The Class of 2021!
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
New Year's Day
Last week one of the food bank volunteers told me this story:
When her youngest son was six, he begged to stay up until midnight and the start of the new year. She stayed up with him watching Dick Clark on TV and when the ball dropped (again) on TV and the neighbors started banging their pots and pans, he ran outside.
"Mama!" he cried, "Nothing happened! Something should happen, right?!"
When I was a kid, I was convinced that a meteor would fly by the earth at the moment the new year began, and that I would be able to see it in the sky over San Francisco. I never did see that light streaking by, but I still expect I will if I look out the window at the right moment.
When her youngest son was six, he begged to stay up until midnight and the start of the new year. She stayed up with him watching Dick Clark on TV and when the ball dropped (again) on TV and the neighbors started banging their pots and pans, he ran outside.
"Mama!" he cried, "Nothing happened! Something should happen, right?!"
When I was a kid, I was convinced that a meteor would fly by the earth at the moment the new year began, and that I would be able to see it in the sky over San Francisco. I never did see that light streaking by, but I still expect I will if I look out the window at the right moment.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Behind The List, Part Two
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
Yep, still married to him.
69. Toured ancient sites
When Mom and I went to Paris, we went under the plaza in front of Notre Dame where they were excavating an ancient Gaul village that had been found when a bank was trying to build a vault. That blew my mind.
72. Gotten married
See #68.
I've been shacked up with a couple people too. But I knew when getting married was the right thing to do.
73. Been in a movie
'68. A terrible film I have had the privilege of seeing three times. I was an extra and spent the day in Golden Gate Park dressed like a hippie and dancing to John Cippolina. The movie is unbelievably awful, but not because of me.
77. Made cookies from scratch
But they always suck. I can't even get the famous Mrs. Field's recipe to come out right. I am, however, good at my mom's brownies.
84. Performed on stage
I played Hattie in the aforementioned Laundry and Bourbon. The first sound was my cue to both enter and speak. From backstage I was allowed to ring the doorbell that would start the action. On opening night I saw the slashes of bright lights through the windows in the set, took a deep breath, moved into character, and pushed the doorbell.
85. Been to Las Vegas
I've only been there with Zirpu. The first time we went, not long after we started dating, the person at the check-in counter looked at my ID and asked if my last name would be the same when I came back.
88. Kissed on the first date
However, not Zirpu.
90. Bought a house
We had looked at or driven by over 100 houses, but when we walked into this one, we knew it was the one we wanted. There was a big family room in the back part of the house, and we both immediately thought, "Ballroom!"
92. Buried one/both of your parents
Dad died of cancer in March of 1974. He wasn't buried; Mom scattered his ashes over Half Moon Bay.
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
When Shobi-wan graduated we moved to Portland. It took me a long time to find a job, the first one of which was in a health insurance company. After a few months, the publishing company I'd really wanted to work for called me because the person they'd hired over me had been arrested for stealing credit card numbers when she was taking book orders over the phone.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
I must have done this. . . haven't I?
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
July 30, 2003
110. Broken someone’s heart
But a piece of my heart broke off too.
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
If the football field at my college is "the wild", yes.
118. Ridden a horse
When we went up to Tahoe in the summer with DeeKay's family, often we would go on a horseback ride at one of those places where you ride a horse on mountain paths. I liked that, but when No and I went to Camp Beaverbrook I liked my Western horse-riding boots much better than I liked riding the horses. I remember that all of the kids in camp dreaded "getting stuck with" one particularly stubborn horse.
127. Eaten sushi
I first had sushi in junior high school when Mom and I went to Fuki-Ya in Japantown. I don't remember what No did on those nights, but it was our time to hang out together. I don't even remember much about those evenings except that they were "our time."
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
Recently, because of a feature on the food bank's new digs and the Food Bank Director and I were both in the shot. My favorite one, though, is the year Shobi-wan and I marched in the Pride Parade in Portland and a photo from above of the Gay and Lesbian Chorus was on the front page of the Oregonian. I knew we had marched ahead of them in that parade and found us in the photo, even though we were small!
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
I started to read The Odyssey after seeing O Brother, Where Art Thou? I hate to say I couldn't get through it so it's still on my list of "Classics I Should Read."
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
I read Giovanni's Room after I graduated from college. I found it full of self-loathing and so I didn't like it. Of course, I may have to read it again, but I think I will read James Baldwin's other books first. I read Giovanni's Room because that was the book from which Baldwin read for Calliope Records, a short-lived company my father had in the early 1960s recording authors reading from their own works onto 45's.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
I do this at the food bank often. In fact, I talk to people who speak Vietnamese, Cantonese, Korean, and an African dialect on a regular basis. Whenever I have a conversation with someone in Spanish, I start with "Mi espanol no esta muy bueno" and afterwards thank my 10th and 11th grade Spanish teacher, Sr. Crossley, wherever he is. You get a long, long way with good will and sound effects.
146. Dyed your hair
I've done red once and pink twice. I've bleached it. I plan to dye it purple before 2008 begins.
148. Shaved your head
JR shaved my head for me about a year and a half ago. It was really cool and I felt so hip! Mom hated it, but Zirpu liked it.
149. Caused a car accident
According to the other driver, I had come into his lane on 280SB on the way to Tanforan Mall when I was a sophomore in college. I had originally tried to merge right and someone moved up into the space I planning to go for. Supposedly I overcorrected and went into the lane on my left. That's the reason I think I know what happened when the person who crashed into my car did so.
Yep, still married to him.
69. Toured ancient sites
When Mom and I went to Paris, we went under the plaza in front of Notre Dame where they were excavating an ancient Gaul village that had been found when a bank was trying to build a vault. That blew my mind.
72. Gotten married
See #68.
I've been shacked up with a couple people too. But I knew when getting married was the right thing to do.
73. Been in a movie
'68. A terrible film I have had the privilege of seeing three times. I was an extra and spent the day in Golden Gate Park dressed like a hippie and dancing to John Cippolina. The movie is unbelievably awful, but not because of me.
77. Made cookies from scratch
But they always suck. I can't even get the famous Mrs. Field's recipe to come out right. I am, however, good at my mom's brownies.
84. Performed on stage
I played Hattie in the aforementioned Laundry and Bourbon. The first sound was my cue to both enter and speak. From backstage I was allowed to ring the doorbell that would start the action. On opening night I saw the slashes of bright lights through the windows in the set, took a deep breath, moved into character, and pushed the doorbell.
85. Been to Las Vegas
I've only been there with Zirpu. The first time we went, not long after we started dating, the person at the check-in counter looked at my ID and asked if my last name would be the same when I came back.
88. Kissed on the first date
However, not Zirpu.
90. Bought a house
We had looked at or driven by over 100 houses, but when we walked into this one, we knew it was the one we wanted. There was a big family room in the back part of the house, and we both immediately thought, "Ballroom!"
92. Buried one/both of your parents
Dad died of cancer in March of 1974. He wasn't buried; Mom scattered his ashes over Half Moon Bay.
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
When Shobi-wan graduated we moved to Portland. It took me a long time to find a job, the first one of which was in a health insurance company. After a few months, the publishing company I'd really wanted to work for called me because the person they'd hired over me had been arrested for stealing credit card numbers when she was taking book orders over the phone.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
I must have done this. . . haven't I?
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
July 30, 2003
110. Broken someone’s heart
But a piece of my heart broke off too.
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
If the football field at my college is "the wild", yes.
118. Ridden a horse
When we went up to Tahoe in the summer with DeeKay's family, often we would go on a horseback ride at one of those places where you ride a horse on mountain paths. I liked that, but when No and I went to Camp Beaverbrook I liked my Western horse-riding boots much better than I liked riding the horses. I remember that all of the kids in camp dreaded "getting stuck with" one particularly stubborn horse.
127. Eaten sushi
I first had sushi in junior high school when Mom and I went to Fuki-Ya in Japantown. I don't remember what No did on those nights, but it was our time to hang out together. I don't even remember much about those evenings except that they were "our time."
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
Recently, because of a feature on the food bank's new digs and the Food Bank Director and I were both in the shot. My favorite one, though, is the year Shobi-wan and I marched in the Pride Parade in Portland and a photo from above of the Gay and Lesbian Chorus was on the front page of the Oregonian. I knew we had marched ahead of them in that parade and found us in the photo, even though we were small!
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
I started to read The Odyssey after seeing O Brother, Where Art Thou? I hate to say I couldn't get through it so it's still on my list of "Classics I Should Read."
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
I read Giovanni's Room after I graduated from college. I found it full of self-loathing and so I didn't like it. Of course, I may have to read it again, but I think I will read James Baldwin's other books first. I read Giovanni's Room because that was the book from which Baldwin read for Calliope Records, a short-lived company my father had in the early 1960s recording authors reading from their own works onto 45's.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
I do this at the food bank often. In fact, I talk to people who speak Vietnamese, Cantonese, Korean, and an African dialect on a regular basis. Whenever I have a conversation with someone in Spanish, I start with "Mi espanol no esta muy bueno" and afterwards thank my 10th and 11th grade Spanish teacher, Sr. Crossley, wherever he is. You get a long, long way with good will and sound effects.
146. Dyed your hair
I've done red once and pink twice. I've bleached it. I plan to dye it purple before 2008 begins.
148. Shaved your head
JR shaved my head for me about a year and a half ago. It was really cool and I felt so hip! Mom hated it, but Zirpu liked it.
149. Caused a car accident
According to the other driver, I had come into his lane on 280SB on the way to Tanforan Mall when I was a sophomore in college. I had originally tried to merge right and someone moved up into the space I planning to go for. Supposedly I overcorrected and went into the lane on my left. That's the reason I think I know what happened when the person who crashed into my car did so.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Behind The List, Part One
Surfing around the NaBloPoMo list, I ran across this blog written by a woman who's raising eight kids with her partner. It's kind of a mommy blog on steroids, but not quite - it's a family consisting of eight children and two lesbians, certainly a unique point of view.
Anyway, she posted this list. There's 150 of them, which is too many. I was much more curious about the ones she had done, so I thought I would borrow the idea and expand upon my own answers. However, I think I have to break it across two posts.
03. Climbed a mountain
Does Rocky Road, aka Corona Heights, count? All of us neighborhood kids took summertime classes at the Randall Junior Museum. Sometimes afterwards we walked up the long, eastern side of Rocky Road to its peak to look over the city and the bay toward Oakland.
06. Held a tarantula
I forget if this was part of sixth grade Science Camp or at the Randall Junior Museum, but we all sat in a circle and the tarantula walked across our hands as we held them close to each other, palms up, to make a path for the tarantula.
A college friend of mine was so afraid of spiders that when they made him do this is sixth grade, he freaked out and threw the tarantula across the room.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
When I was a kid, the Coos had some property up in Healdsburg, with a cabin that was basically one big room and a sink that had a hose from the creek. There was an old barn, a great treehouse, and an outhouse. There was also a sauna on a deck attached to the cabin. Inside the sauna was an old bathtub in which we would pour about three inches of icy water from the creek, and we'd sit in the tub when we got too hot (DeeKay, as I've mentioned, never did). One night we were all in the sauna with some older kids (I don't remember who they were, except they were teenagers) and they had brought candles into the sauna with us. They had to keep lighting them because there wasn't enough oxygen for them to burn with all of us kids in that little space.
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
Many times.
09. Hugged a tree
I remember a field trip to see some old-growth redwoods. The ranger had some kids in the class hold hands and circle the tree to see how big around it was. We stretched our arms as much as we could and it still took six or eight of us to wrap ourselves around the tree.
11. Visited Paris
Mom called me in January '96 and said, "Round trip tickets to Paris are $400. Want to go?" I arranged coverage at both my jobs, paid for express mail and express processing for my passport, and we spent a week walking all over Paris. Highlights: The Musee D'Orsay and watching a parade of veterans walking up the Champs Elysee to the Arc d'Triomphe, in which hung the largest flag I've ever seen.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Several times, in different states and different states of mind.
15. Gone to a huge sports game
Mom took No and me to see the Giants play the Cincinnati Reds at Candlestick Park when we were kids. I may have been ten at the most. It was much warmer than we'd expected and we sat on our parkas. I was rooting for the home team, but probably read a book during most of the game.
19. Slept under the stars
I was in college the first time I slept in a tent. In second and third grade we went on class camping trips and slept under the trees. one year he place we camped had three-sided shelters, which coincidentally was the same year it rained and rained. There were a bunch of parents, but many many kids - two classrooms' worth, plus our siblings.
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
I hated babysitting. Not because of diapers so much as because of babies. Weird to think that the four children I babysat are now about 30 years old.
22. Watched a meteor shower
A bunch of us working on Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star in the summer of 1990 went out to Yelm to watch the stars fall. It was some big named meteor shower, though I can't remember which one. The assistant director of the show was from Yelm, and she said it would be dark enough out there to see. It was. We sat on a picnic cloth, drank wine, talked, and got home really late.
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
But I can't really see through telescopes because my vision is so bad.
29. Asked out a stranger
Zirpu and I met on Craigslist. We exchanged a few emails and then arranged to meet in real life. Did I suggest meeting first? I don't exactly remember.
30. Had a snowball fight
A few days a year, usually in late January or early February, the college would have to declare a snow day because it was too hard, or too dangerous, for students and professors to get to school.Our house was near campus so lot of people would come over and we would go on walks, have snowball fights, and drink hot chocolate and eat the cookies or brownies or whatever other good things Jujubi baked.
34. Ridden a roller coaster
Willard's Whizzer and the iconic roller coaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and The Demon at Great America.
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
What does a fool dancing look like? I've done so much dancing that I've probably looked like a fool at least once. I have a still photo of dancing bolero with Zirpu in which I look totally clumsy and graceless.
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
I took acting classes at Attic Theater when I was in junior high school. One evening after class a friend and I spoke in British (or British-ish) accents for the whole ride home. We were in a cab, and were talking as if we were in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. The cabbie probably thought we were show-offs, which we were.
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
Much longer than a moment, and at more than one time. Like these days, for example, despite crankiness due to work burnout.
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
One night when Bink was in law school, she had a party at her house and Spudwhip, Denver D, and I sat in the backyard and passed a bottle of Three Star vodka back and forth. Denver D was in the middle. Spudwhip really took the lead in making sure Denver D would be all right - and the next morning he felt the best of the three of us, since he'd been so sick the night before.
42. Had amazing friends
More interestingly, I have some friends I don't really like. Well, acquaintances really. But the rest of my friends are amazing. I wouldn't settle for less.
44. Watched whales
When Bink got married in the backyard of her in-laws' house on Orcas Island, at the end of the ceremony the minister asked the guests to remain seated while the wedding party walked through to the deck to line up for photos. When the wedding party recessed, all of us were looking out into the San Juan Straits under a blue sky and a hot sun, with lots of boats on the water.
Suddenly a pod of killer whales appeared. It wasn't just that they appeared, but that they showed up after the wedding but while everyone was facing the water. I think it was a sign of good luck.
47. Taken a road-trip
Washington to Colorado three or four times. Oregon to Colorado once. California to Colorado twice. San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles area several times. The I-5 Boogie many times.
49. Midnight walk on the beach
After graduation from college, a bunch of us rented a house in Seaside for a few days through Jujubi's parents. The house was a block or so from the beach. One night one of the guys who came down to Seaside for the celebration and I went onto the beach and into the water. It was dark, but there was a moon, and it was cold, but he was from Maine and went a little further out than I did.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
Jujubi and I were walking around the Hawthorne Street Fair and stopped in to the Baghdad for a cold beverage. There were people at all the tables, but we asked a couple if we could sit in the empty chairs at their table and they said yes. Not long after they left, and a couple of men asked if they could sit with us. People had done it for us, so we said yes, and one of them started chatting a lot to Jujubi.
That was the Famous Irishman. We learned much later that he had made his friend follow us around the fair because he wanted to meet Jujubi.
55. Milked a cow
I milked a goat at Camp Beaverbrook in Calistoga during the summer of fifth grade. The different tent groups took turns taking care of the goats, and our turn fell on a Sunday, the one "sleep in day" during the week. The goats couldn't wait, so we were up at 7:30 to milk them.
58. Sung karaoke
"Me & Bobby McGee," twice. Never again. Do I sound snobby if I say that I sing much better, and feel much more comfortable, with a live band?
59. Lounged around in bed all day
When Shobi-wan and I lived together we stayed in bed as late as we could on Sunday mornings reading the paper and drinking coffee.
62. Kissed in the rain
I lived in the Pacific Northwest for twelve years. Of course!
63. Played in the mud
See above
64. Played in the rain
See above
Anyway, she posted this list. There's 150 of them, which is too many. I was much more curious about the ones she had done, so I thought I would borrow the idea and expand upon my own answers. However, I think I have to break it across two posts.
03. Climbed a mountain
Does Rocky Road, aka Corona Heights, count? All of us neighborhood kids took summertime classes at the Randall Junior Museum. Sometimes afterwards we walked up the long, eastern side of Rocky Road to its peak to look over the city and the bay toward Oakland.
06. Held a tarantula
I forget if this was part of sixth grade Science Camp or at the Randall Junior Museum, but we all sat in a circle and the tarantula walked across our hands as we held them close to each other, palms up, to make a path for the tarantula.
A college friend of mine was so afraid of spiders that when they made him do this is sixth grade, he freaked out and threw the tarantula across the room.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
When I was a kid, the Coos had some property up in Healdsburg, with a cabin that was basically one big room and a sink that had a hose from the creek. There was an old barn, a great treehouse, and an outhouse. There was also a sauna on a deck attached to the cabin. Inside the sauna was an old bathtub in which we would pour about three inches of icy water from the creek, and we'd sit in the tub when we got too hot (DeeKay, as I've mentioned, never did). One night we were all in the sauna with some older kids (I don't remember who they were, except they were teenagers) and they had brought candles into the sauna with us. They had to keep lighting them because there wasn't enough oxygen for them to burn with all of us kids in that little space.
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
Many times.
09. Hugged a tree
I remember a field trip to see some old-growth redwoods. The ranger had some kids in the class hold hands and circle the tree to see how big around it was. We stretched our arms as much as we could and it still took six or eight of us to wrap ourselves around the tree.
11. Visited Paris
Mom called me in January '96 and said, "Round trip tickets to Paris are $400. Want to go?" I arranged coverage at both my jobs, paid for express mail and express processing for my passport, and we spent a week walking all over Paris. Highlights: The Musee D'Orsay and watching a parade of veterans walking up the Champs Elysee to the Arc d'Triomphe, in which hung the largest flag I've ever seen.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Several times, in different states and different states of mind.
15. Gone to a huge sports game
Mom took No and me to see the Giants play the Cincinnati Reds at Candlestick Park when we were kids. I may have been ten at the most. It was much warmer than we'd expected and we sat on our parkas. I was rooting for the home team, but probably read a book during most of the game.
19. Slept under the stars
I was in college the first time I slept in a tent. In second and third grade we went on class camping trips and slept under the trees. one year he place we camped had three-sided shelters, which coincidentally was the same year it rained and rained. There were a bunch of parents, but many many kids - two classrooms' worth, plus our siblings.
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
I hated babysitting. Not because of diapers so much as because of babies. Weird to think that the four children I babysat are now about 30 years old.
22. Watched a meteor shower
A bunch of us working on Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star in the summer of 1990 went out to Yelm to watch the stars fall. It was some big named meteor shower, though I can't remember which one. The assistant director of the show was from Yelm, and she said it would be dark enough out there to see. It was. We sat on a picnic cloth, drank wine, talked, and got home really late.
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
But I can't really see through telescopes because my vision is so bad.
29. Asked out a stranger
Zirpu and I met on Craigslist. We exchanged a few emails and then arranged to meet in real life. Did I suggest meeting first? I don't exactly remember.
30. Had a snowball fight
A few days a year, usually in late January or early February, the college would have to declare a snow day because it was too hard, or too dangerous, for students and professors to get to school.Our house was near campus so lot of people would come over and we would go on walks, have snowball fights, and drink hot chocolate and eat the cookies or brownies or whatever other good things Jujubi baked.
34. Ridden a roller coaster
Willard's Whizzer and the iconic roller coaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and The Demon at Great America.
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
What does a fool dancing look like? I've done so much dancing that I've probably looked like a fool at least once. I have a still photo of dancing bolero with Zirpu in which I look totally clumsy and graceless.
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
I took acting classes at Attic Theater when I was in junior high school. One evening after class a friend and I spoke in British (or British-ish) accents for the whole ride home. We were in a cab, and were talking as if we were in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. The cabbie probably thought we were show-offs, which we were.
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
Much longer than a moment, and at more than one time. Like these days, for example, despite crankiness due to work burnout.
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
One night when Bink was in law school, she had a party at her house and Spudwhip, Denver D, and I sat in the backyard and passed a bottle of Three Star vodka back and forth. Denver D was in the middle. Spudwhip really took the lead in making sure Denver D would be all right - and the next morning he felt the best of the three of us, since he'd been so sick the night before.
42. Had amazing friends
More interestingly, I have some friends I don't really like. Well, acquaintances really. But the rest of my friends are amazing. I wouldn't settle for less.
44. Watched whales
When Bink got married in the backyard of her in-laws' house on Orcas Island, at the end of the ceremony the minister asked the guests to remain seated while the wedding party walked through to the deck to line up for photos. When the wedding party recessed, all of us were looking out into the San Juan Straits under a blue sky and a hot sun, with lots of boats on the water.
Suddenly a pod of killer whales appeared. It wasn't just that they appeared, but that they showed up after the wedding but while everyone was facing the water. I think it was a sign of good luck.
47. Taken a road-trip
Washington to Colorado three or four times. Oregon to Colorado once. California to Colorado twice. San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles area several times. The I-5 Boogie many times.
49. Midnight walk on the beach
After graduation from college, a bunch of us rented a house in Seaside for a few days through Jujubi's parents. The house was a block or so from the beach. One night one of the guys who came down to Seaside for the celebration and I went onto the beach and into the water. It was dark, but there was a moon, and it was cold, but he was from Maine and went a little further out than I did.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
Jujubi and I were walking around the Hawthorne Street Fair and stopped in to the Baghdad for a cold beverage. There were people at all the tables, but we asked a couple if we could sit in the empty chairs at their table and they said yes. Not long after they left, and a couple of men asked if they could sit with us. People had done it for us, so we said yes, and one of them started chatting a lot to Jujubi.
That was the Famous Irishman. We learned much later that he had made his friend follow us around the fair because he wanted to meet Jujubi.
55. Milked a cow
I milked a goat at Camp Beaverbrook in Calistoga during the summer of fifth grade. The different tent groups took turns taking care of the goats, and our turn fell on a Sunday, the one "sleep in day" during the week. The goats couldn't wait, so we were up at 7:30 to milk them.
58. Sung karaoke
"Me & Bobby McGee," twice. Never again. Do I sound snobby if I say that I sing much better, and feel much more comfortable, with a live band?
59. Lounged around in bed all day
When Shobi-wan and I lived together we stayed in bed as late as we could on Sunday mornings reading the paper and drinking coffee.
62. Kissed in the rain
I lived in the Pacific Northwest for twelve years. Of course!
63. Played in the mud
See above
64. Played in the rain
See above
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Meeting K-Bob
In 1995, Bink, Jujubi, and I each agreed to attend our fifth reunion at Homecoming if the other two would go. Jujubi and I drove up from Portland and met Bink on campus. It was early November, and Mrs. P had just given birth to K-Bob. We went to the Ps' house to say hello and meet the baby, since they lived nearby.
K-Bob's birth had been difficult and drawn-out, with the OB finally coaxing K-Bob out with a pair of forceps around his head. Mrs. P was sitting in a rocking chair, looking as exhausted as I'd ever seen her. Mr. P stood by the baby wrapped in a light blanket - as in a blanket filled with lights - because the struggle of his arrival had given him jaundice. He glowed in the light blanket, which Mrs. P said made him look like an alien. He was a really funny-looking baby, with green-yellow skin and a head that was kind of flattened on the sides. He was almost the first baby I'd ever seen and certainly the first I'd seen that new, and I found his non-standard looks totally charming.
I sat on the floor under the picture window in the living room and Mr. P brought K-Bob to me, wrapped in a regular non-glowing blanket. I held this tiny child and blinked away tears. I nuzzled his skull (which I still like to do to babies) and said, "Welcome to the world, little one!" Then I whispered, "I will be your best adult friend."
K-Bob's birth had been difficult and drawn-out, with the OB finally coaxing K-Bob out with a pair of forceps around his head. Mrs. P was sitting in a rocking chair, looking as exhausted as I'd ever seen her. Mr. P stood by the baby wrapped in a light blanket - as in a blanket filled with lights - because the struggle of his arrival had given him jaundice. He glowed in the light blanket, which Mrs. P said made him look like an alien. He was a really funny-looking baby, with green-yellow skin and a head that was kind of flattened on the sides. He was almost the first baby I'd ever seen and certainly the first I'd seen that new, and I found his non-standard looks totally charming.
I sat on the floor under the picture window in the living room and Mr. P brought K-Bob to me, wrapped in a regular non-glowing blanket. I held this tiny child and blinked away tears. I nuzzled his skull (which I still like to do to babies) and said, "Welcome to the world, little one!" Then I whispered, "I will be your best adult friend."
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Advising
Free advice is worth about as much as you pay for it, so they say.
The problem with advice is that even when it's good advice, you only know so in retrospect. Often you can't take it in at the time you're receiving it. I advise people all the time, and my advice is rarely taken. I accept that. We all make our choices.
At the shower yesterday, we all made a book of advice for the tiny human. I'd asked each person to bring a photo of herself as a young kid to put into a memory book with some piece of advice that she wished she had received while she was growing up. Until I received a photo and a [piece of advice for the book from Shanelah's mother-in-law (who wasn't able to attend), I didn't realize how much the advice people submitted was going to be about them personally.
I brought these two photos:
When I was a junior in college and the end of the first semester was approaching, I was considering dropping out of the School of Education because I didn't want to be a teacher. At that time one could get a teaching degree as part of the BA, and I was carrying a major, a minor, and then this minor-plus education course load (this was going to result in my having two electives in my four years of college). I was student teaching at schools unlike the small ones I'd attended with other academically-focused students, and I hated it. Of course I was freaking out about it, because I'd wanted to be a teacher for so long, and I had no idea what I would do if I didn't become a teacher.
I was talking about it with my academic advisor, and she gave me the best advice ever - which of course I could not absorb at the time, though I remember it word-for-word. The Killer Lady was teasing me yesterday by telling some of the other guests that now that I have the message, I do my best to spread it. I compared it to the zealotry of the converted. This is what I wrote in the book for the tiny human:
The problem with advice is that even when it's good advice, you only know so in retrospect. Often you can't take it in at the time you're receiving it. I advise people all the time, and my advice is rarely taken. I accept that. We all make our choices.
At the shower yesterday, we all made a book of advice for the tiny human. I'd asked each person to bring a photo of herself as a young kid to put into a memory book with some piece of advice that she wished she had received while she was growing up. Until I received a photo and a [piece of advice for the book from Shanelah's mother-in-law (who wasn't able to attend), I didn't realize how much the advice people submitted was going to be about them personally.
I brought these two photos:
When I was a junior in college and the end of the first semester was approaching, I was considering dropping out of the School of Education because I didn't want to be a teacher. At that time one could get a teaching degree as part of the BA, and I was carrying a major, a minor, and then this minor-plus education course load (this was going to result in my having two electives in my four years of college). I was student teaching at schools unlike the small ones I'd attended with other academically-focused students, and I hated it. Of course I was freaking out about it, because I'd wanted to be a teacher for so long, and I had no idea what I would do if I didn't become a teacher.
I was talking about it with my academic advisor, and she gave me the best advice ever - which of course I could not absorb at the time, though I remember it word-for-word. The Killer Lady was teasing me yesterday by telling some of the other guests that now that I have the message, I do my best to spread it. I compared it to the zealotry of the converted. This is what I wrote in the book for the tiny human:
No decision you make is the only decision
you get to make about any particular thing.
It is okay to change your mind.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Two Parties in Three Days
(on top of four in four days last weekend)
We had a volunteer appreciation party at the food bank this afternoon, after service this morning. It was a really nice event, with lots of food donated by local restaurants and live bluegrass music. About fifty people came, but it could have been 100 (and heaven knows where all those people would have stood, because as large as the new building is, it's not that large). We had ordered mugs for everyone as a thank you gift, too.
I get lots of hugs at the food bank, too. So I feel appreciated as well.
I have been so focused on work that I didn't realize until Monday that I had been planning to use Thursday afternoon, when I don't usually work, to hit the party store and get stuff together for the Mother/Baby Shower I'm co-hosting on Saturday for Shanaleh. Then on Monday I realized that I was going to be at the food bank all day and I didn't know anything about what to do about the shower.
Fortunately I was volunteered to get the stuff we needed for today's event at the party store, so while the balloons were being blown up I walked around and thought about the M/B shower. Very quickly I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I'm surprised that so much baby shower stuff is gendered; I thought that showers generally happen before babies arrive, and it still seems to me that a lot of people don't know what sex the baby will be. I could not remember which games Shaneleh had said she thought sounded fun (I have since looked; whew, neither involve a lot of "stuff" to do).
Ultimately I got some little treat bags, and stickers to make them pretty, but I'm not sure what I'm going to put in them (I am considering some kind of candied and/or spiced nuts). I talked to Shaneleh tonight and realized that I could give chocolates as prizes. I know I need to go to Whole Foods for the nuts and probably Smart and Final for candy (as in "Guess how many Skittles are in this [typical baby-related item {omg, what will that be?! Or I'll just use a bottle}) and over to See's for the prizes. None of that sounds bad, but I'll have to do all of it between 7 tomorrow night and 10 Saturday morning. Plus I have to put the treat bags together! Augh!
If I had known six weeks ago what the last two weeks were going to be like, I would have insisted we have this party the second or third week of December. Experience tells me that everything will be fine on Saturday and Shaneleh is a pretty low maintenance person anyway. Still, thank goodness that the other host has her act together. . .
We had a volunteer appreciation party at the food bank this afternoon, after service this morning. It was a really nice event, with lots of food donated by local restaurants and live bluegrass music. About fifty people came, but it could have been 100 (and heaven knows where all those people would have stood, because as large as the new building is, it's not that large). We had ordered mugs for everyone as a thank you gift, too.
I get lots of hugs at the food bank, too. So I feel appreciated as well.
I have been so focused on work that I didn't realize until Monday that I had been planning to use Thursday afternoon, when I don't usually work, to hit the party store and get stuff together for the Mother/Baby Shower I'm co-hosting on Saturday for Shanaleh. Then on Monday I realized that I was going to be at the food bank all day and I didn't know anything about what to do about the shower.
Fortunately I was volunteered to get the stuff we needed for today's event at the party store, so while the balloons were being blown up I walked around and thought about the M/B shower. Very quickly I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I'm surprised that so much baby shower stuff is gendered; I thought that showers generally happen before babies arrive, and it still seems to me that a lot of people don't know what sex the baby will be. I could not remember which games Shaneleh had said she thought sounded fun (I have since looked; whew, neither involve a lot of "stuff" to do).
Ultimately I got some little treat bags, and stickers to make them pretty, but I'm not sure what I'm going to put in them (I am considering some kind of candied and/or spiced nuts). I talked to Shaneleh tonight and realized that I could give chocolates as prizes. I know I need to go to Whole Foods for the nuts and probably Smart and Final for candy (as in "Guess how many Skittles are in this [typical baby-related item {omg, what will that be?! Or I'll just use a bottle}) and over to See's for the prizes. None of that sounds bad, but I'll have to do all of it between 7 tomorrow night and 10 Saturday morning. Plus I have to put the treat bags together! Augh!
If I had known six weeks ago what the last two weeks were going to be like, I would have insisted we have this party the second or third week of December. Experience tells me that everything will be fine on Saturday and Shaneleh is a pretty low maintenance person anyway. Still, thank goodness that the other host has her act together. . .
Thursday, November 22, 2007
An Attitude of Gratitude
I feel grateful because or for:
First and foremost, the love of my family and friends and the love I have for them.
Also, I have the best husband in the world.
In no particular order except for how the following occur to me:
No and KT finally got married
...and that I got to go to Mexico with a big bunch of people I like because of the wedding
Lizard and Batman, Bug and Boy, and the babies that arrived this year
My job at the food bank and being able to afford to work there
Having a boss who notices when I do a good job and is willing to coach me when I need help
The Bi Women's Group
The support from Boegle and Tea to write this blog
Perspective and humor
E-mail
Blessings I receive from clients
Food bank volunteers, in their wide range of character, age, and experience
Being able to help a couple friends make things happen
Health and strength and safety
Another Jon Carroll Thanksgiving column that says what I want to say
First and foremost, the love of my family and friends and the love I have for them.
Also, I have the best husband in the world.
In no particular order except for how the following occur to me:
No and KT finally got married
...and that I got to go to Mexico with a big bunch of people I like because of the wedding
Lizard and Batman, Bug and Boy, and the babies that arrived this year
My job at the food bank and being able to afford to work there
Having a boss who notices when I do a good job and is willing to coach me when I need help
The Bi Women's Group
The support from Boegle and Tea to write this blog
Perspective and humor
Blessings I receive from clients
Food bank volunteers, in their wide range of character, age, and experience
Being able to help a couple friends make things happen
Health and strength and safety
Another Jon Carroll Thanksgiving column that says what I want to say
Sunday, August 26, 2007
A Visit
Yesterday when I went over to Jolly Woman's house to see Shmeen and Sa (and Jolly Woman herself), Shmeen took a break and we went to Laurel Hill park, a small park with a baseball field, a couple of basketball courts, and a bunch of climbing structures and swings.
Sa played on the structures and swings and Shmeen and I sat on the bench and talked. It was a very "mom" thing to do. It has literally been years since she and I have just hung out with each other. The last time we did was when I had gone to Long Beach for a Conference Committee meeting for the 2005 CASFAA Conference. I didn't notice this until late last night, but I suddenly realized why the visits when she's been up here with Shman and the kids feel kind of strange: We're always visiting at Jolly Woman's house, with our husbands and usually at least one of our moms. Not that it's bad that we're visiting with our spouses; we like each other's husbands and our husbands like each other. It just hasn't been just "she-and-I time."
After awhile Sara got bored playing with herself and insisted that we come and play on the structure with her. We slid on the slides and jumped up and down on the bridge, making it wiggle. Another family arrived, with a 16-month-old boy and a ukulele. The dad is learning how to play and plinked out "My Darling Clementine" and "Oh! Susannah." It was really charming.
Sa played on the structures and swings and Shmeen and I sat on the bench and talked. It was a very "mom" thing to do. It has literally been years since she and I have just hung out with each other. The last time we did was when I had gone to Long Beach for a Conference Committee meeting for the 2005 CASFAA Conference. I didn't notice this until late last night, but I suddenly realized why the visits when she's been up here with Shman and the kids feel kind of strange: We're always visiting at Jolly Woman's house, with our husbands and usually at least one of our moms. Not that it's bad that we're visiting with our spouses; we like each other's husbands and our husbands like each other. It just hasn't been just "she-and-I time."
After awhile Sara got bored playing with herself and insisted that we come and play on the structure with her. We slid on the slides and jumped up and down on the bridge, making it wiggle. Another family arrived, with a 16-month-old boy and a ukulele. The dad is learning how to play and plinked out "My Darling Clementine" and "Oh! Susannah." It was really charming.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A Child's Eye
We spent Saturday with Shmeen, Shman, and the girls (well, mostly Sa, as Ya napped through most of our visit).
I took a picture of Shmeen and Sa with my phone/camera. Sa was very interested in the camera, so I showed her how it worked. Then I gave it to her and let her take pictures. She took some unusual ones of walls and corners, and a heat register, and then she went out in the living room tot ake one of Shman.
Shmeen suggested that Sa not take a photo of Daddy and I suddenly remembered that it was Shabbat (read the section headed "Shamor: To Observe) and Sa shouldn't have been playing with anything electronic in the first place. I heard Shman tell her that he wouldn't want Sa to break the camera so she shouldn't take pictures, but by then she'd taken half a dozen so that didn't wash.
Shman avoided having his picture taken, but Sa's dolly did not.
I wonder what Sa was seeing when she was taking photos. The wall photos aren't interesting to look at (and she may have been taking those to learn how the camera works) but for some reason this picture interests me. Maybe it's the expression on the doll's face, the frightened eyes and happy mouth. Maybe it's just that a four year old took this picture and I'll never know.
I took a picture of Shmeen and Sa with my phone/camera. Sa was very interested in the camera, so I showed her how it worked. Then I gave it to her and let her take pictures. She took some unusual ones of walls and corners, and a heat register, and then she went out in the living room tot ake one of Shman.
Shmeen suggested that Sa not take a photo of Daddy and I suddenly remembered that it was Shabbat (read the section headed "Shamor: To Observe) and Sa shouldn't have been playing with anything electronic in the first place. I heard Shman tell her that he wouldn't want Sa to break the camera so she shouldn't take pictures, but by then she'd taken half a dozen so that didn't wash.
Shman avoided having his picture taken, but Sa's dolly did not. I wonder what Sa was seeing when she was taking photos. The wall photos aren't interesting to look at (and she may have been taking those to learn how the camera works) but for some reason this picture interests me. Maybe it's the expression on the doll's face, the frightened eyes and happy mouth. Maybe it's just that a four year old took this picture and I'll never know.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Community Service Hours for Students
We are starting to get calls from youth (or their parents) who are interested in putting in some hours at the food bank to complete their community service hours for graduation. It seems that the middle schools in Alameda require between twenty and twenty-five hours, depending on the school, for students to graduate from eighth grade.
I have mixed feelings about requiring community service hours to graduate from middle school. The main thrust of service learning is that the students will integrate the experience into their educations, but I think that the "learning" part of "service learning" has been lost. It is said that community service will get youth involved in their community and will open their eyes to volunteering, but requiring students to do it takes away from its being voluntary. Another idea is that it will give students some idea of the kinds of things that they could do when they grow up, and give them some work experience, but I don't think most students have that in mind, and the "work experience" is negligible.
While the school district is well-meaning, by making students who aren't interested in and aren't suited for working, the school district is putting a burden on the service providers where the district wants them to work. Some youth don't need a lot of supervision, but more require a lot of supervision and cajoling, thereby taking away the service of whichever adult has to make sure they do whatever jobs they are asked to do. Furthermore, there are a lot of youth who are involved in extracurricular activities like athletics, drama, scouting, or church groups, none of which satisfy the service learning requirement. In between the hours dedicated to school and/or work and/or extracurricular activities these students are supposed to "give away" three days?
On top of all that, it is unfortunately true that unless a youth is really interested in whatever it is the service provider does or is otherwise motivated (such as for college applications), these youth are going to get stuck doing jobs that are very similar to the chores they do at home. Service providers know that these people aren't going to stick around once we train them, so unless the students take their own initiatives, we will ask them to do things like sweep, mop, and wash dishes, or tasks like stuffing envelopes that are very repetitive and don't require a lot of teaching on the part of the regular staff person - not exactly the way to inspire a teenager!
High school students are a little different but that's another post.
I have mixed feelings about requiring community service hours to graduate from middle school. The main thrust of service learning is that the students will integrate the experience into their educations, but I think that the "learning" part of "service learning" has been lost. It is said that community service will get youth involved in their community and will open their eyes to volunteering, but requiring students to do it takes away from its being voluntary. Another idea is that it will give students some idea of the kinds of things that they could do when they grow up, and give them some work experience, but I don't think most students have that in mind, and the "work experience" is negligible.
While the school district is well-meaning, by making students who aren't interested in and aren't suited for working, the school district is putting a burden on the service providers where the district wants them to work. Some youth don't need a lot of supervision, but more require a lot of supervision and cajoling, thereby taking away the service of whichever adult has to make sure they do whatever jobs they are asked to do. Furthermore, there are a lot of youth who are involved in extracurricular activities like athletics, drama, scouting, or church groups, none of which satisfy the service learning requirement. In between the hours dedicated to school and/or work and/or extracurricular activities these students are supposed to "give away" three days?
On top of all that, it is unfortunately true that unless a youth is really interested in whatever it is the service provider does or is otherwise motivated (such as for college applications), these youth are going to get stuck doing jobs that are very similar to the chores they do at home. Service providers know that these people aren't going to stick around once we train them, so unless the students take their own initiatives, we will ask them to do things like sweep, mop, and wash dishes, or tasks like stuffing envelopes that are very repetitive and don't require a lot of teaching on the part of the regular staff person - not exactly the way to inspire a teenager!
High school students are a little different but that's another post.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
2 + 1 = >3
Mom told me the other day that the House Dad I mentioned last month and the kids were coming over to her house for dinner tonight. Working Mom is in New York on business. I asked if Zirpu and I could come over too, and she said yes.
So we all met at her house this evening and had steak and potatoes, the oldest kid's favorite dinner. House Dad and Working Mom's kids are nine, six, and three; the three year old is a girl, the other two boys. Rather than play with modeling clay and draw, the kids played with Zirpu. He is like a jungle gym who talks and chases and tickles. This allowed me, Mom, and House Dad to have a fair amount of good conversation.
House Dad and I discussed it andI'm looking forward to dragging them (well, maybe the two younger ones) to FairyLand, and going with all of them to the Jelly Belly Factory and the Nut Tree.
This is the first family I've been close to with three children close in age. Three is a lot of kids. It seems like more than two plus one.
So we all met at her house this evening and had steak and potatoes, the oldest kid's favorite dinner. House Dad and Working Mom's kids are nine, six, and three; the three year old is a girl, the other two boys. Rather than play with modeling clay and draw, the kids played with Zirpu. He is like a jungle gym who talks and chases and tickles. This allowed me, Mom, and House Dad to have a fair amount of good conversation.
House Dad and I discussed it andI'm looking forward to dragging them (well, maybe the two younger ones) to FairyLand, and going with all of them to the Jelly Belly Factory and the Nut Tree.
This is the first family I've been close to with three children close in age. Three is a lot of kids. It seems like more than two plus one.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
The Villagers
In today's San Francisco Magazine (part of the Sunday Chronicle) is a story about people who are "embracing the decision not to procreate." It is actually one of the first stories I've seen like this that doesn't treat the subjects of the articles as selfish yuppies who put their careers before having children. However, it does make them - the women especially, who are the focus of the story - sound lonely.
Zirpu and I like to play with kids. Other people's kids, as "play" is the operative term (we teach them too, as we are both naturally pedantic). Each of us have been asked if we have kids, if we want to have kids, especially me, which I answer with humor, even though I always wind up explaining myself because people don't really accept "no." Honestly I've started to hear those questions as offensive even as I know these strangers aren't trying to offend, and I'm not as angry about it as some of the people in the "Childfree By Choice" tribe on tribe. net or on some of the childless/childfree networkers like those mentioned in the article. Still, I have several friends who have had trouble conceiving for as long as five years, and a question in which the asker wasn't even all that invested would cut right to the heart of the greatest issue of their marriages at those times. Suddenly a stranger is all up in our business? Who's to know that Zirpu and I each decided separately that we didn't want to have kids?
Recently I had a long conversation with a friend who is very pro-children. He has been pressing me to have a baby since just after Zirpu and I got married. I used to think it was because he loves being a parent and due to cultural expectations, where happiness is defined as "married with children." Now I think it is just because he really loves being a parent. He's quite proud of the fact that he's talked two couples into having children, though I must say that my experience with giving advice is that people only do what you suggest when they were already inclined to do it before they ever talked to you, but he's happy to take the credit, which is fine with me.
Finally I thought we were reaching a point where I was going to have to describe to him all of thought processes about having and not having children. I explained that I'm probably too old to conceive for the first time, that we like our life the way it is, and even joked that if we had a child, she or he would be hungry and naked because we spend our money on dance lessons. Finally I explained half of the things I've thought about over the years (only half, because it would have taken a whole day to outline them all). I said that after my experience at Harry's Mother and Letty Owings Center I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child and that the adults ahould always outnumber the kids by at least three to one. He said that he heard me and wouldn't bug me about our having kids anymore.
The next day, he was right back to telling me that Zirpu and I would make great parents.
Don't we all want to share with others the thing that we love the most?
Zirpu and I like to play with kids. Other people's kids, as "play" is the operative term (we teach them too, as we are both naturally pedantic). Each of us have been asked if we have kids, if we want to have kids, especially me, which I answer with humor, even though I always wind up explaining myself because people don't really accept "no." Honestly I've started to hear those questions as offensive even as I know these strangers aren't trying to offend, and I'm not as angry about it as some of the people in the "Childfree By Choice" tribe on tribe. net or on some of the childless/childfree networkers like those mentioned in the article. Still, I have several friends who have had trouble conceiving for as long as five years, and a question in which the asker wasn't even all that invested would cut right to the heart of the greatest issue of their marriages at those times. Suddenly a stranger is all up in our business? Who's to know that Zirpu and I each decided separately that we didn't want to have kids?
Recently I had a long conversation with a friend who is very pro-children. He has been pressing me to have a baby since just after Zirpu and I got married. I used to think it was because he loves being a parent and due to cultural expectations, where happiness is defined as "married with children." Now I think it is just because he really loves being a parent. He's quite proud of the fact that he's talked two couples into having children, though I must say that my experience with giving advice is that people only do what you suggest when they were already inclined to do it before they ever talked to you, but he's happy to take the credit, which is fine with me.
Finally I thought we were reaching a point where I was going to have to describe to him all of thought processes about having and not having children. I explained that I'm probably too old to conceive for the first time, that we like our life the way it is, and even joked that if we had a child, she or he would be hungry and naked because we spend our money on dance lessons. Finally I explained half of the things I've thought about over the years (only half, because it would have taken a whole day to outline them all). I said that after my experience at Harry's Mother and Letty Owings Center I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child and that the adults ahould always outnumber the kids by at least three to one. He said that he heard me and wouldn't bug me about our having kids anymore.
The next day, he was right back to telling me that Zirpu and I would make great parents.
Don't we all want to share with others the thing that we love the most?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Loops of Love
I just wrote about family and I feel compelled to write about family again.
I have been lucky to be taken into not one but two families with children young enough to not remember a time when they didn't know me. I love them, they love me, and we create feedback loops of love.
I met Words of Thunder when her children were 16, six and half, and three and half. The first time I drove up to their house in the woods, Boy was standing on the parking pad and yelled, "She's here!" running inside to spread the news. I was welcomed by a child who was apparently disposed to love me even though we hadn't met yet.
Of course, I was disposed to love him, and Bug, and Pia. It's hard not to love children who love you, who show you when they are brave enough to ride a bike down a hill, who ask you for help with the silent "e," who ask you whether they should eat lunch before they have another popsicle.
The first time I met TL's children TL and I had planned to go for coffee and bring the kids with us (Zocalo has a children's play area). By the time I got to her house, TL's husband had come home and agreed to keep Lizard and Batman with himwhile we went for coffee break. The children were very upset by the change of plans, and while trying to placate them I said to Lizard, "You can come next time."
Every time I came pick up TL for the meeting, which doesn't even start until after their bedtime, Lizard would say accusingly, "This is next time!" Finally we all went for coffee (well, the kids had hot chocolates), and I landed firmly in Lizard's good graces. Lizard is my best four year old friend. When I walk in the door Lizard rushes me with a hug around the waist, cheering my name, and no matter what kind of mood I've been in, I feel like a queen because Lizard loves me.
I have been lucky to be taken into not one but two families with children young enough to not remember a time when they didn't know me. I love them, they love me, and we create feedback loops of love.
I met Words of Thunder when her children were 16, six and half, and three and half. The first time I drove up to their house in the woods, Boy was standing on the parking pad and yelled, "She's here!" running inside to spread the news. I was welcomed by a child who was apparently disposed to love me even though we hadn't met yet.
Of course, I was disposed to love him, and Bug, and Pia. It's hard not to love children who love you, who show you when they are brave enough to ride a bike down a hill, who ask you for help with the silent "e," who ask you whether they should eat lunch before they have another popsicle.
The first time I met TL's children TL and I had planned to go for coffee and bring the kids with us (Zocalo has a children's play area). By the time I got to her house, TL's husband had come home and agreed to keep Lizard and Batman with himwhile we went for coffee break. The children were very upset by the change of plans, and while trying to placate them I said to Lizard, "You can come next time."
Every time I came pick up TL for the meeting, which doesn't even start until after their bedtime, Lizard would say accusingly, "This is next time!" Finally we all went for coffee (well, the kids had hot chocolates), and I landed firmly in Lizard's good graces. Lizard is my best four year old friend. When I walk in the door Lizard rushes me with a hug around the waist, cheering my name, and no matter what kind of mood I've been in, I feel like a queen because Lizard loves me.
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