Lofts and empathy

...not tea and sympathy.
1.) Yesterday we went to the city hop downtown, and Russ and I are sooooooo planning to move down to mingle with the urban elite once the kids are off to their respectable Ivy League universities. It was basically a giant open house featuring all the renovated warehouses downtown into the uber-hip-and-trendy "lofts for the urban romantic." I saw so much blond parquet flooring, track light, granite and stainless steel fixtues I began to long for the gaudy country chic of Grandma's attic. But oh, was it divine. There is something fan-freakin-tastic about being to walk everywhere. (Honestly, part of the reason I love the burb I am in is because it has its own Colonial, hip feel to it and you can walk places also. If I couldn't go to my Scottie MacBean's sidewalk cafe I would feel a hole in my heart.) But I digress: the renewed vibrancy of downtown is giving me hope that a s*t load of cool people actually do live in Cowtown.... the twelfth largest city in the USofA!! My favorite developments were The Buggyworks and Jeffrey Place. The Buggyworks rocked my world. First of all, this whole area-- the Arena District-- stands on the grounds of the ex state penetentiary, and when I was in college, my freakish film-school roommates used to film short ghost movies within its crumbling walls and run around through the rotten, rusty bars of the cells. Now the Pen is demolished and sprouting from the graveyard of the convicted, rises the rebirth of cool Columbus. Anywho, the Buggyworks is where I'd choose to live... ( www.thebuggyworks.com ) and Jeffrey Place, when it is finished in a few years, will be astonishing. I'd like to live in one of the single-family, huge Mary Poppins houses. The new Victorians!! What a fab idea!!
Anyway, we walked our asses off, had fun, fought over where to eat, and followed a crowd of friendly gay men who kept pinching each others' butts and joking about dropping to their knees. Well, who the hell else lives in these sleek urban lofts?!-- them, artists and DINKs.
2.) I have taken to infiltrating young Frankie's pool at his apartment complex, (another favorite area of mine in the city.... Clintonville, an urban, yet pristine residential area with tightly-spaced homes built in the 20's and 30s situated on ravines and surrounded by quaint shops and boutiques). Part of the reason why I go to his pool. Anyway, I scored his code to get into the pool and I have been taking the girls now and then. So I'm laying out by the pool in my big hip Olson-twins sunglasses, thinking I look pretty good, even if I am surrounded by tan, skinny college girls...when suddenly I see Chloe looking at me with a pitying, empathetic face and she says, "Mommy....I feel bad for you."
"Why?" I say.
"Because..." she replies wistfully, "You're the only mom here."
OUCH!!!
So, that's the latest Chloe story. With the exeption of today, when she and Meghan crafted a father's day card for Russ that says "Dear daddy, Ever since I was little, I knew I would have a chind (kind), sooeet (sweet) dad like you."
They're off to camp tomorrow!!! I get to actually concentrate on doing some major damage control at work. Long story, but I think I F*ed up.
Gotta fly!!!

"here i am, on the road again...."

Last week I was sick as a dog. (Where did that saying come from anyway?? Are all dogs sick?) It's my bi-annual "knocked flat on my ass" death sentence. I couldn't even lift my head, I just heard the world going on around me through a haze of pain and congestion. My head felt like a team of draft horses had walked over it. Monday morning I whispered "Jordan.. help..." and she came in my room and I said, "Give everyone cereal and make sure the twins don't wear something stupid to school." Then I slept til 9:30. Anyway!! Today I'm OK, just still...ummmm....drainy.
I also almost died last Saturday...Dennis asked me to spot him while he lifted the huge, 100 pound speaker off the big tripod stand thingie. WHICH TOPPLED OVER ONTO MY HEAD. I saw white explosions behind my eyes "seeing stars"---and saw Tweety Birds circling around my head. I couldn't even move for a few seconds, I was THIS close from being knocked out I think. But as we re-hashed the situation Matt busted up laughing because what he found amusing was, I stood up with a goofy grin on my face. So he didn't even think I was hurt that bad.... I was like, "NO, I was just LOOPY, being that a huge speaker FELL ON MY HEAD." Then he lost it when I muttered really loud, "MY SKULL IS ON FIRE." So, then we decided for our next gig, I will drop a speaker on my head AND I'll be lit on fire. Ahhhhh. Good times....good times.
So, anyway, this week has been totally insane. It was the last week of school which included a zoo trip...(I deserve a medal for THAT one...let's walk around in 90 degree heat with a bunch of first graders!)...6th grade clap-out...(so emotional! Jordy's ending an era)... ballet dress rehersal, ballet recital, meeting with Craig, new projects kicking off---and to top it all off, I got a call Thursday at 3:30 from Brewstirs: "Can you play tonight?" So we did....total short notice, a hot and steamy night...yowza. That was a crazy day.
Mom & Pops are here tonight to come to Amanos... we should have a great crowd!!!
-Chloe also started T-Ball which is beyond adorable. She has a good little arm, and watches her coach intently, asking millions of questions.
-Meghan, on the other hand, is too busy going on dates with her true love "Chance", and socializing with her adoring public.
-Jordan is in Stealth Mode, being almost twelve. Slinking around in her do-rags and flip flops, whispering secretly on the phone behind closed doors. Little does she know there is absolutely NOTHING she could do that would shock me...and frankly something any of my kids did would have to be hugely criminal for me to make a big deal of it. Probably not great parenting...but, I got in trouble a lot over things that weren't that big of a deal when I was a kid, and that's all been beaten out of me to the point where I am extremely laid back about things....I have a 'live and let live' attitude. (It's funny...I am extremely socially liberal--anything goes--but very traditional in other ways, --possessive of my money, and wanting people to take charge of their own lives, for example.) Anyway....Jordy is awesome!! She's been emailing me lately and then yelling, "READ IT!!! READ IT!! DID YOU READ IT YET?" She programs all of our phones to read different things every week or so. Right now one phone says simply "I attack."
We're taking the kids for the first set tonight. I can see Jordan on VH-1 "Behind The Music".. "Yeah, man, I grew up on the road......"
Russ has been the voice of reason in a sea of insanity. Calm...reassuring...soothing....full of advice. For example, the best bit of wisdom from him was, "GET A REFILL ON YOUR CRAZY PILLS!"
I don't care, I have too much to juggle. A body can only do so much. There's some law of physics behind that. One human canNOT register kids for summer camp, keep up with needed items like bobby pins, barrettes and tights for ballet, and food...oh yes, and food---pack lunches, write a book, buy presents for birthday parties, shave her legs, feed 3 kids three squares a day plus snacks, hop on the treadmill, drive to softball and ballet practice, find time to see friends and family, arrange sleepovers, return phone calls, take library books back, pick up dry cleaning, oh...and WORK, too....not to mention the fun and drama of the Uncle lifestyle.
But don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade it. I'd just like a break sometime before I wear out like an old machine. I'm looking forward to a relaxing vaca next month.
On a bright side, I ran a 12 minute mile today. Sweat was flying off me like Chris Farley doing his Chippendale dance.
Well---time to figure out what I'm wearing...."Turn the page..."