Flower

A picture from our nature walk today. More at the twins' blog.

And Alejandro Makes Three

The best news ever!! Alejandro is unofficially officially out of court and is now legally Joanna and Tom's son! (As if we needed a court to tell us who Alejandro's parents are.) This has been a long, long time coming. We are so excited! Let's hope the final stages of this process fly by as quickly as possible so Joanna and Alejandro can finally come home.

photo shamelessly stolen from ¡Vayamos, Alejandro!

Lumpy

My doctor, the talented, witty, and lovely Dr. Sheila, says I have globus pharyngeus, or a lump in my throat. (Fear not, friends -- this ailment is completely harmless to me. It's just annoying.) Dr. Sheila says my globus is most likely the result of stress (both too much and poorly managed). However, I have a few other theories. Reasons I might have a lump in my throat (in no particular order):

• Watching my kids grow up so fast is immensely gratifying, and also terrifying. How can I keep them little forever?
• I can't stand the fact that Joanna and Alejandro are still in Guatemala. Come home, Jo!!
• The Harry Potter saga is finished. Finis. Done for good.
  
• Julie is moving to St. Paul! Soon! Forever!
• Battlestar Galactica won't have new episodes until next year! (Plus, I'm still sad about Billy.)
• Airan has been traveling for work more often than he's been at home lately. Every time he leaves, the girls and I are sad until he returns.
  

Given all this, who wouldn't have a lump in their throat?

Suck on this, smokers!

According to CNN, smokers drag down a workplace. Who's surprised by that?

Found at Fark.

Cheney on Iraq

Who knew Dick Cheney has a bit of Cassandra in him?



Doomed to see the future, and doomed to see his predictions ignored (by even himself)? I think it's time we take pity on the poor, long-suffering VP and put him out to pasture. (If by "pasture" you mean "prison.")

Thanks to Hojo for sending me this link.

The Royal She

Sophie has taken to referring to herself in the third person. Upon draining her cup of milk at dinnertime, she declares (demands?), "Sophie more more milk!" While dining at Chipotle, she states with satisfaction, "Sophie yike 'dilla!" (Or, for those of you not versed in toddlerspeak, "Sophie likes quesadillas!")

But my favorite: Sophie is a fan of Kipper, and anyone who watches Kipper knows that there are an oddly large number of episodes in which characters are carried away into the air by objects such as balloons and umbrellas. So when she got her Trader Joe's balloon the other day and failed to float off into clouds filled with cotton candy mountains and rivers of frosting, Sophie mourned plaintively, "Mama, Sophie balloon flying up in the air!"

When I Grow Up

I love being a SAHM (despite the occasional moments of complete insanity). However, I've been thinking a great deal recently about the fact that a time will come when my little birdies fly off to kindergarten and I'll have huge chunks of time to fill.

Mind you, I have all sorts of ideas about how to spend that time. Reading science fiction, sleeping, getting regular mani/pedis, sleeping, watching trashy daytime TV, sleeping -- you get the idea.

By the time the girls hit second grade, I think I might be bored with this schedule. Maybe. I'm going to need something to fill my time, and it would be helpful if that something contributed to the family finances. So I've been going over all possible options for future paths/occupations that would make me a productive member of society rather than a total couch potato (with a fab manicure). What do I want to be when I grow up? The options:

Freelance editor. It's what I do now. I'm trained for it. It pays the bills. But I'm not exactly passionate about it.

Writer. I would really love to have written some fantastic, best-selling novel that people will still be talking about centuries after I'm gone. (Did you catch that? I want to have written it. I don't so much want to write it.)

Culinary/pastry school. I've long wanted to be a baker. However, I'm not so keen on early mornings.

Opera singer. I love to sing. I love opera. I love to be a diva. Why not combine those passions in a lucrative and glamorous career? However, opera divas have to stay up pretty late. Those Wagner operas are often five hours long! I can't stay up singing until midnight! I'll fall asleep on stage like Bryn Terfel.

Astronaut. What? Being an astronaut takes years of training, lots of specialized knowledge, advanced degrees in aerospace engineering, and bones that won't snap like twigs at 3 Gs? Whatever.

Professional reader of science fiction books. Sure, careers sort of like this exist. Editors of science fiction books, reviewers of science fiction books, agents for science fiction writers, etc. However, I don't really want to do anything other than read them. I don't want to write about them, or fix them, or even have a very clear memory of them once I'm done. I just want to read them.

Circus contortionist. Oh, I've got the ligaments, my friends. But I don't think I'm quite cut out for life on the road.

Professional sleep-study participant. YAWN. I think I could handle this one.

Somewhere in here are the seeds for my as-of-yet-undiscovered dream-come-true future job. Hmmm.

• Baker of space-ship-shaped cakes and breads?
• Singer of space operas?
• Writer of circus-themed cookbooks?
• Editor of over-long Wagner operas?

I think we might be on to something here.

Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me

Here's what I've been listening to this afternoon.

Found here at Mark Dvorak's site. Talented man.

Exploration for Exploration's Sake

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the new Carl Sagan, picking up that great man's mantle and continuing the fine work of making complex scientific issues accessible to schmoes like me who would otherwise have no idea what causes the phases of the moon or why Pluto isn't really a planet. (And he's just as hot! Va-va-voom!)

Mr. Tyson has written an article for Parade, Why America Needs to Explore Space -- I urge you to read it. If you don't think the space program is productive, if you think NASA is a big waste of money, or if you just don't have an opinion on the matter either way, please read what Mr. Tyson has to say. He does an excellent job of explaining two things: why NASA's budget is a drop in the bucket when it comes to our national budget, and why space exploration for its own sake is essential to the continued success and prosperity of our nation. And he says it far better than I ever could, so I'll shut up now. Go read the article already.

Found at Bad Astronomy.

Me Me Me(h)

A pox on Ann-Marie, who tagged me with a meme. So here goes: Eight random facts about myself and/or habits I just can't break.

1. My mother claims that my first word was an expletive, although that account is in dispute. (Me, utter an expletive? Never!)
2. As much as I love opera, I've fallen asleep during almost every opera I've attended. (Exceptions include the time my mom was in the chorus for Carmen.)
3. I can recite most of Hamlet's To Be or Not To Be soliloquy. (But, seriously, who can't?)
4. When I'm alone, I talk to myself almost constantly.
5. I can put both ankles behind my head. I've long wanted to run away with Cirque du Soleil. (Wait, does that count as two?)
6. I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to food, so it's a good thing I'm naturally blessed with a small appetite.
7. I have a knack for remembering song lyrics, but somehow that doesn't help me when playing Songburst at Game Night.
8. Every afternoon, when I put the twins down for their nap, I turn on Spike and enjoy a few hours of Star Trek reruns. I love naptime.

And now, rather than tag eight of you with this meme, I send it out into the blogosphere. Feel free to take it up if you like.