Maura's Illuminated Manuscript

Bah: I missed the MOO kroo completely.
Yay: My son is a dedicated and talented egg collector.
Bah: dreaming that Nibsmother is driving me crazy
Yay: Nibsmother is not actually driving anyone crazy this time.

Came home from PDX earlier than expected because the weather went to hell, and Nibsbrother caught an early flight home to CA. (!) Put on something fabulous, Merc'd, said yeau to many, stopped in at Des Amis. No more problems with door people at Des Amis, I'm happy to say. Did not stop in at a certain house swarming because I wasn't sure it was still going on by the time I got out.

And Grandnibs? Still as there as ever mentally, and even more full of unwelcome suggestions. ("She's so fat. You've got to do something!") Not moving around well at all, though. I'd bet she'll make it to 100, but I wouldn't bet what I can't comfortably afford to lose.

My spring fever is finding its expression in consumerism. I bought the perfect fabric for the next Halloween costume, even thought I won't get around to sewing it for some time. March is a late start for me, but it's a simple pattern. Also got work clothes & circumflatulation materials.

Her Nibs' arms may hurt, but unlike last year she made it on our annual cherry blossom pilgrimage. Happiness.

Special to randomdreams and gfish: I tested my gizmo. Minor destruction occurred, but nothing that can't be fixed cheaply. Some design changes will be made.

Pimp: house, Re-bar, tonight.

Yes, the Wendling loved it (he was cutely verklemt) and yes, it's a fine production and yes, the costumes are every bit as good as you've heard, and no, there's nothing seriously wrong with the singing. It is, however, a fine production of The Lion King, which I've seen way too many times on DVD. Personally I could have had much more fun with the $80.

I had a rare visit from a blood relative last night when a cousin blew through town on business. Much yakking at the kitchen table late into the night. (OK, late for parents.) I'd forgotten how much I miss godless people who never have to be told how to spell my name.

Saw TMBG at the zoo with the whole famn damily. I was happily surprised to see the Wendling make it through most of it. Naturally, the set list was heavily skewed toward the third of the audience that was under 10. Some people who hadn't seen TMBG in fifteen years or so asked if all their shows were like this now, and I had to assure them that they're not.

Spent the night in a yurt at our CSA* east of Duvall. Meteors! I didn't stay out that long, but even the stars up in the mountains are worth the trip. I hadn't seen the Milky Way since the early 90s. Another pleasant surprise: I was not Purina Mosquito Chow.

Took day off; bought material for H'ween costume at Stitches on Pike, where I'd never been. They don't suck!

*CSA = community sponsored agriculture. Basically, you buy a share in a farm.

Did you know that Diet Coke® really can go bad? I didn't until I tried one of a half rack that Her Nibs' stepmother gave us, and it was nearly flavorless. The pull date on the bottom was 4/00. That woman's such a pack rat.

I missed aaminahlefae's dance gig, but at least I got to say yeaux to people. It was for a good cause: the Wendling had a cold and I couldn't take him out as I had planned.

The whole famn damily went to EMP. The Wendling really dug the history of guitars exhibit this time, and we finally got around to playing with the instruments upstairs.

I went to datavore's birthday party last night and had a wonderful time, especially gossiping with vixyish. Teehee! I behaved myself much better than the last time I was there, so yay me. I brought and drank too much snobby beer. I got snarked at for coming home half an hour late. I hate stuffing my phone in my corset and I figured only partly correctly that somebody would hear my phone where it was.

I think I've achieved an optimal Thanksgiving. Absence of travel and non-immediate family was a nice change.

This morning: took the Wendling to Lincoln Beach (his choice) to throw rocks in the water so as not to waste a non-cold sunny day. He didn't even get wet and sandy, and told me he wanted to go much earlier than expected because he was hungry. (I was even hungrier because I randy puppy this morning.) Go figure.

This afternoon: walked Her Puppiness as usual and was treated to the sort of sunset that makes me wonder why painters and photographers of landscapes even bother trying. A color scheme that at first glance is Miami Vice but with a scale, detail and subtlety that nobody in Hollywood has ever comprehended.

You know, as much as I complain about Her Nibs, her cooking kicks large quantities of ass. Everything was yummy. Not just all right, yummy. We inflicted our strange western food on our Chinese guests, and they didn't seem at all repulsed or ill. I have a nagging suspicion that we didn't ply them with enough alcohol; is that goyish guilt? The Wendling was obviously bored and lonely, but didn't behave badly considering. Extra post-tuck-in hugs for him. And only an hour of cleanup!

Oh yeah: I'm proud of myself for finally making it to the Mercury on a weeknight. Drinkies, talkies, dancies, and eye candy, all of which are very high on my priority list, as any regular reader knows. Her Nibs would have dug the 80's music. It's just the ticket for people who are about to be kitchen slaves or cooped up with family

Her Nibs was doing the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk, so I got to be a single parent for three days or so. The parenting part went fine, pretty much as usual; the lame part was that I was tethered to the house after the Wendling went to bed. The highlights:

I had a sitter for Thursday night, so I got to wear some of my garage sale clothes, collect compliments thereon, and boggie down with a really late curfew. Note to self: when getting directions to a club you've never been to, read them all so you know where the door is and don't think you're at the wrong address.

I drove to tent cities in faraway burbs with the Wendling to visit Her Nibs on Friday & Saturday nights. He missed his Mommy. Mommy missed us, as well as having blister-free feet. I stepped & fetched.

I took everybody to Her Nibs' family reunion on Saturday, and to my surprise it didn't suck.

I went to the Gig Harbor Renfaire with the Wendling -- wearing the Red Confection seen in my user pic. I only got mild guff from one guy about it. Score one for transgender pride! I want to kill, kill, kill WaSDoT, though, for shutting down most of I-5 through Tacoma yesterday morning without telling me. And I deserve a bap for forgetting to sunscreen the Wendling. (Don't worry -- I got him out before he fried anyway.) Still, cool costumes and music, and fun stuff to see and do. Next time I might want to detach the sleeves from the gown to cool down.

I now have bruised big toes and blistered little toes from two different pairs of girly shoes. Am I hazing myself or something?

So I went to a Seattle fireworks display for the first time since the Wendling was born. I'd been looking forward to it a long time, but it was kind of anticlimactic, maybe because I'd seen fireworks on the third at the annual Tacoma Rainiers game with the in-laws. Several things struck me about it:

Before sunset there was a double rainbow that appeared to end just south of the container cranes. How symbolic. (I haven't uploaded the JPEG yet.)

The fireworks were really hypnotic. When they were over I wondered where the time had gone.

Everybody there looked so... normal. I've become unused to being in large crowds of normal people. I felt an urge to put some tie dye or leather on them, or at least make them look white-trashy. (Yeah, I've been hanging out in Tacoma too much.)

Oh by the way: the Wendling dug it, even if he did ask me to cover his ears the whole time.

I'm irritated at what on reflection is a perfectly reasonable request from my boss. Gee, I wonder what that could mean.

I took the Wendling to the Skagit valley tulip festival. There was massive traffic and hence a long trip, but he enjoyed himself. Pretty flowers, pretty farm houses, mules, and sunshine (more or less). He had a meltdown during lunch, but there were extenuating circumstances. Oh by the way: we saw a disproportionate number of Indians there. Asian Indians. Go figure.

I was honored to hold the gallows at the effigy burning. loree is a goddess of parties and of something else that she's forbidden me to say.

On a completely unrelated note, it occurs to me that my nuclear family(TM) here uses many words that nobody else uses. Most of them were made up by me. For example, "to spug" means "to open the trunk of the car" (origin: onomotopeia). Have I made my son even more deleteriously freaky than he already is this way? I don't know yet, but deep down I don't care. He and I will always share shquonkles