top of the package. Why YES! It does say 'baby'!! Fiona just read her first word, uncoached! Brilliant!
Maddie's decided that choir at church will be good for her "portfolio" when she wants to get into DSA (Denver School of the Arts) for middle school in two years. Yes, it's admittance by audition. She's been talking about it since last year. She's also started sewing this summer in order to use costuming as an angle for admittance. Right now she's making these cute little pencil topper dolls that were inspired by a Japanese craft book. And a wand cover for her wand (Hogwart's, that's all I can say; I'm sworn to secrecy). Yesterday she came home with order forms from her (Hogwart's) friends with details on how each girl would like her wand cover to be designed. Oh to be 9 again.
And today Fi wanted to wear these little hair bows, the kind with velcro on the back for fine baby's hair. I told her no, that they were for babies & maybe we could give them to their new cousin Roisin. That suggestion met with sonorous agreement. And Fi looks up at me and asks "does this say 'baby'?" while pointing to the word at the top of the package. Why YES! It does say 'baby'!! Fiona just read her first word, uncoached! Brilliant!
Maddie's decided that choir at church will be good for her "portfolio" when she wants to get into DSA (Denver School of the Arts) for middle school in two years. Yes, it's admittance by audition. She's been talking about it since last year. She's also started sewing this summer in order to use costuming as an angle for admittance. Right now she's making these cute little pencil topper dolls that were inspired by a Japanese craft book. And a wand cover for her wand (Hogwart's, that's all I can say; I'm sworn to secrecy). Yesterday she came home with order forms from her (Hogwart's) friends with details on how each girl would like her wand cover to be designed. Oh to be 9 again.
24 September 2007
music meme cont.
City Limits was the skating rink. We also saw Prong there & I swear I remember Murphy's Law opening with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion playing 2nd that show. Oh the details one's fried brain cells forget. (like the goo goo dolls show -chris remembers it vividly, I, on the other hand, barely remember being there. Was that the show we faked hand stamps to get in?)
23 September 2007
music meme from Renee
Here's what you do: Copy this list; leave in the bands you’ve seen perform live; delete the ones you haven’t, and add new ones that you have seen until you reach 25. An asterisk means the previous person had it on their list. Two asterisks means the last two people who did this before you had that band on their list.
I've listed my entries in order of frequency seen
1. Metallica: many memories after having seen these guys oh so many times. Cliff Burton popping pills onstage. Metallica blowing Ozzy away at the Colosseum in Johnstown. Jason's birthday in PGH. Caught in a snowstorm on the drive back from Syracuse. Met them a few times, the most memorable being the last time in PGH when we saw Lars walking away from the Arena toward the hotel. Myself & Chris & Denise & Dave Runayn in the car, pull up to Lars to say "hi" & did he need a lift. Lars invites us up to the hotel to party...until he sees Dave behind the wheel.
2. Grateful Dead: more great memories from many shows. Did I ever tell you about the show at the Arena where cops were beating hippies outside for no reason whatsoever? Granted, I think there were gate crashers inside the venue. But we were outside in Shakedown -with Nikki who was maybe 3 or 4 months old, babe in arms. Literally terrified for our safety when the melee broke out, we ran across the street to watch & cry & wonder about the senseless violence.
3. Anthrax: For one tour, Bryan had air brushed this huge Judge Death banner on a sheet. I held it up at the tour bus outside the Arena & was invited on the bus. The band invited me & my friends to come see them in Cleveland the next night & hang out backstage. We got to sit at the sound board for the show. Backstage was boring enough that I didn't want to hang out but rather wanted to hit the road for home.
4. The Allman Brothers Band: I've only seen these guys at Red Rocks. Of course, it doesn't get any better than that. The last time I saw them was a few years ago. Maddie was still a toddler. Greg had oxygen handy at his seat behind the piano. BUT they rocked out!
5. Mickey Hart: Aside from the Dead, I've seen Mickey Hart a couple times with Further Fest & once at the Paramount. The Paramount show was freaking awesome. And the drumming/dancing continued outside on Glenarm. Always such a feel good time. AND I'm going to see Mickey again TONIGHT at the Boulder Theatre!! Yay!!
6. Soundgarden: first saw these guys at a roller skating rink/concert venue in Penn Hills. Argh, I can't remember the name of the place. Chris Cornell had long hair, shirtless with long cut-offs, wide black leather belt, combat boots -typical grunge attire. Super sexy. And that voice. OMG. He had amazing vocal ability. Faith No More opened. Equally sexy Mike Patton. And Voi Vod was the headliner. Really? Yes, really. My "friends" left me inside the show while they went outside with FNM guitarist Jim Martin (ironic, that's G's dad's name) to have a little smokeout. I had a blast, though, stage diving & moshing. I miss those days.
7. Testament: saw this band a few times at a small theatre in South Hills Pittsburgh. The first show was also the first day I hung out with Denise in 1987. The last time we saw them it was another beatdown by the cops. Metal heads, this time. Saw this boy get taken torward a backdoor of the theatre and thrown up against the wall in a stranglehold. The scene outside was pure mayhem with kids running away & cops chasing & beating them. When we got home we tried to notify several t.v. stations & newspaper agencies. We found one sympathetic ear who wrote an article in the paper. This was about the time when cops in PGH started wearing black leather gloves...the less likely to leave fingerprint evidence, we surmised conspiratorially
8. Megadeth: 1st show was at the roller skating rink venue. Dave Mustaine threw a hissy fit b/c the lighting wasn't on HIM. Dude, you're playing in a skating rink. How much prima donna attitude do you really deserve here? Met them at Eides when it was on Penn Ave, the first location. Saw them that night at McKee's Rocks at some bar. Always the diva, Dave Mustaine had on this long glittery jacket a la Ozzy Osbourne. I was ripped, out of my mind, literally. I thought Dave Mustaine was satan & I had to "save" my friends by getting them all to leave. It was an interesting night, to say the least.
9. The Police: I just saw them for the first time this summer. The show was so incredible. I started blogging about it when I first got home that night while I still high from the adrenaline rush. I may finish & post it just because it was so awesome.
10. The Rolling Stones: the first and only time I will ever pay such an exhorbitant price for a concert. It was the Steel Wheels tour at Three Rivers. Great show! Mick Jagger had so much energy, I couldn't believe it. He was/is the same age as my dad. I can't even imagine my dad jumping around like that, let alone singing all the while. (I could never understand why some performers insist that they "have to" lip synch so that they can dance too. Mick Jagger does just fine).
11. Van Hagar: This was the Monster's of Rock festival show at Three Rivers. Metallica again! I was about 8 months pregnant with Nikki in one of the hottest summers in history. My legs were like sausages when we got home that night.
12. Indigo Girls: my first show at Red Rocks. 1992. We were visiting my brother & I specifically planned the trip to coincide with this show. I had chills up & down my spine the whole show.
13. Goo Goo Dolls: Chris & I saw them at The Banana (AKA the electric banana). Super small venue of many underground & local bands. Small like couple hundred people max. Small like the stage was knee height. Speaking of The Banana, I remember when Suicidal Tendencies came & "hardcore" folks were all pissed off b/c the band had a stylish & comfy RV. WTF. The things that are important when you're 19....
14. Widespread Panic: I took Maddie with me to see them play at Keystone about 6 years ago. It was a good show. Good people. Really I only went b/c I had never seen them & I wanted to go to that type of "spreadhead" show that I missed so much from dead tour. And Madddie's father used to be really into them. It was one of those things that I wanted to check off my list of "been there, done that" activities.
15. Cyndi Lauper: I drove with my friends Faith McClurg & Stacey Wells to State College for this show. We must have been about 16 or 17. Stacey's brother was at school there so we hung out with the cool college kids in the dorm. Cyndi Lauper was so influential in my life then; her inspiration gave me courage to believe that it was okay to be "different" from the herd in high school. Very different. Not an easy task in a small aggie school of 600 students 7th-12th grades. There was a massive rainstorm on the way home (3 hour drive) and I was driving Faith's dad's car. It was automatic except for the steering. (remember when cars had that kind of steering??? thank god for advanced technology) ARGH! Not fun hydroplaning in that thing.
16. Neil Young: Star Lake with my sister. He just reminded me so much of my brother it was surreal. Incredible energy for an old guy. I just couldn't get past the brotherly resemblance, though. Even the guitar solo that I thought was too long & eventually boring was something my brother would do.
17. Paul McCartney* I saw his first "return" tour at the Arena in PGH. High energy & great music. From Beatles to Wings to Michael Jackson to whatever he was currently writing. It was all good.
18. The Violent Femmes** I took my friend Shannon to this show because it was the Femmes opening for the B52s and she was really into them. A fun, high energy show
19. Tom Petty* Another Civic Arena show. Every song was excellent. He started that whole persian rug onstage, barefoot performer thing with this tour, I think. Everyone else have been followers.
20. Dead Can Dance: Boulder Theatre. 1996. The show was just so very excellent. Indescribable. Ecstasy without drugs kind of show. Earlier in the day, Brendan came into Traders of the Lost Art, which was around the corner from the venue, & bought some Guatemalan drawstring pants from me. After the show we hung out behind the theatre with Brendan's brother who was a band member.
21. Cheap Trick: Clarion University basketball court -turned concert venue. 1983. I was so excited to be there & see this band that I'd been listening too since elementary school. I was sorely disappointed in the horrible horrible accoustics.
22. KISS - first tour without make-up. Wished the whole time that they still had make-up. Someone threw a roll of toilet paper onstage. Nice. Oh, and a Michael Jackson doll. (remember those?) Can't remember Paul Stanley's retort.
23. Sinead O'Conner: Star Lake. Worst concert ever. She sang for about 10 minutes then left the stage. Turns out she was pregnant & wasn't feeling well that night. No, we did not get a refund. Well, she should have cancelled the freaking tour, or at least the show so that the fans could get a refund. But no, she went on & played for 10 minutes so that she honored her contract & still got paid & the fans were left burned & really, ripped off. Funny my brother asked if I saw her in concert last week. Hell no. Never again. Actually, this is just a notch lower than Mazzy Star at the Boulder Theatre when Hope stormed off the stage -towards the end of the show anyway- because some audience member wouldn't be "quiet" during "six string serenade". Too bad because the rest of the show was fab. (Hope also did some shopping in Traders before the show)
24. Three Dog Night: This was the annual Oldies concert at Three Rivers Stadium that we went to with my mom. It was always a blast. All day event with picnic food & blanket etc. I wish I could do that again. I wonder if my mom still goes?
25. Black Sabbath: It was the Tony Iommi/Black Sabbath tour 1986. Um, I don't recall who was singing for this tour. I do remember the cop jabbing me in the ribs with her billy club for standing on my chair (like everyone else, ya moron). Yes, we got down...momentarily, until she walked away & of course we got back up on our chairs. This was a show at the now defunct Syria Mosque in Oakland. Yeah, that historic building that was torn down to make room for a parking LOT. Tony Iommi was incredible.
I've listed my entries in order of frequency seen
1. Metallica: many memories after having seen these guys oh so many times. Cliff Burton popping pills onstage. Metallica blowing Ozzy away at the Colosseum in Johnstown. Jason's birthday in PGH. Caught in a snowstorm on the drive back from Syracuse. Met them a few times, the most memorable being the last time in PGH when we saw Lars walking away from the Arena toward the hotel. Myself & Chris & Denise & Dave Runayn in the car, pull up to Lars to say "hi" & did he need a lift. Lars invites us up to the hotel to party...until he sees Dave behind the wheel.
2. Grateful Dead: more great memories from many shows. Did I ever tell you about the show at the Arena where cops were beating hippies outside for no reason whatsoever? Granted, I think there were gate crashers inside the venue. But we were outside in Shakedown -with Nikki who was maybe 3 or 4 months old, babe in arms. Literally terrified for our safety when the melee broke out, we ran across the street to watch & cry & wonder about the senseless violence.
3. Anthrax: For one tour, Bryan had air brushed this huge Judge Death banner on a sheet. I held it up at the tour bus outside the Arena & was invited on the bus. The band invited me & my friends to come see them in Cleveland the next night & hang out backstage. We got to sit at the sound board for the show. Backstage was boring enough that I didn't want to hang out but rather wanted to hit the road for home.
4. The Allman Brothers Band: I've only seen these guys at Red Rocks. Of course, it doesn't get any better than that. The last time I saw them was a few years ago. Maddie was still a toddler. Greg had oxygen handy at his seat behind the piano. BUT they rocked out!
5. Mickey Hart: Aside from the Dead, I've seen Mickey Hart a couple times with Further Fest & once at the Paramount. The Paramount show was freaking awesome. And the drumming/dancing continued outside on Glenarm. Always such a feel good time. AND I'm going to see Mickey again TONIGHT at the Boulder Theatre!! Yay!!
6. Soundgarden: first saw these guys at a roller skating rink/concert venue in Penn Hills. Argh, I can't remember the name of the place. Chris Cornell had long hair, shirtless with long cut-offs, wide black leather belt, combat boots -typical grunge attire. Super sexy. And that voice. OMG. He had amazing vocal ability. Faith No More opened. Equally sexy Mike Patton. And Voi Vod was the headliner. Really? Yes, really. My "friends" left me inside the show while they went outside with FNM guitarist Jim Martin (ironic, that's G's dad's name) to have a little smokeout. I had a blast, though, stage diving & moshing. I miss those days.
7. Testament: saw this band a few times at a small theatre in South Hills Pittsburgh. The first show was also the first day I hung out with Denise in 1987. The last time we saw them it was another beatdown by the cops. Metal heads, this time. Saw this boy get taken torward a backdoor of the theatre and thrown up against the wall in a stranglehold. The scene outside was pure mayhem with kids running away & cops chasing & beating them. When we got home we tried to notify several t.v. stations & newspaper agencies. We found one sympathetic ear who wrote an article in the paper. This was about the time when cops in PGH started wearing black leather gloves...the less likely to leave fingerprint evidence, we surmised conspiratorially
8. Megadeth: 1st show was at the roller skating rink venue. Dave Mustaine threw a hissy fit b/c the lighting wasn't on HIM. Dude, you're playing in a skating rink. How much prima donna attitude do you really deserve here? Met them at Eides when it was on Penn Ave, the first location. Saw them that night at McKee's Rocks at some bar. Always the diva, Dave Mustaine had on this long glittery jacket a la Ozzy Osbourne. I was ripped, out of my mind, literally. I thought Dave Mustaine was satan & I had to "save" my friends by getting them all to leave. It was an interesting night, to say the least.
9. The Police: I just saw them for the first time this summer. The show was so incredible. I started blogging about it when I first got home that night while I still high from the adrenaline rush. I may finish & post it just because it was so awesome.
10. The Rolling Stones: the first and only time I will ever pay such an exhorbitant price for a concert. It was the Steel Wheels tour at Three Rivers. Great show! Mick Jagger had so much energy, I couldn't believe it. He was/is the same age as my dad. I can't even imagine my dad jumping around like that, let alone singing all the while. (I could never understand why some performers insist that they "have to" lip synch so that they can dance too. Mick Jagger does just fine).
11. Van Hagar: This was the Monster's of Rock festival show at Three Rivers. Metallica again! I was about 8 months pregnant with Nikki in one of the hottest summers in history. My legs were like sausages when we got home that night.
12. Indigo Girls: my first show at Red Rocks. 1992. We were visiting my brother & I specifically planned the trip to coincide with this show. I had chills up & down my spine the whole show.
13. Goo Goo Dolls: Chris & I saw them at The Banana (AKA the electric banana). Super small venue of many underground & local bands. Small like couple hundred people max. Small like the stage was knee height. Speaking of The Banana, I remember when Suicidal Tendencies came & "hardcore" folks were all pissed off b/c the band had a stylish & comfy RV. WTF. The things that are important when you're 19....
14. Widespread Panic: I took Maddie with me to see them play at Keystone about 6 years ago. It was a good show. Good people. Really I only went b/c I had never seen them & I wanted to go to that type of "spreadhead" show that I missed so much from dead tour. And Madddie's father used to be really into them. It was one of those things that I wanted to check off my list of "been there, done that" activities.
15. Cyndi Lauper: I drove with my friends Faith McClurg & Stacey Wells to State College for this show. We must have been about 16 or 17. Stacey's brother was at school there so we hung out with the cool college kids in the dorm. Cyndi Lauper was so influential in my life then; her inspiration gave me courage to believe that it was okay to be "different" from the herd in high school. Very different. Not an easy task in a small aggie school of 600 students 7th-12th grades. There was a massive rainstorm on the way home (3 hour drive) and I was driving Faith's dad's car. It was automatic except for the steering. (remember when cars had that kind of steering??? thank god for advanced technology) ARGH! Not fun hydroplaning in that thing.
16. Neil Young: Star Lake with my sister. He just reminded me so much of my brother it was surreal. Incredible energy for an old guy. I just couldn't get past the brotherly resemblance, though. Even the guitar solo that I thought was too long & eventually boring was something my brother would do.
17. Paul McCartney* I saw his first "return" tour at the Arena in PGH. High energy & great music. From Beatles to Wings to Michael Jackson to whatever he was currently writing. It was all good.
18. The Violent Femmes** I took my friend Shannon to this show because it was the Femmes opening for the B52s and she was really into them. A fun, high energy show
19. Tom Petty* Another Civic Arena show. Every song was excellent. He started that whole persian rug onstage, barefoot performer thing with this tour, I think. Everyone else have been followers.
20. Dead Can Dance: Boulder Theatre. 1996. The show was just so very excellent. Indescribable. Ecstasy without drugs kind of show. Earlier in the day, Brendan came into Traders of the Lost Art, which was around the corner from the venue, & bought some Guatemalan drawstring pants from me. After the show we hung out behind the theatre with Brendan's brother who was a band member.
21. Cheap Trick: Clarion University basketball court -turned concert venue. 1983. I was so excited to be there & see this band that I'd been listening too since elementary school. I was sorely disappointed in the horrible horrible accoustics.
22. KISS - first tour without make-up. Wished the whole time that they still had make-up. Someone threw a roll of toilet paper onstage. Nice. Oh, and a Michael Jackson doll. (remember those?) Can't remember Paul Stanley's retort.
23. Sinead O'Conner: Star Lake. Worst concert ever. She sang for about 10 minutes then left the stage. Turns out she was pregnant & wasn't feeling well that night. No, we did not get a refund. Well, she should have cancelled the freaking tour, or at least the show so that the fans could get a refund. But no, she went on & played for 10 minutes so that she honored her contract & still got paid & the fans were left burned & really, ripped off. Funny my brother asked if I saw her in concert last week. Hell no. Never again. Actually, this is just a notch lower than Mazzy Star at the Boulder Theatre when Hope stormed off the stage -towards the end of the show anyway- because some audience member wouldn't be "quiet" during "six string serenade". Too bad because the rest of the show was fab. (Hope also did some shopping in Traders before the show)
24. Three Dog Night: This was the annual Oldies concert at Three Rivers Stadium that we went to with my mom. It was always a blast. All day event with picnic food & blanket etc. I wish I could do that again. I wonder if my mom still goes?
25. Black Sabbath: It was the Tony Iommi/Black Sabbath tour 1986. Um, I don't recall who was singing for this tour. I do remember the cop jabbing me in the ribs with her billy club for standing on my chair (like everyone else, ya moron). Yes, we got down...momentarily, until she walked away & of course we got back up on our chairs. This was a show at the now defunct Syria Mosque in Oakland. Yeah, that historic building that was torn down to make room for a parking LOT. Tony Iommi was incredible.
like the corners of my mind
Over the past couple days, I've had a few instances of memory jogging. Stuff I hadn't thought about in years:
Maddie had a sleepover & her friend stated that her grandfather was missing a finger. That reminded me that my uncle Art has only a 1/2 middle finger, the other half cut off in a farm equipment accident. It was a source of great curiousity when my sibs & I were very young. The finger was stubby & bulbous at the end, the skin was somehow smoother than the rest of the hand. I could be wrong about the manner in which he lost his finger. I haven't thought about it for a long time & I haven't seen this uncle in even longer. It might be just an assumption that my mind has conjured knowing that my dad's family grew up on a farm.
I had a customer make a joke about the fact that his girlfriend bought safety pins & now he could pierce his ears. I was reminded of the times I had my ears pierced by friends. One was on or near my 19th birthday & I was at a party at "the trailer" in Clarion. This was a place that a couple of older friends had rented & was a frequent scene of mixed college & high school parties. I had someone pierce the top of my right ear cartilege. Another was when I had a friend pierce about the middle (probably 4th up from bottom) of my ear in my apartment in Allegheny Center in Pittsburgh. Then I had a memory of a friend piercing Bryan's ear in the same apartment. Her name was Heather. Her hands were shaking so badly and she was sweating. The boyfriend at the checkout counter then comments that really he wanted to pierce his nose with the safety pins. As they walked away, I was reminded of a day that I had blocked from my mind for a long time. I had pierced my own nose back in, like, 1989, in the bathroom of our apartment on Jackson St in Highland Park. It took a long time & when I walked out of the bathroom, Nikki's dad totally freaked out (not in a good way). (Yet another incident that doomed the relationship.) Whew, that's alot of memoires for the span of, say, 1 minute.
Finally, I had a customer bring in her little white toy poodle & I was reminded that we 2 little dogs like that when I was very young. The first was "Tickles", whom I named. I must have been 2 or so. She died from rat poison consumption, the poor thing. I remember my mom found her dead behind my dad's reclining chair. The chair was red vinyl that after time cracked & was hard where my dad rested his head -from the hair oil that he wore at the time, as I recall thinking. Anyway. the dog Tickles. I'm told -& I'm sure I've fabricated a visual memory from these re-tellings- that I had at one time wanted Tickles to come out from behind the couch so I crawled back there & pulled Tickles out by the tongue. She must have been a patient dog. The next white toy poodle we had was Snoopy & he was named by my brother. Don't remember what happened to Snoopy. Yesterday petting that little dog -Casey Jones- brought back tactile memories. Funny what one's body remembers.
Maddie had a sleepover & her friend stated that her grandfather was missing a finger. That reminded me that my uncle Art has only a 1/2 middle finger, the other half cut off in a farm equipment accident. It was a source of great curiousity when my sibs & I were very young. The finger was stubby & bulbous at the end, the skin was somehow smoother than the rest of the hand. I could be wrong about the manner in which he lost his finger. I haven't thought about it for a long time & I haven't seen this uncle in even longer. It might be just an assumption that my mind has conjured knowing that my dad's family grew up on a farm.
I had a customer make a joke about the fact that his girlfriend bought safety pins & now he could pierce his ears. I was reminded of the times I had my ears pierced by friends. One was on or near my 19th birthday & I was at a party at "the trailer" in Clarion. This was a place that a couple of older friends had rented & was a frequent scene of mixed college & high school parties. I had someone pierce the top of my right ear cartilege. Another was when I had a friend pierce about the middle (probably 4th up from bottom) of my ear in my apartment in Allegheny Center in Pittsburgh. Then I had a memory of a friend piercing Bryan's ear in the same apartment. Her name was Heather. Her hands were shaking so badly and she was sweating. The boyfriend at the checkout counter then comments that really he wanted to pierce his nose with the safety pins. As they walked away, I was reminded of a day that I had blocked from my mind for a long time. I had pierced my own nose back in, like, 1989, in the bathroom of our apartment on Jackson St in Highland Park. It took a long time & when I walked out of the bathroom, Nikki's dad totally freaked out (not in a good way). (Yet another incident that doomed the relationship.) Whew, that's alot of memoires for the span of, say, 1 minute.
Finally, I had a customer bring in her little white toy poodle & I was reminded that we 2 little dogs like that when I was very young. The first was "Tickles", whom I named. I must have been 2 or so. She died from rat poison consumption, the poor thing. I remember my mom found her dead behind my dad's reclining chair. The chair was red vinyl that after time cracked & was hard where my dad rested his head -from the hair oil that he wore at the time, as I recall thinking. Anyway. the dog Tickles. I'm told -& I'm sure I've fabricated a visual memory from these re-tellings- that I had at one time wanted Tickles to come out from behind the couch so I crawled back there & pulled Tickles out by the tongue. She must have been a patient dog. The next white toy poodle we had was Snoopy & he was named by my brother. Don't remember what happened to Snoopy. Yesterday petting that little dog -Casey Jones- brought back tactile memories. Funny what one's body remembers.
22 September 2007
a little about Libby
She is the family "clown". Always down for a good laugh -usually the one cracking the joke. She makes a joke about everything; i.e. if she's does something she knows will get her into trouble, she will laugh hysterically as if to lighten the mood & say "just kidding". I mean really, she's at that cute, puppy dog stage where a parent really has a difficult time being angry about her misbehavior because she's so darn cute. She's the only 3 year old I know who actually laughs out loud at humor in t.v. or movies, like she gets the joke. She laughs at "I Love Lucy", for crying out loud -something Nikki & Maddie didn't do until they were 6 or 7.
Yesterday we rode light rail downtown for a visit to the DAM (Denver Art Museum). On the walk back to our return trip, we stopped outside the Convenion Center to play on some large boulders. Lib stands on one rock which has a connecting stone arch to the top of another rock. She starts singing a little song about touching a rainbow (because "rainbow" is what all arcs are called, of course). When she finishes, she turns around & bows several times, saying "thank you. thank you. thank you." to her invisible audience. OMG. It was sooooo cute! And where did that come from anyway?
Two nights ago I walk to the bottom of the steps to go up & help the girls motivate themselves for getting ready for bed. I look up & see Lib standing at the top of the steps walking toward Maddie's room with her arms out in front of her looking like this:
What a goober!
Of course my laughter prompted everyone to get in on the action. Fi returns with similar garb:
And Maddiesometimes its difficult to enforce strict bedtime rules. And really, is it that important to make the girls go to bed on the dot every night? Personally, I prefer laughter & feeling good at bedtime over tears & power struggles
20 September 2007
17 September 2007
trust me, you don't want to miss this
I had so much fun last year, I'm volunteering again this year. Thursday night I'll be doing security AKA "safety". Friday night & Saturday afternoon I'll be pouring. Saturday evening I'll be imbibing via one of my free passes from volunteering. Yay! Microbrews, double yay! I'll take some pics this year to post on here for yinz to see what I'm talking about.
Monday haiku
the CMP group online has started a Monday haiku for members to post on the board. Here's my contribution for today:
Dreich Monday morning
Coffee finds me wide awake-
Yet my soul slumbers
I haven't written poetry in years. I like it. I miss it. I should do it more often to stay "in practice". The Monday Haiku is a fabulous idea!
Dreich Monday morning
Coffee finds me wide awake-
Yet my soul slumbers
I haven't written poetry in years. I like it. I miss it. I should do it more often to stay "in practice". The Monday Haiku is a fabulous idea!
day 14: the long drive home
We left for CO on the Monday afternoon...it was a late start; I was dreading the drive -it's always longer going home- and I had to pack for everyone then load up the car. The OH turnpike was easy going & we made good time despite the construction. IN was a bit boring to drive through but very short. Serious traffic around the Chicago area, even as late as midnight. We finally stopped for the night just inside IA...you know, the must_keep-going_to_make_good_time mentality.
brutal sunset, driving west at dusk. Thank you big sister for sharing your shades. Notice the headphones? Thank goodness for DVD players with 2 headphone connections
We stopped here for dinner in IL. We'd never been before. It was tasty & -I'm sure- oh so fatty.
and they use Heinz ketchup.
Some of us were happy to be here...
some of us were not
whose pretty eyes?
see the owie Lib got walking fearlessly alone in the dark woods the night before
brutal sunset, driving west at dusk. Thank you big sister for sharing your shades. Notice the headphones? Thank goodness for DVD players with 2 headphone connections
We stopped here for dinner in IL. We'd never been before. It was tasty & -I'm sure- oh so fatty. 
and they use Heinz ketchup.
Some of us were happy to be here...
some of us were not
whose pretty eyes?
see the owie Lib got walking fearlessly alone in the dark woods the night before
16 September 2007
brief creative moment for today
Maddie picked out the pendant (really 1 of a pair of chandelier earrings) & the larger blue swarovski beads. She laid it out, evenly beaded on either side. It was a little short, so, unbeknownst to her, I picked up some spacers & smaller, differently shaded swarovski beads to add interest & strung it all together with the toggle clasp today. The Madster loves it! (yes, I know it would look lovely with something dangly strung onto the 3 lower loops. Mad decidedly turned that down.)
The littles each want one now too. "Hey! I want a netlace!" Fi, of course, wants pink. Lib, who has recently decided that she is a girl -and a very pretty one, at that- only likes "pretty" things. She also requested pink. I thought I'd sort it out with a simple "who wants light pink? who wants dark pink?" Mai oui, they both want light pink. Ah, life in an all-girl house. (Luckily, Maddie detests pink...usually).
The littles each want one now too. "Hey! I want a netlace!" Fi, of course, wants pink. Lib, who has recently decided that she is a girl -and a very pretty one, at that- only likes "pretty" things. She also requested pink. I thought I'd sort it out with a simple "who wants light pink? who wants dark pink?" Mai oui, they both want light pink. Ah, life in an all-girl house. (Luckily, Maddie detests pink...usually).
spending time with the eldest child
We went for a visit with Nikki last weekend. For her birthday dinner (yes, a month late...what can we do with sociable teenager?) she chose Pei Wei, an asian diner type restaurant owned by P.F. Chang's. Everyone's food was tasty (orange beef, chicken lo mein (a little on the sweet side), pork lo mein, chicken teriyaki -except my korean bbq tofu, which was way too salty. It's alot like Noodles & Co, but more expensive; I'd been wanting to try it for some time, I'm glad we went. But I probably won't go again. After dinner we wandered around the 29th St Mall in Boulder.
We passed this extra large (about as large as the building -top to bottom) photo on the backside of a sushi restaurant. Maddie commented, "ewwwww! what is that?! slugs?!!" hmmmmmm
this is a fun, spinning, interactive globe "fountain"
small outdoor play area
which is a better caption? "bite me" or "kiss my a**"?
For those of you who don't know, Boulder is home to several prominent scientific agencies: NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research); JILA (Joint CU-NIST Physical Science Institute; NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology); SSI (Space Science Institute); NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory): and LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics)- from which these sculptures have been kindly donated
I don't know what this is except for the extremely accurate (to the hundredth of a second) NIST timepiece in the upper righthand corner.
Nikki's new place of employment. Yay! for a theatre in Boulder to show indie films, as well as major motion pics.
We passed this extra large (about as large as the building -top to bottom) photo on the backside of a sushi restaurant. Maddie commented, "ewwwww! what is that?! slugs?!!" hmmmmmm
this is a fun, spinning, interactive globe "fountain"
small outdoor play area
which is a better caption? "bite me" or "kiss my a**"?
For those of you who don't know, Boulder is home to several prominent scientific agencies: NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research); JILA (Joint CU-NIST Physical Science Institute; NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology); SSI (Space Science Institute); NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory): and LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics)- from which these sculptures have been kindly donated
I don't know what this is except for the extremely accurate (to the hundredth of a second) NIST timepiece in the upper righthand corner.
Nikki's new place of employment. Yay! for a theatre in Boulder to show indie films, as well as major motion pics.
14 September 2007
day 13: the day the girls look forward to for a full year
Today is the day we visited with my friends Mark & Carol. I've known Mark since jr high school. And Carol since she & Mark were dating whilst attending the Art Institute in PGH. I remember stopping by their very cool apartment in Oakland on our way to a concert. I think it was W.A.S.P. and Dokken? We did meet one of the bands, which one, I do not remember. Matt, (Mark's younger brother & my classmate) never fails to remind me how the guitarist was checking me out -could it have been the big hair, short skirt & high heels? Really, how else would I dress in the 80's going to a metal concert? I mean, in the days before grunge, right?
Anywho, back to 2007, Noah is their son, who is almost exactly a year younger than Nikki. So we've know him all his life too. I have got to find those old photos. Too cute. Mark & Carol built their house the summer that Nikki & I moved to CO. They live off the grid, so to speak. What child doesn't dream about that kind of life. Or adult, for that matter. I saw that Sundance Channel has some "green" living program from England. My friends have done it already for 11 years or so! It's freaking awesome. & I'm just a little envious. Maddie's first visit was in 2001. She was still talking about it in 2006 when we finally made it back for another visit.
This was definitely a memorable part of our trip.
the very first thing on the girls' "must do" list for this special day is to feed the chickens.
oddly enough, the chickens did not want to be fed at this particular moment -can't imagine why
into the coop we go; there was but one egg which met it's demise at the hands of a particular overzealous 3 year old
said 3 year old has scored a coup with a much sought after rooster feather nanny nanny boo boo!
look what chicken scratch on a little hand will do to poor Yoda. And don't I every time want to call him Buddy b/c he looks just like his dad
on to the garden for some tasty treats...cucumbers, I think
then we must pick apples. We missed berry season this year.
pensive teenager
waiting patiently impatiently for Nikki & Noah to return with the ATV
from youngest to oldest, everyone got a turn
before ATV ride
after ATV ride
Mad was quite excited because she got a chance to steer
notice Madsters most recent bad habit? Phoebe & Scoob are getting up in years too...makes ME feel old
What respectable W. PA outdoorsy gathering would be without a fire?
makeshift see-saw
Fi's very first cherry mountain pie (my personal favorite is pizza)
you can tell by the stains that it's been a busy day & by their faces that it's been a good day
a little midnight serenade with the 12 string; Noah is an excellent guitarist
himself & herself
she's bee-you-ti-ful, if I do say so myself
Noah says to Snick "you probably have a lot of practice doing this"
Noah has reached the end of his picture taking patience...Nikki could go on for a few more shots
Anywho, back to 2007, Noah is their son, who is almost exactly a year younger than Nikki. So we've know him all his life too. I have got to find those old photos. Too cute. Mark & Carol built their house the summer that Nikki & I moved to CO. They live off the grid, so to speak. What child doesn't dream about that kind of life. Or adult, for that matter. I saw that Sundance Channel has some "green" living program from England. My friends have done it already for 11 years or so! It's freaking awesome. & I'm just a little envious. Maddie's first visit was in 2001. She was still talking about it in 2006 when we finally made it back for another visit.
This was definitely a memorable part of our trip.
the very first thing on the girls' "must do" list for this special day is to feed the chickens.
oddly enough, the chickens did not want to be fed at this particular moment -can't imagine why
into the coop we go; there was but one egg which met it's demise at the hands of a particular overzealous 3 year old
said 3 year old has scored a coup with a much sought after rooster feather nanny nanny boo boo!
look what chicken scratch on a little hand will do to poor Yoda. And don't I every time want to call him Buddy b/c he looks just like his dadon to the garden for some tasty treats...cucumbers, I think
then we must pick apples. We missed berry season this year.
pensive teenager
waiting patiently impatiently for Nikki & Noah to return with the ATV
from youngest to oldest, everyone got a turn
before ATV ride
after ATV ride
Mad was quite excited because she got a chance to steer
notice Madsters most recent bad habit? Phoebe & Scoob are getting up in years too...makes ME feel old
What respectable W. PA outdoorsy gathering would be without a fire?
makeshift see-saw
Fi's very first cherry mountain pie (my personal favorite is pizza)
you can tell by the stains that it's been a busy day & by their faces that it's been a good day
a little midnight serenade with the 12 string; Noah is an excellent guitarist
himself & herself
she's bee-you-ti-ful, if I do say so myself
Noah says to Snick "you probably have a lot of practice doing this"
Noah has reached the end of his picture taking patience...Nikki could go on for a few more shots
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