MOMA

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Today was Jaden's inaugural visit to SF MOMA. On the drive up to San Francisco, he was clearly unsure about the whole thing. "I thought we were going to an aminal musuem" (love his scarce few mispronunciations left). "Is there going to be art for kids to look at?"

Once we got inside and conquered the very kid-UNfriendly menu, we sat down and munched on a panini. Jaden had a great view of 3rd Street and lots of things going on like ambulances and a tow truck taking a motorcycle away. Then he led me on a tour of the museum.

He knew instinctively what to do and would walk into an exhibit and be drawn instantly to one piece or another. He mostly kept his hands in his pockets after an early scare in the Caffe Museo where he ran to "test" whether a large piece of art was canvas or glass. Holy 8-thousand bucks later, I didn't have to remind him too much not to touch.

He kept wanting to go up up up to the top and the 5th floor held the fascinating work of Martin Puryear. Jaden had one and a million interpretations of every piece and darned if I wanted to take a picture of each one so I could remember what he called each one. But no photos allowed on that floor. Never fear, there were plenty of pictures and you can see them all in a new set I created because I plan to have a lot more SF fun with him in the near future.

On the way out, we stopped at the Museum Store. Jaden was tired, and they were showing an old film on a blank wall which captivated both of us instantly. So without thinking too much, I gleefully said, "Yes!" when Jaden asked me to buy it. It's a rare thing for me to experience that with him, so much no no no all the time. After a brutal drive home in traffic, we picked up Jeff and went home and all watched it together.


What a lovely end to a lovely day!

Quirky Tag

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Jamie tagged me and it is my first time being tagged on a blog so here goes.

Six Quirky Things About Me

1. I don't have a middle name so I've spent my life giving myself different ones including Emily, Rebecca, Erin, Lauren, and Keiko (during a Japanese phase of life). Then I found out my grandma Rose's given name was actually Rosina, and I knew I couldn't find a more perfect name than that so the naming business ended in 1999.

2. I love crummy kid cereal including Lucky Charms, Captain Crunch, Fruit Loops, Sugar Smacks, etc. I will not do Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles though, they annoy me and always have.

3. If my blanket is not evenly distributed on my bed, it will wake me up. So often in the night you will find me dashing around adjusting the blankets and then hopping back in bed. I dash so as not to lose my sleepy spirit. It doesn't often work out.

4. I love the "boing" sound that TiVo makes when you've gone as far in a menu as you can. So Jeff will have to listen to me play my "instrument" (the remote) for my own amusement. But I do it in a certain pattern:

boing!
boing boing!!
boing boing boing!!!

and if I'm feeling especially inspired,

boing boing boing boing!!!!

5. I alphabetize my receipts which do not include what I call perishables (groceries, eating out, or fuel). I also save way too much email. I have 18,602 sent emails alone in just one of my seven email accounts. YUCK. GAG ME. Email Whore that I am!

6. I do not know how to back up my computer by myself and therefore all of my prized photos do not get backed up regularly. This from the woman who saves emails and receipts like her life depends on it. Talk about quirky!

Okay this game of tag makes me feel more OCD than quirky. I'll spare everyone pictures of my receipt files and perfectly balanced blanket distribution. However, someday I may treat you all to an audio file of my Tivo Tunes.

Siberian Blue

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I am really drawn to this color lately. Too bad it looks like ap-cray on me. It does come in dark brown at the store though. And they say after I buy it I can add "vintage cute" to my wardrobe description. Ha, vintage cute newly made in China. But, it is cute and I can't stop thinking about it since I saw it on Friday. Even though I'm allergic to wool. Go figure.

One More Day

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I signed up but didn't succeed in working the phone bank today. I really do want to help though so I spent some time chatting with Judith who is working the front desk over at the local Democratic Headquarters.

She told me I can help get the vote out tomorrow by assisting at polling places to make sure every registered Democrat remembers to go vote. The goal is for a record Democratic turnout this year. So guess what? Tomorrow, Jaden and I will be Baracking the Vote! If you want to join us, the training session is tonight at 6 p.m.

I am deeply grateful to the throngs of people at the Headquarters who were not afraid to work the phones. You all rock!

Blog Action Day, Part 2

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Yesterday I happened upon this book at the library.


Being keenly interested in the topic of organic food, I tossed it in my over-stuffed book bag. While Jeff was doing the bedtime routine tonight, I started checking it out.

I am deep in Chapter 1, wherein one of the co-authors (Anna Blythe Lappé) is explaining about our food supply and food system and discussing it within the framework of the "Six Illusions." They are the Illusion of Choice, Safe & Clean, Efficiency, Cheap, Fairness and Progress.

Well as usual I am horrified by what I read about industrial agriculture. In section on the Illusion of Fairness, I learned that "economists generally agree that once four companies control 40 percent or more of a market, real competition...is shot." (Campbell R. McConnell and Stanley L. Brue, Economics, 16th Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2005, p. 468).

Drumroll, please....

The four largest producers in each of the following categories control the following percentages: 84 percent of the beef market, 63 percent of the flour and 80 percent of the soybeans, 80 percent of the commercial seed market and as far as GMO seeds, 90 percent of THOSE are controlled by one company, Monsanto. (Grub)

Excellent. So glad I already buy as much organic food as financially possible. Where is Coupon Mom for moms like me Oprah?

Moving on. Why am I posting twice on the topic of poverty for Blog Action Day> It's because of what I just read
on page 22, still in the Illusion of Fairness: "Wal-Mart, which entered the food sales market only fifteen years ago, now collects roughly one out of three of our food dollars." (Grub)

The author then tells an anecdotal story about visiting Paris, MO, with a population of less than 2,000 that while small, is surrounded by farmland. There was not a single store or restaurant selling fresh food of any kind. Unless you count tater tots or the tomato sauce on a microwaveable pizza.

And to bring it closer to home, I share a fact the author quotes from Christopher Cook's book Diet for a Dead Planet: in a San Francisco neighborhood, low-income residents paid 64 percent more for equivalent food than their wealthier neighbors.

Um. No, Jaden. Mommy getting to stay up later than you is not unfair. People not having access to fresh, healthy food at all or at higher prices is unfair. Gosh this discussion of poverty in America is a GREAT diversion for me during a PET scan week. It's enough to make me want to buy apples and spinach (organic, duh) and pass them out to everyone.

I am steaming mad and I'm not an artichoke so I don't like the feeling.

I might even host a Grub Party!
Would anyone come?

Serious: Blog Action Day on Poverty

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Jeff brought this to my attention the other day and Clare is participating too.

I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to say on the topic so I started looking at the resources which led me to Our Day to End Poverty which led me to an idea I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember.

They said, "Visit Second Harvest to find a local food bank or food rescue organization that can use your help."

And maybe 2008 is the year I finally do it.

I have always, always wanted to help at a food bank. I think this goal came into being during the early 1990s when I lived in San Francisco with my dad for about a year and a half. I was barely 21 and working my first full-time real job in a law office. I would get my paychecks cashed because a) I could and b) they were SO BIG in my eyes. I would go shopping on the way home at the Embarcadero. I would always run into homeless people. I got proposed to multiple times by kind, old men. Or so I thought.

Some days I didn't give any of my cash away. Some days I'd give $1 to one person or $1 to many people. Some days I gave $5. One day I had $30 or $40 left and a homeless man touched my heart somehow. I don't remember what he said but I felt so horrible having that money in my pocket while I was talking to him. So I gave it all to him. He was speechless. I'll never forget the look on his face.

I get conflicted from time to time about homeless people, especially any with addictions. Those close to me know it is a complicated topic for me personally and I struggle to find compassion for addicted people. I've grown up a lot too and had my own struggles (in life, not with addiction).

This exercise has made me stop and remember my youthful compassion. And I am fired up to look into volunteering at a food bank. I remember a friend in high school used to go with her parents during the holidays. She hated it as a teen. But I know I want Jaden to experience this with me when he is a little older. I think five is still a little too little, even if he is mostly 35.

All Day Trip

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We went to see the Blue Angels yesterday in SF.



SF really dropped the ball on public transportation. We took the train which was standing room only. That took 30 minutes, but then it took us another 3.5 hours to finally get to our seats at the Marina. Streetcar after streetcar was full and they only got us to Pier 39. At which point there was nothing: no buses running and two taxis refused to drive us anywhere near the Marina. They both said "NOT POSSIBLE" and drove away mid-sentence! So we hoofed it two miles there and back. At the end, we got a ride home: total transportation time was 7 hours for a one-hour air show and dinner. Wowzers!


Even though I spent most of my day traveling, I managed to take a few pictures.

A Big Announcement

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I am proud to introduce my latest endeavor!



As some of you know, my long-term writing gig is coming to an end in two weeks. So I have decided to start a new blog about a passion of mine while I look for a new writing gig.

I have been posting for three weeks to test out the idea and given a sneak preview to a select few. Based on the feedback I have gotten, I am ready to share the blog with as many people as possible.

So click on my banner and go visit Wee Festivity!

Thank you loyal readers!

Spoiled Rotten

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My husband, family and friends really spoiled me rotten this year and I am completely humbled by gratitude. In all honesty, I was thrilled just by sleeping in, having Starbucks and then later, the spaghetti dinner at Betty's. Having one meal not be my responsibility was a huge gift.

But there was more than a dinner, so much more, like I was living in my own personal Ginsu commercial. There was a handmade (with lots of love and cream cheese) key lime cheesecake from Marsh & Bob. There was a spa day from Jaden, a ridiculously beautiful original monotype from the cheesecake makers, a color wheel from Oma which I have wanted for some time, and...there was this:


...the gift of a lifetime!


This awesome machine was from my amazing husband, his amazing mom and our amazing friends Jamie & Jay. If they say a picture is worth a thousand words, well I spoke 183,000 words in the first 24 hours* -- and they're all shouting:

THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU ALL!!!


* You can see some of those "words" if you click on that cute lens cap up there.

Your Message Here...

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I couldn't resist Jamie's post about the art project, Your Message Here. She has quite a map of links there on her post so I won't repeat them all here.

The project is brought to us by the fine folks at...



© something's hiding in here



For my message, I immediately thought about this other art project I have wanted to participate in for awhile now....because, You Are Beautiful. Who doesn't need to hear that more often?