November 23, 2009
The way I see it, life is a series of seasons. Maybe more aptly, of trade-offs.  The horror of childbirth segues to the astonishment of motherhood.  The labor of planting gives way to harvest.  A lousy summer fades into a blessed fall.  And too many gaping days of work in a row earn a reprieve. Tomorrow, I fly off to one of my favorite cities on earth to meet a friend and get lost for the holiday.  And I will soak in every evening wander down along the Seine and the smell of patisseries – brash espresso and bread ballooning in a brick oven and news print.  I will listen to every word I don’t understand and smile until they smile back and eat and drink and be thankful.  And when I return, I expect it will all start over and I’ll re-earn this fallow time.  But for the week, I will do nothing but enjoy the present and truly know today (and tomorrow), Je suis béni. Have a peaceful Thanksgiving, my friends!

The way I see it, life is a series of seasons. Maybe more aptly, of trade-offs.  The horror of childbirth segues to the astonishment of motherhood.  The labor of planting gives way to harvest.  A lousy summer fades into a blessed fall.  And too many gaping days of work in a row earn a reprieve.

Tomorrow, I fly off to one of my favorite cities on earth to meet a friend and get lost for the holiday.  And I will soak in every evening wander down along the Seine and the smell of patisseries – brash espresso and bread ballooning in a brick oven and news print.  I will listen to every word I don’t understand and smile until they smile back and eat and drink and be thankful.  And when I return, I expect it will all start over and I’ll re-earn this fallow time.  But for the week, I will do nothing but enjoy the present and truly know today (and tomorrow), Je suis béni.

Have a peaceful Thanksgiving, my friends!

Work is mad today but I like my outfit. So I have that going for me, which is nice.

Work is mad today but I like my outfit. So I have that going for me, which is nice.

“ Good Morning. I have a question I hope you can answer. How does one go about getting an item on all state ballots?
So I have a grandmother who is….colorful.  A big fan of harshly conservative political and religious forwards which have incited several arguments between us followed by long periods of radio silence.  Somehow, she’s found her way on to Facebook, which is another story entirely. 

This morning, I received this email from her - which is equally terrifying and hilarious. I don’t even want to know what she is up to.
November 22, 2009
“ Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.

Susan B. Anthony (via syntheticpubes, edkohler)

I knew there was a smart reason I loved bikes. And feminists.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“Folding Chair” - Regina Spektor

Catching up on too much work…thankful for goofy, spirit lifting, perspective-bringing songs.


Come and open up your folding chair next to me
My feet are buried in the sand and there’s a breeze
There’s a shadow
You can’t see my eyes
And the sea is just a wetter version of the skies

Let’s get a silver bullet trailer and have a baby boy,
I’ll safety pin his clothes all cool and you’ll graffiti up his toys
I’ve got a perfect body, but sometimes I forget
I’ve got a perfect body, ‘cause my eyelashes catch my sweat
yes they do
They do

November 21, 2009
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

My Saturday morning roadtrip music!

“If This is It” - Huey Lewis

(It was a tough call between this and “Stuck with You.” I don’t even know what to tell you about my musical inclinations this week…I’ve no good defense!)

“

My grandfather has always loved his computer. When I was in college in the late ’90s he created an account for Instant Messenger. Bypass82 was his handle, because his first bypass surgery was in 1982.

He used to I.M. me in college all the time, but he never quite got the hang of the short, conversational phrases typically used in that kind of communication. Our conversations went something like this:

Charles: Hi Grandpa, how’s Florida?

Charles: Hot?

Bypass82: Dear Charlie, Things are going very well here. The weather is clear and warm with a chance of some showers this afternoon. Your aunt is coming to visit next week and we are very excited. Love, Grandpa

* * * * *

HAVING a heart-to-heart with my grandfather over the phone is no simple matter. In addition to his slew of geriatric maladies, he is becoming increasingly deaf. A few months earlier, when he was hospitalized for what we thought was going to be his last heart attack, I called him in intensive care and yelled into my cellphone: “I love you, Grandpa. You really mean a lot to me.” To which he kept saying: “What? Who is this?” until I finally gave up and sent him a heartfelt fax to the nurses’ station.

This time, my grandfather apologized for having opened a Facebook account in the first place and told me he was deactivating it. I tried to talk him out of such a rash overreaction, but he literally wouldn’t hear of it. So much for my happy vision of him following his grandchildren’s lives by reading their wall posts and viewing their photo galleries; that was finished, collateral damage of my own Facebook-fueled meltdown.

Of course, it wasn’t lost on me that I should have been the one un-friending my ex and closing out my Facebook account. And someday maybe I will. But not today.

I don’t even know which parts of this article to quote. It is funny and charming, so maybe you should just go read it.

via modern love

Just got home to find

Joseph Gordon Levitt on Jimmy Fallon.

Inappropriate crush affirmed!

November 20, 2009

sometimesagreatnotion:

You Don’t Make It Easy, Babe - Josh Ritter

Here I am standing at your window again…

Hey, this is for you, friend.  Try or don’t try, I don’t care.  But thought it was applicable for your life soundtrack right now.

PS - Thanks for the recommendation, Chad!

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“To Be With You” - Mr. Big

So I took another long drive with a music guy last night and this time, I got to pick the songs – and he would invariably find them on his ipod and grant my wish no matter how cheesy.  And it is so much like Jr. High…not just because I chose Extreme, UB40 and Motley Crue but because it is sweet and easy and fun. He even let me request Christmas songs, and rolled through tiny prewar streets searching for the every 10th ambitious house that already has their lights up.

But of all the songs, singing along to this one was the highlight.