Favorite Subject

It has been a while since I have written exclusively about the LG, and not for lack of material, so this one is for the grandparents. He is currently into repetition. Over and over he/we will read the same book, eat the same food, dance the same dance, etc. Below is a picture of him with Mater from Cars - one of his favorite toys that is so versatile as we have come to find out. You can sit on him facing forward or backward, stand on top and ride it like a skateboard, hide the BK's cell phone in the trunk, yell at him, push him, pull him, generally abuse him, and use him as your own personal DJ.

The LG and BK also seem to be doing some real bonding now that the LG is interested in more than just milk. One of their favorite games looks something like this: No, this is not some bizarre trick we have taught him that involves playing dead, nor is he asleep on the floor. The BK and LG like to roll things under the couch and then "search" for them which is what the LG is doing above. The LG also gets a kick out of all the BK's things. This includes hard hats, snowshoes, jackets, electric shavers, camera, shoes, sleeping bag (which is a permanent fixture in our living room since the temperature in that room tends to resemble that of the polar ice caps). The LG also loves bath time with the BK, but these are pictures best left for our private collection.

Simple Pleasures

It is freezing here, probably as cold as it gets (not that it really compares to temperatures in northern UT where I grew up), and I am happily enjoying my new soft wool socks from Ann Taylor. I am dedicating the following list of some of my favorite things to my socks, who make it to #1 on my list today.

1 - Soft gray wool socks (must be a blend of some sort) from Ann Taylor. (Note 1/25: they are actually cashmere which explains why they don't itch - BTW, I am wearing the same pair againg today)

2 - My mother's chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I can eat a whole batch in one evening which is why I hardly ever make them.

3 - Apple Lavendar bath salt scrub from Sabon (www.sabonnyc.com) and a hot bath. Best salt scrub on earth. It smells so good for a really long time and makes my skin so soft.

4 - A few minutes of quiet time in the morning before the madness begins.

5 - My new hoodie that my brother and sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. I was skeptical at first, but Portland is a great place to break it in, and now I can't take it off.

6 - Eating out. The BK, LG & I used to eat out frequently so this wouldn't have made it on the list before the move, but now that I am mostly home, I cook most nights. Last night we had wood-fired pizza, and no dishes to clean up.

7 - Airplane rides alone. I LOVE flying alone. I can read or sleep (I usually get in a heavy dose of both), and I feel so relaxed the second I get on the plane. Having the LG on my lap, now that's a very different story.

8 - Soccer. I haven't yet found an old ladies club out here in Portland, but I am sure they exist, I just need to exert myself into finding some people to play with.

9 - A good book (for this one, please leave a comment listing your favorite book - I need some help with creating a new reading list for 2008).

10 - Law and Order.

Car Porn

Okay, so I know the title of this blog could get me into some trouble, but as I was blog stalking this morning, I remembered a conversation with a friend regarding our husbands and one of their shared nasty little habits. The BK, as I have mentioned, likes nice cars. Our current car is nice, but is definitely a downgrade from the vehicle he previously owned. This predicament has resulted in, at a minimum, two conversations per week as follows:

BK: Hey, so I was looking at cars today..
Me (interrupting): WHERE were you looking at cars today?
BK: RELAX, I was looking online.
Me (eyes rolling): Okay, AND?
BK: Well I found a really nice one.
Me: Mmmhmmm (still reading my magazine).
BK: You wanna see it?
Me: What kind of car is it?
BK: [Insert ANY kind of car that is nicer than our "boring", "uncomfortable", "noisy" Honda Accord]
Me: How much does it cost?
BK: [Insert ANY amount over $0 which is what we owe on our Accord]
Me: How many miles?
BK: [Insert ANY number over 50k since I refuse to buy anything new - and the cars he is looking at aren't cheap]
Me: Well where is it?
BK: [Insert ANY town located outside a 50 mile radius since he likes to buy from CarMax and the cars he picks NEVER seem to be anywhere near us, requiring a plane ride and a long drive just to pick it up, or a $500 transport fee]
Me: Mmmhmmm (back to reading my magazine)

So apparently, this conversation sounded pretty familiar to my friend. In fact, she calls this phenomenon "Car Porn", and she was readily willing to admit that her husband was also addicted. Honestly, the BK can spend hours looking through listings of cars for sale. He may even dream about it at night. Who knows, I only know that the Accord must feel ashamed.

For my part, I am becoming addicted to reading other people's blogs, but "Blog Porn" just doesn't have the same ring. Suggestions welcome.

All in a Day's Work

The other day I was going about my business, not paying much attention to the LG as he is now pretty good at entertaining himself, when I hear an unfamiliar noise. Out of sight, out of mind though and I figure as long as there are no screams, everything is yipiskippy. Then I hear the noise again. I walk in to the LGs room to see that he has pulled the retractable cord from the next room where the vacuum was sitting into his room where he is now headed for the plug. Brilliant. A small diversion ensues, and I push the button that sucksd the cord back into place as he now sits quietly pulling the books off his shelf pretending to read. Back to folding laundry. About 10 minutes later, I hear another unfamiliar noise - different from the first. Same gig. No scream no foul. Hear unfamiliar noise again. Go to check it out. This is what I find. No need to divert, this is almost better than those little robot vacuums that do their thing and then plug themselves back in. Almost.

Brain Cells

I wonder where mine are on a regular basis. My lips hurt real bad, and as I was reaching for the chapstick, I realized it was actually a stick of glue.

Photoshop of Horror

As I was sorting through some pictures today, I began to be amused by a number of memories related to the tradition of taking pictures in my home. I have decided to amuse you all with some of my memories, as well as provide you with a rare pic of myself - that is the beauty of being the author, I don't have to post pictures of myself unless I like them.

1. The BK always has the camera. I do have a camera, but his is MUCH nicer, so by default he is the cameraman. This means that I am always in the pictures and he isn't. It also means he takes all kinds of weird photos of me while I'm not looking. Like this one he took of my hair when we first met in China. It was the beginning of his love affair ; )

2. I am a terrible photographer, especially when using the BKs nice camera. We have been married for 2 1/2 yrs, and he just recently shared with me the reason that 99% of my pictures are out of focus. Something to do with holding the button down while the camera focuses and then pressing the button again to take the picture. Not sure why he decided to hold back on this info for so long, but I am just glad that now the LG is more likely to look like a human than an apparition.

3. The Big Kahuna shares one thing in common with Burger King (aside from initials) - he likes things his way. Usually this is a good thing. Sometimes there might be a better thing (just throwin' it out there honey ;). For instance, for those of you who were lucky enough to get a Christmas card, you probably didn't know that the BK took this picture himself by setting the timer on the tripod. Not too shabby. However, there HAPPENED to be a professional photographer passing by who offered to take a couple shots of our family and email them to us. Aside from the fact that this would have been much faster and more convenient (just picture the LG squirming around and not understanding why we were upset that he was smiling at us and not the camera 15 feet away) - but it is POSSIBLE that the pictures MIGHT have been better, but "Have it Your Way" wasn't havin' it.

4. The BK likes to take pictures. When we came home from China, we had something like 2000 pictures. Glad to have them, but not so glad about all the times we had to stop to take 10 pictures of the same picturesque setting - particularly on our hike through the Yellow Mountains. I believe this is take 2 of 12.

5. As I am sure you will all agree, it is tough to take group pictures of any kind where everyone is happy with the way they look. PhotoShop is really the only way to go. Cut and paste the perfect head shot on the perfect body, and your are ready to go. Unfortunately, most people can spot that little ruse. So below is a pic I like of myself, but know the BK won't like of himself, and one which both the BK and I can agree is not particularly flattering for the LG (not that he isn't ALWAYS adorable).

6. Lest you think I am complaining about the BK and his methods, this list is mostly a wake up call for me to take more pictures of my own so I can complain about myself. That said, it is most important to mention that the BK takes great pictures, and I am VERY grateful that, to date, he has done a marvelous job considering what he has to work with. This pic is in Hangzhou where we spent Thanksgiving in China in '05. We had to eat this awful fish that had its huge eyeball staring at me the whole time, and I wanted to throw up and cry. Ah, the memories. Love you BK.

Lovin' It (or at least likin' it)

I think I finally like Portland. It has taken some time, as those of you closest to me know, to even say that I like this strange town, but it finally happened. I think 6 weeks is a pretty reasonable time frame. It comes down to this - you can do whatever, think whatever, and dress however you like here. It is sort of liberating. People go about their business in a respectful and accepting way, no matter who you are, what you drive, or what you wear. A far cry from Washington D.C. where all the suits are blue or black, all the ties are red or blue and who you are is based on who you know, what you drive, where you went to school, and how much money you make. That said, I still love DC and always will. In the meantime, here are a few of the things you can do in Portland without people looking more than twice:

1. Wear pajamas to the grocery store, movies, or while walking down the street after noon.

2. Drive a car with the following bumper stickers, "Coexist", "Keep Portland Weird", AND the kicker, "W" (as in George W Bush). Keep in mind all of these stickers are on the SAME car.

3. Park a shopping cart on your lawn and a BMW in your driveway.

4. Be the only one on the bus in a nice suit and not get mugged. Please note, however, that you will probably have to have a conversation with someone who thinks you are George W.

5. Get stuck on the TriMet (subway) within earshot of conversations including how to save the animals, how to skin an animal, and "back when I was an animal". Huh?