Only In L.A.

I know I said I wasn't going to post again until I'd finished my taxes (done!), and my grandma's taxes (not done), completed the newsletter (not done), and cleaned and organized my house (yeah, right) but something happened the other day that I had to share.

So, you know about Earth Hour, right? Everyone was supposed to turn out the lights from 8:30 to 9:30 Saturday night. Warren and I had gone out with friends to see Bill Maher (which was fabulous!) and Jerry went to his friend Jackson's house with two other boys. Like good environmentalists, they turned out the lights and spent the time building with Kapla blocks, using flash lights to view their progress. (Dark house, flash lights, urban area--surely you see where this is headed...) Around 9:00 they heard the sound of a helicopter getting closer and closer until it sounded like it was hovering over the roof. A search light appeared, raking over every inch of the backyard from tree house to trampoline and three (yes, three!) cop cars appeared in front of the house. It turns out a concerned neighbor saw the dark house, the flashlights within, and assumed a robbery was taking place! Ha! On the one hand, it's nice to know the neighbor cared enough to call the police and then the police actually showed up. On the other hand, well it was Earth Hour for crying out loud!

Funny things happen when you live in an urban area. You see a dark house with flash lights inside and you assume it's being burglarized. You see someone running in street clothes rather than sweats--obviously they've just robbed someone. A kid comes up to you on the street and asks for money for the bus and even though you're visiting a small town in Iowa you assume the kid is an addict and tell him you don't have any change. You go away for the weekend and leave the dog door open so the cats can get in and out at will and assume that when you return your computer, television, and jewelry will be gone.

Ah, life in the big city.

Blogging Break

I'm taking a break from blogging to do my taxes, edit a newsletter, clean and organize my house and find a home exchange for July or August. I'll be back soon!!

Unschooling Article

Here's a link to a really nice article on unschooled teens:

Teenage Bohemia: Being self-taught in New York City

And the article mentions Idzies blog, I'm Unschooled. Yes, I Can Write. Woo hoo! Congrats Idzie! :)

Um...

I would love to provide you, Dear Reader, with something clever, entertaining or thought-provoking to read today, but my brain isn't cooperating. You may have better luck here or here or here.

Foggy With Patches Of Sun

I'm ever so slowly coming out of the fog. It's a bit too slow for my taste but apparently grief has its own time-line. Since my grandma died I've been sleeping like a rock, which is highly unusual for me, but last night I actually laid awake for a good couple hours worrying about stuff, which might seem like a bad thing (and it really sucks when it's happening--especially if there's a very loud helicopter hovering right outside your bedroom window at the same time) but it's a very normal thing for me to do. In fact, sleeping all the way through the night is downright bizarre for me. So as I was laying there fretting, I couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. I'll admit, it felt bad. But still, it's what I do, so in some weird way it was good.

What was I fretting about? TV. Jerry's watching too much. Would I say the same thing if he were reading instead of watching TV? Yes. I would. And I don't like the way he talks about himself. He says he does nothing but watch TV all day. Calls himself a "couch potato" and makes other disparaging remarks. It really bothers me. And, honestly, I think it bothers him. He's really self-conscious about his body now that he's put on some weight. I've actually thought about asking the doctor about it because he went up about four sizes in three months, but I know the doctor will ask about his level of activity and the truth is he's just not very active. So, I know it's not very unschooly of me, but I'm really considering an experimental ban on TV during "school" hours--from about 10 to 3--to see if that changes things. I'm just thinking about it for now. I haven't said anything yet. I find it's best to think about this kind of stuff before acting on it because it almost always works itself out. But the TV thing has been going on for a while. So, I don't know. I know I need to do what's best for Jerry and not get hung up on unschooling the "right" way. And he is a kid that needs a nudge now and then. He even seems to appreciate a nudge. So, we'll see.

In the meantime here are some pictures of Charlie in his favorite pot. We've been keeping it on the floor of Jerry's play room so he can snuggle up in it without wreaking havoc in our cupboards.But then we had to get a picture of him on the stove so we moved him. Kitty stew. Yum.By the way, this is exactly the kind of picture I love to look at on other people's blogs. I love all the background stuff--it gives you a look into how we live (sadly, this picture is a fairly accurate representation). Warren always accuses me of being a Peeping Tom because I like to look into people's windows when we go for walks. It's not like I'm tip-toeing into their yards peering over the window sill, though. I don't even stop to gawk. If the curtains are open I just look in and take stock as I walk by. How is decorated? Where's the couch? What are the window coverings like? Are there toys? Is it neat? What kind of people are they? And these are the same questions I love to answer when I look at photos on people's blogs. So ask away, Sherlock. Peer into the background and deduce what you will.

The Travel Bug

I was looking up home exchanges in Greece this morning. I'm thinking some time on one of the Greek islands would be really nice right about now--or any time, really. Four weeks would be perfect. Warren says four weeks is too long. It's true. He thinks it's possible to spend too much time in Greece! Can you possibly spend too much time on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean? I think not! Still, I suppose he's thinking money (someone's got to do it) and he may have a point. I'm going to continue planning, though, because planning doesn't cost a dime.

In the meantime I'm going to live vicariously through the Redpath family. They're friends from our homeschool group who are embarking on a whole year of travel this coming June. Yep, they're selling everything and hittin' the road. Or the skies--they're flying off to Serbia June 22nd. They've already started blogging about their preparations and they'll document the whole thing online. Meet the Redpaths:


And if anyone knows Oprah or Ellen, or has connections with the chewing gum company that paid Matt all that money to travel the world, maybe you could put in a good word for them.

In other news, the Lebowskifest is finally coming to Los Angeles on a weekend that Warren and I can attend! Woohoo! For the last few years it's been in San Francisco on the weekend of Jerry's birthday, so we haven't been able to go. But this year it's in May, right here in our hometown.

Tomorrow Jerry and I are going whale watching with the homeschool group and on Wednesday we're going to Shakespeariance. Plus, we finally opened up the chemistry kit that came in the mail a few weeks ago. So we've got to put in some "lab" time before the litmus solution we made goes bad. It's shaping up to be a very busy week. Looks like life is finally returning to normal.

Dear Reader

Rejoice!

I have finally grown tired of the sound of my own pathetic whining, so I promise* not to write anymore pathetic whiny blog posts.

I just wanted you to know.

Love, Colleen

*I reserve the right to renig on this promise at any time. Sorry.