Vegetarian vietnamese-style sandwich

Vegetarian vietnamese-style sandwich
Originally uploaded by riblet.

Pretty much my favorite thing I've made in a while.

Frolicking in a meadow

McGurk Meadow
Originally uploaded by riblet.

Whenever Leon takes me to see nature (he's my nature guide), I love coming across meadows. They look so serene from the car. Vibrantly green and lush with grasses and trees. You'd half expect to see a unicorn out there calmly munching grass. I always want to hike into them and have a picnic on what looks like their perfectly manicured lawns, or maybe even braid that unicorn's hair. Unfortunately, if you've ever been to a meadow, then you know that you really can't do this. Meadows are lush and green and they look nice from the car, but in reality? That grass is knee-high, the ground is wet because there is a stream or some shit running through it and it's lousy with centipedes, gnats, no-seeums, mosquitoes and other pests. It just goes to show that you can journey somewhere because it looks nice, but once you get there, it can suck just as bad as the place you came from.

Why not?

Cheese!
Originally uploaded by riblet.

If Ira ran for president in October (humor me, here), I'm sure he'd secure a decent vote.

Political party: All Night

Running mate: Heylove

Platform: Snacks, trucks, balloons, milk, juice, squirrel watching, and a general "more" of everything delightful. Also, major funding for all parks to get new slides (even Yosemite).

Campaign slogan: On your marks, get set, go!

Qualifications: Can more or less count to ten forwards and back, can make the sound of several animals including elephants and dolphins, easily identifies the color orange (important for security alerts), can put dirty clothes in a hamper when asked.

Ira Jake, '08!

Take a patriotic dip

We had a pretty fun 4th of July. Ira may not have had the best time. He took a couple of spills (into rose bushes), man-handled a cactus (the cactus won), got his hand stuck in a dog door, and had his wits scared out of him by our block party's fireworks. Leon and I however, enjoyed a cool pool party, mexican beers and a new cocktail made out of tequila and Tang. Refreshing!




I'm doing pretty good. I've been studying for my notary exam and hope to take that in August. By September if you need me to notarize your last will and testament, please call! I will also notarize any and all declarations or affidavits stating that Zelda's pizza rules, free of charge. Other than that, I've been worried about all the smoke in the air. It's making me feel awful! Headaches and dry nose, not fun. I've been staying indoors as much as possible, but with Ira and my 9-year old ADD niece to take care of all day, it's giving me cabin fever and a real short fuse. You don't want to run into me before 5PM or I will totally "mom" you some how.




With all this inside time, I've been watching a lot more children's programs. Now every song stuck in my head is a kid's song. Right now, it's the Wow Wow Wubzy theme song. This is what my life has come to.



I've even learned to draw some of the characters, much to the delight of Ira. Not only can I draw most of the Yo Gabba Gabba characters, I can also draw the afore mentioned Wubzy, a crude Boots and a passable Zee.

It's enough to make me want another one of these:



The other night I went to the Weatherstone/Old Soul, grabbed a cup of iced coffee and settled into an uncomfortable chair for some much needed non-mom time. The coffee was great, but I should have gotten decaf. Instead of relaxing, I got a little wound up. When I got home, Leon tried to pry me off the ceiling with a crisp, cool mojito, which tasted great, but ended up goofing with my stomach. I was up all night worrying about everything. Will our front porch collapse? Do I need to start looking for work? What if Ira is not getting enough omega-3s? Does my wrist feel swollen? What is this cramp in my rib cage? OMG, is my face-eating tumor getting bigger??! I finally had to drown my worries with a podcast catch-up session. I fell asleep finally after two Radio Labs, two Legal Lads, two Grammar Girls, one Mighty Mommy and one Good Food. I hate nights like that!