An amazing coincidence about peanut butter

Since we spent time with Josh's niece and nephew over both Thanksgiving and Christmas, Josh has been talking with Loco and Lala on the phone almost daily. It's our solution to stay connected until we can configure webcams and Skype for both parties.  The kids are 5 and 4, so it seems like their phone conversations improve what seems like weekly, although Lala still sometimes flings the phone when she's done with the conversation and both of them need reminders that we can't see them nod or shake their heads.  Loco in particular is more vocal, especially now that he discovered the speakerphone function on their cordless phone.  

The other day, they were acting squirrelly, and Josh was (half?) joking that he'd fly to Colorado right then and there to set them up in time-out.  I noted out loud that I've had to put Josh in time-out from time to time myself and then heard muffled whispering on the other end.  Then Loco's mom said Loco had looked at her very seriously and asked, "Would Rebecca really do that?"

This morning, via the speakerphone, we were all chatting about what was on tap for breakfast.  Loco and Josh were talking about goatmeal (oatmeal!) versus cold cereal, and Josh volunteered the tidbit that I had already had goatmeal for my own breakfast.  "It's true," I said, "I love goatmeal with peanut butter in it."  (This is very true.)  Later on, he said, "Rebecca, did you really have goatmeal with peanut butter this morning? Because I just saw a commercial on TV about peanut butter."

"Yes!" I said. "We must be on the same wavelength."  Loco considered this for a moment and then burst out laughing.  I love those kids.

There are a bunch of projects launching this weekend in my casa: painting, telephone-wrangling, and sewing.  As mentioned yesterday, I hope to have results to share soon.  For now, the Golden Globes red carpet previews are on TV, and I intend to watch a few minutes before heading to a trampoline park for the evening.  (Yes, you read that right.  I CAN'T WAIT.)  

See you tomorrow!

Hodge Podge

I love calling posts "Hodge Podge."


So, I am on vacation through Tuesday!  Consider this post a quarterly progress report for the weekend.  In no particular order, the last 48 hours have included:

• A visit to the mall, to my beloved Marshalls and past the Lands End Not-Quite-Perfect Store, which is obviously a great spot for browsing.  The Not-Quite-Perfect Store seems to be the final stop specifically for returned monogrammed and personalized merchandise, but the thing is, this store seems to keep the price higher than you'd expect for such items.  Then again, it's kind of a treasure trove for bargain hunters with a good sense of humor.  For example, today I saw a robe with "Flimmy" embroidered on the front in a lovely violet script.  Why didn't Flimmy want that robe?  I also saw a youth cotton crewneck t-shirt with "Girls Extra-Large" embroidered across the front.  I have a better idea of why that one didn't sell.
• Social running! A friend and I have been trying to coordinate a run together for literally more than a year.  This morning, we finally made it happen!  Success!  Seven miles, a new trail, lots of fun.
• Elite running: Not me, obviously!  I'm talking about in Houston this morning, for the Olympic Trials marathon.  It's not like I went out on a limb, but I was very excited that my three picks for the U.S. women finished one-two-three and will race in London this summer!
• I started my next sewing project. I hope to have positive things to report - or at least progress to report - soon.
• Red Bull Crashed Ice: Reader, if you live in the Twin Cities, you can skip the next few lines, because I think everyone in the metro area has been bombarded with coverage of this thing.  If you haven't heard of it yet, it's totally crazy!  It's this tournament of sorts - a national championship, actually - with a course that starts at the top of the hill at the Cathedral in St. Paul and curves treacherously for about a half-mile down to the finish line.  Up to four skaters race down this course simultaneously at top speed, and there are bumps and hills and various obstacles (not the least of which is their own competition) that impede their progress.  Holy moly, it's intense.  The skaters flip into the air!  There were tons of spectators for the elimination round last night, when we were there.         

Here's the start of the course, which is near where we stood:

Here's the view just past us, which gives a better glimpse of the ice conditions:

And by the end, I had gotten a close-up photo of the ice:

Obviously, it should go without saying that this activity is not on my 101 in 1,001 list.  But it was definitely fun to watch.

• And finally, snow!  This afternoon, the skies dropped about an inch of big popcorn snow on the sidewalks.  Josh and I went for a walk.  It was pretty. Maybe skiable, snowshoeable snow is not far behind?

And now it's Broncos time!  Reader, how is your weekend going?  What are you up to?

The bug

Itch!  Itch!

I have the fever!  No, nothing gross.  Just normal, run of the mill weekend-getaway-warm-weather-sun-in-my-face-spring-travel fever.

This change of heart is so abrupt that it probably gives my outside-Minnesota readers whiplash.  Wasn't she just warbling about how warm and sunny and beautiful it was?  

Well, yes.  But it's back to cloudy and feels-like-four-degrees, and it's when you start to realize just how many layers of clothes are required for some semblance of comfort, and it's when everyone around here starts talking about their plans to get out of town sometime over the next couple of months.  I went out for a lunch run to get some fresh air today, and the sky was spitting this homely, icy snow in my face.  I started daydreaming about where I might take a getaway later this winter.  I'm not sure if that will actually happen - and I assure you that I won't grouch about cold temperatures day after day until spring arrives, regardless of whether said trip actually unfolds. 

But isn't it fun to just daydream?

Here are my brainstorms:

1) Myrtle Beach in mid-February for a half-marathon I've had my eye on for ages

2) New Orleans in early March for a half-marathon that coincides with Mardi Gras

3) Arizona or Florida, for baseball spring training

4) Albuquerque, just because (this probably won't happen because I badly want to save my first Albuquerque trip for the balloon festival some October)

5) the Dominican Republic (obviously even less practical for a somewhat spontaneous long weekend, but practical is not the name of the game in a wishlist, is it?)

By the end of the run, the sun had come out in full force and the snow was falling much more prettily and less icily.  (How real were those two words, by the way?)  Things weren't so dreary.  And it's true that my lungs were full of fresh air and my body must have gotten at least a tiny jolt of Vitamin D. I do love this place, even if it doesn't currently allow for sundresses.

Also, on an unrelated note, I greatly enjoy seeing what you guys type into Google to get to my blog.  It is usually pretty straightforward stuff, but greetings to whoever found Miles and Laurel by googling "my beach boy plaid motor robe review"! I don't know what that is and I don't imagine my photos of Josh wearing a plaid fleece robe helped solve your question, but welcome!  I hope you enjoy this visit. Good heavens, I'm talking about M&L like it's a B&B. Welcome, just the same!

Happy weekend, Reader!  Are you dreaming about any trips this winter?  Or better yet, have you made actual plans for one?

Three Things Thursday

Three things I am loving this week:

1) Heck!  I love reading Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!  As you may remember, I got it yesterday at the library and was very excited about it.  I started reading it last night before going to sleep, and it turned into one of those reading adventures in which one is so sleepy, she should put down the book but doesn't want to put down the book.  And then I woke up this morning and picked it back up again!  I love feeling that way about what I'm reading. I am also pleased to practice reading a play, which I have very rarely done in my lifetime.

Can you picture me reading this play?  It's hard, isn't it?  Thank heavens I documented the general idea in a spontaneous, natural way.  This is what I feel like doing until I finish it! I can't help it!

 

2) I went out to dinner last night with Josh and my family (minus my sister) to celebrate his birthday.  We went to one of our beloved Mexican restaurants in St. Paul, and the steamy fajitas were just what I needed after going for a run before dinner in the frozen, gusty tundra that my city turned back into yesterday.  Brr. Brr.  Anyway, if the restaurant gets word that it's someone's birthday, the waitress brings out this fab sombrero and you get to wear it while your party sings.  (I have a feeling I'm making this sound less fun than it is. It's fun!)  Of course, we notified helpfully that we were indeed celebrating a cumpleaños.  And Josh got to wear the sombrero!

3) The 2012 Olympic Trials for the marathon are on Saturday in Houston!  I am a fan of many runners in this race, including the Team USA Minnesota runners.  My friend Dan helped work on a video about four Team USA Minnesota runners training for Saturday's marathon.  I saw it today, and it's great.  I'm crossing my fingers for good weather for the race and can't wait to see who the top three men and women are!

Okay, Reader.  Tell me: What's good about your Thursday?

Into the stacks

Make no mistake: I am a devout fan of books.

When the first wave of e-readers came around, I did my share of lamenting that the feeling of holding a book in one's hands is something special and that it would be a shame if that became a thing of the past.  (And I agree with my mother, who often says that the smell of a book is something special, too.)  I still feel that way, too.  But it wasn't until I got a Kindle for my birthday that I learned quickly how darn easy and handy a Kindle can be. I haven't quit buying or borrowing books entirely, and I don't think I ever will.  But I can't deny that most of the books I buy now are via my Kindle.

(Get ready for a transition that seems abrupt but will make sense soon enough.)

My friend Sara - can I just refer to her as Sara now? I've written about her here enough - has been an ardent supporter of my 101 in 1,001 list, particularly #67, which involves attending arts and cultural events with a friend. (I started with setting a goal of at least three and have since boosted it to six, since attending an average of one cultural event per year struck me as an insignificant and, dare I say, ho-hum stretch.) She emailed me earlier in the month with an invitation to attend the Guthrie Theater's showing of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with her next week.  I accepted enthusiastically!

I guess now's a good time to admit that I like to do homework.  I got the idea that it would be fun to obtain a copy of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, since I've never read it, and finish it before seeing the play next week.  But when I went online, I couldn't find a good version of it for the Kindle, and the short notice meant that there was no guarantee a hard copy would arrive in time to read it.  The horror!

I regrouped, revisited my roots and trekked over to the good old local library.  Sure enough, there was a copy of the play - as well as a ton of other Tennessee Williams plays - tucked way back in the stacks.

There were two copies, actually.  Both were sweetly vintage, but one was so charmingly antique that I was scared I would wreck it somehow (not an irrational worry) and tucked it back on the shelf carefully. I grabbed the other one, flipped through it to see the font, and gasped with delight at what I saw inside the back cover.

It's thrilling to remember that someone leafed through this copy of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof a full five years before I was born - that the act of reading seems so personal, but the value and impact of a book is so collective. Buying a file for my Kindle is so streamlined and convenient, but the context of the book's history gets utterly lost, and so does that notion that an entire community has, over the course of several decades, already experienced this story that I'm about to experience.  Isn't that a healthy message?  Can't libraries just reinstate date-stamping already?