Taste of TED

Here is one of the TED videos we all watched last week. Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity. If you haven't seen it check it out. About 20 minutes.

All We Need Now Are Snugglies

On those family makeover shows like Trading Spouses and Super Nanny, whenever people are on the internet, it's very antisocial. Everyone's off on their own, holing up by themselves.

Not here. For us it's very cozy. I spend a lot of time on the internet but usually my kids are right here with me. If they are done with homework, one will play video games and the other will play or watch and I'll play music and read articles or we'll watch YouTube. They help me improve my writing. If I make up a joke that is too crude for me to use I give it to my 15yo. Comedy writer and rock star is still on the list of things they could be when they grow up. I need to hurry and capture my malaise and confusion and write some Emo songs for their upcoming band. : ) Too late!

Wait... What?

Wait, my problem is what? I'm being underappreciated? I think I need girl lessons.

If that's all there really is for this long it must be hella good, LOL!

Thar She Blows

Okay, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was cool*. But Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is just silly. amazon

*Unless you're susceptible and then you might get all Victorian and ultra-concerned with propriety and zombie killing for a while. Just saying.

No Show

Every September for sixteen years my guitarist friend has called to check my status. Didn't call this year. He must be happy. Good for him!

Maslowbotomy

You know I'm weird, right? Does this surprise anybody? Yeah, I'm a genius idiot, total wuss with a sick sense of humor and a prude with a dirty mind. A loving bitch, self-centered yet generous. Hardworking and burnt out, living in an Alanis Morisette song.

Just feeling a little cynical. Everybody wants basic things like food shelter money and good sex. So... wouldn't that be the lowest common denominator to base anything on? If that's all there was, wouldn't that make relationships interchangeable?

Just want to get off ground level to some spirituality and intellectualism and be of service to the world and maybe even have some hobbies. Just want to get higher and not get cut down.

In the vacuum, I built my own little thing. Now, under examination, it's all stupid and weird. But it's not. But I can't really justify anything. We don't like weird... Um, why me then, exactly?

Who dissects a living thing?

But you know, a lot of people are lonely.

Not TED Yet

I made it there! And home again! I had a blast! I should really be posting about TEDxDetroit because it was an awesome time. There was just so much to process that I am waiting for the videos to be posted so I can really share with you! Oh heck, here are some quotes without context:

"A door should not need a user manual."

"When was the last time your floor was made of lava?"

TED

Just plugging away, watching the TED videos I haven't already seen so I can be caught up when I go to the TEDxDetroit conference Wednesday.

I am so honored and excited to get to go. I can't wait! : )

The Boy Scout Myth

Just thinking about how unprepared I am to raise a teenager and deal with the forces of nature unleashed upon my family. : )

Of course I was unprepared for babies too. I mean, you buy the books and the furniture and the diapers and get ready but you don't know how things really are. Once when I was a teenager I got to bottlefeed a baby raccoon. It scratched and clawed at the bottle and was kind of scary. It was good training for newborns. No one tells you they're feral.

And the thing with toddlers is all the control issues. Other than bribery, the secret is trickery. You never say, "You need a bath." You say, "Would you like a bath with bubbles or no bubbles?" "Bubbles!!!"

Everything is coiled up with so much emotion. Is everyone like this? Who knows?

Anyway. We can get ready, but we can't be prepared.

Shopping

Holy moly! My son's friends mom just called me and asked my to go shopping with her. My kids TOTALLY rock! : )

Practice Tape

Last night I found this practice tape of my old band. It doesn't sound good but it's the only recording of the "Psycho Stalker Love Medley"...

Working It

I've been thinking a lot about this post from 2007, in which I kind of make fun of someone working on their marriage. Excuse me, I mean "helling on their hell".

Things are snapping back to normal. It's cold and light and day. Let's take a moment to miss the sparkle of things I do not have.

I feel like God has protected me. People have protected me. Things could have been so much worse. I am so grateful for the friends I have. All my friends are totally fantastic people. Back when I didn't have things to worry about I wondered if I was an elitest. Yes. Yes I am. You're the best. : )

New Photos

I uploaded our photos from our solar energy tour at the Toledo Museum of Art on Flickr. (Wow, it's hard not to type that 'E'. In fact I did 3 times : )

I couldn't bear to work Saturday but I think I'll have to Sunday. The museum was the only thing I was able to see on the Solar Energy tour. But it was totally worth it. I also got to see the Chihuly Toledo exhibit and the LitGraphic Exhibit about the art of the graphic novel. I would say Chihuly needs to get out of the 80's but I think most of the pieces were created in the 80's so instead let me say Chihuly really captures the artistic zeitgeist of the 80's. ; )

I loved the Graphic art exhibit. Most of the artists are very socially conscious a lot of it was very deep. Just as surprised by it as I was by the Warhol exhibit a few years ago. I want to track down "Pride of Baghdad" about the fate of the lions in the war...

Fun Music Video

This is about one of the weirdest things I've seen in a while. But it's a good song!

Stroller for Solar

Going to check out some of the solar energy tour sites in Toledo today!

Having flashbacks about being a little kid going to my dad's work and some of his partners I guess would show me the big prototype solar panel thing, it was HUGE, as big as a door and thick, like one or 2 feet thick. They would show me the poster they had and explain it to me. I made them show me every time. I loved it. And we would go have breakfast for lunch. I had this elaborate ritual where I had to cut up my bacon and my toast and my eggs and mix them all together before I would eat. My dad said it was gross and maybe I should get scrambled eggs instead and please stop doing this. But I didn't. : )