I worry. I worry that he will be inefficient or miss being somewhere. Except for being late for the rehearsal dinner (which was in a little community southeast of Santa Fe where he'd never been, and he left too late and then got a bit lost), though, he's been on time or early. My worry only hurt me and didn't help him at all. He sets his alarm and gets to the places he needs to be. The wedding was at Bishop's Lodge, north of Santa Fe. The meet-up with the groom and other groomsmen was at the Hotel St. Francis, south of the Plaza. The rehearsal dinner, the day before, was in El Dorado, practically to Glorieta. The filming was at a different place every day, some restaurant or university building or dorm room. I worried, but on the other hand, every day I knew where he was, and he has a cellphone.
Holly took some acting classes, and participated in a couple of plays otherwise, when she was younger, but Kirby never was interested or was too busy. Friends of his got him involved in this movie (a full-length indie film by locals who've done shorter things for festivals before), and he seems to be having a good time with it.
From my point of view (as that's where I am and how I see), this is big in a couple of ways. It's the first thing he's ever done that didn't involve me in the least. I haven't met a single other person involved in it. So that's a social landmark of some sort. And it's the kind of real-world opportunity I love to see happen, and I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Interesting. Vaguely uncomfortable, and I don't know for sure why, but also solidly wonderful.
Kirby and I watch the TV series 24 together. It's over for the season. He's way behind on his social life and his World of Warcraft, because of the wedding and movie doings, and he goes back to work tomorrow. I might never hear many stories about the wedding or the acting experiences. I'm becoming peripheral in his life. I knew it would happen, and it's happening pretty painlessly. All this flurry of activity, though, comes the week after Jack Bauer once again saved the world (or at least the U.S., or at least southern California). And this was cool: Last Monday Kirby told me the filmmakers were TIVOing 24 and he could watch it with them after the day's filming, but I should not forget to watch it. The last two hours, and I would watch alone. But it was understandable, and nice of him to have reminded me. Then, though, they were ahead of schedule, and though another friend had asked him to dinner, he said yes, IF he could be home before 7:00 to watch 24 with me. And that was nice. So he worked filming from about 6:00 in the morning to 5:30 or 6:00, went for Sushi with other-Brett (a.k.a. hyphenated Brett, who isn't Brett Henry/real Brett, cowboy Brett), and then watched 24 with me for two hours.
Not so many moms of nineteen-year-old sons had as good a day last Monday, I figure.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Kirby, my oldest
Kirby, my oldest, will be 20 years old this summer. He still lives with us, and I'm glad.
This weekend the rest of the family was off at Grand Outlandish, a big SCA campout not too far from us. Kirby would probably have gone, but he had two more pressing things. He was a groomsman in a big wedding in Santa Fe, and he's one of the main characters in a film being made here called "In Character," about gamers. He took two weeks off work for the filming. Rehearsals could be worked in around work and karate, for several weeks, but the filming schedule was tight and except for them scheduling his scenes to allow for his wedding-party duties, he worked every day for the past week and more. The morning after the wedding, he had a 4:00 a.m. call. Luckily, it was at the gaming shop where he used to work, which is just a mile away.
Kirby, more piratical than usual, with his friend Beth:
I worry. I worry that he will be inefficient or miss being somewhere. Except for being late for the rehearsal dinner (which was in a little community southeast of Santa Fe where he'd never been, and he left too late and then got a bit lost), though, he's been on time or early. My worry only hurt me and didn't help him at all. He sets his alarm and gets to the places he needs to be. The wedding was at Bishop's Lodge, north of Santa Fe. The meet-up with the groom and other groomsmen was at the Hotel St. Francis, south of the Plaza. The rehearsal dinner, the day before, was in El Dorado, practically to Glorieta. The filming was at a different place every day, some restaurant or university building or dorm room. I worried, but on the other hand, every day I knew where he was, and he has a cellphone.
Holly took some acting classes, and participated in a couple of plays otherwise, when she was younger, but Kirby never was interested or was too busy. Friends of his got him involved in this movie (a full-length indie film by locals who've done shorter things for festivals before), and he seems to be having a good time with it.
From my point of view (as that's where I am and how I see), this is big in a couple of ways. It's the first thing he's ever done that didn't involve me in the least. I haven't met a single other person involved in it. So that's a social landmark of some sort. And it's the kind of real-world opportunity I love to see happen, and I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Interesting. Vaguely uncomfortable, and I don't know for sure why, but also solidly wonderful.
Kirby and I watch the TV series 24 together. It's over for the season. He's way behind on his social life and his World of Warcraft, because of the wedding and movie doings, and he goes back to work tomorrow. I might never hear many stories about the wedding or the acting experiences. I'm becoming peripheral in his life. I knew it would happen, and it's happening pretty painlessly. All this flurry of activity, though, comes the week after Jack Bauer once again saved the world (or at least the U.S., or at least southern California). And this was cool: Last Monday Kirby told me the filmmakers were TIVOing 24 and he could watch it with them after the day's filming, but I should not forget to watch it. The last two hours, and I would watch alone. But it was understandable, and nice of him to have reminded me. Then, though, they were ahead of schedule, and though another friend had asked him to dinner, he said yes, IF he could be home before 7:00 to watch 24 with me. And that was nice. So he worked filming from about 6:00 in the morning to 5:30 or 6:00, went for Sushi with other-Brett (a.k.a. hyphenated Brett, who isn't Brett Henry/real Brett, cowboy Brett), and then watched 24 with me for two hours.
Not so many moms of nineteen-year-old sons had as good a day last Monday, I figure.
•••••••••••••••
Later note: Holly read this and says I have met two of the people involved in the movie. One who's doing tech and props is someone I've known nearly her whole life, and one of the actors was at a party here a couple of years ago. I don't remember him. I haven't seen anyone involved in the movie—Kirby drives himself and hasn't brought any of them over, though eight or ten of them went to see X-Men together the other midnight, and Marty went too. Still doesn't involve me. Info about the movie is here: http://angrytikimovies.com/
I worry. I worry that he will be inefficient or miss being somewhere. Except for being late for the rehearsal dinner (which was in a little community southeast of Santa Fe where he'd never been, and he left too late and then got a bit lost), though, he's been on time or early. My worry only hurt me and didn't help him at all. He sets his alarm and gets to the places he needs to be. The wedding was at Bishop's Lodge, north of Santa Fe. The meet-up with the groom and other groomsmen was at the Hotel St. Francis, south of the Plaza. The rehearsal dinner, the day before, was in El Dorado, practically to Glorieta. The filming was at a different place every day, some restaurant or university building or dorm room. I worried, but on the other hand, every day I knew where he was, and he has a cellphone.
Holly took some acting classes, and participated in a couple of plays otherwise, when she was younger, but Kirby never was interested or was too busy. Friends of his got him involved in this movie (a full-length indie film by locals who've done shorter things for festivals before), and he seems to be having a good time with it.
From my point of view (as that's where I am and how I see), this is big in a couple of ways. It's the first thing he's ever done that didn't involve me in the least. I haven't met a single other person involved in it. So that's a social landmark of some sort. And it's the kind of real-world opportunity I love to see happen, and I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Interesting. Vaguely uncomfortable, and I don't know for sure why, but also solidly wonderful.
Kirby and I watch the TV series 24 together. It's over for the season. He's way behind on his social life and his World of Warcraft, because of the wedding and movie doings, and he goes back to work tomorrow. I might never hear many stories about the wedding or the acting experiences. I'm becoming peripheral in his life. I knew it would happen, and it's happening pretty painlessly. All this flurry of activity, though, comes the week after Jack Bauer once again saved the world (or at least the U.S., or at least southern California). And this was cool: Last Monday Kirby told me the filmmakers were TIVOing 24 and he could watch it with them after the day's filming, but I should not forget to watch it. The last two hours, and I would watch alone. But it was understandable, and nice of him to have reminded me. Then, though, they were ahead of schedule, and though another friend had asked him to dinner, he said yes, IF he could be home before 7:00 to watch 24 with me. And that was nice. So he worked filming from about 6:00 in the morning to 5:30 or 6:00, went for Sushi with other-Brett (a.k.a. hyphenated Brett, who isn't Brett Henry/real Brett, cowboy Brett), and then watched 24 with me for two hours.
Not so many moms of nineteen-year-old sons had as good a day last Monday, I figure.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Just a little sick
"Just a little sick" has so many disadvantages! I feel slow-witted and tire easily, and am short tempered and sleepy, but I have no dramatic symptoms to signal others that I'm sick. Worse than that, I have none to signal myself. I keep forgetting I just don't feel very good. It's too hot, and windy. Keith, Marty and Holly are leaving for a long weekend for a big SCA campout I used to not even consider optional, but now I have no interest in that. (That's not a symptom of being a little sick; I quit going to Grand Outlandish a few years ago.) Kirby's really busy being in a film these days. I hear him upstairs getting ready to go, and it's 5:30 in the morning.
But the good thing about this feeling of unsettleness and low-level vague discomfort is that it so often comes just before a burst of happy activity. And being just vaguely sick reminds me that sometimes the very best thing to do is just breathe consciously and think lighter, healthier thoughts. It doesn't cure everything, but it makes that moment a little better, and enough better moments seem to make the sky bigger.
I'm glad to have my family around me, and if my little sickness can be the worst thing today, that's fantastic!!
Last night I missed getting in the hot tub with Keith. I thought he was waiting for me. He thought I had said I didn't want to. It wasn't *too* sad, but the reason I was late was that Marty was asking me about Russia, and the Soviet Union, and the Ukraine, and why people didn't talk about that much, and the cold war, and space race, and WWII, and how what we call USSR they had called CCCP, and that what we call US, in French and Spanish is EU (and I didn't even think to wonder until just now how in French and Spanish they indicate "the European Union"). That conversation with Marty involved dusting off a globe and getting out a packet of "Barq's Soviet Stuff." We got two, but I only found one, and it was missing the temporary tattoo of Gorbachev's birthmark. The other, with the tattoos, is probably in the box of stuff for Kirby to have when he moves out. When the Soviet Union dissolved, Barq's Rootbeer offered little packets of real Soviet stuff (lapel or hat pins, ribbons for rallies, stamps) if you sent in some labels or parts of cardboard cartons from rootbeer or something. We got two. Should've (of course, the packrat in me says loudly) gotten more!
But the good thing about this feeling of unsettleness and low-level vague discomfort is that it so often comes just before a burst of happy activity. And being just vaguely sick reminds me that sometimes the very best thing to do is just breathe consciously and think lighter, healthier thoughts. It doesn't cure everything, but it makes that moment a little better, and enough better moments seem to make the sky bigger.
I'm glad to have my family around me, and if my little sickness can be the worst thing today, that's fantastic!!
Last night I missed getting in the hot tub with Keith. I thought he was waiting for me. He thought I had said I didn't want to. It wasn't *too* sad, but the reason I was late was that Marty was asking me about Russia, and the Soviet Union, and the Ukraine, and why people didn't talk about that much, and the cold war, and space race, and WWII, and how what we call USSR they had called CCCP, and that what we call US, in French and Spanish is EU (and I didn't even think to wonder until just now how in French and Spanish they indicate "the European Union"). That conversation with Marty involved dusting off a globe and getting out a packet of "Barq's Soviet Stuff." We got two, but I only found one, and it was missing the temporary tattoo of Gorbachev's birthmark. The other, with the tattoos, is probably in the box of stuff for Kirby to have when he moves out. When the Soviet Union dissolved, Barq's Rootbeer offered little packets of real Soviet stuff (lapel or hat pins, ribbons for rallies, stamps) if you sent in some labels or parts of cardboard cartons from rootbeer or something. We got two. Should've (of course, the packrat in me says loudly) gotten more!
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Holly's half-birthday hair and her own self
I just love Holly gigantically and swirlingly. Marty was commenting yesterday on how grown she is. I'm glad I am filled with memories of all ages of Holly, and we had many moments together, from the time she first came out to see the world. She makes my life sparkle.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Candid morning
When I came to my computer this morning, a cold bowl of rice and a near-full Dr Pepper made me realize that when I left at 7:45 Tuesday night because Marty wanted me to look at a possible sticker or bug bite, I never came back in here. And I discovered when I went to make tea that I had never gone back up to the kitchen.
By the time the tea was done, it looked much better. I was thinking, as I cleaned up, of how quiet the house was. It was 7:55 and the sun was shining. Keith had left for work at 6:00, and Marty at 6:30. Holly was asleep and Kirby was... I panicked a little bit, because I thought he was supposed to be at work at 8:00, but I checked the handy-dandy kitchen calendar and today was a 9:00 day at the fine pizza establishment at which he is employed.
So it was still quiet, and I wasn't worried anymore. The stillness was nice.
I remember thousands of mornings with various combinations of little kids up and busy and messy and loud much earlier than that. And now there are times of various combinations of teenagers here being busy, messy and loud, but it's a peaceful noise.
Yesterday was busy and stressful for me and several around me. Kirby called me on his way to karate wanting advice on how to gracefully get out of his commitment there. I found out only later than his computer had been dead in the water when he left and he had been frustrated to the limit before he realized it was past time to leave to teach karate, and he was late. Keith had been with him for that part. I got the phone call elsewhere. But when he got home he felt better, having arranged for a karate-free May, and he found that his computer's video card was just loose from being carried back and forth from his friend's house. All was better. He had a frustration spike with a peaceful ending within just a couple of hours. I wish all such panics could be so easily diffused and defused as mine this morning and Kirby's yesterday afternoon.
There's a wish for all of you. May your panics dissolve into peaceful solutions.
By the time the tea was done, it looked much better. I was thinking, as I cleaned up, of how quiet the house was. It was 7:55 and the sun was shining. Keith had left for work at 6:00, and Marty at 6:30. Holly was asleep and Kirby was... I panicked a little bit, because I thought he was supposed to be at work at 8:00, but I checked the handy-dandy kitchen calendar and today was a 9:00 day at the fine pizza establishment at which he is employed.
So it was still quiet, and I wasn't worried anymore. The stillness was nice.
I remember thousands of mornings with various combinations of little kids up and busy and messy and loud much earlier than that. And now there are times of various combinations of teenagers here being busy, messy and loud, but it's a peaceful noise.
Yesterday was busy and stressful for me and several around me. Kirby called me on his way to karate wanting advice on how to gracefully get out of his commitment there. I found out only later than his computer had been dead in the water when he left and he had been frustrated to the limit before he realized it was past time to leave to teach karate, and he was late. Keith had been with him for that part. I got the phone call elsewhere. But when he got home he felt better, having arranged for a karate-free May, and he found that his computer's video card was just loose from being carried back and forth from his friend's house. All was better. He had a frustration spike with a peaceful ending within just a couple of hours. I wish all such panics could be so easily diffused and defused as mine this morning and Kirby's yesterday afternoon.
There's a wish for all of you. May your panics dissolve into peaceful solutions.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Ninja Turtles in the yard
I should post more, but after I write at UnschoolingDiscussion and AlwaysLearning, all my writing energy is spent. This morning they're quiet, so I came here. Also I had this photo to deposit in public. I thought it would be easy to find with google image, but didn't find one. Maybe someone needing it in the future can find it now. It's here and also at Late Night Learning. I took it off the wall in Kirby's room, cleaned the dust off, and photographed it on top of the hot tub. He came home and noticed it missing and was worried. It's back on his turtle museum wall again.
Yesterday Keith and I played in the yard a lot. I would say "yardwork," but it was fun. Marty did the hard stuff—climbing up ladders to put plastic net so that moonflowers and morning glories can climb up in new places. Where the morning glories used to be, though, I'm putting in "real" vines—Virginia creeper (which was already here and is going north instead of south, and I'll try to redirect it) and honeysuckle. Our nextdoor neighbor wanted some of our Virginia creeper because it reminded him of his childhood, but his wife didn't want any. Keith and I put a few near his porch but I'm not sure if it lived. So I'm going to put it up the fence between our house and theirs so he can share it that way.
(For the benefit of anyone wanting to find that art, it's Ninja Turtles as Renaissance artists, and I hope google image can help them find it. Here's more help: TMNT plastic wallhanging Donatello Michelangelo Raphael Leonardo paintbrushes easel palette)
Kirby housesat at the dojo again earlier this month, while his sensei was out of town. His friends joke that it's part of his training to stay there alone and protect it from Ninjas. The first time he was going to do that, I was worried. It's a bad neighborhood, and he would be there all alone. Keith, who wasn't worried, reminded me it was basically a fortress full of weapons and Kirby knows how to use most of them. Not the least powerful is the phone, too.
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