Wednesday, July 25, 2007

My Pint-Sized Ranter

Stupid goddamned wallpaper.  Apparently the method of installation involved driving a steamroller up and down the walls to be sure it stuck there but good.  Who the hell puts wallpaper in their house anyhow?  I'm trying to decide between continuing to scrape it off a millimeter at a time or just buying the house next door.  But I'm ready to begin the battle anew because today  I borrowed a steamer from my friend.  (Of course, between the hot steam and the use of a stepladder, I fully expect to need skin grafts in areas I can scarcely contemplate.)  David took the silver spoon out of his mouth long enough to inform me, "You know, you can hire a pro to do that for you, Mom."

Speaking of that little darling, I think he may be a blogger-in-training.  Why, he's already written his very first rant!  As I am a mean mom, I have my kids do some math and writing work over the summer.  The whole thing takes maybe 30 minutes out of the day and we've probably only done it 7 times since school ended.  Now, David is a smart child and he picks things up quickly.  What he hates is being corrected.  Unfortunately, he must've been sick the day they learned how to estimate in math class because he consistently screws it up.  I sat down with him yesterday and gently explained what he was doing wrong.  Did I mention how much he loves that?  After the Math Drama (now with tears!) he was ready to move on to writing.  I don't care what he writes about as long as he types up a well-constructed paragraph with complete sentences and accurate spelling and punctuation.  Here's what he wrote:

Numbers are stupid! There are many reasons why I hate Numbers. One reason is that is that if you add numbers you get Math problems, and with math problems you get school, and with school you get home work, and I hate Home work. Also with problems you get them wrong, and then you get really angry when you find out and have to redo them. With numbers you also count and counting is very boring. There are also games with numbers like Yahtzee, and thoseare boring as well. Numbers are the stupidest things on earth and I will always hate them.   



Friday, July 20, 2007

Harry Potter!

When the Harry Potter release date was announced months and months ago, I immediately called my mom and booked her to keep Juliana for this night so we'd be able to go to the midnight party.  When Book 6 came out, I'd pre-ordered it from Amazon then spent the entire day in agony until it was finally delivered at around 4 PM.  Never again.  This time I'm going right to the source.  We've never gone to a midnight event before, but this time around David is old enough and, without sounding too gushy, I feel like this is a piece of history. 

Since I pre-ordered my two copies at the actual store, I didn't get a confirmation email.  I have the little receipt thingy they gave me that day and I'm guarding it more carefully than I did my passport in India.  As I didn't get an email, I didn't know until Wednesday that I had to go to Border's this morning to get a wristband which guaranteed my place in line.  My friend was willing to have me drop Juliana off at 8:30 AM and David and I got to Border's at 8:45.  The line was about a block long.  We stood in line outside for nearly 90 minutes.  Luckily, it's July and the summers in Oregon are dry and beautiful.  Oh wait, that's only when the remnants of a typhoon aren't washing in from the Pacific.  <sigh>  I stood in line with a bunch of perfect strangers and after listening to them chatter, I was ready to pull my hair out.  How can you be literate enough to read a book and still not be able to pronounce any of the names?  Jesus.  Shut up about Berty Crouch and Seeeemus Finnegan. 

Our entire family is Harry Potter crazy right now.  David has read all of the books, and in May I suggested he re-read Book 6 to get ready for the new one.  He tore through it in a few days, then started at Book 1 and read all the way through the series again.  The whole thing took him about 2 1/2 weeks.  And this was while school was still in session.  Juliana has read Books 1 and 2 and is working her way through 3.  David, Ritu, and I have seen all the movies in the theater and Juliana has seen them on DVD.  As you can imagine, Harry Potter is the hot topic around our house.  Unfortunately, this book is coming out about a week too late.  I never thought it would happen, but I've found myself glazing over in a way usually reserved for when David starts long discourses on Star Wars or Pokemon.  When I'm trying to hustle us out the door for a 9:00 camp and David stops all forward motion to turn to me and say, "Hey Mom, do you think Tom Riddle...."  Well, let's just say a number of Unforgivable Curses crossed my mind.

But tonight is the big night!  Sure, it's dark and cold and rainy and I still have a few more hoops to jump through before I get my book.  But tonight is the night!  (Standing in line to reserve the right to stand in line?  WTF was I thinking?) 

(It's only 7:45 here.  Why the hell did I move to the West Coast?  Stupid Pacific Time Zone. )

I'm going to go find some coffee.  And I guess I should change out of my pajama pants before I head to Border's.  To those of you who celebrate it, Happy Harry Potter Day!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Crater Lake

Crater Lake was formed 7,700 years ago when Mt. Mazama erupted, then collapsed.  There are no inlets to or outlets from the lake and it is fed entirely from rain and snow.  It is nearly 2,000 feet deep which makes it the deepest lake in the United States and the 7th deepest lake in the world.  Because nothing else washes into the lake from outside sources, the water is a remarkably deep blue color. 

At an altitude of over 6,000 feet, there are patches of snow on the ground even in July.


The lake sits inside a caldera, or volcanic basin.  The high ridge on the left is a chunk of the volcano's side that didn't collapse.


There are two islands in the lake.  The big one is called Wizard Island and you can take a boat ride to it, only it requires a 1.1 mile trek down a steep trail to get to the boat.  Not to mention a 1.1 mile trek UP a steep trail to get back.  Seeing as Juliana hates physical exertion, we decided to skip the trek and its inevitable accompanying crying jag. 


I liked the way the water got all turquoise and shimmery in the shallow areas around the island.





Juliana got tired and hungry and amused herself by making shadows and announcing "Turn me on!  I'm a lamp!"


After lunch, we found a waterfall.





As we continued the 33 mile drive around the lake, we got within sight of the second island, which is called The Phantom Pirate Ship.


It looks small, but it's actually 16 stories high.



Did I mention how blue the water is?


Did I mention how cute my family is?











Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Good Morning

It's 6:50 A.M.  I got up early and had breakfast with Ritu before he had to be at his 7 AM shift.  The kids are still asleep, it's grey and rainy for the first time in weeks, the house is dark and quiet and  I'm sitting here with my second cup of coffee.  I've been contemplating the big tasks I need to get done around this house--weed the entire back yard and take down the wallpaper in the office--but I've decided next week will be the best time for that.  (That reminds me, I never took pictures from when we re-did the kids' bathroom last month.  I'll add that to my list.)

I still have more pictures from our vacation to post here.  The day we left Sunriver, we drove an hour and a half south to visit Crater Lake.  We've always wanted to go there, but it's 4 1/2 hours from Portland which makes it too far for a day trip and there isn't enough we'd want to do to merit spending the night.  From Sunriver, we were able to  leave around 8:30 in the morning, get there around 10 and spend some time driving around and stopping at viewpoints.  The views are heart-stoppingly glorious and even the kids were wowed by the whole thing. 

At the southern end of the lake is a small cluster of buildings and we decided to have lunch in a little buffet restaurant that adjoined a gift shop.  Gift shops are, of course, the main reason my children enjoy sight-seeing.  David has a growing collection of monuments (the Space Needle, the Gateway Arch) while Juliana is partial to snow globes and stuffed animals.

Over lunch, the children asked if they could get something at the shop.  I hemmed and hawed and said we'd have to see what was there.  Juliana suggested maybe a small stuffed animal.  I pointed out that she is already in possession of more stuffed animals than anyone needs.  She said, "But what if you see a stuffed animal that is so cute it makes you swear?"  I just looked at her, confused, and she clarified: "You know, like if you see one and it makes you say 'That is so F cute!'  Then could I get it?"  Ritu thought this would be a fine time to find out what she thought "F" stood for.  He's a helpful kind of guy.  I sputtered at him to stop that.  It was all I could do not to clamp my hands over my ears and go LA LA LA LA LA.  I know she thinks "freaking" is a bad word and I wanted to maintain my belief that that's what she meant. 

Sure enough, she ended up with a stuffed moose from the gift shop.  Holy shit, was that little motherfucker cute!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Of Pneumatic Tubes And Kaleidoscopes

While we were in St. Louis, we visited The Magic House.  This is an old house that has been converted into a Children's Museum.  When my kids were little, we had to drive two hours to Raleigh-Durham to get to anything like this.   I remember how excited they would be to climb and explore, play in water, and experience all the sights, sounds, and textures.  At ages 7 and 10, my two are on the cusp of being too old for this sort of place and in fact, David did a lot of wandering around before he found something to interest him.  (Nobody was too interested in my favorite exhibit which was a working pneumatic tube system that you could actually use to send messages back and forth.  Am I the only one who finds pneumatic tubes irresistible?  One of my favorite childhood memories is of a clothing store in Oil City that would whiz the bills and receipts back and forth throughout the store via pneumatic tubes.)

Juliana found quite a bit to interest her and she and I wandered amiably through the museum together.  As the museum was originally a private residence, exhibits are tucked in corners and behind walls.  Part of the fun is seeing what you'll come across with every turn.  One turn brought us to a darkened space with an entire wall lit up by a huge video screen.  A small camera was mounted above the screen, filming the area in front of it.  The video screen was running a display of shimmering colors.  Once you stood in front of it, the camera captured you and your silhouette was projected onto the screen.  With every movement, the colors trailed behind you.  At times there were soft water colors, other times bright psychedelic hues.  Sometimes your image was multiplied twice or fourfold.  David figured out just where to stand to make his 4 images appear to be holding hands in a ring.  The effect was that of a kaleidescope.  Both kids spent some time moving around and watching themselves.  After a few minutes, David drifted out looking for something new but Juliana stayed, riveted by herself on the screen.  She jumped and twirled, she danced the entire routine from her ballet recital, she moved close to the screen then back again, she moved her arms slowly and gracefully, then tore around full-speed.  Other people wandered over to the exhibit, but her bliss was so palpable
that instead of joining her, they stood on the edge and watched her lost in dance.  I leaned against the wall as she filled the screen with color and motion.  It suddenly occurred to me that this, this, is how she sees life every day.  To her, the world is one big rainbow and everything she does leaves a trail of shimmering colors in her wake.  It's no wonder she was so captivated; here was her soul being projected back at her.  I stood there with tears in my eyes told myself we would stay there as long as she wanted, even if it meant until the museum closed. 

She spent 25 minutes there completely hypnotized, then suddenly turned to me, the spell broken, and said she was done.  She walked out of the darkness somewhat dazed, but completely happy.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Are You Sick Of Me Yet?

I can't help it.  It's supposed to hit 102 here today.  I've got the house closed up like a cave, I mopped all my wood floors, and the kids are watching a movie.  I've finally got some time to get through these pictures.

Here's one of Juliana that I just love.  This was taken at one of David's soccer tournaments.  Between games, we had a picnic lunch and she was playing with the little brother of one of David's teammates.  Couldn't you just die for his hair?  Juliana never met a camera she didn't like, as illustrated here.  It's kind of hard to tell, but when Nick offered to take her picture, she sort of leaned forward, put her hands on her knees and smiled up at him. 


Why I Love Robyne Best

She photoshopped the hair off my forehead! Hee!!



Pictures II - St. Louis

In St. Louis, we went to visit the Gateway Arch.  I figured we'd go, take a look at it, and leave but we ended up spending most of the day there.  Here are the kids lounging against the outside of the arch itself.  I think it was 95 degrees and 95% humidity that day.



David entering the little capsule tram that took you inside and up to the top of the arch.


Looking out the little windows at the top of the arch.


View of St. Louis from the top.


David at the highest point.  We've got haircuts scheduled for this week.  Shut up.



We also visited a children's museum.  David got to do the Van de Graaf generator.  Heh, this one I'll save for his prom date.









Pictures I

It's Picture Time! First, we have a few of Juliana dressed as a baby swan from her ballet recital.  This one was taken right after she finished.  Think she was having fun?


Here we are together!  Wish I knew how to photoshop that stray hair off my forehead.  Could she look any less like me?  <sigh>



Here's a pretty good look at her costume.  (Personally, I thought the swan feather headpieces made them all look like little old ladies, but they were beyond adorable, nonetheless.)





And now a few of the camera-shy David.  This one is from his birthday party.  Here he is opening his gift from us: an Ipod Shuffle.


Here's my little soccer stud on the field:


Here he is on his actual birthday, which we celebrated in St. Louis at Dave and Buster's.




Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Why We Like It In Sunriver

Here is a list of notable wildlife sightings in our first three days here:

* numerous  ground squirrels and chipmunks
* soaring red-tailed hawks
* many geese families, including one with four tiny little fuzzy goslings
* a weird looking salamander/lizardy thing that had most likely lost its tail.  It looked kind of like a shell-less turtle.
*11 deer sightings, which includes a doe with two wobbly fawn that Juliana and I saw    this morning
* an osprey fishing in the Deschutes River (seen by David)
* a cottontail rabbit chewing long pieces of grass that made it look just like it was slurping spaghetti noodles
* baby barn swallows peeking out of a nesting box
* a nifty frog with orange spots swimming in a creek
* A heron fishing in the river seen by Juliana while riding a horse
*  a pregnant barn cat with a mouse in its mouth

Happy 4th!

We're here in Sunriver for a week of vacation.  We've never been here over 4th of July before, so it's a little more crowded than usual, but still relaxing and fun. We have an option to take a shuttle bus into the nearest city to see fireworks tonight, but as my kids continue to be terrified of them, we're planning to stay here at the vacation house instead.  I have a brand new bottle of Vanilla Stoli and some cranberry juice, so I'll be celebrating just as our founding fathers intended.

Before we had kids, our travel mainly consisted of going to Ritu's medical conferences.  These trips were in sunny locations, often at fancy resorts.  The room and Ritu's airfare were generally covered, so it was a fairly affordable way to travel.  Ritu would go to meetings and I would wander around the resort, or spend hours luxuriating in the room or by the pool with a book.  We'd eat out for every meal, expanding our culinary horizons along with our waistbands.

We tried this a few times with kids and it was always a disaster.  The last thing I want is for all of us to be crammed in one hotel room and expecting small children to behave in restaurants three times a day is an exercise in futility.  Over the years, I have become a huge fan of the vacation rental.  The kids have their own room and when they go to bed, we don't have to sit on the floor trying to read by a sliver of bathroom light.  We can come with a load of groceries and people can eat when they want without it being a group undertaking.  And I have a confession.  I love keeping a vacation house clean.  It never feels like work; it's exactly like having a grown up sized play house.  To take it further, my favorite kind of vacation is one with a washer and dryer.  Nothing makes me happier than to do laundry and take home suitcases full of clean clothes.  I'll even wash the rental towels throughout the week. 

You know, when I write it all out like that, it really sounds pathetic.  And just a tiny touch OCD.  Ah, well, no time for introspection.   I just noticed a toothpaste splatter on the mirror and while I don't have any Windex at my disposal, I saw a bottle of white vinegar in the pantry which should work just fine....