picture time...once again

I took some pictures of my kids and my niece and nephew today at my mom and dad's house. The weather was great...it's been beautiful this week here in the pacific northwest. Rain should be back tomorrow, though.

I think the pictures turned out very well considering I don't really know what I'm doing. I can only imagine how great the pictures could be, if I had a clue about photography. I have a great camera and photogenic kids, which makes it easy to take a good photo.

So, for your viewing pleasure, the gorgeous kids of the Kelsch daughters:

autumn leaves are falling

I took some pictures of Maya, Sofia and Ben (my niece and nephew) at my mom and dad's today. Used the new camera. Love it.
Here are the pictures, in slideshow form:


As usual, if you hate sitting through slideshows (like I do), go HERE to see the photos.

shopping

I've been doing a lot of shopping online this past week. Well, a lot for me.
First I bought this:





I love it.

I bought this to keep it safely around my neck:



She has some really cool camera straps at her site. I also looked at camera straps at this other site, but they aren't quite as bright and, well, funky as I wanted. I really wanted this one:



but I was afraid that it was so busy that I would get sick of it.

I also bought Maya's Halloween costume online. Twice.



One should be here Tuesday, and the other one should be canceled, but if not, I hope it gets here before the 30th, so I can actually return it. Otherwise, I guess I hold onto it until next Halloween?

Hm. I think that's all I've ordered online this week.

Today has been so blah.

Maya was up with the pukes last night. She woke up at 2:45 all burpy (she was in bed with us last night), and I made her go to the bathroom. She sat on the toilet and wouldn't move. I finally got her off the toilet and on the side of the tub, when all of a sudden, she let it go. Wayne had to work this a.m., so I didn't wake him. It was fettuccine alfredo puke, and that is not a pleasant puke. Ew.

After an hour, I finally got her back to bed. Then Wayne left. He slept soundly through her retching.

Maya never changed out of her jammies today. I put on my painting clothes. It's been raining and gray all day, but I love these days. The only thing that would make it better is having my new candles burning (but I won't waste them on just me) and Wayne here to rub my back. And to help clean up any upcoming puke episodes.

Painting is going quite slowly. I'm dealing with painting three different colors in one room, and I have to wait some time between each coat and each color. I think I'm supposed to wait 24 hours between coats and colors, but I don't have that kind of time. I have class on Monday, and I think my sister and I are taking the kids to see The Nightmare Before Christmas tomorrow. I've been waiting more like 2 hours between coats.

This is so dull. This blog is clear evidence of how dull and blah my day has been. ick.

In two weeks, I will be elsewhere. Is it NaBloPoMo again this November? It is! Which means I'll be posting like this again.

I failed miserably at NaBloPoMo last year; blogging daily is not an easy task, especially when one has other things going on. You know, like a life. I will strive for success, though.

Oh!

Wayne and I went to a movie yesterday while the kids were in school. Gone Baby Gone. It was about 5 minutes into the previews when we actually walked into the theater, and I was really surprised to walk into the theater and see it full of old people.

Wow. What a great movie. I cried at least four times during the movie. I left the movie wondering what I would do, if I were in the same situation(s) as the main character, Patrick (played by Casey Affleck, who looks nothing much like his brother Ben but who sounds just like him). Ben Affleck did a great job with the movie, and I hope he gets an Oscar nomination.

proof in pictures

that I can complete a task,

(the family room/kitchen area, which I painted using a rag-on technique)

and then will actually go forward with another task.



(the dining room, which will be three different colors and will require 4 different colors of paint)

I have to say that painting the ceiling really sucks, but at least it's a small ceiling.

I'm a little unsure about the color I chose for the next part of the dining room-- the little ledge thingy that sits just below the ceiling. It's going to be "vin rouge" and it's a little more purpley than I expected. It does require a primer coat, which I hope will tone down the purple a bit (though the primer is lavender-ish). More to come...

hurry, hurry, hurry!!!!

I am waiting.
and waiting.
I'm afraid to leave the house...
they may come for me,
but what if I'm not here?

Yes, I am a prisoner in my own home thanks to UPS.

My new camera should be here anytime. What if I have to sign for it, and they come while I am at the damn school function today. I don't want to leave until that cardboard box is in my hands.

What am I going to do if when I come home, the little notice is on my door that says they will attempt redelivery tomorrow?

I will be waiting.
and waiting.
Afraid to leave the house...
they may come for me,
but what if I'm not here?

It's a vicious cycle.
I hate UPS.

spike and the impalers

Wayne and I went to the Spike and the Impalers show at the Emerald Queen Casino last night.
I know.
It sounds cheesy. A concert at the casino.
We listen to the Bob Rivers Show almost every morning on KZOK, which is the local classic rock station. The show plays in a cover band, which they've had for a few years now, but we've never seen. Nearly every member of the show plays some role in the band. I guess the past two years I have listened to Bob Rivers a lot more because I am actually up and running at that time in the morning, thanks to Maya being in school. Since I listen to him every weekday morning, I guess I have become more inclined to actually go to one of their shows. Plus, we had nothing else to do last night.

I hated the Emerald Queen. We had to walk through the whole damn casino just to get to the showroom. Casinos are icky places with a lot of icky people. Icky people who chain smoke and drink copious amounts of alcohol to the point of falling on ME drunk. I am no tea-totaler, but I hope that by the time I am in my 50's+ (actually, even now at 36) that I won't be stumbling-into-other-people drunk. There were a bunch of those people...stumbling into me.

Once we got into the showroom and took our choice seats at the next to back row (this is what happens when one buys tickets for a Saturday show on a Thursday night), I couldn't help but notice the glare in front of me. The glare that was coming from the sea of donut heads seated throughout the audience. I'm beginning to think balding is caused by environmental factors. There are just so many men losing their hair (and some women).

The concert started with Bob coming out and introducing Arik, the show's director, who spoke about WorldVision. I don't know if part of the proceeds from the show went to WorldVision or if they were simply taking the opportunity to promote a cause that they strongly support.

From there, they showed their Hey There Chlamydia video. It sounds like a weird segue, I know.

The show was really good, though. The band was really the best part. The vocalists were not as strong as the band.
Amazing parts of the band (hopefully I get all the names correct):

• the star-spangled banner performed by Mark Russell
• Dudley Taft
• Joe Shikany
• Lynn Sorensen, who by far was the best vocalist of the night. I wish he sang all the songs. He also played the violin (or viola, I couldn't tell from waaayyy in the back).
  
• Jeff Kathan, who played the most amazing drum solo I have ever seen or heard. Now, I've never really seen a drum solo other than Taylor Hawkins' solo with Foo a year ago. But this Jeff Kathan guy is, like, easily 20 or more years older than Taylor. He wore me out just watching him.

Three of the guys (Joe, Lynn and Jeff) all play with Paul Rodgers; you can really tell that they have a lot of stage experience. They were tight, and they just looked at ease on stage--the whole band did, which was the main difference between them and the two vocalists from the radio show (Spike and Kaci).

But the one person who really blew me away was Ian Crawford, a young guitarist from the Seattle area. Check out his music myspace and be prepared to be blown away. He, too, looked at ease on stage doing his thing. He is 18 or so. So young and just so damn talented.

One thing that drove me crazy was that NO ONE stood up during the show unless they were told to, and even then, they would sit back down right away. Wayne and I eventually got up from our seats and stood off to the side. Let me tell you, there is nothing like going to watch a band perform some good rock music only to stay seated as though we were at a freaking school performance. Maybe it was that the older audience isn't much into standing and rocking out. Who knows. It must drive the band nuts though. I mean, if I was busting my ass on-stage to play music for however many people were there, I would expect to see some energy in the audience. Lame-o.

December 13th is their next show, at the Paramount. I'd like to go again. Wayne didn't seem to enjoy the show as much as I did, but I think he'd be up to going again. If the same band is there. They all worked so well together and they seemed to have a really good time.

I did notice Bob's son, Keith, running around filming throughout the show. I'm hoping they put out a DVD-- that could be a good Christmas gift.

long weekends

The kids had no school Thursday or Friday because of teacher in-services. I love teacher in-service days. I love four day weekends, but I think I am unique in that I like having my kids home from school.

Thursday night (Friday morning, really) was drama filled. Paige went to a party, which I knew about, that was busted by the po-po. A kid apparently took Vicodin and a bunch of vodka shots and was then unresponsive...passed out. If you read my blog back In January or February you read about Danielle McCarthy, who died of an ecstasy overdose after being at a party. Her parents thought she was staying the night with a friend here in town, but instead, she went north to a few parties. A friend provided her with the e, and that friend is now going to be tried as an adult for manslaughter and controlled-substance homicide. So scary.

Well, I hoped that Danielle's death would have scared a few kids straight, and it may have, but not Mr. 2V. Luckily one of the kids called 911, which I guess pissed off more than a few kids because MiP citations were apparently being handed out once the cops got there. Paige was completely freaked out. Only she and another kid or two were actually where their parents thought they'd be. Paige also wasn't drinking, though I think she could have been given a MiP just for being at the party, really.

I guess 2V is fine now. He was able to go to homecoming the next night (Saturday). Yes. He pretty much overdosed on drugs and alcohol, and his parents let him go to homecoming. I know it's hard to take something like homecoming away from a kid; he had planned this for weeks and had a date who was depending on his attendance, but he took vicodin and vodka, which put him in the hospital. It blows me away. I hope he, at least, received a MiP and will get his license revoked. I would be willing to bet that there were plenty of kids drinking at that party who planned to drive home.

Paige got home around 2:30am from all of this. She was in constant communication with us throughout the ordeal.

I know kids party. I don't think that is ever going to change; it's part of that playing pretend that kids do beginning in the toddler years. It's just that playing pretend in the mid to late teen years is "let's pretend we're invincible and that we can drive hella fast and crazy without getting hurt! We can mix drugs and alcohol that are not compatible and live to see the next day! See how grown-up we are?"

When I went to parties in high school, way back in the 80's (ha), there was just animal beer to drink. Sometimes someone would sneak a bottle of booze from their parents. I do remember coke being done at some of the parties (it was the 80's, after all), but that shit scared me. I never even smoked weed. Beer. Booze.

And I had to walk uphill both ways to the parties.

I trust Paige, but I waver between trusting her and and feeling paranoid that she's conning me really well. I feel like she has a good head on her shoulders, though.

I wonder how many kids a year die from drug or alcohol consumption and how many die in alcohol related auto accidents. How many are permanently injured/affected? Not that it matters to teenagers because they have that whole invincibility thing going on.

Seattle PostSecret Event

I want to go, but I have another committment that night. You should go and tell me all about it.
http://www.elliottbaybook.com/events/oct07/warren.jsp
www.postsecret.com

class 1 fall 2007

I just finished class one, and it went really well.

I have five couples-- three due in December, one due in February and one due in March.

One couple took a class with another (former) teacher in our area; the woman was once really tight with that teacher, who happened to threaten to take my home and destroy my life. Can you see why I would be a bit suspicious, while still trying to remain professional? I am doing what I tend to do and trusting that she has only good intentions.

I even started and finished on time. Amazingness. I usually run over in class 1, but I talked really fast (it's a gift) and kept chit-chat to a non-existent level.

I heard from a student from my previous class; she ended up birthing via cesarean after hours and hours of labor with not much progress. I feel so sad for her because, well, she is so sad. Sometimes I have students who have a cesarean birth, and they are at peace with the birth. She is not at peace with it; she is greatly disappointed. Her baby is also not able to nurse because the meds mom is on is making baby lethargic. She's pumping and dumping and feeding the baby soy formula for the time being; she is keeping the baby skin-to-skin, which will hopefully help them both.

I did refer her to ICAN for support.

I have to call another student tomorrow because she, too, is disappointed that she didn't get the homebirth she envisioned. She transferred to hospital and opted to have an epidural. Her email sounded sad, so I really need to talk to her and reassure her that it's okay.

I don't go in for this make moms feel like shit because they chose drugs or had a cesarean. My students are exceptional consumers, and if they choose to take meds or to have a cesarean, I know it was likely done after much consideration of benefits vs risks.

Well, I am off to watch Big Bang Theory now (just testing to see if I get more comments from production company/network promoters.) I hear that Sara Gilbert is on the episode tonight. Did you know that Sara Gilbert's (and Melissa Gilbert's) brother was Willy from Little House on the Prairie? He, like, disappeared off the face of the earth, I heard years ago. I watched Little House for years and years and only within the last five years did I know that Willie and Half-Pint were sibs in real life.

randomly speaking

or something like that.

• I want a new camera. My camera is awesome and is in excellent condition, but I like the newer Canon Rebel XTi. I think I'm going to try to sell my camera, the 18-55mm lens and the bag for, like, $400-$500. I'll just turn that money around to get the XTi.

• I got a new computer. My notebook, which was a hand-me-down from Wayne, flipped out the other day. He came home from work and surprised me with a new notebook computer. It's pretty basic, but I don't need much. It's nice that it turns on when it's supposed to and it is pretty quick to respond. Plus, I can consider it a business expense.

• I found a Home Depot gift card from last Christmas (or maybe even from the Christmas before!) tucked away in my camera bag. We stopped at HD today to see how much was on the card--$150!!! Wow. I am so glad we found it! We bought paint for the dining room and all the stuff that goes with that task (tape, liners, pour top, new brushes and rollers) along with new towel racks and a new toilet paper holder for the girls' bathroom. Our whole house is closer and closer to being fully painted.
  

• Maya has camp for three hours tomorrow and a birthday party tomorrow, which is great because I have a class starting on Monday and I haven't really organized my materials yet. They are all pretty much together, but I like to go through it all just to make sure they are uniform and complete. I have four couples beginning on Monday, so I have one opening still. We have two new teachers in Tacoma, so I am trying to push some students their way; they need to teach two full series of classes (24 classes) before they can take their final exam and become affiliated. I know one teacher has at least 1-3 couples, and I am trying to get the other teacher the same number of students--at least.

• I got together with three other Bradley teachers yesterday just to chit-chat. It was fun. I feel so isolated lately, so it's good that we have some new teachers to hang with. I wish Jen would start teaching again, but I know she has a lot on her plate. Our old colleague, we found out, is going on trial soon for felony harassment. The old colleague that harassed Jen to no end and who threatened to sue me and take my house. Yeah, no tears shed over that one. Strangely, though, my old Bradley teacher called and left a message at my house during the same time I was meeting with the current teachers. She sells real estate now, so I'm guessing she was putting her feelers out for some business.
  

• Homecoming is happening in the next few weeks. I think Britt's is next week and Paige's is the week after. Last I heard, they were each planning on attending homecoming.

• I seriously think I need to get a job. Car payments and AmEx stress me out to no end, and I'd really like to take a vacation someday. Even if I work part-time at minimum wage (or just above), it would be extra money to pay off our damn bills.

Okay, I've been watching some new TV, but I'm trying to not be consumed by it. My opinions:

• Chuck: Hilarious. He's adorable. His friend Morgan is adorable. The plot is creative and the writing is witty. I like it. A lot. (NBC Mondays 8pm)
  
• The Big Bang Theory: Hil-air-eee-us. Johnny Galecki is Darlene's BF from Roseanne. He hasn't aged. He's perfectly nerdy, and he reminds me of a younger, smaller Wayne. I'm going to see how long they play out the "pining for his hot neighbor" angle. (CBS Mondays 8:30)
  
• Journeyman:I like it. It' s an hour long drama, and it's kind of Quantum Leap-ish, which is a compliment. It also reminds me of The Time Traveler's Wife. (NBC Mondays 10pm)
  
• Reaper: The pilot was directed by Kevin Smith, and you really could tell. It was so unique, and the actors have great comedic chemistry. I have high hopes for this one. (CW Tuesdays 9pm)
• Pushing Daisies: Man has ability to undead the dead...but if they remain undead for more than a minute another living thing must die instead. Oh, and he can never again touch the revitalized, for instant death will occur. This can be a handy skill. This show is wonderfully creative, vibrant and funny. (ABC Wednesdays 8pm)
• Kid Nation: Another reality show. I can take it or leave it. Maya likes it, and apparently the kids at school talk about it a lot. (CBS Wednesdays 8pm)
• Big Shots: Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Michael Vartan (Alias), Christopher Titus (Titus) and some guy I've never heard of (Josh Malina) play what Wayne refers to as the male version of Desperate Housewives. It also reminds me of a grown-up version of The O.C. It's drama. It's funny. It's at times uncomfortable (like the Brazilian ball waxing this week...I laughed so hard I hurt). Of course, I think it's awesome. (ABC Thursdays 10pm)

There are some new shows that I don't watch but Wayne or the girls like (Bionic Woman; Gossip Girl; Private Practice), and I still have to watch Dirty Sexy Money, but Paige says it's really good.