fun

we’ve got diem to carpe

Recording Catholic Weekend with Steve and Jeff is like being in an animated movie. With a monkey. I’d like to see the real Steve pull on Jeff’s mustache.

 

the writer’s life

The birds are going totally nuts in the back yard. We just used some heavy machinery to move around dead trees and lots of earth, so everything is a little torn up and fresh. It’s really brought out some wildlife in a big way. The yard is full of rabbits, if you can believe that. First, the deer, now rabbits. I suppose it beats field mice (yeah, we had some of that a few tears back). I like to say field mice. It’s code for rats. Ew. Sorry, my little Cinderella moment just shifted to Enchanted.

So back to Cinderella: the birds are happily chirping away and flying about. The hummingbirds are back. It’s a sunny day. And I am home, enjoying a cup of coffee and looking out my window, my journal in my lap, pen poised pensively.

I even wrote a haiku. Here it is:

my morning is a haiku

birds chirping happily outside my window

and coffee warming my heart

I can’t help the streak of post-modern self-awareness of this post, but I’ll wash down the irony in my voice and just enjoy the moment.

For now, things are as they should be.

yet another random question thingie

1. How old do you look? Old enough for the pimply teenager at the grocery store to give me a senior discount. I’m 48. I don’t mind rounding up to 50. I’m not a fan of being taken for 60. On the other hand, maybe I’ll start telling people I’m 60. Then, I’ll hang around long enough to overhear them say, “She looks damn good for 60!”

2. Where do you live? In a house, on a hill, beside a lake, beneath the trees.

3. Are you waiting for something? Always. I’m just not sure of what it is until it surprises me.

4. What’s one pet peeve of yours that is not common? Not common? I’m afraid I’m rather common — I hate traffic. I’m not a fan of taxes. Oh, well, there you have it. Taxes.

5. Do you want/have kids? Yes.

6. Have you ever thought about converting your religion? Converting my religion? It’s fine the way it is. It already has the fullness of Truth 🙂

7. Last shocking news you heard? I suppose it’s the whole Bin Laden thing. Or how much I paid for gas this morning.

8. What was the last thing you drank? Water. I know. I should have lied. I bought a bottle of Gewurztraminer tonight. I used to drink it all the time in spring and summer when I lived in Germany.

9. Who do you most look like in your family? I think I look an awful lot like my paternal grandmother. No doubt some family member will stumble upon this and disagree.

10. If you could have something right now, anything, what would it be? A massage. And that bottle of Gewurztraminer.

11. Where does most of your family live? A little south of here.

12. Where did you grow up? Here and there.

13. Where do you want to go on vacation? The moon. Or Rome.

14. Have you ever had a panic attack? Oh. Yes.

15. What can’t you wait for? Indeed, what can’t I wait for?

16. When’s the last time you told someone you loved him or her and meant it? About an hour ago. This morning. Yesterday afternoon. Some ungodly hour on Tuesday. All day Sunday. September 7, 1985.

17. Have your parents ever smoked pot? Holy smokes. Ha. Um. No?

18. Want someone back in your life? No. People have come in and out of my life when they were supposed to…why change things when they are going so swimmingly well.

19. What do you order at the bar? Yes. I mean, margaritas? Beer? Gin and tonic? Dirty martinis?

20. When was the last time you cried really, really hard? A couple of weeks ago.

21. Ever licked someone’s cheek? Yes. But there’s an explanation. There’s always an explanation.

22. What is your favorite thing to eat with peanut butter? Jelly. Duh.

23. Where were you on July 4th, 2008? At home.

24. What are your nicknames? You know them. And if you don’t, I’m not telling.

25. If you could go back in time, how far back would you go? About 2000 years.

my dad is a CHAMP!

I knew he’d respond to the challenge: sadly, there will be no forthcoming blog from him. By way of explanation, he feels he won’t be able to mess with my head if he has his own blog. OK, does that mean I can look forward to yet more weird forwards?

Probably.

But he came through with my challenge, which was to find a Cuban Tresero. The Cuban Tres is a musical instrument that often looks like a guitar and sounds a little bit like a mandolin…a very beautiful sound to accompany Cuban music.

So Pop sent me this video which unfortunately redirects, but go watch it and come back for the second video. They are amazing.

This one is reminiscent of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”

who wants my dad to get his own blog?

If we could get my dad to get his own blog then he might not feel so compelled to send me some of the weird stuff he passes along. To be fair, yesterday’s YouTube nugget, Thank You Fidel, made it to Facebook, but he won’t get FB, either, so he doesn’t know when I actually like something — I reserve my dislike for opportunities for public ridicule. Luckily, he has a pretty good sense of humor.

So I guess he sent the following video to remind me of my Spanish heritage because I can’t imagine another reason to watch this woman play the castanets. Not my cup of tea, Old Man, but I appreciate the effort. “A+” for thoughtfulness. Here it is — and the truth is that this woman is pretty amazing.

Let me remind you, dear Pop, that we live in the South now. Land of hillbillies, countryfolk, and a healthy respect for Dueling Banjos. Let me educate you on this a little bit:

Now, if you really wanna impress me, find somebody playing a Cuban Tres 🙂