vacation!

I do enjoy February vacation! Unlike many of my fellow moms, I don't have to scramble around looking for activities for my kids - the week is just long enough for us all to get our fill of indoor activities, games, and family time but not so long that we all get sick of each other. So it's a week off from obligations and schedules, no alarm clock, and lots of rest and relaxation for all the kids and Mommy. (At least, that's all true when Mommy isn't sick for February vacation!)

book reviews

Armistead Maupin, Mary Ann in Autumn. Definitely better than Michael Tolliver Lives, which I found disappointing and canon-altering, but failed to entirely capture what made the original six boosk so interesting. Maupin's writing has become more serious and less madcap, less freewheeling and fantastic, over time. Which doesn't make it less good, but it's a different book. It may well be his commentary on the times - perhaps he found the '70s more freewheeling and madcap than the 2000s. I liked the book, but I didn't love it.

Caleb Carr, The Italian Secretary. I couldn't do it. I like Caleb Carr a lot, but I have strong opinions about authors writing in other authors' universes. Essentially, it's fan fiction, and therefore, should not be publishable. Sherlock Holmes belongs to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and anyone else would do better writing a Victorian mystery with their own detective.

Melissa Wiley, Little House in the Highlands. This is the first in the Martha series, about Laura Ingalls Wilder's great-grandmother growing up in Scotland. It captures the feeling of the Little House books pretty well and is a lively and detailed read.

Elizabeth Peters, The Mummy Case. The third installment in the Peabody/Emerson mysteries, and highly entertaining. It's not entirely realistic - their son, for example, is precocious beyond the level of disbelief - but still well written, their relationship and personalities are vivid and amusing, and who doesn't love a good Egyptian archaeology mystery?

the thaw

Am I bit obsessed by the weather right now? I am. Am I oppressed by the unblemished white expanse of my back yard, by the 5 foot tall snowbanks on either side of my driveway, by the inability to keep the ice off the front steps? I am.

So we're in the midst of the late-winter thaw - temperatures in the 40s and 50s most of this week. The back yard? Still white, except (grossly) right over the septic tank. Back deck? Still has ice covering about 60% of the boards, including an ice dam across the walkway to the steps. Front yard? We can now finally see the red glow from the 3 foot tall candy cane lights. Not the lights themselves, just the glow. Snowbanks? Still too tall to see over, too deep to see around without having your car actually in the road. Driveway? Mostly clear, but still has patches of ice. Front walkway? Mostly ice. Front steps? Completely iced over.

Better than nothing, I grant you ... but I expected more from you, late-winter thaw.

system failure

SUCH a relief not to have anywhere to go today! I have not gotten the hang of multischeduled days and retaining my systems' integrity in same. It seems likely that my promised reward for a month of sticking to my system (a haircut) isn't happening this month. *sigh* Sadly, we've also gotten fairly lax with the kids' chore charts. Looking forward to next week (school vacation week) as a rest, relax, and reboot opportunity for all of us so we can all restart our systems and face the rest of the school year (less than 80 school days) with renewed energy.

the day I have been dreading

has arrived. My 7-year-old first-grader has come home with a math assignment I can't help him with. Granted, the 7-year-old first-grader appears to be a genius with numbers, and he did ask his teacher for more challenging homework ... but if his assignments are already stumping me in first grade, what the heck will I do when he's in middle school?

oh, this freaking snow

I am sick of the snow.

I am sick of the never-ending shoveling.

I am sick of not being able to see around the massive and poorly placed snowrifts to get out of my driveway.

I am sick of the ice all over the driveway.

I am sick of watching it thaw little by little only to see it all covered over again.

I am sick of the ice at the edge of my roof.

I am sick of being practically run off the road every time I pass another car because the snowdrifts have it down to a lane and a half and the other car never seems willing to get over.

I am sick of the ever-loving snowpants I have to cram into my kids' backpacks every day.

I am sick of all the white, white, white everywhere. I want GREEN!

the surprising stages of a tattoo

Last week, I took the big plunge and got my first tattoo. It's been an interesting experience, and has gone through several stages I hadn't expected.

First stage, decision. I'd been searching for a good mother's ring that I could put all the kids' names on, but no one makes exactly what I want. Nelle and Lizzy come close, but they don't have anything for women with four kids. I makeshifted one of their rings, but it fell off on an exceptionally cold day and was lost. So I thought, why not get something that can't be lost, or worn out, and that will be exactly what I want? The more I thought about it, the more I liked it.

Second stage, research. I didn't want to just walk into some random place and ask to get a tattoo, so I asked around, and got a recommendation. I called them, and was quickly told that what I wanted (the names in a band around my wrist) wouldn't work because the wrist is too sensitive for a first tattoo, the names would have to be extra big in order for the letters not to run together, and the wrist is such a high-movement location that there would be a good chance for the tattoo to wear off over time. So I had to give serious consideration to where I wanted it.

Third stage, convincing. My better half was strongly opposed to the idea of a tattoo. I pointed out that a) I am 35. b) There's no question that those four names will always be special to me. c) I was determined to choose a part of my body that will not make the tattoo look droopy as I age. Eventually, he came around enough to not bother to try and talk me out of it, at least.

Fourth stage, getting there. The tattoo parlor is about an hour away, doesn't open until noon, and I didn't know how long it would take, so I needed a day when there were no other plans. Finally, I settled on a day when my in-laws were in town, so they could watch the kids for me. (Fortunately for me, that did not turn out to be one of our many snow days!)

Fifth stage, tattooing. I arrived at the parlor, explained what I wanted. We determined the inside of my arm seemed like the best place. The artist drew up some ideas, we settled on one, and she made a template that she applied to my arm. Frankly, it wasn't bad. It burned, more than anything. I was surprised at how much the ink welled up and how often she had to wipe it off - it makes sense, but I'd never really thought about it.

Sixth stage, redness and aftercare. Again, hadn't considered what it would be like right afterward. The area was a bit swollen and red, tender to the touch, and required a lot of antibiotic ointment applied to it the first couple of days. Also, I slept with a gauze pad taped to the site the first couple of days, and when I woke up in the morning, there was a surprising amount of ink on the pad.

Seventh stage, showing it off. Only the family has seen it so far. The husband said if I had to get one, he thought this one turned out well. Greyson thought it was cool, Charles thought it was weird, Veronica was confused, and my mother-in-law did not approve.

Eighth stage, flaking. Apparently the dead skin is all going to come off, and it's imperative that I don't scratch or I'll have the ink off with it. Who knew?

Overall, a highly interesting experience, one I'm very happy with, and one I doubt I'll go through again.

Pat a Pan

Stolen from my Facebook page again. I find this one infinitely entertaining!

RULES:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, ipod,etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.



IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Battle Hymn of the Republic

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
What Mattered Most (Ty Herndon)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I Can Still Make Cheyenne (George Strait)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
A Few Words Too Many (Billie Myers)

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Home (Daughtry)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Papa Don't Preach (Madonna)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Bring Me Some Water (Melissa Etheridge)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Having Trouble with the Language (Billie Myers)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Santa Monica (Savage Garden)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
The Love Boat

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The Stranger (Billy Joel)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Crocodile Rock (Elton John)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Venus (Bananarama)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Movin' Out (Billy Joel)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
One Night in Bangkok (Chess)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Bye-Bye Love (Everly Brothers)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
You Send Me (Sam Cooke)

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Babe (Styx)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
The Heather on the Hill (Brigadoon)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Pat a Pan (Mannheim Steamroller)

book reviews

Scott Turow, Ordinary Heroes. Usually, I like Turow. His books are gritty and well plotted. But this one dragged. I found the main character dull, his situation improbable and not that interesting, and overall, I think historical fiction is not Turow's forte.

Sterling North, Rascal. I love this book. I've read it countless times, but the simplicity of the writing has never lost its sweetness. The story of a young boy in World War I, his love for the raccoon kit he raises for a year, and the ways that the events of the world impact his life combine to make a lovely book.

Louis L'Amour, Showdown at Yellow Butte. This was an interesting twist - the protagonist rides into town as a member of the wrong side and has to decide for himself which faction he's going to back. There were a few too many characters, a little more complexity (and injury) than absolutely necessary, but overall, it's a solid book.

Mike Resnick, Hazards. This merry-go-round was not at all what I expected. Take Indiana Jones, Mickey Spillane, and James Bond, give them some serious drugs, spin them around a few times, and set them down in a South America that never actually existed, and you come close. (The closest analogous author I can think of is Barry Hughart, whose Bridge of Birds series has a similar level of antic lunacy.) Well worth the reading!

insecurities

Here I am, on the cusp of turning 36 years old, and I still feel like an outsider in any given community. I'm jealous of other people who are more easily accepted, my feelings are easily hurt by being overlooked and otherwise not included, and I don't know how to make myself a part of the group. Now, I'm doing better than I used to ... but I'm still insecure. I wish I knew how to stop.