interesting reads

Some interesting things I've recently read:

10 Questions Not to Ask Adoptive Parents

Open Adoption Broken Heart

stoned cop calls 911 thinking he's dead

This just made my day. It's long, but worth every moment. Especially near the end when his dying concern appears to be the score of the Detroit Red Wings game.

warning

Thanks to our over-litigious society, the bag of pistachio nuts I bought over the weekend contains the following warning:

Allergen Alert: Contains pistachios

Having grown up with a sister who was allergic to everything, I'm all for allergen labeling so people aren't exposed to foods without their knowledge, but is it really necessary to treat us all like we're idiots?

enjoy the peace of being alone

"When it feels like life is rushing by and you need a break: Be present and enjoy the peace of being alone. Don't go for a walk and think you should be jogging. Don't go to a coffee shop and think you should be running errands. Whatever you do in your precious time off, don't be someplace else."

- Laura Geduldig

mix from mark 3

CITADEL there's no date written on this, but I know it was made sometime in January 1994

The songs & artists are listed on the generic tape insert & the cover art is a separate piece of paper. On one side is a comic style castle with lightning & on the other side is a portion of an ad for an X-Men comic. The X-Men side has the words "This is not the correct side Thank you." On the side of the tape insert where it lists the artists and songs there was something written that was then crossed out with both pen and black magic marker. I'm really curious about what it said but despite my holding it up to the light, running my fingers along it, etc. I can't figure out what it said.

Side A

• Cavern Phish
• Broken Hearted Savior Big Head Todd I knew this had to be on one of these mixes. LOVE it.
• But Anyway Blues Traveler
• Midnight Rider Allman Brothers
• Refugee Tom Petty
• Tuesday's Gone Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Blue Eyes Steve Miller Band
• Knockin On Heaven's Door E. Clapton
• Contact Phish

Side B

• Glide Phish
• Lost in Your Eyes Steve Miller Band Noticing a theme here.
• Snowblind Friend Steppenwolf
• What is & What Never Should Be Led Zeppelin
• Gina Blues Traveler
• Stash Phish
• Got No Shame Brother Cane
• You Took My Breath Away Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys always remind me of riding in my mom's blue station wagon when I was little.
• Love Me Two Times Doors
• Alone Blues Traveler

underground music

"The esoteric or underground music of one generation becomes the pop music of the next generation."

- Seymour Stein

casey

We had to put Casey to sleep this morning.

And then there were none...

mix from melissa 2

Merry Christmas Mix December 24,1993

Side A

• Blue Savannah Erasure
• Carbbean Blue Enya
• Jezebel 10,000 Maniacs
• Feed the Tree Belly
• Love's Recovery Indigo Girls
• Ordinary World Duran Duran
• Daughter Pearl Jam
• Layla Eric Clapton This song always makes me think of Melissa, but for one of those odd reasons. This song was Melissa's & Mark's "song" when they dated a few years before this. Interesting how it was put on a mix for me while he & I were dating. Ahhh...high school.
• One U2
• For a Million Alphaville
• Am I Right? Erasure
• I Will Always Cranberries

Side B

• Love Sundays
• Precious Things Tori Amos
• Girlfriend in a Coma Smiths
• Runaway Train Soul Asylum
• Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison
• Allison Road Gin Blossoms The song "Hey Jealousy" by Gin Blossoms always makes me think about Melissa. The summer before our senior year we were at a party and she was trying to tell me a story about something that just happened during a beer run. For some reason explaining that this song was playing in the car seemed very important but she couldn't think of the song or group. She explained the song to me by saying it was by the group that had something to do with alcoholism. We were laughing so hard about trying to figure out the group's name that the story was lost.
• It's the End of the World As We Know It REM
• Cecilia Simon & Garfunkel
• Plush Stone Temple Pilots Another group I've always loathed.
• Shine on You Crazy Diamond Pink Floyd I would say this was Melissa's & my song. We had this whole thing about diamonds vs. rhinestones and called each other diamond. I think one of her mixes is signed with a diamond instead of her name.
• Because the Night 10,000 Maniacs
• Love Will Come to You Indigo Girls

Pretty decent mix. I'd still listen to it today (if it wasn't a tape and wasn't sitting in a landfill). It's a shame I probably made some weird eclectic mix for her that she had to fast forward through half of it.

my mix 5

Why Don't We Do It In the Road? a car mix created on October 26, 1993

I made the cover of this mix by taking tissue paper (I think it's the multi-color, almost floral, pattern that Victoria's Secret used to put in their bags.) and gluing it down on cardstock paper. The paper's pattern is so dark that it's really hard to read what I wrote.

Side A

• Everything's Alright from Jesus Christ Superstar
• Dr. Bernice Cracker
• Bye Bye Blackbird Joe Cocker Back in 2005 I posted about how much I love this song.
• Redemption Song Bob Marley
• Birthday Sugarcubes
• Cocoon Siouxsie & the Banshees
• Wild World Cat Stevens
• Tom Dooley Kingston Trio
• Joker Steve Miller Band One of those classic high school songs, like "Blister in the Sun" I think this song makes you think of high school no matter when you graduated. While there are so many memories with this song, for some reason it most often reminds me of driving around Old Field with several girls in the car. I can't remember who all was in the car and I don't remember exactly what time of year it was, but it was fairly warm. We had the windows down and were in a caravan of cars. I think Mark, Dennis, etc. were in front of us and we ended up partying on someone's (Allison's?) beach. It obviously wasn't a very extraordinary night since I don't remember major details, but the song reminds me of that drive and that feeling of aimless fun.
• What I Am Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians
• Tommy Can You Hear Me? from Tommy
• Here I have an arrow that goes back to above Joker Why Don't We Do it in the Road? Beatles

Side B

• Mercedes Benz Janis Joplin
• Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison
• Pork Egg Roll & Cheese Ween
• Size of a Car Wonder Stuff
• Cecilia Simon & Garfunkel
• On the Turning Away Pink Floyd
• Three Little Birds Bob Marley
• Beat Crazy (live) Joe Jackson
• Mrs. Robinson Simon & Garfunkel
• I Need a Man Janis Joplin
• MTA Kingston Trio
• I have another arrow here. This one goes about I Need a Man. Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd

too much fun

I'm having the best time with this...

If I'd come across the DK one before Father's Day, buying this and taking pics of the boys in it would have been the BEST present.

baby clothes

There's baby Phish clothes, baby Dead clothes, baby Beatles clothes, but this one really made Steven & I smile...



It's so tempting in that "I'm feeling old & nostalgic for my younger days" way.

one year old

My boys are one year old today. I can't believe it. How our world has changed in the past year!

the beatles & dr pepper

Thanks to my sister for sharing this...

The original title of the Beatles' 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' was 'Dr Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. Whether this was a reference to the soft drink is unknown, but a Dr Pepper bottle can be seen in the film 'Let It Be'.

For more Dr Pepper (yay!) facts check out this site - Cadbury Schweppes Dr Pepper Fact Sheet

crocs

The Today show just made my morning. A woman on it suggested buying your father Crocs for Father's Day. Above is a picture of men's Crocs. The thought of my father, father-in-law or Steven wearing Crocs...Maybe I can even get them some of those little things that clip into the shoes.

more mommy worries

• Aaron's thumb
• About 3 months ago Conner began waking up in the middle of the night and crying. He doesn't need anything and we've tried everything anyone can think of and he still does it. What are we missing? Will I ever get to sleep through the night again (Steven typically sleeps through it and even thought I don't get up with Conner it still keeps me up)?
• I'm not providing the boys with enough stimulation. I don't believe little ones should be "taught" but I know the things I should be doing to provide good developmental opportunities and I'm not doing them. I allow myself to be "lazy" since they will often entertain themselves and each other.
• My dirty little secret is that I'm not reading to them enough.

mommy stress

So the boys are about to turn a year old and I'm so filled with mommy stress that my stomach has a big knot in it. I remind myself that most of this stuff isn't really a big deal and not to worry about this stuff and I do fine for awhile, then they'll pop back into my head (and stomach). The worst is when I start thinking about it at night and can't sleep.

I'm worried about:

• Aaron still fights drinking formula out of a sippy cup. Some days I have to decide which worries me more, him not getting his normal 12 oz of formula or him not drinking out of a sippy cup.
• Aaron only drinks a total of 12 oz of formula on a good day, normally he's well below that.
• Will we ever figure out what's going on with Aaron's wheezing? Will we ever get to stop nebulizing him twice a day? Is his acid reflux really responsible for the breathing issues (the latest doctor theory)? Will he ever get to decrease the number of daily medicines he's on (2 different ones for the nebulizer and 1 he takes orally)?
• Is it really normal that neither boy has spoken their first word yet (we're not counting "mama" & "dada" because they don't seem to have a real meaning yet)?
• We need to start them on milk. Since neither boy has ever really liked formula, I'm worried they won't like milk either. And what if Aaron has to do soy milk, how will that go over?
• We need to start moving them away from baby food. How will I make sure they eat healthy and get enough nutrition? It's not like I'm the best role model for that one!
• We need to start giving them more freedom in the house. How will I begin to make sure our house is baby proofed for these 2? (This one is really overwhelming me. There's so much I don't know how we can even do. Some things I can't even figure out a solution that isn't very costly.)
• We need to start giving them freedom in their bedroom. I'm really stressing about them successfully climbing out of their cribs. How can I begin to make sure their room is safe for them?! (Some nights I lay in bed staring at the screen on the monitor b/c I'm so paranoid they're going to escape and hurt themselves.)

O-kay. I have to stop this list b/c this isn't making me feel any better. I'm actually getting more stressed.

fever pitch

Too funny.

Right now I'm watching the movie "Fever Pitch" and I can't stop laughing. I can totally relate to this movie. I think I was Drew Barrymore's character when Steven & I first started dating.

knock you down

Do you ever have a moment that knocks you on your ass? Some train of thought that starts up unexpectedly and takes you out of yourself?

goseso project

Please take a moment to read this message. The message below is taken from an e-mail that a friend sent me (she is a personal friend of Yared's).
www.goseso.org

The GOSESO Project is a school in Tanzania that, Yared Fubusa (a Longwood graduate), is starting near the village where he grew up. It is his life-long dream to bring positive change to his country and his people through education.

To learn more about this program, please visit his website at www.goseso.org. Yared's goal right now is to raise $50,000 by July so his university (Utah State University) will give the GOSESO Project a matching $50,000 grant. He needs roughly $10,000 more in pledges to meet this goal so they will get the matching funds.

If you would like to donate, you can go to the website and donate using a credit card or send a check to the mailing address listed under "donations" on the site. It is truly amazing the power that one dream can have in helping so many people. If you have any free time, I urge you to take a few minutes and visit his website to see what this program is about.

thumbsucking

Aaron's thumb is disgusting. It's red, raw, chapped and has these weird spots on it.

I've just spent an hour scouring the Internet for advice on how to stop his thumbsucking or at least lessen the damage he's doing to his thumb. I've had no luck finding a reasonable suggestion. Hot sauce? Yeah, that will work well. Buying special gloves or magical ointments? Not that gullible. Currently we're putting Aquaphor on it with the hopes that will help protect the thumb & heal some of the chapping. All my searching has done is provide me with horror stories of infections and chewing ridges to the bone.

By the way, to those who fussed at me about his thumbsucking months ago - I stand by our decision to let him suck his thumb. It was about the only thing he had control over back then and it made him happy. He stopped sucking on his thumb during the day as soon as he started crawling and if he wasn't such a heavy sleeper it wouldn't be such a problem at night either. Now is the time for it to stop - if I only knew how.

mix from mark 2

THE (Icculus) Happy Friendly Mix October 20, 1993

This time songs & artists are listed on the same side of the tape insert. On the reverse side it says 17 YEARS AGO... you were annoying people at the top of your lungs. I'm glad nothings changed. The "cover art" would have been a separate piece of paper but I don't know where it is.

Side A

• Learning to Fly Pink Floyd
• Horn Phish
• Losing my Mind Mr. Review I can't really remember what this is - I think it was some weird clip where someone said they were losing their mind and laughed.
• Living in the Past Jethro Tull Ummm... wow.
• The Wedge Phish
• Bittersweet Big Head Todd & the Monsters Good song, but I LOVE "Broken Hearted Savior" which has to be on one of these mixes...
• Mr. Brownstone Guns and Roses Yuck. A band I've never been able to tolerate. The inclusion of this song fits perfectly into Mark's theory about mix making.

Side B

• Mound Phish
• Running to Stand Still U2
• Tangerine Led Zeppelin
• Freebird Lynryrd Skynyrd This song always makes me think of Mark, but not because of this mix. While we were together he told me he thought this was a great breakup song. Months later, not long after he broke up with me, I remember us all cutting school for the day and hanging out at a friend's house. He & the girl he cheated on me with were in the room with the stereo and they locked us all out and this song was on continual repeat. The song doesn't make me sad, just embarrassed.
• Wet My Bed Stone Temple Pilots Another group I've never liked.
• At this point there is a double sided arrow and "(HEH, HEH...SORRY)" - apparently the song order was reversed here.
• Cecilia Simon & Garfunkel

mix from melissa 1

SEVENTEEN (Happy Birthday Virge!) created on October 7, 1993

Melissa, another one of those people I wonder about and think of often. The last time I saw her was at our 10 year reunion. It's sad how someone can hold you together through one of the roughest times in your life but then stereotypical teenage drama can tear you apart. A few years back, we tried to reconnect and we both apologized for hurting one another, but we never could get that connection back. I know my life's path was necessary to bring me where I am now, but if I could change how the end of my senior year & that last summer before college played out...

Dear Virginia,
This mix was made for you with love on Oct. 7th, 1993. Hope you enjoy it and listen to it often. I love you sweetie.
Much Love,
Melis

Side A

• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2
• Prince of Darkness Indigo Girls I wonder if when I'm 50 I'll still think of Melissa when I hear an Indigo Girls song...
• Am I Right? Erasure
• China Tori Amos
• Running on Faith Eric Clapton
• All My Love Led Zeppelin
• On the Turning Away Pink Floyd
• Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkle This song always makes me think of Melissa. I think there was something about it (other than it being on this mix) but I can't remember what.

Side B

• These Are Days 10,000 Maniacs
• Wonderful Tonight Eric Clapton What is it with this song? I didn't even remember it was on this mix. It just pops up repeatedly in my life.
• Every Breath You Take Police
• Ghost Indigo Girls
• The Lions Share 10,000 Maniacs
• Girlfriend in a Coma Smiths
• Circle Edie Brickell
• Spiralling Erasure
• I Will Be Here for You Michael W. Smith
• How Many Times Erasure
• Find the River REM