Kids are Fun!

One reason to have a kid around is the fun you can have pretending to help him get the strangulatingly tight turtleneck off of his head.

I don't think I've laughed so hard watching my panic-stricken son's face get squished and misshapen by this cotton-lycra noose.

(and then leave the room for the camera)

Bad Mommy.

From a Beer-Me-Girl to a Bridesmaid

I have had the good fortune of getting to know some amazing people and holding on to some incredible friendships over the years. People that have known me well over 20 years still keep in touch, go out of their way to get together and ultimately we are able to find some good, common ground even if we live worlds apart. Family we'll always have (for the most part), but friends take a bit more work and effort. And I've been remarkably fortunate to have some dear souls in my life.

One awesome friend, Megan (of beachbungalow8) asked if I would be one of her Bridesmaid in her wedding. I was thrilled and delighted to be a part of this fantastic union of two really fantastic people. "Of course!" I said.

And yet, while I've known Megan since college I couldn't help but go down memory lane a bit and reflect and remember the people we were then and what we've morphed into now. Luckily, as much as I cringe and shrink from horror over the classic 1980's/psuedo Preppy Handbook style I was trying so hard to maintain I still get a kick out of taking a look back. And am ever so more appreciative of having Megan as a friend that knew me from school (even still) and many other friends from 'back in the day'.

Here's the Beer Me Girl. Circa 1983. University of Kansas. (Beer Me as in, when asking for another beer at the fraternity kegger one might say, for example, "beer me" while shoving the plastic cup in some poor soul's face as opposed to, "may I please have another draft, kind sir?") This is the composite photo for my sorority that I'm no longer a member.

Mmmmmm. Beautiful milk-fed skin. And an ever-so light touch of blue frost around the eyes, strangely shaped eyebrows... and yet, why do I look like I played softball or rugby or something? Full on mullet (but it's worth noting-as if I could possibly explain what I was doing to my hair- that I was really trying accomplish that Duran-Duran look).

Further, I had this whole gross-overly tough persona. My god, just utterly brutal. Swearing like a sailor, smoking, drink waaaaay too much....and a wardrobe that consisted of mostly LL Bean, Land's End, Laura Ashley and weird hand-me-downs from the Army-Navy Surplus store....and yet.....



And here's another Beer Me Girl photo. With apologies to my 'pledge Grandmother' who's also in the picture. Carol Somebody. This is from a 'cotillion' party we had after pledging said former sorority. I was so proud of my deb-dress with matching clip-on earrings (that hurt like hell) and cat-eye lunettes. Mmmmm. Positively scrumptious.

So. Yeah. A little of perspective goes a long way. And thankgawd nearly 25 years later, my friends Megan and Stef and Jenny and Ann and Analisa and Ally and Gretchen and so many of those with whom I lived at Gower Place, Lawrence Kansas are able to forgive or look the other way from what and who we were those college days and have allowed us each to grow and change. For the better (I would hope...although, I dunno, that WASP-y'fro I was sporting is really something for the books).

Touring our own hood: Boston's North End

A week ago Saturday we had an FFO (forced family outing) to Boston's North End. Our itinerary included public transportation caught right outside our back door, walking the Freedom Trail (or 'Frito Trail' as Colby liked to call it), New Greenway perusal and a Hanover Street stroll (including and not limited to the purchase of a variety of delectable, authentic Italian meats, cheeses, breads and pastas - the perfect meal for a winter's night and really the reason we were headed North).

I decided I'd chronicle our trip, in case we'd discover a new find (did) or hear some predictable funny kid thing (did). or witness some classic Boston thing (did).

Random Colonial Maiden. In Boston. A random Colonial town.

Classically bad Boston architecture (City Hall).

Good Boston architecture (the new Greenway).

Catching a January sail in Boston Harbor.

Catching the best in authentic Italian specialities off of Hanover Street, Salumeria Italiana.

..

Catching some North End street urchins. Up to no good.

The Antipasto. The end result of our local tourism....

A Sugarcube Birthday

I've always had this weird obsession with Bjork. Both the odd Icelandic, semi-Scandinavian, lead singer for the Sugar Cubes and the connected-to-Matthew-Barney, swan dress wearing Bjork.

And then a couple of years ago, when in New York for a weekend, I actually had a brush with her. At a playground in the West Village. She and her sweet nymph of a daughter were trying to open the gate to come in. The gate had a latch. A simple latch. You just lift the latch. It's a latch. That you lift.

Somehow I wasn't entirely surprised that someone as cerebral and creative as Bjork could not figure out the latch.

And I helped her into the playground. (sooo metaphorical, no?)

And for my dear friends that have January birthdays (Megan, Ruth and Leslie), I post this song for you!

Observation #13.b2

It seems that whenever I walk past this barbecue mecca in Brookline Village (aka The Village Smokehouse) which is usually mid-afternoon on my way to pick up the kids from school, I often see a parade of men exiting this place holding their stomachs.

Like they're afraid the meal they just inhaled might somehow fall out.

What is that?

(oh I know, an excuse for me to post a fave from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. Be forewarned, it's classically gross and not for everyone)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlK62rjQWLk&feature=related

Pretty, pretty snow.....

Part of the allure of living in the Northeast is the assumption that one will get a white holiday season. And this past December a record amount of soft, fluffy, white stuff fell from the sky and blanketed our Brookline streets making them all look so peaceful and quiet.

That serene blanketed beauty came to a screechy halt with this recent string of fluke-y warm days.

Brookline streets now look as slummy and filthy and trashy as they can. It's the trade-off of having a white Christmas. All the fluff turns to grodey, blicky January thawed mud-sicles.

Parenting Skills caught on film

I found some old photos that sorta chronicle the parenting skills of my brother, Colby. I am happy to say that my nephew Nate, currently 4 and a half, has survived quite well.
(and has developed his own sense of humor-thankgawd).

Colby. As NASCAR dad.
Nate. As displeased son.























John Byner

or Nate?




























Ernie.

































Dressing your son as a baddasss has it's own merits if you live in Brooklyn.
































My all-time fave-



Sometimes an Eames can hurt.

next holiday? V A L E N T I N E ' S D A Y.......

I had a couple out-loud guffaws with this....so I share (but read as tho you're a guy):

The Vanities Dare, from Vanity Fair, February 2008 issue

This month: The Valentine’s Day Dare.

One-Point Dares
1. In your workplace, distribute Necco Sweethearts candies custom-inscribed mitt ’08.
2. Tell your girlfriend that you’ve planned a romantic night in—and upon her arrival, start up a DVD marathon of Judy at Carnegie Hall, Liza with a “Z,” and Yentl.
3. Book a coveted table for two at the most romantic restaurant in town, show up with a buddy, and engage him in a loud argument over who is the better guitarist, Joe Satriani or Steve Vai.

Three-Point Dares
1. Stand outside the home of your beloved with a boom box and re-enact John Cusack’s arms-aloft “In Your Eyes” scene from Say Anything—only with the boom box playing “Movin’ On Up” from The Jeffersons.
2. Every time you see a couple kissing, lean into them and say lasciviously, “Hey, lemme get some of that.”
3. Using a vacuum cleaner with the floor-brush attachment removed, give yourself a conspicuous hickey. Then strut around the office saying “Who’s the man!” while shooting “double pistols” at colleagues with your index fingers.

Big Money: Five-Point Dares
1. Ask your clergyman if he has plans for the evening, making air quotes around the word “plans” and thrusting your pelvis.
2. Stand outside the most romantic restaurant in town with your young children, holding up placards that say sinners and screaming, “Re-pent, for-ni-cay-tors!” at couples as they enter and exit the restaurant.
3. Feigning Canadianness, insist to your co-workers that February 13 is Canadian Valentine’s Day. On that day, present a knobby parsnip to an attractive colleague and say, “This is how we show our love up north.”

Visting the whole fam-damily in the Big Apple

Day 1: First stop at my brother's, The Colby Hall's, in DUMBO ('down under manhattan bridge overpass) in Brooklyn, with members Geraldine, Nate and Mr. T.

The "promenade" in Brooklyn Hgts. with Colby, Maia and crazy cousin Nate. At dusk. After a 5 hour drive. A welcome jaunt after feeling 'driver's big-butt'.

Maia with her new cousin, Thomas Archer Hall. 9 months and already quite a handsome bloke.

Day 2: we were off (with some animals to see some animals) to the Bronx Zoo-which by the way, is well worth the visit. Central Park Zoo pales in comparison to the Bronx. Sure, it's a bit of a hike but we saw all sorts of critters that the kids hadn't laid eyes on before.

Such as Lions,

and tigers,

and bears.....

and fish....with some kids blocking our view.

Damn kids.

And then, Day 3: we went over to Soho in Manhattan to visit Scott's sister and brother-in-law.

Super-fabo loft on a super-fabo street.

Great fun to see and visit folks. Kids had a blast. I had a chance to stroll around Park Slope in Brooklyn... stopped into Bird to check on some sales.

And while in Dumbo had the opportunity to visit

chocolatier, Jacques Torres. Outstanding chocolate.

And just across the street from Jacques Torres sits a honey of a bakery,

as Parisienne as one can find without a trip across the Atlantic,

Almondine

Sweet trip with the sweet family.

Bonne année !

Kir Royale

1 part crème de cassis (black currant liqueur)
5 parts-give or take- champagne