Ethan: "Do donkeys chew bubble gum?" Ella: "Sure they do - with their beaks."

Thanks for inviting us Mike!

I'm still breathing

I'm just breathing the air in Illinois again. Over the weekend Dan and I drove nonstop 19 hours back to Illinois (another story for another day.) We will be here for a couple of weeks tying up loose ends and closing bank accounts, stuff like that. Then back to Texas to start school. So far we have almost every day filled with relatives and activities. Poor kiddo has to get her shots for school while we're here. We'll be going to the Riverhawks tonight with some pals. I've got the dog with me and since it's the Dog Days of Summer at the baseball game we can bring her with us. I'll update after and let you know how crazy I am for attempting a baseball game with a five year old and a dog. Hopefully I can get my camera figured out and post pics.

Saturday

We drove around Galveston Bay and just after sunset we took the Bolivar ferry home. It was too late to see any dolphins. One helpful little boy told us you have to come down in the morning and look port side as he saw five of them surfing off the ferry wake just that morning.

What's new in Bugland

Very late last night a two inch cockroach tried to chew my butt off. Ok, maybe that's not the way it went down but it nearly happened. I was peeing and I grabbed for the toilet paper and as I unrolled it with a wizz a giant cockroach came flinging out and hit my leg at which time if I hadn't just peed I would've peed. It scurried under the step stool and sat there mocking me. I woke Dan up and he got the can of bug killer light and sprayed the thing. It accepted the cocktail happily and asked for another by running at Dan who promptly squished it while I jumped on top of the couch and screamed. Once it was flushed I immediately got online to read everything I could about them. The first thing I googled was "If I saw one roach are there more?" to which the overwhelming answer is "yes" although one reassuring bug expert said that if I saw just one big one - it likely came in from nature, but if I see babies then I'm in trouble.

We are the very first people to live in this apartment, it's brand new and I don't think they install roaches in the bathrooms of brand new buildings, and there's the whole obsession I have with crumbs these days due to the fire ant episode. I carry a handi-vac in my back pocket ready to quick draw the moment a crumb falls from a lip in the vicinity of the apartment. While I double cleaned every crumb from every counter last night, I opened cupboards like I was going to a surprise party for bugs, looking to see if there was any scurrying in dark places with food. I saw none. After I scoured every counter and closed every drain (thanks for the advice DD) I finally went to bed. So, now I will now walk around suspect of every neighbor in the building wondering who may have carried them in. Dan called the office this morning and the exterminator is going to drown my apartment in more poison on Monday. Yay!

I know how it ends, but I don't care.

One of the first books I pulled off my shelf to carry with me to Texas was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. My parents read it to me at bedtime when I was very young and I've since re-read it again at least a dozen times, the same old hardbound copy. I've seen every movie and TV adaptation, read many annotated versions and really it's a story I adore. I am very excied about this version



If the Video isn't working HERE'S THE LINK.

Ella Names the Whole Ship & then Some

Fourteen Pirates:
Three Armed Solo
Grump Eyed Pirate
Gun Bob Eye
Shooter Bad Soul
Leader of Darkness Heart
Two Sword Eye
Parrot Treasure Guarder
Tommy the Turtle
Feather Eating Pirate
Mop Wacker Three Thousand
Reaction Cutter Man
Rock Wacker
Gun Shooter
Gun Sworded Man

One Captain:
The Captain of DEATH!

Two Pigs:
Halo & Haley

One Mermaid:
Alena

One Shark:
Benny

11:56 Update: The name of the ship is "DARK DEATH" although Ella assured me it's just probably a rumor to scare visitors away.

Losing his religion for equality

Another reason I love Jimmy Carter

"...We have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights and have recently published a statement that declares: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."

We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women..."

Read the whole text here

Roller Derby Saturday

Dan and Ella and I are going to see this tonight! I am so excited. If I can't skate at the least I can go see some.














Also, if you are in Northern IL or Southern WI and have a dirty car or just want to support the Stateline Roller Derby Divas today go get your car washed up at Lube Pro's on Prairie Ave. in Beloit, WI 10:00 - 4:00pm. Their next bout is at home in Beloit August 29th 2009.

Support your local derby league!

Important

F*ck The Illinois Legislature. Signed: The Homeless

then

By the Poetry HERE


Also read:
Protecting homeless service -The Chicago Tribune 07/14/09
HUD Report Only Tells Half the Story -Progress IL 07/10/09
Tracking the State Budget Fallout -Progress IL 07/05/09

Boy's Wanna be Her!

Ella's Fairy Fudge Soup

-A Pinch of Cinnamon

-Medium Much of Brown Sugar

-One Drop of Frosting

-A little Pack of Cake Mix

-One Spray of Flower Smell

-One Tiny Drop of Rainbow Coloring

Mix together with purple mixing and then add the secret ingredient, it is a pinch of Chocolate Sugar.

Stir it for twenty minutes and bake it for fifty hours over a pretend camp fire. Serve it in a bowl, on a tray, with a glass of grape juice.

It tastes soo good you would wanna eat it for a hundred days but if eat to much you will get a tummy ache and you will have to have huge ginormous drink of water while singing the alphabet to feel better.

Galveston Bay - Home Video

This is the beach that had the sign "Alligator may be present" Thankfully the Alligator was not. The water was as warm as could be until you were in waist deep. We'll go back for sure.

"What matters is that over two thousand people died that day!"

Sign the Petition to Attorney General Eric Holder here.

"July 10, 2009: New York Times article by Pulitzer Prize winning reporter James Risen reveals new evidence that the Bush Administration impeded at least three federal investigations into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan beginning in 2002. The Times reports PHR’s call for the Department of Justice to investigate alleged obstruction of justice by the Bush Administration for shutting down an FBI criminal probe, and at least two other federal investigations, of the alleged Dasht-e-Leili massacre." -PHR Website

Thanks Bitch Ph.D. for the story, pass it on people!

Don't make Me Turn This Pool Around!

When Ella was a baby we signed up from swim classes at our neighborhood pool mostly because I was bored. You can just lump those lessons in with the other crap I tried to teach Ella that ended up a wash like baby sign language, elimination communication and patience. Turns out it's hard to teach a baby something without living it all the time and even though I'm pretty consistent about something when I decide to do it - turns out I just didn't care so much. I think it may have been all that sleep I was getting clouding my judgement.

Anyway my point is this - I never paid for more swim classes after that one semester. I decided that Ella would learn just like I did one summer at the beach or pool or wherever. Probably even in a few hours one afternoon with her Dad. On Sunday that's exactly what happened - Dan showed her how to swim. It's a very desperate doggy paddle but it's a start and she's able to keep her head above the water. Now we have these long complicated bargaining sessions about being in the deep end without an adult or floaties. You see, I'm happy to sit poolside while she splashes about as many times in the day as she wishes to go out there, but I can't get any decent reading done when she's trying to drown herself and yelling that she CAN swim and I'm yelling for her to put the damn flaoties on.

This all happens in front of at least two other families who's tanned two year olds are doing the back stroke around both of us. But I'll tell you what - bring those same kids to Illinois in January and Ella can out-sled them any day. Because putting on a snow suit and then scarves and hats and gloves and boots and then being able to sit on a piece of plastic and riding it downhill without going into the street or a tree is something we in our family are skilled at. Ella will someday soon be able to give up the goggles and actually put her face in the water, but until then I'm making her wear the floaties. I get the feeling it won't be long.

Up next - gratuitous bikini shot and yes, I really do think I am more tan than I was in IL.

Good Stuff

Duchess Jane pointed out Bitch PHD's wonderful post about Sarah Palin and it's spot on.

NPR's story about Methland about a small farm town with a meth-amphetamine problem reminds me of something.

My favorite Spinster Aunt from TX made a movie that scared the bejeebles out of me.

My lovely husband gave me a wonderful present, it came in the mail today. It says "i blog (you've been warned)"














There is a movie theatre minutes from me that has menus, waitstaff and tables at the seats. We saw Ice Age III and ate stuffed jalapenos, mozzarella sticks, chicken strips, french fries, mini burgers and deep fried cheese cake bites dipped in chocolate sauce - chased it with $2.00 draft beers and a chocolate milk (for EL.) Um yeah, it pretty much rocked.

Things Have Gotten Out of Hand

Every key I have has a little plastic box that goes with it for the alarm. My key chain weighs 8 lbs and needs it's own purse, it only has two keys.

I saw a TV program lump together John Lennon, Elvis, Michael Jackson and John F. Kennedy.

Unemployment

Downtown Aquarium in Houston

We managed to get ourselves dressed and fed and ready by the crack of noon. We drove into the city for an afternoon at the Downtown Aquarium in Houston last weekend. We pulled into parking ($6.00) and found the third spot empty and waiting for us which was wonderful because the temp had already climbed to a sweltering ‘melting any ambition you felt in the air conditioning into a puddle of goo.’ We approached the aquarium and were delighted with the fountains and waterfalls kiddo exclaiming “Wow! I’ve never seen a waterfall off of a building before!” Dan and I stood in line while the spray from the big waterfall rained on us, we were pleased, cooled and excited. We bought the all day adventure pass ($15.99) so we could do everything, ride the train, the carousel, the gondolas, and anything else we hadn’t seem yet.

The aquarium was cool and dark and the fish beautiful. We wandered in and out of the exhibits staring at all the creatures. In comparison, it’s much smaller than the Shedd in Chicago however it didn’t have that aquarium smell. The same smell you experience in a small pet shop. I even commented to Dan about how clean and fresh it was and he agreed. This you’d think wouldn’t matter that much but a good smelling aquarium allows one to linger and let the kid watch the Blue Tangs for as long as she likes without feeling like you’re breathing grossness. It also wasn’t terribly crowded for a Sunday afternoon. We were able to walk right up to the glass at every exhibit and though Kiddo could have she didn’t opt to pet the sting rays or the house shoe crabs.

Next we entered the cool tunnel leading up to the white tigers who upon rounding the corner, we found wrestling on the floor not five feet in front of us behind glass. This was the first time we had a hard time seeing through a group of people so Dan lifted Kiddo high onto his shoulders. They are beautiful tigers and their little apartment behind the glass is immaculate. After a few minutes the crowd thinned and we were able to sit and watch the big cats lounge before heading out into the midway where we hopped onto the carousel without waiting. Kiddo road a lovely little seahorse and I a shark and the breeze from the ride cooled us. We managed to work up quite and appetite and before we rode anything else we decided to walk a little and have some lunch. So I asked and employee where to have lunch, of course he suggested right there but I explained the aquarium was only serving drinks and horderves in their restaurant and we wanted lunch. He pointed towards the Hard Rock Café next door and said there were restaurants that direction.

We walked a block and found the Hard Rock Café and some fancier places, I glanced at them as we strolled past and saw one had $45.00 entrees listed on the menu posted on the glass. Though I would’ve like sushi, Kiddo was calling for macaroni and cheese so we resigned ourselves to the Hard Rock discovering it was loud even at lunch. This is when I considered the fact that I might be old and fought back the urge to say to our very nice server “Cripes sonny! Is it always this loud in here? Can’t we turn this rock noise down so we can get a word in edgewise?” I didn’t, instead I bopped along munching nachos to “I’m Gonna Be” by the Proclaimers, who proclaimed they’d walk 500 miles feeling old. After recharging we headed back to the aquarium to ride the Gondolas and train.

The Gondola ride was a bit of a wait, and since I wasn’t expecting to be outside so much I began to worry for Kiddo’s skin. I didn’t smear her up with sunscreen that morning expecting we’d be mostly indoors, so I stood between her fair skin and the sun and the three minutes it took to get us boarded felt like ten. It was neat to reach the top and see out over the highway and try to guess what each building was, and again we liked the breeze the ride offered. It’s an opportune place to take pictures with the city as a backdrop. We almost left at this point and then Dan reading the map of the park realized we hadn’t seen the sharks yet and the way to do that was to stand in the long line for the train. I groaned, but we cued up and stood there dripping sweat waiting our turn and thankful to at least be in the shade for the wait. It turned out to be worth it, we rode into a little air conditioned tunnel and watched gobs of sharks swim over and next to us. Cameras snapped and when we’d had our memory cards full, the little train chugged on back where the kids next to the fountain squirted us in fun with water.














Upon Kiddo’s request we did one more trip through the aquarium revisiting the fish we liked best and discovering an African Grey who delivered a hearty wolf whistle at Kiddo garnering him the title of her “favorite animal at the aquarium bedsides the white tigers.” I liked the jelly fish, I could sit and watch them all day laze about the water. We were also able to meet the Eurasian Eagle Owl that resides there and the staff answered some hard questions about why the owl was big and had so many feathers from my five year old. Perhaps when Kiddo is older I’ll send her to one of the summer camps and she can feed the tigers and learn about animal rescue one of the many occupations she insists she will do (next to cowgirl, actress and helicopter mechanic.)

Extra

We have an abundance of time these days. I didn't think it would impact us so much to have a dishwasher and a garbage disposal and a washer and dryer on the same floor as the bedrooms and bathrooms. It's also quite astonishing how easily one can save time by using a chopper/blender instead of hand cutting a thing. My old kitchen didn't have any counter tops or any outlets and so plugging in any appliances beyond the toaster, coffee pot and the radio was a bigger chore than just getting out a knife and chopping a tomato. Ella and I rattle around the apartment until we can take it no more at which time we visit the pool. I read and Ella swims until we get hungry and lately I've been using the gym more and more. I'm doing 3.5 miles in 25 minutes. What do people do when they have a maintenance free place to live and modern conveniences? Get this, I can vacuum the entire place in 10 minutes. I used to joke that I needed a riding lawn mower (I mean vacuum) at the church. All this extra time feels purely frivolous especially in comparison to the frantic packing and cleaning I did the month before. I think it may be time to get the paints out.

4th of July Fireworks in Kemah, TX

Matthew McConaughey owns a condo in a high rise on the other side of the lake from me. I've decided to start shopping for groceries in that direction, down by the Hippie Connection Smoke Shop (not even kidding.) Dan pointed out the place on the way to Kemah boardwalk - where we went last night for fireworks. Kemah has a population of about 2,000, all these little bed and breakfasts, a ton of docks, little shops, condos and houses on the beach. It was a little like going to Navy Pier only on a smaller scale and mixed with Key West. We ate at Joe's Crab Shack and then wandered out into the midway and the carnival area to watch the fireworks. Everyone had the same idea.

The fireworks were pretty good and they had music that went with them just like Rockford, though there were considerably more country songs included here and our viewing spot wasn't as good as we're used to, but it was our first try and we'll get better at it in the next few years as we figure out where to go and where to sit. It finally cooled off after the fireworks as we exited the mob. Earlier in the day we had record setting heat and wearing a skirt and a tank top I still had sweat rolling down my spine all day. I was in awe of some ladies wearing blue jeans and a full face of makeup under a mop of perfectly straightened shiny hair falling over their shoulders and not even breaking a sweat. Perhaps that's how it is if you are from a place hotter than here.

After the fireworks, on the way to the car we found a cute little Italian place where we sat on the back balcony and drank two rounds of beer and Shirley Temples while we waited for the traffic to lighten up. We caught more fireworks to the south from the restaurant balcony before we went down the steps and found our truck. We finally made it home about midnight exhausted and pink with sun where we fell into bed. Also I'd just like to say this again - Matthew McConaughey.

Verizon

Dear Verizon, You suck. That is all. Signed, Jenny

And Now - Drunk Monkeys

Red Tape Day

Today I venture over to my local quick lube place and get the car inspected so that I can take the proof of inspection, the VTR 130-U form, the VTR 272 form, proof of insurance, my old registration and my first born to the county tax office so that I may stand in line all day and listen to Ella complain that she's bored. I know you're jealous.

Freebird!

Ella and I went to the bank yesterday as Dan's company doesn't offer direct deposit and our theory on that is it's not needed, guys in construction like to cash their checks at the bar on Friday afternoon and this way their wives never know exactly how much they make. But I digress, I took the check to the bank yesterday and while there I asked the gal at the counter if there was a good taco place we could hit on the way to the grocery. Really I was wondering which one we should stop at, as there is a taqueria on every corner right next to the thousand sushi places. The gal at the counter said she didn't live in the neighborhood (and apparently never goes out for lunch either) so the lady at the next desk pointed me three blocks away to the Taco Bell.

I punched in "Fast Food" on the GPS and found Freebirds World Burrito and Ella and I went to fill ourselves before we hit the grocery. Ella was immediately impressed with the giant sculpture of Lady Liberty on a motorcycle crashing through the wall and thought the line sign said the wait would be 11 minutes, it wasn't it was more like 4.











I got up to the counter and like Subway told the burrito maker I'd like 3 tacos and when he inquired what I wanted on them, I replied "I've never been here before, make what you like. What's your favorite?" his eyes lit up and he made me three chicken tacos with rice, lime juice, cheese, salsa and guacamole. I tried to eat all three, I wanted to eat all three, it just wasn't going to fit. While we munched I noticed all the tinfoil sculptures on the walls. I wanted to make one but alas I hadn't ordered a burrito and didn't have the tinfoil. Ella had a cheese quesadilla and for the first time ever in the history of ever she ate the whole thing. We spent about $10.00.




















Ella gives it one thumb up. I agree. Did I mention they have beer?

***

Later in the evening after it cooled we packed up and went to check out Challenger Seven Memorial Park and all I can review for you are the monkey bars and slides because that's all the further we made it. Ella met some very nice children and they played across the three play areas while Dan and I hung out at the picnic tables. Ella left exhausted, sweaty and happy and I think we'll go back. I'd like to see the board walk and the mother earth mound. I also found out yesterday (Dan gleefully informed me) and now you may feel free to hurl the word "DUH!" at me that Houston has alligators! And some of them are big. I keep trying to think of something in northern Illinois that might be equivalent and I've got nothing. It's not like a fox can grow big enough to eat your dog or a small child. So today I read up on alligator safety.

SAHM seeks SAHM kid age 5 - SE Houston

We went to the other pool (there are two here the further across the street where the apartments are more full) the night before last and there were kids and Ella swam with them even though one of them kept picking on her (She handled it.) Dan and I looked around the pool wondering about the neighbors on the other side of the road. The parents of the kids Ella played with were tattooed, highlighted, tanned and having beers, they seemed nice enough but looked to be about 24. We are pale old nerdy folks - just probably not a lot in common there. There was a group of guys at the grill, they were muscled, tanned, highlighted and poking keys into the bottom of beers and shotgunning them poolside racing to get drunk. Saturday night there will be a luau at the pool so people can meet their neighbors and though we'd like to make friends, I just don't think we're gonna go.

I did a search this morning for "Houston Moms" and found this website called Meetup. I quickly found some groups of mommies within 20 miles of me and then realized a lot of the groups say things like "WE ARE CLOSING TO NEW MEMBERS, AGAIN....PLEASE DO SIGN UP TO JOIN AND YOU WILL BE PUT ON THE WAIT LIST." or the kids are between 0-3 years old. I did find one I thought I might like but they ask for a picture in their application and the thought of being judged by my picture and an application creeps me out, I really just want a similar minded parent who has a kid Ella's age to be where we are, we don't need to be BFFs or even talk, we could just sit on our respective benches in the park and read our books or blog on the laptop.

Today we are leaving the cave to run errands and maybe hit the local park. Perhaps we'll find another distant nerdy chick with a kindergartner in tow. This will all be so much easier in the fall when Ella starts school and I start derby.

Putting the Legs to Rest

I have not been roller skating. I'm waiting, Houston Roller Derby try outs are in August. In the mean time I had been moving boxes of things and going to bed sore and tired every day up until this week. So a few nights ago I did something I'd never done before, I went to the gym. The first day I walked two miles uphill and felt tired but didn't sweat as much as when I skate and to my disappointment only burned 200 calories. The stupid machine keeps track of it for me and I wish it didn't, I'd be happier if I didn't know. I don't even really care, but now I have the information and feel like I should be doing something with it, charting it or subtracting it from some magical daily number of caloric intake that I make up in my head because I don't even want to know what 4 honey covered waffles and a beer add up to.

In an effort to make my lungs feel like they are on fire, like when I skate, I tried a different contraption last night, the one where your arms and legs are going at the same time. This time the machine was keeping track of my heart rate to make sure I wasn't slacking or letting go of the handles to itch my nose or change the TV channel (and what DO people watch when they are on these things?) Right away it told me to slow down so I didn't keel over, but instead I imagined I was on the skate floor and did three miles in thirty minutes - ROAR! For the first time in weeks I didn't have crazy legs in bed last night.

Some Pics of Our Hovel

This is walking in the front hallway, a view of the kitchen and a little dining area.















Turning a corner to the living room



















My trusty futon, what some of you may sleep on if you visit















The rest of the living room and the TV (see Mike no room for the Big Screen)















Looking back at the kitchen and entry way from the living room















What's left of my library. Yes we tried to cut it down to just two bookshelves and instead we have four - not too shabby















back to the dining room















Take a right into Ella's room (this is the cleanest it may ever be.)
















It's pretty big















Her giant dress up box actually fits in her closet and then some (love having closets!)















Ok, I'm not taking pictures of our room yet as that's still a disaster and you don't need to necessarily see the bathrooms either (two) because they have swimmy suits and towels strewn all over them and I haven't found a place for all the elixirs and potions we need in ours but I can tell you they do have garden tubs so that is nice.

It's nice to have modern conveniences like a dishwasher and closets again. We've lived so long in a building built in 1887 with electric added in the 30s that I forgot what it's like to be able to plug in a hairdryer in the bathroom or use a blender on an actual counter top. I don't know who is more excited about closets me or Ella even though mine is jam packed with all the stuff we aren't even getting out of boxes right now (games, computers, tools, toys and antique dishes.) I was telling my pal Angela that I feel like Wilma Flinstone after she accidentally got drawn into a Jeston's episode.

The Big Move

On the way down to TX in the first 100 miles the trailer our car was on got a flat and we had to call a pit crew to fix it which knocked us off schedule for the rest of the trip. Shortly after we made it back on the road the apartment building office of the new place called to say that someone had driven a car into out building and wanted to apologize for all the noise and let us know they would be fixing it this week. We stayed the night in a Howard Johnson's where I shared a bed with the dog to make sure she didn't get up without me in the middle of the night especially since I didn't tell the front desk clerk we brought her and the next day we drove and sang and finished the trip home to the freshly smashed up apartment.

We unpacked the first three fourths of the truck on the first day and I worried the furniture wouldn't fit but as I began to unpack boxes and find homes for things I relaxed. On day two we were able to get Ella's bedroom set up and the truck emptied and made a giant trip to the dumpster where we threw most of our emptied boxes along with the moving truck keys into the compactor. On day three Dan went back to work, I cooked a lovely dinner and things felt a little normal until we had to tear the apartment apart looking for the moving truck keys. Eventually I called the emergency road side number and they hooked me up with a fella an hour away who would make new keys for me at no charge as long as I picked them up and while I was at it I decided to stop and get some very scrumptious Shipley's cinnamon rolls for him in hope of banking some good karma.

After returning to the apartment with the new key and then spending another hour and a half returning the moving truck we arrived back at the apartment to find a small line of tiny red ants marching into the living room and attacking a lone bit of potato chip on the carpet. Dan and I vacuumed them up and wondered if these were the fire ants we'd heard so much about. Dan had a bowl of cereal on the couch and we went to bed. On day four at about 6am, before Dan left for work, I asked him to please bring the dog out for a walk as we have been dutifully re-housebreaking her in the off white carpeted apartment and we'd been doing well. Dan lifted his shirt from the night before off the floor, slipped it on and put the dog on a leash. I stepped into the bathroom in my underwear and thought about making a little cappuccino for the two of us while Ella still slept.

At approximately 6:01am Dan whipped his shirt off and ran to the shower, the fire ants that had enjoyed the cereal bits left in his shirt the night before also enjoyed all giving the signal to bite Dan all at once delivering a fiery 30 or so tiny blisters to his torso by the end of the day. The shirt sat on the back patio until yesterday at which time I shook it out and promptly put it in a wash load of very hot water and towels. the exterminator arrived the same day upon my insistence with the main office who wanted to send him on the regular Monday but re-thought it when I told them I had a child and a small dog and a living room full of fire ants. I also bought a can of poison that I liberally sprayed all over the place I'm sure ingesting enough to piss fire ant killer. For the next few nights I made sure to turn on the flash light and check the perimeter of the bed before falling asleep. Apparently new construction kicks them up out of the ground and makes them angry and of course we live in the newest building. The exterminator will be here every Monday for the next three weeks.

Finally things are settling down, though the dog is having a terrible time. I tried to crate her in the kitchen and she's torn herself up biting at the cage and trying to dig her way out. I tried a different crate and then washed the other and still she makes a mess and hurts herself. Yesterday I called a local vet in frustration wondering what to do and was referred to a doggie shrink. One of the perks of living in a big city is the availability of Dog Psychiatry. A very dear women named Connie talked to me and insisted I trash the crate and trust the dog, before as a last resort putting her on doggie prosac. I am trying to trust the dog but it's off white carpet. I installed a gate so she is locked in the kitchen with a pillow begrudgingly sacrificed from my own bed but today after pool time with kiddo I arrived to see the dog greet me wagging at the door and the gate laying on the floor. I am still hesitant to leave her out and will continue to try the gate however if there are no messes on the carpet at the end of one month I will trust her.

Tonight I have one big project left, hanging art on these off white walls. Dan will be home soon and we'll set to work making this place our home with family photos and paintings at which time I'll finally take some photos for the blog and get them all posted so you can see what a wonderful place Dan picked out. On Saturday night, Dan's birthday, after dinner and a movie, we drove down to the coast and looked out into the ocean, though it was dark and we couldn't see much. Galveston looks steeped in history and old buildings as well as rich in culture and the beach is only twenty minutes from us. My favorite was the sign we passed just before arriving in Galveston reading "Welcome to the Village of Tiki Island" yes, it's a real place. On Sunday because it was Father's Day we drive around Houston and found two war game shops Dan will frequent. Again I am astonished by the construction of 6 story highways with steep climbs and turns. It's like downtown Milwaukee gone amok.

Yes, it's hot. Today it's up to 97 with a heat index of 105 however the ocean breeze cools the sweat on your brow so fast that when in the shade one barely notices the heat. We also have a pool, we've been there every day this week and as soon as I resolve my issues with the dog and stop jumping anytime I feel something crawling on my leg and we all feel comfortable and home Ella and I will venture down to the coast some morning and dip our toes in the warm gulf waters and build sandcastles for a few hours.

Below: Gateway to the West, Houston Highways, Our Driveway, Ella & I in the Pool

Ella Sings When We Get Here

Mango Salsa

1 Mango diced
3 Roma tomatoes diced
1 Small onion diced
Fresh cilantro chopped
Cinnamon
Garlic
Habanero
Salt

Bite sized tortilla chips

First Impressions

Shipley's Do-Nuts - yum.
Fire Ants - exterminator on the way.
My dog - good one.
Sushi - so fresh.
Constant breeze - lovely.
Sunshine - blinding.
Clothes - too many.
Furniture - all fits comfortably, but still to many boxes of computer cords and dishes.
Radio - one jazz station, one hipster rock station, one oldies station, one samba station, so far.
Freeways - like six story roller coasters winding through the concrete landscape.
GPS - saving my ass daily.
Produce - abundant, cheap and juicy.
The ocean - calling my name.
Downtown Houston - also calling my name.

It Only Takes One Person to Go First

Live from Houston

We made it. It's really sunny and the apartment is beautiful. I'm on day three of unpacking and today I should be hanging art and later venturing out to the grocery store where everyone will know I'm from elsewhere because my legs glow in the dark. We ordered Chinese last night, the walnut shrimp was fresh and the crab puffs (crab rangoon) had actual hunks of fresh crab in it. I'm going to dip Ella in sunscreen and take her over to the pool today. Later, if I can find my camera cord I'll post some pictures.

Pecatonica, Illinois

This is the last post from Pecatonica, IL. A giant thanks to everyone that came and helped us get it all in the truck. We'll see you all later.

Moving

We're going to get the moving van this morning. People are coming around 9 to help us load up. It's raining.

Petit Soprano

Ella is singing opera in the tub - she's practicing her vibrato and it has a pleasing echo.

The Last Strike

The lightning storm finished with a single flash and an immediate crack at 4:45 this morning. That's when I fell asleep wondering if it was our lightning rod it hit or a tree outside. At 7:15 I found the answer in no less than 15 fire trucks and an unreal amount of firemen standing around on my street. Ella's preschool is on fire. Of course we pulled on sweatshirts and went out on the front porch to investigate and then wandered a block to see what we could see and then finally wandered into the local one-stop and heard about a probable lightning strike to the building and how four foot flames were shooting from the roof at 5:00 this morning. Careful checks of surrounding roofs prevented any spreading like the last time downtown burned decades ago. On the way home, I broke the news to Mrs. Neighbor standing in front of her place we were leaving on Saturday and she bid us good luck while hiding a small pleased smirk.

Land vs Sea

I was talking with a friend last night about if my recent situation was a string of bad luck or good luck or what. The catalyst for the move was bad, but the move is good. I'll miss my friends and family but it's not like I'm going to live on the moon, we'll still talk and I'll still see them a few times a year when they come down and I come up. The thing that was the hardest to deal with was the thing I needed to get a handle on the most - the house and all the stuff in it. What was total chaos is now neatly packed into boxes and sorted, ready to go, what was garbage is on its way out of my life and what things I could give to others I did. For years I've talked about wanting to live near the ocean and now I find myself on my way there where wonderful new things await. So really, I don't think it's any kind of fortune, either way. It's like trying to decide if ostriches are good or bad in comparison to fractions; the only real conclusion I'm comfortable making is it's just different.

Things I Can't Take with Me

I'm trying to watch all my DVR'ed stuff before I turn the box in and go to basic cable. It turns out I watch a lot of crap and can only handle consuming it in small doses, trying to have a Make Me a Supermodel marathon actually kills brain cells.

Indi Anna Jones

Feministing this morning posses the question "If you could sit in a story meeting with Pixar or Disney and pitch a feminist heroine for their next blockbuster film, what would you pitch?" and I've been thinking about this for some time. I don't have a good story to pitch but I do have a good idea about what I'd like to see. I really think it's as easy as flipping the genders when casting. For instance imagine Raiders of the Lost Ark with women in it, Indiana is a rugged smart strong woman and every man in the movie is now a woman, every fainting woman instead a meek guy needing to be saved, would it change the story that much? Probably not. And while I love a "feminist movie" to me it doesn't necessarily mean I need the story to be raging against the machine, it just means there needs to be women in it. I like a good escapism adventure story too. is Twelve Angry Women really that different from Twelve Angry Men? So my answer is this: cast women and girls in the lead and supporting roles of a blockbuster, tweak the story a little and that's what's going to work for me.

Still Moving

I'm almost done packing. I'm down to deciding what I need to leave out so we can live for the next few weeks and what I can pack today. So that's good. I'm almost ready to start washing the inside of the house top to bottom and now I wish there were floor drains in every room so I could just hook up a hose and power wash the place in an afternoon. I think I'm going to venture up to see my Grand parents soon and then we wait. The big pack will be on the 13th and the morning of the 14th we drive.

Good Advice

The best advice we received after getting laid off was call your creditors and tell them. Credit card companies waived payments for a few months and even the bank that has our home loan made alternate arrangements so that we won't have to make a payment until August. I thought it was important to put that out there for you all to know.

Memorial Day 2009

Book Ends

It will rain today just like it always does and then clear up in time for the parade. Today is the last annual memorial/margarita day parade at the casa de Bombadee. I am trying to commit to memory every moment of today. At 8:30 this morning the neighbors lined their chairs and blankets up in front of their houses and claimed thier viewing spaces. This is the first year Ella can remember not being in it. It's my 16th year sitting on this front porch on this day and Dan's 20th.

Thanks' George for putting this parade together year after year. When I speak of tiny town this will be one of the things I tell.

Make Me an Offer

We found an apartment. We'll get a twelve month lease on a two story, three bedroom with a study. Ella and Dan will get a room for their toys and I'll have space for my computer and easels. It has a pool and is about 15 minutes from the ocean and 15 minutes from the city. Dan is going to be looking at it when he's down there and signing a lease and then he'll fly back up and we'll load the truck and go. Ella and I will be here for a bit to finish packing and get the house clean. Now the last piece of the puzzle is selling the house. I need someone to make an offer.

How I Almost Got Arrested at Monkey Joe's - Kid's Play Place

On Tuesday we were invited over to Monkey Joe's to celebrate our pal's 4th birthday. We brought him a few very loved stuffed animals that belonged to Ella but she decided her pal would like to have them instead of packing them for the big move to Houston. Also in the bag, and a homemade card and necklace and a promise to send something cool from the Houston Space Center when we get all settled. At the door, we signed all our rights away and traded Ella's shoes for some jumpy castle fun. The adults sat down at a lovely table in the center of the facility. The kids never looked back.

As we sat and visited, Sarah the manager came over to our quiet conversation to ask if the bag on the table was a present. I answered with a puzzled yes at which time she insisted my friend then bring it out to the car as we weren't allowed to exchange gifts unless we booked a party room. (Now it was just one bag and the two of us sitting there, we didn't exactly bring in a cake and twenty kids and a sack full of wrapping papered boxes.) I quickly back tracked and said "well really then, it's just a bag of stuff I'm giving to them" and Sarah the manager said "You already told me it was a present; someone has to take it out of here - now." My pal took it out to her car.

This was when I decided I was going to do a blogular review of Monkey Joe's jumpy fun place. I took a few of pictures of the jumping kids mid air, I took a picture of the rules posted, I took a picture of Sarah the manager, I took one of the snack bar, and Sarah the manager came stomping over yelling "Did you just take a picture of me?!" Now I could've easily said no, but I was a little amused at this point and said yes. Sarah told me I wasn't allowed to just take pictures of people without their permission and she was going to call the police if I didn't delete it. This is when I started laughing, a lot. I think I even said "Really?! You've got to be kidding" and then Sarah said that if I didn't delete the picture of her right there in front of her she would ask us to leave AND call the police, then she turned to the lady at the counter and said "Call security."

This is when I did a quick review of my options

A) Stand up for myself and let her call the police who would also laugh at her but still get kicked out and the kids all cry.

B) Tell her what a rude and stupid person she was and inform her about a person's rights when they are in public and how it doesn't include being paparazzi free, but still get kicked out and the kids all cry.

C) Delete the stupid picture let the kids play and write this review.

At this time my pal told her she was a real "killjoy" and I had enough time to decide on option C. I deleted the picture while Sarah stood over my shoulder watching. It wasn't enough because she accused me of actually not deleting it and indignantly demanded I give her my phone. I handed it to her and she proceeded to delete the pictures of the jumping kids mid air, a picture of the rules posted, and one of the snack bar. I told her I would be writing a review of the place, without those pictures. She pointed her finger and said "You'd better not write anything slanderous about me, the authorities will find out, and you'll have to remove it." and I laughed again and asked her if she was implying I would lie about her on the internet. She said no and stomped away mumbling something like "You'd just better not."

A little later she appeared again to hand me her boss’s business card and say she already informed her boss of the whole situation, I thanked her and told her I would be informing the internet. I think she was trying to apologize, but I didn't actually hear the phrase "I'm sorry" what I actually heard was more threats about writing this piece. I wanted to tell her - if you don't want people to think you're an ass then you've just gotta not act like an ass, but the afternoon really wasn't about me and I was pretty sure I couldn't put the toothpaste back into the tube if I said it, so I didn't - I just nodded.

The rest of the visit was wonderful for the kids and I really considered live blogging it from the free high-speed internet next to the recliners and the big screen TV in the adult relaxation area while the kids burned off whatever endless energy they had flinging their bodies about and sliding down giant inclines, but I was really trying not to get kicked out at that point. I didn't know if Sarah would come stomping out again and read what I was doing over my shoulder at the computers, so I just sat at the tables. When we finally left I asked the lady at the snack bar for the manager's name and she said she couldn't tell me what it was.

So after all that, my conclusion - I recommend Monkey Joe's, but not Sarah.

(Rockford franchise on Tuesday, May 19th between 10:30 and 1:00pm.)

I'll catch you up.

I'm frustrated I haven't had time to write.

I almost got arrested at Monkey Joe's yesterday (I wish I was joking.)

I've found some of the coolest things while sorting (lost jewelery, money, letters and pictures from politicians - including Rod Blagojevich .)

It' surprising what I've decided I can't live without and am packing.

The experience of packing is like having your life flash before your eyes, only it's not a flash, it's a long grueling process.

I miss skating.

I finally got sick of the "Beastie Boys" station on Pandora I've been mostly listening to since I started packing and switched to Led Zepplin/BobMarley/Rolling Stones.