Duh-duh-duh-duh

Me: Gawd, I have the weirdest song in my head. Remember in the early eighties, or maybe it was the late seventies, there was that disco version of Beethoven's 5th Symphony?

Ray: Yeah, it's "A Fifth of Beethoven."

Me: Oh! -- A fifth of Beethoven, like a fifth of vodka? I get it!

Impressive. Most impressive.

In my book, you are definitely a Jedi if you can run 100 miles. All together. Like, non-stop. No joke.

That's what one of my professor's did last weekend, as a fundraising challenge for the Hearing Regeneration Initiative at the UW. I knew she'd done ultra-marathoner stuff in the past, but I guess she's still active. Uh, maybe active is an understatement. Kickin' ass is probably a better description.

Check it out here.

Holy Bunnytail, Batman

I just noticed an interesting trend. In the last month, I've had more random hits on this blog from people searching for info on Hugh Hefner and his girlfriends, just because I admitted my fondness for the E! show "The Girls Next Door." For example, my blog apparently comes up if you Google:

do hugh hefner's girlfriends have contracts

hef's former girlfriend buffy

do hugh hefner's girlfriends get allowance

hugh hefner mii

will hef father holly's baby

I'm sure I've just upped this kind of traffic by blogging about it now, but it's just too funny not to share!

Found

I cleaned out my purse yesterday, and found this great quote from Stranger than Fiction (one of my all-time favorite movies) folded up among the take out menus, programs and receipts. Apparently Ray planted it in my purse months ago, and I didn't find it until just now. Brilliant...

As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction.

And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true.

More music

Music was very important in our family growing up. We all started music lessons early on, with me on the piano and then clarinet, my brother on the flute and then guitar and then bass, and my sister on the violin then piano and a few other things. We all eventually sang in choirs, school musicals and/or bands. My parents always had Classic KING on during the day, or played some of their large record collection, consisting of mostly classical and American and international folk music. All of us developed an appreciation for music, and surprising understanding of traditional Slavic tunes -- my dad kept a stack of records he purchased Yugoslavia in the early sixties which became classic family listening. I may know nothing about Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond or Captain and Tennille, but I can spot Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy a mile off.

I often think about the foundational musical values give to me by my parents and wished that I engaged in musical opportunities more often. First of all, why aren't we attending the symphony, the opera (what happened to our plans to see La Boheme this spring?), Folk Life, etc. Second, I need to expand my classical music collection. I have plenty of international music, but my classical repertoire is stuck on a few cds I like best (Mozart, Copland, Faure, Brahms). Third, there are not enough occasions in which to have good live music. Having a wedding is one occasion. My brother sang Ave Maria during our ceremony and it was a highlight of the event. Ray and I have somewhat jokingly talked about hiring the mariachi band at La Costa for an event, like a baby party or birthday...but who has the space appropriate for that kind of music? I've also been trying to figure out an occasion for an opera singing friend to sing Faure's Pie Jesu. Is it wrong to plan a non-religious baptism/baby dedication just to hear someone sing?

Ray and I have discussed some of the foundational values we'd like to pass to August. Mine are swimming and piano lessons, and Ray has agreed we'll invest in a piano or keyboard as space and finances allow. Ray wants August exposed to martial arts and has plans to introduce calculus as soon as she's out of the bassinet. (I joke, but seriously, he just bought a book called Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure! for her.)

Anyway, I'd like August to have the experience I had growing up...a house filled with lots of music. Thankfully, it's easy to start with the stereo.

First "swim"

Things I love

1. Tim Gunn
If Oprah is the new Jesus, then Tim Gunn is the new John the Baptist. But maybe for different religions.

I want Tim Gunn to adopt me as his new favorite niece. Until that happens, I'll just watch his new show on Bravo and wait for Project Runway to start.

2. The Moby Wrap
Genius comes in one long strip of cotton knit. I am not the kind of person who savors spending every moment with a newborn who wants to be held. This morning I remembered the Moby Wrap, strapped it around my body and stuffed August in one of the pockets. She immediately seemed to think she was back in the womb, and now I have two hands to carry on my lengthy to do list!

3. Wee! Wii!
What possesses a person to buy a Nintendo Wii game system as a baby shower present? Whatever the reason, it's a good one! Ray and I have been planning on buying one for months now, but never could justify the expense. Now that we've received one (thank you Mark! and Erin too for considering such a gift!), we are surely going to be better parents. Right? I've found making Miis (gaming characters) is almost as much fun as playing the games themselves. If you use our Wii (yes, this is an invitation), you can play as me, Ray, August, OR Denzel Washington, Cesar Milan, Oprah Winfrey, Chow Yung-fat, Pippi Longstocking, Spike from Buffy, or Bertha, my evil alter ego.

Ohmygod -- I must go make a Tim Gunn Mii!

You should really water that thing