One for the memory book

I guess DramaQueen has overheard me talking about demographics and life expectancy, because over dinner she turned to her dad and said: “Even though you’re younger than mom, you’ll still die sooner.”

Skate

Yesterday we decided to go skating. Or rather, Dear Husband, Firecracker, and DramaQueen skated while I stood safely on the sidelines. I have been rollerskating once in my life, and it was not a pleasant experience. I was just into my teens. The rink was hard and the slipperiest surface I had ever been on. Everyone whizzed past while I inched along the wall. It was not fun at all.

I'm glad the girls have the chance to learn early, and that they aren't at all intimidated by the throngs of faster skaters. DramaQueen did very well--she's been skating twice with camp groups. It was Firecracker's first time, and she also did well, even though she's so tiny I worried a cocky skater wouldn't even notice her. She didn't seem worried, though.

On the way home Firecracker announced that she wanted to ice skate. I've never been on ice skates even once.

I think I need some remedial lessons in being a kid.

RevGal Friday Five: Hot Hot Hot

It’s getting sad when all I blog about is the Friday Five. I guess I need an assignment to inspire me. Perhaps I’ll blame my lack of inspiration on the heat..

1. What's the high temperature today where you are? 96 degrees. Could be and has been worse. On the plus side the sky is a soft blue with fluffy clouds. Still, not a temperature I feel like hanging out in.

2. Favorite way(s) to beat the heat. Stay inside. Libraries are particularly nice places to be when it’s too hot. I would say the pool, but since that is where everyone wants to be, I don’t find it very pleasant. There really is no other option, unless we could drive up to the mountains. Early morning is more bearable, but only for a short period of time. The evening is still warm, and full of mosquitos.

3. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." Evaluate this statement. Anyone who thinks that humidity is the problem should try Arizona at 118 degrees. Still, humidity is nasty to deal with. Nothing dries, everything mildews. It’s hard to breathe. You feel sticky.

4. Discuss one or more of the following: sauna, hot tub, sweat lodge, warm-stone massage. Go away. I am utterly bored by the idea of sitting in something hot at any time of year. Maybe with a book. I could probably deal with the warm-stone massage, but I would be happier with a regular mssage.

5. Hottest you've ever been in your life. Phoenix AZ, 120 degrees. I have never been hotter than when I lived in Arizona. It’s dangerous to be outside for any length of time, and it doesn’t cool off at night. Well, 110 degrees doesn’t seem like a lot of relief. Putting kids in and out of carseats in the summer involves a lot of precautions if you aren’t lucky enough to find covered parking. Get the airconditioning going ahead of time. Make sure you have water and towels to wet down the seats and especially the buckles, which will leave red welts if they brush your skin. Oh, and taking the key out of the ignition—be careful not to touch the metal part—and don’t put it in your pocket. Ouch. When we went shopping we sometimes saw signs warning you not to put your wine in the trunk with the rest of the groceries, because it would explode.

Non-temperature related bonus: In your opinion... who's hot? Hot in what way? Popular? Sexy? I’ll go with sexy:

• Colin Firth
• Alan Rickman (Severus Snape has quite a few fan sites)
• Shane on the L Word

RevGals Friday Five

1) What is your first memory of the RevGalBlogPals?
I think I found RevGals when I discovered Reverend Mommy via Real Live Preacher. I don’t have much memory of how I started looking for blogs in the first place. Was I bored? Googling a specific term? I imagine that I was feeling very at odds theologically with everyone my workpkace and was looking for comfort on the Web, and that somehow I stumbled upon Real Live Preacher. I was so excited to find Christians I felt comfortable with.

2) Have you met any of the other ring members in real life?
Alas, I have not. And some even live around here, and some have visited the city. What can I say, I am a slacker.

3) Of those you haven't met, name a few you would love to know in person.
Oh, dear, I feel a bit bad to give names, since I think I would enjoy meeting everyone. I would love to meet Reverend Mommy, the first RevGal I ever read, whose career I am enjoying vicariously, and who lives so close. And Lorna, who is such an encouragement. And Tentmaker, also, because his sermons are so thoughtful. He lives near here, too. Joe, because I think she is incredibly cool and has such an interesting life. Juniper, Dorothy, LutheranChik, Caroline--but there are so many of you I would love to meet. So many new people have joined that I haven’t even made it through all the blogs yet.

4) What has Ring Membership added to your life?
I love having a glimpse into other people’s lives, joys, challenges, whatever. On any given day I can travel the blogs and read something funny, something deep, something pensive. For myself, I like the chance to hide behind my pen name and say what I really think about my life, parenting, my so-called Christian life, my work.

5) Describe a hope for the future of the WebRing.
Wouldn’t regional get-togethers be fun? This is coming from someone who can barely plan one day ahead.

I am so not a morning person

Here is a Bible verse just for us creepers:

If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse. (Proverbs 27:14)

Modern Milestones

Yesterday DramaQueen sent her first email. Sniffle. It was a very emotional moment.

RevGal Friday Five: Peevishness

1. Grammatical pet peeve: (1) Incorrect form of pronouns as the object of prepositions, e.g. “He gave the present to Walter and I.” Shudder. (2) Using “that” when “which” is required and vice versa. (3) It drives me nuts when people correct split infinitives and sentences that end with prepositions (these are NOT incorrect, do you hear?)—that’s just being fussy. Grin.
2. Household pet peeve.  My husband’s idea of organization is to stuff the stacks of papers and accumuilation of sundry objects into whatever drawer is immediately available. Also, why can we not commit to putting our clothes in the laundry? Either it can be worn again (meaning, hung up) or it needs to be washed. And yet my husband’s trousers are in limbo, laid out on the floor.
3. Arts & Entertainment pet peeve (movie theaters, restaurants, concerts). Seeing children at movies that are wildly innappropriate for them, particularly ones that are too scary.
4. Liturgical pet peeve. Well, there’s the “please just” issue that so many mention. I also hate it when the worship band plays soothing (vapid) music behind the person praying. And the woman who opens us with prayer at church—she has a perfectly modulated voice that sounds as if it belongs on a relaxation CD. With the “soothing sounds of jazz” behind her I feel like I’ll be nodding off any second.
5. Wild card--pet peeve that doesn't fit any of the above categories. Drivers who don’t buckle up. My husband always forgets and his brother and father never use seat belts. This drives me bonkers. How can you forget? How can you just flat out not use them? Great day, I used them when I was so pregnant they barely reached around me.
Bonus: Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God: What do YOU do that others might consider a pet peeve? I’m not tidy or a particularly rigorous housekeeper, and it drives my husband crazy. Then again, see Number 2.

Pot of Gold

I found the following quote in a Beliefnet review of Nanny McPhee:

“Finally, this being a British fairy tale, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is, inevitably, Colin Firth in a puffy shirt, tight pants, and an ingenuous smile, but, hey, it works for me.”

I'm Psyched!

By that I mean that I’ve seen the psychiatrist. And just like when you get to the dental appointment the tooth stops hurting, I was feeling okay today. By okay I mean that I’ve switched from feeling slug-like to feeling anxious and jittery. I function more like a normal person when I’m anxious and jittery. I suppose that passes for normal these days. Besides, me hyped up looks to the world the way a hyped up turtle looks to a hare. I’m not suddenly a whirlwind of activity, because low-energy and laziness are deeply engrained in my personality. But I have IDEAS. I want to phone several people to make weekend play dates, create memory albums for all the grandparents, knit a scarf, take up needlepoint and read The Secret Message of Jesus while completing two editing projects. I also want to buy the girls’ school supplies, organize their fall wardrobes, and learn sewing. Yes, sewing. I’ve been looking longingly at sewing machines. Understand, now, that I have never liked sewing or had any desire to do it. Also rug hooking—that looks interesting.

The psych has put me on a mood stabilizer. Meanwhile, I guess I need to steer clear of craft stores.

Question of the Day

Why is it not possible to reheat Kraft Mac and Cheese? What happens to the cheesiness? Does it evaporate? Change properties? I know this isn’t real cheese I’m using but a packet of powdered curd product, but it is quite tasty right off the stove. Okay, it’s not that tasty, but DramaQueen will eat it, whereas she will not eat a lovingly prepared homemade macaroni and cheese made with real sharp cheddar stirred into a béchamel sauce. So Kraft it is. But she won’t eat the leftovers, and I don’t blame her.

Bits and Bobs

What's Good:

1. I don't feel like crap.
2. Today is not hot and sticky as a sauna.
3. The warranty covered the new airconditioner for my car.
4. I'm reading a Jane Austen murder mystery.
5. I have the new Brian McLaren book through interlibrary loan.
6. We have not overdrawn our account.
7. I bought new yarn and needles to start my first real knitting project.

What's Middling:

1. My spiritual life.
2. The office website, which I think needs professional help.
3. I will never, ever, understand CSS. Or JavaScript.
4. I wish I had paid more attention when my mom was teaching me embroidery.
5. I want the girls to have dance or tumbling classes but I don't know if we can afford it for two.

What's Bad

1. My attention span.
2. My temper.
3. My closet.
4. The drawers in the bathroom.