"Finding Face"

"Finding Face" Co-Produced/Directed by Patti Duncan (OSU) and Skye Fitzgerald, this is a documentary shown in Portland, OR. last night, anyone and everyone read in on the piece, Tat Marina's story and do what you can to raise awareness... and bring justice for the women of Cambodia and for the greater whole.

James and I went to screen this, his first and my second time seeing it... it's third showing in the world. This sparked tons of convo between the two of us, and means a great deal to me, considering Patti Duncan is one of the Professors I work with and the topic at hand, of course. Truly amazing, read in on it! :)

Bottled-up... Anger from the pissy-cats

Bottled a smoked ale for the first time today... well bottled for the first time of all... Winther brewed this amazing Smoked Brown Ale... and it is really something. Although today was full of the usuals, chaffeuring around the teen, cleaning what I could in the house... I did enjoy learning a little bit about what makes Winther, Winther. He truly has a gift, and definitely knows what he's doing... although he said that he would go into German-mode while we were bottling... it was more the cat that was in the way then my clumsiness. Zoe (the cat of strawberry anger) is the roommates cat, and does not like Winther or myself. Will he can stand him, but the cat definitely hates me. I have been known to be quite the "cat-whisperer", ha... not true considering everytime I get within 3 feet of one, or closer(which I always find myself in) I either get scratched in the face, or nearly have my eyes taken out. I think this all comes back to when I was 5 years old, and I had an orange cat named Simba... I loved that cat soooo much. One day we were outside and my mother had just set up an inflatable pool for my brother and I to play in. Well seeings how Simba and I were so close, I thought that he would like to go swimming... so I threw him in= End result, pissed-off wet orange cat, millions of scratches, deflated pool... and now as I continue to have these run-ins with felines, I believe that Simba passed along negative-cat-voo-doo... and now every cat knows and senses this about me. So even though I know that cats hate me, I still can't help it, I Love Animals and even no matter how matter times I get scratched in the face, have my eyes clawed at, get hissed at.... and like Zoe did the other day (have my whole container of strawberries knocked over), I still get closer to them then I should. So today while we were bottling, Zoe came in and teased me... she plays hard to get... she acts like she wants to be pet, but then she hisses at you and growls... so I try to bug her as much as possible, hoping she'll learn to love me... but I guess after grabbing her out of the loft and throwing her down a couple of steps to keep her in the house, she will continue to hate me for life... but two cases of brew is better then 5 angry cats
Look forward to seeing how the brew turns out, and hopefully in the future, brewing a little of my own... ;)

August 25th; Miranda Poppins almost out

This summer has been really good... but I have to admit that I am a little overdone... I am ready to be in Corvallis, studying, living in my apartment and near my best-friend. Portland has been good to me, but this last week and a half might be a little tiring,oh and long... but it has been great and I have had a lot of opportunity to figure out more about myself, life and what I need and want to make me happy. So far I have watched overall 8 kids this summer... and I figured out that at the most I would like to have three little ones... NO Sisters!!! I just want one little girl... so hopefully this will be in the cards for me. I will also not have kids so far apart in age... this causes a complete disconnection between siblings. Portland is a really great town... I have been to all kinds of pubs, two brewfest, a documentary showing, many gelato/pastry shops... and coffee of all sorts (in fact I'm in a coffeeshop now :) Which leads me to the apartment update. Because OSU has been major assholes to Winther, he will probably not be going back this year. They won't give him funding until he writes an appeal, in which he will end up paying out of state tutition totally $30,000... which to be honest isn't worth it. So he's decided that hopefully if a position opens up at McMenamin's that he'll take it and live in Portland for a year or two, to establish residency... and I'll be in Corvallis finishing my degree(s)and living with new people! I have three prospect lined up; Abi (the horticulturist), Clare (Ag Science Lady) and Sami (the Vet)... all are great potential roommates... but I'm still a little sad that Winther and I won't be moving in together... we certainly put our apartment life on a pedestal... with a puppy too, and now I don't think I'll even get to pick out a set of dishes... but other then that all is well and flexibility is a virtue... plus I'm there for studies so maybe this will help... all the apartments are at the most two blocks from campus, I can have a dog, and they are all my age and focus-on-studies-style... so it's cool. So we'll see how the year plays out... I will update more, when I move in a week... but if I can muster up the enthusiasm I will try and end my Miranda Poppins right, and start writing again everyday... to end it will... stay tuned!

Well all is good...

Life has been good... This past weekend was of sporting fun... full of chlorinated goodness, sunshine, family, alcoholism til' the wee morning hours and a dead pack of American Spirits... not my type, not my trend. So the weekend was great as I was down in Southern Oregon with the family, and Gyllian-less... I hung out mostly with my Dad and friends, which was great... and finally got to hang out (for more then only a couple of hours!) with my little brother, who isn't so little anymore. He's leaving for training with the Coast Guard in October :( It's a good move for him, but unfortuantely it has to be in the services... He will do great things though. Then a drunken night with my Madre, which was a quick one for me, seeings how I can't ever catch up with my Mom, and when I do, I end up out like a light, due to tiredness... but the next day we went and saw The Orphan which I have to admit, wasn't a waste of money... and the company was great. I love to take her to scary/horror movies.. she's jumpy and it makes it more fun. So after the day with Mom, back to Dad's to burn one down til 4... AM... wow it's been a long time since I've smelled the crisp morning... but to bed I went... then up to Antique with Grandma She'. When we finally got out to town we hit up one shop where I purchased some findings for Booze-Spice. I wished I had read the Star Trek comics before giving them up... but all in due time, I'll get the chance to browse em'. Then Grandma and I went to my cousin Lucy's basketball game, then more chlorinated pool... then I took Grandma to see Bruno . And I believe I saw her both cry her eyes out and pee her pants on more then one occassion within the two hour feature... It really is something.
By Monday I was at my Grandparents house, picking Blackberries and eventually on the road back to Portland for another week of Nanny.

Tuesday up to today, has been pretty good. Watched the girls at their house tuesday, in which we just chilled and watched movies avoiding the heat (107), record high in Portland... nothing compared to So. Ore. And Jill ended up staying at their house so, I went out to Booze-Spice's in which we killed ourselves in the heat, but had a nice drive around the Falls and adventured to find Oneta Falls, but wound up missing it and driving back and forth... only to find it absorbed with a shit-ton of people... not our cup of tea at the time... plus hunger was setting in... there are so many things about Booze-Spice that really can't compare to others... his brewing, insert anything here, and the meals he cooks. So instead of having a romantic meal by his lonesome, he cooked lamb, made flat bread and I worked the salad... and topped it off with watermelon and coconut covered dates... polishing everything with a wonderful bottle of Shiraz, that he purchased. It was really quite the meal... and the company wasn't bad either... then we jumped in the neighbors sprinkler to cool off and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Thank you, love

Wednesday the girls and I went swimming at a fitness club's pool, which had way too many fucking rules... if I had been a kid I would've broken every rule and then pissed in the pool before I got kicked out. It sincerely sucked for kids. After our mistreatment and over-supervision, I took the girls out for icecream... then back to the house. When we got there, Dan (Jill's dad) suggested that I chill and take a nap if I wanted, which I took him up on... a nap that lasted 3 1/2 hours! Complete with Molly (Jill's mom) delivering me dinner in bed. After that I got up, Booze-Spice called and I joined him as he ventured St. John's only to find scale 4 pizza (which it really does suck). But once again it was another nice time just chillin' in Portland. After Booze-Spice dropped me off Back at 11pm... straight to bed for another long stint of sleep... this one equally 9 hours... total sleep for today= 13 hours... think I was tired?

Today was alright. I woke up at 8am, cooked a pretty kick-ass omelet (if I do say so myself) for Jill, Nicole and I. Did some things around the house, and caught the Noon showing of G-Force with the girls.... 3-D Everything... it's just a way to jack up the prices... considering that when you take kids to the show, they have to always see it in 3-D, and have to have popcorn, soda and the works... and even as we (Moms, Nannys, and Babysitters... everywhere) finally figured out that taking that shit to the movies, saves a shit-ton of money... they don't start searching people's bags, but they jack up the prices of movies, make then all (kid's movies) 3-D and make you wait to enter, as to entice children to annoy until served the buttery flavored goodness, which just leaves them belly-aching later on, due to its nutritional content... poor little kids... but hey we were all there once. So after G-Force which by the way is about Guinea Pigs as Secret Agents... we came back to the house where I'm at now... I look forward to the weekend... and a break... it has been a long couple of days.

lokaen = Booze Spice , quite suiting

FriSatSunMonTuesWedThursFriSatSunMonTues= 12

Holy shit it's been days and days, what to say, what to say? :

Today: Bjork, coffee and the internets... all is starting off great.

Yesterday: 20th: french toast with Gyllian, and now her and her friend Elle, are building a home for the almost-dead Gerbil, Cupcake, so they're entertained and I'm journaling... made stuffies (stuffed animals) all day and watched movies... then Winther called and to Hotlips pizza and a movie, Bruno, hilarious... he had tears in his eyes...

Sunday: 19th: Got up at 9am, Gyllian actually slept in then her, Jewel (Corgi) and Cloudy (housecat of massacre), came in and all woke me up... then, cinnamon/sugar roll-up pancakes + My Fair Lady. Then craft day which consumed me with sewing and stuffing a pink pig with a green crown who now inhabits the name "Mr. Stitches", while Jill decorated her camel. Then we watched Peter Pan, while I did the dishes, which I feel like I've been doing everyday now, twice a day... interesting the skills that I'm acquiring. ha. Then lunch, and a bike ride down to the dock. I swear one day, Jill is going to get hit by a car... it's friggin' scary riding around with her... but not on my watch. After the bike ride, we picked plums from the tree, and Molly came home, then we research dogs/puppies around the area for adoption... then pedicures, up until Jill wanted her nightly dark-chocolate covered raisinettes and a sunday show on OPB... to which I escaped to watch another movie and enjoy a cup of peach tea.

Saturday: 18th: Katy left in the morning, after she spent the night... got up, waited for Jill to return from soccer practice... then she and I went to the Clark count fair, in St. Helen's Oregon. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would've been, I hate fairs... they are usually sooo hot, on top of pavement, expensive, full of lots of screaming people/kids... and Carnies! I don't know what it is, but I hate when people push things on to me... it wasnt' as bad as it has been in the past, at other fairs.... but Jill and I enjoyed seeing "Brothers from another Mother" comedy show, which was interesting, seeings how we just had to see it twice... then we enjoyed the rides, lots of sugary treats... erg... I almost vomited after the purple/cherry slushie... and the over-exhaustion of heat from the day earlier... we saw all kinds of animals, a police-dog show, OSU garden show... and lots of St. Helen's locals... and boy I tell you, they are the cream of the crop... home-grown... but it wasn't that bad... well we were there from 12pm to 6:30pm... enough at which, when Molly/Ellie/Lindsay showed up, I was ready to get the hell out of there. So at 6:30, I left St. Helen's, to join Winther at PIB/SIB Portland/Seattle's International Brewfest... which was great... by the time I showed up, three hours late, Winther and Andy were having a good time.. had to catch up, so I started with de dolle dulle tuve (The Bitch)- florally and hoppy, but good... then onto the Mystery beer which to be honest was better then most of the others, it was caramel/chocolate, a little coffee at times, smooth and rich (crap, I can't remember the name for the life of me right now!) but then we strolled around enjoying conversations, meeting people, people-watching/identifying and checking out the millions of dogs, St. Bernard's with green bows, little shaven pomerainians (it looked like a little bear). The fest was really great, great people, great convos, great brew... I ended with a Peche Mortel... after Kulmbachers Pils and I was well-off even after my second... then we decided to find a diner, in which we enjoy shitty diner food, sobering up and more chats... night ended well at 12:00am.

Friday:17th: After playing chaffeur all day... I woke up, drove Jill to Art camp, hung out there for over an hour to listen to the "Grace-Art camp song" which never happened due to lack of supervision of children and lack of time... but it was super cute and the visual arts counselor wasn't bad either, then I did a couple of errands (dropped off movies, and library books... the typically Mom thing), then went back to the house for a 10 min shower, then to drop Ellie off at soccer, in which Molly met us, and we watched her game, where I got the worse farmers-tan/sunburn in a short amount of time... I have butterfly-marked face from my sunglasses and horizontal straight lines on the mids of my upper arms. After the soccer game, I stuck myself in traffic on US 26, to pick up Jill at Art camp. She showed me all her stuff and the fiber arts table, which was pretty sweet... then onto get icecream, in which she had rasp/mint-chocolate-chip gelato... then back home, until Katy showed up at 5:30pm, where we went to Santa Fe on 23rd in NW Portland, and enjoyed a couple margaritas... then polished it off with a sharing of a slice of chocolate cake, from Rose's (it's the best), and back to the house, for long hours of girl talk and crazyness.... love her.

Thurs: 16th: Nothing too exciting... except that Winther woke up grotesquely green and sick... advision to not go to work and a kiss on the cheek, then back home to find Ellie, broken-hearted.... her and her boyfriend broke up, so as I drove her to driver's ed we talked about relationships and how they go up and down... and that being 15 yr. old it may feel like the end of the world, but there will be many more... she's good, just a little shook up... so as I thought of how to cheer her up, I decided to make her a "Post-You-Know-Who" Healing Kit... comprised off a 15 yr. old movie oddly enough titled, 10 things I HATE about you, her favorite chocolate, a mango (another favorite), and other things to cheer her up... all wrapped up in a hot pink bag... but then I found Gyllian Homeward Bound 1 and 2, a movie I thought she'd enjoy... so I purchased them both little gifts to keep their chins up... I never had sisters... so what the hell... plus I love to gift :) And when I have a little girl, there will be many occasions when she will need a pick me up after a break-up or a downer... so I'll be prepared, to cheer her up :) After that I picked up Jill from Art camp and took her to get chocolate crossiants from her favorite french bakery...they were quite good :) Then we came back and chilled for a little, the normal evening.

Monday 13th to Wednesday 15th: During the day I really only did stuff around the house... and waited for Jill to get home after Art camp at 3pm... when she did, so did Dan, and so I was able to leave to go out to Winther's for our little day-off vacay... so we stayed at his place Monday night, after going and getting BBQ... I don't know, it was his idea, but we most definitely did not fit in with the cowboy/redneck decor... but after that we decided that over our couple days off we would go camping... so we researched and decided to get up early in the morning to go out and explore the Mt. Hood national forest. So after a later start then we intended due to wonderful sleep... we got up and drove the saturn all around on I-84 going NE... we found so many great places along the Columbia between Oregon and Washington, we found a place called the Women's Forum, where we found lots of people oil-painting the scenery... it was wonderful. As we looked out on the viewpoint we noticed that up the cliff there was what looked like an old orthodox-style church... so we drove to it, and found that it was only a building that housed as a viewpoint... so we grabbed some coffee from the cafe there and drove to our next point... in which we hiked alongside the cliffs and found a little waterfall called Horse's tail... it was beautiful.. then to Multnomah... then up to Bonneville Dam, where we sat in the sun for a little while and called Jason, seeings how it was his birthday... and decided that we would go camping down in Corvallis instead, so that we could enjoy Jason and Hillary (the newly wedded couple)'s company... so we went to the fish hatchery before went left the area...in which we met Herman the 10ft, 450 lb. Sturgeon... it was friggin' huge and old.... 72 years, I think was the guesstimate for how old it was... then we watched these little kids feed the trout and the ducks... and found this cute littlle (well actually pain in the ass) fisher-duck, that kept biting at the tails and fins of the fish below...he was hilarious... after we left the Mt. Hood area... we drove down to Corvallis, stuck in Portland traffic for a while... but got to Mary's Peak eventually at around 7pm, just in time for the sun to go down... then enjoy a nice indian dinner with the Hogans... and roasted marshmellows, chilled with Daisy (their dog) on her bed, then went to bed... it was really a great night. Then we woke up at around 9 somethine, packed our stuff, had breakfast then drove back into Portland... decided to stay that night at his house... and enjoyed a little Cafe Flesh... ha! It was a great little vacay away from the norm and with him :)

Friday 9th to Sunday 12th: Jason and Hillary are getting married this weekend... so we headed down to Corvallis... and started out with the bachelor party, in which we (the guys, a girlfriend, and I) went to Downward Dog in Corvallis, for drinks... it was fun... but a little awkward... so as the fellas left to go back to the house... I called my friend Tab and he joined me for drinks... it was great to see him... then back to the house, where Winther and I slept on Nick's (one of the groomsmen) couch, well me on the couch, Winther on the floor... poor Winther :(, oh and we found out it was a pull out... ha... anyways, we got up... had breakfast at a local diner... got ready for the day then went out to the wedding, at the park.... before we started meeting people we went on a walk, the park was beautiful. Then we went back to the wedding area, where we checked out the scene... the wedding was beautiful... Winther looked so good, with his boots, and curled up mustache... her colors were hot pink, orange, yellow... very summery... starburst colors, and gerber daisies... they are such great people :) The wedding was really fun... and afterwards we drove back to town and enjoy the evening together until he drove me home. It was really fun weekend, but super tiring after it all... no wonder Winther got sick... geez... more sleep needed. Sunday I hung out with Jill all day, as the rest of the fam went to Ellie's soccer practices/games... so far they have won two 1st place titles, and one 2nd place... they are really good :)

Now onto the rest of today, all the girls are here... about to have lunch and then to the waterpark at the Rosegarden... the temp is about 90 today, so it will be good to get in some water and try and read some more... lots of reading this summer to catch :)

Tues,Wed,Thurs... onto Friday!!!

Tues: Started out at 7:30am, coffee, shower and a better outlook on the summer and hanging with the girls... I dreamt a lot about all the things I still need to do this summer to get ready for next years job and apartment and such... I think it was the caffeine (that usually doesn't effect me, but for some reason did this time) so up, shower, more coffee... then to Jamie's to chill with the girl's all day... we had planned to go on a hike, but instead waited for Nicole to get up, so we watched Babe (you know, kids movie about the sheep-pig) brought me back :) Then we had lunch around 12ish... and decided to take the dogs out for a walk around the Loop. So I and the girl's in the PPE, with Jewel (not the house corgie, but their young yellow lab puppy) and Scamp (the cute little bison/dauschund/cocker) he's sooo cute, but still a little tiny puppy, so a little flighty. So we walked the Loop, a couple mosquitos here and there and tons of snakes!!! eeeekkkk!!! It was kind of freaky... but we survived... it was good to be outside and not in front of the T.V. , and by the many "are we done yet" comments, I could tell that it was a good idea to get the girls outside too. After we finished the 2 mile Loop, we dropped the dogs off and I decided to surprise the girls with a little treat... so we went to DQ. Now as I'm on a college budget and am still trying to pay off my lovely laptop, even though I'm saving I still like to buy for others, especially little kids... I like treating them :) But as it used to be enough to simply get swirl cones, now it's "I want a chocolate-dipped waffle cone with chocolate swirl icream, oh... and can I get it all dipped in Cherry?" So we settled on chocolate-dipped waffle cone+chocolate icecream, and Ali had a sundae... not bad. So we went back, chilled watched Bolt, and I feel in and out of sleep until their Dad got home... early in fact :) Then back to the Hampton... Jillian excited from Puppet camp, but off to dinner with her parents and their friends... so the house was to me :) So I made Heirloom tomato/olive/four-pepper goat cheese pizza and watched Ever After... (I'm still in love with Drew Barrymore) :)

Wed: Another day started out the same, but I made Jillian chocolate-chip pancakes before I left. Then off to the girl's where Nicole was already up, so we watched a couple of movies and decided to go to the library... yay!!! We decided to go to St. John's public library, I love St. John's ( this was not far from the island), but you cross the columbia on the St. John's bridge (which the arcitect that designed this bridge was the same arcitect for the Golden Gate Bridge, and rumor has it that he thought the St. John's was the most beautiful bridge he's designed)... it is a light steel green, with sharp peaks at the towers, same overall design as the Golden gate, but far much more detail and creative-effect... it's beautiful and reminds me of the Wicked Witch of the West from OZ. So we got to the library to find out it didn't open until 12pm, so we drove to a park that the girl's directed me too... Columbia park, it was beautiful too... and the girl's had a great time. So we hung out there for a little... then I decided by the time we got to the library, it would be 12, then we'd stay there a while, and they would probably get hungry, so I decided to treat them to a snack at Freddy's while we browsed for a little until the library opened. We settled on caramel and cheddar cheese rice quakers... a little healthy... then we browsed the toys, chilled on the furniture there... and checked out the CD's... we had quite the time... then off to the library, where the girl's found a great assortment of things, but Ali settled on one chapter book with a felt brown cover, and Nikki decided on about 10 picture books and a chapter book about desserts... kids are so cute... then we went back to their house, where we enoyed grilled cheese and tomato soup and another movie, Aquamarine (silly girly movie, about a mermaid that has to fall in love with a lifeguard to give the girl's that found her, their wish- which is to keep one of the girl's from movie away to Austraila), holy crap, I should be doing research on the girl's psyches, and their development behind the lines, and actions of these movies... Nikki is boy-crazy at 8... enough said... oh wait, I was too... ha... anyways then Mike got back, I returned to the Hampton, and Molly and Jillian showed up close after... then all the girls (Molly, Jillian, Ellie and myself) went to Ellie's soccer practice, but before we stopped at Taco Bell (eeeewwwwrr... still am not to fond of), but Molly ordered a Pina colada (both of us hoping that their was alcohol in it, ha), and as we were leaving the drive thru I asked the lady at the window if it had some in it... it which she glared... I have to admit I was a riot that night... it reminded me of my Grandpa Greg and all his flicking bullshit to everyone, guess it's in the jeans...ha... then we dropped Ellie off at soccer practice, and Molly, Jillian, Jewel (house-corgie) and I hung out at the skate park, while Jillian "Heeley'd", a little girl with strawberry blonde hair and pigtails, roaming around this a bunch of 12-16 year old "skater-boys"... it was pretty awesome, and quite hilarious... so Molly and I chatted, then we went to Krispie Creme, where Jillian threw a fit and got her way, a chocolate bar... but didn't get her way when she wanted to go to Goodwill... but then got her way again, because we stopped by Jamba Juice after Ellie's soccer practice... then dropped Ellie off at her friends and back to the Hampton, for the retirement of everyone to bed... then asked Molly if Ellie had any movie to which she directed me to a drawer in her room, which just happend to have about 20 packs of various cigarettes (15, smoking like a chimney)... Good luck Molly...I watched Saved (Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin) check it out, it is pretty hilarious and right on target as to all the crazy yahoos, bible thumping and isolating people in society based on belief versus human choice... then to bed.

Thurs: I didn't have to do anything today!!! A day off, well sort of... I told Molly I could do everyone's laundry so I did... 6 loads... but I also got out of the house, drove around and listened to some new music I purchased on ITunes...of the many (Ingrid Michaelson, more Lily Allen, Viva la Vida, Heartless, some Slumdog Sountrack and a song I really like, Laughing With by Regina Spektor... sincerely great song... then after driving around, came back hung out and painted cards for some friends, until Jillian and Molly came home and Molly made Carbonara (the family's favorite dish) which is quite good... then we played Splash (kid's game, involving squeaking dolphin toys) and then painted nails while Molly read to us, a Richard Peck novel... and now I'm to bed...

Oh My! 16-22

So instead of writing out details in full sentences... I'm going to give short word(s) details to sum up the days:

16: Up, Ready, Chocolate-chip pancakes, Jillian in here Prime, Girls, Pack the Lunches, Dan's (the dad) Micro-managing, Crazy-car ride to the Zoo. THE ZOO, lots of people/kids, petting zoos, bird-show, girls-fighting, girls-playing, Sunscreen++, Book reading, Africa, Jillian drawing the animals, Chimpanzee Challenge (5 mins- dollar each), Otter rock, the Seal Lions, Hotter then Hell, Drive to Dairyqueen, called "Mom" again from other observants, three blizzard = three happy girls, back to Honeybee Hampton, snack time then James picked me up.

That evening, we enjoyed Portland, Deschutes Dining and Brewery, Bleu/Bacon Burger+Green Lakes(Me), Elk Burger+Black Butte(James), great convo lots of yuppies everywhere, we ate in the Pearl. Then strolled a little around town, went to check out record store (but closed), almost went into a odd little hole-in-the-wall smut store that looked like a record store... then to Powell's for Sci-Fi lit and Femi-lit (Powell's is the biggest bookstore in the nation) it's gorgeous. Talked of Rudy Rucker, decisions to purchase difficult, empty-handed and to the show. Satyricon (not many habitants) in the beginning, but picked up at the end. First band sparked interesting conversations, differences apparent, second band sparked inspiration (found my clone, with a knock-off nose structure) they were really great, might need to obtain groupie status... then Kayodot... which I was in awe of, sincerely beautiful instrumentals, and very talented musicians. I would sleep with the violin lady if I was one, into ladies and two, into asian women, but she was very beautiful and beyond one of the most talented violinist I have heard/seen in her age. After enjoying company and music, I was sooooo tired I got sick on the way home, no vomit, yay! But I was soooo tired from a long day at the Zoo, then all the way until 1am, and up for another day at 7:30. Went to bed with ringing ears, ears that haven't rung like that since I was 17, this lead to good dreams and a hunger for more.

17: Up, Girl's arrive and we chill for a little while... chat with my Madre for a while and internets until 10:30ish, then onto the presentation of Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol, in which we stood in a long-ass line for over an hour to see the inside of a train that was traveling all over the world sharing about the premiere of A Christmas Carol (Starring Jim Carrey, Gary Coleman, Colin Firth etc...) it was a really cool train, and very interactive... then onto a blow-up theatre to see a trailer, oh and it's in 3-D, it's going to be pretty awesome, check it out in Nov. After the chaotic lines and overwhelming amounts of kids... we came back to Honeybee Hampton where the girls chilled and Ted + Gabby (neighbors kids) came over to play Wii and hang. 20 extra bucks so no big deal ;) and then the evening seemed to end after they all left.

18: Beach day!!! So up, a little breakfast, girl's arrive and I pack a picnic... off to the beach after the girls play Life and we enjoy the 90+ degree weather, got a great sun-burn and added a couple other kids to the bunch... (sometimes I watch a neighbors kids for a couple of hours here and there and sincerely, they are easy). But that is now 5 kids, wow do I really feel like a mom... it's going to be a long time before I tie myself down like this, if ever. So after the beach, dropped off the girls, back to Hampton with Jillian, Ted and Gabby, then Jillian and I hung out for a little before she retired to her room for nightly reading with Mom or Pop.

19: Friday!!! Jillian and I day :) These days are sooooo much easier... so we slept in... hung over the house until three, then went to the library for her prize and to check out more books... to Aloto Gelato (J: rasp/choc-chip mint, Me: coconut/orange) then to this crazy ass children's toy store, which was pretty sweet, Jillian acquired a little Owl (with Glow-in-the-Dark eyes, mind you) named after a couple of changes, Buttons Alice McCaw, he's quite cute and in good hands... then to a vintage store, an indian-store, bank then Subway for din din... we wanted to get home and relax, by this time Netflix had delivered, so we watched The Little Princess, made brownies and cleaned-up to Mary J. Blige (Jill's choice, but it worked) then watched The Parent trap and I read here Grimm's Fairytales (rapunzel, rumpelstilskin, frog prince and a couple of others- this is where I had to explain how rapunzel had boys after she was banished in the wood, when the story only said that the prince snuck up to her window) this was tricky... very tricky... but whew... it all turned out o.k. Then off to bed for a day of the 4th and Fireworks.

20: Started out sleeping in... yes! Then online looked at some artwork... hung out with Fam... played with Jill and got ready for the day... James and I decided to hang out, and fly the coop at Sauvie, even though there were people coming over and free dinner. So we went to Hopworks... it was pretty good... bleu-bacon-bbq burger (again) and Evelyn's Imperial Sunshine + pretzel stix. Dinner was good, then we drove around ( I Love doing this) and looked at all the interesting places... just driving and people-watching, talking and accents... then a sudden erge for Salvation Army clothing, White-Russians and Sparklers... so we did just that... James in Gold Lame silk skin-tight boxers... white-russians with icecream, sparklers, then pipe tobacco (rookie's first time), it was great... there were lots of fireworks around from Ptown, so it was a great night. Then awesome sex, as usual... basically having to re-create a holiday seeings how James was so far away from his family on his favorite holiday, and I, as well away from mine... but we made it a fun night.

21: After a wonderful morning, drove Sven into work, Edgefield is a great place... then I found a little coffeehouse with comfy couches at 8am and enjoyed mocha, The Brutal language of Love, a talk with my Ma and people watching... then decided to frivolously spend a little.. so I bought a couple of t-shirts... then we met up again for lunch at McMen's and a tour... he really is doing the job that he loves... around good people all day, kegs, drinking a pint here and there... and music. The facility is awesome. After I picked him up, we went back to house to relax before we went hiking with our friends, who were coming in from Corvallis. The plan was to meet after James got off work, then go hiking up around Multnomah Falls... but here's how it went... James got off, we relaxed, then got a phone call - "so, we'll be there in 5 mins, it's 3:45ish now, and we have to meet up with a friend at 5"... so... instead, James and I did what we wanted and took them to Hotlips for pizza and strolled around the local New Seasons... then he and I went back to the apartment, and enjoyed the rest of the evening until we got another phonecall saying they were back in town for beers... but the call never came, so we relaxed and sang a little :) Then he drove me home, and back to a week of work... one which after a holiday weekend, I didn't want to endure... but it was such a great weekend, so thanks honey.

22: That's today...holy shit, I'm caught up... wow. Jami's (the two other girls' house) at 8am..grrrr... hung out with Alison until Nikki woke up... which I found a little odd... for she gets up every night at 4am to get in bed with her Mom and sleeps naked at 8 years old, but she also sucks on her first and second fingers of her right hand while petting you at the same time... something which I'm trying to help her get over... but what I'm I do say, I was the kid who took off her diaper and painted pictures on the wall with my shit... to each his own... anyways, then we watch a couple of movies and had a lazy/comfy day... due to the decrease in heat of Portland, from 92 to 65... weird summer. Then we played Disney Scene-it, I kicked some heiney... and karaoked a little, which was fun... the girls (especially at that age, want to be superstars) it's too cute... then Mike (their Dad) got home at 4:30... and I arrived at the Hampton in time to hang out with Jillian before dinner. Puppet camp went great for her, she's in charge of making the dauschhund for the play on Friday... and then we did our usual of trampoline, playing a board game... watching a movie and enjoying comfy clothes and tea... during this she should me all of her American Girl dolls, which I don't really understand the whole AG doll system and find dolls to be a pretty screwed up way for a girl to idealize subjects based on their looks and what they have... it is really interesting, but she loves them... "I will question these sorts of things, when I have kids"... *note to self.
After the movie, Jill was to bed and I decided seeings how I am sooooo tired and have another day of entertaining the girls, I should get some sleep after LJ... so here I go.

Nighty night

Day 15: Another day at Honeybee Hampton

Today was a pretty low key day... the girls came over at 8-ish... and they all played lots of different games together... leaving me to have the opportunity to get some sun and read on the deck for hours. So I have gotten to page 184 of the 213 page, Loose Girl and it's is really good. Great writer and I feel very connected to the writer, due to the fact that I had and still to this day have the same thoughts that she has had. Anyone reading should check it out. So basically what I did today was make lunches/snacks, have around for a little bit of entertainment when things got boring, and as the mediator. After their afternoon snack, we went to Sauvie Island Farms to pick Raspberries and Bluberries, which was fun... the sun was super hot today, so we all got a little pink. After the girls left, Jillian and I watched Arthur and Wordgirl, then we went and read on the trampoline for a little. I really enjoy when it's just Jillian and I, and she shared that she really enjoys when we get to hang out and do fun things too... so that's nice that we have bonded so well. Then Molly came home, made us some broccoli and couscous with chicken and a lemon/fruit sauce, it was odd, but very good... then we pitched a tent for Ellie's sleepover tonight, and Jillian and I then retired to the master bedroom for a little evening movie, and teddy bear stuff animal clothes making. I made both our animals little vests, one with a felt carrot on it, and the other with a little pumpkin, both very cute, but 80's/michael jackson-esk... then the girls all got back made pizza, Jillian attempted to go to bed (is still in the process, as I'm writing) and Molly bought me Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Crunch (my favorite) so I dipped into a little of that, plus a little girl chat with the teens, then off to bed... I'm going to try and finish my book, but I want to get to bed early... ZOO tomorrow, yay! But give me strength.

For the day: Raspberries, Blueberries, Reading ++, Teddybear clothes, and addiction fix

Day 12, 13, 14: Girls Day, Organic Brewfest, Pizza!!!

Friday:

Day started out like other, Jillian to Spanish camp, except Molly and Ellie were home, in which they went out for the day. So I picked up Jillian (Jewel and I walked to her school on the island) and picked her up. Both Jillian and Jewel were walking all over the place on the way back, which was a little stressful due to the fact it's on a stressfully fast road... but we got back safe and sound. Then we packed a picnic and books to read to take with us to The Loop. We enjoyed a nice relaxing lunch at The Loop, in which we read the story of Sonora (a princess, resembling the story of Sleeping Beauty) but with quirky characters and quite hilarious wit. During our lunch time discussions, Jillian asked me about war and we talked for around 20 mins about WWII, the Nazi party, Hitler, then other wars, PTSD (and flashbacks), Vietnam and why people had wars. This was a really interesting conversation, and a very interesting one for me to facilitate, especially to an 8 year old, but she really took the time to listen and ask questions and I answered them honestly and respectfully to hear, as a young heart ( I also told her that her Mom and Dad, would love to talk to her about WWII in detail, if she had more questions). This just really brought me into a deeper understanding about when I have kids, and the responsibility you have to them to share with them the answers to their questions and challenges, yet the responsibility to make sure those things don't haunt them in their dreams, so I will be checking in with Jillian every so often and let her parents know that this was the subject at our picnic. After lunch we got back to Honeybee Hampton and played a Life (the game) again. For some reason she loves it... but I won this time, by 200,000 which if you've played isn't a big deal. Then after Life, we read a little more of Sonora before we drove into town so that we could get Hannah D.'s (one of the many Hannah's, of Jillian's friends) a birthday present. Jillian was attending her birthday on Saturday, a Bunco party- one in which she exclaimed that she didn't understand why her best friend, Nicole, would attend the Jonas Brothers concert over, Hannah D.'s "once in a lifetime opportunity" parties. It can sometimes amaze me, how we loose this since of wonder in the everyday things, but I completely understood her. So we were at Fred Meyer for about 20 mins, until we made it to the Cinema in Scappoose, for the 3-D presentation of UP, which was great. She had seen it before, but it was really cute; imaginative, heart-felt, but it was really sad too. I think that anyone should see it. I will go with you :) So after the movie, and Jillian's belly was full of ... (two-packs of Twix, a sm. bag of Cheetos and half a sm. Cherry-Coke), we went back to Fred Meyer's so that she could do a little shopping. This little amount of shopping equated to around 2 hours... which I didn't mind, even though we were both pretty worn out... she was enjoying herself, and I was enjoying seeing her happy... so she found a skirt and a light blue dress, while I found a pair of shorts, that we're much needed (shorts that reminded me of the fact that I'm sincerely the whitest person in Scappoose) but that's what the summer is for right? So after she spent her gift card, we went to IXTAPA (said "x-tapa") a mexican restaurant for food. We enjoyed our little date, in which she had three bites of flour tortilla shells, filled with rice/beans topped off with Chocolate milk, and I had two chicken tacos. Then back to Honeybee at 9:40pm, a little past bedtime, but just in time for her Dad to read to her... so I was off to bed, with a promise from Jillian, that she would let me sleep in, in the morning... fingers crossed :)

Saturday:

She held true to her promise, I got up at 9am and chilled in my bed until 9:30, then came out for coffee. She and Molly were getting her ready for the day for soccer camp. So Molly and I chatted it up while she finished getting ready and Molly informed me of the Organic brewfest that was going on, so I started planning for that. After Molly returned from dropping Jill off, we talked more, and I sat in the "internets" for a while, and watched/helped her organize all the art supplies that Jillian has, went could honestly supply a whole army, if they decided to paint/create art as weaponry, which would be amazing. Ellie hung around as soon as she got up and Molly and her went to Kruger's for tomatoes, which ended up as a Rhinette Cheese/tomato grilled sandwich, which was delicious ( I now have an amazing new grilled cheese recipe). Then Molly went to pick up Jillian, and I got ready for the day. Jillian returned and found out that a friend had invited her to the beach ( in which Molly said, 'Thank God'... for that meant she could get rid of some crap around the house), so we all chilled until her friend's parents and the kids showed up, two hours late (Molly shared that they were flaky), then Jillian was off to the beach, and was to return with the two other little girls at 4:30pm, in which I would drive them all to Hannah D.'s Bday in Scappoose at 5. So Molly and Ellie left for the first of her soccer games of the tournament and I hung around the house waiting for the kids to get back. I read a little, took a small nap, finished getting ready, then went out and picked a huge bag of cherries for James (sincerely there is soooo many, and I know how much he loves them). So around 4:40, I get a from the friend's Dad, and plans change to them all taking them in, Molly picking them up at 9:15pm, yet, Jillian didn't have Hannah D.'s present that we picked out the day prior, which was really upsetting. So I grabbed my stuff to go, and met the little fam down at the Cracker barrel store on the island to give her the gift. As I got there Jillian came up to the car and asked me if I'd brought her new light blue dress, which I hadn't and as I could tell she was getting a little tired and cranky and really wanted it on for the party. So I took her back to Honeybee Hampton, she changed in less then 2 mins, then I drove her into Scappoose, all was well, she was at "the party of a lifetime" and I was off to meet James at the Organic Brewfestival in Fremont (Portland) at Overlook Park. Driving there was a piece of cake, I go there and found reasonable parking and met James near the main tent. There were lots of awesome looking people there, this was the place the we needed to be :) James was a little upset about the token situation and the sun, but he soon turned happier :) So we went around with our little corn-made cup and tried all kinds of ales and ciders... I was a fan of the ciders... and I especially enjoyed the uniqueness of the Grunit that we tried from two different breweries, it tasted of Rosemary... and would be a great cooking brew... James and I both enjoyed this one... and it brought me back to the first couple of dates that James and I had... where we walked around campus at OSU and picked Rosemary... Rosemary is just a big part of him and I... so it was nice to have something that brought me back to the butterflies... So we had a great time at the Brewfest, lots of interesting people, James started talking to a fellow metalhead while we were in line for the Reggae Junkie Grunit... so it was nice that there was at least one out of all the hippies (lots like me) that was into metal... I really enjoyed the festival, especially going with James, he knows so much about it... and I really feel like I'm learning, if I want to be a brewer's partner in crime someday, I gotten get to it... so as I don't drink very much, especially considering, I'm watching kids all summer, I got a little tips... and we layed in the park outside of the tents for a little, just talking and enjoying the sun settle down past the mountains. Then I followed James to this pizzeria Hotlips on Killingsworth (the street that my Aunt and Uncle used to live on when I was little, also the same street where I was mugged when I was 8 or so, walking back from swimming at the YMCA... another story ask me later if interested)... the pizza was awesome... James said it equated to NY, so I look forward to going with him in the winter to enjoy more... then we took a trip into the New Season market, in which we bought pomegranate soda, yogurt, tea-cookies, a candle and yummy homemade mandarin cheesecake... then we went back to his place... we were suppose to fool around, like we love to do... but settled for a horror-flick Children shouldn't play with dead things (1972) instead, and we both fell asleep... that's watcha get for working hard for the $. Onto Sunday.

Sunday:

I got up with James at 7am, wished him a great day at work and drove home to Honeybee Hampton... the drive is getting really easy... I love that I'm learning Portland... thank goodness... so as I got back expecting everyone to be up, everyone was gone. Dan was at work, and Molly and the girls (and Jewel) went to Camas, Washington for the rest of the soccer cup Ellie was playing in. I hadn't even realized they'd be gone. So I cleaned up the dishes, then mapquested everything under the sun I'd like to go and see this summer... thrift stores, old navy, my bank etc... then drove to Tanasbourne on 185th (Beaverton/Hillsboro area) found a Starbucks and browsed Barnes and Noble. I purchased LooseGirl: A Memoir of Promiscuity by Kerry Cohen, it is really interesting and of course about the development of young girls, looking at sex, drugs and all the things parents/society push into the fearful spots in their minds. It is a biography... and is really quite good. I am finding that I continually want to read up on the psych of women and young women especially... post abuse, or trauma or just everyday life... it really aids in understanding my life, my mother's (I know Mom, yes, you too... love you), other women I know and how I will be able to communicate with my little girls/teenager daughters someday... but I know that no matter what I do, I will do the best I can, that all we can do as humans... but anyways check it out it's amazing. I also picked up one of my favorite writer's books, The Brutal Language of Love, by Alicia Erian, who wrote Towelhead, which was made into a film... please please please see it... it's on DVD, it is an amazing story of a young girl and her experimentation with sexuality, her body and finding her voice... it was hard to watch, but very good. She's an amazing author, so this sound be a good one... easy read, it reads in small stories, so check it out or borrow it later :) Then I picked up My Mother, My Mirror by Fuerstein... I have never looked into their work, but it is all about looking into as you were growing up, and the conscious/unconscious messaging you get from the media and watching a learning from your Mother... Mom, you should read this after me... it really looks amazing... it also lets you reflect a little and we know how I like to do that... as you can tell with the long friggin blog entries... sorry. But sincerely I think this might connect me to a greater understanding to my body dissatisfaction... that I feel is really holding me back... not only in my everyday life, but in my relationships, professional realm and understanding of what it truly means to be a woman, which body dissatisfaction comes with that... but women can seek to find a true happiness within the skin that they were given... so I'm on my journey... well the books were great... and then I got back to the Hampton, and took a shower, then settled down to start LooseGirl, then decided to take a nap... so cat nap for two hours... then woke up to Molly calling to tell me they wouldn't be back until 7pm... so I got up, took my picnic blanket outside and read in the sun for a couple of hours... the book is really good!!! Then I came in after chatting with James and decided to get pizza in St. John's at this little gas-station/tattoo parlor/hair studio, that I had been before when I went to see Demund Tutu (ask me later if you want to) in April or May? So I grabbed two pieces one Veg and one Pep, then drove back to the Hampton, cracked open one of the three McMenamins Brews James had given me earlier yesterday, the Ruby Ale, and watched an episode of Gilligan's Island (Jillian's favorite show), I know...odd, and ate my pizza... then read until the clang got home at 7:45... hung out with Jillian, played Zooreka, which was like Settlers of Catan, but for kids and about creating a Zoo.. then ended in my bed with a cup of tea to write to you fine people, until now... so now onto... Jill/Ellie and the two other girls... NO Camp this week... 7:30am to 5:00pm all day entertaining and hanging out... Miranda Poppins... here I am... Night :)

For the Day(s): Pizza!!! UP, Jillian shopping, New Books... Organic Brewfest... reflection

Cupcakes of Cuteness

Day 10 and 11: Heroism and Cupcakes

Yesterday started out well, Nicole joined us on her birthday day, requesting that we have a special day, just for her birthday. So after I got the girls to camp, I came back and got ready for the day, then wrote in on the Mail Tribune article, and respondents. Then we had lunch, which took about an 1 hour and a half, due to the fact that everyone seemed a little hungrier then usual (lots of mac-n-cheese). Then we drove downtown in the PPE, listening to disney tunes the whole way through. When we got there, I learned a little about the Portland parking situation, and walked with the three little ladies to Cool Moon (an icecream shop). Each of the girls had various flavors (2 scoops each) and I got to try a lemon ginger on a sugar cone, dee-lish. Then we crossed the street to Jameson Square, which was this giant fountain area, where there were literally over a hundred kids playing in shin-high water, screaming, laughing, crying etc... It was great. The fountain was surrounded by these little cliff slabs of rock, that spewed out water occasionally replenishing the pool all the kids were playing in. As soon as we got there the girls were stoked to be playing in the water... it was about 78/80 degrees with a good breeze, so it was perfect. As there were a lot of families there, there were also a lot of Baby Daddies... single men with one or two children... looking to score a new mommy. I noticed that within the 2 and a half hours that we there, I was brought into daily parental/casual conversation by two different Baby Daddies... both of them were quite attractive, and we're good with their kids... but um, hello... I know I look like a Mommy (obviously I fit the shoe, as everyone assumes the three girls- that look nothing alike- are mine), but it was flattering and quite fun. So as I chilled on the grass, James ended up joining us... he joined us out on the Island for Cherry picking and dinner. It was really great seeing him. He is really good with kids... can't wait to see him have some of his own some day :) He'll be a good pop. So then it was cherry-picking, trampolining, big-swing, cherry-picking, dinner, bike-ride then off to Troutdale for James. After he left, Jill and I played Life in which she kicked my heiney 2 million something thousand to my 1. But it was fun. I was a doctor with a 70,000 salary, married with fraternal twins and a little girl... had a country cottage, bought a sportscar, attended a hollywood red carpet, ran for mayor, painted a masterpiece, made a rock video etc... it was wonderful, ha :) Then to bed we went.

Today we got to sleep in until 8:30, whoot! Then we got up had cereal, and Molly drove Jill to camp. As they were leaving, I noticed that Cloudy (house cat of massacre) was walking up to the deck near me, with a huge something in his mouth. It was a friggin' baby bunny (but still big for a cat to be eating, about 7 inches long), he brought it under the deck as I was taking Jewel out to potty. I wasn't going to do anything, but my curiosity again got the best of me, so I took a quick peek under the deck. And again Cloudy was playing a little cat-n-mouse, biting it then letting it go the swatting and catching it again... pure torture.. when I looked Cloudy had flipped it then pounced down on it, and stood straight over it. I could tell that the thing was scared to death, but still able to run away (not for long if Cloudy had anything to do with it). So as Cloudy stood over him, awaiting the moment when it went to run, I decided that I had watched and felt way too long within the incident, and I wanted to save the little guy. So I went and grabbed the garden gloves, picked up a couple of clumps of dirt, and threw them towards Cloudy telling him to leave. Then I picked up the bunny and walked him down to the field. He had a big area in which his fur/skin was gone, but other then that he was just scared to death. As I worried about if he was a goner even if I'd let him go, the bunny sprung from my hands into the grass and bounce away... freedom and a feeling of heroism sparked the day. After the bunny rescue, I decided that a little bit more sleep was in order, so I went back for a 1 and a half early nap, then showered. By the time I was done showering, Ellie and Dan returned from Western Oregon (Ellie's basketball camp), and I started on a couple of around the house things, when all of the sudden Ellie came out of her room, grossed out and telling me to go look in her toilet. What now? So I went in to Ellie's private little bathroom, to find a small baby mouse floating in the bowl. She was freaked out, and I told her, it might be time to clean the room, ha! So as she squirmed and squealed about the mouse, I grabbed a freezer-sized ziplock and grabbed the little mouse then folded the bag over it, then out to the garbage he went, shame too, he was cute... Miranda Poppins to the rescue again... ha ha ha.... but it felt good. After the mouse fiasco I picked up Jillian, we had a little lunch, found that the frog they caught yesterday had escaped (so we went out to find another and wound up only with a bumble bee) then decided that cupcakes were on the agenda for the rest of the day. So we spent two and a half hours making regular sized vanilla-bean flavored cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting (Jillan decorated, meaning a crap-ton of sprinkles and colors, wonderfulness :) and I made mini-strawberry/vanilla cupcakes, with little strawberry designed tops with vanilla frosting... they were adorable. After cupcakes, Jillian rested by watching Arthur and having Hot cocoa... while I read that Michael Jackson and Farerra Faucet passed away, geez I really didn't realize how old MJ was (50)... but the looks can be deceiving. I thought that I'd be a little bit more unsettled when he passed considering he was such a big deal... but it really didn't disrupt the day. Then the rest of the family returned home, Jillian and I played for a little, we had dinner (and a discussion during dinner, that I really could've done without... well not the content, but sometimes it is hard to get a word in edge-wise, and actually feel listened to... so it was a little frustrating), but after dinner, Jill, Molly, Dan and I played Whoonu, I lost everytime (game about how well you know the other playing, so blacksheep status for me, but it was fun anyways), then I settled down with a nice cup of tea, almonds/honey (thanks for the idea honeypie :) and am now watching The Wizard of Oz as I'm writing this. And as I thought I would be in the doghouse (or should I say cathouse), with Cloudy (house cat of massacre), he came up and laid on me, while I pet his head, so we're still on good terms, even as I gut-blocked him, ha! Onto Friday, here we come.

For the Day(s): Fountain, Baby Daddies, James (Cherry-love), Bunny and Mouse rescue, cute cupcakes and Cloudy still loves me.

Day Ten Beginning: Soapbox

I shared how I felt, please read:
www.mailtribune.com
Search through the comments on the Two arrested in Rape trial (6/23)
Look for Mirandalin ('s) comments
Thanks for the support

Day Nine: Beach Babes and News

Blueberry waffles this morning... along with making a heep of chocolate chip pancakes for Jill and her friend Nicole. During breakfast, Jill decided to use my syrup dunking cup, and as I was filling it up again with hers, the bottom plate stuck to the jar and syrup spilt everywhere, right off the get go... so as the girls ran off exclaiming, "geez that's a lot of messy sticky syrup, ha ha ha", I was mopping and cleaning up the sticky mess. Sometimes children can really be the best :) Thank goodness they had Spanish camp today :) So dropped off the girls, then went on my run... it was beautiful again today, in the 80's, so I decided the beach would be a great trip for the girls and I. So after the run, I packed us a picnic, all the beach stuff and then showered, getting ready for the day. Then as I was finishing up getting the picnic ready, I decided I should call my Mom and say hi. She sounded good, but ended up telling me that a guy from work and his cousin were just arrested for raping a 14 year old, down in my hometown. This sincerely put a little bit of a damper on part of the day. This really upset me. So after I was done talking to my Mom, I went onto the Mail Tribune on-line to read the article, and the responses, that my Mom informed me I should read. After reading the article I realized how out of whack Medford is, even the officers sounded like dumbshits. Anyways I tried to really build up and analyze the situation away from all the fucking racist, sexist, classist, any-ists' remarks... sincerely there was a lot of talk about how this happened due to the fact that they were of a certain race, and "gangbangers"... and that the west side of Medford has gone to hell because of these so called "gangbangers"... and that this particular race (hispanic/mexican/latino) is prone to rape and assault, and that now Medford is overpopulated by these races, people are at risk. First off, RAPE HAPPENS TO ANYONE, BY ANYONE!!!! And that the problem here isn't within race, the problem is within the education that we are giving our little ones. If we teach women and men to respect one another, and to break down these "rape myths", ex. (if a girl wears something that promiscuous, then she must want it, or she wasn't a virgin before so...) all these and more, are FUCKING BULLSHIT. Alright, now that you can see me for my true colors, my true bias... I really want anyone who reads this to know that NO ONE, and I repeat, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO FORCE OR PERMIT ANYONE TO HAVE RELATIONS WITH THEM, OR ANYTHING LIKE IT. The fact that this little girl was 14 years old and at a party, one in which her parents weren't aware of... is besides the Fucking Problem. But two men, who think that they can disrespect the rights of another human being, is. I will be doing lots more work on this, and have been talking to friends about writing into the newspaper... because to be perfectly honest the paper did a whole "this is a parental-watch problem" and advised parents within the valley to keep a closer watch on their kids, start spying on them through Myspace and Facebook and most importantly disregard any salient knowledge/relationship that they should be building with their children, like working on building a strong relationship based on truth/honesty and really leveling with them on the hard facts of life that... 1 out of 4 women will experience some sort of assault within their lives (sexual, rape, harassment etc..) 1 OUT OF 4. And this is of the young women that are actually brave enough/have enough support to come forward to say something. I really feel that this is super important and I will work until I die to see this whole system work better, and that number lower to ZERO.
Please check it out and respond: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090623/NEWS/906230313

So after talking to my Mom, I picked up the girls from camp, then picked up Nicole's sister, Alison... and we drove off to the beach, conveniently on Sauvie Island, just about a 20 minute drive across the Island. When we got there, there we a good amount of people there enjoying the sun and water. After we applied lots of sunblock the girls and I jumped in... it was friggin' cold but refreshing none the less. As it looks like most Mothers do, another Mom who was close by, asked me if all three were mine. I always get this... even though I'm 22 and am farely young in the face... whenever I watch kids (babysitting/nannying/holding them... whatever) it doesn't matter if they look anywhere close to me or not... I am always mistaken for their Mother... I guess this means the shoe will someday fit with ease :) It's cool, one day it will be nice :) Anyways, I declined and exchanged a couple of words with the locals, then went onto play with the girls, read a little and enjoy the picnic. We were at the beach for around 3 hours, and at the end the girls were definitely getting tired and hungry again, so we returned, they showered (quite the process, after having tons of sand all over our bodies) then I made mango banana pineapple smoothie ( a recipe to which I have found a lot of content bellies):
Frozen Mango Chunks, Small single-sized Pineapple juice concentrate, one banana, ice , 4 drops of vanilla extract, a squirt of honey
Then blend until desired, and serve... wow, I am getting older... look out Grandma...ha!

Then the girls went on to play school, jump on the trampoline and at around 5pm, we had pizzas...
After Nicole and Alison left, Jill went on our usual bike ride to the dock, played a little Wii, and then her Mom and her watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding, while I curled up in my bed and watched a very boring, very long, yet wonderfully directed Scorsese film, The Age of Innocence (1993), what a waste of time... onto Wednesday... here comes the sun.

For the Day: Beach, News, Mango smoothies, Mothering and Movies

Day Eight: New addition and tiring fun

Today was quite the day...
I got up at 7:30am grabbed a quick cup of joe before the day started off with Jill and her friend Nicole (one of the other little girls that I'll be nannying this summer)... so I made mini-chocolate chip pancakes and rushed the gals off to Spanish camp from 9am to 12pm. After I dropped them off, I went for a 2 mile run around "The Loop"... a little cross-country, but good none the less. It is really nice just having a lot of wide open spaces to roam around and enjoy. Then I got ready after I got back from the run, worked a little on-line, then picked up Jill and Nicole from camp. Lunch-time came next, Ham sandwiches and nectarines. I will write occasionally here and there about the girls in detail, just because even though I'm on vacation/summer relaxation, I still am continually looking at the communication and relationships between the girls, their friends, their mother and whole family... it is quite interesting living in home and observing a family outside of it... but I sure am enjoying hanging out with Jill. Nicole is almost 8 years old, and is a little on the chunkier side... adorable as all get out, but I can tell she already has insecurities about her weight. Jill being the honest and aristocratic 8 year old free range girl can be very critical at times of her, and others around her... but I am continually reminded of where she gets this everyday, from her father. This whole nannying biz is wonderful, but the father is pretty critical of others, a little on the controlling and anal-retentive side... Dan's a great dad, but particular. Anywho, so it's really interesting watching the family and the kids interact... after lunch, Jill had step up a tutoring/schooling area for the girls to play school in, in which Jill was the teacher. This I could tell, was a bother to Nicole, for it isn't really that much fun, having others boss you around. So they played school for a while, I caught up on reading, we played a game, Cadoo, then Nicole got picked up for a doctor's appt. at 2:30, leaving Jill and I to our usual afternoon snack (toast/honey and hot chocolate) and comfy clothes/PBS. After watching a couple of shows, we decided to go for a bike ride down to the dock, and chilled on the dock for a little. Then when we returned Molly (her mom) was home and made us teriyaki chicken, rice and cucumber salad (Jill's favorite, and one of my Mom's favorite summer treats for us too). After dinner, Jill kicked my ass in Wii baseball (I'm starting to fucking despise WII Sports, and aggressive children's taunting), but as long as Gyllian is winning, she is happy and I have to remember that her happiness is my bliss. After Wii Sports, her and her mother read while I went for another bike ride, out to the school and back down to the boat dock, listening to a favorite of mine, good ol' John Mayer... it brought me back to last summer in Belgium, and my friends, experiences... and I realized how great this summer was going to be too. It is a great setup here on Sauvie Island, I love it... and I will get to hang out/observe the Mullen's and all the fun they have... plus make a little moolah in the meantime, plus Jill is really quite the doll. So onto the beach tomorrow and to more adventures... I'm sure :)

For the day: New Friends, Cadoo, Communication, Comfy, Bike rides, Running and Wii smack-down

Summer on Sauvie

Day Six and Seven: End of Vacay... Sleepiness

Saturday and Sunday were full of the loves of my life... On Saturday, I got up after 10:30, I finally got to sleep in yay!!! After I got up… I started my day off with attempting to start a new book, and it hasn’t hooked me yet but maybe I’ll pick it up again. Oh and I almost forgot… as last night in Honeybee Hampton was a little eerie (sort of When a Stranger calls-esk, late seventies/early eighties, not the shitier 2000’s rendition, which the story contains no substance), I closed all the doors/locked them up tight and after I fell asleep, I woke up to go to the bathroom at 4:30am, to have completely forgot that I had Jewel’s bed right next to mine, on the floor… so as I woke up, I stepped down on her… scared the shit out of her, as she scared the shit out of me… and I literally toppled out of my bed, barreling towards the floor on my back like a turtle… it was the funniest thing that has happened this whole weekend… ha. Anyways, Saturday was comprised of a couple of films, Emma, SNL’s Best of Steve Martin, some music from the past (ELO, Fleetwood Mac… don’t judge, it reminds me of my family) and watering the garden. I then got a phone call from Katy (aka the best friend) from New York (she has been there for the week for traveling) asking to see me, so the plan was pick her up at 11:50pm at PDX, then she’d stay the night and we’d go back to Corvallis to drop her off Sunday. James got off early from work, and came over to the Island to hang out for the evening. We made Thai-lime rice, with red peppers/onion and shrimp… and he made this awesome chicken with all kinds of peanut Thai spices/sauces, all complete with mango/banana/pineapple smoothie… then we chilled on the foldout and watched Gran Torino (New-Clint Eastwood piece), if you’re a Eastwood fan, and love to hear his low sexy voice (half-way between a sexy cowboy and a dying lung-cancer patient) speak in racial slurs… and watch him kick ass in the Ghettos of Michigan, then this is the film for you… quite the entertainment… we loved it. Then we took Jewel down to the dock for a walk and James went back to Troutdale for work on Sunday, wish he could’ve stayed, but it’s just better with him. Anyways after he left, Katy called telling me that her flight would be delayed until 2:30am, so I watched the last movie of interest for me for the evening, Toy Story 2, then decided a nap before picking Katy up would be a good idea… so I got the call at 1:00am, saying she was at PDX, went and picked her up… caught up for ride home, then to bed with my second lover… on the foldout…
Sunday we got up, coffeed-up, and got on the road… found the library at St. John’s (you’ll hear a lot about this place, I love it), then continued on through Ptown. Once we finally got outside of Ptown, Katy realized she forgot her phone… so we went back and grabbed it… then on the road again we went. We listened to all sorts of music, chatted about the various “her and I” topics (family, love, kids, psych and the general treatment of people), I really love having someone to talk to about the things in this world, I believe people should be talking about… we just aren’t afraid to question it, and not agree on things… but we do respect each other… Katy is going to be a great mom someday, a great partner… and she’s already a great friend and woman. But we as we finally got to Corvallis… we dropped off some stuff, and Katy realized her gas tank was low, and pockets were empty, so I spotted her the cash, as I drove out of town back to Ptown, and her to So.O (Southern Oregon, for all you outsiders ;) , and as I was leaving, I realized I still had all her stuff in the Prius, so we met up before the freeway, and she realized she also had forgot to leave something in Corvallis, so she also had to turn back… life with my best friend Katy, forgetful, but I love her. I got back to the Island at 3:30ish, and decided that I needed that last cup of Joe, if the family was going to be back soon, so I grabbed the last cup, leashed up Jewel and went for a walk, as I was leaving the driveway, PPE turned into the driveway, and Jillian joined me for the walk with Jewel… down to the dock and back… then we had Thai for dinner, Jillian decided on crafts for tomorrow, watched Toy Story 2, again… then she started on the summer reading… for a half hour of reading to me. After Jillian went to bed, I started on The Illuminatus! Trilogy, a book, bought and recommended to me from James… on which will probably go completely over my head… but as page 35ish hit… started to pick up and now I can’t put it down… so we’ll see ( you never know honey )… anywho, onto day seven…
For the day(s): scared dog/flop out of bed, more movies, laziness, James! Katy, too much driving and the start to the Illuminatus adventure.

Day Four and Five: On Vacation

So as the Mullen's have set off for Sunriver... I have the weekend to myself :)
Yesterday, I woke up, watched the family leave... and figured that I would get what I could done on Thursday, so I could have the weekend to myself. So I washed all the windows and picture frames within the house, quite the job considering the house is mostly windows and there is Art everywhere. Then I took my sweet time in the shower, enjoyin the tunes on the shower radio. After my shower, I lounged around in my comfy pants and spagetti top and ironed the napkins... I know, yes, I said "iron the napkins"... and sincerely I ironed about 30. I really never thought in my lifetime I would find myself, ironing napkins... so then yes of course I ironed a shirt of mine for the day, to see if it actually made a difference. I'm still waiting for a sign. I got ready for the day, hung out with Jewel and then looked into different concerts/movies coming out in the summer, that I might want to catch. I definitely found tons of movies I want to see, but only one concert, and it's a feminist singer I've never heard of, so who knows. I did however find this awesome thing for James and I to go to... he once told me that he wanted to attend a 80's party/dance and I finally found one, so we'll have to go to that a couple of times this summer... and it's in Portland, so whoot! After scheduling my days off this summer... I got ready, picked cherries for James in the yard, took care of Jewel, and drove to Troutdale to hang out with James. It's weird that we've only been a part for a couple of days, but it's just better when he's around... yes, you honey :) So I got to Troutdale... and met the house that James is at... could be better, could be worse... hope it all works out... it only has to for the summer... but his roommate is a little off. After James made us Danish tacos (which are amazing by the way), we took a drive in the Prius. This car is pretty cool, it is soooo silent, but is awesome. We went out to find Polar King (an icecream shop), and wound up on the main street in Gresham. It was a really cute downtown area... and we found icecream (along with some Jazz)... there was a man playing a stand-up bass that really new what he was doing... it was beautiful... so James had mint chocolate chip, and I rainbow sherbet... then we went back to his place for the night, finished watching Dead Alive. Sex was amazing.

Friday: Got up at 7:00am for Flax-pecan cereal and to wish James a good day at work. On the way back, I ran a friggin' red light and almost died... but obviously not, as I'm journaling now, so no big... but that could've sucked. Made it back to Honeybee Hampton, and proceeded to be a lazy bum today. I began by watching Little women, then Corpse Bride (which was really cute) and then decided to take a bath and watch the most sappiest of sappiest love movies, Titanic, while in the bathtub... thank you laptop :) Then I took a nap, and now am up making pizza and getting ready to watch a couple of other movies... until bed... what a boring day, but I deserve it, especially after ironing all those fucking napkins... ha!

For the day(s): Ironing, Cherry-picking, Troutdale, James, Amazing Sex, Red-light, Bath + Titanic

For James

There are tons of cherry trees at the Mullen's... and plums and soon to be apples/pears... the cherries are the best though :)

Day Three: Downtown Portland Yuppies

Gyllian's last day of school was today... so that means she's home all day (or in and out of summer camps) for the whole summer... whoot! That means days will no longer be boring, as they sincerely were today....
So as I burnt my arm yesterday and watched the cat eat a mouse, today was quite less uneventful... until the late afternoon...
I woke up, had Cheerios/banana and coffee (now a new morning ritual) and finished Slumdog Millionaire (it was phenomenal...a must read... and now for me, a must see)... then I roamed around the house looking for things to do... which sincerely was nothing... after reading all early morning to lunch...at 12 Jill came home from her last day of school, and asked for a jump on the trampoline, after she finished showing me her artwork, from the school year. She is quite the talented artist, and has an amazing imagination... she will make millions one day... as a vet or famous _____ (insert anything)... she is really something. So we went out to the trampoline... and jumped for a while, until Anna (Molly's friend) and her daughter Susana joined us for a little... we jumped for a while longer and then I chatted with Anna until they, all three left. Then I decided to start another book off my reading list, Little Bee... and got sleepy, so took a nap... I know, what a tough day... I was bored out of my mind, what else could I do. After my nap, Molly came home and made various things for dinner, in which only her and Dan (her husband) and I ate... then Molly and I toured downtown Portland. I really didn't know what to think. I have been to part of downtown before, but really never observed the way that I did today. Molly showed me various places that Jill liked, the french pastry store, fountain and icecream shop being a couple of them. It was a completely different experience that I had ever had before in Portland. I am used to big cities, hip yuppies with their stylish clothes, and tons of giant shopping bags... yet, today I really thought about how the economy is affecting so many, yet how it, as I observed, really didn't affect these folks... the richer get richer, and the poor, well they get shit... and sometimes lower then shit. This really made me think about my life, and how I was going to raise my family, hang out with my friends, and live... I think that all these little shops are great, and stylish and look really wonderful, yet the price that really comes with all that, is something so superficial. I want to be able to support my family, and kids, and wants... I want to live comfortably... and have nice things... but at what cost? More to come later..in thought, I'm sure. Then we met up with a friend of Molly's, who was awesome. When we met her across the street from Powell's Bookstore, she had (what she called, a forty) which was a 24 oz. can of beer in a brown bag, and a cigarette... just chilling and drinkin' in public on a bench... she was really quite a woman... and we chatted for a while. She is currently dating a guy (from Germany) who she met a year ago, in a restaurant, who asked her to go traveling around the world with him ( I know it sounds like a dream), but he was loaded, and they hit it off pretty well after their first date... so he said that, that would be the best way to find out if they'd work, is if she traveled around with him and they got along... and he paid her way... so she's been with him for a year, and they're leaving again for Frankfurt in a couple of weeks... mind you she's 45years old... and is having the time of her life... her story is really inspiring. After chatting, we picked up a couple of books at Powell's for Ellie (15 year old), grabbed tea and shopped at Trader Joes. After shopping we picked up Jill from a birthday dinner at PF Chang's... then back to Honeybee Hampton for the final schedule planning, teeth brushing and bed. Not too bad for the third day... and now I'm off until Sunday except for House sitting and dog watching, while the Fam goes to Sunriver, sans me, my choice... so I can get ready for the rest of summer :)

For the day: still burnt, book finished, Portland Yuppies, Money sucks, the "forty" and relaxing for four days :)

Day Two:mouse meal, fire hand and birthday wishes

Today started out just like the others, after a night of staying up a little too late... getting stuck in the internets... apartment/puppy browsing, I woke up to Jill, smilin' as usual... and telling me that she was off to school. After Jill left for the school bus, I got up and Ellie and I enjoyed our plates of Blueberry pancakes :) After grub, I grabbed a cup of coffee (heavy on the black, and oddly enough minus the sugar, I must be getting older, ha!) and snuggled up on the swirly sofa, next to Jewel, still attempting to finish Slumdog Millionaire, it is an extraordinary book, just wish I wasn't so sleepy in reading it. At 9:40 when Molly, Dan and Ellie left, I hopped into the shower and got ready for the day. Today, George Ann (the maid) was coming to clean the house, at 10am and Molly shared that it would probably be a good idea to not be in the house (due to the fact that she might talk my ear off :), which she did, but that was totally fine... I mean the dog doesn't say much)... so after my shower and face-fix, I grabbed another cup o coffee and took my book out for a little fresh air and overcast sun. As I was getting cozy in the outdoor furniture... I noticed that Cloudy ( the house cat), was playing with something in the grass... she was flicking this little ball of something around playing with it... I didn't notice what it was until he bit down on it ... and it squeaked... it was a friggin' mouse... so as Cloudy was scaring the hell out of this little thing and tormenting it to boot... I realized how freaky it was to see a cat actually eating a mouse... so as he was tormenting it, he started walking towards me, to which I said, "Ohhhh no... if you stunned it, you better eat it", he had got it to a point of suffering and now he was leaving it to die. As the cat slyly walked up unto the deck, lickin' his chops... I don't know what came over me... I decided I was going to go and see it's remains, or see if it was suffering... when I got over to the place of the incident... there was nothing there... no blood, no fur...nothing... the cat had swallowed him whole... and in this, I realized my part in the whole massacre... I could have easily scared the cat, but I didn't.. so I was an accomplice... and then I envisioned the mouse still alive in his belly, as he lazily laid on the deck licking his paws... (I know you're thinking, WTF, you are a nanny... mom in training... bored out of your mind, living in the lap of luxury, watching the fucking cat eat mice, but whatever, I'm on vacation)... so after reading for a while, I then decided that going on a bike ride would do wonders for my boredom and keeping out of the maids hair... so I biked down to this place the Mullen's call the Loop, in which the center in a marsh, with blue herons and dragonflies... basically a lake with a huge path around it... it was beautiful... a complete oasis :) After I got back, my stomach was a grumbling and in an attempt to not make a mess in the kitchen that had just been previously cleaned... I took out a microwavable thai/rice-noodle thing, and put it in the microwave for 3 mins... 3 mins (not 10)! After it was finished... I reached in to take it out and the steam around the ring burned my fingers as I picked it up... and instead of it just dropping back onto microwave plate... the bowl of boiling naw-your-flesh-off rice water spilt down my wrist/arm and all over my hand... and all over the nicely cleaned sparkling floor... the whole purpose towards avoidance in the first place... after laughing uncontrollably (yet crying on the inside, due to the flaming arm that I now carried) I, with the help of George Ann cleaned up the microwave and floor, and dunked my poor helpless hand... this mishap left me disabled (somewhat) for the rest of the day... with an icepack in hand... then I picked up Jill at school... for snack at home (hot chocolate and honey toast) and Arthur... then to Freddy's for a pink ipod shuffle for Jill from her Lemonade stand funds... after that we picked up the teens (Ellie and her now sweet 16 year old friend, Lindsey)... then back to Honeybee Hampton for dinner... trampoline, ipod setup and Lindsey's Birthday wonderfulness... after a long day of craziness... Molly, Jill, Jewel and I went for a walk to the dock... avoiding the mosquitos, and relieving our full bellies... alls well that ends well... and now I have a phantom wrist (sincerely candy-striped)...

For the Day: Blueberry Pancakes, Whole-Mouse, Fire Hand, and Birthday cake

Day One: Sauvie/Scappoose and Hair-Dye

Alright here we go...
So as I drug out leaving Wilson Hall, in my Spring term of my senior year (yes, senior year, not graduating, going on to my 5th) at Oregon State... I and what I could pack of my belongings into the Purple Volvo, ventured off with the Mullen's, to Sauvie Island in Portland, Oregon.
After I have been acquainted here, for now almost 24 hours, I was awoken this morning to Gyllian (my little freckle-faced, strawberry blonde 7 year old partner in crime) a big smile, and a "Do you want Blueberry Pancakes?"... remind you, this was at 7:50am this morning, a time that wasn't of bother due to the fact that I actually went to bed at 9:45pm last night, the earliest I have been to bed, since I was 17. So I got myself out of bed, and met Jill at the table for morning breakfast... we chowed down our blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes... and her mother, Molly, whisked her off to the bus-stop for her day at school. After we got ready for the day, Molly left for work, and Ellie and I hopped into the Purple Volvo (which for the summer, I'll call the Purple People Eater, or PPE), so Ellie (the 15 year old bright and smiling teen, turning 23 next month) and Jewel (the house Corgi) and I, drove to Scappoose H.S. to drop Ellie off for her last week of classes. After dropping Ellie off, Jewel and I went to Ace hardware for lightbulbs and Key-copies... then to Freddy's for Hair dye (spontaneous decision) then back to the homestead aka. "Honeybee Hampton" for some loud radio on the Bose, Pomegranate Limeade and hair-dying messes.
So this was all before 12... and now, I will be relaxing, finishing Slumdog Millionaire and waiting to meet Jill again at her school for a little show and tell.

For the day: Scappoose, Mini-chocolate chips, Jewel, Lily Allen and a nap.