Am I Blog Enough For You?

…I Hope I Can Remember Them All

1. Took the kids to Elysium Fry’s a few weeks ago. Matt wanted a car from the funky little toy aisle there. I got him a little remote control car, which of course was destroyed within 24 hours because he left it in the “yarden.” It still looks car-like, so it is satisfactory for Matt even though it no longer remote controlled but rather very locally controlled. So then Stephanie had to get something, and with some gentle nudging I bought her a microscope science kit.

We got home and looked at the locust bits that came with the set. Then we went out to the “yarden” to kill bugs and look at them. First was a hapless ant. Then Steph found a lady bug, but I hesitated because it seemed kind of harsh to kill a bug. I somehow forgot that they can fly, so it got away easily. Steph yelled at me for letting it go because kids are ice cold about bugs. The snail Steph caught was too icky for me for kill, dissect, and slice for a slide. This is why I tend more toward the electronic/computer side of scientific inquiry.

So we went inside for a change of stuff to look at. We looked at some turtle water and saw some tiny round bugs with a little tail looking thingie sticking out. I wish I could take a picture of it because I have no idea what it was. Anyway, a whole bunch of them live in Emma Turtle’s water so think about that the next time you stick your hand in turtle water. Then we looked at salt (giant cubes, explained about crystals to Steph), bread, human hair, and cat hair.

Diana is so nice that when our cat threw up in our bedroom she asked us if we wanted to look at it before she cleaned it up. Very considerate, but we passed.

2. Matt has lots of funny sayings that are fascinating because (1) he’s going through a particular fascinating period so everything he does is fascinating and (2) it gives glimpses into his little three-year-old language processing brain. Of course, Diana and I have picked these sayings from him. We did this with Stephanie’s little sayings (like “I awake!”), and eventually she would just correct us until we felt stupid for still using them. Here are the best ones:

-Yarden — this is a combination of “yard” and “garden.” Now we call the backyard “the yarden”
-Parking lock — instead of “parking lot.” Steph did this one too. Maybe that’s where he got it.
-I not will — This is an old one that mean “I won’t.” Like this: “Don’t do that again.” “I not will.” “Oh, he’s so cute! Let’s never scold him again.”
-Mines — This is the first-person version of “yours.” It kind of makes sense. Like this: “Not yours!” “No!!!!! Mines!!!!!”
-It spells XXX — Any time Matt sees numbers or letters on something, he assumes that it spells whatever the thing is. So he’ll find writing on the side of a truck and say, “It spells ‘bus,’” and then be all proud of himself. This one is suprisingly fun to say.

3. The family is away on vacation. I stayed behind to work. It’s strange to have all this time to myself, but it affords a look into what my life might be like if I had never married and had kids. Here it is: Watching Netflix movies until 2:00am; getting into work around 9:30; working really late; dicking around on the Internet; buying comic books and CDs; spending Friday night eating at a cafe, reading, and people watching; having extensive interior monologues; not eating; thinking about going to Berkeley and hanging out. So basically it’s the life I had when I was single before, except with Internet in it. (Sorry ladies, I’m taken.)

I’m serious about the not eating part. When left alone I forget to eat. It’s 4:10pm, and all I’ve had today is coffee, toast, and jelly beans. I remembered this because I was curious why I was having trouble remembering how to spell certain words. Then I remembered that I forgot to eat lunch. This is why I weighed ~175 lbs. when I met Diana and weigh 210 lbs now.

Conversely, when I’m at work I forget to pee. I will be walking between meetings some time in the afternoon and suddenly feel a pain in my abdomen. Then I’ll remember that I haven’t peed since mid-morning.

4. I woke up with a headache yesterday morning. Though I foolishly tried to power through it, by the late morning it was strong enough that I went back home. Not even Excedrin Migraine and Advil could get through it. It didn’t seem like a migraine because there was no aura part. Maybe that part happened while I was sleeping, though that doesn’t seem likely. Would I have blind spots in my dreams like I do in real life?

I’m pretty sure that it was a headache related to this stupid sore throat that I’ve been fighting all week. I’ve been spending the first few minutes of every day this week bent over the sink coughing stuff up like a grey-headed Charles Highway.

Yesterday was the second Friday in a row that I was home because of being sick. And it was also the second Friday in a row that we had perfect weather. (And I mean Elysium perfect weather, which is ten times better than whatever you consider perfect weather where you live, unless maybe you live in Berkeley.) So in the middle of my headache were anxious thoughts that people think that I’m out having fun instead of lying in bed having fitful dreams about drilling holes in my skull. Though anyone who really knew me would know that I don’t actually do fun things.

5. We are almost done having our office remodeled. Blank shelves feel so luxurious to look at and contemplate. And they are luxurious to put things on, too. For example: my genealogy folders, binders, and periodicals are right next to each other on a shelf and not five feet away from my head. And: our Smith Barney statements from 1996 to 2006 are sitting beautifully, collated in the correct order in their labelled binders. I swear on all that is sacred that the only entropy this office will know is the heat coming from of the computer fans.

My stereo system is reinstalled as of this afternoon. I can play LPs again, so I am. I can play mp3s of my computer, so I am. I can watch the backlog of Cheaters shows that I recorded, so I am. I am a being of pure will and organization.

6. The reasons I’m thinking about going into Berkeley are (1) Ameoba’s LP digging to celebrate being able to play LPs again, (2) get some Top Dog because I feel weak, though I’ll probably stop in San Mateo for a burrito, (3) Go to Moe’s, (4) walk around Telegraph and north campus because it this week marks 17 years ago since I arrived in California. I tend to do (4) every year. I go look at places that seemed so strange and powerful when I was 22 and then filter my memories through the 17 years since I arrived. Last year was interesting in that I felt absolutely nothing at the usual landmarks, so I bought some soul compliations and went home. The Tower Records on Durant is gone now, so I will go look at the empty storefront. I don’t know what it means, but I know I’m compelled to do it each year.