December 11 The best place

A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

Here in Portland, it would have to be Loyly. Sauna plus steam, peace and quiet, the smell of cedar and lemongrass. Pretty much heaven in my book. How fortunate that I have doctor's orders to visit the sauna as often as possible.

My lovely children were dispersed yesterday, the boys to the mountains and my youngest with friends which meant that my husband and I had some unscheduled time alone together on a beautiful, crisp fall day. I almost forgot to bring my camera but I am so glad he reminded me to tuck it in my bag. Sometimes I think I've already taken all the good pictures I ever will, and then the same old street I've walked 100 times surprises me with its colors.

What a treat to spend a fine, relaxed day off with the one I love best.

A Perfect Weekend

We've had one of those abrupt Portland springtime shifts from cool rain to high temperatures and sunny skies virtually overnight. On Friday, Day 1 of this lovely weather spell, I sat outside with a bunch of sun starved mamas and soaked up as much as I could. Saturday and Sunday weren't much different though we changed locations a few times. We visited both Peninsula Park and Blue Lake as well as spent quite a few hours in the garden, listening to the plants grow.We took my new picnic basket (thanks, Mom!) out for a spin, ate quite a bit of ice cream, and spent lots of time outside. I finished a sweater, started a pair of socks quite a few times before deciding that I'm just not up to a Cookie A sock right now, and have moved on to less taxing things like embroidery and simple sock design. I am happy to report that I have shifted from pasty winter white to the deep brown I consider my true skin color. Apart from a truly disappointing meal, it was about as perfect as a weekend gets. Here's hoping for a summer full of similar weekends.

Bike Date

After all the fun I had riding on the back of Lynn's bike yesterday I realized it was time to haul out my own and get riding again. There are lots of stories I tell myself about why I don't ride more often. These have to do with time and energy and my neighborhood (where the only way out is up). There's some truth to each of these but there's more, too. I really can only ride on the weekend because someone needs to stay with The Princess. And if I go for a ride when The Spouse is home then that takes away from the very limited time I have with him. So today I woke up and pestered him until he agreed to go with me and then got the boys to agree to watch their sister. It took some work, but I'm a champion nag and eventually I won.

He rode The Dark Lord's bike which isn't a bad fit now the the son is as tall as the father. He immediately began complaining about the seat but I just kept on pedaling. We went first to the library and then decided to ride further for a coffee. By the time we got near our coffee destination we were starving and changed plans in order to get a proper lunch. We sat outside, chilly and hungry and very happy. Well, I was happy. My husband was still grumbling but he tried to be cheery. Given that his idea of a perfect morning is more likely to involve a newspaper and a cozy house than a bicycle and helmet I think he was rather a good sport. I couldn't get over how cool it was that we'd taken our first ever bike ride together in nearly 20 years of marriage. I know, I know, kind of ridiculous, isn't it?

Our return ride was right into the east wind and not ideal, especially when there was nothing to do but ride in traffic. I wish there were more low traffic roads out of our neighborhood, but an interstate freeway and a rather large chunk of rock force us to use the higher traffic roads for part of nearly any ride. I don't much like sharing the road with speeding cars but my poor husband was quite worried. Eventually the shoulder widened out as we approached home and we arrived tired but quite pleased with ourselves.

When I asked if he was glad I made him go out with me he insisted I didn't make him do anything-- it was his choice. Fair enough--I hope it's a choice he makes often in the near future. because I can't think of a whole lot that's more fund than a cycling date with my sweetie.

Lemonade

Not long ago, through the marvel that is Facebook, an old friend looked me up out of the blue. D was my first parenting buddy. We met a million years ago at a new mom's group when our now-15 year olds were tiny little babies. We didn't hit it off with many of the other moms--some of whom had clearly been driven a little bonkers by those post-partum hormones--so we mostly just hung out together. Given all the things that need to be done every day it amazes me to look back on that first baby time when all we had to do was nurse, change diapers, eat, nurse some more, and talk, talk, talk! D was the reason I never suffered any of that new mama isolation, and she really helped me build confidence as I muddled through with my new baby.

Eventually we lost touch. She moved north, we moved south, and somehow things got crazy. I often wondered how here family was doing but never really made the effort to find her, so I was more than touched when she looked me up. Since we've been back in touch I've been thinking back to 15 years ago and I feel like I've reclaimed some of those long lost new mom days. Of course I was delighted when she proposed a visit to Portland and I made great plans for all the things we could do while she was here this weekend.

I haven't seen D in a decade or so, but I was still crushed when she informed me that some kind of crud had gotten to her and her son and she'd be postponing the visit. I'd even set up a fun afternoon for The Princess so D and I could visit the sauna today! Never one to let free child care go to waste, I planned to sent The Princess anyway and go steam and sweat on my own but as it turned out, Lynn wanted to join me. Not only that, she wanted me to ride on the back of her bike!

I can't even tell you how fun this was. I felt like a little kid as I perched on the Xtracycle while we whizzed down the street. Lynn (and her Stoke Monkey) did all the work--there was nothing for me to do but grin and enjoy the sunshine. I really, really wished I'd had my camera with me, but otherwise our little excursion was the best. We rode all the way down to the river and back up the hill on a spectacularly gorgeous day.

The best part? Only a couple of years ago my dear friend Lynn had some very serious medical stuff going on. Very serious. Never in a million years did I think she'd be carrying me around town on the back of a bike! She keeps getting stronger and healthier. She makes me look like a slug and nothing could make me happier.

So it turned out to be the best day ever. I know I'll get to hang out with D soon, and that will be wonderful as well. But I am delighted that things turned out so well today. To top it off, D got me going with Skype and we managed to have a hilarious video chat which, while not a real visit, was a good preview.

Heavenly Overload

Last month I wrote about how the weather dashed plans to make a day trip to Tacoma to visit the famous Korean spa. I'm on doctor's orders to sauna regularly (love my doc!) so the change in plans forced me to sweat locally and necessity led me to Loyly, a sweet and simple bit of heaven in SE Portland. I confess to now being utterly and hopelessly hooked on the sauna and curious about how other facilities handle the experience.

We made a second plan to visit Tacoma earlier this month when, wouldn't you know, the freeway was submerged under 10 feet of water. After canceling that expedition I wasn't to keen to plan a third. After snow, ice, and floods, what could be next? An earthquake? Tornado? I considered stocking up on bottled water before making plans yet again.

Saturday was as lovely day as one could dream of in January and my friend arrived early to pick me up. We chatted and laughed for two hours straight before heading off the freeway just south of Tacoma where we entered another world. Suddenly Korean replaced English on all the signs. We located the spa in a most unassuming strip mall next to what I think was a flooring shop.

Upon entrance we were handed towels, a thin cotton robes (think hospital gown) and funky pink striped bonnets (think hair net). The robes weren't required but the bonnets were and they acted as a great equalizer. It's hard to feel squeamish about being nude in front of strangers when everyone, regardless of shape, size, or color, looks like a naked lunch lady. It's kind of hilarious, really.

I have no idea about fancy-schmancy spas but this place was a perfect combination of utility and pleasure. It was easy to spend hours there as the choices were nearly infinite. After a a cleansing shower one enters the hydrotherapy room which has hot tubs ranging in temperature from 90 to 110 degrees and a chilly pool for plunging. There's also a big tub full of mugwort infusion--people would wander over and pour dippers full over their bodies at varying intervals. I have no idea what the stuff is for, but I did lots of dipping and pouring for the fun of it. After relaxing in the hot pools, I made numerous visits to the dry sauna and steam room, both of which were lovely.

There's a tiny restaurant--more of an indoor lunch cart, really. I'm sure they do a booming business because one thing I have learned is that sauna makes me ravenous. We had yakisoba noodles accompanied by tiny dishes of condiments and the meal really hit the spot.

After lunch we explored the dry side of the spa. I was delighted to find that the marble floors were heated, just like at my grandmother's house. There were women sprawled all over, reading and napping on the warm floors. There are three "earth energy" rooms as well, with heated floors and various stones and charcoal on the walls. Again, no idea what this was all about, but it was all reputed to be beneficial and it was certainly relaxing.

We originally planned this trip the week of my huge dental appointment when I had all my mercury amalgam fillings removed and I'd thought I would try out a detox body wrap. A month later I'm not sure how much benefit there might be, but I went ahead with it. Maybe I should have given it more thought. I was covered in goop, wrapped like a burrito, and left to stew for an hour or so with Billie Holiday singing in the background. Kind of weird and kind of claustrophobic but I really tried not to dwell on that seeing as I was straitjacketed alone in a room and if I wigged out, who'd know?

I confess I was relived when that part ended and I could get back to what I loved: soaking and sweating. Eventually, though, I reached a point when I knew I was done. I never felt cleaner in my life. Or hungrier. We found a nice Indian restaurant, had a lovely meal, and drove home completely and utterly relaxed.

I am somewhat surprised to discover how much I like this kind of experience. I don't think of myself as a "spa" kind of person. But the health benefits of sweating in sauna and steam are undeniable and I love how clean I feel afterward. But there's also something incredibly valuable about taking the time to step away from the daily responsibilities and let all that go. I worried a lot about being naked in front of strangers before I started this and it's funny how that just doesn't bother me anymore. Everyone has body issues of one sort or another but I'm finding that shedding those along with my clothes is incredibly healthy and invigorating.

Happy New Year

Normally the secular new year kind of passes me by. Deep winter doesn't give me the sense of rebirth and possibility that I feel during the Jewish new year which falls just as everything moves into autumnal glory. Just as I stay well outside the Christmas frenzy, I also tend to avoid resolutions and new beginnings as January rolls around as they're not part of my personal rhythm.

So it's odd that I'm finding myself anticipating that rollover to a new calendar year this time around. I don't know if my recent dental work could be affecting me already but I am feeling stronger, healthier, and less fuzzy headed than I have in months. Recently when looking around at everything I should be doing, I've been likely to shut down, overwhelmed, and begin to long for a nap. I'm no paragon of energy at the moment, but it does seem within the realm of possibility that I might be able to regain control of some things that have gotten away from me. I suppose that's not much, especially for the overachievers out there, but it's enough to fill me with cautious optimism.

Enough of that New Year's silliness--how about some photos? I love going back over the year in photos and being reminded of everything from spring flowers to family outings.

I wish all my readers only good things in 2009. May it be a year of health and happiness and growth.

Heavenly

Today didn't exactly work out as planned but worked out wonderfully nonetheless. A friend and I had made plans to drive to Tacoma for a leisurely day here. As decadent as it sounds, my doctor is actually recommending that I visit the sauna frequently over the next few weeks to aid my body's attempts to eliminate traces of mercury from my body but the thought of a day trip with a good friend sounded heavenly.

This has been crazy weather week so it was wait and watch until this morning when snow began falling copiously and we regretfully called of our excursion. But luckily I had Plan B which involved a visit to a sauna in town, a much simpler affair but without much in the way of driving hazards.

I'd been meaning to visit Loyly for ages and now I wish I'd gone sooner. I'll definitely be back, and often because it was like a 2 hour vacation. This place is heavenly, offering a dry sauna, a steam room, and a lovely, simple lounge area for cooling down in between. If you are lucky enough to live in Portland I'd advise you to drop in for a visit ASAP. The rates are quite reasonable and the expereince is remarkable. I don't know that I've ever felt so clean and well rested.

Pure Luxury

A person who is very dear to me cannot wear wool. For a knitter that's something of a tragedy but there are sheep-free fiber options out there. My favorite by far is silk, especially a loosely spun yarn that's squishy and soft and utterly delightful. I've never knitted anything for myself from this lovely yarn as it's super-expensive but I feel like it's a completely justifiable luxury for people I love.

Using a simple but pretty rib pattern I found in Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns I designed what I think is a lovely scarf. The silk is such a delight to knit with and the project is flying along.

I'm hoping its recipient will love it but, if not, it makes a nice resting place for the formerly wanton Miss Chutki, the feline teen mother we took in last summer. She takes a lot of daytime naps since she spends most nights crashing around, chirping at her toys and making a surprising amount of racket. It's a lucky cat who gets to rest her pretty little head on pure silk!

Show and Tell

No maternal melodrama today, I promise. Instead, how about another show and tell post?

First off: sewing. I got the idea in my head that I really needed to learn how to make simple zippered bags. I'd been wanting something just the perfect size to keep the basics (wallet, phone, and iPod) to transfer from my knitting bag to my work bag and back. For most even remotely competent people, this would be a piece of cake but I am not like everyone else. My 3-D challenges are well known among my friends and nothing brings out my weaknesses in this are like sewing. And zippers? Forget it!

I had to use two different tutorials to make sense of things (here and here) . And I think I spent more time ripping seams than actually sewing them. I was up way too late and my back was hurting but at 2 am I had this:The size is perfect, the wrist strap allows it to be used on its own and I love the inexpensive but charming IKEA fabric. I need to make another one soon to cement what I learned.Next: more sewing. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Amanda Soule's Mama to Mama project which connects crafters with folks in need around the world. The first round of projects supports new mothers and their babies in Haiti by providing newborn caps and receiving blankets. I made my first caps yesterday using the cotton jersey I accidentally dyed pink last summer and then cotton reclaimed from an old T-shirt. Each hat took all of 15 minutes to make but knowing they'll keep a new baby warm makes me so happy. I'm hoping to send a blanket in with the caps next week. Anyone is welcome to join in on this project. As a matter of fact, if you are in the Portland area and want to participate, get your caps to me by December 1st and I will happily mail them in along with mine. Go to the blog and read about it and then let me know if you're in!

Crochet: remember the ripple afghan? It's becoming quite substantial. I am delighted at how quickly it's grown and I love the opportunity to play with colors. I'd hoped to be thrifty and use only leftover and balls of yarn but the blanket quickly outgrew my plans so I visited a couple of yarn shops to fill in. This has been a really enjoyable project and I can see myself always having one of these in progress.And finally--I have not given up knitting. Last week I whipped up what can only be described as My Dream Scarf. It's long enough for a couple of wraps around the neck but not at all bulky so I don't feel like I'm being strangled. The ends flare a bit to add some coverage under my open collar jackets. And best of all, it's made of the softest, yummiest yarn in all the world: Malabrigo Silky Merino. I love this stuff so much--it feels wonderful and the silk allows the color to glow. I can't wait for it to get cold so I can wear this every day.
I'll have three weeks of vacation in December and I am bubbling over with ideas. I can't wait!

Pretty Much Perfect

I don't often get days like today so I wanted to make note of it.

First of all, I had nothing scheduled today. Nothing. It was my first payday in a month so I took the kids out for lunch and cupcakes. Afterward I spent a couple of hours in the sukkah puzzling out a crochet pattern--the first steps towards dealing with my ripple afghan obsession. It was a warm, quiet afternoon and the neighborhood oddballs were all elsewhere, so I felt remarkably lucky to have that time to think and struggle and try something new.

We had dinner with friends in their sukkah. The meal was delicious and the company even better.

I don't think I could have asked for a lovelier day.

A Happy Maker of Things

For once I'm not going to complain. See? I even redecorated for you!

I've been making lots of things lately, which makes me happy, happy, happy! The Dark Lord now has a goofy hat which he loves. I have no idea why given that under normal circumstances anything other than somber, dark colors seems to be taboo lately. For whatever reason, he loves the hat so his knitting mama is quite happy. Knitterly details on this hat can be found here.
I've been doing lots of spinning and enjoying the feel of the fiber slipping through my fingers. The finished yarn is from an old roving I've had around for a while and is about to made into a gift for a certain special friend. The single yarn still on the bobbin is from a gorgeous merino/alpaca roving I bought a couple of weeks ago at OFFF. It spins "like buttah". I have no plans for the finished yarn yet but whatever I make it will be lovely and soft.

I recently got a bee in my bonnet about crocheting a multicolored ripple afghan after skimming through this book. Mind you I don't actually know how to crochet but would I let a little detail like that stop me? I haven't jumped in yet mostly because I can't afford to buy new yarn but I figured a little practice wouldn't hurt. I whipped out a little scarf for The Princess, I kid you not, in the time it took us to drive across town to an art exhibition, to lunch, downtown to pick up a child, and then back home. I now totally get why people love crochet--it's wicked fast compared to knitting. My understanding is that it will take somewhere around two thousand yards of yarn to make a decent sized blanket so I may need to give this some thought before I commit. Oh, and learn to crochet properly.

What else? I spent much of last weekend playing with paper, glue, and my beloved Silky Crayons and turned a child's board book into a cookbook which, admittedly, isn't all that practical but was so much fun to make.

Oh--and I finished a sweater for The Princess. This sweater almost didn't make it as I bought the yarn years ago when she was much tinier. I was short one ball in order to finish and couldn't find anyone selling the yarn locally. Happily I looked on Ravelry and found exactly one person with this yarn in her stash. She cheerfully accepted my offer to buy the yarn from her and shipped it to me from Canada. Aren't knitters the best?
Nothing makes me happier than making things. It isn't just about the finished objects though I am happy to have those out in the world and being loved. There's nothing more satisfying than learning the quirks of a new fiber or blending colors together and delighting myself with the results. I'm trying so hard to slow down and ensure that I have more making-things time because there's nothing better, especially when it seems that the sky is falling and there isn't a thing I can do about it.

Bee Pants and the Dark Lord's Face

How's that for a title?

I mentioned The Dark Lord's Mother's Day gift to me in yesterday's post. Wow! Is this kid gorgeous or what?

He asked me why mothers hate long hair. I thought about it and realized I have absolutely nothing against long hair and often find it quite fetching. Except on my boys. It's not about looking respectable or tidy. It's just that I want to see their lovely faces and when their hair is short I don't have to wait for the occasional parting of great drifts of hair to get a glimpse. I know I drove him crazy staring at his face which has changed so much in recent months. I think the girls at school gave him the seal of approval today. What do mothers know anyway?

I spent a few minutes finishing up the promised Bee Pants for The Princess. I can't even begin to describe how delightful I find the bee ribbon which I added around the hem of these loose, comfy, summery linen pants. I think I might need a pair myself.

The Best Medicine

I spent the weekend trying to not feel as lousy as I've been feeling. My naturopath has me on a a staggering supplement regimen which required a complex grid to keep track of what and when. Downing pills took up much of my time and during the rest I was restless and cranky. I had every excuse in the world to lie around and read but no book held my interest. My current knitting projects were similarly unappealing. Food? Yuck. I'm a bad invalid.

But we've been graced with that most marvelous springtime gift here in Portland: brilliant sunshine. The Princess and I got to spend a couple of absolutely perfect hours in the park today, sprawled out under the newly leafed trees. We had the company of lovely friends, insane squirrels, a stately blue heron, and a very busy flicker. There's not much better than lying on new grass looking up at a jewel blue sky through the leaf lace.
By the time we had to pack up and leave I felt almost 100% restored.

Not such a great day. I've been feeling pretty rotten and today's doctor visit and lab results confirmed my suspicion that my thyroid has been acting up once again. My new doctor is great and I feel like she has a good handle on things. I knew I'd been out of balance for a while but somehow having the professional confirmation and the lab results to back that up just make me feel worse. It's a strange kind of wobbly, wired exhaustion. I'm too hyped up to rest and too brain-fogged to accomplish much of anything.

But here's something absolutely wonderful: my sweet daughter can knit! This child has been dragged to knitting gatherings since she was a babe in arms and has always wanted to join the club. I don't know how many times she's asked me to teach her but the coordination just wasn't there. There's been a lot of effort and frustration as she really, really wanted to become a knitter. We hadn't tried in a while but we had a quiet moment yesterday. We gave it another go and suddenly she's off and running using the same four steps I teach everyone.

In, around, back, off, in around, back, off.....

Almost Summer

MonkeyBoy and I had rather a hard time dragging ourselves to shul yesterday and sitting through the service given that it was a summery-warm and brilliantly sunny morning. (Beth, I'm keeping my promise!) Those two hours felt like a gentle torture but once liberated we raced home to enjoy the sun briefly before returning to the synagogue for The Princess' Shabbat School class. We got the boys to come along and while she was learning about Passover, The Spouse and I took the boys to a new nearby park.

Tanner Springs Park is a mini-wetland in the middle of an urban neighborhood of new construction and new money. The whole area was once a swampy wetland and this little plot of under an acre is all that remains. It's a bit unsettling, really. There was a surprising amount of birdsong and not a songbird to be seen so I couldn't help but wonder if I was hearing virtual birds. One bird was for real, though-- a huge osprey alternately perched on the roofs of swanky condos and swooped down to look for fish in the dinky little stream. It was truly awesome to see the magnificent bird up close but also a bit sad given its slim chances at finding a meal.

We wandered about in a bit of a sun-induced daze but throughly enjoyed the warm afternoon. There was some great art installed in the park which made interesting photography subjects.

Our lovely afternoon was topped off by a stop for ice cream after picking up The Princess. I'd been curious about Cool Moon Ice Cream ever since last summer's skywriting episode. They have a great selection and everyone enjoyed their choices but I was particularly taken with their "kulfi", a pistachio and cardamom ice cream that lacks the texture of its Indian namesake, but has all the rich, exotic flavor. A perfect dinner for an almost summer evening.

a walk

The nasty cold seems to be on its way out and I finally felt well enough for a walk. The kids and I decided to go to the Eastbank Esplanade, and bring along a grandpa and a cousin for fun. After a ridiculous comedy of errors (and cell phones) we finally managed to assemble our group of five for a leisurely stroll with lots of stops for photos. We walked north along the length of the Esplanade, across the Steel Bridge, south through Waterfront Park and back to the east side over the Hawthorne Bridge, a loop of just under 3 miles.

I can't even describe, after days of feeling so rotten, how great it was to move around and breathe fresh air.

I've finally figured out how to make the photo mosaics without spending all day uploading photos to the online mosaic maker. A nice plus--if you click on the mosaic it will open in a much larger format in a new window just in case you want a closer look at anything. The graffiti is definitely worth a second look.

new year

I've been trying to think of some sort of wise, optimistic new year post but not much has come to me. Things have been quiet in a very good way around here. Lots of visiting with friends, good meals, movies, and making things. In the last 10 days I've taught 5 people to knit!

The kids and I got to go see Do Jump's holiday show and what a treat that was. My grandmother buys the kids theater tickets every year for their Chanukah gift and this was this year's selection. I can't describe what they do accurately--acrobatics, theater, dance all rolled into one, accompanied by a fine klezmer band. The first half of the show was a number of unrelated short pieces and the second half was a longer piece about Marc Chagall. I had no idea what to expect but left feeling like Chagall had been truly honored by Do Jump's performance. The brilliantly colored backdrops featuring his paintings were perfectly enhanced by the trapeze and gymnastic work. Hard to describe but so worth watching.

I took MonkeyBoy to shul on a very dreary Saturday morning. During the silent Amidah I was struck by the sound of the rain hammering on the roof and the gentle whisper of the pages of the prayer books being turned.We spent a whole Thursday day with good friends eating, knitting, and watching snow fall. None of it stuck around, much to the kids' dismay, but it was lovely to watch it fall especially gathered around a cozy fire with friends. Three days later, there was thunder, lightning, and a short, heavy shower of icy snow. After the first thunderclap The Spouse and I looked at each other, both remembering our first date a million years ago. The evening began with thunder and lightning and ended with snow. How perfectly fitting that we had a night to ourselves that same day. The children spent the night with their cousins and we enjoyed a classic dinner and movie evening, followed by a leisurely morning. I am not going to handle going back to the regular schedule next week very happily at all.

All this visiting and hanging out has left my hands free to knit like crazy. Last night, as 2007 was ending and 2008 just beginning, I finished knitting the last row of my --can I say this?--absolutely gorgeous Noro shawl. This took exactly 17 days and eight skeins of yarn. It's hard to see just how big it is until it's off the needles but I keep looking at it and thinking that's a lot of knitting! I love how it feels over my shoulders. It sits nicely without slipping and it isn't too warm. Now that I have my lovely knitted treat it's time to get back to The Green Cabled Monster I promised my husband. As I sit here, wrapped in my very own lovely shawl, I can't help but marvel at its rich colors and simple but elegant pattern. So there's my new year wish, for all of us: a year of color and warmth and simple pleasures.

The End is Near!

The end of the term, that is. I'm sitting here grading exams and getting a bit giddy at the thought of three weeks of vacation beginning at the end of the week.

It's been a week fraught with money worries as the bills from my hospital interlude roll in. Why I'm messing around teaching English when I could be charging $300/hour for brilliant doctorly advice like "take Advil for the chest pain" is beyond me. Happily I managed to convince the hospital to take some pity on my and they shaved a cool two thousand dollars off my total bill, getting the total below what I paid for my last vehicle. Whew.

Speaking of vehicles, The Spouse's Honda started acting odd in perfect conjunction with the arrival of our kicker check. It's happened to us before: tax refund= car malfunction. So he took the car down to our local import auto shop whose website says "In love of Jesus, In Love of Cars". Huh? I didn't get the connection. Before we got the car back, the mechanic managed to go some $200 beyond what The Spouse had authorized in repairs, taking care of our kicker and then some and prompting me to wonder What Would Jesus Charge?

And now we have a cat who's acting punky and smells like he's rotting. Doctor, hospital, mechanic, vet--sorry folks, there's only so much to go around!

While I know I can kvetch like a champ, there have been some lovely moments in the last week. MonkeyBoy earned his first stripe at last Saturday's taekwondo promotion. He went through his paces smoothly and with confidence.

Since his class is during my working hours this was my first exposure to taekwondo culture which involves a great deal of formality and displays of respect. We were expected to sing not only The Star-Spangled Banner but the Korean national anthem as well, which was a bit of a shocker. I kept wanting to refer to the Great Grandmaster as Grandmaster Flash but The Spouse thoughtfully kept me in check. It's a whole 'nuther world, for sure but my boy seems a bit taller since his promotion and I can see real, tangible changes in his behavior as he works on mastering his emotions. No small thing, that. He'll be back in class come January, for sure.

Chanukah has been enjoyable and full of small pleasures. I always say I don't like it when the holiday falls before the end of my term but it does keep things from getting too crazy. We had family over Sunday night for dessert and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves although The Dark Lord did manage to fall asleep on the couch in the middle of everything. We had friends from our homeschool co-op over today and an astounding number of doughnuts were consumed.

It was a little bit melancholy as we lit the final candles tonight. I know The Princess doesn't want the holiday to end. But I am looking forward to some down time. I'd like to finish The Great Cabled Monster that is The Spouse's belated Chanukah gift. I got The Happy Hooker out of library in hopes of learning to crochet. We have plans for leisurely dinners with friends and lots of quiet time by the fire. There's a rumor we might even get some snow.

A Date with MonkeyBoy

MonkeyBoy and I love Bollywood movies and have gone through everything our library has as well as many of the titles available on Netflix. We've seen a lot of movies, a few more than once, but what we've never managed to do was see one of these films in a theater.

It recently came to my attention that if I was willing to make a long drive and spend and exorbitant amount of money on tickets, we could see the latest Bollywood blockbuster on the big screen. The boy and I had a date and saw Om Shanti Om which was absolutely delightful. Apart from a Latino family, we were the only non-Indians in the theater. We had a moment of panic when the film started and the narration began without subtitles but it wasn't long before the English kicked in and we were able to follow the story just fine.

What I loved was that this movie brilliantly made fun of everything that I love about the genre: the self conscious actors, the dream sequences, the silly songs, copious costume changes, and convoluted and highly improbable plot lines. We got many of the jokes and references thanks to having watched so many of these films recently. While things began to plod after the intermission, the first half was very funny. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

This is a second run theater--tickets normally cost $3.75 but they charge $12 for the Hindi films which seems a little bit over the top. We won't be running out there often, but this was a wonderful treat for the two of us and I'm glad I can count on Monkey Boy's company for such jaunts.