NO shame on you!

When I was a kid, certain parts of a person's anatomy (including my own) were referred to as "naughty parts." This was common practice in those strange, post-Victorian days of the 70's and 80's. But here in this new millennium and I smell the whiff of progress. Or just the whiff of some kids who need to get in the tub and wash their parts.

We are wising up: it isn't necessarily helpful or useful to shame any part of a child's body, or their thoughts and curiosities.

I'll have the #3, no wait...make it the Confit Arctic Char (part II of II)

I showed up about 3 decades late to the "thing" party. Somehow it feels important for me to figure this out. I should know how to:
a) order the oyster,
b) open the oyster.

Otherwise, I would be all, "Hey girls, the world is your oyster. I have no idea how to order it off the menu or eat it when it gets here though, so let's just safely order from a numbered fast food menu." (If you post comments I may later plagiarize them-thanks for funny fast food joke, sis.)

Hence, my recent piano lesson and goal-setting binge. I wanted to model something for my children. Something that showed them the importance of working hard, weathering the storms, perseverance, blah, blah, blah. But signing up for lessons and making proclamations was the easy part. I was unprepared for what followed.

landlocked geniuses-yay for comments and contests!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my contest. I had lots of fun with this and learned so much. It is my most sincere desire to keep the dialogue going. As one of my friends said, it can be a "sea of idiocy out there" but clearly the opposite is going down here (see clever title).

I am going to be experimenting with some ways to track comments and do give aways from time to time. Not so much as a bribe (although I am not above bribes, hint hint) but because this was fun and a nice way to give back to my readers and commenters who truly give so much to me; I hope that everyone takes away as much as I do.


<<<me giving you a present...or you greasing the Franzia wheels? 

And while you are all winners in my book; we do have an official winner and it is.....KAY!!! Thank you all again and please keep it coming. There could be an oyster shucker or Mombie coffee cup in your future.

it's your thing (part I of II)

A friend of mine was telling me about a recent workshop for writers. She said, in referring to the other attendees:
"writing is to them ... as I am to running."

Meaning they were all quite serious about the craft (my friend is a crazy good runner – she actually wins races). This stayed with me for weeks. And not because I am obsessed with analogies, although I did once score quite highly on the Miller Analogy Test. But because I realized, with stark clarity, that I have no " as I am to ... (thing)." I don't have a "thing." I can't keep trying to slip the Miller Analogy Test deal into conversation. Besides, they changed the scoring a few years back so my score is now both uninteresting AND irrelevant.

There is a story in the Bible about 3 people. God gives them each a talent – some use it, some squander it. One day I asked my mom what my talent was. She gave some very appropriate answers but nothing that satisfied my kid self. For many reasons – one being a lack of self-confidence – I never really figured this talent thing out.

The silver lining was that I imagined some crazy, latent talent was about to bust loose up in here. My talent would lead me to become a media sensation, with the YouTube video of me doing [talent] going viral instantly. Here are some sample headlines and a picture of Susan Boyle (because I thought that would be fun):

brain food

<<< Do you want this as much as I do? Seriously, don't even talk to me until I've had my 2nd cup o' brains.

Over the next few weeks I've decided to re-envision this project. You are certain to find it absolutely fabulous. The first order of business: steer this ship towards being primarily an exchange -- less about what I write and much more focus on the (hopefully) resulting dialogue. I love you for your brains (in a non-zombie way) and I want your comments.

streetwalkers update

I wanted to have more to report when updating on our pedestrian safety campaign but things are pretty slow going so I am going to go ahead and give the breathless masses the skinny.

<<< I got married to this image after my original post. I am thinking of adopting this as my alter-ego for the duration of the campaign. Would going to meetings in full costume be too much?

I was able to meet last week with David Woosley, the head of the Lawrence Traffic Safety Commision. Mr. Woosely was incredibly helpful in giving me some very clear direction in the Now What/What Next department. I spoke at length with a traffic officer at the Lawrence Police Dept today and will meet again with a community liaison sometime in the coming weeks, then it will be back to the city commission. The lags are a bit frustrating but the city and the LPD have been WONDERFUL in helping me get in touch with the right person, set up meetings etc.

Thank you so much for all of your continued interest and active support!

i always feel like somebody's watching me (part II of gin...)

My 4 year old is in that wonderful stage of development where she is obsessed with rules. I have read Piaget and I get it. She is at an integral and first stage of developing a functioning morality. She will move on to a time when she can be more nuanced, less black and white, less rigid; unless she ends up a Republican (relax Small Govt Steve-I kid!). But holy crap, is she ever hard to live with right now. Of course I can't say crap, that's a bad word, and I so don't want to get hauled in for questioning. She has instituted a preschool police state, a toddler-tarian regime.

 these two fellas are so heavily represented in my house that it reeks of pipe and cigar smoke