Dramatic Skies

More Family Members Get into the Act

The blogging act that is.  Check out my mother's blog and my daughter's blog.

It looks like I'll have to update my blogroll as soon as the semester is officially over.  If you're not on it and would like to be, just leave a comment.

Sunday, Lovely Sunday

It was a beautiful day in SouthLite today.  Perhaps a little on the warm side (we hit 84 and tomorrow promises to be 87) but with plenty of sunshine.  The gym was closed because some people celebrate Easter.  Actually quite a lot of people in SouthLite celebrate Easter and they do it in church, which meant the park was empty.

b and I went for a run.  It was the maiden run for my Vibram five-fingers.

I've been using them in the gym for months now and love them.  I've actually acquired an additional two pair.  I walk around town in them quite frequently, including on campus.  I've even been known to teach in them but I have yet to run outside.  They were fabulous.  I don't think I'll ever run in sneakers again.

Later in the afternoon we went to the movies.

It was an entertaining film but it didn't blow me away.  At the end there was a rather stale message about mothers raising sons that I could have lived without but it was mostly enjoyable.

After the movie I sat outside in warm evening air and read a truly bad dissertation.  It is my second defense of the year and, while it is not as horrendous as the first, it is still pretty bad.  I don't understand how I can be correcting someone's grammar at this point in the game.  I'm was the outside member on both dissertations this year and am not sure exactly where the problem lies: with the student, the advisor, or some combination of the two.  I'm not looking forward to the actual defense.

Dinner was a bit experimental.  I made roasted potatoes in pesto and asparagus while b made pan-seared duck breast with mushrooms.

We've been wanting to try duck for a while now.  It was quite delicious but next time we'll try a recipe that leaves a crispy skin.  I also experimented with dessert: homemade cinnamon ice cream and a blackberry crisp.

Traditions

I'm not really big on traditions.  Most of the ones I keep are around Christmas.  Some are from my childhood and others are new traditions that have been created in my life with Angel and others in my life with b.

Angel is rather like me.  There are only a few traditions he treasures and most seem to be around Christmas.  I was amazed when he gave up on Easter so early.  He was somewhere around the early to mid-teen years when he decided a basket was no longer in order.  We haven't celebrated the holiday since.

Therefore I didn't really expect a brand new tradition to pop-up once he went away to college.  But it seems I should have.  Last night was our annual "drunk-dial your mother" event. It started his freshman year by accident.  There seems to be an actual fraternity event during the last week of classes that involves everyone drinking themselves disgusting (surprising, I know).  Since the first year's drunken profession of his undying love and gratitude went so well, he decided to make it a tradition.

When his sophomore year came to an end he had his friends chime in.  Not only did I have my son's admiration and respect but that year several of his friends loved me because I created and raised Angel.

Last night b and I had just turned out the lights and settled in to sleep.  I had a migraine.  When the phone rang I answered it because it was Angel.  He sounded surprisingly sober at first so it took me a minute to realize what was going on.  The call got dropped twice throughout the process but I managed to hear more declarations of love from Angel and friends.  It seems they all feel they know me because he talks about me so much.

Angel texted this morning to ask if we had a good conversation last night.  He has another event tonight that required a new shirt and tie.  I've been told the drinking will be minimal and I'll get to see pictures.

I really don't understand young men.

RBOC: Things On My Mind Edition

• Ruth recently posted about coming up against the blogging wall.  She's been blogging for 3 1/2 years and this is the first time she asked the question "why?"  I commented that I was amazed it took this long since I seem to go through it at least once a year.  Currently I'm not asking myself why? but rather why not?  Why am I not posting?  I have ideas.  I procrastinate in other ways.  What is keeping me from writing here?
• In the early years, our children have many developmental milestones.  As parents we are always proud but as they age the opportunity for milestone pride grows increasingly rare. This week I was very proud at my son's first use of the term "hegemonic" in an email. 
• b is the King of Smoothies.  He makes them at night and it always a surprise what is in there. Tonight he claimed it was "brie, bacon and sun-dried tomato" but I knew we didn't have bacon in the house.  He then said they were "Black Death" smoothies.  Whatever it is, it's delicious.
• Blogger has a new gizmo that allows you to create a book from your blog.  I played around with it (but didn't lay down any cash).  One of the nice aspects is that you can choose posts from specific labels.  It was fun to see posts I'd written years ago cataloged by content. Sadly, I realized that my posts have deteriorated in this past year.  I blame tenure and photography. 
• I think yoga is affecting my personality.  Today in class I truly loved my toes.  I was also not only more than happy to appreciate the body I was in but to appreciate my time on this earth. It's going to be an interesting summer.

Do You Own A Kindle?

If you do, you're not going to want to miss this.

RBOC: Procrastination Edition

• I have had several serious posts in my head all week but no time to write them.  Today I seem to be doing everything possible to avoid grading the second half of a stack of student papers.  The result is an RBOC post.
• Last night I heard both sad and bad news for other people.  There is nothing I can do about the news except listen.
• The Brute has taken to peeing in Pupzilla's food bowl.  Yesterday he did it while her leftover breakfast still in it.  
• This afternoon I met with my latest doula-mom and her husband.  They are very cute and sweet and made me an incredibly delicious lunch with fresh baked buns and pie!
• I have plans for this to be the Summer of Yoga.  I cannot wait for the semester to end.
• I have developed a "bad attitude" towards work.  The trip to Emerald City did wonders for my mood but my attitude hasn't budged a bit from "evil."
• We have a faculty meeting this week and I'm going to try my best to keep my mouth shut and my evil attitude tucked safely inside.
• b was away doing a training this weekend.  The training happened to be in the same city that Angel lives in, so they met for dinner tonight.  I wish I was there.
• Smudge has taken up residence under the covers on my side of the bed.  Sleeping with a nose full of cat hair is no fun indeed.
• After days of thunderstorms, some spring weather showed up this afternoon.  I spent it sitting on my back patio looking up birthing videos (yeah, I know how to have fun).  
• As nice as it is in my backyard, I really enjoy the evening sun at the front of the house. 

Looking in the kitchen window

Looking out the kitchen window

Emerald City

Emerald City was food, f

un 

and 

friends (and discovering my latest addiction: hot power yoga!)