Oh, and it’s our 8th wedding anniversary, too, so we paused our herb-chopping and Italian sausage-prepping to have a snap:

Today we both took the afternoon off work and decided to do something we both love that our kids cannot stand - hit the thrift stores. On our first stop - the Habitat For Humanity Re/Store - something sitting on an old buffet caught my eye as we walked in. I made a beeline for the buffet, thinking, is it? Could it be?

It was. It was one of my ultimate thrift desires, actually - a full set of vintage Le Creuset cookware, probably from the 70s, in very good/excellent condition. Even though it was a total steal at its tagged price, it was still more than I can afford, even on my wedding anniversary. I’ve grown tired, you see, of asking The Teenager ™ if I can borrow his camera, so I’m saving for one of my own for my 40th birthday (or thereabouts). Despite my discipline, not leaving with VINTAGE LE CREUSET completely took the wind out of my thrifting sails. We still had fun, but I think both of us spent the rest of our time scheming about how to actually come home with it. I hope it finds a good home, damn it.

I love being married to Jim. He understands.

Not happening tonight. I can barely keep my eyes open. Cody claims he is processing photos. Lilly’s tooth finally came out. My hands are dry and my eyes are tired. Jim makes excellent dinners. The daffodils are blooming.

[Has anyone else been having trouble with Gmail - both mail and chat functions? It’s been very unreliable for me since Saturday.] I go to the gym every day now except Saturdays. While it’s doing good things for my body (better endurance, better muscle tone) and better things for my psyche (there’s a lot of discipline involved in making oneself get up at 5:50 AM when it’s two degrees outside), it’s doing fantastic things for my brain chemistry. I’m calmer and better able to handle what gets thrown at me every day. Here’s Workout Playlist Three:





Lugengeschichte/Telstar Ponies Love Removal Machine (Peace Remix)/The Cult Nicky’s Sister/Flour Silence, Sea, and Sky/The Chameleons Great Release/LCD Soundsystem Policy Of Truth/Depeche Mode What Is Life/Black Uhuru Tomorrow Started/Talk Talk (London 1986) Search And Destroy/The Stooges So Far/The Soundtrack Of Our Lives Dub Fi Gwan/King Tubby Kitchie Kitchie Ki Me-O/My Midnight Creeps Entirely Made Of Wood/Love Cup The Bottle/Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson Hot Stenographer/Kinski Dream Police/Elope Black Man Land/Prince Far I Mr.Untitled/Union Carbide Productions High Expectation/Stereolab Bury Me/Smashing Pumpkins





[Music has taken such a back seat to events of the last year and a half. I can’t believe it, really, since it was my first love. Every man I ever dated, practically, was involved with music in some way (present man included). I worked in music, wrote about music, interviewed musicians, traveled with them, ran record stores, sold music to record stores, discovered talent and promoted it. I lived and breathed it, the industry, the three chords and the flats and sharps, the destroyed drum kits and the production decisions. I was there when…. When I’m on the treadmill (the treadmill! I sometimes still can’t believe it’s come to this, god) hearing the Smashing Pumpkins, it’s impossible NOT to feel very Chicago in 1991; when I hear Telstar Ponies, it’s impossible NOT to become the me I was in Chicago in 1995, embarking upon the most important relationship of my life with their music as a backdrop (it remains a favorite of ours today). I’m sure I look crazy on the cardio machines at the gym, my face constantly changing with the shuffling of the songs on the iPod.]





The last few weeks have been a trial; I’d like for work stuff to not be such a driver for me emotionally, but I struggle. I’m very sensitive to the vibes, and while I don’t usually let it bother me, when things reach critical mass it can really suck.





So I’m working on it. I’m looking forward to starting my seeds in late February. There’s some sunshine and warmth in my not-too-distant future, too. My little house is warm and relatively clean (Three cats. Enough said). The kids are healthy and happy and thinking for themselves in spite of their daily environment - she writes, he photographs. Jim and I have arrived at that place people always told us about where we can have dinner together alone while the kids are off doing other things; we’re talking more and working together and are in a period of deep closeness right now, having to do both with my improved mental state and our improved communication. Note to self: keep communicating with that guy.





Now playing: U2, Mysterious Ways ETA: I wonder when those first two Smashing Pumpkins records will be remastered so they sound like they did when I first heard them - big, expansive, etc. Maybe I’m just going deaf.

… but he was raised by elves.



Or not.



Hope everyone’s holidays were merry & bright.

We had a very satisfying St. Lucia celebration this morning with rolls, juice, coffee, useful presents (socks! slippers! An Inconvenient Truth!), and our beloved orange Dalarna Elephant, who has been the stand-in for a Dala/Dalarna Horse for several years. While I could probably afford to splurge on a horse now, there’s something about the elephant that appeals. In other news, Cody’s been sick (but it is not the Evil Strep, as first feared - he’s on the mend); Lilly is all a-flutter about dressing up for her class party next Friday; we finished Medium Season Two (which I dug more than I thought I would) and are looking for something else to watch on DVD; I am hopelessly behind holiday preparations but don’t really care too much because the important stuff will get done; I’m planning on cooking a pastured turkey for Solstice but am confused as to cooking time, basting, etc because I know pastured meat cooks differently; Jim and I are excessively shmoopy lately which just makes everything brighter somehow; I’m re-learning, slowly, how not to fear The Other Shoe all the time.