Just a Bit More...

I'm not a fan of CSI, in the least, but this YouTube video is worth checking out. Ridiculous fun for 7:17, if you can stand it!

Monday Musings

My last post reminded me of an op-ed I saw recently, entitled "Yes, We Will Have No Bananas." I liked the title and it made me realize that I don't really like to eat nature's perfect fruit. Good thing!

We ventured out to World Market tonight to purchase the white countertop composter I mentioned recently. I have managed to eke by with bags to line the garbage can until now. Next purchase: a deck on the back of our house! Actually, my Amazon wishlist would include a Flip video camera and some more Sharkies, a tasty treat for kids. And checkout these wonderful houseplants from Smith and Hawken and White Flower Farm. Houseplants are great at filtering toxins to improve indoor air circulation. Anyway, so much for my vow of nonmaterialism.

Rebecca of Titus Farms emailed today to say that we will have strawberries in our CSA pickup on Thursday, and possibly baby potatoes. Woohoo! Thanks to the CSA, we are eating a lot more vegetables this year. In fact, I was surprised to read the 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating, and realize that, in fact, we are eating most of the things on the list.

Bela and I attended the Meridian Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and met some great new vendors. One sells beef from highland cattle. Another sells dry beans (as well as some gorgeous radishes that were delicious). I also splurged on some squash blossoms from the Titus farmers. We'll head back there on Friday night for the fireworks show. I can't wait for the Fourth of July! Independence Day is my favorite holiday, perhaps because it is the epitome of summer and people tend to favor the season in which they were born. Speaking of being born, my friend AMy will be delivering baby Zack this week! Congratulations!!!!

In honor of AMy, I am posting a link to a very funny blog I found today (two years behind the rest of the world): Anonymous Lawyer.

The other wonderful thing about the Fourth of July is that it is a celebration of the birth of our nation. Politics, as usual, is grabbing my attention. I'm reading Barack Obama's book The Audacity of Hope. The section I am reading right now compellingly addresses American's concern du jour: the economy.

I got a good chuckle today out of an article about an important voting bloc--Appalachians. Here's a fun quiz. Just to let you know, my results indicated I was "smart enough for the Senate. " Ha!

We've been watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets lately. Griffin and I loved attending the events last summer. When I suggested it would be great to have an annual Harry Potter festival every summer, Griffin had a brilliant idea: to hang a Voldemort pinata, but instead of hitting it with sticks, the kids would use magic wands!

Last night I went to yoga. It was good to be back in class, but today my wrists are hurting. I should have done a better warm-up.

The Obama commercial is on TV, time to go! Hmmm, there must be two versions. Aha, the explanation is revealed.

Slices of Banana

The drawback with writing is that sometimes you just don't feel very creative. Is it because I didn't do a crossword puzzle today? I dunno, but last night when I was feeling prolific and poetic, Blogger was having fits. Tonight there are no technical problems but I'm as sharp as a banana. The good news is that I remember the multiple strands of ephemera I want to share. :)
First up, I wrote recently about energy vampires, but was hard-pressed to explain why these appliances continue to draw energy when they are not powered up. The answer has been revealed in the wider definition of which appliances are affected: anything with a remote control, clock, or on/off switch (such as a power strip). Of course! Because all of these have to have the potential to provide power immediately, or in the case of an appliance with a clock, it is continuously operating. Anyway, armed with this new info., I have unplugged the microwave and coffeemaker. Bless Brett! He's been a real champ about my new mania.
Dan Yaccarino is one of our favorite illustrators. He wrote Unloveable, and I just learned he is the creator of the Backyardigans, who I think are super cute. He also illustrated this map of the U.S., which now hangs in our playroom.
Viva la vida by Coldplay came out today. I really like the song and the iTune commercial.
Bastille Day is my second favorite holiday of summer. July 14th will be celebrated at our house. Griffin saw his French teacher from nursery school on Friday night when we went out to eat (is this a violation of la langue francais that we saw her at El Azteco???) Tonight Griffin said that Bela is his "mon ami." He is growing into his role as the protective older brother.
Some of my coworkers and I had lunch today at P.F. Chang's, which was very tasty, however, the coke I drank cost $2.25. Isn't that exorbitant?!? If I had known it cost that much, I would have asked for a sparkling water and let any "elitist" comments fall where they may.
I found a very cool countertop composting bin for only $14 at World Market this weekend. Compare to at least $24.95 from Amazon or much, much more at Williams Sonoma. I may have to go buy it since I'll soon run out of plastic grocery sacks again.
There's a commercial on tv for Mamma Mia! which comes out in theaters on July 18. Any of my special readers want to view this film with me? I fear it is a bit too chicky for my flick-loving husband. I did, however, find an interesting blog today (Greek Tragedy by Stephanie Klein) which mentioned one of all-time-favorite films, Baby Boom. I often think about how strongly Diane Keaton's JC Wiatt has influenced my idea of what a mother should be. And on that enigmatic note, good night!

Two in a Row

...You call it dap and we call it knock...

When Griffin was very little, we began giving each other knuckles. It seemed slightly cooler, and more urban, than a simple high five (although I'm a big fan of slapping some skin).

Anyway, I am quite pleased to see the coolest candidate for president and his ultra cool spouse using this gesture. Since this memorable moment in the campaign, I've been dapping away. Time to say goodbye at daycare, dap! Somebody says something witty, dap! Of course, I've only recently accepted the term "dap," until now the move has been known around our environs as "knuckles" or simply "knock." So, I was gratified the other night when Bela said "knock, knock" and put out her little fist to bump mine. Alright!

Toads and More

We have a new pet at our house--a Fowler's toad named, appropriately enough, Toadie. Griffin has been keeping him for the past week, eagerly showing him to visitors, and tonight Bela overcame her squeamishness enough to hold him. Our exuberant love of Toadie is not in his best interests. Soon we will need to release him back into the wild. Griffin, however, is not ready to say goodbye.

The CSA had perfect red ripe strawberries last week. Yippee!!!

My yoga mat has not been unfurled in many months, but lately I've been doing a sun salutation when I get to work. At least on the days that I get to work before everybody else. Summer hours rock! It's a fairly quick maneuver but it improves my concentration. Here's a fascinating article that I barely read today about distraction in the workplace. I have noticed that I easily get caught in the world wide web when I'm editing a tricky passage. This is my theme song.

In closing, Bela has slept in a toddler bed for the past week, which means when she is ready to get up in the morning, she comes and finds me. Vive le difference! She awoke before Griffin this a.m. At the grocery store last night, we saw Mrs. Foster, the secretary at Griffin's elementary school. When I told her his first name, she knew who he was!!! Approximately 10 weeks until kindergarten! One last song.

Shock

Tim Russert is dead. I can't believe it. He died today while doing voiceovers for Sunday's show.

Meet the Press is forever intertwined with my memory of Griffin's birth. He was born on a Sunday morning at 8:44 a.m.--16 minutes before the show was to start. And, as un-maternal as this will sound, I was a bit surprised when nobody turned on the tv at 9 o'clock.

A special has started on NBC. The news is disorienting and it is very, very sad. Blessings to his family and his many friends.

Weekly Peek-ly

Bela was doing downward facing dog and listening to an Ella Fitzgerald CD earlier tonight. Then, after bathtime, she danced naked around the living room while The Pretenders played.

I just broke the news to Brett that she will undoubtedly want to be a princess for Halloween this year.

Yesterday Griffin made mudpies and today, a water slide at the school he and Bela share. And how is this for lucky? Griffin recently got his very own library card and we checked out six books. (I'm Dirty; Dimity Dumpty; a Thai counting book that was absolutely beautiful but I can't remember the name; a very old Easter bunny book; The Secret Life of Walter Kitty--hilarious!; and one more...) Anyway, the books were due Monday. I put the library tote bag in the car over the weekend, intending to return them then. Alas, it didn't happen. Then, I planned to return them Monday morning before heading to work. Again, didn't happen. The next day, when the books would have been officially overdue, the library was closed because there was no power! They will be re-opening tomorrow. Terrible for the library but what a stroke of luck for Griffin's perfect record. Just like Jacob Two-Two and the library ninja!

I am in a very cheerful mood today. Brett and I watched My Name is Earl, featuring one of my old favorites "Girlfriend in a Coma." Although it is a great lyrical masterpiece, I think my happy feeling is because I got to see some of my friends this week.

On Saturday, Bela, Griff, and I went out to dinner with my friend Amy and her family. The time passed so quickly. Great company! Amy's husband, John, suggested the following technical point for email notifications. Check out this site to sign up to receive notifications by email http://www.shootthebreeze.net/blogalert/index.php. Copy and paste this address into the url line: http://thejollymama.blogspot.com/atom.xml. I'm testing it.

I saw my friend Sara K. and her two adorable curly heads twice this week. I had expected to see her today when we picked up our half of the CSA that we share, but I also unexpectedly saw her on Monday when I went to the grocery store on my lunch hour. It was fun! I got to give little Jonny-Banany a banana!

The CSA was a wonderful bonanza of fresh stuff! I couldn't get over how much stuff we got, although to be perfectly honest, it was a lot of greens. Arugula, lettuce, spinach, chives, and something called tuoi choi, which I am guessing is like bok choy. I was singing "Baby Arugula, swims along in the big green farm," to the tune of Baby Beluga after we came home. Griff's friend Kali was here and I'm not sure they loved it as much as Foo Fighters. I do love that the video appears to have been shot at the Lincoln Park Zoo though.

We also had a neighborhood meeting this week to discuss a potential "pocket park." There are two locations that have been proposed. I don't have a particular preference as both sites need to be preserved as green space and developed as park land. I have, however, had visions of the cul-de-sac area turned into a parklike destination...and you can't mess with my second sight.

My other vision recently has been of my three college friends (Meg, Mary, and Sara F.) here at my house to watch the Michigan-Michigan State game; and the wall between our kitchen and dining room has come down. I always imagine Ronald Reagan saying "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" when I think of the future remodel, but I digress. Anyway, after the neighborhood meeting, the "new" neighbor across the street invited some of us inside. Their remodeled kitchen has been on my mind ever since. It is beautiful!

Pics of the Picketts!

Check out my fabulously talented neighbor's website at http://lindsaywilkinsonphotography.blogspot.com/ for new portraits of my bebes. :) More to come, I am sure.

One "More"

A "quickie" post because I have to go move the laundry, wipe the counters, bake the cookies, get my clothes ready for tomorrow, take my vitamins, and hit the hay. But, Bela is talking...and she likes guacamole! Those two things aren't really related, I just wanted to write about her for a moment since I tend to not do that. Anyway, I'm very curious to hear what Bela's voice will sound like. The way she pronounces the word "more," which I hear A LOT, is interesting. Kind of like "Mo." :) And she does like guacamole.

Start Your Engines!

And, they're off!!!!!

Wiki-hypochondria

I won't have time tomorrow tonight to make my weekly post here because we will be attending Griffin's nursery school graduation. Griff told Brett tonight at bedtime, "It won't be as long as Uncle Scott's but it will be just as good." He was referring to Scott's Ph.D. ceremony at Northern Illinois University three weeks ago. Anyway, I'm very excited to see what Griffin's teachers have planned. The kids have been practicing all week. Griffin's graduation partner is Billy Koertgoede and Kali's partner is Maddy Brown. These names have been talked about all year. Ah, what a good year it has been. I'm sad to see it end, although in a certain sense it ended for me three months ago when I went back to work. I'll write more about it after tomorrow when I can post the link to the school.
A fantastic new idea occurred to me today: a daily email subscription service with reminders on how to not accidentally kill yourself. For example, did you know that when potassium benzoate and citric acid combine they become carcinogens? They do and these are two of the main ingredients in Mountain Dew. Red wine, however, contributes to a long life (er, actually the article says that it slows aging, which I may have remembered if I weren't drinking.). Anyway, I have found that wikipedia is awesome. I love it almost as much as google. Wiki is where I found the info today about potassium benzoate and citric acid, as well as the Japanese concept of karoshi, which refers to working oneself to death. Not a good idea.
I've also been reading again about the radiation risks associated with cell phone use and other electromagnetic fields (WiFi is an example). There was an outcry in 1999 and since then I have heard zilch until last week. Perhaps it is related to Senator Ted Kennedy's glioma diagnosis. Oddly, his experience has made me less frightened of having a brain tumor. My new concern is type 2 diabetes after reading an article from Men's Health. It made a fairly serious impression on me, ergo my new concern about ingredient lists. But, just as I learned to like Mountain Dew and Oreos, I can unlearn liking them.
Okay, there was something I wanted to write about the power of Om, but I can't think of it. Some good news today: we received our monthly electric bill and, even with the additional charge from the green energy program, we cut our bill by a third! Yes, it is more than $25 less than last month's bill, which itself was down significantly from last year. Woohoo! A big part of my strategy has been to power off the "vampires" before going to work and bed: the televisions and laptop are all plugged into sources that I can flip a switch to power down. Cell phone chargers are plugged in only while recharging the battery. I'm also drying some of my laundry on a rack. Next, other small appliances and better monitoring of lights. And, I'll have to give some serious attention to my water bill, which is up by $30 in four years. Maybe a leak? Yes, I've become obsessed with "green."
My other "obsession" has been the Democratic primary, which came to an end last night when my candidate became the presumptive nominee. Tonight, the NYTimes headline announces Clinton to End Bid and Endorse Obama. I won't belabor the point too much since two people I respect bunches were fervent supporters of HRC and are probably feeling sad. Although it cannot be as bad as we all felt on that first Wednesday in November 2004 when John Kerry lost one of the most important elections in my lifetime. I remember that day in vivid detail, and can now almost laugh about the stolen election enough to enjoy this clip from The Onion. My new boss sent the clip to me, how cool is that?