you don't write, you don't call...

I didn't think I would do it. 

Let the blog go this long. 

I started this project as a way to connect myself with writing in an informal yet accessible way, and it has totally gotten away from me.

There are a million excuses for not writing, but they are all just as lame as the million excuses I give for not exercising more regularly, or eating breakfast, or being a generally better person.

For eight weeks I was pretty much on my own at work, which did create a physical time suck, that was different for me, but in reality I could have been more disciplined had I tried harder. 

My life story.  I lack discipline, just ask my mother.

I have kept up with yoga fairly consistently, which makes me feel slightly less ratty. 

Goody for me.

Maxwell had a band performance this past weekend, which involved me driving him to St. Johns at 7:30am, so he could wait around for a long time, then march in a parade.

There was a lot of confusion and vagueness about the meeting spot, and at one point Maxwell and I became  separated, he went with the group, and I walked around another way, to the place the teacher had originally told us to meet.  When I finally found the teacher and the other children Maxwell was no where to be found. 

I asked the teacher "where is Max?" and she told me something to the effect of "I dunno" at which point I freaked out and shrieked a tiny bit "You need to find my child RIGHT NOW! THIS LEVEL OF DISORGANIZATION IS UNACCEPTABLE! You may not lose my child, in the middle of St. Johns!!" 

He eventually turned up, having walked back a quarter mile or so to the car, where he thought I might be.  I have no idea how he found the band, in the totally random place that we happened to have ended up, but he did.    The teacher yelled at him "where were you?", but she was the one that was an hour late, and had an entire school band walking all over North Portland, looking for her tardy ass,  so she didn't get a lot of support from me.



We have grown into the new dog.  Mark jogs with her.  I don't jog, but I like her well enough.  I call her Piggy, because she snorts, and roots around and is generally charming as hell.  I find pigs charming, go figure.

She likes to wrestle a lot, which keeps Freyja off the streets.

 What else? 
We found my mother a house. 
A tiny new house right smack near Hawthorne, west of 39th, and she is delighted to have gotten her way.  It is a fine house.

I will be inheriting her sofa, which is a great thing, as our sofa is 14 years old and has a pretty sizable sinkhole in the center.  Mark claims the sofa cuts off the circulation in his legs.  He is very high maintenance in some regards and says the same thing about the my car, so I don't know what to believe.

People keep asking how Mark is.  And I don't really know what to say. 
When you deal with cancer and it goes away with treatment,  you don't really stop thinking of it. 
At least I don't. 
It feels like a bad landlord that might drop in any time and evict you, or that boyfriend that gets drunk and passes out outside your window.
It is just one of those really unpleasant things that you can't really discuss, but you can't really forget either. 
He is fine for now. 
He will have tests quarterly forever and we hope that they keep turning out fine.  Forever.

What am I loving? 

Stephen Elliot.  L  O  V  E    him.  can't wait to see his movie. 

My friend M, the Buddhist nun, that sings show tunes.  I love knowing her. She restores my faith in faith.

My Iphone.  Yes, uncle...   Mark, you win baby, I totally love it.


I am so happy to see some of my mama acquaintances have so much success.  Cheryl's book Wild will be made into a film, directed by Lisa Cholodenko! And another author mama has had her book picked up by FX for a series! 

  My friend S, who at a very dark moment sent me an e-mail that said "who's the pretty one? Who's the smart one?  YOU are" which made me weep in the sort of heart breaking way that only a bit of sincere kindness can.

Nettles.  We went through nettle season like foraging mofo's and we like it like that.

eating outside.  We had our first meal outside on Mother's Day, and it was delightful.

The pig and the girl are calling, I had better get back to work!