Mountain Mix

Any other suggestions for our trip soundtrack? My brother told us he'll think of us fondly on our trip, whilst tuning up his banjo and practicing his pig squeal.

Magnolia Mountain by Ryan Adams

If It's the Beaches (again - has mountain reference) by The Avett Brothers

Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake

Find The River by R.E.M.

The River In Reverse by Elvis Costello (especially appropriate for the New River, which, FYI, flows South to North)

Watching The River Flow by Bob Dylan

The Mountain by The Stills

Wolf Like Me by TV On the Radio

Walk On by U2

Tippecanoe and Tyler Too by They Might Be Giants

The View from the Afternoon by Arctic Monkeys

Hummingbird by Wilco

Picture to Burn by Taylor Swift

Here's That Rainy Day (Koop Remix) by Astrud Gilberto

I Was Zapped By the Lucky Super Rainbow by The Flaming Lips

Just a Ride by Jem

Sweet Baby James by James Taylor

Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River

Campfire Song Song by Spongebob Squarepants

Beach Music

Lots of kids' songs - you could leave those off and include songs by, say ROGUE WAVE (get it?) or "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, or "Island in the Sun" by Weezer. I love that song, but it was ruined for me when used as the theme to the tween movie "Aquamarine". Or any song by Islands. Or, the Decemberists classic "The Island: Come & See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel the Drowning" - though be forewarned of its 12 minutes+ length. And I purposefully left off PJ Harvey's "Down by the Water" because it gives me nightmares, in a good way.

Ok, I'll stop. Here's the list as it stands:

Lime in the Coconut by Sugar Beats

Octopus's Garden by The Beatles

Playa Azul by Los Amigos Invisbles

Oceania by Björk

Wouldn't It Be Nice (Stereo Mix)by The Beach Boys

Cheeseburger In Paradise by Jimmy Buffett

High Tide or Low Tide (Jamaican Version)by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Ocean Of Noise by The Arcade Fire

SpongeBob Squarepants theme by Avril Lavigne

Beachball by R.E.M.


If It's the Beaches by The Avett Brothers

Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride by Lilo and Stitch

All at Sea by The Libertines

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi by Radiohead

Slippery Fish by Charlotte Diamond

Swimmers by Broken Social Scene

Swallowed In The Sea by Coldplay

Rock Lobster by The B-52's

The Ocean by U2

All at Sea by Jamie Cullum

Seagulls by PJ Harvey

Sassy!

My appreciation of attractive politicos knows no partisanship. But check out the new 'do!

Upbeat

I use this blog as a gratitude journal. Kinda. So if you are ever annoyed about my life and doings, which really are pretty darn good, then just know that I try to stay positive. On here.

Negatively, there has been a lot lately. It's harder than it looks, this staying with your children every waking hour deal. And there's always the real life, and the jobs, and the everyday sadness of existence.

And the fact that, in one week, a. my son broke my daughter's toe with his BARE BOTTOM, b. hit a lovely chip shot that just missed a window, so though he got off easy on that one he was in huge trouble already because he and my daughter had already c. smashed a glass in our front door causing blood and pricey repairs.

OK! Got that out of the way.

We head out on vacation soon...first a date night, because we haven't had one in a month and we are about to have so much quality time with the kids. We'll maybe go to the Boylan Bridge Brewpub, or back to Coquette, or to see a flick. Not sure.

Then off to the beach to reconnect with Georgia family. My children can revel in their baby niece, the obsession with whom has reached epic proportions. The adults will enjoy a lovely retreat, good talk and good times. After that, my little core group will go camping, biking, hiking, and canoeing. Because I am so totally outdoorsy. I actually really am, sort of, but I hope the nice beach house will shore me up for all the nature.

Next entry I'll try to remember to highlight the Beach Music mix I made for our trip to see family - I pulled it together in under five minutes and it may be my favorite themed mix ever.

Like, So Much More Awesome Than Obama Killing That Fly

May I present the estimable Jon Hamm? Mad Men premiere: August 16 on AMC.

In No Particular Order, and With No Reason or Sense

From Pop Hangover, my daughter's favorite image of late:







And from an email I received yesterday from a friend, who is also a writer, who also - well, you be the judge:

Okay so the Obama family has just swept through the continent of Africa, making a poignant visit, awash with irony and turning of tables, to the unendingly impoverished region of sub-Saharan Africa. The Obama daughters, by God, partial descendants to slaves and current Kenya walked right through the Gates of No Return made infamous in the Slave Trade and then.... Returned. This watershed event, this turning of the tides in world history, racial relations, HUMAN HISTORY, may have gone relatively unnoticed due to the debut of the winter gown fashion scene: Perhaps even Michelle has turned a curious eye on the latest creations. What woman wouldn't want to look like she's evolved out of a carpet? Or sprouted very tiny wings on the tips of her shoulder joints? And imagine all the very serious conversations you could have with any number of savvy intellectuals if you were wearing head gear reminiscent of rhea or flightless bird evolution?

That is all.

Finally - lazy in high gear, nightsuit worn more than day clothes, brain is mush. So, what to do this week? OH, WAIT, I KNOW:



Ok, besides that. We have committed to playing every game in our game closet, finishing up various books, running in the sprinkler, making pesto and something else homemade, and learning how to run laundry loads. We also have a surprise for our baby cousin up our sleeves, and we will finalize vacation plans. Working a few hours here and there gives structure to the weeks, and I do try to keep everyone eating things that aren't pure corn syrup or pork fat. Summer is so desperately important for me and our clan. I hope you can find a little summer in your day today.

You Asked For It

Here's how I feel about recent events:

My mom's retirement: Well, she seems to be in a good mood. The fact that she survived falling out of the raft on the Tuckaseegee and no children were injured in the process is probably a good sign and bodes well for a successful transition to not working. Spending five days with my entire family was taxing for me, but it was not about me after all. I survived with maximum complaining (that I did in private). Also, I enjoy my new white noise iPhone app, which made everything that much nicer.

Governor Sarah Palin's retirement: Bottom line - she brought more attention to herself and by trying to bury it during the 4th of July and MJ hoopla, made America more suspicious. I don't believe we women hate her because she's a woman. I don't believe she's capable of being President. Yet. And I certainly don't believe she should step down mid-term.

The South Carolina debacle: My husband paid me a high compliment last week when he told me that "I love you like Mark Sanford loves his Argentinian woman."

Michael Jackson's death: I feel completely neutral. That said, I am digging that all his music is being played everywhere. Since I work at a church, I tend towards the organ tribute:



Summer in general: I got to sleep until 10 a.m. on Monday. I have ridden my bike...a lot. I saw elk. I am keen to try some fruity drinks (and am planning a blog post with some friends' favorites soon). We got a cheap-ass patio set and have been dining al fresco. The children are playing together nicely. Everybody is dirty and tan. A friend had a baby in the midst of some other friends' tragedies and these weighty national events. Another friend is pregnant and we anticipate her daughter's arrival. And I've found that Rimmel nail polish works nicely on me!




Summer reading: Not happening. I am working through "Dubliners" but am eyeing the latest Sophie Kinsella because it is already post-Independence Day.

I Love This

And not just because it reminds me of "Flight of the Conchords".

He Signed My Son's Shoe at Camp Last Night!

Hey BAW! We're loving your school right now.

Camp Week

Both children are at camp. I am hopeful, eager, worried, nervous, anxious, proud, and exhausted. Between working in the mornings and getting in much-needed exercise, I plan to clean their rooms and go out with my husband.

We are planning to try out some new restaurants in town so I'll let you know about those, perhaps via Twitter. And maybe see The Brothers Bloom. If only our childless nights had come later in the summer....

The Most Welcome Comeback Yet, Maybe

Taylor and T-Pain

IF I were to blog today, I would write about an amazing week.

No Doubt! A near-perfect concert experience, with children!

Graduation...somewhat emotional, exciting, exhausting.

Sending both children off to spend a few days with friends. At major water sources.

And worrying about the above, because of a child who drowned on Wednesday. At a pool we had swum in hours earlier. With many, many of my friends and their children witnessing the whole thing.

Today is the funeral and I am fervently wishing peace for all.

But today was a bike ride to the book store with my daughter, and there will be rain for the plants, downtown lunch with Daddy, and a menu planned and executed by those guys (i.e. not me). Hi, Summer.

My Husband Lurves Them

New Zero 7 - "Everything Up (Zizou)" (Stereogum Premiere) - MP3 - Stereogum

Shared via AddThis

Commercials I Can Appreciate

I'm always the one who gets sick.

I laid in bed for two straight days on a beautiful weekend with no soccer and an open pool. By the time I figured out something was bad wrong, I had to go to an urgent care and miss work. And at the urgent care, they said "chest xray" and I had a panic attack.

Not pneumonia. Not swine flu!

But dang I feel like crap, still. So back to the doc today. I sometimes wonder how much of it is in my head...I've had the worst illnesses since my children arrived, although I've never had the easiest time of it health-wise. That's another story for another time.

The bright side of this disease, as it was during the Salmonella Outbreak of Ought-Six, is that my husband is truly there In Sickness. He was sweet, patient, not annoyed by my all-night coughing, tender with the children, creative with meal and activity planning, and generally wonderful. I daresay I would not be near as kind if the tables were turned...and let's hope that theory does not get tested anytime soon! So thanks honey.

Off to the doctor.

Since I'm not getting my children cell phones anytime soon, I'm not really worried about the sexting craze, or the immense phone bill we'll have, or what constant communication does to a teen.

But it's coming, so I'm paying attention.

Here's a list of sexting acronyms all parents should know.

Here's a NY Times article that declares that adolecsents who text constantly aren't separating from their parents well and aren't having sufficient down time to discover their true selves.

I could not love Mimi Smartypants' blog any more than I currently do. The latest post reminds me of how inept I am at writing, and how edgy and funny she is, and also that Wheat Thins really do have ridiculous marketing. To wit:

The back of the Reduced-Fat Wheat Thins box curiously depicts a lovely-looking home office setup, all seafoam walls and beige linen organizer boxes. There is a vintage-style wall clock and a charming little green ceramic pitcher being used as a pencil cup. Also: a full cup of coffee, a clothbound book with a blurry one-word title that looks a lot like a personal journal, and a bulletin board with post-its saying "Lunch @ 11:30" and "Call Corinne." And the box of Wheat Thins, of course. So we can deduce that this person likes Wheat Thins, is probably female (based on the Pottery Barn-ness of the desk accessories), and that she doesn't work too terribly hard.

Then there is the box copy. Tagline: "My space, my snack." Below: "You don't compromise in your daily life; you shouldn't have to in your snacks. Reduced Fat Wheat Thins are the best of both worlds: Full of crunch and the amazingly delicious taste of Wheat Thins---all with 35% less fat than Original Wheat Thins Crackers"

a. Yes, there is no end punctuation in the original. Odd, especially since someone bothered to use a semicolon correctly.
b. MY SPACE, MY SNACK. Well! You go, girl! Own those low-fat crackers!
c. Could this be more blatantly chick-targeted? You've got the luxurious Real Simple-styled desk scene. You've got the me me me, my space, my snack, perfect for that whole "time to myself" marketing focus. Which strikes me as particularly ironic because the woman with that perfect-looking office---who has lunch dates and who apparently keeps a journal in longhand---probably has no trouble whatsoever with the time-to-herself thing.
d. The more I think about that first line, the more it makes me laugh. "You don't compromise in your daily life; you shouldn't have to in your snacks." Who is this take-no-prisoners, make-no-compromises snacking woman? A combination of Martha Stewart and Chuck Norris? Damn it, no! I will not compromise my snacks!
e. I have not investigated yet, but I doubt the full-fat Wheat Thins box is this conflicted. I buy the low-fat ones because they are saltier, and nothing is salty enough for me except maybe a salt lick garnished with French olives. I did not expect the box to have all this baggage about compromise and claiming one's space.

LOST Season Finale - with spoilers

From "Sister Carrie", whose comments are always amazing and literary (and have a whiff of the insider about them) on Whitney Matheson's LOST discussions, Jacob's pronouncements:

To both Sawyer and Locke: I’m sorry this happened.
To both Kate and Sun/Jin: You’re NOT going to steal anymore, are you?; DON’T take your “special love” for granted.
To Sayid: I’m lost and need directions.
To Jack: I guess it just needed a push and by “it” I mean “you, Jack”!
To Hurley: You’re blessed and not cursed.
To mankind: It’s your choice.




Good Lord, between this and the Hurricanes and the Cruel Month of May, my heart can't take it.