Second First Day

E-beast started his school year last week! (I'm behind, sorry!) Lots of returning friends and one returning teacher made for a seamless transition. We kept with our first day traditions!






(no, that's not his backpack...)

Who knew?

(Preface: In all of the back-to-school activities around here, I've met a few parents. I've heard about them and their kiddos all year from Russ who walks E to school but never met a lot them.)

New Friend: Oh wait, you're Eliot's mom??
Me: Yep!
NF: So, hold on,...he's adopted?
Me: Yeah, he's from Guatemala.
NF: Oh wow, this whole time I thought Russ had an exotic wife.


Poor Russ, 12 years with me when he could have been with a latin lover. Sorry Dear.

Happy Holiday!

Happy 90210 Day!!! (Get it? September 2, 2010?)

How do you and yours celebrate such an occasion?

Day 1, Year 2

Toy Story 4

Sub-title:
Buzz and Wood start a bike shop.

I Heart Faces

This weeks challenge is Photojournalism, i.e. a pic that tells a story. Here's all I have to offer...


Happy Monday everyone! (IT'S ALMOST SEPTEMBER! WHAT THE?!)

Each

Let me preface this cute video with the fact that I know nothing about the company who created it. I don't support or not support them. I don't encourage you to give them money or withhold money from them. I just really liked the video. I don't know if they really care about kids finding their right place or if they use this as a front to use your money to buy baby bunnies to make coats with. You get it, right? I know nothing about them. Not a thing except they made a cute video.

Each Campaign from The Loud Cloud on Vimeo.

And on that note, I wanted to encourage you guys not to worry about us not getting a phone call yet. Though we've been working on becoming foster parents since the beginning of the new year, we haven't been on "The List" for even 8 weeks yet. Also, our window is pretty small with what we said we're willing to take. If we changed our minds on what's right for our family, we'd have a kid by 5pm. Feel free to ask me questions about that if you're confused. And thank you for caring, for being worried, and for asking. I dare say we've gotten somewhat used to the waiting game. Now, if we still haven't heard anything in a few months, I may not be able to claim that. One day at a time, right? And today, we're okay.

Eliot is at such a great stage that we're soaking up every minute with him while we wait. We could get a call tomorrow for a child that stays w/ our family forever so we're just trying to appreciate this season w/ the 3 of us for what it is.

My pics!

When I took my Fresh Art class to learn how to use my camera, Jodie and Kim encouraged us to take pics of everything, to practice everyday, to really get to know your camera and how to use it in as many different settings as possible.

I get nervous showing my practice pics because I worry that people assume I'm thinking more highly of my skills than earned. Does that make sense? So, just to be clear, I'm not starting a photography business. I don't plan on selling my photography. I plan on learning my camera and taking 8 million more pictures of Eliot. That's the plan. Just so we're clear.

Russ took a photography class in college and made a comment about how I see things differently now. How just like him, you start to look at lighting and shading and lines and shapes and picturing a still shot.

I've added several photography blogs to my reader. Again, not because I consider myself a photographer. Many of them give challenges weekly or even daily. Some assignment to get you thinking of different reasons to use your camera. One of them is Shutter Sisters and this morning they had this quote: "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." -Dorothea Lange

I like it. I like these. They're teaching me to look at the world differently.

Defending The Bump-it.

In case you didn't catch it (status update), I was eliminated from the jury. Didn't make the cut. Get off my case, okay? (ha!) But what was more interesting? The Defendant was totally sporting a bump-it! I was giddy.

A few highlights I forgot from yesterday. At the very beginning of the day they ran out of number/name tags so they were paging people by name. They definitely kept paging someone named Harry Johnson.

Secondly, they had a list of "rules" once we got into the courtroom. #3 under 'No firearms' and 'Turn off your phones' was "Pull up your pants."

And because I have no shame, I will share the final feature of the day. They were doing a role call and asked everyone to simply say "here." The mature and non-awkward person that I am choked when they called my number. I started to say "me" but remembered half-way through that I was supposed to say "here" so yelled, "Mere!"

Speaking of Bump-its, you guys were busy this weekend!

Sounds Fair...(Illinois State Fair) Thanks Sarah S!

Queen Bump-It (Queens resident) courtesy of Joy S.

And click here if you need to Leisurely Bump-it. Courtesy of Karen R.

Btdubs, I don't want you to hear what I'm not saying here: I don't hate the Bump-It. On the contrary, I own one. It came w/ my favorite Spin Pins. Just so we're clear. Or "Mere", as the case may be.

Jursey Shore

I served my country today. and I will again tomorrow. And possibly the day after that. I had/have jury duty.

Last night Russ and I brain-stormed ways of making the whole experience more interesting. Here were our top five picks:

*Make a jersey with my juror's # on the back with my name. I shall call it my Jursey.

*Wear my graduation robe and walk into every room saying "All rise!"

*Wear an orange jumpsuit and hum "chain-gang" until I (pretend)fall-asleep and yell "Not the paddy-wagon! Not the paddy-wagon!" in a panicked sleepy stupor.

*Every ten minutes or so, make the Law & Order sound.

*Draw a tat of the blueprint of the courthouse all over my arms and back.

I am not brave enough to actually bring any of these to fruition but today certainly didn't need it. People are entertaining. Which is why someone brilliant out there said, "hey, let's just let people be themselves and put it on TV!"

Anyway, the highlights include the girl next to me suggesting we make the questioning more fun by drinking every time someone asks to answer a question privately, calling 911 during our break for a juror from another case, one juror holding up the whole thing for an entire hour by going MIA (and the Judge saying, "I'm sending the 'boys in brown' in the paddy-wagon to find him, don't worry"), one girl using "like" after like, everything she said, like.

But truly, The Recorder was my favorite. She has to keep this oxygen mask type of thing stuck to her face (not for oxygen, it was her recording device. We've come a long way from Night Court. Not a good long way, just a long way.) and whenever she didn't hear something quite right, she would urgently pull said device from her face, give the most irritated expression and demand you repeat yourself. I loved her.

The main part that is bothersome for me, besides the obvious, is the moment I realized I have to be mature. I have to make mature choices with my behavior. Bottom line: I can't get the giggles. This could be a problem. It always has been.

Pray for me. As I govern our city. Wearing a tree costume (branches of gov't?)

Here's hoping tomorrow is full of blog-fodder!