May 31: Month in summary

Yeah, so, I got nothin’ to say about May. It didn’t suck or anything, but I feel like it barely even happened because I remember so little. And that’s NOT because I stumbled drunkenly through the month. Really. I was just crazy-busy with school stuff. Proof:

• We had our last PTO meeting of the year, which was my last PTO meeting EVER, as my term ends June 30. Closing out the year bummed me out more than I expected it to; we did several important things of which I’m proud. I leave the organization in Wendy’s capable hands. Lucky school.
• I finished the school yearbook. We rely on parents to submit photographs to use for the collage pages, and after going through hundreds of pictures taken with camera phones, I have this to request:
• Clean your camera lens once in a while! Your photos will come out less blurry and then I can put them in the yearbook.
• Sorry, but sheesh.
• Katie had her first orthodontist appointment. The first phase of her treatment will start later this summer. It’s cute that she’s so excited. She won’t be when the insides of her mouth are completely raw and her head throbs from those friggin’ rubber bands.
• Smash ended, but Arrested Development began just in time to make it hurt less.

So, that’s it, but-cept for images I collected from around the ‘net in May.

Here’s to a month I hope to remember. Bring it, June!

May 26: This is just trivial.

I’ve been eyeballs-deep in school yearbook doodies the past couple weeks, but Thursday night I took a break. One of our favorite local hang-outs, Sports on Tap, was hosting a Geeks Who Drink trivia night. I’m all about trivia; my noodle is overflowing with facts about Punky Brewster and Lady & the Tramp and Sir Mix-a-Lot’s hometown, and that’s why I can’t remember maths no more.

We arrived armed with smart phones and tablets, assuming we could use them to look up answers, but the quiz master told us we could only use our brains. No way!

I thought all hope was lost.

I was soooo wrong.

Our team (“These are not the answers you’re looking for”) was Lori and Anthony, Cassie and Jeremy, and me and Vic. We were, like, the DOUBLE TRIFECTA of awesomeness, it turns out, and in first place until the very end, when we lost by four points to the hipster d-bags at the next table because Vic knew all the Kung Fu Panda answers but Jeremy didn’t write them all down because Cassie said he only needed one and then it sounded like Jeremy called her an ass and I was scared she’d punch him but I’ve always wanted to be in a bar brawl so I kept watching them glare at each other but then there was no brawl but that was probably good and then we lost so Jeremy yelled “ringers!” at the d-bags and I thought for a sec BAR BRAWL again but it didn’t happen that time either DAMMIT.

I nabbed this pic from the Geeks Who Drink web site. This was at the end, after we’d lost, but we were still smiling because BEER.

(Shown: rockin’ fockin’ perfection minus four points)

Will we be there next week to claim our rightful title? You bet your useless knowledge, we will! Sports on Tap is trying to schedule weekly trivia nights but I don’t think my liver can handle them that often (only one way to find out, though).

‘Twas a super-fun night with geeky friends. That’s the way to do things, folks.

May 12: April in review

May is almost half over and I’m finally, finally posting my summary of April 2013.

Special days I celebrated this month and how:

• Lots of friends and family members had birthdays, but there wasn’t any excessive celebrating.
• On April 1, which actually had nothing to do with the fact that it was April Fool’s Day, we toured the Queen Mary and the Princess Diana exhibit before flying home from our mostly-Disney vacation. The Diana thing was fascinating—lots of royal family history, handwritten items, gifts, and clothing Diana wore. They didn’t allow photography or I would’ve filled my memory card with pictures and showed ‘em to ya.
• Jack’s class celebrated Arbor Day with a tree planting near the school. It involved a lot of mud and eating of worms and I’m oh-so-glad I wasn’t a chaperone that day.

Books I read this month:

• I LOVED Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, by David Sedaris. BUT THEN! Then I also got to SEE him! Val and I went to the Portland stop on his current tour. His storytelling is nothing short of genius. I loves me those belly laughs.
• I re-started reading Falling Together, by Marisa de los Santos. I like her writing style, but I’m having a tough time not falling asleep whenever I start reading this book. It’s just not even a little bit entertaining to me. I’ll read another few chapters but if it’s still blah, I’ll give up.
• We had a Moms’ Book Exchange party as part of the reading incentive program we ran at school. I came home with a grocery bag full of new reading material! Such potential!

Movies and TV shows worth mentioning:

• Victor and I started re-watching the entire Arrested Development series so we can be prepared for the new Netflix episodes on May 26. That show has so much funny. So much.
• I feel like Smash has been trying to make me stop watching all season. I tell ya, casting Kathie Lee Gifford for a guest spot is on the right path to a boycott! I cannot abide that woman. The episode made me gag. No joke.
• It’s looking like several shows I’ve been watching this seasons may be cancelled. Keeping my fingers crossed, but just for some of the best ones…
• We rented Iron Man and Iron Man 2 because I thought the trailer for Iron Man 3 looked really good. I liked the first two movies, and hope to see the newest one soon.
• I thought Argo was very well done.
• This wasn’t a TV show, but we hosted Presto the Magician for a family night at the school in April. He was a huge hit, of course. My favorite part *might* have been when I asked him beforehand if he would come out to “The Final Countdown” and he totally knew what I meant! Bonus points if you know too.
  
• Also not a movie or TV show, Victor and I saw Rain, a Beatles tribute show. Very fun.

This month’s disappointments:

• More dental work. Pfffft.
• I’m seeing the light at the end of the PTO tunnel; my presidential term ends June 30. There’s a solid board in place for next year, and I know they’ll do an amazing job, and it almost bums me out because I won’t be working with them. I’ll get over it, I’m sure. It’ll be good to get my life back. Still, I get the sad face sometimes.
  
• Jack started football again. If you’ve been paying attention, you know how that makes me feel.
• I slipped and fell on the stairs, messed up my back, and felt like I was 90 for a few days. Another day my toe got stuck while putting on my pants and I fell over; landed hard on my knee. Injuries to 90-year-olds do not heal quickly. I’m very limp-y.
• A dear friend got a cancer diagnosis. Cancer sucks so much.
  

My accomplishments:

• Thanks to recent weekends of good weather, we started working in the front yard. So many weeds! It’s lovely to see the new blooms, the perennials coming back to life, and the color from newly-planted annuals, though, and Vic and I love working out there together. There’s one thing we disagree on, though: I love ground cover and he is wrong.
• Add something else to my “Things I Saw on Pinterest That I Actually Did” list! I painted our mantle and fireplace surround. I took a “before” picture but the “after” picture needs a little work before I’m ready to show it off. Y’know, the corralling of cords and cables, that prettying-up sort of thing.

Anything else:

This is a weird optical illusion. Follow the directions (I promise it’s not one of those images you stare at forever and then it screams at you).

1. Stare at the red dot on the girl’s nose for 30 seconds
2. Turn your eyes towards the wall/roof or somewhere else on a plain surface
3. Keep blinking your eyes quickly

 

And a chuckle:

Have a good (rest of) May!

May 10: Hidden Falls

There’s construction going on a few streets over from us. Over the past 15 years there have been a variety of signs in the field that advertised planned development, but it wasn’t until this year that any activity actually started. There are now several large signs that state the area is called “Hidden Falls,” with maps of the houses and a planned park. (For you locals, here’s the park proposal, if you’re interested.)

All of this excites me so much, I can only say meh. I mean, it’s just a new neighborhood.

Then last week my dear friend, Stephanie, who lives a bit south of the new construction, asked if I’d seen the hidden falls in our neighborhood. I was all WHUH? (Cuz she be cray-cray.)

Apparently this new neighborhood, Hidden Falls, was named so for a reason. I know, right?

Stephanie said to take a walk through the new construction, ignore “no trespassing” signs along the grass road (she be cray-cray AND a rule-breaker), wind your way down the canyon, and here’s what you’ll find:

So, again, I say, I know, right?

I took that picture when Victor and I went there a week ago. From above, the view doesn’t quite do the falls justice, so I stole a pic Val put on FB after her visit there, because she and her fam weaved their way down to the very bottom of the canyon:

That waterfall is friggin’ HUGE! And it’s been in my backyard (kinda) for forever (or so). For some perspective:

The next-door neighbor kid is pissed that so many people have found out about the falls because it’s not “his” anymore. Who knew I lived next door to Christopher Columbus?!

MORAL OF THE STORY: If we just keep our eyes open, and trespass through abandoned property, and endanger our lives and safety, beautiful things can be found—even in our boring ol’ neighborhood.