Too Darn Hot

I have no idea what the temperature is today, not that it matters. My brain is sweating. It's the kind of day that makes me wish we had air conditioning, despite the fact that I rip apart Washingtonians who have A/C for the five days a year it's applicable. I would hang out with GWB and kiss his Texan ass if the room was 65F.

Bless my baby's heart, he worked in the yard while I went to the zoo with four children under 3 years old. It would have been seven kids, but one mom was MIA. Lucky for us, we chose the MOST POPULAR DAY EVER to go to the zoo. Us and every other stroller-dealing mom in Puget Sound. Plus every day-camp aged child the same moms could foist off on counselors for 6 blessed hours.

So while I make no secret about my desire to make Babies R Us my new favorite store, I smiled to myself as I drove away in my 2-door Subaru, listening to loud music, and thinking about the nap I would take until my dogs made me wake up. Which was an hour-and-a-half later.

Tomorrow we camp with the family, and my kind of family it is. Me and the husband (plus dogs), Mom and the partner, In-laws, Brother-in-law's parents, brother-in-law's ex-brother-in-law with his two kids, and husband's sister and aforementioned brother-in-law. Hee Hee. Fort Stevens should be great, we always eat well, and I love watching the dogs play in the ocean.

What I'm reading and thanks to my husband

I'm on a book-buying freeze. Painful, yes, but I'm coping thanks only to the Tacoma Public Library and their on-line card catalog. I can search, renew, and place holds on loads of lovely books from the comfort of my house. So I found the newest Jasper Fforde book, "The Big Over Easy." It's the first in a new series, Nursery Crimes. As the library usually takes a while to get brand new books, I was surprised to find it in the catalog as "In Process" prior to the release date. Giving myself a high-five, I placed it on hold....and IT'S HERE! Jasper Fforde has been one of my favorite surprise finds. I picked up The Erye Affair from Borders on a whim. The cover and the title caught my eye, and the synopsis was quite intriguing. Even better, all four books in the Tuesday Next series have been innovative and entertaining. The books are impossible to tuck into a single category, and I think almost any reader would find them worthwhile.

And a word of thanks to my wonderful husband. We had a rather stressful scare yesterday, and the story will be told once the most affected parties have been debriefed. But without spilling details, I can brag about Kevin's calm handling of a crisis. I called him at work, he ran to my side (cheesy but accurate), and took control as I was losing mine. As I apologized to him in tears, blaming myself, he reassured me that it wasn't my fault. He never reprimanded me for my carelessness. And when I cried, "What I am going to do?" Kevin quietly said, "No, what are we going to do. We're a team, and we take care of this together."

Thanks Babe.

My celebrity boyfriend

Victor Garber: AKA Jack Bristow on "Alias." He plays Sydney's dad, former double-agent for the CIA, current second-in-command for APO a black ops organization within the CIA. He spends time scowling and brooding rather attractively, only occasionally smiling. Yummy. And he wears delicious suits all the time.

Less you think it's rather silly to put pictures of celebrities on my blog like a seventh grade girl....it is. Especially since Victor is an old theater pro, therefore probably gay. But at least I don't have them saved in massive files on our hard drive (ahem, Kevin).

My husband, looking foxy

We were fortunate enough a few weeks ago to attend a party hosted by Kim and Ryan in honor of Geni (God, hope I spelled that right), to celebrate her birthday. Kevin works with Ryan at TLT, and Kim distributes these lovely bows and arrows from Hungary. Her company, Seven Meadows Archery, supplies several stores and can be found at many faire's throughout the country. Doesn't he look sexy? And aren't those jeans too baggy? Someday, I know I'll give in and buy him one of those things. I'm such a sucker. He'll want to hang it on the wall, I suppose. At least it matches my whips. Perhaps I'll decorate the bedroom around them....

Kim and Ryan are also members of a fantastic cover band, Igneous Rocks. If you ever get to watch them, it's worth every penny of the cover charge. They put on an amazing show with an incredibly diverse playlist.

Happy Birthday

Dear Mary:

TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY (nah nah nah nah nah nah, NA NA)

I'll be thinking of you today, sorry I can't join ya'll for dinner. I hope we have lots of lovely "new" birthdays in honor of your.....less than new? birthday. Have a perfect day.

Kisses
Jenny

P.S. Don't forget to send Kevn home with leftovers. It's my favorite thing, other people's cooking!

Classic shot

It's raining today. I'm sure it will be gorgeous again, tomorrow, while I'm at work the next three days. Until I figure out what to do with myself, here is the lovely Big Ben, at the House of parliament.

And speaking of London, has everybody heard about Jude Law messing around with the help? Naughty Jude got caught in bed BY HIS KID with the nanny. The nanny, having no self-respect along with a healthy desire to make some cash, has sold her story to the Sunday Mirror, a London tabloid. Turns out missy kept a diary in order to wax poetic about her 15 minutes. In this charming interview (which reads like the worst sort of romance novel) we learn that Jude has "a manly aroma," he "made her whole body tingle," and that he's a complete wanker to have sex with somebody WITHOUT BIRTH CONTROL! Bloody moron. Think she'll end up pregnant? Bet she hopes so....

But Jude knows he's been naughty, for he released this statement with feeble hopes that his fiancee, Sienna Miller, might not immediately kick him to the curb.

Nothing better than idiot celebrity stories.

More work in the yard

The front yard isn't looking half-bad. I took a chance on petunias again this year. They are the easiest fecking annual. Idiots can make them grow. Last year, mine got some terrible STFD (sexually transmitted flower disease, who knows what they're doing when I'm not watching) and looked like slimy, pox-ridden, pale fake flowers. I'm the one idiot who can't grow them. So I bought less this year, and I hope they do alright. I'm already panicking (typical), allowing my poor sugarbear to ward off panic attacks two days in a row. But as he is the love of my life, I do my very best to keep his days free of boredom.

"Whaaaaaa!" Me crying over the potential death of my flowers.

"It looks good honey, don't cry." Kevin showcasing his God-blessed patience.

"What if they don't live?" Sniff Sniff Snuffle. Me continuing to bawl like a fourth grade girl.

"Then you can buy more plants." Kevin showcasing his calm demeanor in the face of hysterics.

"But then I'll have wasted money." The almighty sin, the thought of which prompts more sniffles.

"You always freak out over spending money." Well, yeah.

I'm trying to learn about plants. I'm trying to keep them alive. But with all new skills, a bit of failure must occur to challenge growth. Failure sucks donkey. As does wasting money (ie a dead plant). But it's inevitable. And as I've read "Insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results," I understand I'll fail more than once as I learn about gardening.

Only I hope it's not with really expensive plants.

My annuals, however, have lasted one more day. The pots in the backyard look lovely. We are slowly hacking away at the devil's spawn plants the builders have cursed us with. I've showered the side yard with poison. I've spread mulch. In the fall, I'll buy some perennials on sale so I'm not spending a fortune on annuals every summer. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll take some pictures of my own yard to post. I plan on visiting Calendula, a nursery across from Tacoma Little Theater. Maybe then can reassure me about those fecking petunias.

Another picture from Ireland

Us at the upper lake at St. Kevin's church in Glendalough. And St. Kevin's church. Blogspot doesn't let me post pictures where I want them. Like below text. But no complaining, I'm grateful I figured it out at all :) Kevin has a beautiful framed photograph his parents took when they were in Ireland. It was very special for him to visit that same spot.

Finished

It's done. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Such a storm. Already itching to get my hands on the final book. Horrifying to think about another 2 year wait for the seventh, and last, installment. What would we do in a world without another Harry Potter book on the horizon? HBP is shorter than Goblet of Fire, but longer than Azkaban. Not bad--I started the book yesterday at 1pm, finished at 8am Sunday. Kevin lets me read it first because I'm so fast, allowing him to finish at his leisure.

But there is always a new book to anticipate. Next is the sequel to Eragon, by Christopher Paolini. Eragon came out in 2003, but the author is at university, so we've been stuck waiting. John Michael, don't make your big sister nag you to read this before I start force feeding you other books!

And while there is no word on the next Dan Brown book, rumor has it that it takes place in Washington D.C. with the Masons. I wonder if publication was delaying due to the release of National Treasure, the Nicholas Cage movie with a similar theme? If you've read The Da Vinci Code (Tim, get cracking! Grace sleeps occasionally, don't she?) then take the Da Vinci Code challenges, some good hints will be your prize.

And for anybody who likes mystery, science fiction, time travel, alternate universes, literary inside jokes, or just a damn good story, read anything by Jasper Fforde. His Tuesday Next series starts with The Eyre Affair, but a different series The Big Over Easy, comes out the end of July. And I still have to wait for the next (hee hee) Tuesday story. AHHHHH.

And God only knows when Tom Robbins will grace us with another novel. Villa Incognito came out in 2003, making the shortest wait between books a mere three years. The longest wait was six years on two separate occasions. And Katherine Neville, whose book The Eight is on my short list of books everybody should read. She's only published three novels, and her first book, A Calculated Risk, is on the rusty side. I don't even know if I'll finish it because the main character is so unlikable. But The Eight is a gem. And she's writing a sequel, but similar to Dan Brown's books, an enormous quantity of research is involved. Again, I wait.

July 16th

It's been a lovely five days off (the joys of shift-work and 12 hours shifts). I've done loads of work in the front yard, planting bee-yu-ti-ful annuals and laying mulch. Had a great dinner with friends from Tacoma Little Theater and playing The 90's Trivial Pursuit. This morning, Kevin and I took the puppies to The Dog-A-Thon, a fundraiser for the Tacoma Humane Society. We explored booths, Danica actually won a prize for picking up the rubber bone with a ribbon on it! We walked the 1-mile track on Fort Stillacoom. Tonight, we are grilling chicken with Lena and Shaun and the kids, Mattias and Haley. We found a great chicken recipe by Bobby Flay, gotta love library cookbooks!

But you might not hear from me for a while, because my spare time is no longer spare.

It Has Arrived.

See you on the other side.

Pictures from Ireland

On the left, We're doing a touch of hiking in Avondale, the childhood home of Charles Stewart Parnell. He was a political leader in the late 1800's for an independant Ireland. They do loads of forestry research on the 500 acre property. On the right, Kevin is enjoying our walk around Tramore. I still can't believe kids were actually swimming in that God fearing freezing cold ocean. Did their mother's know what they were doing? Probably not.

Danica, typically

This is Danica. This is Danica with her favorite ball. Danica would appreciate it if you would throw the ball about five thousand times. As a warm up.

Freya, just one of many dopey moments

This is my dog Freya. Will I continue to post pictures? Will the computer cooperate. Only time will tell....

Finally, a new post

I'm incredibly flattered that people other than my mom (Hi Mom) are reading my blog. Thank you for popping by my little journal. Even though I'm just in Tacoma, instead of Ireland, it's pleasing that folks still find it entertaining. Still working on getting pictures up, though.

Over the past week, life has been thankfully mundane. I went to work. I worked in the yard. I worked around the house. Work Work Work. So after two very stressful days at work (with a lovely, yet very sick, pregnant girl), and grubbing around the house the weekend before, today was a touch more relaxing. I had grander intentions. I was going to plant loads of lovely annuals with an ardent prayer that they wouldn't die. I was going to cook....something. But my plan (and I always have a plan) was spoiled by a death in the Myers automobile family. The Ranger's battery died. Luckily, it died conveniently in our driveway. We jump-started the truck with idiot-proof jumper cables, and got ourselves a new battery. Then, a journey to one of my favorite places: Half-Price Books. Kevin found a prize, Highlander: The Series on DVD. I had some decent luck, and found four books, although none from the clearance $1.00 rack. And while I love reading, I have a hard time at bookstores.

It comes from my inherited frugal nature. How terrible to waste money on a bad book. I love to read. I've always been a reader. I can spend the whole day on the couch tearing through multiple novels. As a child I brought books to restaurants, sparing myself the trouble of talking with my family. Kevin and I both find it perfectly normal to set the table, make a nice dinner, and exchange comments between our various chapters. So a book I buy can't just be a good book for one read. I'm a re-reader. It's like visiting old friends, where the conversation skips along familiar paths but remains interesting all the while. I have bought the same book twice over because my first copy was destroyed (Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins) on the worst camping trip of my life. And there are times when I don't want the risk of a boring book, so I return to comfortable characters and a predictable plot. Therefore, I don't want to buy any book, I want to buy a book that is interesting through several readings.

Such a challenge. Sometimes it's easy, like buying favorite authors. Tom Robbins, Jimmy Buffett, Dan Brown, Jasper Fforde, and JK Rowling are safe bets. But I've been reading Romance Novels lately (more on the topic later) and it's tough call. While I might love one book or series by a particular author, another title might not appeal. As in any genre, there are two sides to the coin. Many books are delightful: engaging characters, witty dialogue, unexpected twists to a familiar storyline of girl-gets-boy. Then there is the dark side: too stupid to live girls, borderline abusive boys, predictable plotlines, no way in hell would that happen sanarios. Or simply, an idiotic cover and title. So if I'm going to purchase a romance, I want a near guarantee that I'll like the book enough to return to it.

The library has been a godsend. I've explored loads of authors and found many series worth buying. And having enjoyed one or two books from it, I feel safe getting the whole dang thing. So I have a list that I take with me, and check off books I buy. This makes my husband giggle. I've also been able to cross authors off my list, although I'm always willing to try again...at the library, of course.

Who has my current attention:
P.C. Cast: Her Goddess series has a paranormal bent, taking familiar myths and giving them a contemporary twist. Goddess of Spring takes a 35+ divorcee and plops her in the Hades/Persephone myth. Sounds dumb, but the fun banter and steamy scenes make it work.

Celeste Bradley: Two series, The Liars Club and The Royal Four. The are intertwined but not dependent on each other.

Eloisa James: The Duchess Quartet and The Four Sisters. In "real" life she's a Shakespearean professor at an Ivy league university.

Julia Quinn: The Bridgerton series started off as a duo, then snowballed into an eight book series, one for each of the Bridgerton siblings. The final one comes out next fall.

Mary Balough: The Bedwyn series, six books, again one for each sibling. The family is introduced in A Summer To Remember, also a fine book.

Here are two other blogs to check out, both about romance novels. Squawk Radio, hosted by multiple authors, discusses books and other funny life topics. The second needs no explanation, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Take a peek.

Kisses
Jenny

At the library

Dana asked me to join her and Grace for Baby Time at the University Place Library. All the moms and dads come with their kids, sit on the floor, sing songs, and read books. Then true chaos reigns as the kids play with the toys, and occasionally each other.

But it sounds more like this:
"Don't throw that."
"Adian, we need to share the balls."
"Ruby, touch your sister nicely, we don't hit."
"You can't take all the toys out, now we'll put some back."
"Don't throw the toys at the other kids, OK?"

To the kids, this is a good time. As I was the only adult without a kid, it's entertaining in a special way. At some point (hopefully soon) this will be my life. But for now I'll enjoy, as only an outsider can, songs where we identify body parts and board books ribbed for your pleasure. Although the body parts songs could be fun in the bedroom....I'd go into more detail, but my mother reads this (Hi Mom!).

Thanks, Dana
Jenny

A happy fourth

I actually had a holiday off. Pretty fun, celebrating with the family. Because I work four out of six Mondays, I'm normally at the hospital on holidays. Plus, luscious time-and-a-half. Minus, missing all the parties with free booze. But the family came over to our house yesterday WITH leftovers from Grace's first birthday party. And hell must be frozen because the Pacific Northwest had real sunshine on the fourth.

So we sat outside enjoying my NEW PATIO FURNITURE! Happy Happy Day.

God Bless Fred Meyer and their lovely sales. 9-piece set at a rocking price plus an additional 15% off. We visited three stores, with two more on the list, and there was nothing left. Retail makes me crazy. July arrives and it's the END of patio furniture. So I'm feeling quite rushed into making a decision, which pisses me off because I am not an impulse shopper. Then I'm freaking out that I won't find anything affordable, cursing myself to another summer with an ugly yard. But Freds, lovely Freds, has one set left. As I was buying it three other people came back looking for the same one. I did my happy dance right there, in the store.

Then the family came over and helped us put it together. Thanks Dana, Jerry, and Mary! Tim would have helped, but Grace was sleeping in the car, so he was stuck waiting in the air conditioned vehicle. Perhaps he's just smarter than the rest of us. Grace woke up just in time for lunch, allowing him to join the party. Huh. And a lovely lunch it was. It's some of my favorite food; leftovers and other people's cooking.

Sugarbear and I spend the rest of the day wallowing in the heat with the dogs, reading books, and waiting for dark so we could sleep. Rough.

Kisses
Jenny

Being Home

It's been the most common questions. "Didn't you hate coming home?"

No. I was done being on vacation. I was ready to come home.

Ready to go back to work, not as much. But it's been much less painful than imagined. Perhaps since I'm not working 5-6 12 hour shifts per week.

What I am ready to do is get my house in order. The status of my yard pummled me as we drove into the driveway. Boring, unkempt, and sloppy. I've always wanted a nice yard. Not perfect or a showcase; I know little about plants and less about keeping them alive. But I want to enjoy looking at it. I want a sense of pride when others compliment it. And Kevin and I want to have a space to BE in the yard. One that will accommodate dogs and future ankle-biters.

In order for this miraculous occasion to occur, I have to do something I hate even more than yardwork.

I have to spend money on it.

It's not just as simple as pulling weeks and killing blackberry bushes (rotten suckers). Sweat equity alone won't cut it. I've got to spend money on plants that may possibly die, therefore being a waste of money. As my mother before me, I want something that costs me money to last FOREVER. Including a plant.

Stop laughing.

But I'm inspired. By the sunshine, by the beautiful yet simple gardens in Ireland, and by the sister-in-law's lovely new backyard and porch. It's not fancy or overwhelming. Just a lovely porch with nice patio furniture and some pretty flowers. I spent all last summer wishing for a nice place to enjoy the sunshine with my husband and dogs. Damnit, this year I'm going to have it.

First off, the front yard. Anybody who has seen my backyard understands the best option would be to set the sumbitch on fire and start over. As my neighbors would prefer to not be evacuated, we'll try something less invasive first. But a small, tasteful inferno has not been completely eliminated. So we'll dress up the porch, place trellis-work below to keep the cats out, new dirt, some mulch, some flowers. And a garden gnome for class.

Piece of cake. But I'm inspired, so have pity on my poor Sugarbear. It's the Forth of July, and he's working in the yard. Should I bribe him with a new big-boy grill? I'm thinking about it.

Kisses
Jenny

Now, to London

Note: some formatting errors I can't fix. I should know better than to play with buttons.

We spent our last two days in Ireland at Jigsaw Cottage. Truly as beautiful as the website. Charming. We had fresh duck eggs for breakfast and read in their sunporch. Great food, nice room, quite rural. A wonderful location to finish the trip. Look at the pictures on-line and be very jealous.

We revisited Glendalough and St. Kevin's Church. It was nice to explore on our pace, plus we could retake pictures we lost with that fucking camera. Damn memory card. Had one last beer in one last Irish pub, and spent a quite evening reading. I've been reading "Vanity Fair," and it was more entertaining then I anticipated. The characters were so flawed, but I was rooting for them in ways I never imagined when the book begun.

After a two hour delay in Dublin, we arrived in London. Our hotel was easy to find, a few blocks from Victoria Station in Belgravia. A comfortable mattress, God save the Queen. We ran to the Tate Gallery and had a lovely 30 minutes to look at art. At first I thought I was quite clever, "Oh, we weren't charged entrance fee because of the time, smart us." On the way out, I saw that the museum was free. Not so clever.

It was a rushed two days, limited because the first day was Sunday, and the churches are closed for tours due to services. But we saw all the big stuff.

The British Museum: The Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles.

The National Gallery: Leonardo Da Vinci's "Madonna of the Rocks," much discussed in The Da Vinci Code. Van Gogh's "Sunflowers." Monet. Picasso. Raphael. Titan. Michelagelo. On and on. St. Martin of the Fields: Small, amazing concerts, great cafe in the crypt.

• The Tower of London: Beefeaters, Crown Jewels, and Anne Boleyn. Fascinating.
• Jack the Ripper walk: The Original London Walks. At least 200 people waiting in the meeting area. We've lucked out with the best tour guides. And yes, we still don't know for sure who Jack was.
• St. Paul's Cathedral: My favorite part of London. We had time before our Big Lunch, so we rented the walkmans for the audio tour. Beautiful doesn't come close to describing the cathedral. It's luscious. Stunning. Inspiring. Amazing history.
  Big Lunch and Jamie Oliver's (the naked chef) restaurant Fifteen. More later. Worth every penny, and it was MANY pennies.
  Westminster Abbey: Kevin really wanted to visit and we almost didn't make it. After lunch, we rushed back to Westminster to find that tours were finished, although we could wait in the alternative line and MAYBE get in. We stood off to the side to discuss it, then went to the back of the line to wait. Our heaven-sent security guard watched us and said, "You were here first, you get to the front of the line." And we did. And we got in. This guard is our favorite person in London. William the Conqueror, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Geoffrey Chaucer. All buried here. Sir Isaac Newton also has a monument, also featured in The Da Vinci Code.
  
  I adore London, but the best part was sharing it with my best friend.

an apology

I'm a bad daughter.

Foolish of me to think that not blogging for an entire week wouldn't affect my loved ones. How could I not be thinking of my dear mother, on vacation in Mexico (for crying out loud), who would be checking my blog every day (in Mexico). She called my saintly brother (while in Mexico) to share her justified concerns about our being dead in an Irish ditch. That's where you are when your mother is worried about you, dead in a ditch. Even in Ireland.

I guess she got a little nervous. She confessed that she cried. Five people in less than 12 hours said, "Thank God you're home, your mom was really nervous."

So this rotten, rotten daughter has apologized multiple times to her loving mother who was ready to build doggy doors for the orphaned puppies, because said rotten daughter was dead in an Irish ditch. Because why else wouldn't she be blogging. In Ireland.

And to Craig, Cindy, David, Tina, Dorothy, Steve, and everybody else who attempted to sooth her fears, I'm REALLY sorry. Drinks on the house and all that.

Sorry Mom! Hope I'm not grounded.

Kisses
Jenny