you can learn a lot of things from the flowers

maura @ 10:58 pm

Yippee, it snowed! And a whole lot, too — over 2 feet, which the Times says is a record. For some weird reason Gus didn’t want to go sledding (unless you count Jonathan or I pulling him all over the place while he yells “faster!” as sledding). But we did get out and tromp around a lot, and I made a snow angel in our courtyard. And it is even the best kind of snow ever: a wonderful, gorgeous snowy day BUT there is still school tomorrow AND the alternate side parking is likely to be cancelled all week, woo hoo!

The snow, that’s really my big news here. Of course there’s a ton of other stuff going on here, but it’s all much to personal for the whole internets to know about. No, I won’t tell you, it’s PERSONAL. Email me if you are really interested (which I’m sure you’re not, seriously, it’s really not THAT interesting).

Oh, except that I have a new niece! Elizabeth Mary Smale is 8 days old today, and she’s a real cutie. I know that those of you out there in webland who know my brother are completely flummoxed right now, as he is perpetually 10 yrs old and playing soccer in your minds. Mine, too.

the earth can be any shape you want it

maura @ 10:31 pm

It was rainy and cold all day today. Stupid global warming. It has snowed exactly ONCE this whole winter, and what the hell else is winter good for if not for snow? Surely not that whole getting-dark-real-early thing, or that too-cold-for-my-kid-to-be-running-and-screaming-outside-so-he’ll-have-to-do-it-inside thing. I love love love snow, and this winter is so bumming me out. Plus, the flowers are all confused and the crocuses and daffodils in front of our building think it’s time for them to wake up, which of course it is not so they will all just freeze and die when we do finally get some wintery weather.

Boy, that was upbeat! Cheerful, even! Let’s start again. Hi! How’s it going? Everything is fine here in Brooklyn, barring the lack of snow. Lately I have been obsessing over treehugger.com…thank you, Ann and Daniel, for giving me something to ease the procrastination pain! Chock full o’ green tips + tricks, it’s pushing my buttons bigtime since these days you can mostly find me right at the intersection of green + frugal (some would say stingy, but those people don’t realize how cool I looked today in my $10 Goodwill ensemble!). I will fault them a *little* bit for being so very consumer goods focused, but since those goods are recycled and/or sustainably produced I guess it’s not that bad.

And they helped me out with research into my latest eco obsession, the Plastics Are Evil campaign*! Really it wasn’t as crazy as it sounds — mostly I just cleared out all of the gnarly old takeout containers we’d been using and bought some real, microwave-safe rubbermaid containers. And banned microwaving in plastics in the apt. And decided to chuck our reused plastic water bottles for some spiffy new metal models. J + I are getting these (red and slate green, the on-sale colors), and Gus, this (airplane). I have to admit that I’m not 100% on board with these because of the possibly-weird “inert, water-based internal lining”, but the alternative was steel bottles which seem so so so heavy (plus I couldn’t find a small one for Gus). These are aluminum and very pretty, here’s hoping they’re durable and don’t give us cancer.

* Longtime (snort) readers may recall that my suspicions about plastics began last fall when I read Garbage Land. Go read it now, it was so good! But depressing, too.

Time to catch up on Arrested Development, and wine, yes, wine!

you are like the clean white page and i the pen

maura @ 3:00 pm

Woah, 11 days since I last wrote! What have I been doing with myself? Seemed like a lot at the time, but now I can’t remember anything specific. I guess I did sleep a lot to kick the illness out of my system, with eventual success, hurrah!

All of which means that I don’t have much to say, so I’m going to steal my friend Anne’s idea.

Maura’s To Do List:
(a selection of 10 items, and not in any particular order)

1. Take 2 shirts back to the Goodwill: okay, this really does have to be done today, because they only give you 5 days for returns. One I don’t really like, on second thought, and one I like a whole lot but it’s polyester which means that I really will never wear it, since polyester makes me hot. But it’s a drag, because the pattern is really funky.

I have to give mad props to this Goodwill, it is huge and excellent (even has kids clothes!) and oh-so-inexpensive, even cheaper than the Salvation Army that I used to frequent but don’t now because I read that they discriminate against their gay employees. If you ever need clothes and are in north Brooklyn, just head down to the corner of Livingston + Bond, they’ll set you up.

2. Take pants purchased at Goodwill last week to the dry cleaner.

3. Laundry (really, who doesn’t have laundry to do?).

4. Buy my sister a birthday present (that’ll be tomorrow, since she wants a gift certificate to the gap and there’re about 5 of them right near my office, it’s like an infestation).

5. Buy some foot inserts for those fancy shoes so I can finally wear them.

6. Buy birthday presents for other folks who have them coming up, and for those I’ve been delinquent on from last year, bad me!

7. Answer email: of course this is always on my list. Last year my resolution was to answer all email within a week, but of course that was way too ambitious. This year I’m thinking a month. So far, so good, though there’s one from 12/28 hanging out in my inbox so I’d better hop to it.

8. Find time to meditate: another perpetual list item. I’m getting pretty good about working some casual, counting-breaths stuff into daily downtime like while working out, walking home, and falling asleep, but haven’t gotten off (or on!) my ass to actually sit down purposefully for 15 or so minutes/day. Part of it is that I can’t quite figure a time to do it. Ideally I’d like to meditate first thing in the morning, but it’s hard to get up any earlier than I already do. Plus Gus will usually wake up when I get up. Hmm, guess this one still needs to be worked on.

9. Redesign this damn site: yesterday while researching search engine optimization at work I came across a fully mocking forum posting that said something along the lines of “can you BELIEVE that SOME people are still using frames???” To which I say “Can you believe that some people have no time to redesign their web sites? What does this look like to you, my childless 90s? No, it’s the child-ful 00s, so give me a break!” Sheesh. But yeah, this site is stupid, and not stupid like the way the kids talk about cool stuff these days, but just plain old stupid.

10. Write in blog.

my attic has its charms

maura @ 10:13 pm

Yes, indeed, I did get sick, and remain sick at this writing. Bah. I am a miserable sick person, the kind who wallows not only in tissues but also self pity. However, I did take a sick day earlier in the week, and was in bed by 9pm two nights in a row, so I’m getting better at being sick these days. Still, it sucks, and I am ready for the sinus pain, sore throat (today verging on laryngitis!), headache and coughing to be over.

A while back my friend Daniel commented on my post about getting a new bag for Xmas, and asked if I had any other bags to recommend. Longtime (har!) readers may remember that yes, as Daniel mentions, I’m quite a suckah for bags, so I thought it might be nice to ramble on a bit about bags in the big main space here rather than in commentsland. Okay? Okay!

Hands down my favorite bag manufacturers are Timbuk2 and Frietag (I’m too lazy to link to these, you can google ’em your damn selves).

My nearly decade-old Timbuk2 messenger bag (it used to be called the “dee dog”, but now I think it’s just size medium) is my workday workhorse. The cross-section is a triangle, so it’s good for the things I need to take to work: folders, notebook, reading book, lunch (and possibly umbrella, hat, mittens, etc.). My lunch is often kinda bulky, so I need a bag that’s not too slim. There’re no dividers in the bag so you can just jam everything in there whichever way it fits best. There are a few little pockets for pens + small stuff, but not so many that things get lost. It secures with velcro and compression clasps, for extra subway security. It’s waterproof. And it comes in an enormous variety of colors, which you can customize to your liking. Mine pre-dates this swank personalization feature — nevertheless it is purple and orange which I still find lovely.

For non-work, just-running-around-town times, I’m currently in love with two bags: my oldie-but-goodie Frietag and my new-for-xmas Brooklyn Industries.

I’ve had my Frietag bag for nearly 8 yrs, and it is really really excellent. Made mostly of recycled materials (used truck tarps and seatbelts), it’s thus completely unique (as are all of the bags they make). And the tarp pieces have funny bits of words on them — mine says “die” (n.b. these bags are Swiss so it really doesn’t mean die). Mine’s the nightlub: it’s a DJ bag so it’s sized to fit forty 12″ records. The tarps are rubbery and thus it’s completely weatherproof. Secures with two massive strips of velcro. Frietag bags are in MOMA. Could it be more cool? In fact it could not.

However, there are two downsides to my Frietag bag: 1. the rubbery tarps get hot to have slung on yer body in the summer and 2. the innertubes which edge the tarps shed a bit of black schmutz onto my bright orange jacket (as well as onto my bare sunscreened arms in the summer).

Hence, my newest bag, the Brooklyn Industries medium messenger bag, in bright kiwi green. Just about the same size as my Frietag bag, but made of cordura. Velcro and compression clamp closures, lots of nicely sized and placed pockets, and made in Brooklyn (yo). Should be cool and fruity for the summer. I’ll keep you posted.

Time to watch the Lost I missed from sleeping in on Wednesday, and kill the laryngitis with brown liquor. Later gators!

P.S. Sometimes I have to bring my laptop to work, and on those days I just use my plain old JanSport backpack, because the padding is nice to my shoulders and back. Even though I’m really more of a shoulder bag gal, the backpack distributes the laptop weight much better. The bag is purple, so that’s good, at least.

get ready to jump

maura @ 4:52 pm

Our first week back to reality (after we all had the holiday week off) was a little rocky. Gus was really happy to be back in school (and we were happy to have him there!), but the transition was still tough. Everyone was crabby all week and Gus was picking these crazy fights. One morning he demanded marshmallows and peanut butter on his waffles for breakfast, and freaked out on me when I said no. Another morning he insisted that the “big trains” (the commuter railroad trains, as opposed to the subway) don’t have axles, and was not about to be swayed otherwise. I try not to lie to him but what are you supposed to do when they WANT you to lie to them???

On the plus side, yesterday was mulchfest, and what 4 yr old doesn’t love watching xmas trees get stuffed into a chipper? Plus there was hot chocolate. A good time was had by all, and we got 8 giant bags of mulch for our building’s courtyard, all for free free free! (Of course, we should all be out spreading mulch right now, but Gus has a cough and Jonathan’s going on week 5 of being sick yet not visiting the doctor* and it seems that I might be coming down with something now, too, as my head is stuffy and throat is sore, drat).

*His doctor who has an office right at the end of our block. I am not kidding.

Here are some random things, because I am feeling random:

– Galactica is back on again, woo hoo! Watch it, no one will call you a geek! And you will love Starbuck, I promise.

– This article in the Times about people who’ve moved to the suburbs and then fled back to the city completely cracks me up. I esp. like the family who’ve done it TWICE.

– I forgot to mention this hilarious Gus thing earlier. Every morning when we wake up I ask Gus to tell me what time it is, because I am blind as a bat without my contacts (or glasses). One morning about a month ago I said my usual “Gus, what time is it?” (in response to his statement “Mommy, let’s get up now”), and he replied, “it’s COFFEE TIME!” Of course it is, sweetie, of course it is.

all is quiet

maura @ 10:48 pm

It’s 9:15pm and Jonathan’s crashed with Gus. I have that thing I always get when he does this where I’m like OHMYGOD I have SO much free time that I will write in my journal AND blog AND answer all of my email AND read this really long article in the Times magazine about globalization AND figure out how our apt. building can go more green AND meditate!!! Yes!!! Right now!!! And get to bed by 11pm so I can spring out of bed at 7am tomorrow and go to the gym!!! Yes!!!

I need time travel. Or some sort of sleep-shortening device, wherein you are well-rested yet don’t require much sleep.

Today was a party day: we were invited to four (4! so weird, we are never that popular) but could only manage two. Both were fun, though I have that thing where it feels like I was eating all day, and feel a bit gross. (Not surprising, since I was eating all day, duh!) But we offloaded most of the rest of the cookies + peppermint bark so that’s cool. I am so very ready to start with the healthy eating again.

Anyway, I do have a huge pile of unanswered email so I should really get to that before everyone starts to hate me. Happy New Year!

as we drive off to someplace cheap and amazing

maura @ 4:41 pm

People are probably wondering how we made out during the transit strike. We were okay! Thanks for asking. With Jonathan working at home all the time and me part of the time, that part of our lives wasn’t affected very much. But we do take Gus to school on the subway (usually) or bus (less often). It’s only about a 30 minute walk to his school, but it’s uphill on the way home, and even though he’s still a peanut he is heavy to push in the stroller. Plus, he was very very very sad to not be able to ride the trains for THREE WHOLE DAYS. We had to sit in the station and watch lots of trains going by on the day the strike ended, just to make up for lost time.

Luckily Santa brought him a couple new Thomas trains, just like he demanded, as well as a subway ornament from the Transit Museum store. Merry Christmas every one!

As for me, Santa brought me a cool new bag (in bright lime green), some good books, and some fancy shoes, among other things. Actually the fancy shoes are stressing me out. I love love love them, but they are ever so slightly too big, and the place they’re ordered from doesn’t have them in one size smaller. And I can’t find them anywhere else online (damn you, Google!). So I’m not quite sure what to do with them. Suggestions are welcome! I’ll keep you posted.

I have this whole week off from work and I’m having that thing where I’m wanting to luxuriate in the free time, just roll around in it and feel its silky smoothness on my skin, BUT (everyone I know has a big butt) there is so much I could be doing (and, the evil part of my brain says, SHOULD be doing) that I’m kind of at wits end just thinking about it. Jonathan’s mom + stepdad are here for the next coupla days, so at least the Gus-load will be light. And we get a date! Yes indeedy, a date. That is, as long as Jonathan can get over the stomach flu that’s been dogging him for a few days (and fingers crossed that no one else in this house gets it, dammit).

I have things to do — leave me alone!

all the little things you do will end up coming back to you

maura @ 1:48 pm

What I’d really like to be doing right now is curling up on the sofa with a blanket, a nice book (fiction), a nice cup of tea (mint), and a nice CD on the machine (Cocteau Twins: Treasure). But the holidays are coming, so I’m on a small nutritional pit stop (i.e. eating lunch at the computer) before I throw myself back into this day of accomplishment. Errands! Presents! Baking! Cleaning! Kill me now!

We are having sort of a Santa issue here. This is the first year that Gus really seems tuned in to the whole presents thing, and ever since his birthday he’s been running around like a right little greedy first world child asserting that for Christmas he wants “all of the Thomas trains that I don’t have.”* Then at some point the Santa** factor was introduced, and Jonathan explained to him that he needed to write a note to Santa specifying what he wants for Xmas. Well, now apparently Santa is to be expected to get him $500 of Thomas trains. Argh. Of course we (and most of our family, too, I think) are already finished shopping for him, and have not gotten him any Thomas trains (Come ON! He got 3 for his birthday, and is slated to get at least 2 more for Xmas!). But now I’m thinking that the trust in the Santa concept will be broken if he doesn’t get at least ONE thing on his “list”. So I guess we will be buying one more gift, after all.

* Sadly, this is fully our fault since we neglected to take the product insert (with ALL the Thomas products on it) that came in the trains he got for his birthday away from him, and now he calls it his “map” and carries it everywhere.

** I’m sort of ambivalent about Santa, having been raised in a non-believer household. My mom didn’t want to lie to us, so we always knew that Santa is a fake. But I don’t feel deprived, or anything (people always look at me like I’m some sort of FREAK when I reveal this). If anything (and esp. now, as a parent) I can totally understand and respect where my mom was coming from. Anyway, I’m fine with it, but admittedly it does make me somewhat less sympathetic to the whole Santa playacting thing.

Ack, I’m too busy to be writing this, leave me alone!

you can sing most anything

maura @ 10:02 pm

Internet should be free everywhere. I’m sitting in a Starbucks right now* waiting to meet Jonathan for an appt with our will lawyer, and I’ve run out of things to say in my journal.** I do, however, have a ton of email to answer, plus would love to read the Times. But no free internet for me here, not even after buying a $2.50 bottle of OJ. Poor, deprived me.

* Of course, by the time you read this I will no longer be sitting in the Starbucks, I’ll be home and copying and pasting this into my blog. Who knows when that will be, it could even be tomorrow! Hellooooooo from the past!!!

** Here’s the other annoying thing: I have a constant stream of narrative running through my head at ALL down times: on the subway, walking down the street, waiting in line, etc. But when I have a laptop and some time to get it down, where does it go? Poof, right outta my head. Duh.

Hey, I’m out of books to read! What should I read? Just finished Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott, which I love love loved, even though she is a Christian and I am not. And I’m still waiting for Collapse to come back in for me at the library. And I’m actually caught up on New Yorkers. Help me, easy readers!

Tomorrow is Gus’ birthday. It is completely blowing my mind that I will soon have a FOUR (4!) yr old. Four! This week he read his first word (kinda). Okay, okay, it was a good setup: he + Jonathan were shopping for a bike pump, and there was Finding Nemo bike basket there. Gus picked up the basket and said “N-E-M-O. Nemo!” Kinda cheating because there was a picture of Nemo right there, but kinda reading too!

Gotta go to the lawyer, adios!

down the hill and round the bend

maura @ 7:04 pm

We came home from my mom’s today and Gus is gorging on his Thomas videos. ABSOLUTE JOY.

Forgot to mention this Thanksgiving tidbit: my mom had bought Spumoni ice cream, which is chocolate, pistachio and tutti frutti all together (ugh, even typing it out makes me slightly nauseous). Gus ran around the whole afternoon demanding to look at the baloney ice cream, with fruity doody in it. Yum!