Nothing of Import, mostly random

Things I have to say tonight:

1. I would like to find Over the Rhine ringtones, but as of yet I have been unsuccessful.
2. I saw a car this week in the parking lot outside my apartment with a "University of Okoboji" sticker on it. I almost ran into another car, trying to see who might have that sticker. I couldn't tell, but the person was just a regular Californian with CA plates and everything. Weird.
3. I have been having the most bizarre dreams lately. First there was one about a college friend turned mobster/assassin who beat up a friend from grade school, and then a dream about hiking a snowy, icy mountain on the border between Mexico and the US. And I hate hiking. I prefer walking around, looking at things like plants and insects.
4. My kids have all been into this book "Prep" lately, so I've been reading it. It's sort of like the Sweet Valley Twins meet the Gilmore Girls at a prep school.
5. I have become a Wii Sports addict. I particularly like the tennis, although boxing can be a lot of fun too. I don't think I can get into the golf. I think the Wii appeals to me because there are some girly aspects--making your Mii (your character who plays for you), picking the outfit color, changing the face shape, accessorizing, etc. So you get that, and you get the satisfaction of beating someone in boxing.
6. I'm going to the beach with friends for a weekend before I leave. I am so excited about the trip!
7. There is a man in the workout room who wears headphones while working out, and sings. Out loud. Loudly. And off key. It's made me wonder about how your instincts know something is beyond normal and pushing into creepy. He creeps me out. It may also be the profuse sweating combined with the singing...I'm not sure. At least he doesn't want to watch sports.
   

Stalkerville

When I first moved to California, nearly five years ago now, one of the first things on my "to-do" list was to stalk Anne Lamott. More specifically, I wanted to find her at her church.

Being a devout Traveling Mercies devotee at the time, I knew that she went to St. Andrews in Marin. I'd seen her speak once, at a Festival of Faith and Writing, and so was sure I could spot her in a crowd. If not her, then her red-headed son, Sam, would be easy to find in a crowd of church-goers. Beyond that, I didn't really have a plan for what I would do when I actually saw her, but the idea of seeing her in a place she'd written so much about was fascinating.

I'm getting ready to leave California now, and listening to her speak yesterday on City Arts and Lectures, I realized that I'd nearly forgotten about stalking her. In fact, since her book Plan B, I've actively been ignoring her. I was so irritated by her whiny anger that I just didn't want to hear any more of it. I don't like the Bush administration much more than she does, but I just don't think crying about it is worth it.

Hearing her speak yesterday sort of changed that for me. She admitted she'd been whiny, and I really liked how she addressed her liberal San Francisco audience. She invited them to her church, but not just as a nonchalant suggestion. She promised they'd be welcomed, loved, and not harrassed. I thought that was touching, and although not an invitation to stalk her, at least a welcome to visit her at her church.

I don't know that I'll actually go, but hearing her read from her newest book, Grace(Eventually), brought me back to probably being a fan. She read a provocative part of it, about helping a friend with cancer die with dignity. I'm not taking a side here, but it brought her writing back around to the heartfelt, sincerely honest place I appreciated at the beginning.

Though I may not see Lamott before I leave, I will be moving to the same state as Kathleen Norris, whose book Dakota supplanted Traveling Mercies in the book pile on my nightstand. Maybe I will trek across and visit her at the little Presbyterian church in her town.

Are people just stupid?

Here is my conclusion after watching an Oprah show today on scammers: People are stupid. The Nigerian scammers have it so easy, preying on these idiots. Who gets a letter in the mail and sends thousands of dollars off to a stranger? Or gets engaged online and sends off thousands of dollars? What is wrong with these people?

Today's Stuff on My Cat entries are outstanding, particularly the first few.

I love spring break!

Spring break is a very good thing. I know, I can hear everyone...yeah, yeah, it must be nice to have 3 months off and all these breaks. Frankly, yes, it is good. I'm not sure teachers could do their jobs without the breaks.

That being said, I am so ready to give them up for a new job. One of the things I've been doing is internet job searching over the break. I've applied for one job I'm really interested in, so we'll see what comes of that. I'm pretty excited about it, but I'm not quite ready to talk about it on the blog yet. If you're interested, e-mail and I'll tell you about it.

I've also been listening to a lot of radio and reading. This morning I caught an episode of This American Life about dream jobs...very interesting. I also finished reading The Tortilla Curtain, and I'm in the middle of In Cold Blood. I've also discovered that Anne Lamott has another book out, though I'm a little leery. Her last book, Plan B, really disappointed me. Has anyone read her newest one, Grace (Eventually)?

Tonight I'm going to Monterey to see my friend Mary, a long awaited catch up session. We met each other working at desks next to each other as work study minions at the Monterey Institute, and we've kept in touch since.

My plans for this week also included some household purging, but we'll see if I get there. Just taking it easy has been awfully good, I'm not sure I want to spoil it with too much work.

More Baby Photos!

Yes, I am biased, but these are some of the cutest babies ever.

The trip home was generally uneventful, though Noah did find this seatbelt extender, and as a generally resourceful man, he fashioned Talan a belt. It reminds me of one of those handyman type belts that should have tools and things attached. The flight attendant, surprisingly, was not pleased.

We also found out that Talan loves the water, which pleases Noah greatly. Noah took him in the hot tub, which was really a luke warm tub, and Talan learned how to splash water.

This is me, Blaine, and Tracy, my uncle and aunt's sheltie. Blaine has that about to cry look on his face not because I'm holding him, but because he really detests being held. Ever. He's a kid who loves to run. In the airport he ran down at least 6 people movers. In our hotel he did at least 2 laps of the building before bed. I can see the teachers grimacing already.




He is also fearless, as you can see. He had no problem at all sticking his hands right in Tracy's mouth.

Loving on the Babies!

Happy Easter from me and Talan! The picture is blurry--sorry about that! We had a great time getting reacquainted at the airport though. And that's Blaine on the right, wearing capri pajama pants. I love it!

All the family has been good, but a little...well, exhausting. Ya'll know how it is. It's a great thing to see them, but it's also good to have my own hotel room. And with free wireless, it's awesome.

Today was a gigantic family party, probably 50 people or so. Some of them I haven't seen for 5 or 6 years, so it took a while to feel like I knew who they were again. It was at my mom's cousin's house, built in 1823. Much food was consumed, and much sitting around commenced. Afterwards more sitting and eating at my grandparents' house. Oh, and much shouting. I don't know if it's just my family, but they're terrible at listening at each other. They're also not so good at the logistics of sitting near the person you're speaking to, so the whole affair was quite loud and confusing. The babies did great though, and Blaine held a baby duck. It was actually less holding than squeezing until his mommy made him put it down before he killed it. That was fun.

Tomorrow is church and more baby watching. Have a blessed Easter, and for those of you having Easter in SJC, have a mimosa for me!

Random Bits

I get to see the babies this weekend! I'm posting this picture in the hopes that the rest of ya'll think it's as funny as I do. Somehow people think that it's not okay to laugh at babies, but I think the faux nose picking is hilarious.

The trip to PA will be the first all family trip with both babies in tow. I can't wait to see them, but I'm also glad to be traveling alone and having my own hotel room. I think it's one of the joys of being an aunt. It's almost like catch and release when you're fishing. You get the fun parts, but you always give them back in the end. Not that I really fish all that much...

People are asking about the job search, and what I would like to do when I move. Um, I'll get back to you on that. A wise friend gave some great advice, but I'm still mostly just waiting for a great job to walk up and introduce itself.

My jello birthday party was great. I made jello surprises (have I said this already?). I put them in muffin cups, and each one held different "fun" ingredients. Some people got different types of fruits, some had carrots or cucumbers, and some had all of the above. Hence the name "jello surprise." Needless to say, there were a few surprises left at the end of the night. The bigger hit was the ham buns I made, with the help of the Christian school cookbook. I know, I know, how hard can a ham bun be? Well, if you're only half Dutch, it's harder than you think. And if your completely Irish mother never made ham buns, it's quite an accomplishment.

And, a random kid story. I posted a few quotes from research papers a ways back, but the star of the bunch came at the end of the research paper pile. One of the kids described Martin Luther King, Jr. as a "non-violent, low-profile, sinner Jesus." If you say it fast, it sounds like "synerjesus," some new mega-church term for synergizing with Jesus. Another favorite from that paper was that MLK tag-teamed with Rosa Parks to put the icing on the cake. Rock on.

Jen and Brian and I took a trip to Napa this weekend, my Christmas present from them. As you can see from the picture, it was a gorgeous, sunny day. We started off with a picnic lunch, took a winetasting class at Copia, and then did tastings at 4 different wineries. The day ended with dinner in Sausalito, at a restaurant Jen thought she had visited before for brunch. It turned out she'd never been there, but it was outstanding anyway. It was a perfect day.