more crafty goodness

another belated xmas gift off the needles -and actually mailed off yesterday :) The hat is a revision of the "striped hat" from Melissa Leapman's book "Knitting Beyond Scarves". I had done one for Madster with the curly top but she didn't really like it; she got a lot of ribbing at school about it...although she has now come to embrace it as her own "teletubbie" hat. The scarf is just a garter stitch with a crocheted loopy fringe from this pattern. Both are done with Lion Brand Homespun in "gothic"(?). I think I should start now for xmas '08 gifts






the finished re-purposed grocery bag tote...isn't it fab?!?! Get the pattern here I used mostly Target bags with the stripe from Sunflower Market bags. I tried to reinforce the handle by adding a couple deeper stiches at the joints. I'll let you know how it holds up.




On deck: February's CMP ATC, a string bag, a vintage 1940's pants suit por moi

washing clothes is fun???

Why yes! It is! Our washing machine bit it last weekend -yes, with a full load & full of water. Good timing that G got his yearly bonus the following week. I had to do the laundromat route for that week & in the meantime I did some online research into front loading washers. I've been lusting over the red LG ever since it first came on the market. However, with all the research I did, I decided it would not be the best choice (quite a few unhappy reviewers out there). Being such a large investment, I decided on this little number instead.

We were expecting delivery on Sunday but received a call in the morning that the machine had a dent & another machine wouldn't be able to be delivered until Tuesday. Disappointing, but something to look forward to a couple days later. Come Tuesday morning we get the call that our delivery was slated for 4pm-5pm. MORE WAITING! 5pm rolls around & I'm leaving for work...still no washer! I felt like the kid who found the golden ticket...I couldn't wait for the tour! It was soooooo exciting! (is that pathetic or what?! Excitement over new appliances. Doesn't take much to make me happy, does it?) YES! first thing I did after work was LAUNDRY! And happily!

The washer has exciting new functions unlike our old top-loader. And it's extremely quiet. It does look like it might take off during the spin cycle. But it's soooooo excellent! Squeeeee! Super clean clothes & saves on the water bill. Excellent. My only complaint is that it doesn't have a separate spin cycle to use for things that haven't spun enough during a regular cycle (like pillows). However, the clothes all feel cleaner, softer; they smell better too -even with using less detergent & less fabric softener. More monetary savings! We opted to not get a steam function but the machine does have an internal heating unit for the sanitizing cycle.

Now if I can find a way to make folding laundry equally exciting....

happy leap day!!!!

It's a special little girl's special "1st" birthday today.

(I'm trying to get some snaps onto flikr)

sad day

Thanks G, for the info from NBC Sports.

A young co-worker of mine said she cried when she heard that Heath Ledger had died. I didn't cry but was saddened for his family & bummed that we wouldn't be able to see his talent grow further over the years...and I was overly celebrity obsessed for a few days thereafter. Reading this article today hit me right in the gut...and yes, I cried. My happy news will have to wait for tomorrow.



'Terrible Towel' creator, announcer Cope dies
Screechy voice made debut on same day as Bradshaw — Sept. 20, 1970


PITTSBURGH - Myron Cope, the screechy-voiced announcer whose colorful catch phrases and twirling Terrible Towel became symbols of the Pittsburgh Steelers during an unrivaled 35 seasons in the broadcast booth, has died. He was 79.
Cope died Wednesday morning at a nursing home in Mount Lebanon, a Pittsburgh suburb, Joe Gordon, a former Steelers executive and a longtime friend of Cope’s, told The Associated Press. Cope had been treated for respiratory problems and heart failure in recent months, Gordon said.

Cope’s tenure from 1970-2004 as the color analyst on the Steelers’ radio network is the longest in NFL history for a broadcaster with a single team and led to his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2005.
“His memorable voice and unique broadcasting style became synonymous with Steelers football,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said Wednesday. “They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and no Pittsburgh broadcaster was impersonated more than Myron.”

Beyond Pittsburgh’s three rivers, Cope is best known for the yellow cloth twirled by fans as a good luck charm at Steelers games since the mid-1970s. The towel is arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team, has raised millions of dollars for charity and is displayed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“His creation of The Terrible Towel has developed into a worldwide symbol that is synonymous with Steelers football,” Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said Wednesday.
“You were really part of it,” Dan Rooney told Cope in 2005. “You were part of the team. The Terrible Towel many times got us over the goal line.”

Even after retiring, Cope — a sports talk show host for 23 years — continued to appear in numerous radio, TV and print ads, emblematic of a local popularity that sometimes surpassed that of the stars he covered.

An announcer by accident, Cope spent the first half of his professional career as one of the nation’s most widely read freelance sports writers, writing for Sports Illustrated and the Saturday Evening Post on subjects that included Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell and Roberto Clemente. He was hired by the Steelers at age 40, several years after he began doing TV sports commentary on the whim of a station manager, mostly to help increase attention and attendance as the Steelers moved into Three Rivers Stadium.

Neither the Steelers nor Cope had any idea how much impact he would have on the franchise. Within two years of his hiring, Pittsburgh would begin a string of home sellouts that continues to this day, a stretch that includes five Super Bowl titles.
Cope became so popular that the Steelers didn’t try to replace his unique perspective and top-of-the-lungs vocal histrionics when he retired, instead downsizing from a three-man announcing team to a two-man booth.
“He doesn’t play, he doesn’t put on a pair of pads, but he’s revered probably as much or more in Pittsburgh than Franco (Harris), all the guys,” running back Jerome Bettis said. “Everybody probably remembers Myron more than the greatest players, and that’s an incredible compliment.”
Cope and a rookie quarterback named Terry Bradshaw made their Steelers debuts on Sept. 20, 1970.

Just as Pirates fans once did with longtime broadcaster Bob Prince, Steelers fans began tuning in to hear what wacky stunt or colorful phrase Cope would come up with next. With a voice beyond imitation — a falsetto so shrill it could pierce even the din of a touchdown celebration — Cope was a man of many words, some not in any dictionary.
To Cope, an exceptional play rated a “Yoi!” A coach’s doublespeak was “garganzola.” The despised rival to the north was always the Cleve Brownies, never the Cleveland Browns.
He gave four-time Super Bowl champion coach Chuck Noll the only nickname that ever stuck, the Emperor Chaz. For years, he laughed off the downriver and often downtrodden Cincinnati Bengals as the Bungles, though never with a malice or nastiness that would create longstanding anger.
Many visiting players who, perhaps upset by what Cope had uttered during a broadcast, could only laugh when confronted by a 5-foot-4 man they often dwarfed by more than a foot.

During the years, it seemed every Steelers player or employee could tell an offbeat or humorous story about Cope.
He once jammed tight end Dave Smith, fully dressed in uniform and pads, into a cab for a hectic ride to the airport after Smith missed the team bus for an interview. He talked a then-retired Frank Sinatra into attending a 1972 practice in San Diego to make him an honorary general in Franco Harris’ Italian Army fan club. He took a wintertime river swim in 1977 to celebrate an unexpected win, and was sick for days.

Cope’s biggest regret was not being on the air during perhaps the most famous play in NFL history — Franco Harris’ famed Immaculate Reception against Oakland in 1972, during the first postseason win in Steelers history.
Cope was on the field to grab guests for his postgame show when Harris, on what seemingly was the last play of the Steelers’ season, grabbed the soaring rebound of a tipped Bradshaw pass after it deflected off either the Raiders’ Jack Tatum or the Steelers’ Frenchy Fuqua and scored a game-winning 60-yard touchdown. As a result, play-by-play man Jack Fleming’s voice is the only one heard on what has been countless replays over the years.
“He ran straight to me in the corner, and I’m yelling, ‘C’mon Franco, c’mon on!”’ said Cope, who, acting on a fan’s advice, tagged the play “The Immaculate Reception” during a TV commentary that night.

Remarkably, Cope worked with only two play-by-play announcers, Fleming and Bill Hillgrove, and two head coaches, Noll and Bill Cowher, during his 35 seasons.

Cope began having health problems shortly before his retirement, and they continued after he left the booth. They included several bouts of pneumonia and bronchitis — he smoked throughout his career — a concussion and a leg problem that took months to properly diagnose. He also said he had a cancerous growth removed from his throat.
“Wherever I go, people sincerely ask me how my health is and almost always, they say ‘Myron, you’ve given me so much joy over the years,”’ said Cope, who also found the time to write five sports books, none specifically about the Steelers. “People also tell me it’s the end of an era, that there will never be an announcer who lasts this long again with a team.”
Among those longtime listeners was a Pittsburgh high school star turned NFL player turned Steelers coach — Cowher.
“My dad would listen to his talk show and I would think, ‘Why would you listen to that?”’ Cowher said. “Then I found myself listening to that. I (did) my show with him, and he makes ME feel young.”



Since moving to CO 12 years ago, my football seasons have all felt like they were missing something; it was this is unmistakeable voice on my radio. RIP Myron.

crafty stuff & a little piece of art

the new scarf to match Fi's winter coat

a belated xmas present is finished
a special stitch...I love my "new" sewing machine



another toasty xmas present waiting for a visit from it's soon to be recipient

"look mom! a thumb in space"





the Jan. CMP atc themed "beginnings"

the almost finished current crochet project; it will be excellent!

democratic debate

So finally a debate between the two Dems. G & I only caught the last 1/2 hour or so on the rebroadcast. And I almost thought I wouldn't be able to sit through it with G. He dislikes Clinton so much it clouds his ability to hear what she's saying. And his comments cloud my ability to even listen. Yes, he did pause to make his snide remarks but I would like to hear her whole thought before making a judgement.

I'm no more off the fence than I was before. Except I do have a few observations...and G & I actually agree on a political subject for once. (Yes, write that down on your calendar).

1) Obama is way more personable than Clinton
2) Everything that came out of Clinton's mouth was freaking rhetorical b.s.
3) Clinton comes across as calculating & only trying too hard to "play the game". I guess that's "politics", but it's not a reason to vote for her
4) Clinton sucks at debates because she wants to rebutt the rebuttal after time is up & the topic has changed
5) Clinton is long winded & was hogging the "spotlight". May be a learned behavior from having to make sure she's heard in a roomful of men who generally do all the talking. (you know it's true. And it's freaking annoying to be a woman in roomful of men who don't listen...or even in such a one on one conversation)
6)Obama is very soft spoken & is polite enough to not interrupt Clinton. Actually, it's not politeness, per se. He was just following the rules of "debate". But he did pull her chair out for her at the end -a gentlemanly thing to do.
7) Clinton had generalized -seemingly made up- examples of why she is personally involved in politics e.g. "when a woman comes up to me and says please help...." or other such plays on "emotion" in an effort to garner female support (again, calculating). In contrast, Obama had very specific examples with names and seemed genuinely concerned.
8) I noticed Obama taking notes while Clinton spoke. He was listening & thinking. I did not notice Clinton doing so. Was she listening? Or was she merely latching onto one argument & preparing it in her head (you know what I'm talking about; everyone's done it with a spouse)


All in all, I find that Clinton projects the bitchy, abrasive woman that most people can't relate to . You know if she were quiet & soft spoken people would think she's too weak. She needs to find a middle ground. However, because Obama is soft spoken, he appears more thoughtful & patient -both good qualities. But see, here I am wondering if he's too "weak" to lead our country and the flipside is that if he were a "strong" speaker he would better able to lead. For sure I need to hear more from him ASAP.

And then there's McCain whom I really liked because he doesn't toe the party line -always a good quality for any politician, but especially a republican ;) He's so old school, though. Is that what I want?

Back to the drawing board....

inspiration

I started watching this movie yesterday


I only got about 20 minutes or so into it before I had to go to work. Even from just the short amount of time I did get to watch it, I was so freaking inclined to not even go to work, but just wanted to stay home and CREATE something. Lots of somethings. My mind starting working a mile a mintute with grand ideas for many projects. I didn't have time to write them down. Even at work I was still planning in my head. When I came home I spent some time with Maddie, as I usually do, & divulged to her some of my ideas. I was still spinning with inspiration. I think she was a little overwhelmed. "You can't do that, mom" said she of the straight & narrow rules of life. My enthusiasm did rub off on her after awhile though, because then she started thinking of things we could do together to create ART. She can be so creative & is such a thinker, it sucks that she is slowly having that sensitive side of her erased. I need to help her preserve that bit...and regain my own creativity in the process.

I have to say, the public school system is fairly good at killing ingenuity, same with the general workplace atmosphere. It's so easy -as an adult or a child- to just give up & go with the flow, for the sake of keeping the peace, to live down to other's expectations. Life is too short & beauty is all around. Yet there is no shortage of life sucking vampires to pick away & pluck away at one's ability to self express & think outside the box. The pace of life with all the many & varied distractions make life all that much shorter. Fcuk it. I have to soldier on. I can't let my own & my daughters' inner artists be eradicated for fitting in with the "norm". It's a full time job, just that, let alone having to do all the normal parenting stuff. I don't want my kids to be "ordinary", I want them to be fcuking incredible. The ability to live fully and creatively cannot be a compromised.

Anyway, after finishing this flick today, my desire to create has been so fantastically stirred and in such a way that no other movie or book or podcast or exhibition, even, about or by any artist ever has before. Even a trip to an art museum provides only a short lived inspiration for me. Learning about Ray Johnson makes me want to go to Home Depot & Guiry's to buy supplies. I've got some other ideas for smaller works too. I do feel compelled to first finish some projects I've already started. Knitting & sewing are good outlets, but they're so "controlled", if you know what I mean. Except for the project I'm just finishing. It's most excellent. Pics to follow soon....

a little creative expression

Sorry, I can't post a picture for you. I put my own "secret" inside the library's copy of Post Secrets. I will tell you I was pleased with the end result. I considered mailing it to Germantown, MD but decided that finding a secret in a book is a lot more fun for someone else.

But here, you can view these instead:

random stuff

Feefer picked out a Sailor Moon DVD from the library yesterday (and books, no worries). For every movie the girls watch, they choose a character to "be". As in, "I'm she." and "I'm she." Yes, fickle & shallow preschoolers, they prefer only the "prettiest" characters. And usually blonde. If there are 2 pretty characters, no problem. Today they are fighting over who will be Sailor Moon. "I'm she!" "No, I'M SHE!!" Apparantly none of the other scouts are worthy of emulating. "Please let me be she, FiFi," implores Lib. Usually Fi gives in to whatever Lib wants -out of sympathy? For wanting to end the whining & crying? Because Lib's the "baby"? Not so this time, Feefer held her ground on this one. She IS Sailor Moon. Lib is the girl they're calling "Bubbles" with blue hair. "Are you a teenager?" asks Feefer, and she goes on to explain "teenagers" to Lib. They were impressed by the fact that Snick & her friends used to watch Sailor Moon, too. I remember Snick & Jessica, especially, and maybe Beth & Brigitte. And if I recall correctly, they too had their own favorite sailor scouts -even at 9 years of age.

Our neighbor across the way had their house burgled yesterday, in broad daylight. I feel bad because I saw an out of place looking pickup, but they looked like they were broken down, so I didn't think anything of it. You know, hood up, looking like they were waiting for assistance. That & think of how my pervasive political correctedness brainwashing has lasted even after nearly 6 years have passed since I last worked at the Boulder County Safehouse. My first thought wasn't "now that is suspicious & I should alert the authorities" but rather "Don't assume that because those two guys are hispanic looking & are strangers to our neighborhood and are sitting outside that house in a beat-up looking truck that they are up to no good." Isn't that sickening, that I would ignore my gut feeling for fear of being called "racist"? By whom? Some ghost of a memory? You know, I wouldn't have hesitated had they been suspicious looking white men.

So the woman said she's been in this neighborhood 21 years & nothing like that has happened. And I have to say, one of the reasons we chose to buy this particular house was that the street is fairly unnoticeable; we'd lived in this neighborhood for 3 years & never knew this street was here. Of course, maybe that makes it attractive to undesirables too. Now we are rethinking our own home security. And I don't care if Cody does bark at every stranger who walks down the street. She's got a big mean bark -even if, as Maddie worriedly pointed out last night, Cody would wag her tail & let a stranger in because she's a kind dog, not mean at all. Maddie wishes we had a "mean" looking dog like Max. Feefer is satisfied that daddy will scare anyone bad away. I think Lib was sleeping & didn't hear what happened. Well, needless to say, I couldn't sleep...like I need a "reason" for insomnia. And Feefer & Maddie need a reason to be even more clingy.

Speaking of a clingy Feefer, we attended the 10:45 mass on Sunday to hear Maddie sing with the children's choir. Lib & Feefer excitedly left with the other "big kids" for their separate children's worship time. Not even two minutes later I hear Lib saying (from the other end of the pew) "FiFi wants you, mama" & look up to see the girls -Fi in tears- and one of the teachers. Fi was doing that crying/trying to stop crying/jerking head/trembling/catching her breath thing (you know what I'm talking about) while sitting in my lap for the next 10 minutes. Meanwhile Lib went back happily with the teacher, "'Bye mom, I'm going to color!" in her sing-songy voice. The choir is really coming together nicely, BTW. The next performance will be Easter.

Are my kids odd or what?

They're playing hide n seek...but instead of calling "ready or not..." they're walking around calling "buttcrack?". Yeah, I guess it's been that kind of week. More later....

tear jerkers

I watched Away From Her last night. OMG. Definitely thought provoking. Like, wtf would I do if a)my parents b)G 3)I were diagnosed with Alzheimer's? Or anyone else that I'm close to, for that matter? It was a frightening thought. The depiction of the woman's steady decline was heart wrenching. Her husband was so kind & patient. And then the ending that wasn't really an ending. Has anyone else seen this flick? What did you think?

Afterwards I got to thinking about other films that truly left me sad after the final credits. You know, the kind of sad that you have to quick watch something funny to lighten the mood or spend the rest of the night in a funk. At the moment I can think of a few: The Notebook, The Hours, A Walk to Remember, Brokeback Mountain, and Crash. Hmm, Crash wasn't really a tear jerker for me, it just left me feeling empty & depressed about the lack of hope for the future. Talk about a buzz kill. But it was still that kind of movie that I had to sit for a while & process and then listen to Smodcast for a few hours so I could be reminded that there is indeed humor in the world still.

What tear jerkers am I leaving out? And I'm not talking about the kind of tear jerkers that are staged just to get a weepy audience moment (Remember that scene in The Patriot where the little daughter finally speaks? Cheap but effective use of audience manipulation.)Opinions, anyone?

overheard this morning

"C'mom FiFi, let's get dressed. I'll be your fashion expert."

"NO! Don't fashion me! I can fashion myself!"

and the littlest little has started using this tone, "mo-om". When I ask her something that should have an obvious answer of which I should already know without having to ask. As in, "Lib are you going to wear your winter boots because it's cold & snowy." "Well, mo-om...." I'll have to see if I can get a recording to put on here. She's just short of saying "Duh".

AND congratulate our little fishy, the Madster. After only 2 short sessions in Wave 3, she's graduated to Wave 4. She's really improved in her freestyle swimming the last 2 weeks, even. She's got her rhythm down for taking strokes & taking breaths. Now she gets to practice more in the deep end. Only 2 more levels after this. Her goal is to be on the swim team. (Did I tell you her New Year's resolution is to be the best swimmer possible?) She said Mondays are really busy for her because she has a lot of things to think about. Her mind is occupied with mentally practicing: how to breath while swimming, how to play clarinet, and how to sing. As far as swimming, I think it's paying off. And now her lessons will be at 5 instead of 4:30. She'll stay after school for band practice, then swimm lessons, then choir at 6:30. It'll be a busy day for mom, as well as little sisters.

Feefer's starting soccer in the spring too. She should be a natural. She's sporty, competitive, has a strong kick, and is a good sport.

Lib's looking forward to starting ECE in the fall. She tells everybody she sees, like Feefer did last year. In fact, she & I were invited to sit in on Fi's class one day. OMG. Lib loved it. She jumped right in with the other kids on all the activities. Not shy at all, this one. Raised her hand, offered answers, marveled at the little potty and sink, shared snack. Of course, what she really wanted to do was play on the computer the whole time. But she followed along with the classroom rules and only used it during "station time", albeit dragging her feet and asking quite a few times if she could play on the computer.

Speaking of ECE, next fall they're offering full-day ECE, as well as half day. Now I wonder what will happen with Kindergarten. Will it be a free half day? Or will there only be paid full day?

ECE -and this teacher in particular- must be a good experience because Feefer enjoys school so much she's already worried about summer vacation & missing school. Heck, she complains when there's a holiday & she can't be at school. Let's hope that sentiment remains with her for a long time to come. I can only deal with one child who doesn't like homework.

mm mmmm good...

eating words for breakfast: Most of the slush melted away leaving a thinner layer of ice which hopefully will melt away today in the 56 degree sunshine. Maybe I need to work on my abililty to see beauty in muddy streets. From a mom's point of view, I only saw the prospect of & actualization of thick, ick mud on a little girl's long, pretty, pink skirt. Oh, and the garbage was picked up afterall.

On a more hopeful note, I got this in my email today from the Colorado Community of Mindful Families yahoo group:


Promise Of Prosperity
Chinese Year Of The Rat
Chinese New Year this time around is the Year of the Rat, which brings with it the promise of prosperity. The Chinese admire the rat for its quick mind and ability to gather valuables and save them for the future. Since 2008 is the Year of the Rat, the year ahead should offer many opportunities to acquire wealth, as well as the ability to make choices that enable us to provide comfort for a long time to come.

Since the rat sign is the first in the Chinese zodiac calendar, we may feel the energy of a cycle beginning. We may also feel a pioneering spirit that helps us to forge ahead with a completely new endeavor. Looking beyond Western culture’s distaste for rats, we may be able to appreciate their ability to thrive in less than ideal conditions. This quality might offer us hope that whatever challenges we may face will only serve to make us stronger and more able. The rat’s ability to solve problems is well-known, so we can choose to enjoy any challenge that helps us keep our minds sharp while also making life more of a game. A competitive nature may
develop within us, leading us to use the rat’s ability to focus on priorities. The rat can also remind us to be less worried about pleasing everyone we meet and more focused on our goals.

We should be aware of the rat’s habit for collecting and not allow ourselves to become so focused that we neglect those around us. Being constantly on the alert for opportunity can be stressful, so we can make the decision to balance our pursuit of prosperity with the enjoyment of good food and atmosphere and the people we trust to offer us both support and space. With the energy of challenge and possibility, the year is likely to be exciting without being explosive. The Year of the Rat is sure to offer the type of enjoyable challenges that will enable us to become all we can possibly be.



It's quite timely, actually, in that last night I decided that I would spend the next week diligently looking for a new job. We got new guidelines for our dress code & it's not worth the investment in a new pair of white or black tennis shoes, new pants, new shirts. Right, it's not a big deal, really. But it's the principle of the thing. Oh & the "no extreme hairstyles including, but not limited to, multi-color hair & mohawks", "no extreme or offensive tattoos" and "no extreme or offensive body piercing". Define that please? When I took this job, it afforded me the ability to be a little creative. It is, afterall, a retail shop which sells "creativity". It's a $7/hour job. With no pay higher than $10 (at the managerial level), why am I wasting my time? It's a job for a high school student. It's certainly not why I spent 5 years at university as a single mom and now owe tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. I could make more money at Good Times...and they would provide the uniform.

So wish me luck as I brave once again "the real world" :)

curses!

You may recall my dislike for the city of Denver's inattention to snow plowing (re: the snow storm last year & my subsequent blog post). This morning I was excited to see a snow plow & sand truck AND a grader on our street when we returned from the school dropoff. Woo Hoo! What a welcome sight after the a.m. struggle with a hungry pre-teen mood monster. With each grader scrape there was actual, visible black top. Much to my dismay, instead of cleaning the street, they've merely made it muddy knee deep mush & left it to melt. Not to be a Debbie Downer but I would rather have the clean ice that will eventually melt in our 50 degree weather. However, if it melts away sooner, I will be forced to eat my complaint. (I think the garbage truck due this morning is skipping us because they couldn't get through on their route. Bah. Can't win for losing.)

odd and maybe a little sad

We did not see one person with ashes on their head yesterday. Granted we went to the 7pm packed house service, after which we went home; maybe everyone else was doing the same at their respective churches. I just remember being a kid in the 70's in a protestant family & feeling like the oddball because it seemed like everyone else in the community was sporting ashes & I wasn't. Maddie suggested that maybe there are a lot of Jewish people on this side of town.

It was nice to see that our church was so full last night. Of course the littles wanted to sit in the front row. Maddie, for the first time, did not want to sit there. It was a long service too, what with ash distribution AND communion (which I was not expecting). And the homily was good -Fr Pat talked about how our lives are so individualized & we don't have to be a community anymore -even within our own families (think iPods, DSs, t.v.s in each room, separate cars, separate schedules, etc. etc). He suggested that for Lent maybe we could consider giving up one "separate" thing in exchange for spending that time communing and sharing with our families. Wow. Was he a fly on the wall at my house? Or is my life just not so very different from everyone else's?

And what do I give up? I don't think it'll be the computer. It's a little community in itself for me. I listen to the iPod because it keeps my mind working whilst doing meanial, mindless crap that has to be done around the house. In all honesty, I don't really watch the t.v. upstairs -just when I'm folding laundry.

I'll tell you what I'd like to give up. My low-paying, time sucking job. It started out as a way for me to get out of the house & have some adult interaction. It has become necessary to pay certain bills. BUT I'm not home to interact with my family as a whole. I'm not home to help with homework (so it never gets done & someone is developing very poor study habits -or none at all). I don't get to read to the girls at bedtime or make sure they're bathed. I don't get to cook good meals & share dinner conversations. And it seems to me that for every dollar I earn & spend on my bills, an equal amount of money is spent on take out & restaurant food. Essentially we're spending twice as much money & falling apart as a family. So tell me, is it really worth it?????

the extent of my excitement these days...

first, I saw that a Mountain Sun pub is going in on 17th street in Denver near P/SL. Yay! This makes me happy to no end. Seriously. These are the things that make me happy. May be lame to you but to me, who has little to no outside fun, this is exciting.

There is a new gas station/convenience store in our neighborhood. It had changed management a couple years ago. Then it closed altogether -put out of business by the competition across the street. (which coincidentally, also put the nearby 7-eleven under). We watched as it was slowly stocked over the fall & then finally opened for business on the first of the year. Within 2 weeks it was closed again. Bummer. My dad -whom you may know, was a gas/service station/convenience store owner for most of my life- suggested that maybe they didn't have a firm supplier set up. Then two weeks ago the station was re-opened -with gusto- and offered their gas at 3 cents less than the competition. No big deal, but hey, 3 cents adds up when you're paying $60 per tank. I was kind of enlightened to see the new business succeed instead of flounder. It's taken a week or so but, after being void of business the first week, folks are finally starting to buy gas there. AND (this is the exciting part -to me anyway), they've started a gas price war! Not the kind of late where one station RAISED it's prices so the neighboring station did the same. Now the competition has lowered their price penny for penny to match the new business. So, I'm weird. What can I say? It's how I was raised -not to be 'weird' so much, but to be aware of gas prices. duh. Our morning debate on the way to school has become "how low can they go?". It can only be good for the neighborhood. Now if we can only get a coffee shop or bakery to move in, maybe an ice cream shop, things would be all good.

addendum: I do not, for the life of me, understand why it is that when the price of gas is identically low at both gas stations, one catty cornered from the other, that folks line up, literally, to get gas at the original business while the new business is next to empty of customers. WTF??? Personally, I would rather NOT waste time waiting in line if I have that option -not to mention wasting gas & emiting carbon dioxide whilst idling my car. It's like watching zombies advance on the Monroeville Mall. Mindless. Or is it some kind of subconscious loyalty to the established business where people don't want to support the new business unless the gas is priced lower. It's bizarre. I'm glad my dad got out of the business when he did.

is it just me, or...

were the Super Bowl ads especially nondescript last night? I even insisted that G wait & watch all the commercials instead of skipping over them to get to the action only. And then I had to put up with his bitching about having to watch all the commercials. (He had DVRd the game because we got a late start in watching it.) Aside from the Pepsi commercial with JT (and only because of JT did I want to watch it), they were fairly boring. And even the Pepsi ad missed it's mark because I didn't even notice until I was watching the news later that the ad was actually marketing Pepsi's new website. The Daytona ad was good for it's graphics. But other than that? None so special. Is it because the cost of buying the time is so astronomical that the budget for the commercial itself is left wanting, and the commercial is then lackluster? In retrospect, we probably could have just watched the game & waited to see the commercials on You Tube. Dang, if my own team can't be in the game, the least I ask for is decent marketing entertainment. Hmmm, come to think of it, it was a lackluster game to boot. Bah. Bring on March Madness!

how is this possible?

I've been working on our computers all day, setting up our wireless network server. It's kind of a pain because I have to copy & paste all the folders from both computers for the intial setup. Then I have to program the auto backups for each of the folders for both computers. THEN we should be able to access, via the server, each other's files, etc. I suppose I could have done the same with windows file sharing on the network. But this way everything is already backed up, in case we have a system crash again. Yay! Now I don't have to pay to have someone come in & restore the computer. And I don't have to worry about losing photos or scratched CDs of photos, etc. AND it's Mac compatible, so when Snick visits she too can share files. Yay!

Anyhoo, I'm about computered out. Like for the week. At least. (bet you never thought you'd hear those words from me) And I was considering giving up computer usage for Lent. Considering. No definitive decision yet. It's probably a good idea. Ever since I initialized this laptop, I've been neglecting all other forms of creativity. Seriously.

Oh & my other coup today was hooking up the portable DVD player to the upstairs t.v. Another Yay! I can watch whatever the heck I want -not on the 14" laptop screen, but on the 32" flatscreen. Ha! Go ahead G, play your video games all night. I've got my own electronic entertainment. Hmmmmm, could almost be like we have our own separate rooms, like roommates. Kind of weird. Kind of je ne sais quoi -good? bad? indifferent? sad? Like I said, je ne sais quoi.

Gawd. Then there's the fact that I just said I was happy to have a t.v. in my bedroom. That in itself is weird. And that I was not only happy but also excited to have electronic entertainment. AAAAAAAAAAAAArgh!!!!!!! I've been sucked into the dark side! V, it's all your fault. Yours & yours alone, V! Look what you've done. & I bet you're reading this, gloating, smugly smirking, pumping your fist in the air. You'd high five yourself if you could. I bet. That's okay. Payback's a bitch. Just you wait.

happy groundhog day!

Phil says 'six more weeks of winter'. We say 'perfect day for a cake'. pictures at 11.

things that make ya go mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Yesterday, Madster came home excitedly telling me of the day's happenings at school. Some of the Nuggets came to the school & she got (a print of) the team's autographs. They had some kind of basketball drill practice in PE with those 2 or 3 team members. She wasn't forthcoming with exactly who was there (can you tell we don't watch a whole lot of bball on t.v.?). But it was exciting, nevertheless. Now if only the Avs would avail of their skills. (better yet: fantasy: we live in PGH & the Pens show up for drills with my kids.)(or the Steelers)(or the Pirates)

AND she was part of a taste test group at lunch. She was happy to announce that the day's food tasting -HUMMUS- passed the test and will be on offer in the cafeteria in the future. Hummus. When I was in elementary school A) no one would have known what hummus was and B) it would never have been a student choice as to whether or not it would be on the menu.

if Hillary wins I'm moving to Canada

no, not really, but it made you look. BUT, did it make you stop to think? Whilst surfing Facebook for political groups, I was amazed by how many pages/groups there are dedicated to this view, "if Hillary wins, I'm moving to _______", "Stop Hillary Clinton", "Anti-Hillary Clinton '08", "Life's a Bitch, why vote for one?", "I'd vote for a trained monkey over Hillary in '08", "Anyone But Hillary", ad nauseum. Really. With "membership" in the thousands.

A similar search for Barak Obama turned up a handful of "anti" groups. On the other hand, the "pro" Obama groups were plentiful, but "membership" was not necessarily strong.

Not that Facebook is the ultimate political trend watch. But I have to wonder how is it that misogyny is still so acceptable? Generally, the folks using Facebook are college students, you know, the up & coming voters, the "future" of our country. Damn, the people who will be making the rules when I'm old & infirm. What are they? Reagan babies? or what is it Snick said "we're not generation y, we're generation ______". It's kind of frightening to think some peoples' political decisions are made with their dicks. Then again, that's not so surprising. What decision isn't made like that? Look at our own current president for a fine example. Apparantly all the ballyhoo over requiring college kids to take THREE WHOLE SEMESTER HOURS of "cultural & gender diversity" (at CU, anyway), is just a lot of fluff with not much content; it "looks" like kids are being educated in such a way as to expand their narrow scope on the world. But meh, not so much.

So tell me, what is the hard & fast reasoning why Hillary Clinton would not do as well or better than any of the other hopefuls? Or George W, for that matter.