I had my first crush in that bowling alley. I had my first lots of things in there lol

When I turned… 10 or 11 mom got transferred to another alley in Randallstown (the one on my arm is the Pikesville alley) which I also spent a ridiculous amount of time in. However, the one on my arm is duckpins, not tenpins. I played a lot of pool in them too.

Because you all had to know that.

———-

I remember the indoor “flea” market they had on bowling nights and the junk I had to have. They used to let me pick the winning 50/50 raffle ticket.

My first real job was as a short order cook at Timonium FairLanes.

Aunt Jackie used to tell me how when I was a baby in the stroller… she remembered one time I was playing with something on one side of the stroller – a nail or something holding it together. I turned to the other side to see if there was one on that side too. She used to tell me she knew I’d be a smartie from that alone. One time Erin’s chair flipped backwards (the Maclarren stroller – it used to do that a lot – unsafe thing!) and she remembered running down from the other end of the alley, mom right behind her, to pick her back up.

Funny things that pop up into mind sometimes.

Whoot, I found out how to delete my MySpace. The deed is done.

Michael gave me an idea for a new tattoo earlier today. I need to think on it. I am in literary lust with Heinlein and his characters. I have a couple of small pieces planned, a TANSTAAFL and a GROK on the insides of my wrists. He mentioned today I could stand to do them more justice and do a big thigh piece revolving around my favourite Heinlein stories/characters. I agree, but I am still getting the smaller ones inside of my wrists. They just belong there. the TANSTAAFL is going to be an a stylized kind of Russian writing and the GROK is the GROK off of Stranger in a Strange Land. The piece would have to include Stranger in a Strange Land, Time Enough for Love, Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Moon is a Hard Mistress, Job: A Comedy of Justice, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Methuselah’s Children… Oh, this list goes on. I may have to go with a main “cast” of characters. I’ve been thinking on it all afternoon though. Not a bad idea you had there, Fish, not a bad idea at all.

Malachai has his IEP meeting at the end of the month. He has been recommended for second grade. We’ll see what kind of services he’ll get next year.

My half birthday was yesterday. My dreads are about five months old. If December first rolls around and I want to cut them off… off they go! I’ll give them a year I have one in the back, twice as long as the others. The roots are dreaded, and the tip is dreaded, but I could brush everything in between. The rest are all in good shape. I need to get in to see Chrissy to be dyed again, and I need to go see Strawberry for some maintenance. I don’t really want to do either, mainly because I am dandruffy and the dreads just trap it. I’m not so much embarrassed as… ew.

Mothers Day is coming up. I think we should thank the people that mean the most to us everyday (actually, I think we should be happy and pleasant and say please and thank you to everyone every day, and I try to) so I’m not so much looking for breakfast in bed or lavish gifts or anything. I have a picnic in the park planned for the afternoon with (I hope) some other families we like, and then I am going to see if Sara and/or Michael will keep the kids so we can go into the shop for a little bit.

We set up the sewing machine. It may have a permanent home. Maybe we’ll use it more. What a novel idea.

I have a rotting melon in the fridge. Michael brought home/in the tattoo equipment. I just suck. That melon has been in the fridge a month at least. I wonder if I am avoiding it because I feel like I suck, or if I just don’t care as much as I thought I did. Interesting question to ask myself, no? I wanted it so bad… I’d hate to find out I suck. Not that every beginner sucks kind of suck, but really and truly suck at something I love so much. Something that is so important to my life and my well being and the well being of my family. Think I am being overly dramatic? I don’t. Tattoos feed and clothe us. I’d hate to find out that I stink at giving them. There is a total connection in my head.

We bought a new composter at BJs yesterday. As soon as the fence is up we’re going to dump the old compost into the new bin. I think we’ll just use the old compost bin as a trashcan. Speaking of the fence! The permits were denied because we need to add onto the paperwork that if the fence is black we don’t have to landscape (I want to anyway, but at least we wont be on a deadline) and we need to fax the approval from the HOA because we’re fencing in the easement. We’ll take care of that tomorrow.

So far today we have cleaned the front room and 3/4 of the kitchen (I did not really mop because we’re having a new dishwasher delivered and installed today and I plan to mop *after* – um, and I suck at mopping anyway).

Michael has had a massage, which cost me an arm and a leg but hopefully made him feel a good bit better. I may have to budget them in more often than once every five years.

Eshiva had dance class and Michael came down from the salon to watch her this week (usually I take her) so I could get home and finish cleaning. Yes, I am one of those people who can’t have people just “drop in” because my home is lived in. Not dirty, don’t get me wrong, but we have stuff. A lot of stuff.

I made a personal sized pot of coffee in my french press. I used a kona blend and lots of cream and it’s delicious. I feel decadent.

I panicked over the state of our money. I invited my aunt & uncle out to dinner tomorrow night at a not so cheap place, and offered to pay for it. I had the money before a trip to Target and a few smaller things that ate it up. I am returning an item to Target and I had some money in savings to cover my ass (I was all excited to be a grown up and pay for a *nice* dinner for us for once) but I am really hoping I get some paychecks in the mail today. I am not really banking on it (ha ha) but it sure would be nice. I did the responsible thing and paid off a credit card last week and shredded it so we wouldn’t use it. Had I not done one of those things, I wouldn’t be in this crunch. Being responsible sucks big fat monkey balls sometimes.

I had put off buying those raffle tickets for Michael and Sara. I reminded myself last night talking to Leila, so I totally bought their tickets on Friday the 13th. I hope they win. Had I not bought the tickets I’d have the money too lol

I told Michael to bring the tattoo equipment back in the house – he needs to bring tubes home from work. I have had three people in the past two weeks buy “guns” and start right out working on people. I did the apprentice thing and worked on fruit (not the human kind) and said fuck it because I got bored and irritated and stagnant. The green monster pushed me out of my rut and while I am not down with attacking my own legs (I am a snob. I have one godawful piece not done by an apprentice, I do not need godawful pieces done by people who don’t know what the fuck they are doing, and that includes me. I am a hypocrite and I don’t know what I am going to work on that isn’t fruit, but I’ll figure something out.) I do have a couple of simple pieces I had planned to be my first pieces on myself. While truly I believe I can do anything, this makes me nervous and Michael didn’t stroke my ego enough to make me think I was ready for people. Maybe I’m not. We’ll see I guess.

I used my not-so-fancy and not-so-new lights from my uncle to take some photos the other night. I was super happy with some, not thrilled with others, but I was in a hurry and was distracted by children, so all in all it was a great learning experience.

I am putting together a box of stuff for the craft swap. It’ll be fun!

I want this but I cannot justify 40$ for an electric paper punch, plus the extra for supplies to make cute little books. Too many people already sell them on etsy to try and fool myself into selling them and recouping my money. I love little books though and I will be making some with my manual paper punch, paper, ribbon and the kids later today.

Hows that for stream of consciousness?

I am not claiming my blog entries are all gold. Usually it’s an update on my family or day. My blog is more of a diary for me. I don’t expect a lot of people to read it or have interest in it. I also like to spread links and news stories. Sometimes I comment on them, and sometimes I don’t. I am so there are people who do read me who go “huh?” a lot. That’s ok. I read a lot of stuff that makes me go “huh?”

I just thought I’d mention this bit of “huh” before I get to the meat of my post for today.

We (I) emptied out half the breakfront today, and the half that is empty was removed. We put the piano in it’s place, and the empty piece will go out for trash on Wednesday. Maybe I’ll put it in the garage. I don’t know. I don’t really want to save it and I don’t really have a use for it. I also emptied the corner piece to the bedroom set that was in the front room and it will go out as well. It let me move the weight machine over and opened up the entire front room. Yay!

I am taking an internet hiatus for a bit. It’s about that time. I will be on, because I have work to do, but I am backing away from forums for a bit.

I had some beads I ordered come in the mail today. I ordered two glass spirals and three fabric beads. One of the spirals is too large for my dreads, which is a shame, but the other was perfect! I’ll hang onto the one that’s a bit too large in the hopes that it will fit better once they fatten out a little more.

I am wearing the green coil, and I haven’t put the red beads in yet, but everything is fab. I am pleased.

Then the next year, we had a court house ceremony. It was paid for by a friend, accompanied by her, and one other friend, and Dorian (um, and embryo Mal). It took less than twenty minutes, Michael went to work right after and I went home. I don’t remember what I wore… I think I wore my friends (one who wasn’t there) wedding dress (which was just a dress, it was from her… second wedding IIRC), he wore his work suit.

Two years ago, I had a friend (who I don’t really talk to anymore b/c we’re too different) tell me she wanted to have a proper Jewish wedding for me at the shul, and it never happened.

Now? I don’t really want to have a wedding. My mom wont be there. My dad wont care (he hates going to shul, for any reason whatsoever). No one will be here to be frilly with  me or get excited, so whatever, you know?

I am really looking forward to Sara getting married. I’ve never even been to a “proper” wedding that I can remember. I am looking forward to experiencing it. Eshiva too, but Sara is a bit closer lol

I have been thinking, for a while, that Michael and I might see about renewing our handfasting in 2010, but seeing as we aren’t near enough to anyone to do the ceremony, it probably will not happen. I think we might try to go on a vacation instead.

Just rambling I suppose.

We had dinner with my Aunt, Uncle, Gram, Zaide, and the eight of us. My Aunt & Uncle got the kids gifts. Mal got visibly upset because he got a smaller bag than the other two. He is quiet enough and was talking into my neck enough that we passed it off as him being tired. Poor guy. He got over it quick enough (he got a very cool card game, as did Eshiva, but hers was packaged in a bigger box, and Dor got a ball that was not inflated, but it was packaged bigger too) but we felt bad for him. I remember how I felt getting a gift that I thought sucked when everyone else got cool stuff.

We bought boxes today. I am packing up our breakfront full of crap so I can get rid of the breakfront and sub out something much smaller. All the “crap” in there were my folks wedding fits, my moms owl collection, our “Jew” stuff and some misc. tchotchkes. Dad is asking why I am keeping it. I can’t bear to tell him it’s because I’m a girl and I am emotionally attached to anything that I feel still reminds me of mom. It’s getting better, I’m not saving *everything* some of it really is crap.

I told Michael to box up the tattoo stuff and take what he can to work – I haven’t drawn in over six months, and I haven’t set up the machines in almost as long. I went as far as looking through the stencils today and I just wasn’t feeling it.

My uncle is trying to find a cheap way to send me his studio lights, and we’re going to build a backdrop stand from PVC sometime soon after they arrive. I’m pretty excited about that. I also hinted that I’d be happy to take any other old equipment he isn’t using off his hands and give it a good home (he said he’d like to see his lights get some use in a good home) so maybe I’ll get some other surprise goodies too

I think I might branch out into printing some general greeting cards and stuff. Nothing in big batches, little micro batches I can list at my leisure to sell.

Cliff Bar brand put out organic twisted fruit leather things – I picked up a box on impulse today. They worked out to about fifty cents a package and the kids love them. One full fruit serving in there! Score!

I am back on my “mostly raw” raw diet. I put on a pair of size 10s this morning. I got them on, and had disgusting muffin top BUT I got them on and buttoned. I could not do that even last week. I took them off and put on a comfy pair of size 16s that fall off unless I belt them down. A few more weeks, I think, and I can dig out at least six pair of pants that I haven’t been able to wear for longer than I care to admit.

I’ve been food shopping at the WalMart food store. This should go in confess I guess, but I spent 200$ where I’d normally have spent over 300$ so I don’t care that bad. It’s not like they are putting Publix out of business or anything.

I <3 my dreads. I feel bad putting wax and crap in them, but I need them to look good and not like I am wearing a rabid mop on my head. All in all, it’s working and I am pleased with them and have not threatened to brush them out or cut them off. Yay!

I think that’s it. I am feeling restless and I want to be doing all these things and I just can’t pick one to focus on, so I am kind of doing like, 5 – 10 minutes of a lot of things. It sucks.

Why? Someone commented to me today “I think you’re one of the few people in the world who can do anything they want to do. ” and I have long said I can do anything I want to do if I try.

I wonder if telling Erin so many times that very thing is what made me convinced of the same?

Obviously not all of them, there are some really exceptionally talanted new artists out there. Seeing their work, I really feel like this is something viable that I can really do. Am I deluding myself? Not like, yah Jenn, if you work real hard and really get in there and try, but based on what I am doing *now*, I feel like it is something worth doing.

Not something I picked up as a lark (not as a lark, I really effing want to do this) and to put down just as quickly because I wasn’t awesome out of the starting gate. I just feel like… it’s something I could really excell at as long as I don’t let it fall by the wayside. I let so many things do that, or they lose my interest just as quickly as they gained it. Maybe this wont.

I took Sara shopping this morning. I need to get to Michael’s and get some basting tape to take her new pants up a bit. Yes, it’s cheating. It’s also quick and easy. While we were there I got two new shirts, so two old & not worn shirts will be finding a new home shortly. I also picked up a multipack of hair clips. My hair is stupidly long, longest it’s ever been, and all I can think about is hacking it off. I don’t know what I want to do with it though, so for now, it’s just being held back our of my face.

I got a new bag last night… it’s a Transformers backpack. I love it. I’ve been wanting a new bag, and nothing I’ve seen quite fit the requirements, and while we were out last night I spied the backpacks, and figured I’d get a cheap one to carry my stuff in. After perusing a wall o pack for probably fifteen minutes, Michael holds up an Optimus Prime kids pack. That’s it. That’s the pack! It had a pocket just sized for my day planner, another smaller pocket for my collection of pens, plus the large interior (which currently holds my medical book for the kids, wallet, wants book and some misc. stuff) plus two small pockets on either side (holding misc. stuff that always winds up at the bottom of my bags). There’s room for wipes, snacks, drinks, a change of clothes, camera, it’s a go! (purchases like this are totally why I don’t have money laying around for things like the cookbooks in the previous post)

We’ll be getting the boys swingset next week. So excited! My dad is weary now, he wants a fence, and seems to think there are insurance issues… feh. It’s a swingset! What’s the big deal? I know some people with trampolines have had insurance issues, but a swingset?

I bought some soap from LusaOrganics.com, and I’ll let you guys know how it is once I’ve sampled it. I got a ten pound box of it! Yay for soap!

Malachai had therapy yesterday and he didn’t want to leave! He did great. They are working on his trunk strength, so he did a lot in the prone position. He wasn’t too happy with it   They are also working with him going up and down stairs. Up he does ok, down not so much. He sort of does this controlled fall thing. They had him doing reciprocal legs going down a couple of times yesterday, but he isn’t doing it at home. They also worked on his balance in the swings and let him do so fun stuff. We go back tomorrow afternoon. We’ll see how it goes. So far I like this place, which translates into they are good with my kid and I don’t feel they are completely inept. Score!

School starts next Monday. Michael and I will go Friday to see who the teachers are. The boys aren’t going as they have a part at camp that day and I don’t want to pull them out (I think I am already keeping M home tomorrow b/c it’s easier on me… not fair to him, I know   ).

I was something like 90% raw yesterday (I had some sushi – cooked rice) and so far today I am 100%. Let’s see how it goes I pulled my camera out today, maybe we’ll go outside this afternoon and I can get some new shots. I wanted that camera so, so, so badly. I am ready to ebay it and buy tattoo equipment. Michael is gonna tell me no. I love my camera. Love it. Maybe once school starts I’ll have more time to just go tool around with it. Take Shiva to the park, stuff like that. I’m not selling it yet.

TECHNOLOGY
Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
an auto-rotation of tarot cards from The Housewives Tarot

Q. How many televisions you have in your house?
five

BIOLOGY
Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
I do everything except write with my left hand.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Wisdom teeth and three children (ok, I removed them myself)

Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted?
probably one of the kids

Q. Have you ever been knocked out?
not from a fight. I had a drip when I had my wisdom teeth cut out… I think that’s it.

BULLSHITOLOGY
Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
absolutely not

Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I had a list of names better than mine… but as I’ve gotten older and more curmudgeony, I’ve lost interest in changing my name.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
browns

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item?
yep

DAREOLOGY
Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
I will happily do it for free! ^_^ <– so