Gillian, please explain...

Beck & Fergus:
Is it just me?

A Very Hannah Sign

Gwen & Gavin announced their baby boy's arrival on August 21 ♥
Zuma - Our favorite beach, the first beach to receive Hannah's Ashes
Nesta - Bob Marley's first name, we sing Bob whenever we think of Hannah
Rock - "...I'm a Rock"

THAT is all the way cool!

I'm a Winner!

...says at least one Quinn ♥

Today we are giving out a very special award on this here blog!

The Funniest Most Bizarre Comment Of The Month Award.

The winner of this highest of highest honors is non other then our own Diana!

"... speaking of the poops, er, Pope's hat, if you put a jock strap on your head upside down and begin to bless people who walk by... well, it's great entertainment until the guys with the matching jacket shows up."

For this very odd comment you win the best prize of all, an approving nod and stern handshake.

The comment is an ode to Big Joe; hands-down *the* most entertaining boyfriend in my soul's entire existence. The jockstrap/triple bless feat was the most fun, though it wasn't his only trick. I tell ya, those New Jersey Catholics take their blessings very seriously; if they'da thought he was joshin them, he'da been beaten on the spot. He couldn't laugh until he was outta broom's reach, after they'd accepted the blessing from his drive-by-jockstrap-headed-ness. He'd yell "Pasta e Fagioli" (pasta fa-ZUhl) with incredible vehemence and a shaking fist; no one in South Dakota suspected he was screaming "Macaroni & Beans." Everyone suspected he was crazy, though, while they peed themselves with laughter. He loved just calling out a random "Old Lady Name" and wave frantically until someone took pity and waved back; there never was an actual Mabel or Esther on the streets, and yet he always got a wave and brilliant smiles. Probably because on his last visit to town, he'd wolf-whistled at them.
So Thanks Big Joe, for checkin' on funnels that night with Chuck which led us to the brown van adventures & Thanks Quinn for giving me a chance to remember. Joe was really funny. I'm sure the jacket was comfortable ♥

Protocol for Phone Calls with Christine

I remember the days when calling long distance was a financial commitment. Our calls were budgeted. We shopped for the lowest long distance deal. There was a ring-ring-hang-up code with my mother-in-law. She'd call us back on her phone card. Seems as ancient a process as a switchboard, anymore. I moved away from Christine when she had two small children and a volatile marriage. We'd recently carpooled and worked in the same office. Ours was a huge separation experience. So I agreed to earn the long-distance expense of a desperately needed connection... by doing the dishes each and every time we spoke. I hate doing the dishes. This was a huge testament to my need for this call. I have free long distance now, so I tend to ignore her call, then return her call. Then I get to work. On something. Somewhere inside me, this policy has become ingrained. I. Must. Act. While. Talking.
Joyfully even.
This collection flew up just the other day. It's one of those few remaining moments when I hear Mitch's voice in my head.
I know he'd giggle at the lingering of his influence, at the depth of his impact, at the remembering of his Self. And as always, at Christine... for being Christine ♥ along with a muttering of Gratitude for Being, once again, an inspiration to diana ;)

Dear Disney Channel,

Though we truly LOVE your programming (& this is not the letter awaiting you about your introduction of outside advertisements) I have a bitty issue to pick with a couple of your movies; specifically Halloweentown and The Thirteenth Year.
In Halloweentown, Grandmother must induct Marnie into witchcraft by her 13th Halloween. In the film, Marnie is 13. That means this is her 14th Halloween. Gramma's a whole year too late.
The Thirteenth Year begins with Cody's 13th birthday, which means he's just begun his 14th year of life.
Here's how it works, just so you can no longer use ignorance as an excuse not to count:
At the end of one's first year of life, we celebrate 1 year, beginning one's second year of life.
When I turned 40 this year, I celebrated the completion of 40 years, not embarking into my 40th year!
As adults who run an entertainment giant directed at children, please model proper accounting of years of life.
Sincerely,
a mom with kids who know how to count (no thanks to you)

Audio Book Madness

Scotty's long been a big fan of audio books. Not me, I prefer the tactile action of reading. Auditory vs visual learning, I guess... Initially, I found that listening to books is great when I'm knitting (especially bags) so I can *do* while I *listen.* For my birthday, my family sent me a baby mp3 player, which I promptly loaded with Harry Potter books*, to listen while I walk the dog... I'm hooked!! Now that I have Super Phone (with 2 extra G of memory) I've been listening while baking, while walking the dog, while cleaning up the house, while doing anything that doesn't require conscious brain efforts!
I've not been very brave about venturing out beyond books I know, beyond voices I LOVE. Then Scotty recommended Dune. Yeah, I've made it through 40 years of life without the books nor the movie (not a big Kyle MacLachlin fan, excepting his role on Desperate Housewives, which still gave me the willies!). One has to get past the fact that Connor (somebody) sounds much like Steven Hawking (I just looked on line, there is actually a version available read by Frank Herbert, I'm gonna have to check that one out!!). Now that I'm through the first book and on to Dune Messiah, I'm used to the way he sounds and I don't mind so much -- the story is rich enough to keep my attention beyond his monotone delivery (it's almost as if I can pinpoint the "takes" where he starts out flat and gets more animated as the story goes... until the next "take" begins). I can't wait to explore the universe of 10191 C.E. even further!
Also on queue: Complete LOTR, Complete Douglas Adams, some Wayne Dyer, Abraham Hicks & Ekhart Tolle.
Me & Charlie are gonna get some serious exercise while mama listens to all of these amazing stories ♥

*Harry Potter as read by Stephen Fry. I used to be a big Jim Dale fan & then Schuyler convinced me to give Stephen a chance... OMG! Jim is good, Steve is Freaking Amazing!!! If, like me, you are not sure who that Fry Guy is... Last night, surfing the web, I stumbled across his web page - he's the gay boss guy with the Koran in his safe from "V is for Vendetta" -- yeah! the guy we all love in that movie. He could read me the Wall Street Journal every morning and I'd be enraptured ♥

The space inbetween James Concerts

Mary is revving up for her *next* James Adventure... make that her next *TWO* James Adventures -- Anaheim AND San Francisco!! I thought I'd post my long-lost phone videos to tide her over until October :)
*Whilst there is musician fumbling, Mr. Booth uses his sense of humor to keep us from rioting ;)

*And here's the all-time favorite (famous) James song, Laid (and no, that is not my horrible singing in the background, I know better!! There were plenty of other folk in the talentless background singing pool to take my place :) as you will soon hear)

*I sure hope Mary's next trip to meet her (totally worthy) favorite musicians, she has this look on her face again... I don't know how she couldn't! 'specially with that craaaazy dancin' goin' on!

And thanks m'friend for an amazing introduction to amazing people who happen to make amazing music ♥ I'm sold!

Diana's Glamorous Past

My first ever trip to the Beverly Center, the mall that sits between LA and Beverly Hills & just across the street from Trashy Lingerie, and I had a gift certificate to have hoochie pictures taken... remember those? I can't remember the name of the place that actually took my picture, just that it wasn't the same as the place in the malls for the lesser people like the Northridge Mall. I had hair and makeup and a full-on photo shoot (am I the only person who didn't know the artisans work for tips? I showed up with enough money to park and grab a snack; I was a baaaaad client). I went alone, as I had no idea what to expect and I wasn't about to be humiliated in front of anyone I knew! Once we got past the I'm not stingy, I'm poorly budgeted thing, it was actually a great time. Mostly I remember my eyelids heavy with gunk and my hair parted down the back and pinned, to give me big hair in the front. Seriously, the back of my head is totally flat in these pictures, I could lay down on the bed and still look good, I could drive my car home and stun the other drivers with my big-ass hair... of course, I'd move, they'd see the pins and they'd pee themselves laughing. The eyeshadow was gone before I crossed the threshold into the big wide world, too! Somewhere I'm gonna find one of those wandering wallet-sized glamour shots, so you can see which one I chose, in full-color & probably autographed (it's the origin of the small d, diana signature, with the tail of the a making a heart over the i); I looked in the thought I last saw it in here box, and alas, no color for you today. Yay! Another photoshoot post someday!
So to preserve for future generations, I give you the edited and light-level-adjusted versions of the (over-crinkled and spilled-upon) light-sensitive paper pix from 1993...

Quinoa

"Kwin-oh-ah," that's what I've read each time I see it in the grocery store. That's what the first grade foniks taught me!
Last night, at another amazing gathering of unschoolers, I was offered a tabbouleh-like dish, ah but it wasn't quite tabbouleh (just how it looks - tah-boo-lee), it was this Quinoa with tomatoes and cucumbers -- yum! I heard them say it was "Keen-wah" "WHAT??!! Spellit!" "Q.u.i.n.o.a." -- "AHA! Kwin-oh-ah!"
Big burst of laughter (the safe kind, among friends) and poor Kat, she'd already been laughed at by her (different, not so nice about it) friend for the same mispronunciation and was feeling bad about the diana-directed laughter. I laughed along and assured her that the girl who can really appreciate Chopin (as in "choppin") can appreciate anything!
Chopin is at the top of my list for embarrassing mispronunciations, I said it in front of my boss and many coworkers -- at an educational co-op!! oops! Second on that list is Macabre (yeah, mah-cob-ray) a word I'd only read and not heard... I guess lots of people hear that word and actually know how to say it (aha! but do they know how to spell it? My way gives each letter it's due!) Mah-cobb. Now I've got Quinoa....
Chopin the macbre quinoa. That's what I'll be doing today!