Best Laid Plans

Since we went to Florida in August, Cary and I couldn't really muster a full-blown summer trip. Yeah. We're wusses.

But he decided to take some time off anyway.

Here's how it has gone thus far:
1. Thursday we went to Fantasy Island. Cary and Henry regretted riding the Silver Comet. I confirmed what I already knew -- that I really hate amusement parks.

2. Yesterday Henry woke up with a mild fever, so we tabled our plans to go to the Museum of Play. He didn't have any other symptoms and I wasn't too worried until 5:30 when the fever failed to respond to Advil. A quick call to the doctor confirmed that we could alternate Tylenol and Advil. Tylenol brought the fever down, and I relaxed enough to head out to meet a friend for a drink.

3. Cary let me sleep in, bless his heart. But when I woke up Henry's fever had climbed to over 104. I gave him Tylenol, and he immediately vomited. Another not so quick call to the doctor's office gave me some good advice, but it also lead us to accept the inevitable and cancel our plans for today and tomorrow.

I've never been so grateful for the Canadian Olympic broadcast because we were at least able to enjoy Lucy executing her version of rhythmic gymnastics while watching the finals.

Maybe we will make it to the Museum of Play on Monday, which is Cary's last day of vacation.

And I almost forgot -- I've got a review of the Head Like a Kite Remix EP up at Donnybrook.

No More Camp

But strangely the children and I are not at each other's throats ... yet.

I think it is because I kept them busy today. We met a friend at the playground and they were busy for over two hours. It was sweet. And we went to the library. Now Lucy is at a neighbor's playing with their 4 year old daughter and their 7 year old son is here playing with Henry. Henry is boring the pants off the kid with his violin talk, but then I heard the kid sing an acappella version of "Our House" by CSNY, and decided they were even.

Also, Henry got the name of his teacher for next year, and it seems like we got the teacher that the Principal promised we would, so I am cautiously optimistic. I'm sure the tears will flow soon enough on that front.

Always glad to be home.

I've written before about our mishaps on previous Toronto trips here and here.

1. On the trip up I pointed out the mist from Niagara Falls that was visible from the Grand Island Bridge. Lucy misinterpreted what I said and started calling it "Mister Niagara Falls." On the way home we could see the Falls again from the Rainbow Bridge. She said, "Look, it's Mister Niagara Falls. He's so happy to meet me."

2. We were only staying over one night this time, and all in the same room. Though no one really slept well, we did sleep. And the kids were up until almost 10 p.m., which is ridiculously late for them. Couldn't have asked for better.

3. Our trip began at the zoo. I think it was the first year the kids were as interested in seeing the animals as they were in the camel and pony rides. Our only real problem came when Cary decided we should go to the Canadian section of the zoo. I swear it was like 1.5 km, uphill both ways, and when we got there we found very few animals in view.

4. We met our friend for dinner in Chinatown and both kids found something to order off the menu. Miraculous! Lucy got what they referred to as a "salted donut" for $0.95 -- I think it a deep-fired rice flour pastry with salt.

5. We spent the morning at the Toronto Islands. A good time was had by all. Unfortunately the ride home was brutal. The two hour trip took over three hours because the QEW was a parking lot the whole ride home.

I love it in Toronto and would love to head up there once a month if the traffic wasn't so insane. Plus I got a migraine each day of the trip, which is kind of a disincentive.

Ragweed can suck it

I think we are suffering from allergies. Here is the evidence:

1. Henry was a pleasure to be around until last Friday when he suddenly became whiny, impatient, and easily moved to tears. Fun! Benadryl was dispensed.

2. I have that dizzy, nauseous feeling which I can't shake. Beer was dispensed. (Alcohol dries you out, right?)

3. Lucy coughed all through the night and woke up sounding croupy, but it went away quickly. Zyrtec was dispensed.

All of us have been taking our allergies meds right along, so I can only guess that some new plant is in bloom and that plus all the rain is making us feel like crap.

My Takka Takka review finally surfaced on Venus.

Ask and ye shall receive...

For Anne. The children join me with their sympathy glasses.

Garden Picture Collage

 

Four eyes update

The glasses were much easier on my eyes the next day, so I think everything is fine. I still feel uncomfortable with them on my face all day long, but I'm pretty sure I can get used to that. Now, to look for vintage frames on eBay to make some thrifty RX sunglasses...

The last place I saw it was in my hand as I was shoving into the mailbox

One Watch. I found Cary's watch!!! I realized I didn't actually remember seeing it outside of Target, so after checking the RX desk about a week ago with no luck I decided to ask at Customer Service. Bingo! There was the watch. He can fix his own damn battery.

Two visits. I went to my in-laws twice today. First to pick up Cary's grandfathers masonic memorabilia and second to pick up empty boxes that my father-in-law was too exhausted to collapse. They are currently in the back of my van. Anybody need some empty liquor boxes or a hideous floral display? The worst part is that garbage day was today on our street. (I'm not sure why he gave me the floral display -- I think because his garbage cans were full. If I were a better blogger I'd take a picture, but alas, just imagine metallic, silk, and plastic jutting at odd angles from a jar).

Three Reviews. I reviewed Nisennenmondai and Arms (a Harlem Shakes side project -- who knew 3/5 of the Harlem Shakes went to Yale?) for Donnybrook. I don't know where my Takka Takka review for Venus is -- I turned it in last month, but it's on P4k today and I liked the CD way less than Joshua Klein did.

Four Eyes. I got my glasses today. I really dislike them. For the first eight hours that I wore them I thought my head was going to explode. The Optician's office told me that RXs which are mostly for astigmatism (like mine) rather than magnifying stuff don't fix things immediately, so I'm not passing judgment yet. It's just that I was really looking forward to being able to see again.

The mind-body problem: my version

1. I have the worst migraine in recent memory today. I am convinced if I could just relax it would be better.

2. I want to go to a memorial service on Tuesday but it is in the city of Buffalo and I have a longstanding fear of driving, particularly on highways. Maybe this will get me over it. Hopefully a kind soul will offer me a ride, or I'll do what I usually do -- get my mommy to drive me.

Also, I review CSS's disappointing second record for Venus here.

Two parties and two more reviews

I think this may be a WWW first, Cary and I are going to paint the town red. First we are headed out to an engagement party at the Frank Lloyd Wright boathouse followed by a second party -- what has been described to me as a "Disco Boat Cruise." I hope we have a great time and I'm sure nothing will go wrong...

Also, I reviewed the wacky new CD by Daedelus, Love to make music to and Pas/Cal's wonderful I was raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura, both for Donnybrook.

Signs of the end times

1. Social Media Measurement -- Andiamosystems, I'm watching you watch me.
2. Yellow Hummers
3. The blow up machine gun decorated with an American flag design that my brother-in-law spotted a little boy carrying around a carnival in rural Virginia. I'm thinking it looked a little like this or this.

Yesterday was a suckfest

1. I hate my gym. It's official. They badgered me until I renewed, and then when there was a problem with my last payment no one told me (because we canceled the credit card, and I forgot we were on autopay). When I figured it out after a series of phone calls they said I had to pay the $27 in person. When I did that they tried to charge me a late fee and a fee for paying at the desk (which I had to do). I am less pissed about the fees than I am about how hard it was to find out what was going on, fix it, and then fix it again when they screwed up. If they had told me about the billing issue I would have paid them that day.

2. I went to Target to get a new battery for Cary's watch. They will no longer open watch backs, so they couldn't change the battery. They could sell me a battery, but without the back being open I had no idea which one to buy.

3. Then I went to Wegmans where my half gallon of milk leaked all over the sushi I was buying for lunch (to try and cheer up) and my beer.

4. When I went to pick up Henry from camp he was upset. By the time I got the reason out of him he was in tears because the camp teacher won't let him pick up rocks when they go on walks anymore. I do consider it some type of positive sign that he a) didn't do anything wrong really and b) was able to tell me about it. Still, I hate seeing him cry.

5. I was going to try and get dinner ready and listen to my iPod. I couldn't find the iPod anywhere. I also couldn't find one of my super cute shopping bags. Then I realized that I couldn't find Cary's watch. Half an hour later I'd found the iPod (in a cabinet where I put it to keep Lucy from taking it) and the shopping bag (under my purse). But no watch. I still haven't found the freakin' watch. Cary loves this watch, and has had it since grad school. I'm really angry at myself for losing it and that pretty much did me in for the rest of the day.

It's like trying to clean the ocean. What, do you think you can drain it? *

Lately I've been obsessing about being cleaner, greener, and safer.

It started with Maura's post about the dangers of plastic and sunscreen. Then the Buffalo News picked up an article. Mrs. Q showed me this database and then told me not to look at it. She's right; it is overwhelming.

Take the databases' report on Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunscreen. It ranks the overall safety as 2 out of 10 -- sounds pretty good right? But upon closer inspection it contains triethanolamine, which gets a 7 out of 10 and might cause cancer and immunotoxicity, among other things.

What does that mean? I don't know, you don't know, but the next thing we know fish are being born with six eyes.

Then this morning I heard a re-broadcast of WBFO's Meet the Author with Donna Jackson Nakazawa, talking about how environmental toxicity may explain the rise in autoimmune disorders. I really wanted to listen to the whole thing but it was making my throat close up.

I felt compelled to buy organic cold cuts this week. I keep thinking about all of the hot dogs Lucy eats, and rather than being motivated to sort through the facts I just feel panicked.

Buying this adorable set of shopping bags and switching to Sigg water bottles is cold comfort when it's hard to separate facts from marketing.

*Lyrics courtesy of Jenny Lewis.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

While it may seem logical, given the title, that I'm going to post about all the people I saw over the weekend at Old Home Days -- which was the best year yet by far -- no, I'm going to wonder aloud why I can't throw anything away.

1. Aside from my Pappagallo purse, I've held onto things which no sentimental value, such as a tube of Peppermint foot lotion that I purchased at the Jamaica Plain CVS in 1996. I've moved this particular item three times since owning it. After I publish this post the lotion is going in the trash.

2. I have a pair of brown M+M earrings that have a lowercase "e" on them, purchased for me by my mom at Love of Pete in 1981 or 1982. Why? I have unsharpened pencils that are just as old which I kept because they were decorated with alligators or lollipops or something.

3. I have trouble growing plants from seed because I just can't bring myself to thin them enough. I dig out the seedlings that I should be throwing away and plant them in little pots, and then water them until they get too big for the pot before I give up trying to find homes for them.

4. I hang onto computer files and e-mail, and I still have every promo CD that I've ever received, and in many cases I kept the mailing envelope and the one sheet as well.

5. I discovered over the weekend that I have two old cell phones and three working cameras that are not in use.

Any ideas how to break this habit?

Back On Notice!

Bring out the Notice Board Ladies and Gentleman...

See the results of my last foray into Colbert Culture. Funny -- putting Lucy's tantrums on notice did nothing to stop them from coming.

The problem with freedom

So here's the deal with camp:

1. Henry loves it. So far so good. He's even been exceptionally pleasant on the day that he stayed home with me and Lucy went.

2. Lucy does not know her own limits. When I have picked her up each day she has been red-faced and glistening with sweat -- and today they didn't even play outside. Then when I get her home she is a whiny little monster.

3. Lucy's pickiness means that she doesn't eat much while she is there. I'm trying adopt a laissez-faire attitude by telling myself that maybe this will broaden her horizons. Not bloody likely.

Also the center is nut-free, which is great except the mainstays of Lucy's diet are: Nutella, Peanut butter and Honey sandwiches, and a mix of cashews and almonds in a bowl, so it's not like I can offer to send in her favorite snack.

4. The two days this week when I had the house to myself were ultimately exhausting because I was busy without interruption. That's right. No kids, no reason to take a breath. And much like my own daughter I'm pretty cranky around 4 p.m. But I can't just sleep the whole time they are gone, can I?

Hopefully Lucy and I will adjust. But next week we're going to have the ceiling ripped out of our kitchen, and I'm sure none of us will cope well with that.

A few good things

1. My kids were so excited to go to camp today that they wouldn't even let me finish breakfast before I dropped them off. Let's hope I find them in equally good spirits when I pick them up in about an hour.

2. I had a nice, quiet lunch with my Mom at Samurai, where french fries are not on the menu.

3. I reviewed, and enjoyed, the new Cute Lepers CD for Venus.

I can't make the peace

so I'm buying myself some.

It's only the second full day of summer vacation, yet my children are already screeching at each other every time I stop entertaining them.

But tomorrow they start a few days a week at summer day camp. It will be the first time that I have ever had them both occupied elsewhere for more than 2 hours and 15 minutes at a time.

It's going to be a sweet summer.

Plus, Henry had his first violin lesson today. Cary and I have no idea if he will want to stick with it or not, but I am really excited for him and fully prepared to plug my ears for the next year or so.

Ack, more asthma

Henry and Lucy slept over at my parent's house for the first time together last night. Cary and I had a so-so dinner at Sea Bar (the sashimi was tasty but whoever prepared it lacked knife skills, the Sojitos were too sweet) and split an amazing dessert at Butterwood.

All the while my cell phone remained silent.

We were most concerned about Lucy because she tends to reject any bed besides her own, but she did great. Unfortunately, Henry woke up wheezing at 4 a.m. and I'm pretty sure both my parents never went back to sleep.

Looks like we'll be off to the pediatrician tomorrow. I hope he doesn't need the nebulizer.

UPDATE: Henry does require the nebulizer with Albuterol and possibly Pulmicort. Does this justify the purchase of a Dyson Vacuum cleaner?

It's finally over

It's the last day of school. Oh yeah! Henry made it through another year and I'm proud and relieved.

Also, I review King Khan and the Shrines for Venus.

Sweet, sweet laughter

For me, one of '08's most anticipated releases, Head Like a Kite's There is Loud Laughter Everywhere has arrived. It met my expectations and then some, and I reviewed it for Donnybrook. Sweet laughter indeed.

But you don't have to believe me, you can listen to a live performance by the band streaming through your computer, or fancy phone, or whatever, this Thursday, June 26 at noon on KEXP.

I've got a soft spot for HLAK because it's lovely front man, Dave Einmo, is currently the only musician I have ever interviewed. And even though our chat never saw publication it was still a great experience for me, even though Dave was getting snowed on while I struggled awkwardly with the micro cassette recorder.

Sleeping like a baby tonight

Nothing is more exhausting than attending a picnic for first graders. That is all.

White Board Update

My mom tells me the White Board is already in the Smithsonian.

Classic WWW moment.

Florida, Florida, Florida

Tim Russert's coverage of politics was pretty much the only mainstream TV news source that I trusted. Ever since the 2000 election I paid extra attention to what he said, and he had a way of explaining the news that always left me feeling like even if I didn't like what I heard, at least I understood it better.

Tim Russert was also from Buffalo. Even though hometown pride around here tends more towards chest beating and overstatement, he always made me feel like someone from our area was really doing good in the outside world.

I am well aware that my sadness is false. I didn't know Tim Russert. I only felt like I knew him because I like the same sports teams and suspect I shared the same political views. I don't care. It is going to be hard to imagine election night coverage without him.

I think they should put his white board in the Smithsonian.

I wish she didn't need the squirts.

Despite my hopes to the contrary, Lucy has asthma. We now have our own nebulizer. I let her put the medicine in it herself. She says, "I want to do the squirts! I looooove the squirts." At least she has gotten used to using the machine because the treatments are still onerous even is she isn't screaming.

But, I've got some writing to share. I reviewed the new Twilight Sad mini LP, Here it Never Snowed, Afterwards it Did, for Donnybrook over here. Also here, at Venus I review March Forth by KaiserCartel.

Crap, crap, and more crap

Things I did today:

1. 3 loads of laundry (probably not getting folded tonight).
2. Watered the garden
3. Took the car to the shop
4. Vacuumed the entire house and cleaned one of the bathrooms.
5. Mailed out two new house cards and one get well card that have been sitting on my counter for two weeks. (BTW, send Jen14221 good wishes because she made it through surgery today.)
6. Visited the pediatrician because my kids both woke up sick after playing their hearts out at a birthday party. Henry has a sinus infection, but that's really no big deal because Lucy was sent home with a nebulizer. Yep, I spent the latter part of the day begging my daughter to sit still so she could inhale a cocktail of Albuterol and Pulmicort. She flailed through the entire first treatment, and almost kicked the doctor in the process, but by the last treatment she fell asleep. My poor baby is asleep in her bed in the t-shirt she wore today because she refused pajamas.

Things I did not do today:
1. Work on my review that's due tomorrow, thankyouverymuch.
2. Attend to the transplanting needs of my hair allium -- they need more sun.
3. Catch my breath ... until now

Because inquiring minds...

want to know:

We sent Henry in the clean socks. They were black, regulation soccer socks. The socks I forgot to wash are red and the uniform is red and black, so it wasn't that bad. I am just anal.

Bad Mama Files 4

This is a good one.

Henry had a soccer game yesterday. He has another game today and I completely forgot to wash his uniform. He only has one pair of uniform socks.

It was like 88 here yesterday.

Do I make him wear the same dirty socks again, or send him in the non-regulation pair?

Also as I write this Lucy is sitting in a drained bath tub happily playing with her My Little Ponies. Gotta run!

Oh, the fauna! It's not hissing and it's not the destroyer.

So I took a bunch of pix of all the birds that have been visiting our yard.
First, there are a male and female rose-breasted Grossbeak on my tray feeder.

Second there are two Baltimore Orioles, a male and a female on my hummingbird feeder. And another male about to eat some grape jelly off the deck.

Then we get to the Wild Turkeys. Almost as sweet as the whiskey. The first pic has a male and a female and a Cardinal. Then a male Turkey, but possibly a juvenile.
Then the grandaddy of them all, a male Turkey with mature plumage. He just waited at the back of the yard for the female to finish eating, and stopped visiting once he established this was a safe place to eat. So it isn't the clearest picture, but cool nonetheless.




Finally, I took a picture of this bizzaro moth.

Also, if you're still reading, I reviewed the new Ladytron CD, Velocifero, for Venus. Check it out.

Wait, wait, don't change the blog's name just yet...

1. This morning I paid bills. I tried three times before I wrote out all the checks correctly and got them into Quicken with the correct numbers. I voided one check.

2. I dropped Lucy off at ballet. My mother-in-law was going to pick her up and bring her home LATER. Sweet. I was waiting to turn right on red at the corner of Transit and Wherle when ... Guzsh ... my car was covered in fine, greasy dirt. Once I turned the first thing I saw was a car dealership with a car wash. Sweet. I thought I'd be really smart and get it cleaned ASAP. I ran it through the car wash but it was still filthy. I took the car to the end of the now incredibly long line. The dealership actually pulled their detail guy out of line ahead of me so he could clean my car. It turns out that my car, and most of the used cars in their lot were covered in hydrolic fluid from the excavator at the corner. All the filthy cars had contaminated the car wash too. So the nice car detailer cleaned off my car, then hand washed it. Plus I met the owner of the construction company and got his number in case the paint starts to fall off my car. One hour later I was headed towards home, but the car was still not clean, so I went through another car wash. Then in the afternoon I cleaned all the windows with Windex.

As annoying as this was, it could have been much worse. My window could have been open, or Lucy could have been with me.

3. Lucy returned from Grandma's after having a great time and being a good little girl only to cry and whine until her father got home.

But I've got a review of the new Walter Meego CD up at Donnybrook. Check it out.

Perfect Day

Yesterday was just about perfect. I slept in (7:50 a.m., y'all) after rolling in from a night out with the girls at around 2 a.m. I turned in a review then we went to a friend's for lunch, followed by a fund raiser for the Chinese earthquake. Then I went to the Cranial Sacral therapist (i.e. I got a massage). Then we had dinner with my in-laws. I had a feeling of general well-being pretty much foreign to me. I am sure it won't last...

Plus I've got some writing to share. I reviewed James Pants' debut for Donnybrook. Plus I gave Moo.com a thumb's up for Venus and they just put up my review for New Bloods from issue #35 on their website too.

Cut it out! Better yet, don't cut it at all.

I know that it's too early in the season for me to have maxed out my ability to tolerate the excessive noise from lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and weed whackers, but seriously, I'm already sick of it.

Free Kitten and Islands reviews

This week I reviewed the new record by Islands, which I highly recommend, for Venus. I also reviewed, and did not particularly enjoy, the new Free Kitten for Donnybrook.

It's probably from the TV, but it's still funny

1. This morning at breakfast Henry was reading all of the bullet points from the box of Fruity Cheerios. After he read "25% less sugar than the leading fruity cereal," he explained to me, "the leading fruity cereal, that would be Fruit Loops."

He has never even eaten Fruit Loops.

2. Lucy and I were waiting in line at the grocery store. The woman behind us was visibly pregnant and purchasing chips, chocolate, and candy. Lucy turned to me and said in a stage whisper, "that lady is buying junk food."

I also doubt I have ever used the word "junk food" with Lucy.



----------------
Now playing: Ladytron - Ghosts (Cassette Jam mix)

Governor Patterson's Migraines

WWW wrong here, summarizing the best of the NYT's headache coverage:
The Governor has a headache. Many people needed to comment on this story, and most of them are assholes.

It could have been a lot worse.

Last night we were eating in a Mediterranean restaurant. After about the third bite of my grape leaf wrap there was something really hard in my mouth. It was a staple.

Bad Mama Files 3

It's been awhile since I had something to post related to my questionable mothering skills.

1. Recently I've been feeding Lucy pumpernickel bagels at lunch. She thinks they are chocolate bagels. I don't correct her.

2. I let her play in the bath unsupervised as the water was draining. I came back to find her sitting in a bathtub covered with every letter from our foam alphabet. She was quite pleased with herself.

3. I've been forcing Cary to take Henry to soccer because Henry's clueless behavior at games and practices reduces me to a puddle.

More reviews

I've got a review of Kassin+2 up at Donnybrook -- here. Plus a review of Nik Freitas at Venus here.

I hope I can stay this busy and balance the writing with Lucy's demands to ride her bike to the bus stop to greet Henry. She demands to do this at all hours of the day, even when the bus isn't coming any time soon. For his part Henry hasn't been demanding that much but all that will change once he completes all the pages in his Transformers Magic Ink Activity book.

Books, bubbles, and a headache

1. For whatever reason I woke up at 3 a.m. and could not go back to sleep for two hours. Now I have a migraine. Grr.

2. On the bright side my kids have been entertaining themselves. Yesterday it was "a bubble extravaganza," to quote Henry. Parents, do yourselves a favor and buy a large hoop for bubble blowing and a tray to dip it in. My kids were making these huge bubbles, squealing with delight, and not spilling the containers of bubble stuff everywhere. Now, if I could just bring myself to throw out the rest of the scented bubbles, we would be all set.

3. Anyone been to a Scholastic Customer Appreciation sale? I highly recommend it. Most of the stuff is 50% off. Lucy and I dropped by the one near us today and now my kids are busy with all of the cheap crap I bought them (it's not all books they have craft kits and a few toys too).

Things are going well; I am very afraid.

1. Cary and I met with Henry's principal about getting him an appropriate teacher for next year. She said absolutely everything that I wanted to hear. I am cautiously optimistic.

2. I've got two new reviews for perusal. Birds of Avalon -- Outer Upper Inner at Venus and Shy Child -- Noise Won't Stop at Donnybrook.

P4k gets one right

Never mind that I gave the New Bloods record a stellar review in the current print issue of VenusZine, some P4k love will help get this band the attention they deserve.

Spring has finally reached us

1. The first Oriole returned to my yard yesterday. On the same exact day as in 2007. I checked.
2. I let the kids have at their new stash of bubbles and wound up with strawberry-scented bubble solution in my hair. (This was not purchased by me). That stuff is nasty and should be banned.
3. I've got a very Spring-y staff fave up at Venus today, sharing my love of Shinzi Katoh. Check it.

Update: I saw the first hummingbird this morning too! Now I'm just waiting for the arrival of the rose-breasted grossbeaks.
Additional Update: The first grossbeak showed up this afternoon, but two days later than last year.

Lucy is going to lose it

When she sees The Shins on Yo Gabba Gabba



Too bad the song is pretty weak.

New gig

Mama's got a brand new bag, and a brand new alter ego. Check out my review of Heloise and the Savoir Faire at The Donnybrook Writing Academy right over here. Hope it's the first of many.

Just May be the Album of the Year

I've finally found the first album of 2008 that truly excites me - We Brave Bee Stings and All by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. So what if it came out January 29th, and finally made it onto my iPod on Wednesday. It's not that I didn't hear chatter about Thao, it's that the press I skimmed made her sound like a garden variety singer-songwriter (usually a category to be avoided like death itself). P4k's 7.7 didn't register. It took a KEXP live podcast to change my mind, and now a hard copy of the CD is on its way to me directly from Kill Rock Stars. For 90% of my tiny readership, you could buy just this one record this year and be happy.

What makes her so great? She makes music that's easy to listen to but it's in no way easy listening. She makes banjo sound fresh without imitating Sufjan. She sounds how Chan Marshall might sound if she ever actually rocked out a little. Plus there is the moment on "Bag of Hammers" when the song escalates and I have to crank the volume and sing along, "I am all in a ball in your front yard / and I have this bag of hammers."

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - "Bag of Hammers"

It went a little something like this

Today was endless. I got both kids off to school. Then I stopped by a friend's house to help her move. After filling my van with boxes, skis, razor scooters, Tiki torches, and a fishing pole, I followed her mom to my friend's new apartment and unloaded. Then I picked up some special moisturizer for Cary (so manly), stopped by the bakery to get dessert for the KKG dinner I was going to attend tonight. I came home to find that Cary was joining me for lunch. After lunch I drafted a review, picked Henry up off the bus, shepherded him through his homework. Then I drove him to the pediatrician to find out that he has an infected ingrown toenail. Ick. I stopped by my saintly mother's house, picked up Lucy. We all waited at Target for the prescription, came home, soaked Henry's foot in a warm bath and then "treated" it (too disgusting even for WWW). Then I quickly changed, grabbed the cookies, my fancy plate to serve them on, and ran out the door to the dinner, which was really fun. Of course now I am still awake at 11:30, and tomorrow I will regret that I didn't go to bed sooner.

Back from vacation in one piece

This trip wasn't the best trip to FL that I've ever been on, but it wasn't the worst either -- Cary and I were there in 1998 during a particularly bad bout of wildfires that forced us to cut our trip short.

It's tough to characterize the trip because we stayed with my in-laws, in their beautiful ocean-front condo. All four of us shared one room. The kids did great. Henry and Lucy both had a fantastic time, and that definitely made some of the more challenging moments -- like trying to sleep on a slanty marshmallow-like mattress when the thermostat is set to 80 degrees (which was about 20 degrees warmer than the average high temp. most days we were there) -- much easier to take.

Still, I don't think I was cut out for travel. I am so glad to be home, where fresh vegetables are plentiful, and it just so happens to be warmer today than it was in FL the day we left!

Not even on the plane yet and

I woke up at 3 am with a migraine.

I was still awake at 4 when Henry came into our room to ask if it was time to get up. Twice.

I fell asleep between 4:30 and 5:00. My alarm went off at 5:30 and here we are.

But you all can enjoy this little staff fave at Venus today, while I'm locked in a tin can at 30,000 feet with two kids on sugar highs.

This better not foreshadow the entire trip...

I have ONE really important task today - which is to print out boarding passes for tomorrow when we leave on our first real family vacation ever. Salt water and sand are involved in large quantities.

But I can't because the Jet Blue web page will not load in either Fire Fox or Internet Explorer. Maybe I'll try that copy of Safari that Apple just forced me to download. Christ on crack!

Henry update: I got Henry to school today 15 minutes before his class departed for a trip to the planetarium. (Score!) And since school ends in about 5 minutes I am going to assume all went well.

Thank God it's a new day

Yesterday was a classic WWW day.

1. I woke up and could not check my e-mail. The computer proceeded to crash.

2. As I was fixing the computer Cary informed me that his car would not start. This was at the exact moment that Henry needed to be taken to the bus stop.

FF a bit. AAA came and it turned out that Cary only needed a new battery, which they do on the spot. My mom was graciously doing my grocery shopping for me while I waited for the service person to arrive (this was because groceries could only be purchased in the 9-11 am window, which was now spoken for).

3. Just as the battery guy was about to finish the school calls and tells me that Henry just threw up in the class room. He's had a bad cold and this was the first day that he had gone to school all week. This Friday starts a week of vacation.

Turns out that he got upset because the teacher told them they were writing autobiographies. He started to cry because he said he "didn't know what had happened when he was a baby, and he needed me." Then he choked on all of the post-nasal drip and threw up. He was fine the rest of the day.

On breaking free

1. My first flower of the year bloomed -- a type of Scilla. I hope it soon is one of many.

2. I'm pleased to report the presence of two new reviews on the Venus website that have finally seen the light of day. Check them out here and over here. BTW, that equals the number put up since September when the site got a new editor. I hope my reviews fare at least as well as the flowers in my garden. Spring is here and it is a good time for optimism.

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Now playing: Heloise & The Savior Faire - Illusions

I ramble while I listen to the Pixies

I'm sitting here watching loudQUIETloud for free on Pitchfork.tv, which launched recently (Friday?) and I thought, my god, the Pixies reunion tour was four years ago. (No wonder p4k can show the movie for free). Yeah, those four years went by pretty quick.

And the Breeders record comes out tomorrow. I'd say it has about three tracks that I really like on it. I didn't love it, but it didn't anger me like Title TK either. I wish Kim would just sing in English.

As an aside, Pitchfork.tv has the potential to be create a pretty useful and enjoyable archive if they keep updating it. I wish they'd strike some deal with TiVo so I could watch it on my real TV.

The Sweet and Tender Hooligan Strikes Again

Henry brought the following piece if writing home from school the other day:

How my MOM and my DAD got Married.

The met in mid. school. My dad only kissed Her until high school. AND then they were sending notes that they loved them. then they got MARRIED. THE END.

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Now playing: Lou Barlow - Brand New Love

Bra-dyssey, D.I.Y. style

This post was inspired by Auntlyh's recent bra-buying spree at Nordstrom's. While it contains no graphic details, it is certainly going to be convoluted, and may be of no interest to anyone but Auntly. So, if bra shopping is not your cup of tea, come back soon when I rant and rave about the usual nonsense.

After reading how Auntly went from a 36B to a 32D in 15 seconds flat after visiting a real department store bra fitter, I thought what every woman who read her post thought: "Damn, I bet I am wearing the wrong size."

But unlike Auntly I just couldn't put myself at the mercy of the sales ladies. Because they were going to show me undergarments with price tags that were going to make me cringe, and after they had just measured me I could hardly decline to buy something.

So I set out to measure myself and purchase my bras on the web. The process was comical, but I did learn a few things:

1. I have never really had a set bra size, but lately I've been wearing a 34A. I was actually a 32 band size. Which I would have never believed if it hadn't happened to Auntly first. I thought you gave up being a 32 when you gave up reading Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret.

2. If you want an inflated cup size, go to Linda's Bra School. The Wonderbra calulator ended up being right on, but it was one full cup size bigger than I had measured myself.

3. It's advisable to buy a bra that fits on the tightest set of hooks because it will stretch.

I decided to head to Marshall's to see if they had some sizes I could try one on in anonymity.

Sadly, I had Lucy with me. I can tell you that the trip did not take very long because there were only two 32Bs and one 32C to try on. The 32B fit OK, but the 32C fit really well. It was made by Wacoal and cost $10 (plus one Groovy Girl Mermaid at $5.99 for Lucy). Sold!

I was still not convinced that I bought the right size, so over the next two days I visited two more T.J. Maxx stores, where I ended up clearing the racks of every size 32C. Hardly a shopping spree, but I now own five bras. I guess I don't have to buy everything online.

I probably never would have tried the larger bras on if Auntly hadn't written about her experience. I would have just kept wearing my two stretched out, ill-fitting ones for at least another year. I also realize that my body hasn't changed one bit. Put me in a t-shirt and jeans and I still look pretty much like a ten year old boy. And as much as I prefer to point, click, and wait for the UPS man, I think it really helped to try them on first.

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Now playing: Rilo Kiley - Smoke Detector

I have a mandolin, I play it all night long...

Last night Cary took the kids to a St. Joseph's Day table at our friends' house. Our friends had hired a band - two musicians in their eighties- to play at the party. According to Cary, Henry plopped down in front on the band with a huge grin on his face. The mandolin player came up and handed his instrument to Henry, who started to play it, and the guitarist did his best to play along.

This morning at breakfast I said, "Henry, Daddy said you really liked the band last night." He replied, "You got the story a little bit wrong, Mom. I played with the band."

I skipped out on the event because I've had a terrible cold. It turned out to be a wise choice because Lucy woke up in the middle of the night with a fever, and I was up with her off and on all night.

Should be playing "100,000 Fireflies" by The Magnetic Fields, but I am posting from the laptop and it's not in iTunes on this machine.

Boy next door makes pants

I'm really excited to have a Staff Favorite on the Venus website today. Check it here.

What's fun about this piece is that I have known Matt, half of Swrve, since I was in first grade when we were about the only kids living in the same apt. complex. We used to get together and play with Matchbox cars.


I remember that he could always make me laugh. Somehow it doesn't surprise me at all that he went on to start his own DIY clothing company. They were even featured in the NYT last year.

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Now playing: The Breeders - Bang On

What I learned on the streets

If you lock your keys in your car at your daughter's pre-school it will take AAA over an hour to arrive, but less than 45 seconds to unlock your car.

Client 9

I do not accept your apology, Gov. Spitzer. I voted for you.

If you haven't already heard, read what the NYT has to say here.

I will now resume my regular blog programming: I have a migraine, and I am searching the house for a three-dimensional rhombus and something that is "not a polygon" so that Henry can complete his homework.

Newer Dumb Things

1. I packed a sandwich for Cary in his lunch that contained two-week old deli turkey. This was in no way intentional -- and thankfully he did not get sick! I didn't even notice until I went to add the fresh turkey I had just purchased to the fridge that we actually had two packages from previous weeks that I had failed to throw out, and I had made his sandwich from the oldest one. Now, you might ask, "What if Cary made his own lunches?" The outcome would have, in all likelihood, been the same.

2. Last week I called the cable company and announced to them that I had failed to put a check in the envelope along with my payment coupon. OK, no problem. We did an e-check over the phone and I felt slightly silly until yesterday when the bill was returned to me. I had put the payment coupon in upside down and backwards, so the Postal Service couldn't read the address, BUT I had also included a check This lead me to panic and think that I had not sent the credit card company a check. After calling, hearing that we owed no money at this time I decided to do what I should have done in the first place -- scrutinize the check register. Actually I just skipped ahead and wrote down the number so it looked like a check was missing, but everything was fine all along. I'd like to point out that I also use Quicken to do all of the math for the bills, or we would never have a balanced check book.


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Now playing: LCD Soundsystem - Disco Infiltrator (Fk's Infiltrated Vocal)

Jeff Tweedy's Migraines

The New York Times continues its valiant effort to offer up comments from more famous and interesting migraine sufferers. So considering migraines and music are two of my favorite non-kid topics, I would be remiss if I didn't link to what Jeff Tweedy has to say.

After reading it myself I have two comments. No one has ever offered me Vicodin for my headaches - as he says it worked no better than Imitrex. It completely amazes me that most of his headaches are now treatable with Advil. One thing I have learned by reading these accounts is that we migraineurs are a heterogeneous bunch. Also, I have had headaches two out of the last three days.

Obligatory Henry update: Things seem to be going better. Nowhere to go but up, right? The school psychologist, who appears to be competent and helpful, and somewhat contrite, has gotten involved working with his teacher more directly. We shall see. I am not going to pat anyone on the back just yet.

My favorite Wilco song: Jesus, etc. from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which preceded Tweedy's detox.

Interesting side note - it is now easier for me to post songs than to link to what I am listening to because I can no longer open iTunes without crashing the computer after installing our router and linking to TiVo. Ironically, I can listen to all my music through my TV.

Digging Out

A few good things have happened that have helped take my mind off of how upset I have been.

1. I realized that I may be willing to consider selling our house and moving to a different school district, or taking a menial job to fund a private school education for Henry, but I draw the line at home schooling him. That's kind of funny on some level.

2. At swimming Henry's teacher (and sometimes babysitter) was absent. He got put in a random group that included Lucy and about 8 other kids (too big!). He perceived this as a slight. He climbed out of the pool, found the buffoon in charge, explained the situation -- we could see a couple of tears while he was talking but there was no tantrum-- and got himself put in a new, smaller group. He had a fantastic lesson. Six months ago he never could have done that.

3. If anyone is curious about my first printed review in Venus you can read it here. They didn't put every single review up on the web from the last issue, but they chose mine. While this may be the tiniest indication of praise, I'm clinging to it.

4. I spent a good part of yesterday getting ready to work on what the school laughingly refers to as "a family project." We were supposed to create a time line of our child's life, which they claim somehow ties in with their Math curriculum. Hurray! My first idea was to do a version of Chutes and Ladders, but I rejected that because I can't draw very well and because I didn't think the school would appreciate how I placed a gigantic chute at the beginning of every school year. I settled on doing a clock because I could leave the "hours" from 7 on empty, and we could look to the future.

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Now playing: The Books - The Future, Wouldn't That Be Nice?

Low Point

Yesterday was one of the worst days that I can remember. When I think about how good I felt holding Henry in my arms when we left the hospital with him, how wholly excited and positive the experience was, and where we are now, it breaks my heart.

The teacher told the principal that she has no idea why he would suddenly attack her like that, and that there is no explanation. I have an explanation, but no one wants to listen. The teacher, while very kind and well-meaning, is inexperienced and Henry walks all over her. He also adores her, but he knows if he refuses to do work she just sends it home with him. She is so afraid that he will get upset in her classroom (and make her look bad) that she just squelches any problem before it starts, so Henry never learns to deal with things. Cary has given her very specific instructions about what to do in these situations, but she chooses not to use his advice.

The work that made him so angry was a coloring book. He told me, "I feel like I color every piece of work I do." And it isn't far from the truth. He is sick of coloring and I don't blame him. He is bored. Obviously that is no excuse for injuring your teacher, but no one at the school picked up on the significance of this and to me and Cary it was so obvious. The principal said, "We don't understand, she's asked him to do much more challenging things before." Now I don't understand what it is in Henry that makes it so hard to push past the thought that he doesn't want to do something, but it troubles me that no one recognizes that it is ridiculous how much these kids color, yet they never get a true break. His teacher prides herself on making them work through snack. She's taking them sledding today so they can use the material for a "non-fiction writing experience." (Henry can't go sledding because of yesterday. How much do you want to bet it is going to be a problem when it comes time for the writing piece to be done too).

And I don't just think the teacher's inexperience is to blame. The school knew that Henry was difficult even before he was enrolled and they insist on placing him with inappropriate teachers, and then take NO responsibility for this. Why they would give a kid who struggled behaviorally last year to the brand new teacher, and give her all of the ESL kids (most of whom are very bright - but that doesn't make them easy) is beyond me.

Could it be that the more experienced teachers and the parents who are very involved in the school have the clout to demand each other? Sadly, that will never be me.

I am left feeling like we have made choices as a family like buying a house in a school district with very high taxes that was supposed to be excellent, and now I don't know whether to yank my kid out, or move, or what.

Of course he won't, no not until the next time...

1. I filled up the gas tank to the sounds of Lucy's screams because I wouldn't let her come out of the car and join me. It is 10 degrees outside! When I got back in the car she said, "I can taste my tears, Mama."

2. I brought in the mail and discovered that my mother-in-law had mailed my birthday card three days late and failed to put enough postage on it, so I got it today and my mail carrier requested that I put $0.17 in an envelope. Happy Birthday to me!

3. But the kicker is that I got a phone call from the Administrative Assistant (i.e. Vice Principal) at Henry's school this morning. He was in her office because apparently he refused to do work (AGAIN), this time it was a coloring book about hippos. She told me that he was pretending to cut his arm with the scissors, so the teacher needed to take the scissors from him and when she tried to do this he poked the teacher in the stomach with the scissors.

We have been working so hard with him at home to improve his behavior and he has been doing really well, but obviously we pushed him too hard. I haven't really talked to Henry yet, so I am not assuming that he meant to hurt the teacher, whom he adores, but I wish I understood why he had such a hard time doing the work they give him. Admittedly it is mind-numbing, but it isn't like he can't do it. I am at a total loss.

4. All of which makes the arrival of the newest VenusZine with another printed contribution by me feel pretty meaningless.

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Now playing: The Smiths - Sweet and Tender Hooligan

A mix of the wrong and right

but hopefully all is at least mildly amusing:

1. Yesterday I stood in our driveway just in time to see Henry's afternoon bus drive right by the house without stopping to let off any kids! It turned out that the (substitute) driver didn't know where to stop and actually yelled at the kids (a third-grader and two first-graders) for not telling her where to let them off. My neighbor had to call the school, who called the bus garage, who radioed the driver, who said "she realized she still had some extra kids and would be turning around."

2. Lucy had her two stuffed ponies inform me that there was going to be "a pony contest in Lucy's room." I sat on Lucy's bed while she threw each pony into the air. Then she announced they had both won a ribbon.

3. We seem to have accidentally cured Henry of his addiction to playing the Flash version of Nintendo games (on the internet) by purchasing a router and hooking our TiVo to the computer. Now he is fascinated with what he calls "this new TiVo." And he asks if he can listen to podcasts when he finishes his homework. He doesn't know that podcasts are available on the computer, so please, don't tell him.

4. Henry was eating a Popsicle for desert tonight. Lucy wanted one too, but Cary said basically dared her to eat a bite of sweet potato first. She did it! Then she got her Popsicle but soon gave up eating it because it was too cold. She asked me for a warmer Popsicle.

5. I'd like to be listening to music as I post, like maybe the new Los Campesinos, or the new Duke Spirit, but I can't get iTunes to open.

In Brief

Parenting is a humbling experience. That is all.

More of the same

What I did today:
1. Cleaned up dried vomit from Henry's rug, sheets, pillow, and comforter again.
2. A lot of vacuuming, starting in Henry's room.
3. Actually showered without interference or assistance of any kind from Lucy.

What I did not do:
1. Sleep past 5:20 a.m. (Thanks to Lucy, who is now asleep on a chair in front of the TV).
2. Get out of my pajamas before 11:00 a.m.
3. Leave the house.

Henry has all of next week off from school. My house is going to be really, really clean.

The Wrong Kind of Work

So I'm fresh out of writing assignments today. Plus Henry caught Lucy's cold and has been home for two days, so I have only left the house to deposit the Valentine's day party supplies at his classroom today. I have actually found myself cleaning out of boredom, and this frightens me.

There are a lot of other things I could be doing, like reading one of the three engrossing articles the NYT has printed recently on migraine, only I have discovered that the children do a better job of entertaining themselves if I appear to be busy and sitting at the computer quietly does not meet that definition. Maybe my neurologist is reading them. Hmm, prolly no. The comments alone are amazing. I highly recommend them to anyone else with chronic headaches.

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Now playing: Field Music - Working To Work

I might have to hire a sitter in 22 to 30 months

I was considering another post where I lament the constant presence in my life of seemingly endless games of Chutes and Ladders, No Child Left Behind-inspired math homework, and bitterly cold temperatures.

Instead, I have some good news for a change. Amazing how it has nothing to do with my daily life, except that it might get me out of the house when it hits the big screen.

This is from the PowellBooks blog:

Even the staunchest critics of book to film adaptation have to admit — this is something to look forward to.

With the upcoming film version of The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Michael Chabon will be the next Pulitzer Prize-winning author to have his work adapted by the filmmaking wonder-twins, Joel and Ethan Coen.

The entire time I was reading this book I kept picturing it as a movie. They'd better not screw up the casting or I might just have to write a cranky post about it.

Mixed Bag

What I did yesterday:
1. Got up with Lucy three times before 6 a.m.
2. Washed and dried and folded five loads of laundry.
3. Nodded off during Ni Hao, Kai-Lan.
4. Turned in a review.
5. Took Henry back to school to pick up his homework folder.
a. I discovered that he has been put at a table with the two worst behaved boys in the class. This infuriates me because it does nothing to help him concentrate (his teacher's main complaint about him and these two boys are loud) or make friends. Plus it makes me feel like she just lumped him in with her other two problems.
b. On the way back to the van Henry intentionally stepped in an inch of mud, then slipped when he was trying to clean his boots off in the snow, then when I said, "GET IN THE CAR" he decided to try and climb in on Lucy's side, planning to spread mud across her and the entire back seat.

What I did not do yesterday:
1. Shower
2. Make it to the gym (Lucy was up because she has a cold).
3. Take Henry back to school to hear some random story teller at his school from 6:45-9:00 tonight.
4. Manage to post this sorry list on the day it actually happened.

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Now playing: LCDremixed.com - Time To Get Away (ATOM's Exit Stage Left Mix)

Pulling the Lever

Lucy and I just got back from voting. Hurrah!

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Now playing: Urban Legends - 01. Beneath Emotions And Politic

I need to sleep for a week

1. Yesterday Lucy demanded her first manicure. Actually she asked for "nail goulash," but I think we both knew she meant polish. I think I might have finally figured out a way to keep her from moving.

2. Henry came home from school today and he had apparently refused to finish (or even start) all of his math class work, a small coloring book, and his Weekly Reader activities. So we spent an hour and 45 minutes on homework today. Every time Lucy made the slightest noise while she played with her toys, he plugged his ears and said, "I can't take all this noise!" (Usually when he does homework she gets right in our faces and demands things like juice and lollipops, so today she was actually being really, really good.)

3. He goes to see the Buffalo Philharmonic with the entire first grade in Thursday (what could go wrong there, right?), so if I don't post for awhile just assume I've finally taken the plunge and gotten myself a sensory deprivation chamber.

4. I've got a new review up at Venus. Check it.

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Now playing: The Helio Sequence - broken_afternoon

Thoughts About Vampire Weekend.

Required reading: The VenusZine review (not mine)
Required prereq listening: Graceland -- one of my favorite records of all time. (Christ, it just occurred to me that there are people who will think of Elvis' home before they think of Paul Simon's record).

1. Their name is about the worst mismatch for their sound that I have ever encountered.

2. They confirm that I chose to attend the wrong Ivy League School. But I have that thought about five times a day. I sincerely hope that it is not the last thing I think when I die.

3. Their music conjures up what I thought college would be like, but wasn't, straight out of The Preppy Handbook . If this is khaki-core (Matt Siblo, did you coin this term? Google seems to think so), then I say bring me more, and get me a Bloody Mary while you are at it. The music is so upbeat without being vapid and the band generates this feeling of happiness. It kind of makes me ache inside.

4. My current favorite track is "Oxford Comma" -- I feel like a giddy school girl, "who gives a fuck about an Oxford Comma?" It's like they are singing to me. Would that I were 15 years younger...

5. This is a record that sounds pretty good to me now, but I suspect that in two months I will be completely unable to listen to it, which is right around the time Cary will start to think it's great.

Vampire Weekend - "Oxford Comma"

P.S. This is my 200th post.

P.P.S.
According to Stereogum, they also played at Other Music today:


Sadly my day did not include running out to any in-store performances of up-and-coming indie rockers, but I did go out and buy some eggs.

Yet another long weekend in more ways than one...

1. Lucy has had a cold for the last several days, complaining that her throat and her stomach hurt. She spent most of yesterday on the couch staring at episodes of Sponge Bob with glassy eyes.

2. Cary also spent the latter half of the day in bed because he injured himself moving all his furniture to his new office last weekend. He went to urgent care because he was so uncomfortable, and the doctor there told him that he essentially has an abdominal hernia, though it is not large enough to "concern a surgeon." Cary seems a little better though, because he just left for work.

3. When I woke up the morning I thought the house seemed freezing, and guess what, it was! Our thermostat's batteries had given out during the night, a night where I think it got down to about 3 degrees. When I put in fresh batteries I learned that it was only 52 degrees in the house. But I am really grateful that it was a simple fix like that, and the heat is currently cranked, so we should warm up in no time.

4. I've got a new Trouser Press entry up for Feist. I think this was the first time I have ever written about anyone whose popularity was skyrocketing (iPod commercial, Grammy nominations, numerous mainstream TV appearances) while I wrote.

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Now playing: Feist - When I Was A Young Girl (Live)

And now for 2008 ...

I just remembered that Head Like a Kite, the Seattle-based duo that released my second favorite record of 2006 (and the best random promo I have ever received), is releasing a new record this April. I don't foresee ever removing this record from my iPod because I don't think I could ever get tired of listening to it.

The new Sons and Daughters, This Gift, sounds promising if the KEXP podcast is any indication. I'm also pretty curious about the next Man Man album, also arriving in April. And then there's that Breeders record which I face with say 80% dread (Bam Thwok?) and 20% hope.

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Now playing: Head Like A Kite - Pour Me A Drink!

Like Lazarus

my iPod is risen! I think my battery problem stemmed from having left it in the car overnight. It seems fine now. I did also learn that I cannot replace my own battery because it is a Nano and the battery is soldered to the motherboard. Indeed.

And Jen14221 is totally right - I computed days per dollar not dollars per day, so the true cost per day if my iPod had died would have been 36 cents a day, which is so much more reasonable. Thank god my life does not depend on my ability to do arithmetic. I would be so dead.

Something else has risen up too -- it's my 2007 top ten! (Because January 14th '08 is seriously the last possible day I could have done this, and anyone who knows anything does it before Pitchfork anyway).

It turns out there were only five records I liked enough to include:

1. Of Montreal -- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
2. Jens Lekman -- Night Falls Over Kortedala
3. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver
4. St. Vincent -- Marry Me
5. Menomena -- Friend and Foe


It wasn't like there wasn't a lot of good music to listen to in 2007, but like my pal Mr. Parnell over at "SLE," a lot of it didn't reach my expectations.

MIA, Band of Horses, Arcade Fire, Voxtrot, White Stripes, Fiery Furnaces, Rilo Kiley, Mary Timony, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah -- I paid money for all of your CDs and they weren't half as interesting as catching Ghostland Observatory on Austin City Limits or listening to Prinzhorn Dance School rip off the Fall better than anyone else in recent memory. I don't think I have recovered yet from the Feist record either, but that isn't really her fault.

!!!, Life Without Buildings and the Shins were legitimate also-rans, but those records don't have the staying power that my top five did.

I also have to mention that my favorite Metric album of all time Grow Up and Blow Away technically came out this year, but since it dates back to like 2001 I can't really put it on my list. Ditto that remix record by The Blow -- I liked it, but it was hardly new. And the Datarock record fits in that category too, sort of.

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Now playing: Of Montreal - Cato as Pun

Ich Habe Genug

A while back the lovely Auntlyh tagged me for a book meme, which I'm finally getting around to doing.

I don't read as much as I used to (i.e. before I had kids) but I do have a couple of things going. Yesterday I read The Principles of Uncertainty, the wonderful book by illustrator and New York Times columnist Maira Kalman. I read it in one day because it's a picture book for grown ups! (Take heed parents of young ones, you need not read only sleep manuals any longer.) It was a Christmas gift from my mother. Originally the book had appeared in installments on the New York Times website, behind the (now defunct) Times Select firewall, so I was excited to have a chance to finally read it.

According to the meme I am supposed to quote the fifth sentence on page 161. Alas, I have but one sentence to quote, "The pinky pink paté that totally wipes out the last vestige of malaise."

This was a great book, like a trip through Kalman's lovely mind -- cluttered and concerned. My favorite quote is from page 197:

On the wall was a dress that I embroidered. It said "Ich Habe Genug." Which is a Bach Cantata. Which I once thought meant "I've had it, I can't take anymore, give me a break." But I was wrong. It means "I have enough." And that is utterly true.

I love how the simple misreading of "I've had enough" turns into "I have enough." Can I be allowed to feel both at once?

I'm not tagging anyone. I know some of you out there do like to read, so if this interests you, please feel free to carry on.


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Now playing: The Shins - Pressed In A Book

My iPod, R.I.P.

Today I went into the gym, got ready to start listening to some Ghostland Observatory, only to find my iPod was totally dead. It's not really broken; it just needs a new battery.

I have had my iPod for a mere 695 days. At a cost of $250.00 that breaks down to $2.78 per day. That is a pricey habit. But guess what, I'm going to find a way to keep the fix going.

My mom's iPod gave out at almost exactly the same point in its life. She did some research and learned that if you return your iPod to Apple for a new battery they charge $59 and send you a different iPod back to you in its place. So she went here and bought a battery replacement kit, then she and my dad changed the battery themselves, and it worked like new.

I may well do the same. I will keep you all posted. But for now let me say that being forced to listen to the gym's choice in music, and overhear other people's conversations may well be worth $2.78 a day.

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Now playing: Ghostland Observatory - Piano Man

I've been busy...

During the afternoon of the 31st I took Lucy to a birthday party at a neighbor's house where I child I never met before required me to shepherd her to the toilet so she could vomit. She then informed me that "she had been at the doctor's that morning because she had been throwing up."

When we got home I left my keys in the front door until I needed them 24 hours later. Convenient.

And it took me an extra day to post these shenanigans.

Happy New Year!

Ho Ho hopeless

1. Both kids are home with terrible colds today. Henry stayed home yesterday (he and I spent most of the day running errands together during a snow storm), and I decided to give him one more day to recover. Then Lucy woke up stuffy and whiny. Her condition remains unchanged.

2. The online photo place that delivers to Wegmans lost my Christmas pictures. I placed the order on Monday night, and when they still hadn't arrived yesterday I called the store. Someone in Wegman's photo department directed me to the photolab's "Customer Success" department (I'm not kidding, that's really what they called it) where I was informed that my pictures should have arrived in the store at 10 a.m. this morning. But they didn't. And all they could do was offer me 15 free prints and let me place the order again. I declined.

I placed the order through Snapfish and am picking up the prints from Walgreens later today. I didn't do this in the first place because last time I got prints from Snapfish and Wegmans simultaneously the Snapfish ones were hideous.

So, if I you get a hideous picture of my kids (and me and Cary, if you happen to be named LHM) don't blame me!

That is all.

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Now playing: The Affair - Red And White

Somehow this cheered me, particularly the comments section

This quote is directly from IvyGate (I'm too exhausted to come up with my own post tonight):

"Last night, between 10pm and 3am, the freshmen of the Ezra Stiles college at Yale constructed a massive christmas light penis on the front of Lawrance as a response to the traditional christmas light "JE SUX" written across the front of Farnum, the adjacent dorm. The penis was estimated to be about 100 feet long, and even sported multi-colored, blinking ejaculate. The penis will ostensibly remain on Lawrance through the end of finals (next week)."

I guess I'm glad to have a picture of my former home (I think I can see the light from the room where I lived as a Freshman Counselor about mid-way up the shaft), and glad to know that ES still lives in Lawrence.

I wonder if I will ever post anything about college not lifted directly from IvyGate ... probably not. Which means I am currently leaning against going to my upcoming reunion. If you are still reading this then I would rather just visit you instead.

Emergency Ramones Requisition

Henry declared his new favorite song was "number 19" on an old CMJ sampler that Cary had. It turns out to be a little tune called "Marijuana Motherfucker" by D.O.A.

I never thought I would feel the need to censor my son's musical tastes, but at six years old he has already gotten the best of me. We promptly burned him a Ramones CD (so much better than D.O.A. but with the same high energy that he liked), and made the CMJ sampler disappear. At least now when his teacher asks him his favorite song, he can give an answer that won't fill me with complete dread.

In the interest of full disclosure "Now I wanna sniff some glue" and "Beat on the brat" are not on Henry's copy. Not yet.

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Now playing: The Ramones - now I wanna sniff some glue

When am I gonna get that vacation?

One really good thing did happen yesterday: Lucy wrote her name for the first time.

Otherwise the day was endless.

1. I took Lucy to a playgroup at an overpriced gymnastics play space which she loves, only to find out that I had been told the wrong time and we were two hours late. She cried.

2. I received not one, but two, calls from the school yesterday regarding Henry's behavior. Apparently at one point during a study of Hanukkah he wrote "Merry Christmas" on the back of his paper, got up out of his seat, and tried to walk around the room to show the other students. He refused to go back to his seat on the grounds that he "just wanted to spread holiday cheer."

3. Finally, as I was ready to put Lucy to sleep last night we discovered that Sufi had vomited up two hair balls on her comforter.

Maybe we are turning things around. This morning Henry woke, showered, and dressed himself. Attempted to write out a Googol on a piece of paper while I dressed Lucy. I think there are 100 zeroes. He filled both sides of a piece of paper, so he may be close. He ate breakfast without argument. And got on his coat and shoes on his own without prompting. I rewarded his good behavior by allowing him to take a chunk of a huge icicle from our roof to the bus stop because that is what he begged me for.

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Now playing: Xiu Xiu - Clowne Towne

Das Boot

Henry has homework everyday day, which I will never accept, because he is only in 1st grade. Some days it takes him 15 minutes, but some days we spend over an hour on the work depending on what got sent home.

On Tuesday he brought home a sheet of paper with a photocopied shoe. All of the directions were in German. After some guessing it was clear he was supposed to color the shoe, cut it out, fold it here and there, and voila, a 3-D shoe. WTF! If it is so important that it is worth sending home, then isn't it important enough to give us some directions?

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Now playing: Feist - When I Was A Young Girl (VV Mix)