my pink toes

In the sky (finally!), and coming soon to a Science Fair near me:

We've been busy here doing Henry's Science Fair project but I'm really proud of him (and me) and of the result. I was determined to have this project be his and at his level, which meant I needed to learn the fine balance between instructing and taking over. I used to teach (8th grade), so it's always fun for me to get back in that mode. I also love fostering Henry's creativity and helping him pursue his passions. He loves science, and space is his current favorite thing. So, we signed up for the science fair and researched the sun.

I decided early on we were going to do a "report", not an "experiment" and even went through the trouble of clearing it with the coordinator. (Yes, I'm a teacher-nerd. In 8th grade, we do NOT want reports, we want analytical research papers or experiments, using the scientific method. I thought a "report" was exactly suited to this project for Henry. To make it an experiment or an analytic research paper would be way over a Kindergartener's head, which would therefore make it MY project by default.)

Henry and I read lots of books, talked about his questions about the sun, and then answered them. He could tell you every bit of information that's on his science board (this was very important to me). He learned a lot and is eager to talk about it. (Did you know that the center of the earth rotates faster than the poles? Scientists think this may be what causes the solar flares......... Also, did you know the Earth rotates around the Milky Way once every 225 million years?)

I'm proud of him, and proud of us. The only bittersweet thing is that I'm ditching the actual fair to hang out with Jen. I'll let Daddy wander the high-school gym with a distractable and mischevious 2 year-old in tow. Hopefully Peter won't wreck any projects before they're graded....

One cool thing we found is a website where you can find a picture of the sun taken almost every DAY! So Henry has a picture of the sun that was taken at 6:32 THIS EVENING. Wow, the internet age has changed everything! I was telling Henry that we didn't even have a computer when I was his age (nor a typewriter). If I had wanted a picture of the sun, I would've had to call the observatory, and they'd have to print and mail me one. It would've cost a lot and taken WEEKS. And here, a picture, not more than an hour old...just for the clicking. Yes, I'm a geezer, but a wild-eyed-with-wonder geezer.

Filed Under "Kidlets, Let's Go Surfin' Now...(www), Motherhood and Apple Pie" on March 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just finished The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book, the first two books in the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. They are fun little books, full of wit and literary humor. They are great books to read quickly, just for plot - and fit well with my preferred escapist reading of detective fiction. I did find that a little goes a long way and that small doses are best.

The Thursday Next series is an odd mix of science fiction, literature meta-jokes, and detective novels, with a definite British flavor. I am reminded of Douglas Adams and Red Dwarf (but thankfully not Sherlock Holmes – I often feel like Conan Doyle is talking down to his readers…but that’s another review). I kept feeling that if I were British, I would probably find them laugh-out-loud funny (do the Brits laugh out loud? Or is it frowned upon?) but since I’m American, I just find them smile-to-myself humorous.

I’ll admit that by the time I was done with Lost in a Good Book, I was ready to put the series down for a while. Instead of buying the rest of the books, I’ll reserve them at the library and read them as they come available. What made them less compelling as they went on? I think perhaps they are a little too clever after a while. By the time I got through the first half of the second book, I ws thinking, “Oh, speaking to characters by ‘footnoterphone?’ Hunhh!" Instead of entertainingly clever, it seemed a little roll-my-eyes-clever.

I think the major problem for me is that I’m not wholly captivated by the prevailing premise of the series: that the worlds and characters inside of books are very real. It worked ok for me in the first book, because the primary, human-centered plot was also fascinating. And it WAS entertaining to see how Thursday could talk to Rochester or other characters in the book she was in when they were temporarily dropped from the immediate narrative. They had to be ready to be on character when called for, but were given free rein outside of the text as written. Yet Fforde seems to go deeper and deeper into this science fiction world he’s created, grinning from ear to ear about the cleverness of it all, oh golly - the cleverness of it all!

I think perhaps it comes down to how compelling one finds the world the writer has created. I find the world of Harry Potter incredibly compelling. I find the world of Thursday Next a little less so. Perhaps they are just a little too “meta” for me. Surprisingly, I found the other non-literary elements of Thursday's world more compelling (like the time- and mind-bending of the ChronoGuard).

I’m sure I also miss many of the references (I really DO need to read Great Expectations one of these days.), but that didn’t affect the reading the way I thought it might. I was able to get the gist of the situation, even when I didn’t get the joke of the specifics. (If I had read Kafka, the middle half of the book would probably been much funnier, but I got the basic idea).

So, if you want a literary-minded and clever escapist good read, pick one up. But just one.

Filed Under "Books" on March 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Thanks to Mindy for this hilarious find. Yes, it's an ad, but it is very funny.
The final result looks a little too much like my actual van....

Duct tape is the perfect way to say "Sorry fellas, this lady's GOT a man!"

Filed Under "Let's Go Surfin' Now...(www)" on March 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

You know the zit on the bridge of your nose (RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF YOUR FACE) is truly enormous when your 2-year-old asks, FROM THE BACK SEAT - LOOKING UP INTO THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR, "What is that big thing on your face, Mommy? What happened to you?"

Filed Under "Everything Else, Kidlets" on March 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

My mom bought us some Pull-Ups the other day: Princess Pull-Ups (how are grandmas supposed to know they come in gender-specific styles?). After a good laugh and telling her we'd pass them on to a friend, I've been using them on Peter. He doesn't seem to mind the tell-tale purple stripe peeking out above his waistband.

Apparently, I don't mind it either. We've nearly gone through the entire bag.

Filed Under "Motherhood and Apple Pie" on March 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Whew! It's been a crazy couple days here on the back end of my pink toes! Tech-savvy husband upgraded my harddrive from a measly 20G to a robust 80G (an $80 solution, instead of the $2500 new-laptop-solution).

Since he's a software developer, I am very lucky to have him doing all my IT. At the same time, it's kind of like having a best friend cut your hair - it removes the ability to have a nameless entity to rage about when things get frustrating.* I can't complain about the crazy nitpicky IT guy who is so perfectionistic and therefore is taking forEVER to upgrade my harddrive because, well, I'm married to him. And he has feelings. (Ok, so I CAN complain about him...I just have to do it nicely, or on my blog...)

Anyway, I'm pretty much up and running now. I've also spent the entire day (sorry, kids) learning more HTML, CSS, and Movable Type code. (Check out my fancy new archive styles that actually display my masthead and show links on the right – cool, eh?!)

Coinciding with this technical upgrade was the decision to let a few “real life” friends know about this blog. Having my computer down and giving my friends my URL has made me feel a little, well, vulnerable. I hadn’t realized how personal my computer is to me. I have(had) it all set up the way I want it – visually and technically. And by extension, my blog is extremely personal as I put my writing out here for everyone to see, even though it’s not necessarily the way I want it yet.

In all areas of my life, I am evolving. I have spent my life waiting. Waiting for what? Waiting to be “perfect enough” to let others see the REAL me.

I’m finally realizing that true relationship comes when we reach out to others and share in the process. We are always in process; this is what it means to be human. It is to be celebrated instead of lamented.

I’m also learning this over and over in my faith. I’m convinced God is much more interested in the process than in waiting for the forever-elusive “perfect” result.

I’m sure I’ll need to be reminded again.

* Actually, one of my best friends DOES cut my hair. And she does a fabulous job, so I don’t miss having someone to rage about. Really, Shona – it looks great – always!

Filed Under "Dave Smith: Wonder Husband, Faith, Journey, Meta" on March 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Wednesday afternoons at Chuck E. Cheese are awesome!

Friday nights at Chuck E. Cheese are just a little tiny slice of hell.

Mostly because all these toddlers kept taking my Skee Balls and putting their cute little precious heads behind me so I couldn't really get a proper wind-up. Their poor parents looked so zombie-eyed and exhausted and I could tell my Friday afternoon heart was the shriveled stone of an old bitter crone. So instead of elbowing the tykes away and glaring laser holes into their non-parenting-parents' heads, I managed to smile a teeny bit. And leave. And drink a cocktail at home with my friend.

Filed Under "Motherhood and Apple Pie" on March 09, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am IN LOVE with this china pattern! I have collected a couple cup and saucer sets, a small plate and a cute mint dish over time and I have now decided to collect it in earnest. My inner 8-year-old girl wants a whole set of this because it's so fabulously pink and girly (gold rims! scalloped edges! roses!). Because of past issues, I haven't been that in touch with my inner little girl (yeah, I'll save the rest for my therapist, don't worry). So, I've decided to indulge her - um, I mean me - by continuing to collect more bits and pieces.

I've been winning a few items on eBay, and almost all of it is in Canada. (Come to think of it, that's where I've found all my assorted bits and pieces, too...). Why Canada? Was it the wedding china of hundreds of 1930s-50s Canadian brides? I'm a trivia junkie, so if you have any information, no matter how small, I'd love to hear it!

Royal Albert Petit Point China

Filed Under "Shiny Things" on March 08, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

...and his side kick, Doofus Pizzashorts!

Filed Under "Kidlets" on March 08, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I haven't seen anything this funny since we "discovered" Arrested Development.

This episode is just as pee-your-pants hilarious.
Who knew rabid squirrels were unionized?

Filed Under "Let's Go Surfin' Now...(www)" on March 07, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We attended a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party today. I steeled myself for the occasion. I brought Advil. I had a pre-set time whereupon we were going to leave-for-sure-and-don’t-ask me-to-stay-longer-I-mean-it! I even flirted with the idea of ordering wine to take the edge off the dinge, grime, bell-ringing and children-shrieking. (Meredith Viera would NOT approve). I contemplated ear plugs. And Valium.

I was looking forward to Skee Ball. And maybe some of that wine, if I got the guts to order it. But I was mostly dreading the 1.5 hour-long torture to come.

I arrived, under-napped 2-year-old and jacked-up 6-year-old in tow. First, we scored a parking spot right by the door. I got the kids out of the van, through the rain and into the door in less than 15 seconds. This was starting out well! We walked through a long, half-walled corridor where security guy (Chuck E. Cheese bouncer?) stamped us with a super-secret-only-visible-under-ultra-violet-light code. Kids can only leave with the adult who has the same code. Ok, so I was impressed so far.

I looked around. The last time I went to a Chuck E. Cheese, the walls were permanently yellowed from the wafts of nicotine-laden puffs drifting out of the smoking section, combined with millions of pizza-laded fingerprints. The place was full of nooks and crannies where I ran into blobs of gum, puddles of spilled pop, or French-kissing teenagers. All were equally gross and unnerving.

But what I saw today was a bright, freshly-painted, and totally open place. Everything was visible. There was no place to hide (and therefore, no place to lose a 2-year-old).

I’m sure you gathered by now that I actually had a GREAT time. The kids and I played Skee Ball until our arms fell off. I even let my guard down a little bit, allowing my little guy to wander between the party guests because I could actually SEE him whenever I stopped to look around (and I got to play more Skee Ball this way). We rode rides, we ate pizza, we cheered for Chuck as he danced and rooted for Harry as he blew out his candles. We practically closed the place down.

They also have an AIR HOCKEY table (a long-standing love of mine and Dave’s)! I am totally under Chuck’s spell now. I see many family date nights here in our future. It will probably turn in to Mommy begging the kids to “go to Chuck E. Cheese’s again please-pretty-please!”.

Filed Under "Motherhood and Apple Pie" on March 07, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Do you know me IRL (y’know, In Real Life?, or as we used to say in elementary school: "for reals"?). If so, um – Hi! You may be thinking “Hey, why don’t I know about this blog”? (Well, you DO know about it now ha ha but I guess that’s beside the point). Perhaps you’re more correctly thinking, “Why didn’t Leah tell me about this blog?".

Well, the answer is long and complicated – but also quite simple at the same time: I’m not sure what I’m doing here. I’m finding my voice, trying some things, and generally trying to develop some chops as a writer. Sounds kinda hifalutin’, doesn’t it? Yeah – that’s why I didn’t tell you about it. Because, well, I’m still working on it. And even though I’ve let go of my crazy perfectionism enough to put this out here for the whole wide web to see, I didn’t tell YOU because, well…. um…. I wasn’t ready? Because my perfectionism is still there? A bit?

Sigh. Can you see where this is going? No, I can’t either.

Anyway, if you know me – Hello! Please let me know you’ve stumbled across my pink toes. I really want to know!

I made a conscious decision when I started my pink toes to use my real name and to not post anything that I didn’t want people in my “real” life to see. Sometimes I fantasize about blogging all the secret, deep dark thoughts. Well, okay, so I DO blog those. What I don’t blog are the little gossipy things that are clever, but hurtful. I’m not out to write about others at their expense. I have no illusions about privacy – as you can see I’ve used my real name and photos all over. Some day I’ll go public, but I’m still working on the whole “where is this going?” thing.

Welcome, and Cheers!

Filed Under "Meta" on March 06, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

I bought strawberries again (I can't resist the early promise of spring) and of course reserved some for a fabulous martini. Eventually I'll add this photo to the recipe posting, but for now, here it is.

I am experimenting with Flickr, and with the taking , editing, and posting of photos. (Thanks to Jen for HTML help about getting text to wrap around an image).
Sadly, it was difficult to find a place in my house un-cluttered enough to take this photo. And, for whatever reason, I failed to smooth the tablecloth first. Sigh. Too bad my photo editing program doesn't have an "ironing" tool.

By the way, I love rimming glasses with the kind of coarse, colored sugar shown in this picture. For Christmas Eve, I made Chocolate Peppermintinis and rimmed them with red, green and white sugar, and hung a mini candy cane off of each. Yum!

Filed Under "Cocktails, Meta" on March 02, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)