This is just very sad.  "Three's Company" was the first "grown-up" TV I remember watching as a kid [that and M*A*S*H].  I always liked John Ritter.  Goofy, handsome [though not in a leading man way].  He seemed light-hearted and happy. This is really a shame...

oh... another great Johnny I remember from childhood dies today too.  Johnny Cash.  Great voice.  "I walk the line" is one of my favorite songs.  I thought Johnny Cash's voice was sexy before I even knew what that word meant...

12:58:49 PM    

I miss the blogoverse but have been too busy to allow myself to get re-engaged.  Still in the rebuilding stages of the front porch.  We finally have the floor down and primed so we don't have to trek through a mudpit and climb up a stepladder to get in the front door. Spent last week preparing a display to represent our regional cohousing association at a local festival.  Made a banner, and two backboards.  Turned out nicely, if I say so myself.   I also got out nearly 70 letters of invitation to local preschools to participate in the annual preschool education fair that the family resource center organizes.  I'm also still slogging away editing the korean-english dictionary pages for a friend, and am putting in an hour or so a day on campaign work for my friend who is running for city council.  Too many commitments, I know...

Blew off the Dean rally in College Park, MD last night.  Only 15 mins away but it really felt like I should be home hanging out with my guys.  I actually got it together to make dinner [vegetable curry -- too spicy for me and TLG though].  We had a pleasant evening.  Turns out 4000 people came out to hear him.  It's exciting and part of me wants to be more involved.  I keep telling myself there is plenty of time until the primary here -- and even more time until Nov. 04 and I just have to be more balanced in my commitments. 

TLG's preschool teacher came for her home visit today.  TLG was pretty excited to have her come over.  He and I overslept and then ran around for an hour picking up toys, sweeping, dusting, and mopping.  The place was really a pit.  Dustbunnies the size of hamsters.  Luckily he is at the age where he can actually really help.  We got it together before she came over and they had a really nice visit.  I have been having mixed feelings about her, but she was really great with him and he really responded to her.  School starts on Monday.  Mon-Th, 9:30 to 1:00.  I am hoping he really enjoys it.

Despite the fact that the house is reasonably livable, dinner is made, and I am making fairly steady progress on all my myriad lists and obligations I feel blue this evening.  Out of sorts.  Adrift.  The news of the two bombings in Israel really got under my skin today.  I have been extremely critical of the Israeli gov't in recent years but I am starting to have the kind of violent reactionary thoughts about the radical palestinian factions that I condemn in others.  It makes me so angry -- and not just because of the tragedy of the deaths of innocents on both sides.  It makes me so angry because every attacks makes a peaceful solution that much less likely.  Feeling angry and hopeless about that I guess.

I also have to admit I have been less than diligent about taking my meds over the last several months. Plain old garden variety stupidity and self-sabotage.  With the days getting noticably shorter it is like playing russian roulette with my emotional health.  I think I need to get my light box out of the attic and set it up next to my computer. 

When I was at the folk festival on Sunday staffing the cohousing display I saw a family of four each carrying red, white and blue BUSH 2004  helium balloons. [Turns out the local cheap labor conservatives had a booth just a few doors down from ours].  I had such a string visceral reaction of anger upon seeing those balloons.  I just wanted to march up to their tanned and blond selves and shout, "Are you freakin' kidding me!?!?!  I mean, on what planet is THAT a good idea!?!?!"  But they were walking with their little ones and I was too angry to get into it in any kind of sane way.  So instead I just seethed all day watching those balloons.  I knew damn well that a certain percentage of folks getting those balloons didn't have a choice in the matter. When you are walking around with a little kid at a festival or fair and someone is giving away helium balloons -- well, you have limited options. [Your integrity vs a temper tantrum in a crowded asphalt parking lot on a 90-plus degree day...]  Still ....

Random, mundane, probably boring as hell ... that's all I gots to give right now luvies....

later gators...

7:20:44 PM    

Well my on-line hours have been sharply curtailed as of late -- which hasn't really been a bad thing as it turns out.    I find that it feels rather good to be too busy to spend too much time reading and blogging.  Though I certainly did enjoy immersing myself in it for a time.  The next couple of months will be crazy busy but I expect at some point I will re-engage in the political reading and commentary that I was doing. 

So what am I busy with?  Well, as I think I may have alluded to previously, I am serving as Campaign Manager for a friend and neighbor who is running for city council in November.  No, I haven't really done anything like this before but I am finding I have pretty good instincts and DR [the candidate] and I have a good rapport and I feel good about him as a future councilperson.  He is is a long-time resident of our town and has been very active in the community though has never held office before and is running against a well-liked incumbent.   We are not expecting a cake-walk though we both think he has a good chance.   Our strategy right now is just to get him out and meeting people, introducing himself and listening to what folks in our ward have to say.  We'll probably start knocking on doors this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, I am organizing a booth about cohousing at a local folk festival on Sunday.  I have to create a display and then it'll be the usual 10 hours from set-up, through chatting with folks, to tear down.  The aim is to educate people about cohousing in general and the cohousing community I am a member of in particular.  With the hope of finidng some potential members, of course.  And Saturday... 2 hour orientation at my son's cooperative nursery school and 2 hour beginning-of-school cleanup.  And then we rush off to meet with our architect .

Between now and then I have 3 mtgs [for the family resource center, nursery school fundraising committee, and with DR], and a funeral. [The elderly mother of an uncle I adore.]   Additionally I am helping a friend edit the english portion of a Korean-English dictionary [we are getting paid for that, yay!], and organizing the second annual preschool education fair for our community and need to get out invites to over 3 dozen local schools this week.  And, oh maude, I just remembered I still haven't typed and distributed the minutes to our last cohousing membership mtg. 

This sounds ridiculous I know.  Especially in light of the fact that it is [just about] all voluntary.  The only think I absolutely am obligated to do is tend to TLG and our home life.  And I keep finding myself up to my [in need of a nice shaping] bushy eyebrows in "to-do's."  Most of it is fun.  I just wish it didn't seem to pile up all at once.   As the anxiety looms I think I will tape to my computer monitor a little adage I coined for myself pre-mamahood, back when I was drowning in professional responsibilities: "Action is the antidote to fear."

'til next time luv pups...

10:37:15 PM    

yes I am still here.  have not fallen off the face of the earth.  still up for blogging.  just ended up taking an unintended, unplanned hiatus when TLG ans I did a road trip to Cleveland and then spending some more time with my Dad before he returns to Israel on Sat. 

be back soon ...

9:45:25 AM    

Politicked out for the time being.  Tired.  Sleepy tired and emotionally really worn out.  Have been negligent in taking my meds every day and is starting to take a toll.  Feeling indecisive and pulled in half a dozen directions.  Feel like I need 48 hours all to myself.  No house, no scratchy dog pushing her nose up under my hands to pet her, no cats mewing to be fed 6x a day or sitting on top of my keyboard demanding my attention, no dishes to be done or floors to be swept or phone calls to make or laundry to be done or 4 yr old little guy to entertain.  Just me.  I need it now but am not likely to get it for a couple of months.  Just too much going on.  My dad is still in the states, TBG is in the middle of rebuilding our front porch, the new school year starts soon and i have a to-do list 3 pages long of all the things I have volunteered to help with over the next couple of months.  Over-extended again.  tired.  need to be taking my damn meds... need to be better at listening to myself and taking care of myself.

10:21:52 PM