august

i love all things black keys.
best end of summer song. beach breeze and peaches.

it's what's up in arlington

partying in nyc...too much applejuice

follow the yellow brick road, chicago botanic gardens

random pics

harlan ignores a frank lloyd wright chair (while playing in the pulpit at unity temple)





harlan and the vortex

big'un

in massachusetts, they call'em 'god's blueberries'.

and back again

arriving home to boston from a month in the suburban midwest was a shock to the system for sure. i mean, it's not like i went to another planet, but things there are, 'different'. for example, the people are noticeably nicer than the northeast, and noticeably 'not bitter'. while in chicago, i went into a cafe in wickerpark (which would be the chicago equivalent of davis square, only bigger). not only was the waitstaff not hateful and mean, but when i asked the counter help how far the communter rail was from there, she asked everyone else behind the counter AND offered to go into the back and look it up online just to be sure. wierd.
being a good southern girl, i grew up around 'over the top' niceness. but the niceness in the south is different than the midwest. in the south, people are super nice to your face, and then they usually talk about you when you walk away ("good lord, did you see that child's hair, bless her heart, it just looked god awful", that sort of thing).
but, in the midwest, i really felt like they were sincere. maybe it's all the fresh air. maybe it was because i went there in the summer, and people are so happy to have survived another winter that they thank god every day that they're alive.
who knows what causes this sort of odd, humane and decent behavior...but i wish we had more of it around here.

in a twist, i've decided to stop hating boston and surrounding area so much. i know that i can't change the bitterness and meanness of the people who live here, so i'm changing my own attitude. i realize that while boston may not be the kind of city that i love, or will ever truly 'love', there are a lot of great things going on here that i hope to be more involved in, and there's always the ocean (smells better than a lake), and the mountains are very near if i ever want to lose my mind and live as a hermit.

and this has nothing to do with anything, but this is my new favorite comic. (bit of dirtiness, if you're sensitive to that sort of thing)
fuck you dane cook!

everybody loves raymond

seriously considering getting started on a giant tattoo while here in the windy city. there are some great artist here and getting a tattoo in massachusetts kind of scares me since it's only been legal there for around 9 years. (oh where oh where did my youthful inhibitions go).
in my searching for tattoo ideas, i found this. it is my favorite tattoo of all times. i love the font, i love the placement, i love the sentiment. good job crazy lady.

off topic: pixies fans

just watched the documentary 'loudQUIETloud' about the reuniting of the pixies a few years back. (a concert that i missed because i was broke and let the tickets sell out...therefore, i have never seen a band that so deeply influenced my teen years that i tear up every time i hear one of their songs...missed seeing them when i was in highschool for religious reasons..yeah, seriously.)
the movie made me sad, and happy for many different reasons. sad that they are over, and there will never be another band like them, sad that they really don't seem to be aware of how much they've influenced the state of EVERTHING we listen to today, sad that except for joey, they all seem a little depressed and little broken (but, aren't we all?)...happy that they existed and were a part of my life, happy that i knew who they were even though i lived in the middle of nowhere and could have been listening to only garth brooks and reba macintyre (for this i thank jeremy kerr for making me that amazing mix tape when i was a freshman, can't thank you enough), happy because one day i will get to play doolittle and surfer rosa for harlan and tell him if it weren't for a little known guitarist named joey santiago, we wouldn't have classic rock bands like 'nirvana'.
to the pixies, i salute you.

suburbia, illinois summer '08

cornfields and condo complexes as far as the eye can see. miles and miles of farmland out here in illinois and what do we americans do with it?? turn it into sustainable living communities to benefit the rest of the world?? no, we turn it into box chain stores and restaurants and fill it with miles and miles of perfectly manicured, exactly matching houses and condo 'communities' and give them names like 'rolling meadows', and 'torrey pines'. i didn't grow up in a suburb like this. granted, tennessee has it's fair share of mcmansions, box stores and condos, but where i grew up was much more, um, 'rural' (or 'bum fucked' to use a more descriptive metaphor).
this place just freaks me out a little. it's all so clean, so well packaged.
but, with all downsides, there are upsides (i think). and those are, that i'm five minutes from the super target, 20 minutes from ikea, and 2 minutes from a box chain called "meijer" (pronounced 'may-yer' as in john, ernie and i debated over how to pronounce the name when we got here. i said it was 'major' and he said it was a more exotic sounding 'may -har', we were both wrong...crazy cornfield town)...which is an EXACT replica of the super walmarts of my youth. it's bizarro walmart.
(me want low prices, rRRRR!!)

we are an hour outside of chicago proper, and with the traffic (good lord the traffic), at times it's a two hour trip. so, we've been downtown once, and harlan had a little bit of trouble with the city, it seemed to make him screechy, so we left early. the city looked beautiful and hopefully we'll have more times to explore.
for the forth of july weekend however, i think we're going to take in some true midwestern small town america. there are towns nearby that boast of old time trolley rides, antique soda fountains and small town fireworks displays on the river. ahh, i can almost smell the cotton candy and popcorn. maybe i'll wear some red gingham and put on my fanciest blue eyeshadow.

yum.

chi town

team doeg is venturing into the wilds of greater chicago for the next month.
harlan and i will be flying out today and i really hope that my yoga practice will make it easier to change his diaper in those tiny little bathrooms. it's a funny time in your life when your biggest concern when preparing for a flight is 'when is baby going to poop?'.
here are some fun facts:
*According to state law in Illinois, it is illegal to speak English. The
officially recognized language is ``American.''
*In Guernee,IL it is illegal for women weighing more than 200 pounds to
ride horses in shorts. (that just seems like good logic)
*A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be
called master, not mister, when addressed by their female
counterparts. (this will be fun)
*In Chicago it is illegal to eat in a place that is on fire. (again, logic prevails)
*In Chicago, it is illegal to give a dog wiskey. (this will be one sober vacation for scout)
*In IL it is illegal to fish in your pajamas. (it should also be illegal for high school age girls to go the mall in their pajamas...just sayin', pajama bottoms with the word 'juicy' across your big butt, not a good look).

...off to the city of big shoulders.

cheers.

lists

a list of things i should probably stop saying before my child starts discernibly repeating everything i say (none that i'm particularly proud of):

1. 'that's just retarded'
2. 'you know how i know you're gay...'
3. 'pick a lane, douchebag'
4. 'that's what she said'
5. 'oh, for f*ck's sake, pick a lane!!'
6. 'cooch, cunt, 'gina, vaj, and all other naughty words for my holy bits' (as well as surrounding slang, i.e. cunt rag).
7. 'meter readers are boils on the ass of society' (as well as anything i may have said during an on street rant today when a meter reader hid around a corner, watched me get my child out of my car, strap him into his stroller, frantically search through my purse for quarters, then walk away from my car and go into the bodega to get quarters and proceeded to put a ticket on my car in the one minute that i was gone...no lie, i checked the time on my phone and the time on the ticket...just plain mean and bitter...saw said meter reader later walking down the street, almost yelled out "hey you fat fuck, sorry you're such a miserable piece of shit", then realized that she was, in fact, a fat, miserable looking human being, and was afraid if i yelled that at her, i may be personally responsible for her suicide attempt).
8. 'hey you fat fuck, sorry you're such a miserable piece of shit'
9. 'i don't mind maroon 5 so much'
10. 'harlan, did you just shit your diaper?'

heat

one week in new york city is enough to make boston look like the most boring city in the world. pics and a rundown of my trip to come soon (for posterity, you know).

the current heatwave in new england is making me feel very nostalgic.
one summer in tennessee, (where the heat/humidity is so oppressive at times, it can make the tops of your knees sweat), i think i listened to this song two billion times (at least). i still hold a special place for it in my heart.

love'em lolcats

more cat pictures

it's summer!

ramble on

just some highlights from the past few weeks:
* mom's visit came and went. she caught a cold, then bronchitis, then her back went out. all around the same time that hubby's grandma passed away...all right around mother's day. good times. she and harlan did become best friends, and i'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she let him drink soda at the au bon pain. (like any good granma would)
* in my lazy battle of the bulge and attempt to get my body 'bathing suit ready', i've gained three pounds. fabulous! it seems my strict regimen of tiramisu and coffee isn't working as well as i had intended.
* went to the somerville open studios, amazing, best open studios ever! fell in love (again) with the idea of turning our back bedroom into an art/craft studio...quickly lost motivation, ended up on the couch watching 'so you think you can dance' (god, i love that show!).
* bought harlan a water/sand pit for the back yard. realized that no amount of clothing can keep sand out of the crack of your ass.
* cultivating my green thumb. started with some succulents to build up confidence in my ability to keep things alive. bought some herbs (lemon verbena, chocolate mint, two kinds of lavender) to make me feel european. (hubby is afraid of the chocolate mint, he thinks it may be a mind trick)
* rigorously planning day to day itineraries for our week long trip to nyc. more excited than words can say. me and baby, alone in the city, for a week. if i can pull this one off, i will officially have 'supermom cred'.
* becoming overwhelmed planning for a month long venture to chicago. reading 'devil in the white city' (about a psycho murderer and the building of the 1893 world's fair chicago) to put me in the mood for our adventure.
* still working on baby proofing the house. should be finished by the time harlan reaches high school.

and that's my time. thank you and goodnight.

not easy being green

i do not have the right to get preachy about earth day. i mean, i have a kid...he's pretty much an environmental disaster all wrapped up in a cute little package. i can't even begin to count how many boxes of wet wipes we've gone through since he's been born...not too mention all of the plastic this and plastic that (toys, cups, etc, etc) that kids go through these days. and they make stuff for kids like they make cell phones...they 'self-obsolete' after about 6 months of use.
we try, hubby and i, to do the best we can. we use cloth diapers (even though we do use the occasional disposable). i try to use cloth grocery bags, (when i remember them). but, it's obvious to us, that there is so much more we could do. (so, so much more)
so, tomorrow, as if to punch it into gear, i'm going to black out our house. television, radio, and computer will all be unplugged for the day. lights will be off (i'm sure i'll forget a time here and there), and i'm going to walk and use public transportation to take our trip to the zoo for their earth day celebration.
these things are simple to do, but they are things we take for granted, because of the lifestyles which we're so accustomed.
now, i know that not everyone can 'blackout', but i'm sure there is something simple that everyone can try for just one day to help ease our carbon footprint.
it takes a bit of extra time for planning, and i realize just how precious time is these days, to everyone. but, maybe just for a day. one day. c'mon guys!

some ideas:
- consider purchasing cloth grocery bags instead of paper or plastic (keep them in your car, they're easier to remember to use)
- if you have a kid, consider buying used toys, etc, from craigslist or other sites.
- unplug electronics when they aren't being used, even when they're turned off they're still sucking up energy.
- whenever you can, walk, bike or use public transportation
- if you live in a rural area with no recycling program, consider starting one in your neighborhood (or hollar...:-)
- turn off that faucet when you shave and brush your teeth...or better yet, shave and brush in the shower.
- buy local organic produce from local farmer's markets (or, if you can, consider a CSA to support local agriculture)

these are all things that i'm looking at doing myself, i promise i'm not being preachy (see above)...it's a slow going process, but it's not impossible to make changes.

CHEERS and HAPPY EARTH DAY!

rose blanche

spring is creeping in on us. it's hanging out, showing it's face with a few warm days here and there. still not warm enough to really get excited about, but harlan needs his vitamin D so we're out in the sun whenever it shines.
i'm fascinated at watching pure human nature show through in my son's behavior. if you place cheerios on a chair for him to easily reach, he will place them on the floor and sit down and eat them from the floor. (not throw them, but gingerly 'place' them on the floor, very intently). he shrieks and squeals at pigeons as if they're the most unique and amazing creatures he's ever seen. he laughs and says hello to pictures of other babies and children, but if a real one is around, he freezes and is suddenly shy. he gets so excited to be near you sometimes, he'll lean in and bite your face (other moms have verified that this is normal, and my child is not a vampire, btw).

i continue to try to watch harlan for cues on my own behavior. and i let him keep me in check when i forget to 'live in the now, and not in the future'.



today, i'm missing paris. it's easy to miss...but, i'm excited beyond words about a week long trip to nyc in june. can't wait to play mom in the big city. need some new clothes, these boston clothes are drab.

bring the noise!

as if in response to my previous post (or maybe just in response to my horrible mood this week), harlan screamed last night at 1am for two and a half hours. we're talking, inconsolable, balls to the wall, full throat, kill your mother screaming. he was taking no prisoners, he was on a mission, he was fit to be tied.
thanks harlan, ya done good by me.

blue

blue moods have taken over this week, but at least i know where they're coming from. sad news in my family. if any of you know my little brother nigel and what a talented and beautiful person he is, you understand. with some people, the world just eats them up and spits them out. it almost seems they never had a chance in the first place...not in this life.
live for the day, love your life, no matter how miserable you think you are...it could all be taken away from you in a second. and the next thing you know, you're staring down four walls in a 5x5 cell for the next 29 years. the judicial system doesn't work in the favor of the poor, or even middle class, it could happen to any one of us.
take comfort in your morning coffee (or tea), take comfort in your warm clean bed, take comfort in the sunshine on your face or the rain, take comfort in your freedom and never take it for granted.

this song is for my little brother, while you aren't gone forever, i will miss you just the same.