Art Imitating Life Imitating Art

My stepdaughters are writing a horror story.

"Fictional" characters living in a house that sounds like our. Who are haunted by living memories inside the house.

Both John and I have been having dreams that go way beyond your normal night time flights of fancy. I can't help thinking that either the girls are planting seeds in our brains or that this house has inspired all of us to take a deeper look at how we relate to the past the present and future.

We are, after all, living in a 100 year old farm house in the middle of a major city.

Ear Modification

Industrial

I pieced my ear again yesterday.

Man, I hope my Mom isn’t reading this.

I couldn’t resist! When I realized that I could get a 16g stainless steel barbell in my upper ear at Claire’s using the earring gun at the mall for less than $20??
I was so there!!

So I get to the store, a little worried because, hello! Cartilage! And I sit down to wait for the manager who is the only one in the store trained to pierce cartilage. And who should walk up to wait in line behind me to get her little ears pierced but Cindy Lou Who. I swear this little six year old is standing by the chair I am sitting in sucking her thumb and holding her teddy bear.

I tell her “don’t worry if it looks like it hurts me, yours is going to be MUCH easier than mine” (at this point I am hoping for silent tears at best) and her mother ask where I’m getting it, I point and she mouths to me “she’s really scared, this is her 3rd try”.

Great. No pressure to cowboy up or anything.

They watch. I get pierced. Cindy Lou gets a high five from me and she was all smiles hopping up into the chair. I didn’t have the heart to stay and watch her get hers done. I would have felt like a traitor.

But honestly? It really wasn’t that bad! Not really that much more pain… seriously.

I can so totally handle a tattoo now.

Hoppy Easter!

I have two great Easter memories that stand out. The first is one when I was very little and my Dad put out chocolate covered raisins and said that the Easter bunny had been in the house and left rabbit droppings everywhere.

If you know my Dad, you know this makes total sense.

The next is a year we had snow on Easter. I remember laying on back between the trees in our back yard and the huge fluffy flakes falling softy all around me. I love that memory. It's one of my happy thoughts.

This Easter I am missing being with my family and enjoying Mina's first Easter. My sister loves bunnies so I bet Mina will get at least one lovely stuffed bunny to hug. I am also missing my Grandmother's pickled beet eggs.I love them!

Kelly- if you are reading this, let everyone know I would rather be home with all of you, eating beet eggs and ham.

I will instead be in a hot dusty house packing up what is left of our lives and trying to move on up.

tired.

I am so tired that I can hardly move.

Younger step-D just slipped on the floor leaving the room. Does that mean she's a spaz or that I need rugs? You be the judge. I have now convinced her that wet-Swiffering her room sounds like FUN! Maybe not fun exactly but she's doing it.

Kitty Walk 80% installed. Pictures coming later! John and Sarah made a trip to Tville to get the walk part and another load of stuff.

I have to sleep. Stayed up late watching the EMT's help a crying girl in front of my house. Have washed every comforter and sheet set at least twice and Fat Head is still only peeing on things he's perceiving to be mine. Apparently this is all my fault. I am not trusting him to go anywhere out of my sight.

Something that sounded like glass breaking just fell in the kitchen and Stella is the only one uaccounted for. Guess I don't get my nap.

Packing Up My Life...

I started to go through the pile of stuff on my nightstand and I realized something; I keep my life wrapped around me. All my family and friends were represented there, in reaching distance if I ever need them.

(in no particular order...)

A picture of my Dad
My Dad's bible
A picture of my first step-pet Sheba
A Hawkeye bracelet
My Grandma Schantz's lamp
Artwork from Gary
stickers from my sister
a christmas ornament from my Mom
Princess Katie Strunk letter and pics
irish pennies
a Mayan bookmark from the step-girls
My HS ring
QC Symphony key chain
A Star Trek TNG bumper sticker
Van Halen concert tickets
A Screaming Halloween Witch with glowing red eyes
toe rings
earings
a million claw clips
hair dye
Theatre keys
postcard from Hungary from Hynden
a 5th of Jack
pennies!!
nail polish and remover
back pack patches
hiking sticker
bike tire inflater and multi-tool from Kris
lotion
carmex
Vicks vapo rub
Matthew Sweet dubbed cassette

See?

i carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) i am never without it (anywhere i go you go,
- e.e. cummings

I'm in the childrens theatre Hall of Fame

Andy Warhol gave everyone the potential for 15 minutes of fame.

finale

I haven't had my whole 15 minutes of fame yet. I have attended protests, performed in plays, directed childrens theatre, and cooked well enough to convert a vegetarian to meat but I have yet to be famous to the world.

moving

I detest the process of moving even more than I hate cleaning. I wish there was a magic spell that could beam all of this to the new house and then I could use all of my energy to just weed out the unnecessary and be done. I like the concept of having less, but I hate the actual moving things from here to there.

Today we could not find an adapter cord. Correction THE adapter cord. We found about 100 adapter cords just not the one that would fit until about an hour into the process. Boy was I sorry that I asked...

The stepdaughters apparently have been convinced by their mother that our new old house is haunted... Great. The younger one has been taking photos and running them through a heat sensing filter to show us the hot spots. I will have to remind her that they usually look for COLD spots when it's ghosts. Maybe hot spots mean we have demons... NOT!

Everything looks lovely and freshly painted. Can't wait till we have piles of books and garbage everywhere. Sigh... Looks like Easter weekend is gonna be sifting and sorting. No candy coma, no going home to see my family.... bigger sigh.

On the bright side our house is 2 blocks from the recently relocated Favorite Bar of all time. We sat their last night and listened to belligerent Irishmen argue over Irish political history in between songs about the Uprising... I loved every minute. The fabulous food doesn't hurt either. I think we're going to have to start a Pub fund. Fancy a pint?