An End to (Part of) Childhood.

Maggie: Mommy, is Big Bird a person with feathers?
Me: Well...sort of. Why?
Maggie: Well, what is Big Bird?
Me: Well...Big Bird is sort of a puppet. There's someone inside of a big costume.
Maggie: (silence)
Maggie: Mommy? How about Zoey? Is she a person or a puppet?
Me: Sweetie, Zoey is a puppet.
Maggie: No, she's a person and so you are wrong.
Me: No, Mag. Zoey and Oscar and Grover and Cookie Monster are all puppets. There are people who use their imaginations to make Big Bird and Zoey and Elmo and all the other characters seem alive, but they're not really.
Maggie: You have made this my saddest day ever.

And then the tears flowed.

In retrospect, I guess there were some aspects of this conversation that I could have handled better. The problem is that she told me I am wrong, which seems to be the theme of this -- and let's face it every -- week.

I'm here all week at Awesome Parenting Skills Central, folks. Make sure to tip your waiters.

This message brought to you by summer.

Open! Open! Open!

(Note how the photo is all hazy...that's because it was HOT! Remember that? Hoo boy...good times!)

Ear Worm

You're welcome.

Spring...Sprung!

This photo brought to you by new beginnings and a farewell to the bad decisions of the weekend. The new week is a clean slate...let's see how long it takes me to muck it up. Start your watches!

CHVBlog camping trip!

Bye, doodle! I'm off the grid with the mindmeld that is CHVBlog! Don't try to call me...I'm OFF THE GRID!!! (You did get some soybrauts for me, didn't you?)

UPDATE: Charles asks "Do you really have to do this to me?" "Yes, you know I do." I answer.

Éirinn go brách!

Getting over preconceived notions...

I have to hand it to Charles. It's taken, what, almost 20 years, but he's finally worn me down. I'll admit it: I like The Grateful Dead. I. Like. The. Grateful. Dead. Go ahead, print this out. It is -- in our circle -- a big deal.

Lately, we've been having a lot of discussions in our house about poseurdom -- in music, art, whatever, and how it really prevents you from enjoying things or makes you do stuff that really isn't you. I know that, as (ostensibly) grownups, fear of reputation shouldn't be a factor, but come on, you know it is. (Maybe even more when you're a grownup, I dunno.)

So if you see me singing along with the iPod in the car (you might hear me too...the weather's getting nicer...) you know what's happening: I'm ignoring my inner poseur. Join in on the chorus, okay?

The best-laid plans have run amok.

Okay, maybe not the best-laid plans, but this week is not turning out quite the way I thought it would. Tonight, Paul is having an MRI -- we're trying to find out why this kid has so many bad, bad headaches. In fact, he's had some level of headache for the past four days. Miserable for everyone. Everyone.

Anyhow, since I'm not sure what the rest of the week holds, I thought I'd post this hint for something fun to do this Saturday now. Mayorga is a cool place and they have really good local coffee. And the band is not too shabby, either.

Also, in case you're curious, I'm posting graphic design/web-related stuff I'm doing on the old pricklygirl site. You can also reminisce about the old days, if you're so-inclined.

What a difference a week makes!

Our backyard, exactly one week ago...and today. You know what this means? Pool season is on the horizon!

Time for Another Listen...

Time for another fun installment of What's on Your iPod? You know the rules: 20 songs in shuffle mode, no skips. I've been very pleased with shuffle mode of late, so let's see what happens...

1. Cheap Trick: Big Eyes Live at Budokan When we first moved from SF to DC and had NOOOOOO money, Charles and I would sing Cheap Trick songs for entertainment. This brings back strangely good memories of the Christmas we tied free pine branches together and stuck them in a crystal ice bucket that we received as a wedding gift. That was our Christmas tree.

2. Rod Stewart: Maggie May Greatest Hits I love Rod Stewart's voice. Could pretty much ignore most of the work he's done, but this is one of the songs I love. And for some reason, it reminds me of driving around Bethany Beach in the rain.

3. TV on the Radio: Tonight Return to Cookie Mountain Right before I got hooked on Wilco -- the night of my first show, in fact -- we were listening to TV on the Radio on the way to Merriweather Post Pavilion. Sadly, although I loved it at the time, I've never got back into it the same way I did pre-Wilco obsession. What a great band.

4. Laurie & John: If I Hadn't Blinked My Eyes Arabella Okay, I admit it. I really like this album, even if it is, as Charles puts it "an emasculating Wilco side project". I don't care -- brother and sister duo John & Laurie Stirratt sound fantastic together. I drive around DC singing along and wishing that I could be Laurie. (Or Sue Miller, but for different reasons, and not the ones you might expect. I'm not going in to this now, because I'll sound weird. More than usual.)

5. The Rolling Stones: Ruby Tuesday Hot Rocks Did you read the book Exile on Main St: A Season in Hell With the Rolling Stones? Don't. It's bad. If you already have, I'm very sorry. Still, this song reminds me of hanging out in the stacks at Wax Trax in Denver trying to decide what to buy.

6. Prince: I Feel for You Prince Ah, high school. And undergrad. Good times...I think.

7. The Beatles: Love You To Revolver I'm pretty sure that this is one of those Beatles songs were certain inferences can -- and should -- be made. Did you hear that Paul & Ringo are performing at a benefit in NY this spring?

8. Elliott Smith: Independence Day XO Makes me think of driving around -- very pregnant with la Mag -- hormonal and crying for no obvious reasons. But I still love it.

9. The Velvet Underground: Cool It Down Loaded Every time The Velvet Underground comes up, I'm glad they're in the rotation.

10. Badly Drawn Boy: Born Again Have You Fed the Fish? This guy. Can. Write.

11. Spoon: Chloroform Series of Sneaks This is another "When we first moved to DC" band...makes me think of walking in downtown DC around the holidays. Also, saw them in a great show at the Black Cat right before they really broke. Charles understood their geeky appeal to a glasses-wearing girl like myself. I guess that's why I have to appreciate his appreciation of The Donnas. Actually, I don't really get the Donnas. Which is to say that I really don't get the Donnas.

12. Special AKA: Gangsters The 2Tone Collection I still love ska. Makes me think of high school. Then I start wondering what ever happened to Buff and Tim and the whole lot of them.

13. The Strokes: When It Started Is This It? You know those bands that you're just a little embarrassed to like?

14. The Beatles: Oh! Darling Abbey Road Fantastic vocal -- I don't know how Paul does it. I've tried to sing along (our secret, okay?) and I sound like an idiot. Grade A.

15. Fun Boy Three: Alone Fame In high school, I had a few musical crushes that I'm not proud of today: Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Robert Smith (The Cure), Boy George (Culture Club) and Terry Hall (The Specials and Fun Boy Three). Now you know. You are now in the inner circle.

16. The Clash: Long Time Jerk Black Market Clash I feel a lot better now.

17. Whiskeytown: Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight Strangers Almanac I'm new to this old band. Good songwriting. Good playing. Having said that, a whole day-long folk/country event would make my brain hurt. Also, a lot of this album sounds like a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers side project.

18. The Selecter: Three Minute Hero The 2Tone Collection This song reminds me of the seasons I spent at Sarasota Opera. I listened to this album a lot. Because hanging out in Sarasota, FL for three months at a time is not as cool as one might imagine, so improving the situation is vital.

19. Sonic Youth: Providence Daydream Nation I have no idea why, but Sonic Youth makes me think of returning home from the beach. Arty, arty, arty. Farty, farty, farty.

20. Grizzly Bear: Colorado Yellow House Have you heard Grizzly Bear? Charles and I saw them do a great show at the 6th & I Synagogue last summer. A head-spinningly great show.

Okay. Once again, no Wilco and only one side project. Weird. I think my iPod gets shy.

Looking for something fun to do this Friday night?

This is going to be lots of fun -- New Deal Cafe is a really great place, full of character and characters. It's family-friendly, and they have delicious Lebanese food, wine & beer. The only downside? It's not in Cheverly. But Greenbelt is only 10 minutes up the pike, and if enough of your friends and neighbors show up, it'll be just like home.

And make sure to visit the home of the hot noodles on the web...you can hear a couple of their songs and check out their full schedule.

Snow Day!

So if you live anywhere in the United States -- come to think of it, anywhere with television access -- you probably already know that the south and east were blanketed by snow over the past several days. In the DC area, we haven't had a good snow storm for several years, so 6-8" of fluffy white was (is) fantastic! Pictures here...

Schools were closed, sleds were out, and hot chocolate and Wii marathons were enjoyed. Schools are on a two-hour opening delay this morning, and Paul doesn't quite get why he is not spending the next two hours out in the snow... I guess I can't really think of a good reason, except that "because I'm your mother" seems handy. (Honestly, it's 14F out. It's not just that I'm a lazy mom!)