The number of my descendants increased by one on November 22nd. There are now 3 cutest children in the world and since, conveniently "three" begins with the same letter as "two" I can continue to refer with amusement and joy to TTCCITW. I am fortunate indeed.

Some of those with whom the new little one shares his day are Erasmus, Thomas Cook, George Eliot, John Nance Garner, André Gide, Charles de Gaulle, Erik Lindahl, Hoagy Carmichael, Benjamin Britten, Robert Vaughn, Terry Gilliam, Tina Weymouth, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mariel Hemingway and Scarlett Johansson. So he'll be clever, verbal, gorgeous, funny and powerful, right? Cool.

Labels: children, family

Here's my wish for today, thrown out there in the hope that people who care about each other will give each other at least the same leeway for having different points of view that they give people they neither know well nor particularly care about.

Labels: disappointments, family, friends, politics

I think it's accurate to say that Laura had significant and substantial misgivings about Obama from the outset. I did not. I was caught up. Willingly and with great hope and with only a tiny bit of wariness. I was excited by the prospect of an America president who would encourage and lead us politically and emotionally to be regain the upbeat and positive character that we have at the core of our national self. Perhaps I am an eternal and therefore cockeyed optimist, who knows.

So I was startled and interested that Laura wrote this post this morning in which she expresses alarm similar to mine earlier today resulting from seeing the ridiculous Grecian set being built for Obama's acceptance-of-nomination speech. And then, as I clicked around other sites, I learned that his seat on his airplane is festooned with his name and "president 08" which sure seems a tad premature. And I saw posters that are springing up all over the place that show raised hands forming a big O between two hands using thumbs as the bottom and the rest of the fingers to complete the circle and sun-like radii emanating from the O. Aside from the absurb deification, this kind of overly dramatic political art alarms me because it was used to such (infamous) effect in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

I guess the podium-with-presidential seal incident didn't teach him that Americans aren't fond of people who take themselves too seriously. I think, for example, that one reason celebrities are so attended to in the U.S. is that they are patently unserious. I am baffled that a man who sold himself to an excited and welcoming electorate as being of and for the greater good of mankind could be blowing his apparent cover even before he's actually got the brass ring in his hand.

If he meant the common man stuff, the pomp and drama are completely inappropriate and out of place and whoever is making him do it should be stopped immediately. If he really wants to be chancellor or emperor or something, then he is out of place and should be stopped immediately. Or is this just his version of Clinton's neediness, i.e. the effect of a father leaving a son and causing a permanent wound that even national attention cannot heal?

Labels: 2008 election, family, people, silliness

The weekend was full of family and friends.  Going to the county fair together, a big birthday party for two, lots of children running and playing, etc., etc.  A lot of the time and the things we did were tons of fun and wonderful! 

I don't like to get too personal here but suffice it also to say that some of the time was difficult.  One day before I move over to the great beyond I would like to sort out why some people seem deliberate in their desire to be unpleasant, or at least not deliberate in an attempt to be pleasant.  Life is too short to waste time offending each other, isn't it?  Even if it isn't always exactly how we feel?  What is gained by being hurtful even if it expresses how we feel at that moment?  Is complete bluntness worth the sadness and confusion left in its wake?  As a commenter on a recent post about In Plain Sight said, "In reality, the villains in our lives are the people who confuse and emotionally manipulate, abuse or neglect us--not gun toting psychopaths."

Labels: family, reflections, tv

Apparently (h/t Missy) July 6th was Laura's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, if nine days late. She shares the day with GWB and a good friend of mine who weaves and the Dalai Lama (and a whole host of interesting people, as a matter of fact).

The day before it was the 4th birthday of one of T2CGITW. I do not know how that is at all possible but she is the cat's meow and all that.

It was a weekend for good people.

Labels: anniversaries, family

Here's a little essay (here) that I think will make you laugh out loud if you've been anywhere near toddlers and/or their parents for more than a few minutes.

Labels: children, family, great link(s)

If any rare readers would like to share, I'd be curious to know what applications you use for photo storing and photo sharing. I've been using Picasa, Flickr and Picasa Web Albums but I'm not entirely happy with any of them. I tried SmugMug but it was code-heavy and required much to much back and forth to do simple things. I tried MyPhotoAlbum but it doesn't include much customization. Phanfare has a nifty interface but it's expensive and limited.

Picasa for storing is easy to use but bases everything on a timeline. I just don't want to organize everything on when a photo was taken. Plus, there's absolutely no way to change the timeline structure.

Flickr for sharing is easy to use and has collections as well as 'sets' which is very nice. Its batch operations are cool, too. But it requires visitors to register, which many don't like, and it's clunky in a way that's hard to verbalize but annoying as heck.

Ofoto or whatever Kodak is called these days, and Snapfish, are easy to use but again require registration and have so many ads and 'great offers!' that they make me nuts. No collections, either.

Picasa Web Albums is very easy to use but only allows one layer - no collections such as Vacations > Alaska, New Zealand. . . . They don't require registration (good) but the pictures must be one (too large) size (bad). And did I mention they don't have collections?

On a different note, fxfoto is an awesome - and free! - photo editing application for those who don't want to go the hundreds of dollar Photoshop route. Check it out! (Thanks, Cnet!)

Any suggestions will be welcome and most appreciated.

Labels: about me, family, photos

Why does Mrs NY Gov keep standing beside her hubris-ridden, felony-committing, falsehood-uttering, probably narcissistic husband when he makes his announcements? She looks as if she hasn't slept in days and she looks absolutely miserable. It certainly allows him to retain a semblance of family pride and normalcy but it seems nutty to me. Is there any way shape or form in which it helps her or her children, for example?

Please please please tell me this isn't a remnant of the "what did I do to make you do this to me?" syndrome to which many women, bright and smart having nothing to do with it, fall prey. We are raised to be the helpmates and "good girls" who are the "power behind the throne" and logically, therefore, hold the real reins to everything. Thus if we are beaten or abused or psychologically trampled, it is essentially our fault and therefore it us up to us to figure a way out of the maze (since it is, at least partially, of our own making, following the logic mentioned above). I thought perhaps women had moved beyond this but Mrs. NY Gov is in her late forties so maybe it is where she is coming from. But one would hope that all her degrees and professional success would have helped to disabuse (pun intended) her of that collectively unconscious habit. Or have we not progressed fifty years since fifty years ago?

Labels: family, people, reflections, women

Recent lapses in posting are due to preparations for and attendance at a 4-year-old's birthday festivities several states away. I'm going to post some photos of the drive back today in totally intense rain and snow (yes, I occasionally snap photos while driving). I also got to read to the birthday girl's class and that was a blast. Take a look at "Duck and Goose" if you want an amusing read. Different age audience from Tom Wolfe or Candy Bushnell, but lots of fun.

Labels: about me, family, fun, writing

I watched the Maggie Lawson Nancy Drew movie the other night. Written by Amy Mann, daughter of Michael Mann of smart and fabulously popular tv fame ("Miami Vice"), it was not even remotely as bad as some reviews led me to expect. Lawson's Nancy has vigor and charm in spades, and the mystery itself was certainly passably interesting, and that's really what she's all about. I loved the camera showing us her desk top piles of favorite books and photos - they were wonderful (Sherlock Holmes, Dorothy Sayers, her parents, and others), identifying the person those of us who love her know well. Now that I think of it, perhaps for a dyed-in-the-wool Drew fan, any telling of one of her stories is just fine. Which brings to mind that t2cgitw still have The Secret in the Old Clock ahead of them . . . lucky girls!!!

Labels: books, entertainment, family, movies, reading

Today is 12 night (or the 12th day of Christmas, or Epiphany). The wise men are reputed to have kicked the whole gift-giving thing off today (which makes it a bit baffling that we've come to celebrate and exchange things 12 days earlier, but what the heck). Anyway, a friend kept saying "oh, yes! aha!" all day because he's always only thought of 'epiphany' as gaining insight. It was pretty funny. It's also the weekend of the half birthday of one of T2CGITW so it was a jolly day all around. My daughter whimsically and delightfully baked cupcakes and cut them in half and served them on paper plates she'd cut in half. (Photo to be downloaded tonight.) Fun was definitely had by all.

Labels: celebrations, family

I hope any holiday cookies you made or bought look as colorful and delicious as these - and were made by someone just as sweet and charming - and I hope your eve and day are merry, happy and serene.

Labels: celebrations, family, holidays

Getting ready to join the others who are going over the river and through the woods to - well, in this case I'm a travelling gramma going to my kid's house, but you get the idea. Anyway, unlikely to be able to post from there, so:

HAPPY HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

to any and all CRRs with enormous and heart-felt appreciation for all your thoughts, insight, wit and inspiration to see the world through clear-colored glasses.

Labels: family, holidays, travel

During a long rambling conversation today, a parent mentioned something interesting. Apparently (heh) he has always felt an intense connection with one of his children that has been closer and more enduring than with his other offspring. He asked whether others in the room had had similar experiences. Everyone was reluctant to answer, presumably because we all believe - to the degree of conviction - that one does not and, indeed, must not favor one child over another. I suppose we've all felt more simpatico with one or another child at different times but that's not the same thing, having more to do with interests and activities. And we've probably all known parents who seemed to have favorites, but I'd never heard a parent acknowledge such feelings or explain them quite like this. I do wonder what one would do in such a situation? I mean, people can't deny how they feel. A parent can be absolutely sure that all actions are equal (gifts, time spent, etc.) but connectedness and passion are almost impossible to hide, avoid or see, for everyone involved. What could one do?

Labels: children, family, reflections

5:20 MD ran even splits the entire way. How's that for a first-time marathon runner!? And fast enough to get in the NYT the morning after. Yeah!! And though sore, she's elated and loved every minute, she says. What a girl.

1:24 They've talked with lots of finishers and lots of people were recorded before the race. So many fit and enthusiastic people!!

12:35 Some of the 38,000 are coming up 1st Avenue already - very impressive!

Radcliffe was just interviewed and doesn't sound tired at all. Recovers from racing proportionately as fast as from pregnancy, apparently. She loves the New York crowds and even the uphill at the end. Ran 8 marathons, won 7! I've always heard that marathons are good for older people - stamina, emotional maturity, etc. Interesting.

Not much to see, therefore notate, for a while. Hey, MD, cheers to you wherever you are right now!

12:30 They're showing some of the masses, finally. On the other hand, they're saying "now that the race is over" which is nuts. Can't they learn to use precise words like "the elite runners are done" or something like that? Armstrong is still to come in, which will undoubtedly earn some trumpeting, unless he's in bad shape.

12:18 Martin Lel just won the men's race. Another Kenyan wins another marathon. They're fantastic!

The tv guy is praising a Kenyan woman who just finished. How come she's wonderful but the caucasian who came shortly before her is a lagger? Must political idiocy permeate even this?

12:17 The idiot tv guy just said something about the two leaders passing "a woman lagger". LAGGER?!? She's running a sub-3-hour marathon for heaven's sake. How is she a lagger??? Someone please wash his mouth out with soap.

12:15 The top two men are coming into the Park now. They're a lot bigger than some elite marathoners. It's interesting that one of them is holding his arms low and the other's arms are at his chest, in the more familiar stance. Here comes that uphill .2 final push.

12:12 I just realized that the cannon-shot beginning of the race is really not the real beginning. It's only when elite men and common folk begin. Handicapped racers started earlier and elite women began over half an hour earlier. In my perfect world, all elite runners will begin together. Since pacers are part of what pushes them, who knows what time the hotshot women will do when that day comes.

12:00 Radcliffe won the women's race by 23 seconds. Incredible. Just shy of record time. Two awesome women.

Radcliffe is holding her 9-month-old baby. Won a marathon nine months after pregnancy and delivery!?!?!?

Can I just say how annoying those motorcycles must be, zipping back and forth between the runners? One of them was literally only feet behind Radcliffe's heels as she came up to the finish - what is the point of that??

The men look slower than they did, and slower than the women the whole way. What's with that?

11:55 The two moms are crossing Central Park South. The reporters keep saying Wami's never moved into the lead, but I would think this means she's going to sprint at the end - like jockeys do in horse races. Radcliffe has apparently never come in second, but that's because she dropped out or got sick. Hey - Wami's moving into the lead as they move into the Park. Wow. Back in a couple of minutes.

11:45 The men are still running incredibly fast and furious. I don't know how they do it.

Radcliffe and Wami are amazing. Maintaining the link with each other, mile after mile. The reporters are a tad annoying as they predict victory or defeat for either of them depending on two or three feet changing now and then. It's going to be yet another interesting finish for the two of them.

I wish they'd show us the "ordinary" folk, now and then at least. The leads are wonderfully exciting, but there are 15-20 of them and 38,000 of the rest!

MD may be a third through by now, if her regular pace is able to be held in the crowd. She refused to register that chip thing that would allow people to keep track of her, so I won't know anything til it's over. May I just say that swim meets are much easier on parents cuz you can see everything and keep track of everyone?!

11:05 The two lead women are running a record-setting pace, but the two of them look like they're just jogging, since the only comparison is each other.

The handicapped winner in a pushrim crossed the line faster than Clyde Haberman did in on November 1st.

10:35 They're actually interviewing Lance Armstrong while he's running. Why on earth would someone agree to be interviewed while running??! Do elite runners go by that "be able to talk" guide that ordinary runners use? Interesting.

Paula Radcliffe is running hard and out front. She has that weird bob, although she looks fairly relaxed. A few years ago she collapsed quite far into it, so I hope she'll be okay. Gete Wami (only 5' tall!) is fantastic, though. Could be an interesting finish between them.

The elite men, on the other hand, are pounding the pavement and *look* like they're going really hard and fast. Odd, since they're only about 15 minutes faster than the women. Anyway, they look really intense. Even the green-haired guy!

One of my friends talked about taking the subway out to see the runners come into Brooklyn. It's not people-dense at this point, so that would be a good spot, for sure.

10:15 In case you're wondering, my daughter ("MD") wanted to run her first marathon without family spectators so she wouldn't have to think about anything except the race. An athlete has to do their own thing in order to get the most out of the experience, in all kinds of ways.

Labels: family, fun, headlines

Among the 38,000 who just began the race is my daughter. Of course, many won't actually start for another 20 minutes, given the mass of people that move across the Verrazzano. Just think of when a light turns green, how long it takes for the last car to get to move. (Is there a word for this??) When they first held the NYC Marathon, only a few hundred people took part; now there are enough people to populate a medium-size village. Amazing.

It's amazing that so many people set this goal and are now part of this big, wild, energetic event. And I was surprised at how moved I was at the start, knowing my daughter was there. I wish her and the others all the physical and emotional strength and excitement that they richly deserve. Good luck to them all as they engage in their coup d'etat of the amazing City of New York.

Labels: family, fun

It's slightly more than one week from the starting moment on the Verrazzano Bridge and it's pouring rain here on the East coast. The NYC Marathon is that astonishing moment when a small town's worth of people don scant clothes and water bottles and supportive shoes, and choose to run through New York City's five boroughs under the steam of their feet instead of just going for a nice forty-minute drive. I give them all tons of credit for creativity and determination, but I am reminded of Bob Newhart's routine as Sir Walter Raleigh calling Queen Elizabeth I to tell her about the colonists engaging in a new activity they're calling, er, tennis. No, he says, he doesn't know what the word is meant to suggest. How does it work?, he seems to answer, well, they take a piece of wood and bend it into an oval shape and wire it with cat's intestines stretched really tight across the center; then they take a small bright yellow and fuzzy ball (yes, he messed with historical accuracy for the sake of humor) and they toss this little ball back and forth, whacking it with the wooden contraptions. After a pause when QEI is presumably digesting what he's said, he answers, no, he has no idea why they do it, but they say they enjoy it.... Exactly.

To those who are training and preparing for November 4th, I wish them all kinds of good luck . . . and a whole lot less rain.

Labels: family, friends, modern culture, sports

Happy Grandparents Day to anyone out there who has the great good fortune to be a grandparent. I still cringe at the word because of connotations of white hair and old age, but then I remind myself that one needs only to be 40 to achieve this pinnacle. I have to acknowledge that it's mysterious and wonderful when one's children have children and that those children² are simply the best. So if you have or are a grandparent, tell the other side of the equation how much you love them and how much fun it is. Sure these days are greeting card company constructs, but they're also nice opportunities to be more vocal in our appreciation of each other than we might otherwise allow ourselves to be. Enjoy the day!

Labels: about me, family, getting older, t2cgitw

My father's sister was born in 1904. She would be 103 years old which is what I kind of thought she was, when I was little. She was very short, probably less than 4 feet tall, and petite although not slender. She was a professional textile designer, creating knitted and crocheted garments and accessories for the then-major yarn companies and 57th Street boutiques in New York City. She kept a scrapbook for two years in the early fifties, so I do have a record of some of the extraordinary things she made, but unfortunately most of what she did is lost to posterity and memory. She made angora sweaters and shawls, hats of all kinds, dresses with striped patterns that looked elegant and sophisticated, capes, gloves, shrugs, etc. Her work was definitely a harbinger of today's textile fervor. She would have been thrilled to see the burgeoning popularity of all of it.

Judith taught me how to knit when I was 4 or 5. She taught me the "throw" method for some reason even though she used continental and went at two hundred miles an hour. I remember that there were times you truly could not see the needles moving. Plus, she far preferred smaller needles to larger, so she made entire dresses and sweater sets on size 1 or 2 needles. She always had a project with her and always sat on one side or the other of our sofa, of an evening, knitting or crocheting while chatting and being part of whatever was going on. It sometimes seemed odd, to a young girl (me) but the end results were amazing. Nowadays, after a ten year hiatus somewhere along the way, I seem to be channeling her. I inherited her needles and some dreadful Coats & Clark yarn when she died fifteen or twenty years ago (how she would have loved the new yarns!) and that kicked me back into gear so that now I'm the one who always has a project I can concentrate on. Soon I'll get to teach t2cgitw. What fun!!

Labels: about me, family, knitting, reflections