Fu*%#ing grocery store fireworks. Plus: Starbucks wedding!

I can't even do justice, in words, to how much I HATE grocery-store fireworks. Seriously, they're nothing but noise, bad loud disruptive noise. What's the attraction? They piss me off to no end. So far Lucy's sleeping through, but I'm sure it won't last...it's not even dark yet.

I'm in a foul mood about it. Happy friggin' 4th.

On the other hand, I had the day off today and the babysitter wanted to work, so I had a day to myself. Ah, joy. I spent 5 hours in one of those overstuffed velvet chairs in Starbucks, reading. It was heavenly. Then I went to the bookstore for the new David Sedaris, which I'm looking forward to very much. But while I was in SBucks, there was a wedding there! A real wedding, with puffy white dress and a minister of some type, 20ish guests, 20ish minutes. They didn't close the place, so there were a bunch of customers, like me, and the espresso machine whirring, etc. It was very odd. But sweet.

And lastly, I must refer you all to my friend Hank's blog again. Hank's my school friend who packed it up and left the US a year ago to live in Vietnam; he's now teaching business and law and business law at a university there and enjoying his adventure greatly. Although said enjoyment excludes, it seems, the run-in with a bat he had recently in his apartment. Very funny.

Guess who's out of the closet?

So my idiot cat Oscar came out of the closet this morning. Literally. Lucy woke at 7ish, we rolled around on the bed together for a little, and around 7:30 I went back to her room to get some clothes. Opened the closet. And out popped Oscar (see aforementioned "idiot" designation). He tore up the closet carpet trying to dig his way out...but didn't think to meow or anything to let us know he was in there SINCE AT LEAST 7:00 P.M. THE NIGHT BEFORE!



Oh, and yes, he's Jewish -- and way more observant than any of us, obviously. (Had to re-use this photo from Hanukkah because he's unwilling (ashamed) to pose after his ordeal.) Nothing to do with his idiocy, though. If anything, that's all that's saved him from melting into a puddle of idiot cat goo.

A year ago today...

we met Lucy for the first time.

Then:

Now:

Wow.

My favorite heroine

Ever done the "Which Jane Austen character am I" quiz? Just found my way to it and the whole time through I was trying really hard not to answer questions in a way that I thought would lead to the outcome I was hoping for. I really think I succeeded in not manipulating the results, but nevertheless, I "am" my favorite after all:

Take the Quiz here!

And it's even the right actress; the wonderful one from the 6 hour BBC version...oh, those were the days. Pre-baby, I used to spend at least one weekend a year hunkered down inside watching Jane Austen adaptions...that one, the Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson (wonderful), Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow and more importantly, Jeremy Notham, Persuasion with...well, no one I recognize, but amazing nonetheless...good times, good times.

So, which are you?

Fried pickles

Surprisingly delicious! Who knew?

Well, all these people ("folks," I'm sure) in Memphis did, I guess. Good people, kind people, people unafriad of lard and butter and sugar -- by the way, what's a "chess" pie? I asked, and was told by a co-worker that it was made of "chess." OK...I verified the spelling, thinking it was something like "chestnut" but they were kind of letting the end of the word slide off in an adorable southern way, but no. Chess. Huh?

Home again tomorrow, to see the fabulous Miss Lucy who, happily, LOVES her new summer nanny. So that's wonderful. Daycare still sucks, though.

Flag Day

I've been feeling all nostalgic these past few days; we're coming up quickly on the one-year anniversary of meeting Lucy for the first time.

Today, two years ago, is the day before we got married in a 90-second courthouse "ceremony," before which I worked and after which we went to the agency and officially submitted our dossier.

Today, last year, is the day before we got THE CALL to go meet The Kid.

Francis and Crystal were already in Vietnam and had just met Frances. They had their first Father's Day as a family. Ours will be this weekend (good timing, because this week Lucy has turned into a HUGE daddy's girl...she's all about dad these days. They've spent more time together this week than they have before, due to the daycare/nanny transitions, and oh my, it's quite adorable.) We had just found our new house and were about to make an offer. We were about to put both of our existing houses up for sale, as well.

And, of course, it was the day before Flag Day, which went woefully uncelebrated last year. This year, I promise, flags will get their due. (Which is what, exactly?)

Wow.

Things are coming together. I find it hard to believe it's been a year, but that's been true of this entire decade for me...my 30s are just FLYING by. Daycare transition still not going so well, but there's a glimmer of hope that things might, possibly, perhaps, maybe, conceivably, be on the upswing. Lucy's still not walking on her own, but she's quite capable holding just one hand now, and bending her knees, and etc.etc.etc. The house is gorgeous; we just had some nice landscaping done and put in some grass in the back yard for Lucy and Frances to play in -- in fact, all that remains at home is to put some art on the walls (the walls of an ARTIST, by the way...the shamefully bare walls of an artist) and a carpet runner on the stairs to muffle the thunder of rampaging doggy toenails in the mornings.

This is the most gorgeous baby I've ever seen. I'm so very in love with her, and with my life. I'm so lucky.

Who knew?

Remember when we thought we had a red-headed giant baby on our hands? Turns out not so red-headed, not so giant.

But: apparently, a vampire.

I loves me some fresh blood, 'deed I do.

(Although red licorice will do in a pinch.)