- Q. Can you cook?
A. I can cook... Do I cook?... only if inspiration or necessity strikes. - Q. What was your dream growing up?
A. At age 6 I wanted to be an archaeologist. At age 12 I wanted to be a lawyer. At age 18 I wanted to be an actor. I should have stuck with archaeology. - Q. What talent do you wish you had?
A. Writing (...really writing) - Q. Favorite place?
A. hmmm... Paris or DisneyWorld... I can't decide! - Q. Favorite vegetable?
A. asparagus - Q. What was the last book you read?
A. Just started Richard Powers' Operation Wandering Soul but I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish it... it's really upsetting. - Q. What zodiac sign are you?
A. Pisces on the cusp of Aquarius with Leo rising
Q. Any tattoo's or piercings?
A. no - Q. Worst habit?
A. procrastination - Q. What is your favorite sport?
A. "favorite sport"? No such thing. "least annoying sport"? Probably soccer. - Q. Negative or optimistic outlook?
A. Disappointed optimist... - Q. Worst thing to ever happen to you?A. My dad died suddenly; there was no time to say goodbye.
- Q. Tell me one weird fact about you?
A. I'm 41 years old (no, that's not the weird part!). Since I left my parents house at 18, I have had 20 addresses. In August, we will have lived here for 3 years -- my longest time at any address in all that time! - Q. Do you have any pets?
A. Had a black & white (cow-colored) cat named Stinky Bumford before I got married. He was awesome. - Q. What time is it where you are now?A. 7:50 a.m. EST
- Q. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
A. pointless (except for Cirque du Soleil clowns who, on occasion, crack me up!) - Q. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A. Now that depends entirely on the crime! (Seriously though, I'm more likely to be the conscience...) - Q. What color eyes do you have?
A. Hazel. - Q. Ever been arrested?
A. no - Q. Bottle or draft?
A. Beer. eew. - Q. If you won $100,000.00 today what would you do with it?
A. omg -- downpayment on a house out of the city! - Q. What is your favorite drink?
A. Hard drink -- cosmopolitan; soft drink Hansen's soda - Q. Where's your favorite place to hang out besides your house?
A. I work full time and have a two year old. "Hanging out" is a distant memory. - Q. Do you believe in ghosts?
A. no, but I'm open to persuasion - Q. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A. see #22 - Q. Biggest pet Peeve?
A. snap judgements. especially negative ones. - Q. Do you swear a lot?
A. I used to; not nearly as much any more - Q. In one word how would you describe yourself?
A. Perceptive - Q. What's your favorite color?
A. most shades of green; pretty much any color that appears in nature. Flourescent colors scare me. - Q. Do you go to church?
A. no. Was raised Catholic. Now I'm a confirmed agnostic.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
29 Things About Me
(Why do we never get sick of these things..? )
Thump
We have wood floors... there was lots of "thumping" going on this weekend...
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump... Kassia realized that she could actually leave her room in the morning without someone coming to get her... Peeking at her through my eyelashes (her head just level with the bed), trying to pretend I was still asleep, failing miserably because I couldn't keep from laughing when I saw the "Huh? I didn't know Mommy actually sleeps!" look on her face.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump... "Happy Mudda's Day, Mimi!"
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump... "I don't wanna take a bath anymore..! ...oooh, bubbles!"
Monday, May 7, 2007
Funny Girl Part Deux
I.We were at my sister's house recently, and at one point during dinner my husband asked Kassia "Kassia, is Mimi beautiful?" She gave him a look of pure disbelief, then grinned and with the most dramatic tone immaginable said "No... I am beautiful!
II.
Kassia (seeing a very tall girl): Look! a long girl!
Daddy: That's right! Do you know another word for "long"? (hoping to get "tall")
Kassia: "Woman!"
III.
We spent an afternoon at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, and Kassia was very interested in the ancient arts galleries. She especially liked a wrapped mummy... when she saw it she said "Look! That doll has an Ookie on her head!"
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Waiting
There are moments that stick in your memory although at the time they are not monumental; are hardly worth remembering. But even years later they are clear and sharp to the tiniest detail.
I remember where I was, but I'm not sure why. Audition? Rehearsal? Class? Rehearsal, I think. I don't think I had a very big part. I remember sitting in the old fashioned deep window box. Peeling institutional green paint. Margins of the panes permanently clouded with ancient grime ground into the glass. I remember the smell of the place. Old books, chalk dust, stale cigarette smoke. And I remember that it was quieter than it should have been given that there were so many people in the various rooms on that floor reading scenes, rehearsing in corners, pacing the black and white linoleum tile floor, gossiping, philosophizing. Or maybe it just seemed quieter. What I remember most is the view from those windows: a study in grey and brown and black. Rooftops in the Back Bay on a rainy late fall afternoon.
It was a Sunday. It was 20 years ago, but I'm sure it was a Sunday.
I was very young and I was waiting for my life to begin. I can still remember exactly how that felt... impatient, but resigned to waiting.
After all that's happened in the years since, somehow I still feel that way.
I remember where I was, but I'm not sure why. Audition? Rehearsal? Class? Rehearsal, I think. I don't think I had a very big part. I remember sitting in the old fashioned deep window box. Peeling institutional green paint. Margins of the panes permanently clouded with ancient grime ground into the glass. I remember the smell of the place. Old books, chalk dust, stale cigarette smoke. And I remember that it was quieter than it should have been given that there were so many people in the various rooms on that floor reading scenes, rehearsing in corners, pacing the black and white linoleum tile floor, gossiping, philosophizing. Or maybe it just seemed quieter. What I remember most is the view from those windows: a study in grey and brown and black. Rooftops in the Back Bay on a rainy late fall afternoon.
It was a Sunday. It was 20 years ago, but I'm sure it was a Sunday.
I was very young and I was waiting for my life to begin. I can still remember exactly how that felt... impatient, but resigned to waiting.
After all that's happened in the years since, somehow I still feel that way.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
No monsters there to see you...
We were driving home from Easter dinner at my sister's house. It's a 2 hour ride, and Kassia has never been one of those kids who fall asleep as soon as the car starts rolling. This time, though, she took a little nap, and had a new book to look at, and overall did really well.
As we (finally) got off the highway, Kassia started to talk to her "Ookie"... the way I might talk to her if she were upset.
"It's ok" she said, "Kassia's there... No worries... no monsters there to see you..."
She went on like that in a tiny voice for a minute and then I turned around. She was holding Ookie against her chest with her head resting on Ookie's head, staring out the window with a very concerned expression. She looked at me and I smiled at her.
She said "I talking to Ookie."
"You're a very good friend to Ookie", I said. "Does he feel better?"
She nodded and when I turned back around she started to talk again "No worries... no monsters there to see you..."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I did both.
As we (finally) got off the highway, Kassia started to talk to her "Ookie"... the way I might talk to her if she were upset.
"It's ok" she said, "Kassia's there... No worries... no monsters there to see you..."
She went on like that in a tiny voice for a minute and then I turned around. She was holding Ookie against her chest with her head resting on Ookie's head, staring out the window with a very concerned expression. She looked at me and I smiled at her.
She said "I talking to Ookie."
"You're a very good friend to Ookie", I said. "Does he feel better?"
She nodded and when I turned back around she started to talk again "No worries... no monsters there to see you..."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I did both.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
I need; I want...
...in no particular order:
- A day off. I think if I can have this one, I can wait on all the others. I haven't had a whole day off since before my daughter was born. (That's two years ago...) A couple of times (2? 3?) my husband and I took a day off together which is nice... but not really a day off. I just need a whole day to myself.
- Brian's green card to come through. They've been making us jump through hoops for almost 3 years. He's a nice, gainfully employed, tax-paying boy from Ireland with a wife, child and house -- enough is enough already!
- For us to move out of the city... or at least far enough out of the city that our daughter can have a yard to play in. Parks are nice, but not quite the same. I want to hear crickets at night -- not college students partying (boy am I getting OLD -- lol!). It would be really nice to be closer to my family too. Obviously, this one depends on #2...
- To come up with more options for dinner that all three of us will eat.
- A new job. It was always a small company; now it's microscopic. I'm doing the work of whole teams of developers. Too much pressure. Too much stress. My hands hurt.
- To have hip-replacement surgery (arthritis at 41, soooo not cool). I'm already scheduled for this, but I have to wait 'til June. I also need to know that Kassia will understand why Mommy can't pick her up for 4 weeks or so. My heart breaks every time I think about it.
- To go camping again. Soon. Maybe this summer with Kassia???
- To do more travelling... before I get too old.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Brunch
There’s a new(ish) café in town. It’s called Eye-something… or I-something; I can’t remember. Supposedly it’s very hip and trendy with the local college crowd.
Hear that? That’s the first set of warning bells ringing… Brian and I, no matter how cool we are at 40-something, are no longer part of the aforementioned hip, trendy, college crowd. Neither, at this tender point in her youth is Kassia.
Brian, however, has been pestering me to go to this place ever since it opened, and this past Sunday he decided it would be the perfect place for family brunch. Ok. Granted, I haven’t actually been there. For all I know it might actually be the coolest place in S-ville! Still, with its reputation of overstuffed beaded chairs, dim lighting and students huddled over the glow of their laptops… well, it just didn’t seem to be the sort of place that would take kindly to our very energetic 2-year-old.
When he emerged from the bathroom that morning, proclaiming his grand idea, Brian was in his hipster best: inky dark green cords, black T… (hmmm… it looks better than it sounds.) I, on the other hand, looked a bit like an LL Bean catalog that somebody fished out of the trash. No-nonsense, flannel & jeans -- not cool, ripped flannel, either – I looked like somebody’s mom. Which, of course, I am!
Let me stop here and say that I, personally, would love to spend an evening with coffee and grownup conversation in this place! I’ve still got a few black t-shirts! (hmph.) As much as I adore our daughter, not a day goes by that I don’t long for those walks through the North End or Beacon Hill and late dinners that lasted ‘til midnight. However… there are simply some things that don’t work with a toddler, and even if you do manage to get away with trying them (meaning you escape with your dinner consumed and without a major meltdown), the experience just isn’t the same. ..And wishing they would work just won’t make it so…
I wish Brian would come to understand that. It’s so much better to just be in whatever moment you’re in without trying to make it into something it’s not. It makes me sad that he’s so discontented. It makes me even sadder to know that someday he will be looking back at these moments and wishing he were still in them.
I suppose I ought to get to the part that makes me sound less Zen and well-adjusted… Back to the bathroom door.
When he ever suggested going to that café… again… my defenses snapped up. Oh for Christ’s sake! Can’t you just grow up so we can go have breakfast?? I know I should have tried to be more receptive to the idea, but I just couldn't, so I made a big, cranky, passive-aggressive show of "Sure, honey, whatever you want." and that set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Yuck.
The final irony was that the damn place wasn't even open for brunch! We then tramped all over town, with Brian getting crankier and crankier and me getting sadder and sadder. We ended up just getting a coffee/muffin in a little coffee shop. Kassia knew something was up... she was very, very good. Which made me even sadder.
Of all the things I've had to learn these past two years, I think the balancing act has been the hardest... and the one I screw up most often. Being a mom takes up soooo much of my mind and energy that I'm afraid I neglect the rest of my life.
Hear that? That’s the first set of warning bells ringing… Brian and I, no matter how cool we are at 40-something, are no longer part of the aforementioned hip, trendy, college crowd. Neither, at this tender point in her youth is Kassia.
Brian, however, has been pestering me to go to this place ever since it opened, and this past Sunday he decided it would be the perfect place for family brunch. Ok. Granted, I haven’t actually been there. For all I know it might actually be the coolest place in S-ville! Still, with its reputation of overstuffed beaded chairs, dim lighting and students huddled over the glow of their laptops… well, it just didn’t seem to be the sort of place that would take kindly to our very energetic 2-year-old.
When he emerged from the bathroom that morning, proclaiming his grand idea, Brian was in his hipster best: inky dark green cords, black T… (hmmm… it looks better than it sounds.) I, on the other hand, looked a bit like an LL Bean catalog that somebody fished out of the trash. No-nonsense, flannel & jeans -- not cool, ripped flannel, either – I looked like somebody’s mom. Which, of course, I am!
Let me stop here and say that I, personally, would love to spend an evening with coffee and grownup conversation in this place! I’ve still got a few black t-shirts! (hmph.) As much as I adore our daughter, not a day goes by that I don’t long for those walks through the North End or Beacon Hill and late dinners that lasted ‘til midnight. However… there are simply some things that don’t work with a toddler, and even if you do manage to get away with trying them (meaning you escape with your dinner consumed and without a major meltdown), the experience just isn’t the same. ..And wishing they would work just won’t make it so…
I wish Brian would come to understand that. It’s so much better to just be in whatever moment you’re in without trying to make it into something it’s not. It makes me sad that he’s so discontented. It makes me even sadder to know that someday he will be looking back at these moments and wishing he were still in them.
I suppose I ought to get to the part that makes me sound less Zen and well-adjusted… Back to the bathroom door.
When he ever suggested going to that café… again… my defenses snapped up. Oh for Christ’s sake! Can’t you just grow up so we can go have breakfast?? I know I should have tried to be more receptive to the idea, but I just couldn't, so I made a big, cranky, passive-aggressive show of "Sure, honey, whatever you want." and that set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Yuck.
The final irony was that the damn place wasn't even open for brunch! We then tramped all over town, with Brian getting crankier and crankier and me getting sadder and sadder. We ended up just getting a coffee/muffin in a little coffee shop. Kassia knew something was up... she was very, very good. Which made me even sadder.
Of all the things I've had to learn these past two years, I think the balancing act has been the hardest... and the one I screw up most often. Being a mom takes up soooo much of my mind and energy that I'm afraid I neglect the rest of my life.
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