School Picture Day

I went a bit off the rails as usual when it came time for my children's school picture day. What a racket this is. They charge enormous amounts of money for terrible pictures.

Poorly framed, poorly focused, bad color, you name it, we've had it. Clearly no one taking the pictures gives a damn about what the kids look like in the photos. Half rumpled collar, hair sticking up, stuff in your teeth? no problem, step right up and smile and get the hell out of the way for the next kid.

The photographers that they have sent our school over the past few years have been so bad that I haven't even put the photos on display. I have MUCH better photos of my children that I'd rather frame and keep in my house. My children and my ex husband give me a HUGE guilt trip about the whole thing. Invariably I spend the money and then get pissed off about the whole situation. When the photos arrive, hideous as I imagined them to be, into the drawer they go, never to be seen again.

Heaven help the parent who doesn't care to have this particular commemoration of their child's most awkward and forced smiles, bad hair styles, fashion mistakes, and general gawkiness through the years.
When I say I don't want to buy the school pictures, I'm labeled a cheapskate, a grinch, and I am sure that people are regarding me as...a BAD and UNCARING MOTHER.

Then again, Maybe I'm still bitter, 32 years later, about this.

Can you blame me?
09.21.07 @ 09:38 PM PST [link] |

Who Knew!

Just to show you that I can post a photo of my husband that doesn't make him look like a complete whackadoo. These moments are rare, but we do what we can ;)

09.20.07 @ 09:03 AM PST [link] |

Eyebrow Boy Goes To College

Some people were pretty excited about Eyebrow Boy's trip to college today. Exhibit one. Happy Daddy.

We were up early this morning. ALL of us. This may be the only picture of Charlie to be taken before noon...ever. Doesn't he look spry?!

We arrived in Santa Cruz and managed to find the campus, despite some rather sketchy navigating on the part of the guys.

We found the dorm, and managed to get him all moved in. Here he is flapping his "wings" on his own for the first time as he leaves the nest.

"Would you old people please leave me alone so I can roam the campus looking for cute girls now?"

Okay, okay, we get the message...

09.19.07 @ 09:02 PM PST [link] |

Off to Santa Cruz!

I thought I'd write a bit of an early post for Wednesday.It's still technically Tuesday for another hour, but it's close enough!

We will be on the road for much of the day, taking my stepson off to college at U.C. Santa Cruz. (Go Slugs!) He has been living with us this summer, while waiting to move into his college dorm... and guess what?! Move in day for him is tomorrow! wooohoo!!

Lest I sound overly happy at his departure, let me stress that he is no problem at all. He's quiet and helpful (helpful to me at least... his daddy may have another tale to tell!) With the exception of that first decaffeinated half hour of his day (his "day" usually starts at the crack of noon!) he's pretty good-natured.

I've had people stacked wall to wall in my tiny house for most of the summer, and that can have it's moments of frustration. It's a super special bonus day here when everyone has an actual bed to sleep in that night. Usually there has been at least one kid sleeping on a foldaway bed on the floor, or on the living room couch. There has been some cursory complaining from the girlchild. She's outnumbered by the brothers, and usually ends up with the most inconvenient of the sleeping arrangements. I tell her to be glad she isn't sleeping in a bathtub at this point.
Her complaints have been liberally peppered with plenty of preteen eye-rolling and dramatic heavy sighs. We know it's all just for effect. For the most part, we have managed fairly well, and have been one big dysfunctional happy family.

There will be a bit more breathing room with one less person in the house, and it's not like we voted him off the island or anything. He'll be back for weekends and holidays. Still, I will be looking greatly forward to Sunday night. Hubby and I will be empty-nesters for a few days, while the two younger kids go for their weekly time with their bio-dad. Yay us!
09.18.07 @ 11:06 PM PST [link] |

Hi! Welcome to my midlife crisis!

Hey Y'all, I got a tattoo! Did I mention that?... I didn't think so!

It's way hard to take a photo of one's own ankle, I'm just sayin! The design is actually straight and even, just distorted a bit in this pic by the contortions I was doing with the camera!

The trip to the tattoo shop was interesting. My 18 y/o stepson got a tattoo at the same time. (His is REALLY cool!) I had been looking online for a tattoo design, and finally found this one, which I just love. I adore how the shamrock is made up of the intertwined hearts. It makes me so happy.

It did hurt a LOT. I wont lie. I was practicing my lamaze breathing for a while. The tattoo artist (Tim at Eye Spy Tattoo in Petaluma) Was sooo nice, and he did mention to me that I had picked one of the most painful places to get a tattoo. Getting a tat right over the bone and tendons... owie! Once the needles stopped, it just felt kind of like a dull sting, not too bad.
One of the guys at the tat shop had a t shirt that read "Pain is weakness leaving the body". During the process, I tried to imagine my weaknesses leaving my body, but I still find I crave donuts, so that must have been a big fat lie! Damn them!

While we were waiting for our turn at the tattoo place, two young guys (in their early 20s or so) came in, holding something in one of those paper boat shaped to-go containers that you get french fries in. They brought the container into the back of the shop and were showing some folks there what they had. Of course I'm nosy, and as they were walking back out, I craned my neck a little to see what they had, thinking it was a bird or something. They stopped and showed me that they had found a bat on the sidewalk outside. I pretty much backed away without touching it. (thank heavens). I know that bats aren't out in the daytime unless there is something wrong with them.
I commented to my stepson that I could totally see my sister doing that. She isn't happy unless she has a small creature to feed with an eyedropper every hour all night long. I told my sister the same thing later.

It had pretty much slipped my mind until the next day. I got a frantic instant message from my sister saying "DID YOU READ THE PAPER?"

Of course, the bat ended up to be rabid. Does this surprise anyone?! Several calls to the public health department later, it was ascertained that as long as none of us touched the bat, we didn't have to get rabies shots.

I commented to my stepson that if we somehow managed to catch rabies at the tattoo shop, at least they'd know at the hospital later that we aren't afraid of needles! Never a dull moment, I swear!

It's been a few weeks and so far none of us are frothing at the mouth so I think all is well! Our tats are nicely healed and I can totally see how people could want more than one. It is pretty cool :)

Off to work now, back tomorrow y'all! *mwah*

09.18.07 @ 07:57 AM PST [link] |

Blog a day, for 30 days

It's finally starting to feel a bit like fall around here. Wedding season is also calming down. A few more weeks and I'll be able to put things to bed for the winter. Whew! I'm starting to get my yearly surge of autumn energy and inspiration, Thinking about little projects I've put off for a while (painting the bedroom, finishing a quilt, doing some sewing for my daughter and the Rainbow girls that I sew for, etc.)

I thought I'd try and get back into my blogging habit, by posting an entry a day for at least 30 days. Inspiration follows action sometimes, y'know?

It may be drivel, but at least you'll get a fresh dose of it daily! What a novel concept!

xoxo, back TOMORROW!
09.17.07 @ 01:38 PM PST [link]