In today's musical news, I am working on a mosaic out in the shed (which I am loving and almost finished with and will post pictures when I'm done and which you could BUY if you wanted to) and listening to the slew of old records that we've kept around for sentimental reasons. When I first transitioned from horrors of music like Tiffany, and Debbie Gibson, I discovered amongst my parents music collection some real gems. I felt like I was awakening from a deep pre-teen fog of hairspray, sun-in, and lip gloss. Thank goodness music is powerful enough to yank a knot in your chain when you stray (or the other way around), but I digress... Amongst the fine collection of my parents were a couple of albums that I still have: Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol 2 (still my favorite today, and you HAVE to watch this video from la ciudad de Mexico), loads of Beatles and Led Zeppelin albums, and a Grateful Dead (my first). I have been reminiscing with Velvet Underground & Paul Simon. I can't wait to grout to Nina Simon and Aretha on the turn table. It is as so very peaceful and serene out in the shed as I listen to the cracking of the LP's while strategically placing rocks and broken glass on a used coffee table.

You left me standing in the doorway, crying...

standing diapers + cloth diapers = messy and near bout impossible

So "they" say that standing diaper changes are beneficial for several reasons. "They" say that the child participates more in the process instead of just lying there letting the adults be in charge of the pottying phenomena, that the child is more actively involved in the process. "They" also say that this will ease the transition when it comes to potty training. I like all of these things. But, we also try to use mainly cloth diapers, and putting the two concepts together isn't really that easy. Just throwing that out there. Oh, and for your parenting pleasure, food for thought on disposable diapers:

Cut and pasted below from here:

Eighty percent of the diapering in this nation are done with disposables. That comes to 18 BILLION diapers a year. Each one has an outer layer of waterproof polypropylene and an inner layer of fluff made from wood pulp plus super-slurper sodium polyacrylate that can hold a hundred times its weight in water.
Those 18 billion diapers add up to 82,000 tons of plastic a year and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp -- 250,000 trees. After a few hours of active service these materials are trucked away, primarily to landfills, where they sit, neatly wrapped packages of excrement, entombed undegraded for several hundred years.
It is illegal in most states to dump human waste in landfills. That law is simply unenforced when it comes to diapers. Theoretically they could infest the water leaching out of the dump with bacteria and viruses (polio, hepatitis, dysentery), though that has never been known to happen. Perhaps the other ingredients in leachate are toxic enough to kill human pathogens. Perhaps the diapers are so nondegradable that they don't leak their contents.

** My note--- "They" also say that these damn things take 500 years to biodegrade. I seriously think about this every time I opt to use one. OOOHHH, and plus we bought a box this weekend for back up/ grandparent/ Evan using, and they were $30. Geez....

*** "they" are people that I have heard such things from, but that I am too lazy to search further on the internet about to back up****

They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar

Today mom and I blew off the men folk and went to see an artsy fair . We drank mojitos and admired the art. One of my favorites was a mosaic lady. I didn't catch her name, but she was peddling things like this. I keep thinking, hey I could do that! I love mosaics, and ollie has a broken down guitar I might just have to take the glue and stones to this summer.

I felt a tad bit guilty about jumping ship today, but Popcorn, the stylist at the Siam Salon where we finally ended up this afternoon said, "you only have one mom, you can find another husband..."

Cheers.

Then she opened up a book of poems

Poetry Friday:

Bowery Blues

The story of man

Makes me sick

Inside, outside,

I don't know why

Something so conditional

And all talk

Should hurt me so.

I am hurt

I am scared

I want to live

I want to die

I don't know

Where to turn

In the Void

And when

To cut

Out

For no

Church told me

No Guru holds me

No advice

Just stone

Of New York

And on the cafeteria

We hear

The saxophone

O dead Ruby

Died of ShotI

n Thirty Two,

Sounding like old times

And de bombed

Empty decapitated

Murder by the clock.

And I see Shadows

Dancing into Doom

In love, holding

TIght the lovely asses

Of the little girls

In love with sex

Showing themselves

In white undergarments

At elevated windows

Hoping for the Worst.

I can't take it

Anymore

If I can't hold

My little behind

To me in my room

Then it's goodbye

Sangsara

For me

BesidesGirls aren't as good

As they look

And Samadhi

Is better

Than you think

When it starts in

Hitting your head

In with Buzz

Of glittergold

Heaven's Angels

Wailing

Saying

We've been waiting for you

Since Morning, Jack

Why were you so long

Dallying in the sooty room?

This transcendental

Brilliance

Is the better part

(of Nothingness

I sing)

Okay.

Quit.

Mad.

Stop.

Kerouac Jack

Your cracked country lips...

Or Green Thursday...
When I was in middle school, we used to say that if you wore green on Thursday, that meant you were horny...And, no I'm not, but I thought that Thursdays would be a great day to discuss the latest green trend in the household.
I have given up chap stick. I know, no big deal, BUT it is dear readers, it is. I don't use make-up or hair products, but I was a burts beeswax addict, and I didn't even know it. The fact remains the soothing balm is a product that has to be purchased, shipped, and bought, and I just wanted out from under those chains. Like a true addict, I told myself that I wasn't addicted, that I could handle it, quit anytime, but sure enough for the past week or so I have been suffering from distinct withdrawl symptoms. Shakes, sweats, no just kidding, but my lips feel like they are growing a new layer of skin and becoming tougher. They have ached, peeled, and cried out for moisture. I have given them a touch of Vaseline just to ease the transition, but no more minty goodness, uh-uh. I mean LOTS of people world wide make it without constant moisturizing, surely, I can too. This will be especially tough in mom's house as she has a tube of the stuff strategically placed at every chair, in her car, purse, under her pillow, etc....

While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay

Musical update: None!

Week before last we missed this: Son Volt at Exit/ In (The kicker is that we actually HAD tickets and didn't go because it was a school night, and ALL the way downtown, blah, blah, blah, we're old, blah, blah, blah...

And, last night we didn't even bother fooling ourselves into buying tickets for Steve Earl (this video has some really good mama belly shots!), but of course I am kicking myself remembering how easy it used to be to go through life a little tired from dancing all night to some live music..

And, I am not sorry that I'll be missing this, though mom is going, and she can tell me all about it. This was my first CD. I loved it. Maybe if I'm ever in Jersey, I'll check out these guys instead.

Rock on dudes.

I don't do sketches from memory

Lately, I have had the dreaded mom brain. This is the phenomena that takes place I've heard with motherhood and as a colleague confirmed to me today, (a mom herself) that is it scientifically proven. This is the serious case of forgetting things. We used to call them brain farts, but mom brain sounds so much more PC. Sooo, I accidentally emailed someone a long drawn out message, excited that she had contacted my about my summer business, and then the day after realized I had associated her with wrong business. D'Oh. Also, I missed a workshop on immigration at Vanderbilt that I have been looking forward to forever thinking that it was next Monday. Yet another colleague went, wondered where I was, and cleared things up for me this morning. I almost cried. I would have loved to be away from the teenagers for a day to learn more about such a fascinating topic. What I am more nervous about is that these things could come in 3s. What will I forget next?

And a conversation between O-Ray and myself:
Me: I am drawing a picture of something that wears glasses, has a beard, a moustache, wears a hat.....
Ollie: Does it wear pants?
Me: YES!
Ollie: Is it a crab?
Me: D'oh!

Food was flying everywhere, and I left without my hat

We have been making lately a yummy dish from The Ultimate Healthy Eating Cookbook that our dear, lovely, favorite Uncle Ethie gave me one year for Christmas. Here is the recipe:

Cucumber and Alfalfa Tortillas:
(you can easily make your own tortillas: 2 cups flour, pinch of salt, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2/3 cup of H20- Knead until soft, roll out, and cook until brown in a skillet for about 30 seconds each side)
Or you can buy them, use pita bread, etc....

Mix one avocado with 2 tbsp goat cheese and juice of 1 lime in food processor. Set aside to use as base spread in the tortilla.

Mix 1 chopped (red) onion, 1 chopped and seeded (red) chili, 2 tbsp fresh dill or coriander, 1/2 cup peeled and chopped cucumber, and 2 cups of sprouts (we've used several different kinds)

Roll 'em up and eat 'em. Evan approved, raw fresh eatin'. Yummy and healthy.

And is our purpose not the same on this earth

Or Rainy Day Women, Weekend Update, and Chance Encounters..

Earth day weekend proved itself to be a glorious and appropriate celebration for one of my favorite holidays. We opted to stay close to home this year thinking it not so green of us to drive all the way to Nashvegas. We scored free trees, wildflower seeds, Stop Litter tatoos, and I happened upon an old high school acquaintance who runs the local recycling pick-up. I haven't seen this cat since like '92, and we weren't close friends, yet it does make you feel good to see familiar faces. I also, on the same day, ran into a best friend of mine from the 7th grade. It totally weirded me out man. She is cousins with my Dos Amigas business partner and friend. I have moved around so much in my life that these encounters are rare at best. To have 2 in one day is just incredible. Friday night, another old time buddy contacted via email. It's a small, small world.

Either from the mountains of Madrid Or from the coast of Barcelona

I heard on NPR (Evan is gagging, already, I know- since I only interact with teenagers during the day, some days NPR is my only outlet for semi-adult thoughts), that Spain's minister of defense is a 8 month pregnant female. God love her. And Spain. I just thought it was way cool. She officially receives the first ever toughmama award with all of it's glory and fame. The story included a statement about mandatory 4 months maternity leave! Woweeee, THAT sounds like a way to raise a good country.

On a side note, we've been bombarded with T-ball and the like. Eli's new word is Croc- as in, his shoes, however I won't tell you what it sounds like he' saying, but let's just say it doesn't sound appropriate for a 2 year old.

Viva España

Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones

Recently, as a TVA customer, I went here to fill in an online energy survey. If you are TVA customer, you HAVE to do this, if nothing else for the free box of goodies that came to our house a couple of weeks later. This weekend I was giddy with excitement when it arrived. In the box were 2 florescent light bulbs, 2 low flow water faucet attachments, foam pads to insulate behind our electrical outlets, and a little whistle contraption that tells me when my air filter needs to be replaced (which we haven't even been using lately thanks to all this nice weather we've been having!)It was sort of like this, but free. ALL FREE! I know you've been dying to know, but our daily energy usage is down by an average of 7 kilowatts a day this month! Yipeeeee. Now go save the planet.

PS. Did you know that Bob Dylan doesn't have one song that includes the word energy?!!

Look what I'm doing this summer!

The website is not quite up and running, and I promise to keep you updated. BUT, my wonderful and talented friend is letting me help her with this project, and I really hope it does great. Let us know if you want to sign up, or if you have any ideas!

But my soulful mama, you know she keeps me hid

I am not the kind of mama who:
Rushes to my kid when he stumbles
Follows behind him at the play ground telling him to be careful
Jumps to dress him, feed him, do all for him
But, I am the kind of mama who:
Loves her kid and wants him to feel good
Wants him to be confident and sturdy
Wants him to know how to stand on his own two feet, button a shirt, and get right up when he falls.
I think I make other moms uncomfortable when I hesitate to help or run over or even warn my child of impending danger. I really, really am not being lazy or neglectful, and I am the first to smooch my child to death, BUT, really, I sincerely feel that giving my child space and time to figure things out is way better than doing everything for them. So there. That'll learn 'em.

One more cup of coffee for the road...

Note to self, and mama tip #2098:

STOP PUTTING THE COFFEE FILTERS BEHIND THE SIPPY CUPS!!!

This creates an avalanche of sippy cups in the wee hours when your trying to be so quiet,

or when everyone is whining and hungry and thinks they should be fed BEFORE mom makes coffee.

Yeah right.