These Good Ol' Days

We're going to that good old blue grass festival we go to every year with Grandpa C. (my Dad) It's that one where hippies and blue grass lovers old and new drive from miles around to the tiny white church in the middle of nowwhere and sit on hay bales and 2x8s set up in the yard of the church while banjo pickers and fiddle players from everywhere make there way onto the tiny stage and sing their hearts out. We'll buy as many baked goods as we can fit into our tummies from the church ladies in the basement and then we'll wash our hands in the outdoor sink and maybe get our feet wet in the creek accross the way looking for craw daddys while singers harmonize in the distance, just like I did when I was five. We'll smile at all the other music lovers willing to drive so far to smile at us and we'll enjoy the childrern dancing and squirming all over and singing and being children.

Photos from the festival in 2006

Car Wash

It's raining this morning. But I'll be washing cars anyway. LOL!

Still curly locks

Sorry folks I went roller skating last night and didn't get home until late. The good news is it was the first night I didn't have crazy legs in bed and could get to sleep at a normal hour. I feel so rested and sane today it's silly. So without further ado here's yesterday's hair cut...

If you're wondering about the curls and if they'd come back when she isn't getting her hair blown out glass straight... yes, here's her big ciurls this morning.

Courage Mom

Curly Locks: Mom, everytime I wear my hair long it makes my neck sweat, I hate it.

Me: Do you want a hair cut?

Curly Locks: Yes, I want it cut up to hear. (puts her hands at the back of her head)

Me: Ok, it's your hair.

Pics to follow when we get home

Creepy

There's been a rash of attempted child abductions in our area, 5 to be exact. The first two in separate incidences were some guy in a truck trying to take 5 year old kids off their bikes (suspects in blue truck and green truck), then some guy trying to grab a 9 year old (silver truck) and the last two were trying to snatch 13 year old girls (red truck & dark SUV). This on the heels of an arrest in tiny town. A resident up the street was charged with an attempted abduction of a 14 year old girl after he tried to coax her into his car and upon her refusal grabbed her.

So I've had to have some pretty serious conversations with my daughter about strangers and how some people can be mean. This converstaion involved alot of "why?" and alot of stammering for the right words. In the past I've tried to not oversensationalise and freak her out so much she won't say high to the little old ladies at the ice cream shop but in light of the last month I've just opeted for Stranger Danger with a capital Scary. I'd rather she be traumitized than stolen. The old ladies can have hurt feelings, I don't care.

And what the hell? It's not like I've been just dismmissing attempted abductions in the past, there just haven't been many. 5 in one summer! I wonder if the police have checked out men who work at truck dealerships?

Straight Talk

I'm Cussin' Mad

Shortly after reading Bitch PHD's post "Sunday Sexual Harassment" in which Ms. PHD get’s harangued by some of her readers for telling some ass-hat on the street to “Fuck off” for acting like a pig. I stumbled upon the story "Bicycle Riding Mom Catches Pervert."

"...while carrying her ten-month-old baby on her back. Twenty-three-year-old Danika Bueno was out for a bike ride when a man on a bike rode up to her from behind and grabbed her chest.

Instead of reeling in shock and letting the man get away, Bueno took after him, following him for more than a mile, and called 911. Police were able to apprehend the man and have charged him with unlawful sexual contact and child abuse...."

Why am I blogging about it? because like the responses to Bitch PHD’s post, again the comments blew me away. One fool dismisses the assault of a young mother by comparing it to driving too slow in the left lane. And the next commenter thinks

“…the perv should be arrested…”

but in typical victim blamer fashion follows it up with

“…she must have had on heck of a rack to have enticed the drive by feel.”

Attitudes like these are part of the overall problem and really piss me off. People’s inability to see this incident as a serious assault, as if men shouldn’t be held accountable for their inability to grab breasts when they see them, just underscores extent of which we devalue women.

What’s the single most important thing you can do? Use your vote. We send a clear message about the value of women by supporting a candidate who supports women and women’s issues. I suggest a candidate who sees the value in equal pay legislation or perhaps at the very least one who has more respect for women than to call his wife a "cunt" or speak at an event along side the “Ringin' Wet & Wild" women's wrestling event.

100 Years of Customer Service Music

Trying to Keep a Straight Face

After much quarreling Dan sent Ella downstairs. She wouldn't say she was sorry and he banished her from watching TV in the big bed. I hugged her up into my lap and asked her what she did. She muttered through hurt feelings, "I just wanted to mumble mumble mumble..." I insisted she make amends immediately and I would go with her for moral support. I carried her up the stairs and sat down on the bed next to Dan who was relaxing in his Bermuda shorts with three pillows and his bent arm under his head, his warm reading light turned towards a sci-fi paper back on his chest. Ella shuffled over and said "I'm sorry for hitting you... and trying to poke my finger into your belly button."

Project Runway the Bombadee Edition

I was at the fabric store yesterday looking for plain black swim suit material to sew onto the front of my bikini top (think skirt for my belly) when I stumbled across this man's inspiring fabric and immediately had to think of something to make with it.

I bought this old smock style summer shirt for Ella at the thrift store about two years ago that I love. I'm pretty sure it's from the 70s so I haven't ever seen another one. On Ella and it's the most breathable cool shirt she's ever owned and when it's really hot I try to make sure it's available to wear and so I thought why not duplicate it with this fabric.

















I mean really the pattern didn't look that hard, especially since I made it up (based on the shirt we had.) So, I traced the old shirt onto the fabric and started cutting. I've tried to recreate it the best I can remember for you here.

A couple of hours later, after many fights with the ruffles in wich I told the ruffles to get screwed get out of my house and never come back and they pointedly laughed in my face exclaiming the shirt wouldn't be the same without them and we needed them, I pounded them onto the shirt and... Vwala!

I'll let you know how the swimming suit bikini belly skirt goes.
(I think it'll be fierce!)

Hancock

I went to see Hancock last night and will now declare it the "Best super hero movie of all time ever" totally tying it with Mystery Men. Yes, I can have two totally best super hero movies of all time; it's my list, my blog and my imaginary award to give out. Anyway, I really like the juxtaposition of real life and super heroes; it's a theme that runs through both movies. Hancock introduces a super hero who has very human flaws including a drinking problem; Mystery Men illustrates very flawed humans who find the super in their flaws.

I love that stuff. It means that even when we think we have an idea about Perfection we can still be hip checked by a derby girl with wonderfully big thighs or loose all the poker chips to a person who has OCD and can remember every card dealt or played. It’s these stories that promote the idea that different can be great and redefines perfection by blurring the boundaries we lay as criteria.

Yang Today

Today I have to act like a total grown up by washing dishes, doing laundry and then getting on the phone with no less than one insurance company and two customer service departments. So that's my cosmic balance from yesterday, getting to push one for English and then holding for most of my day and explaining my situation to at least 4 representatives in three departments before anyone even knows shows a glimmer of recognition about my situation. I can safely predict Ella will be yelling "I'm hungry!" or "I'm toOOoooo hot!" or "The dog won't stop breathing next to me!" while simultaneously clinging to my leg and spilling milk on the couch. She will undoubtedly time it perfectly with the moment I get the representative that can make all my problems vanish by pushing that single magic red button, but won't because I've just screamed "Stop it! You're making me crazy!" into her head set.

I did three things today...

Went to the beach with the kiddo and some pals again today. Came home and had a glass of wine while I cooked dinner... WOW! I feel like I drank a six pack. Shoot college kids should run a mile before going out drinking, it would totally improve their buzz (although it would totally improve the hangover too.) Anyway, those are the only things I accomplished today (four things if you count blogging) and that makes it a damn great day. Woo hoo summer time!

F-Stop?

My regular camera is stuck in new battery product recal customer service limbo and I am such a brow beaten consumer that I've temporarily given up and pulled out my camera from three years ago. You know the old tank that takes crap ass pics but never breaks no matter how many times I fling it to the floor or jingle it around in my purse. While I was digging around I found an old old camera that I loved but didn't seem to cooprate anymore, but they just don't make. It takes such clear pics with a hexogonal technology that Fuji abandonded for regular square pixels and I don't know why. After breaking the first, I even bought a second model on E-bay... a rebuilt one that like I said, doesn't like to cooperate.

To use either of these oldies I had to run and get new rechargable batteries, charge them and then try the old cameras out. The tank works like it always did but I forgot the cord is lost and the chip reader in my computer is not working so my pics are stuck there until Dan puts the chip in his computer and transfers them through the network to mine (Pain In The Ass.) So I ventured out into the back yard with the old old Fuji that I love to see if it wanted to play nice and it did. Hopefully it was the addition of the new batteries that caused it to love me back and maybe just maybe this relationship could work out for a while.

The following bumble bee pics were taken with my old Fuji Finepix 4700 Zoom in Northern IL. Aren't they lovely little bees! Go ahead and click on those pics and look at them all up close and personal. The detail this camera shows still just blows me away and makes it by far my favorite digital camera ever.



















These princess knight pics were taken with my old tank the Finepix E510 (after they went back to the square pixels.) They just look like regular old cutie family snap shots to me.



















One of these days I should buy some film and see what my old 35 mm Cannon can still do. I loved that camera too. That was the one that I used back in the day when I used to save up my money and buy filters instead of roller skate wheels. I wonder if anyone still teaches photography classes with "dark room time" anymore. We used to argue over who could get into the darkroom sometimes, back when I used to walk to school uphill both ways and all.

McBush

I keep sending people to this website and to see this video. So here it is thanks Jed Lewison.

Unedited Version?

She asked her to be in the wedding and then offered to inject botulism into her face.

So I ask, if a friend offered you botox would you feel:
a. insulted because she is in fact saying you are wrinkly
b. pity because she doesn't find beauty in wrinkles
c. excitement at the opportunity to erase your wrinkles
d. other (please explain)

I pick B. I am sick sick sick of women torturing their bodies and spending resources on this ridiculousness. I would like to age right out in the open for everyone to see so that my daughter and the world will know what this 35 year old woman looks like. Yes, I'm all for keeping healthy, using a little moisturizer, mascara, and washing the ol' arm pits. Hell, even shaving a leg or two and plucking some brows seems a little high on the pain for beauty scale but explainable, especially in light of the daily shaving (some) men do.

Where are you on the issue?

Indy

I'm booked for geek fest this year. It's in Indianapolis and Dan and I haven't gone in at least 6 years. Yes, we are geeks from way back. I am terribly interested in art that get's 40 year old men interested in collectable card games, my husband is addicted to small paintable lead armies and Ella will no doubt enjoy the many attendies in costume that will be milling about in all their super glory. Ahhh, the joy of having breakfast with storm troopers at the corner cafe or seeing and entourage of barbarians, monsters and pirates wait at the crosswalk in downtown Indy. It's worth it just to see the public's reaction.

Here's the other thing Dan and I have never, in 16 years, vacationed in anyplace other than a city. Nope, no camping, no beach house, no north woods log cabin (no, Grandma's doesn't count), just cities. Perhaps it's because we live a little in the country but mostly I think it's the thread count. I'm excited Indianapolis has a great Children's Museum, a resturaunt that makes food from Istanbul, the fifth largest art museum in the US that includes 152 acres of gardens, and I think they have some auto racing stuff too.

Two for One Coupon

Yesterday went grocery shopping which is usually like this:

"If you don't stop whining, I'm going to send you to wait in the car!"
"Stop wandering away from the cart!"
"We are not buying any pudding in cups we can make pudding at home!"
"We do not need 6 even though they're on sale, just get one!"
"Ok, we can get muffins but then we have to put the cookies back, which one?"
"Marshmallow fluff is not a healthy snack even if you put it on wheat bread!"
"Stop poking your fingers through the plastic on the grapes!"

So this time I left Dan at home and brought Ella and her new picture grocery list instead. She loved it. Not everything we bought was on the list but it was a nice break to have her shopping with me instead of against me and reminding me of items we needed while crossing them off as we went. She even drew a picture of cookies on the list (how could I resist) and then we picked some out and she crossed them off too.

Our local grocer has these tiny carts that essentially are a hand-basket on wheels with a push handle and so the kids get a huge kick out of shopping with these little things. They look like a perfect mini version of the bigger carts. So here was Ella with her list and her pen and her tiny cart walking around muttering "Hmmm, where's the broccoli?" and "Mom, stay close by me so I know where you are!" I was really tempted to throw a bunch of things in her cart just to hear her say "Those aren't on the list!" or I could've said "Ella! Ella! Ella! Can I have some ---fill in whatever we are walking by that is bright and shiny here---?!" while simultaneously pulling on her arm until she threatened to make me ride in her cart, but instead I just followed along with my bigger cart and threw all the junk food into it.

Love Her!

I just saw this over at Feministing and HAD to repost it!

An almost perfect weekend (I'm dumb)

Holy canolies dear Internets! Last week I compiled the entire 2007-2008 roller derby season and with the help of my skatey mate L'iterate Her we watched and edited it all and produced a small 17 minute video for the awards banquet on Saturday night at which time I celebrated so boisterously I threw up on Sunday morning... (yeah, pretty pitiful. I think I'm done drinking for a looong time.) In the coming weeks, my goal is to shorten that video even further so I can get it onto youtube and share with everyone. (Don't worry, the stuff I'm going to cut out is the boring stuff that only the ladies on the team are interested in. I'll leave all the hard hits and cool plays an crazy pics.)

So then after horking my brains out on Sunday, we took the family to the Renaissance Festival. It was humid and hot and I was hung over, but only slightly thanks to my early morning porcelain shenanigans. We met up with two other families and luckily my dear pal KTJ and a new pal A. took Ella on the ride she loved the most with the other kids (I was not hopping onto the big swingy thing that makes your tummy feel weird) Thank you both so much for that ladies. The festival was actually pretty cool (literally) it's mostly under tree cover and in the shade it was only maybe 78* or so. It seemed like they had more rides and different things this year and we of course enjoyed it along with the company very much.

My camera isn't working, I think it's the battery, so I am without any photos to show you.