pomp & circumstance ii

Today my little brother graduates from high school. Man, that makes me feel old. When I graduated high school he was three. Now he's almost an adult.

Congratulations Alex! Walk proudly across that stage tonight. It's a big moment and you've earned it. JQ & I will be cheering you on from the audience.

some people call them shot glasses...

...I like to call them vases.


The trick is turning the glass so you can't see the Jack Daniels & Jagermeister logos.

like mama

Please ignore the pj's. Instead, focus on the fact that G-man looks just like me in this picture.

Don't you think?

smelling the flowers

G-man has gotten into this adorable new habit of smelling flowers. It's not your standard sniff either. He scrunches up his nose and sniffs heavily to get a nice whiff. Then he goes, "Ahhh"—like it was just so wonderful. It's hilarious to watch and yesterday JQ caught both parts of the equation perfectly on film. Taken 2 seconds apart, these shots show exactly how G-man smells the flowers.

First the sniff:


Then the "ahh":


Isn't that super funny? Can't you just imagine the sniff & ahhh?

have you seen the little piggies

I painted my toenails yesterday. It's one of the things on my list. Although, I won't technically be able to cross it off of my list until next week. While it's not a big deal to paint my nails I cannot remember the last I actually had. It's been at least a year. At least.

So I painted them.


They look super cute and make me feel surprisingly sexy. G-man is quite taken with them too and can't stop looking at them and touching them with his finger. I'm loving how girlie they make me feel and will probably be sporting painted piggies all summer long.

pomp & circumstance i

Today my little sister graduates from high school. In the fall she's off to college to study forensic science.

Congratulations little sis. JQ & I are very proud of you—wish we could have been there.

screw the peanuts and crackerjacks

Little league season is underway. I hate little league season. Wait. That sentence doesn't even begin to express how much I dislike this time of year. It should have been written in all caps. I HATE LITTLE LEAGUE SEASON. Ahh...that's better. Now before you beat me with your Louisville Sluggers, let me explain. It's not the little leaguers or the sport itself. It's the parents. And the utter disrespect they have for the people who live near the park where the games are played.

By "the people", I mean me. Every April I get edgy when 5 o'clock rolls around. Not just once or twice a week. Almost every day. Four days at the very least—and it doesn't let up until June. It takes almost every fiber of my being to not get irritated with these people.

They don't make it easy.

We live very close to the park which relies on street parking to do the job of "parking lot". Our driveway is along one of those streets. All the parents park up and down that street. Which is fine. Except for one thing. DON'T BLOCK MY DRIVEWAY! Desperate for a good parking spot, we constantly have noses and tails of vehicles blocking our driveway. We've already had to tell more than one person to move this season. And it's only May. It gets old quick. Plus, it's disrespectful.

However my dear internet friends, what I encountered yesterday has, by far, exceeded any level of disrespect I had yet experienced during a little league season. Let me set the scene. JQ came home from work and in his truck bed were some rocks for our landscape. We had dinner, gave G-man his bath, played and then put him to bed. There was a game in progress when we went outside around 7:30 to put the rocks in the yard. When I passed through the door out to the driveway I was baffled.

Why?

There was van parked in my driveway. That didn't belong to us. What the fuck? I'm shaking my head as I sit here and type this. I just can't believe it even happened. To have the audacity to park in a stranger's driveway and think it would just be okay. I was beside myself. In an effort not to start screaming at the top of my lungs for someone to move the van instantly before I called the cops, I grabbed a load of rocks and took them into the backyard. I came back out and just as I was getting ready to rationally walk across the street to talk to the coaches this guy comes running.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm moving it. I was keeping an eye out to see if you guys came out."

What? No. Sorry isn't really doing it for me. I couldn't just smile and let it go. But I didn't yell. As he was getting into his van I looked at him and said, "You can't do that."

"I know. I'm sorry." he said again.

"It's private property. You can't just park here."

That was it. He gave me this baffled look like I was an ass for not saying "It's okay." when he apologized. Because, it's not okay. It's my property. He's lucky I didn't freak out on him. Which is what I really wanted to do. Seriously.

that will be $1,194.75 + tax

8, 184
That's the number of items in our iPhoto library at this moment. I take that back. That is actually the number of photos & video in our iPhoto library that have been shot since August 12, 2006. Ones that have been shot with my current point-and-shoot digital in the last 647 days. There is another 171 images in the library that were shot earlier and imported.

7,965 photos shot over the last 647 days. That is almost 380 pictures a month. Just over twelve pictures a day. I know people who barely shoot twelve pictures a year.

Assuming that I would pay 15¢ a print for your standard 4x6, it would cost us $1,194.75 to print them all. Plus tax of course. That number just continues to grow. I can't stop shooting.

it's good to be king

Yesterday JQ, G-man, & I went to brunch at Granite City with my mom, stepdad, brother, and grandma. The restaurant is at this outdoor "open-air" shopping complex. Right outside the restaurant is a giant chessboard. Now that it's Spring the chess pieces are on the board waiting to be played. It was really chilly out yesterday, but after brunch the wind had died down just enough that we could check out the chess board without freezing our butts off. Of course, I had my camera with me. G-man thought the board was very cool. Here's a shot of him as the king.

101 in 1001—the list

The reason I'm doing this is here.

The main reason? To become a better, more fulfilled person. The list took quite awhile to put together. I wanted all of my items to be something I could accomplish but nothing too easy. Some will be cake compared to others if I just do them. As I complete each item I'll be referring back to this master list to check them off. Because I'm Obsessive-Compulsive I've arranged my list items into categories. I did this not only for the orderliness of it, but also to make sure that I didn't have any one area too heavy with to-dos. I fell a bit short in the "meet new people" section. I guess I need to work on that next time.

There are all sorts of reasons that these items are on my list. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. Wonder why I put something on my list? Just ask. See something on there you've always wanted to do? Let me know in the comments. Think I'm crazy? Well, that's a given.

Here we go...

101 in 1001

Start date: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Finish date: Saturday, January 15, 2011

For Others
1. Participate in a walk for charity
2. Volunteer for a least one hour somewhere
3. Donate to a worthy cause
4. Write a letter to someone
5. Send a "just because" package to a friend
6. Send a "just because" package to a blogger buddy (5.13.08)
7. Give $5 to a stranger in need

Health & Nutrition
1. Get back to goal weight
2. Exercise (cardio) 3 days a week for one month
3. Do Strength Training 2 days a week for one month
4. Do Yoga 3 days a week for one month
5. Eat whole foods (nothing processed) for one week
6. Buy bikes (again) and go on a long ride (6.07.08 rode to Penguin Palace & back—approx. 7 miles)
7. Shoot my bow
8. Do 10 "regular-style" pushups
9. Eat breakfast (by 10 am) everyday for one week (7.18.08)
10. Do not eat after 10:30 pm for one week (7.18.08)

Family Time
1. Take G-tot to Butterfly House 8.05.08)
2. Take G-tot camping (just the 3 of us)
3. Travel overnight with G-tot
4. Go to a corn maze
5. Take a hayride (9.26.08)
6. Take G-tot to Storytime at the library (9.18.08)
7. Take G-tot to the Art Museum
8. Have a picnic with JQ & G-tot (7.11.08)
9. Become Zoo Members (4.27.08)
10. Take G-tot to an outdoor music event (7.11.08)
11. Get a family portrait taken
12. Take G-tot to the pool/beach (6.12.08)

Cooking & Entertaining
1. Make bracciole
2. Make a cake and frosting from scratch
3. Can something (homemade pasta sauce, homemade pickles, etc.) (6.29.08, rum soaked cherries)
4. Make creme brulee
5. Host an "Appetizers" party
6. Host a wine and cheese party
7. Make homemade ice cream (6.14.08)
8. Showcase the harvest from our garden in one meal (7.10.08, 7.15.08)

Arts & Crafts
1. Make a wooden "g" for G-man's door
2. Take an art class (preferably glass blowing)
3. Learn CSS (fall 2008)
4. Edit home movies into DVD's
5. Learn Screenprinting
6. Letterpress something again
7. Sketch everyday for one week (6.30.08)
8. Enter a photography competition
9. Exhibit my artwork in a gallery setting
10. Create a short art film (abstract, documentary, or conceptual)
11. Create photo books
12. Make plaster hand print (G-man's)

Gardening
1. Grow Melons or Pumpkins
2. Finish bird sanctuary in backyard (7.05.08)
3. Plant bulbs (4.19.08)
4. Enlarge garden (5.9.08)
5. Make a worm bin (composting)
6. Make a rain barrel
7. Make a yard compost bin
8. Build a platform bird feeder
9. Build a birdhouse
10. Make homemade suet cakes for birds (11.22.08)
11. Grow a root veggie (spring/summer 2008, green onions)

Domestic Life
1. Remodel bathroom (11.26.08)
2. Repaint the living room (7.24.08)
3. Create prints for the bedroom
4. Tile the back steps
5. Compile an emergency kit for home
6. Organize the office
7. Put up cabinets in office
8. Sell or donate unwanted items in basement
9. Get all items from Gam's that belong to us (7.26.08)

Meeting New People
1. Meet neighbors (Toby's wife & son) (Christine & Chase 11.12.08)
2. Befriend Amanda (other neighbor) (Fall 2008)
3. Network at a design function
4. Contact a stranger for a student group function (10.14.08 Madhouse)

Enriching our Lives
1. Canoe
2. Take a train ride
3. Visit an aboretum (preferably w/ japanese gardens)
4. Go to planetarium
5. Meditate on regular basis (2-3 times per week for one month)
6. Learn to play Chess
7. Play Risk with JQ
8. Go on a guided tour (park, museum, etc.)
9. Attend two Summer/Fall Festivals (Blackswamp, Crosby Gardens, Apple Butter, etc.)
10. Take at least one class towards my Master's Degree
11. Take a dance class
12. Attend a religious service
13. Go to a book/poetry reading
14. Go to an open mic event at a cafe/coffeeshop
15. Attend a play put on by a local theatre group
16. Learn to play a kid's tune on the guitar

General/Others
1. Obtain domain and launch website
2. Launch Etsy shop (9.06.08)
3. Sell something on Etsy (9.11.08)
4. Write reviews of books (Sourcebooks)
5. Enjoy a cup of coffee with a sunrise
6. Read 10 books in 2008 (8.21.08)
7. Read 15 books in 2009
8. Get up by 7:30 am every morning for one week (7.26.08)
9. Take public transportation (or walk/ride bike) for an entire day (5.27.08)
10. Wear fingernail polish for entire week (11.20.08)
11. Wear toenail polish for entire week (5.31.08)
12. Write a reflective essay about the process of 101 in 1001

Did you read them all? Good for you!

101 in 1001—the reason

Sometimes I want to be so much more than I am.

How many of you know I went to school to study photography? That I teach graphic design? That I have a flat file full of limited edition prints and other artwork?

How about that I started this post on September 28, 2007? I guess it got lost in the drafts pile. The sentiment still holds true.

---

Anyway. Finding this in the drafts pile really has nothing to do with what I actual want to post about. Or perhaps it does. I don't know. What I'm really talking about is the list.

101 things in 1001 days. A way to get something done. Something I've been putting off. Or something I normally wouldn't do. Just something. Some are simple. Some are a stretch but all of them will help to shape my life in the way that I choose to live it.

I first saw the idea of the list at Miss Zoot's. She saw it at Zandria's and I believe she got the idea from here. 1001 days. That's 2.75 years. Obtainable without cramming it all in at once.

I'm going to post my list in a separate entry. As I finish the items on my list I'll come back to that post, mark them off and date them. I have a printed copy to hang on the fridge as well. Those I'm highlighting as I finish. I've already started and can't wait to check them all off.

I love lists.

oh mama

Thank you for teaching me to have some common sense.
Thank you for instilling in me the idea that only I need to think I'm funny.
Thank you for being the woman that you are & for helping to mold me into the woman that I am.
Thank you for being my role model.
Thank you for being such a great Mother.
Thank you for being MY Mother.

My Mom (here as a new Mother) & me—August 19, 1976

I become a Mother—March 24, 2007

Loving every minute of Motherhood (well almost every minute)—April 23, 2008

To ALL the Mothers in my life—near & far
Happy Mother's Day!

glory be

The morning glory labels are finished and all the seed packets are assembled. I ended up with enough seeds for five groups—plus what I had already planted (which was enough for almost the entire perimeter of the fence out back). I made up four packets to give away. The last bunch I'll plant today to fill in the area along the fence that I missed. They are 4 gram packets—like a commercially sold pack—and the planting instructions are on the back.

Shades gets one. So does Christina and Vegas Princess. That leaves one more packet up for grabs. If you want it, let me know and I'd be happy to send it to you. If multiple people express interest, I'll draw a name. I'm going to try to get to the post office this afternoon to send out the packages to you three ladies. I'm pretty sure I have all of your addresses.

Hope you like them!

mudcrutch

So, have you heard about this? Apparently, Tom Petty has a new album out. The band is called Mudcrutch (but in my head I keep saying Mudcrotch). It's made up of members of Petty's first band—before the Heartbreakers. The link above gives more details about the album along with some samples you can listen to. I clicked on a couple of the songs yesterday and it reminded me of The Traveling Wilburys—which I love. I can see JQ and I sipping cocktails on the back porch on warm summer nights listening to this one.

shit

Stupid wind.

they're never around long enough

Two nights ago, JQ came home from work with this huge bunch of lilacs for me. I don't know exactly where they came from but the make the entire living room smell like a Bath & Bodyworks store. It's fantastic.

inky-dinky do

This afternoon, we finally took back the piece of crap printer we purchased from Best Buy last October. It was an HP CS5280 and, while it looks lovely, came with all sorts of problems. It was nothing but trouble from the beginning. We had a warranty on it and sheer laziness has kept us from taking it back. Until today.

I went into Best Buy with the printer and all the poorly printed evidence in hand. Rene, the customer service rep, was super cool and told us just to pick another printer. So, for a $13 upgrade we ended up with this beauty—the HP CS7280 series.

It is so cool. The printer has 6 inks instead of the measly two cartridges—which was a must have feature for me. Plus it was a breeze to setup on our wireless network. We had none of that with the last printer. I'm so excited! Printing had become such a hassle at home I would just wait until I got to work. Picking and choosing what documents I would save the miniscule amounts of ink for. Yep, a great big pain in the ass.

Now excuse me while I go print some mazes included with the printer.

how have I never noticed this?

While looking at pictures with G-man just now I realized something that had not occurred to me before. All of G-man's Aunts & Uncles first names start with the letter A. Sometimes I'm such a genius.

In my defense, we usually call JQ's brother by his middle name—which starts with an M. Plus, the Aunts & Uncles come from three different sets of parents—2 from JQ's, 1 from my Mom & Stepfather, and 1 from my Dad & Stepmother.

orange tulip

Another tulip growing in the yard. Doing a little experimenting with a few of Pioneer Woman's actions.

bite the bullet

• G-man is sick. Poor snotty little guy. He doesn't know how to blow his nose yet and if I'm not careful the snot is going to run right down his nose and into his mouth. Gross, huh?

• JQ & I just watched Juno on Monday and if you have not seen it, you need to acquire a copy and watch it right away. The cast is fantastic. The soundtrack is fun. I laughed. I cried. I wanted to buy my own copy as soon as it ended.

• Tomorrow is the last day of the quarter for me. I'll have to finish up my grading and then I'm off until May 12th. Yay! Ten weeks after that I'm off for a month. Double yay!

• I'm sending Shades some of the Morning Glory seeds I harvested from our plants last year. They're what you see above. I'm excited really excited to do this for a few reasons. One, it will be the first thing I've sent to a blogger. Well, except for a thank you to Christina & Chase when they sent Gideon a set of these awesome socks.Two, I had decided months ago to pass the seeds on to interested bloggers. [sidenote: If anybody else would like a small packet worth let me know. I'll send what I can.] I think it will be cool to have other people growing plants from seeds I picked by hand. Spreading the love. Three, doing this will fulfill one of the to-dos (to-do's?) I have on my 101 in 1,001 list (more on that later). And, finally, since my personality compels me to do this, I get to make cool little labels for the packets.

• In the comments of Monday's post, Jacob over at Think Frustrated mentioned that I should make the picture of JQ black & white with some possible color. I obliged, made the alterations, and left the links in the comments. In case you missed it, here are the other two versions. Which one do you like better?