Gratitude Monday: The Internet

Pandora.com has become my most favorite place to go for all day music of whatever I'm in the mood for. You can choose artists or bands or songs or genres. It's the bomb and I've gotten to find a whole bunch of music that I wouldn't have otherwise found.

Freecycle.org is probably one of the coolest utilities around these days. It's kind of like a never-ending garage sale that allows you to feel good about being a consumer AND lets you meet new people and learn new towns. And, best part: It's all free.
If you haven't tried it out yet, y'oughta.

The Metra Map online is yet another in a long list of amazing and totally necessary maps that I've found online. Google maps and Map Quest are equally cool, but I had to choose only one image to illustrate this - and, well... The Metra Map was by far the most colorful.

Oh Craigslist - what a fortuitous bucket of luck that I found you. This site has allowed me to see a huge part of America and get to airports and train stations on time (ride-share), Laugh out loud at least once a week (Best Of), find jobs, sell stuff, find stuff and give stuff away.

It was here that my true nature as a voyeur was most completely defined. If you haven't been here yet, you really ought to just go check it out. I'm not going to bore you with the details here that you can find there. But, do go find it there - it's just a good way to start your Sundays.

There was a time when I thought the whole Internet thing was just further evidence that we're destroying our innate ability to interact with humans. I'm glad that time has passed. I'm glad for every "conversation" that I get to have with my kids ... with my extended family and many of my friends. I'm glad I can jump over to Twitter and see just what it is that my people are doing for dinner.

I'm thankful for the pictures of my nephews, children, extended family, all my real-life friends and my grandson. My Space and Facebook aren't really the work of the devil and I don't like one over the other. They have both allowed me to find people I've lost and stay connected with the ones I didn't.

I think this Internet thing might catch on.

Gratitude v.2//Gatherings

I think it has always been and will always be that I am most grateful for gatherings of different people for different reasons. I cherish meals that last too long and end with too many people in the kitchen. My Super Power probably involves creative reasoning for parties. I think we should all just get together and sit down for a spell. These are just a few of the collections I got to be a part of. Except for the boots. I just put that in there because I love it and Hoot did such a good job shooting it.

Gratitude.

As this year draws to a close, I have cause to pause and consider all the things that have been so great about 2008.
Truth be told, I really need to just think happy thoughts, so I'm doing this as an exercise in gratitude.
What follows are just a few of the people and things and memories I'm grateful for this year.
Oh.
And, this could go on Ad Naseum, so just know that much....
This is Lauren Grace Vitiello and Luke Townsend. I'm pretty sure they were sent to me for a reason. They are full of love and acceptance and they are pretty much normal people. Without them I could not fully appreciate my mastery of the Egg Sandwich (Samich) or my ability to be 47.

This would be Justin Thomas and Chelsea Maureen. Halloween in the 80s. I think of this picture a lot and it makes me happy for both Halloween AND Christmas.

These are The Littlest Monkeys. My nephews with a TOTALLY non-soluble ink pad. It makes me remember how dangerous it is to be on the phone, with toddlers in the house, and have it go all quiet. Non-soluble is the key word here. But, they will grow new skin.

Aaahhhhh.... And this would be Felix. My Grandson (aka: The Child Capable of NO Wrong) I think he'll vote Democratic...maybe Libertarian. I can tell from that smile that he's got my back and nothing bad will happen. He won't watch TV and he's going to read Keroac before he's 10.

These are just my TOP 5 REASONS to be grateful for this past year.

My photo files are FAT with more reasons. Stay tuned. Film at eleven.

Fourth Grade Class Rocks the Adler

Yesterday I got to go with Storm's class to the Adler Planetarium in downtown Chicago. It is right on Lake Michigan nestled on this little peninsula that appears to house a few good places (mostly the Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum) and made me appreciate how land-locked Kansas is.
I know that Lake Michigan is just a lake, but...seriously, it's huge. It felt more like being near an ocean.
We got on a big ol school bus with, like, 60 fourth grade students and spent an action-packed 5 hours (or so) burning calories and learning about planetary phenomena.
What follows are my Top Four Favorite Pictures of the Day.

How To Be Spiritually Green

This is my little buddy, Auron Alfons Lorenz.
I know the picture is fuzzy, but he had just satisfied the physical need to touch the lens.
The hat was new.
It was cold.
The day after we got the hat he got sicker than a dog. Made me wish I'd been paying closer attention.
As we speak (as they say) - he is sound asleep on the couch to my left in my room.
Auron may be the guy who is in charge of teaching me to follow my heart... go with the flow... Chillax.
When he's hungry: He eats. He eats a wide variety of things and very rarely craves crap food. He likes his milk at a pretty set time every day...always about the same amount. He hates broccoli. He is a three year old who can be tricked into eating cauliflower in a wide range of ways and enjoys being a carnivore.
He wants to play with blocks almost every day at about the same time. He's pretty insistant that we re-do whatever it is that we did the day before, and that we add a little sumptin sumptin new every so often (to keep it fresh for the kid).
He wants to read either A) The Cat in the Hat Comes Home (NOT the original Cat in the Hat, mind you - rather some hybrid that doesn't have the perfect cadence ifound n the original. *Jeeeesh*) or B) Elmo's Gigantic Freakin Book of Pop Uppiness. I don't know what it's called, but Auron has memorized it and it's had a huge part in helping him with colors, numbers and the alphabet. He's amazing. The book grows old on about the 75th read, but it's one of those "Don't fix it if it isn't broke" things.
He naps when he's tired. He has to be really tired, sure. But, eventually... he will almost always fall asleep in the late afternoon. Then he will sleep like a rock and be a TOTAL 3-year-old about waking up. But, he obviously needs the nap and he will always take one when left to his own devices.
I've come to think that there is an intrinsic value in choosing to live this way and that we're denyed that opportunity by virtue of actually having a life (being a grown-up). But, I think there's got to be some way to restore a little more attention to these details. There's got to be a way to pay the bills, have fun, be true to yourself but STILL have a nap and eat blueberries for dinner sometimes.
I think I'm sleepy.
And a little hungry.
For chicken nuggets.
and Ranch dressing.
and red cherries.

Every Once In A While

... You meet somebody, or a grouping of somebodies, who makes you just have hope for the future.....
It's a perfectly fine blend of philosophy and politics and androgyny and optimism. And, dimples and youth and beauty and hope.
All rosy-cheeked and passionate and hell-bent on this one point of view.
Just for tonight I'm going to sleep completely peacefully knowing that the seed has been planted and the future is, seriously, bright.
I'm just glad you are here.
XOXO

Have You Ever Just Ached To Kiss Somebody?

I can hardly believe how badly I want to just hug this little Felix and kiss him till he giggles. I'm a total sucker for a baby in a sweater, and when he's my grandson...I'm weak and ready to jump on a plane tonight. Autumn does this to me, but this is the first time in ages I've actually ached.