snow day

it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. the storm was so well predicted that everybody was prepared for today to be a snow day.

everybody but me.

i forgot to have pooka bring home her snow pants and i left bug's snow boots at daycare. i also left my desk at work with half-finished projects (some of which are christmas related).

this really screws with my pto time, too. i only had one day left, which i planned to use on tuesday to take pooka to clinic. with both the elementary school AND daycare closed (that never happens) i had no choice but to stay home. i could take pooka to work with me, but there is no way i can contain bug for 8 hours at work and actually get anything done. so tuesday i can either try to hurry and get to work for half a day or have poppa take her. pooh. i had planned on movies and a haircut with her.

once i dragged myself out of bed (after being rudely jolted out of a doze by bug who was wielding a pen all over my sheets, my devotional book, oh, and herself) i decided to make the most of the day. but when i asked gleefully who wanted to play in the snow, i was greeted with silence and blank stares. my new boss had ok'd me staying home, but as it turned out, kisu forgot his meds and i was going to take them to him. uh, that is, i was gonna try. we got about a mile away before concluded that the effort was not worth it. even in zed, the roads were slow going with at least 8 inches of snow and no plows in sight.

so we promptly turned around and i convinced the kids to play in the yard, instead. while pooka went inside to add more layers, i took bug for a sled ride. i started too fast for her at first and she was nervous. when i slowed down, she started to enjoy it. we were heading in for a break, when she leaned over to look at something and stuck her face right in a snow bank. she laughed until she realized how cold it was.
once pooka (finally!) came back out, i put both of them in the sled. it's amazing how much harder it was to pull with two kids in it. they both enjoyed it, though, until the end of the ride when i dumped them out. pooka's legs actually ended up planting bug deeper into the snow. she was pissed! pooka was laughing, though.

it was a lot colder than it usually is when snow is falling (how does that work, anyway?) so we didn't stay out long, only 10 minutes or so. when we came in i got the girls changed and in the big bed to warm up. i threw the wet stuff in the dryer for a potential return engagement and made some hot cocoa. it might have been bug's first try and since i put it in a sippy cup, she downed it superfast.
we spent the rest of the day sleeping, basically.

camp casey 2008

i thought this was going to be a beautiful day. i wore a tank top to show off my guns get some color on my arms. i obviously missed the weather forecast that called for winds, afternoon showers, and a high of only 70. duh. fortunately, we got the riding taken care of before the yuckiness set in. i ended up permanently borrowing a camp casey t-shirt to try and keep warm. it didn't help that much, but i appreciate it nonetheless. thanks, molly!

bug and pooka actually rode the same horse. i don't know if that was planning on the wranglers' part or just chance. pooka looked a little silly on the tiny horse. last year she was on the stately sjigborn. i would have been disappointed, myself, to be on such a pacific specimen, but i think the wranglers like them that way. and pooka just likes being on any horse. (she still pretends to remove the tack from and brush the horse at the grocery store after a ride.)

they had a balloon twister man at this session. it was fascinating watching him create such a variety of creatures. i have never seen some of the things he was doing. a balloon bracelet? too cool. i wanted a ladybug one for bug, but he had a sign prominently displayed that stated no balloons for under 3, and i felt that it would be wrong to ask for one for me.


sadly, this video is kinda crappy, but you can get a glimpse of how she was enjoying the ride before she started getting antsy. they pulled her off the horse before she could start screeching and send the other kids' mounts galloping in terror get really upset.

ballet universe

for the longest time pooka has declared that she wants to be a ballerina when she grows up. eventually, she'll realize that she's more cut out to be supreme ruler of the galaxy president. in the meantime, she takes ballet class courtesy of granny. granny found the studio, pays the bill, and taxis her to and from class.

since i have no interaction with the process, it's like a completely different world that she inhabits. i have no idea what goes on there. (well, i know what happens at a dance school. i myself took ballet for a brief 8 months as a child.) kisu went to a recent rehearsal, but i have never even been to the studio.

it's a bit frightening to be so ignorant of what is, really, a fairly large part of her life. it's her favorite activity. i don't know her teachers, her friends, anything about how she perceives her own ability. (she doesn't talk much about it--teenager already.) i don't worry about her because i know that granny is there, but it's awkward having that void in my picture of her life. at her age, i should still be all about the details of her activities and thoughts. but then again, she has always been a precocious child. i just don't want to get too comfortable with her having a 'secret' from me.

i don't know if she's any good. she could be the next...um, whoever's hot in ballet right now, or she could be a total clutz. one of those kids who staggers around stage, completely oblivious to the rhythm of the music or the steps of the routine they've been practicing for 6 months. i fervently hope that she at least holds herself together and makes a decent showing. i hope that she feels that she does well. that's more important than how i think she performs.

i asked her if she's ready and she said no. when will she be ready? according to her, "saturday." i don't know if she was intentionally naming a day AFTER the recital, or if that was some arbitrary day she chose. i thought it was pretty amusing, though. i don't want her to be paralyzed with stage fright. given her personality, i don't think that's likely, but she's never been on a stage this big before.

one way or another, i am going to be thoroughly surprised by what i see at friday's recital. (by the way, who schedules a dance recital--or any physical enterprise for that matter--on friday the 13th?)

Irene; 19 years gone

Husband gave his life and soul
to fight for homeland’s self-control.
Stranded, she took on the charge
to solve the problem looming large.
From a war zone she escaped
her children’s future to reshape.
Alone she brought her family
to foreign lands across the sea.
Lacking language but not grit
failure she would not admit.
Once arrived she would not rest
pushed each child to do their best.
Fought for that which she believed
with faith and hard work she achieved.
Her fondest dreams were at arm’s length
when she unleashed her inner strength.

5/9/06

music critic

driving home from work last week, i heard a song that shook me up a bit. on the one hand, i rather liked the music and the rhythm, but i was dismayed by the lyrics.

(as if anyone was inclined to misidentify him) the singer declared "i'm not Jesus. Jesus wasn't fair."

sure. life isn't fair. Jesus wasn't fair. Jesus was extremely unfair. Incredibly biased--towards others. what did he do to deserve his punishment? everyone else gets out of eternal damnation. yeah, that's fair.

then he goes on to say, "your God is looking down on me" and "i'm not Jesus, i will not forgive."
i have grudge-holding issues myself, but i always aspire to be better. this guy is just wallowing in self-pity and rage for whatever was trespassed against him.

religious blather aside, i suspect that the songwriter made a syntactical mistake. he says "I’ve thought you talked to god. Your hippocratic messiah and child abusive turned satanic."

i can't help but think he means 'hypocritic' here and it just makes me crack up.

(for the record the band was apocolyptica.)

but let's disregard my issues with lyrical malapropism and enjoy the irony that was created with the juxtaposition of the next song; one diametrically opposed on a theological scale. nickelback's "If Everyone Cared".

i love that song. musically, it's like an empty-calorie snack, but i love the message and i can't help but feel uplifted after hearing it.

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

[Chorus:]
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

don't you just want to hug someone?

a gift and a responsibility

her eyes possess a sparkle
seen only in the skies
her nose a charming wrinkle
when flashing gummy smiles
her chubby thighs are begging
so fondly to be pinched
she tightly holds my heartbeat
between her fists when clenched
a perfect soul residing
within this fragile frame
entrusted to my keeping
and carrying my name

better late than never

i was looking through my little notebook of musings and came across this. should have posted on monday, obviously, but as the title says....


when duty sounds its ardent call
it pulls the bravest souls;
all those who aren't afraid to fall
pursuing higher goals.
the duty often is disdained
and those who do it spurned,
but see how quickly we profane
the liberties they've earned.
we owe a debt of gratitude
to those who've fought to shield
our privileges and attitude
and tools of honor wield.