Triathlon Time 4 Me?

Well the stars seem to be lining up for me to get training again.

For some unknown reason, all of a sudden, today I felt like running. I haven't touched my running shoes for many, many moons. My supercool road bike? It has cobwebs on it.

Perhaps it was chatting with my friend the ironman (ironwoman?) triathlete. It is a very humbling experience I assure you. And when I heard that her 13 year old son, who is friends with ARG, will be doing the Treasure Island Triathlon....well, it made me think.

Could I? Should I? Sprint triathlons are relatively short (in the tri world) but they are still hard. For me, it's about 2ish hours of exertion, courage and pain, topped off with pride and euphoria at the end. Plus the goal to train might just get me off my tokhes (can gentiles even say that?).

So I went for my first run in almost a year today. You know what? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Aside from having an extra tire of blubber bouncing around my midsection (urg!) my stamina was pretty decent. I ran for about 45 minutes - maybe 2 or more miles. I know it's not much. But compared to zero miles, it's OK.

I guess the extreme hiking up Montara Mtn. has helped a bit. I'm not a complete flabalanche.

The next endeavor will be to get on the bike. Oh. My. Poor. Behind.

I'm not kidding folks. I rode about 10 minutes with ARG on Thursday. My derriere is still sore. Sadly, that part needs to get toughened up too (I hate even thinking about that).

The swim is not so much of a problem. I have been semi-regular about doing that. And it's my strong point anyhow, so I just need to do it more often and I'll be all right.

So maybe, just maybe I'll do it. I'm still thinking about it. No commitments yet!

But it would be cool. And maybe it would make me cool too.

8/25 - 31/08

hosted by Sarcastic Mom


Some pretty natures pics this week. Keep on going summer!

hovering

trail to the sea

breathtaking

skewed skyline

dark beauties

me in my natural state

PULEEEEEZE!

Some folks are getting all worked up about Barack Obama's speech. Others spend their time questioning John McCain's choice of that girlie from Alaska for VP.

Peeps, as far as I can see there is not one whole heck of a lot of difference between our presidential choices. The starkest difference would be the prochoice / prolife issue. Other than that, they are both big government guys who will continue the status quo of American policy at home and abroad.

No? You beg to differ?

Go right ahead.

I'll admit to minor policy differences between the two. But from a libertarian viewpoint - one that advocates a return to smaller, more local government and respect of individual rights - the small distinctions don't matter a whole lot.

Plus they are politicians. They are slimey by definition. I often think of Sting's lyrics about politicians: "They all seem like game show hosts to me".

Yeah.

On a more superficial level, Obama would be much easier on the eyes and ears (if I didn't want to run screaming from the room every time I heard him). Hey, anything will be better than cringing in anticipation of some blunder by W. shudder.

I'll freely admit that I didn't hear Obama's speech. Should I? Oh, probably. But every time I heard anything about the convention I felt like vomiting:

"Will Hillary bring unity to the Democrats?"

"Will Bill Clinton throw his weight behind Obama? Or will he damage him?"

PULEEEEZE! That stuff was all scripted weeks ago. The Democratic powers that be knew exactly what would happen at that convetion - it is a SHOW. Bill Clinton not support the Democratic candidate. How dumb do they think we are?

Now we're in for the treat of the Republican convetion - this week I think. What will W say? What about Bush Sr.? Will McCain deliver? Blah. Blah. Blah.

Wonder what's happening over at the Rally for the Republic?

My BehBeh

I know I've posted about this before.

I can't help it.

She's my youngest and my last baby, toddler, little girl.

MiniMe is still little enough to want to crawl into my lap, cuddle while she sucks her thumb as she wakes up first thing in the morning. And she still fits - just barely. Her legs dangle way out there, and her head rests on my shoulder instead of my motherly bosom*.

But she has yet to lose her baby smell. Mmmmmmm. Burying my nose in her loopy curls while she nestles on my lap is a sheer slice of heaven.

And that skin! God sure hardwired moms (dads too?) to be crazy about baby skin. The chubby, smooshy, soft, fragrant skin - what can I say? - I can't resist it. In this day and age, I suppose this might sound wierd. But it's the truth. Babies and little ones are delicious.

MiniMe is four now and things have changed a bit around here for her. She has a "job" now. I've explained how we are all part of a team, how Mama can't do everything, and how everyone has jobs. Hers is to put away the clean silverware. She is less than enthusiastic.

"I'm so tiiiiiiired" she laments each time. She must've had success with that one at some point in the past, because she things it'll get her out of her "job". But supermama is on top of it!

"Your choice right now is to do the silverware, or go to bed. What do you want?"

"But Ma-"

"OK! Up you go! You can do the silverware after you've rested."

"Oh, o KAY."

Next thing to work on is "having a good attitude" whilst doing above mentioned job.

I keep telling her to stop growing. She thinks that's pretty funny. Oh why can't little girls stay 2 1/2 forever? What a fleeting, precious age!


*Did I just refer to myself and bosom in the same sentence? Ack!

First Teaching Challenge of the Year!

As I jump back into the teaching my kids, I have realized that there is one topic that's incredibly hard to teach.

Calculus? Ancient Sumeria? Alliteration? Chemistry? No, not those.

Teaching the seasons of the year is next to impossible where I live!

Here in Northern CA, the seasons don't change all that much. Sure, our days are shorter in the winter, and it's about ten degrees colder then. But other than that? The weather stays pretty much the same all the time: foggy, sometimes misty with an occassional nice, sunny day. Summer time? 55 - 65 degrees. Wintertime? 45-55 degrees.

To add insult to injury, we have mostly evergreen trees here. They don't shed their needles. They don't even have leaves per se - you know, the things that turn yellow, orange and red and fall off in fall (hint, hint)?

For the third time I am trying to explain the seasons of the year to a four year old, with no real objective reality to show her that they really exist. My big kids took forever to understand the seasons. Even my middle child will occasionally ask me tentatively, "Are we still in summer?"

You can't tell by looking outside!

All those books for kindergardeners that detail how spring is full of flowers and buds (we have flowers year round), summer is sunny and hot (not here!), during fall the leaves drop off trees (not here!) and winter brings snow (ahem....). You get the picture.

We ain't got no seasons here. (Not that I'm complaining about living in a mild climate - I love it.)

So, I'm not going to push it too hard. Will she really be deprived if she doesn't know what time of year we are in until she is 8?

8/18-24/08

Hosted by Sarcastic Mom

I forgot my camara for every important or potentially photographic situation this week. Urg!

Looks gross, tastes great - so gooooood for you!

Universe on a bubble

Curvy carrot (home grown!)

Pretty petals

Just a rose

I Know Better Than That!

Yuck.

I had the worst food day yesterday. I only ate white food. Oh, it's so bad for me!

Breakfast? Oatmeal cake at my bible study (with a sugar frosting).
Lunch? Leftover pasta from ARG's birthday meal.
Snack? Toast w/ butter.
Dinner? More pasta.

Oh wait, I had a bit of Rosie's hot dog. that has color. And I can't leave out the most colorful thing I ate all day: a brownie with mint chip ice cream on top.

Ugh. I feel sick this morning.

Most days I am really into nutrition and health and providing colorful meals for my family. It is a real passion of mine. BUT - it requires effort.

Yesterday I was just plain lazy about my food. I was so busy preparing goodies and drinks and snacks and supplies for ARG's overnight camping birthday extravaganza that I just didn't have any uumph left to create healthy meals for myself. And the girls just got hot dogs for dinner. Ketchup was their vegetable. At least St. Nan Nan left some fruit salad, which they ate as well.

I know better than to eat all white, starchy foods. They contain no fiber to keep things moving along inside (if you know what I mean). They provide minimal nourishment and short-lived energy. And they just plain make me FAT!

So, I'm off to the farmers market today to pay penance for yesterday. Dark leafy greens? Here I come! Fresh organic berries? You're mine!

I found a blog called GreenSmoothieGirl and I think I'll try one of those. Basically you shove your blender full of spinach and kale and berries and bananas and apples and water and blend the heck out of it.

We'll see if I can get it down. Who knows, maybe I'll love it. It will certainly help compensate for my non-nutritious day yesterday.

For any foodies that might be interested - check this out:
Farmer's Market Report

To a Twelve Year Old

My first born. My son. My ARG.

Today you turn twelve. You are becoming a young man now, not a little guy any more.

When you were born I was overcome equally with joy that you had arrived, and relief that the birthing process was over. It was the hardest thing I had ever done and the absence of pain was blissful. Holding your squigly, slippery little body was pure wonder and joy.

I cried when we listened to Tchaikovsky's Pas de Duex from the Nutcracker for the first time when you were two days old. I cried again when I realized that there was no way I could be the perfect mom. Knowing my imperfectness would affect you was a hard thing to swallow. I wanted to be perfect for you. I wanted to world to be perfect for you. Alas.

You have always been precocious. You walked early, signed early, talked early. By a year old you were talking in complete sentences. By two years old you wouldn't shut up. You even read simple words at 2 1/2 years (though why I taught you to read so early I can't say now). My heart squeezes and surges when I remember you saying, "What say?" in your wee little voice whenever you couldn't hear me.

The thing I remember most about your childhood was your passion for reading and cuddling. You would be happy to do both all day long - and I think you still would be. Being steeped in so many books has made you the person you are. From a little guy til now, books have always been a focus in your life. That's a great thing - though it can be taken too far. Preferring books to people is not very helpful in relationships.

Like your mom, you have a keen sense of empathy for others. You literally feel others' feelings. Which can be a plus or a minus. Empathy helps you have a heart for others, but it can also make you want to shy away from emotionally charged situations. That's probably why you have to leave the room during highly suspenseful dramatic movies. I encourage you to hold on to this sense and not squash it. It can really serve you in understanding other people.

For some strange reason, making wierd faces at picture time has always been a favorite for you. Like your uncle K.

Your love of good food (and great quantities of it) became clear at an early age. Sorry I was a vegetarian for the first few years of your life. Maybe some day you will like meat. I know is a pain to be a veggie, especially when you are a guest at someone's house.

You've always been very cautious with your body. That's why it's so surprising that you love fencing so much! Welts and bruises don't get in your way. Cuts and sore muscles can't stop you. I'm so proud of the way you dove into fencing and made it your own. I love that you have found your passion. Plus you are darn good! Sorry that I get so nervous at tournaments. I'm working on it.

You've always had a sardonic sense of humor and tend towards sarcasm (wherever did you get that?) I will carry in my heart the image of you boogie boarding next to me. As the wave surged and roiled and shot us toward the shore you looked at me fumbling on my board, one eye brow raised as if to say, "You thought this would be hard for me?" You make me laugh every day, even when I don't want to. It can be so aggravating to be mad at you, and try to stifle a laugh, and fail. And I'm jealous that you can wiggle your nose AND your ears. No fair!

Since your dad is a techie, you obsession with all things computer began early. I think I was correct when I labelled the computer "issue" as the worst conflict you and I would have. (Hopefully none worse will surface.) My fear is that you would be on the computer all day long, every day if I allowed it. That you would miss out on "real life". So I impose limits, which you don't like and constantly push, and hence the "issue". Wouldn't it be lovely if we could come to some sort of deténte around the computer?

I think it's awesome you are interested in literature and poetry. I really enjoy hearing your thoughts about all things LOTR, and I especially love reading your stories and poems. You and I meet on the intellectual level, and I like that. But beware of intellectual arrogance - it won't serve you or make you friends. Make sure to pay attention to your heart, not just your head. What you feel, and the little voice inside that tells you right from wrong are just as important as your erudite thoughts.

ARG, I tease you a lot because I think you can handle it. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings some times. Be sure to tell me when I do.

I love your heart, and the ways you show your love. Please don't stop hugging - even when you are way cooler (and taller!) than I am. I love that you play chase with your baby sister and let her hang upside-down on you. It would be great if you could figure out a way to show your love to Rosie, other than poking her all the time. Ya know?

I'm writing this as a gift to you - to let you know how much I love and respect you. Watching and helping you grow has been beautiful and joyful and challenging and at times painful. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I love the person you are and the person you are becoming.

Happy Birthday, my son.

Time for a Change

I would vote for Dr. Ron Paul no matter what party he was in. But since he will not be the Republican nominee for President this year, I have decided to undo my Republicanness. I have filled out and sent my new voter registration as what I really want to be: a Libertarian.

Libertarians believe that being free and independent is a great way to live. We want a system which encourages all people to choose what they want from life; that lets them live, love, work, play, and dream their own way.

Sounds great to me!

What is hilarious (and hopeful) to me is that Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty (I suppose that's what he started up with all his left over campaign cash) is having a "Rally for the Republic" in the same town, at the same time as the Republican Convention, but in a BIGGER venue.

Yep, my main main is expecting (potentially) more people at this rally than will show up for the Repubs. That would be funny. And cool. Jesse Ventura will be there. And some superstar country singer named Sara Evans will sing. I wonder of Bob Barr will go. I wish I could go. Oh how much fun to mingle with liberty loving folks who want to party. Sigh.

As usual, the media will most likely throw a huge heap of ignore on the rally and the good Dr.

But I will be following it and the Campaign for Liberty with interest.

More Than You Really Want to Know

Why did I start homeschooling?

I've been pondering this question of late, and have come to the conclusion:

HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER?

I decided to homeschool when ARG was four. Two more kids, lots of sleep deprivation, breastmilk brains and 8 years later..... I have only the generalist of ideas why I started down this road less travelled. Knew I'd miss my baby boy (where did he go anyway?), and worried about negative social influences from school.

When I started reading up on the subject, checking out programs and curricula....well, I just got excited about it. I wanted to give it a go.

So.....
Why do I continue slogging it out homeschooling?

As many times as I've desired to throttle my darling son, as many times as I've cried about failures (or stinky attitudes), as many times as I've thought, "I'm gonna send him to school next year" why DO I keep going? It ain't no bed o' roses being mama and teacher.

Everytime I get to the brink and consider shipping him off to military school (notice how I don't complain about children 2 & 3?) I review the reasons I homeschool. To date, they are still weighty enough to convince me to breathe, pray, take a walk, take a quaalude (just kidding!), and keep on keepin' on.

Here they are in no particular order:

- I would miss them if they were gone from me 6-8 hours a day!

- Being stuck together all the time forces us to work out our issues and have stronger, closer relationships.

- I can provide them with a better, deeper, more well-rounded education than what I see in public schools.

- If my kid is good at a subject, she can whiz through and get way ahead of grade level. If she is weak in an area, we can take our time without her getting labelled as "slow" or "behind" or "learning disabled".

- I don't trust the socialization that happens at school. Why would I want complete strangers to influence the belief systems of my kids? BTW did you know that by 5th grade most kids are more influenced by their peers than their parents? Yeesh!

- I love to dream, vision and plan out progams of study.

- We can take vacation whenever we want! Yay Disneyland in late Sept.!

- The kids have way more free time than their schooled friends to pursue their interests: reading, learning programming languages, painting, writing stories, making jewelry, building web sites, writing poetry, fencing, ballet, swimming...etc. (and can I add here, more time to just be plain old KIDS?)

- I get to spend precious time with them cuddled on the couch each day, reading classic books.

So, that's the scoop.

Think Stanford will buy it?

8/11-17

Dude!*
Here are my pics whilst in San Diego.

Did I mention how much I LOATHE & DESPISE LA traffic?

But it's alright because we got to hang out at La Jolla Shores

Shadow in the sand

Surfin' Siblings

Sandy Sisters

Ankle Slappers

My CRA-zy pose for the kids:

* I have an uncontrollable urge to say "Dude!" a lot since my trip to S.D. I don't think anyone actually said "Dude" to me while I was there. Maybe I just absorbed the "dude-ness" of the region through osmosis.

She Does it So Much Better Than I Can...

Peeps - do yourself a favor and check out this great post at Wealth is not the Problem. It's short and sweet and you'll actually learn something!

HATE HATE HATE

Driving from the Bay Area to San Diego is kind of like a getting toothpaste out of its tube. The first two thirds of the process is smooth and easy. The last third you have to fold and smoosh and press and push and you end up with a crinkly mess. Or something like that.

The first 400 miles of our 498 mile trip were accomplished in about five hours (let's see, 400 / 5 = OK I drive fast). No stops, no problems. Good music, good food.

But then, we came out of the grapevine and into LA, the most accursed, ugly, good for nothing, jam-packed place in California. We exceeded 20mph about 3 times between LA and San Diego. What should have taken about an hour and a half, took 4 flippin' hours!

Four hours of slow down (darn!), speed up (yay! maybe we're going now), slow down (darn!), speed up....along with ten gajillion other motorists on a fine Saturday afternoon.

Have I mentioned how much I loathe and despise traffic? It is one of the two main drawbacks to living in the Bay Area. That's why we got up at 5 flippin' AM! That's why we haul you-know-what down as fast as we can - to AVOID the traffic.

But no. Not this time. The ride I have completed in under 7 hours (once) took us almost 10 hours.

I discourage the use of the word "hate" in our family. You know, "I hate broccoli" and "I hate doing math" just don't fly with me. But I informed by kidlings that being stuck in endless, mind numbing traffic in the most squalid, stupid, ugly, lame-o town in CA is indeed an appropriate use of the word.

I HATE L.A. TRAFFIC!!!

So there.

***********************************

P.S. Did you notice that the American women swept the Olympic medals in womens' sabre! No? Oh, that's because they DON'T SHOW ANY FENCING ON TV! Urg.

August 4 - 10, 2008

Rusty Saw in the Sky

Hubby out Hiking

View from our lunch site.

The Tallest Tree in Memorial Park
13 ft. diameter
39 ft. circumference
225 feet high
age: 1600 years

Spooky Sue by Firelight

On the Road with Mini-Me

2 Good Newses

Two things in the news today that tickled me. Things that actually pertain to me (or someone related to me).

NPR did a whole segment on an 18 year old fencer from SF who is going to the Olympics. Fencing - on the radio - cool!

Some appeals court (I think) overturned that lame ruling that said homeschooling was illegal. The ruling confirmed that homeschooling is indeed legal, and any laws made to restrict it would be unconstitutional under the CA constitution. Yay constitution!

Then there was the thing about John Edwards. Sighing and shaking my head. It figures.

Leaving tomorrow for a week in San Diego with the inlaws. The best parts?

- beach (water temp 71)
- olympics (they have a TV!)
- Project Runway! (she recorded two episodes for me)

1984

I wish I could transmit the intensity, quality and flavor of my feelings in response Orwell's 1984.

The admiration and envy I feel towards great writers increases in direct proportion to my desire to write something that is good and important. Oh! to have the ability to teach influential lessons about good and bad, political theory, virtue, the human condition - all the big issues - through a gripping, fascinating story!

I recall reading the book in high school. "Big brother is watching you," is about all I remembered. Lesson? Big government = bad. This time, I checked it out for ARG, and read it in order to be able to discuss it with him. I didn't think it would be any big deal.That was two days ago. Every spare moment between then and now has been spent following the hope filled but ultimately tragic tale of Winston Smith.

A frail, sickly man, he lives in the nightmarish collectivist society ruled by Big Brother. His physical mediocrity contrasts with his almost Herculean mental efforts to resist the thought control of "the Party". He symbolizes the intellectual aspect of the human spirit, while his young lover, Julia, represents all that is instinctive, natural and innocent. Together they defy the crushingly repressive Party not just by freely making love (which is punishable by death), but by falling in love and pursuing a loving relationship. Love is not tolerated in their world, because it can not be controlled.

The Party uses every imaginable heinous method (control of all media, torture, unending war, propaganda, killings, privations of food and necessities and more) to control the populous and maintain a permanently stratified and unequal society. The goal of all this insanity is an unending quest for power, the power of the collective over the individual. When Smith is caught, beaten and tortured for "his own good" his captor shares the image of a huge boot eternally crushing a human skull to illustrate the kind power the Party is seeking.

Orwell obviously went to extremes in describing what could happen to the future of humankind if we head down the socialist road. It is difficult to believe that such a world as he describes in 1984 could exist. But the crux of his point is that socialism could actually change human nature. While one may or may not agree that human nature is alterable, Orwell's story argues that an oligarchical collectivist society could succeed in denying objective reality, by insisting that reality is only what exists within the human mind, which can be controlled and altered. Freaky.

The parallel between Winston Smith's world and ours that struck me most was the unending war. In 1984 war fever is used to whip the people into a state of frenzied fear and hatred, a way to discharge repressed sexual energy as well as to distract them from their impoverished conditions. Is our government using war in order to distract us from something? I don't know the answer but I think it is good to ask the question. It is always good to question power.

Newspeak, the contrived language used in 1984 as a way to change people's thought patterns (if you don't have words for it, how can you think it?) reminds me of the lingo used by some of our politicians and military folks. "Collateral damage", "economic justice", "American interests abroad", "nation building", "peace keeping" are a few that come to mind.

What is truly terrifying about Orwell's vision for the future is the complete invasion occupation of the state into individual minds and hearts. Thought control is the final destination on the road to the annihilation of individual freedom. Winston doesn't learn this until the end.

"'They can't get inside you. If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can't have any result whatever, you've beaten them.' He thought of the telescreen with its never-sleeping ear. They could spy upon you night and day, but if you kept your head you could still outwit them. With all their cleverness they had never mastered the secret of finding out what another human being was thinking....They could lay bare in the utmost detail everything that you had done or said or thought; but the inner heart, whose workings were mysterious even to yourself, remained impregnable."

The ultimate tragedy of the book is that despite Winston's epic battle to save his soul, he was wrong. Through torture and other nefarious means, the Thought Police successfully breached the wall of Winstons inner heart. He committed an act of supreme evil, willingly betraying his love for Julia, and was destroyed. As an individual, he was gone. What was left ended up loving Big Brother.

A sad ending, yes. But a warning we would be foolish to ignore.

Mama Mia!

I went with a friend tonight to see the smash summer hit Mama Mia!

Well, I have to say that I laughed out loud more than five times. I may even have snorted. It was very silly and campy and how can you not love Meryll Streep?

But like all musicals, it is pretty dorky when they're having a conversation and then bust out into song. Sometimes you are laughing AT them, not with them, ya know?

I give it a B+. Setting: beautiful. Acting: great. Singing: good. Dance scenes...OK. Believability? Well, I don't think they're going for that.

I wasn't bored. That's something.

And it did make me want to appreciate every minute I have with my girls before they grow up and leave. It is hard to have that perspective when you don't have enough time for yourself. But I know they day will come when I'll wonder why I didn't spend more time with them.

Want a feel good movie? Go for it. Like Meryll Streep and good looking men? Same. Can't stand musicals - stay away, far away.

8/03/08

I grew that!
I ate that.

Is it possible to capture the majesty of redwoods?

Braidy girl
(OK I didn't take it, but it's my hair taken with my camera.)

Flutterby

Beautiful hands

Bead time!

A fun one.

Misty drops