What Went Thankful

So I'm thankful for all of the usual reasons: family, friends, Sufi. Even though the last two weeks have been very sad for some of my best friends, I'm fortunate to have gotten to spend a little extra time with them. I do wish my brother could be home today since yesterday was his 25th birthday, but he went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, which is pretty cool.

I'm also thankful for a few less important things:

1. Fess Parker Frontier Red - which we drank last night, after we won it at an auction at Lucy's school. It's a wine I would have never chosen myself, but it was delicious despite having a screw cap. It was so good that we went out and bought another bottle for dinner today, and at $10.99 it isn't over-priced either.

2. You may have noticed a new box on my blog -- for the Sixty One. It's a music site where you earn points for listening to new stuff, and can then spend those points to bring attention to songs you like. It is addictive. You can check out my hand-selected picks by listening to the stream through this page.

Almost forgot, I review the new Surf City EP for Donnybrook.

Not ready for this

Of late Lucy has started referring to one of her school friends as her "boyfriend." Our conversations have gone a little something like this:

Me: "Where did you get the idea of a boyfriend?"
Lucy: "You had a boyfriend and then you got married."
Me: "Yes, but I was 25 and you are 4."
Lucy: "Will you call A's mom and have him come to our house so we can get married?"
Me: "Don't you think you are a little young to be thinking about getting married?"
Lucy: "Oh Mom, we're just pretending."

Me: "What is it that you like about A that makes him your boyfriend?"
Lucy: "He likes to play with me, except when he doesn't want to play with me, and he makes me laugh."
Lucy: "I just love my boyfriend. He's in my heart."
Me: Silence.

Also I review the White Denim record for Donnybrook, as well Larytta, and going back a few weeks, the latest from the Sea and Cake.

It was a long afternoon

I learned today that a good friend lost her father. I've known her since first grade and spent so much time at their house over the years that I got to know her father pretty well too. May he rest in peace.

While still reeling from this news I looked outside and saw our neighbors playing with the stray cat that had appeared and then disappeared last week. This was no typical outdoor stray. This cat seemed HUNGRY and came when called. I regretted letting it wander off last week because I knew he had a home, but without a collar I had no idea how to find the owner. It ended up across the street today because it had followed a neighboring high schooler home from school, and she was as taken with the cat as I was.

My neighbor's son suggested checking at one house a few blocks away because he thought he'd seen the cat there. But the trick was that I couldn't leave the house because I was waiting for the cable guy. So I brought the cat inside and put him in the basement. I put Sufi in Lucy's room. I called the Vet's office and the tech suggested making Lost Cat signs which I did.

When Cary came home I had a few minutes before he and Henry left for violin, so I went out to hang the signs. I spotted a neighbor not far from where the cat might have come from. He sent me to one house, who sent me to another, where, I'm not kidding, a guy with a Russian accent was working in his garage with a blowtorch.

Anyway, it turns out the cat was Mr. Blowtorch's. Hurray! So I sped home, scooped the cat into the car and delivered him home. I learned his name was Tommy. To his credit the cat took off again before I could even get back in the car, but at least next time I see him I know he has a place to go to, even though I'd probably run too if my owner was playing with fire in an enclosed area.

What a weird day.

This will be the first week in my life where I'll have gone to multiple wakes. I hope it will be the last.

Why is it always a mixed bag?

Henry had a pal from school over, and it went really, really well. The kid was fun to have around, and got us all out of the gloomy pissiness that seems to infect the family when we spend too much time together.

That was the bright spot. I was feeling good because I'd called a mom of a kid that I didn't know and no blood was spilled. Lucy cried so hard because she didn't have "anyone from outside this house" to play with, but she survived once we broke out the model magic clay.

Cary came home with a grin from ear to ear. He'd upgraded out TiVo without asking first. What he didn't know was that a) I'm still recovering from the TiVo impersonators and the techno-fear they instilled in me and b) my parents have this newer TiVo and it's a pain in the ass c) we will get fewer channels than we do now for the same $$. It's reasonable to suggest that he should have known all three facts. BUT, he was trying to do good. AND there is a chance it will all work out. I wash my hands of the entire process starting ... Now!

Finally, a purpose for Twitter

So this is totally mean-spirited of me, but it's been a crappy day, and following the fool(s) at http://twitter.com/UglyShitOnEtsy has made me laugh and laugh.

Hope is the thing with feathers

I'm sure this election is full of a lot of very specific memories for everyone. These are mine:

Lucy: "John McBush isn't a good President. Barack Obama is better. John McCain is nice." This morning she asked if she could have a sleepover with Barack Obama. I thought, "my god, Lucy wants to spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom!"

Henry: He sat this morning glued to CNN. Then he put his hands in the air and said, "The Democrats did it! It's their turn. Until now every president has been white. Now an African-American gets a turn. "

My brother: He and I exchanged exclamatory text messages. He said he could hear people cheering in the streets outside his Manhattan apartment.

Cary: He held onto my hand for dear life through Obama's entire speech. He also kept commenting on how great the picture was on our new TV.

Here are my hopes:

1. I hope my mom gets some more sleep now that Sarah Palin can't do any real harm until 2012, and maybe never.

2. I hope the Republicans actually work with Obama and we see more of the John McCain of last night's concession and not the McCain that campaigned.

3. I hope the rest of the world hates us a little bit less.

4. I hope Lucy doesn't find out that Sasha and Malia are getting a puppy.

Not the good kind of record

I just got two calls from school today in the span of 15 minutes. I think we just set a record. I feel a little queasy.

Now I actually have to go to school to pick Henry up from Spanish and try and contain Lucy while we wait for class to end. She just asked if she can wear her Tiger costume (again). Maybe I will say yes so at least I can be amused for a little bit.