I don't know where that is really true, but it certainly hasn't been true anywhere I've lived. Growing up near Monterey, California, I was often perplexed by seasons in children's books. We got no snow, if March came in like a lion, it was a tame, fuzzy lion, and February showers tended to bring late February flowers. Then, in Portland, I finally learned about colder winters, mostly that I wouldn't want to live anywhere truly snowy (I am far too thin-blooded), and still, February showers tended to bring March flowers--which were smitten with a frost immediately afterward, and died. So I don't know where all those descriptions came from.
I miss Portland a lot--partly the people, partly the culture, and partly just the city itself. Days like today, though, I remember why it was that I physically had to leave. I just hate the rain. It's not the rain itself, it's the gloom. I kind of like the rain, in that I like taking rain walks and such, but when the house is dark or when I'm driving on cloudy days, I just feel so tired and miserable. I think, "Did I feel this way all the time when I lived there?" It's hard, though, because I really don't love Sacramento. I do love where I grew up, my parents' house in Corral de Tierra, but that's not really a possible place for us to live right now. So here I am, in just-a-place California, but at least it hardly ever does this. And it has been so amazing getting to live right next to my nephews and niece, getting to go to their birthday parties and give them hugs more than once a year.
I guess what it comes down to is just figuring out where you have the best shot at being happy and healthy, and maybe it just won't be in a city with a pretty skyline and great concerts (that I never went to anyway, as a mom). But I do miss Portland.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Bunny Brawl
Jeremy's mom gave the kids each an Easter bunny; Selah's talks about Easter when you press a button.
I witnessed Selah playing with the two bunnies just now. I imagine normal children playing nice Easter games with such stuffed toys, hiding eggs or something. Instead:
Smaller talking bunny tells its story in an electronic voice, closing with "Happy Easter!"
Larger bunny: [Selah affects deep voice] It's not Easter! It's Christmas!
Smaller bunny: It's not!
Larger bunny shoves smaller bunny, who falls over.
Smaller bunny: I died!
He sits back up. Larger bunny hits him with a toy hammer.
Smaller bunny: Aaaaa!
Larger bunny: You have a time-out!
He picks up smaller bunny, who cries out.
Smaller bunny: Nooo!
I try to tell myself that I have a deeply imaginative child, instead of a severely disturbed one. I also try not to worry about the fact that after Larger bunny has hit Smaller bunny with a hammer, he gives him a time-out. What exactly is Selah's perception of us as parents?
Okay, I have to go feed dinner to a bunch of people who are going to hate it now. But if anyone doesn't eat, I will hit him or her with a hammer before handing out a time-out.
I witnessed Selah playing with the two bunnies just now. I imagine normal children playing nice Easter games with such stuffed toys, hiding eggs or something. Instead:
Smaller talking bunny tells its story in an electronic voice, closing with "Happy Easter!"
Larger bunny: [Selah affects deep voice] It's not Easter! It's Christmas!
Smaller bunny: It's not!
Larger bunny shoves smaller bunny, who falls over.
Smaller bunny: I died!
He sits back up. Larger bunny hits him with a toy hammer.
Smaller bunny: Aaaaa!
Larger bunny: You have a time-out!
He picks up smaller bunny, who cries out.
Smaller bunny: Nooo!
I try to tell myself that I have a deeply imaginative child, instead of a severely disturbed one. I also try not to worry about the fact that after Larger bunny has hit Smaller bunny with a hammer, he gives him a time-out. What exactly is Selah's perception of us as parents?
Okay, I have to go feed dinner to a bunch of people who are going to hate it now. But if anyone doesn't eat, I will hit him or her with a hammer before handing out a time-out.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Further adventures in motherhood
I am aware that most of my posts have to do with showers. Perhaps this is because showering is one of those beautiful remnants of the past, back when I had "me" time, and nobody bothered me, and how they tend to play out now in comparison to those days is traumatic at best.
As I near the end of my pregnancy (less than two months left!), I increasingly need and crave relaxation, but where would one find such things? I was taking a shower, hurrying as usual, and right as I had a head full of shampoo, Selah jerked the door open, and shouted, "I need you to wipe my bottom!" Closing my eyes, I decided I could hope that all had gone well on the potty (just outside) for the moment, at least while I was taking a shower, and just clean up if need be later. Shampoo dripping into my eyes, throwing water all over the bathroom, I performed the requested/demanded duty, and then leaned back in to rinse.
I didn't realize that Selah left the door open when she left--until the smoke detector right outside the bathroom went off, as it always does when steam leaves the bathroom. I squeezed my eyes shut again, trying to ignore its shrill shrieks, as I was unable to reach the door knob to shut the door. Of course Selah was frightened by the noise, too, so started running around the house screaming, "Aaaa! Aaaaa!" The volume of her screams competed with that of the smoke detector's, and I finally gave up my quest for a complete, full bathing experience and got out to make everyone shut up.
I wasn't even mad; all you can do is laugh.
As I near the end of my pregnancy (less than two months left!), I increasingly need and crave relaxation, but where would one find such things? I was taking a shower, hurrying as usual, and right as I had a head full of shampoo, Selah jerked the door open, and shouted, "I need you to wipe my bottom!" Closing my eyes, I decided I could hope that all had gone well on the potty (just outside) for the moment, at least while I was taking a shower, and just clean up if need be later. Shampoo dripping into my eyes, throwing water all over the bathroom, I performed the requested/demanded duty, and then leaned back in to rinse.
I didn't realize that Selah left the door open when she left--until the smoke detector right outside the bathroom went off, as it always does when steam leaves the bathroom. I squeezed my eyes shut again, trying to ignore its shrill shrieks, as I was unable to reach the door knob to shut the door. Of course Selah was frightened by the noise, too, so started running around the house screaming, "Aaaa! Aaaaa!" The volume of her screams competed with that of the smoke detector's, and I finally gave up my quest for a complete, full bathing experience and got out to make everyone shut up.
I wasn't even mad; all you can do is laugh.
Friday, May 8, 2009
We're selling our adorable home!
I am writing to enlist your help. We are planning to sell our lovely little house, and we are blessed enough to be working with a broker who wants to help us. If we find someone to sell it to ourselves, it would save us a lot of money, and if our buyer wants to work with our same broker or just deal with us, we would be able to pass some of the savings on to them as well. Not to mention I am very attached to our house, and I'd love to send it off into good hands! We will be putting it on the market for 322,000, but we could share the savings if we end up selling it ourselves, so that would go down a bit.
So here are some specs: It's a single story, but the basement is fully finished, giving it a third bedroom, a second bathroom, and another living room/den. The special thing about the house is it would serve someone well who wanted three bedrooms/two baths, but it also can be used the way we have been using it for the past three plus years--you can rent out the basement as a separate apartment, with its own laundry room, kitchen, and entrance. It also could be helpful for someone who wants a relative or someone to live with them, but have relative independence. Most appliances can be included.
The (newly painted) house is located in an amazing neighborhood, at 48th and Fremont, right off the Beaumont Village business district. You can walk to groceries, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, and cute little shops; a bus to downtown stops right at our corner, two houses down, and we are up the hill from the MAX in the Hollywood District. The Hollywood Library, the post office, a couple of banks, a pharmacy, and some medical offices are also within walking distance, down the hill, and they are opening a Whole Foods there as well. I often walk to Safeway or Trader Joe's for a little bit further of a walk.
It's also in a great school district: Alameda Elementary, Beaumont Middle, and Grant High schools. We love our neighbors, who are a mixture of young families, older folks, and a random assortment of others, all of whom have been very friendly and supportive. The neighborhood is very safe, and there are people out taking walks at all hours, alone, with their families or dogs, etc. The main living space has nice hardwood floors, and there is a fireplace in the living room. Its social/living spaces are large enough that we were able to host a home group in it for several years with no problem. There is a dining room, living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a mudroom on the ground floor, and the basement has the aforementioned rooms. The house is a total of about 1500 square feet.
Anyway, we'd be thrilled if you yourselves were interested, or if you passed on this information to someone else who might be!
Best,
Laura, Jeremy, and Selah
So here are some specs: It's a single story, but the basement is fully finished, giving it a third bedroom, a second bathroom, and another living room/den. The special thing about the house is it would serve someone well who wanted three bedrooms/two baths, but it also can be used the way we have been using it for the past three plus years--you can rent out the basement as a separate apartment, with its own laundry room, kitchen, and entrance. It also could be helpful for someone who wants a relative or someone to live with them, but have relative independence. Most appliances can be included.
The (newly painted) house is located in an amazing neighborhood, at 48th and Fremont, right off the Beaumont Village business district. You can walk to groceries, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, and cute little shops; a bus to downtown stops right at our corner, two houses down, and we are up the hill from the MAX in the Hollywood District. The Hollywood Library, the post office, a couple of banks, a pharmacy, and some medical offices are also within walking distance, down the hill, and they are opening a Whole Foods there as well. I often walk to Safeway or Trader Joe's for a little bit further of a walk.
It's also in a great school district: Alameda Elementary, Beaumont Middle, and Grant High schools. We love our neighbors, who are a mixture of young families, older folks, and a random assortment of others, all of whom have been very friendly and supportive. The neighborhood is very safe, and there are people out taking walks at all hours, alone, with their families or dogs, etc. The main living space has nice hardwood floors, and there is a fireplace in the living room. Its social/living spaces are large enough that we were able to host a home group in it for several years with no problem. There is a dining room, living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a mudroom on the ground floor, and the basement has the aforementioned rooms. The house is a total of about 1500 square feet.
Anyway, we'd be thrilled if you yourselves were interested, or if you passed on this information to someone else who might be!
Best,
Laura, Jeremy, and Selah
Friday, March 13, 2009
Bad Parenting Moments Come Back to Haunt
I am having a hard time not taking out my pregnancy fatigue on Selah, who of course would not understand. Yesterday was a horrendously long day, with Jeremy gone before Selah woke up at 7, and not returning until after she had gone to bed, and our 13.5 hour day in the interim included the gym, the DMV, meeting friends at a restaurant...in short, it was tiring!
I was getting out of the shower toward the end of this day, hurrying to get ready to go back out for the restaurant, and Selah ran into the kitchen, waving a pair of small, sharp, orange-handled scissors. (She owns a pair of small, blunt, orange-handled scissors). Horrified, I snapped, "Hey! Those aren't yours! Those are sharp!" yada yada.
Disappointed, as she clearly thought they were her scissors, Selah argued, and threw a fit when I put them back (I was still not wearing any clothes, and cold and mad). Letting the moment get the better of me, I pulled out her scissors, and said, "Look! These are yours! They are not sharp." I hucked them onto the floor and...they broke.
Understandably, Selah really melted down then, since she had wanted to play with her (cherished) scissors, and then I broke them. I stormed back to the bathroom to dress and dry my hair, and when she came in, I apologized for breaking the scissors, and said I shoudn't have thrown them. She forgave me.
However, when I came back into the living room, there she was, reenacting the whole sordid scene with her toys. One, the oppressed toy, was crying out in grief, "Those were brand new! And you broke them!"
I should probably start saving up for a therapist now. But meanwhile, I might need one, since pretty much my every fault or error is remembered and imitated for my enjoyment. Sigh.
I was getting out of the shower toward the end of this day, hurrying to get ready to go back out for the restaurant, and Selah ran into the kitchen, waving a pair of small, sharp, orange-handled scissors. (She owns a pair of small, blunt, orange-handled scissors). Horrified, I snapped, "Hey! Those aren't yours! Those are sharp!" yada yada.
Disappointed, as she clearly thought they were her scissors, Selah argued, and threw a fit when I put them back (I was still not wearing any clothes, and cold and mad). Letting the moment get the better of me, I pulled out her scissors, and said, "Look! These are yours! They are not sharp." I hucked them onto the floor and...they broke.
Understandably, Selah really melted down then, since she had wanted to play with her (cherished) scissors, and then I broke them. I stormed back to the bathroom to dress and dry my hair, and when she came in, I apologized for breaking the scissors, and said I shoudn't have thrown them. She forgave me.
However, when I came back into the living room, there she was, reenacting the whole sordid scene with her toys. One, the oppressed toy, was crying out in grief, "Those were brand new! And you broke them!"
I should probably start saving up for a therapist now. But meanwhile, I might need one, since pretty much my every fault or error is remembered and imitated for my enjoyment. Sigh.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Article in the Oregonian
Ever since I lost my cat Emily to cancer, caused by inappropriate vaccination procedures, I have hoped other people might find out what I didn't know, and be spared the same sorrow. I wrote an article for the Oregonian on the topic that was published this week:
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2009/01/lowcost_vaccination_clinics_ca.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2009/01/lowcost_vaccination_clinics_ca.html
Monday, June 30, 2008
Hilarious
I had already heard of the blog "Stuff White People Like," but hadn't visited it until I read a fellow blogger's article on EcoMetro. Her reference included things like "farmers markets," "organic food," and "Priuses." I just visited the blog myself, and here are some choice paragraphs, which I have ripped off for your enjoyment in a most unethical manner:
Being a truly advanced white person means being able to speak with authority about pretty much any field of conversation- especially politics. In order for white people to streamline the process of knowing everything, all human beings can be neatly filed into one of two categories: People I Agree With, and People Who are Just Like Adolf Hitler.
...
It’s also critical that you avoid the fatal mistake of getting creative and comparing people you don’t like to other evil dictators, such as Joseph Stalin or Fidel Castro. With few exceptions, white people are actually fond of almost any dictator not named Hitler, and your remark that “this is just like something Mao Zedong would do” will be met with blank stares and possible social alienation. This is because, with the exception of Hitler, oppressive dictators share a passion for many of the things white people love- such as universal health care, conspiracy theories, caring about poor people while being filthy rich, and cool hats. Stick to the script and compare things you don’t like to Hitler, and Hitler alone.
Being a truly advanced white person means being able to speak with authority about pretty much any field of conversation- especially politics. In order for white people to streamline the process of knowing everything, all human beings can be neatly filed into one of two categories: People I Agree With, and People Who are Just Like Adolf Hitler.
...
It’s also critical that you avoid the fatal mistake of getting creative and comparing people you don’t like to other evil dictators, such as Joseph Stalin or Fidel Castro. With few exceptions, white people are actually fond of almost any dictator not named Hitler, and your remark that “this is just like something Mao Zedong would do” will be met with blank stares and possible social alienation. This is because, with the exception of Hitler, oppressive dictators share a passion for many of the things white people love- such as universal health care, conspiracy theories, caring about poor people while being filthy rich, and cool hats. Stick to the script and compare things you don’t like to Hitler, and Hitler alone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
