Blogburn

Cussing?

2012-01-26T21:28:00.006-06:00

From the front page of the Sun Advocate, local newspaper, Jan. 24, highlighting mine:

Peanut shows off furry snow clots after running around in her owner's yard for awhile on Saturday. The Carbon County area was blanketed with snow on Saturday, the first real snowstorm of the year for the entire county. In the central valley and up to the east county area the snow came down piling up four to six inches. For some the slick roads made them cuss, but most people were thankful that at long last some moisture was coming out of the sky. The weather is expected to be mostly sunny and warmer through Thursday, with highs in the low- to mid-40s and overnight lows near 20 degrees.

When was the last time you heard the word cuss? last time you saw it in print?

So. Food.

2012-01-26T17:45:00.009-06:00

As any of you who I've spoken to in the last two years know, the food situation in Price is dismal. I talk about it incessantly ("There's Greek Streak, run by a Mexican family, where everything is served with a side of spaghetti or Farleno's where salt is the only spice used, and used heavily, or ..." you know, you've heard me). Every few months P, in his eternal optimist way and I, in my easily swayed by him way, will try again. Like it might have changed...? It hasn't.

At some point I realized I would be cooking every night of the week, week in and week out. Cooking hasn't come easily to me (in a pre-marriage conversation I described it as "drudgery"). I have to meal plan, which means at the end of the week I have the plan, jotted on a piece of paper. That piece of paper symbolizes quite a bit of effort and I struggle to throw it away. And so I have stuck in the back of my recipe binder weeks and weeks worth of meal notes.

Here's the week before last:

1/13, Fri - Crepes, savory: spinach, grilled chicken in roux or omelet like scrambled eggs (for the kids) dessert: fresh blackberries and strawberries in cream with homemade caramel sauce

Sat - In Provo (hallelujah, yes, Provo has become a food destination for me

Sun - chicken tikka over rice with naan cooked on the grill

Mon - Black bean soup with cornbread

Tues - Chicken enchiladas with leftover black bean soup

Wed - Tomato soup (made from garden tomatoes that my sister in law helped me bottle) and homemade whole wheat bread

Thurs - Leftover enchiladas

And this past week's:

1/20, Fri - Boxed Mac 'n' cheese (I made the mistake of asking N what he wanted) and grilled chicken green salad. Chicken not used in enchiladas.

Sat - Grilled black pepper tuna steaks, cous cous, butternut squash (the last one from the garden)

Sun - at family gathering

Mon - Lentil loaf (new recipe), with baked potato and carrots

Tues - Sweet potato, carrot, & apple soup with homemade artisan bread

Wed - pasta with chicken, vegetables and alfredo sauce

Thurs - leftovers

So you might be seeing more menu list, as I strive to immortalize the effects of the small town life we've chosen to live and maybe I'll be able to throw away those slips of paper.

Inner Domestic Goddess Emerges

2011-12-19T15:45:00.001-06:00

Apparently, I have one, an inner domestic goddess, that is.

Presents purchased,

cards sent,

neighbor gifts delivered,

nativity painted (with chalkboard paint, chalk detail by N and S, this by a woman who sends her kids to preschool so she doesn't have to do crafts)

Hat (almost) knit

Couch re-upholstered.

And I blogged about it.

I amaze myself.

Now if someone would just feed those kids.

Ok, you knew it was too good to be true. I didn't re-upholster the couch myself, just picking the fabric and arranging to have it done (by Hector, in Provo, if you want details let me know, he was great) took me a year.

Partly because I was looking for something that would blend with this chair. But it's finally DONE!

Fall Over

2011-11-07T23:40:00.001-06:00

This morning we woke up to this:

What? Where did fall go? A reminder that much of life seems to just be rushing by, with little introspection or reflection here recently, and not nearly enough laughing at myself.

S turned eight (EIGHT!) recently. He got baptized this weekend. It was a beautiful day, with three grandma's: two of his, one of mine; a granddad, a few aunts and uncles, lots of cousins, and some friends.

Quote of the week nomination: "Is the lunch just for family? Or can friends come too?" - Neighbor girl, as I'm trying to figure out how thin the post-baptism luncheon soup can reasonably be.

And Halloween? I never shared my Halloween masterpiece with the world... (Okay, make that Blogburn readership, which is at this point, what? Carrie?)

J was a parrot, to N's pirate. I was feeling pretty creative until we got in line at the costume contest behind another pirate/parrot pair.

So, Goodbye Fall. Wow. Look at those pumpkins! All from our garden, another feat of fall gone by.

Say's who?

2011-08-13T23:35:00.004-05:00

It's a Say's Phoebe!

I told S at the beginning of the summer that he could pick one thing and we'd study it together over the summer. I was hoping for geography, or maybe, since we live surrounded by brown hills, and everyone in town in supported by the coal mining industry, geology. Nope. Birds. He picked birds.

Okay, I'm a can-do type mom, right? Not my choice, but we can do that, I thought. There were two different kinds of birds nesting in our yard, we'll just identify those and then observe and learn. Hah. Two different kinds of mid-sized brown birds. We watched them day in and day out, we had the bird watchers book on our table for weeks. We'd look at it daily. The birds laid eggs. We looked at the book. The eggs hatched. We looked at the book. We got a new book. The chicks started to fly. We looked at the book. I was starting to feel rather desperate, when I realized that they were no longer returning to the nest. Were they going to take off and leave us stranded? All that time and no identification? a summer's study unhatched and unfulfilled?

And then last Thursday morning, I FOUND IT! It's a Say's Phoebe. I was elated. A friendship cemented by a name. "S!" I exclaimed, "come! look! behold!" I gestured, I may have jumped up and down. "Cool." he said, and he went back to his Legos.

But I am a woman captivated. I took the book when we went camping, we identified two more birds. I kept stopping the car on last weeks youth group trip, making the teenagers LOOK AT THE BIRDS! Maybe he'll choose birds again next year?
Yeah, I only identified one of the birds nesting in the yard.

Quote of the Week

2011-07-31T22:23:00.003-05:00

N: Mom, why do some people have two moms?
Mom: Well, some people get divorced, and their dad might get married to a different mom.
N: When will we get two moms?

Reaching for a blogburn post...

2011-05-20T23:01:00.002-05:00

Do three unrelated thoughts, a blog post make?

Marital bliss = two copies of The Economist

Tonight when making cookies, I finished off the eggs, the oatmeal, two bags of chocolate chips, the box of butter, the baking soda, and a tupperware of walnuts. Exact quantities called for in the recipe. How cool is that? I love completeness.

I also mowed the grass this evening, which I haven't done in a LONG time. I really enjoyed it. Outside, the smell of the grass mixed with the smell of fuel... All that time with your thoughts, no one can interrupt, it's too loud to hear them if they try. I recently realized that in the last couple of places I've lived, I haven't known anyone that does their own yard work, here I don't know anyone who does not.

Quote of last week : I helped Dad lawn the grass! - N after following Phil around with his toy lawn mower for over an hour, as Phil mowed.

Bluebonnets it Ain't

2011-04-20T00:22:00.004-05:00

Bluebonnets it ain't. Front yard it is.

Free is Good

2011-04-19T23:54:00.005-05:00

Day Trip to Arches!

We were happy that the government shutdown didn't materialize and we were able to proceed, as planned, with our national park day trip this past weekend.

We pulled up to the little booth, wallet in hand, only to have the helpful ranger tell us, "National Park Week, free admission." What?

Poor policy? Maybe, but besides being the week before Easter (and national parks being packed with spring breakers) it was also tax weekend and we were feeling a little ill used by Uncle Sam. Free admission helped.

It lasts all the way through the 24th, so visit a national park, and get yours.

March Madness

2011-03-22T16:05:00.005-06:00

It's been a rough week.

A black eye and a fractured arm.

In separate incidents.

Go Cougs!

2011-03-16T22:09:00.003-06:00

And Wildcats and Tigers. And Bulldogs and Hoyas. And Spiders.

S filled out a bracket this year. He choose based on mascot. Turns out he prefers fierce sounding animals, and spiders. Maybe that was due to the NOVA he'd just watched about venomous animals? Long segment on spiders.

K: Fighting Illini or Running Rebels?
S: Fighting Illini, those other guys sound like they're running away.

S: Terriers? Ha!

K: I'm not sure what a buckeye is...
S: It's the eye of a buck.
(Apparently quite cool)

The Craziest Thing

2011-03-09T17:24:00.001-06:00

Quite possibly the craziest thing I've ever done? 12 hour drive to my parents,and back
Minivan's occupants? Myself, my three kids, my cousin, my cousin's two kids, my aunt
(or as my uncle said, "a driver and two prison guards")

I haven't spent much time (okay any) with my aunt and cousin in years. We were traveling with 5 children, 4 carseats, and a maintenance required light that insisted we were reckless. In the end, no damage done, except for what results from watching Chip and Dale cartoons over and over and over again. More than no damage done, it was FUN. And hanging out in the sun on the new deck with my parents was just what we all needed.

First Grade Fundraiser

2011-02-09T14:16:00.002-06:00

S brought home his Jump Rope for Heart form recently, all pumped about the rewards you can get for fundraising. You know, you remember, the awesome "speed" jump rope, the super cool tee shirt, the...

Does anyone else see these and think, exploitation? I mean how hard is it to get a bunch of kindhearted first graders all excited about "saving lives"? And who's going to turn their earnest little souls down when they come knocking on your door? I did a quick search on where the money raised from jump rope for heart goes. $0.64/dollar to research, $0.32/dollar on fundraising...

Or am I just a scrooge? Or is grinch the more appropriate term?

At least there is some good in the physical activity encouragement. Though in asking S, he wasn't all that clear on where the jumping rope came into it. I remember in Jr. High, the magazine sale fundraiser with all these little fuzzy... were they called weeples? as rewards. 12 year old girls are suckers for little fuzzy things. Not much good in that one.

So, I'm faced with a decision: Try to talk him down, convince him that the jump rope isn't that cool and I don't hate people with heart problems, or go the "I don't know what happened to that sign-up sheet..." route. Or I guess I could just let him go for it? Nah, not this year. Maybe next year.

January. Blah.

2011-01-23T12:03:00.005-06:00

I find January a depressing month. Cold and dark outside. Here all the snow has melted, leaving only brown mud behind. Nothing to look forward to except new episodes of Biggest Loser. Significantly less busy than I've been the last few months, feeling unproductive and unmotivated. Plenty of time to blog, but nothing worth sharing.

I've noticed that my view is a good attitude barometer.

At times the view out my back window is pretty dramatic, and on days when I'm feeling optimistic, I look outside and see the mountains and the way the light comes through the clouds. On days when I'm feeling rather more January, I look out and I see the neighbors fence and the expanse of brown between here and the mountains.

Ridiculously Idyllic

2010-12-16T23:21:00.005-06:00

We cut our own tree this year. It was nothing like Christmas Vacation. It was one of those ridiculously idyllic days that happen only very occasionally; and which trick you into starting some sort of tradition because you hope it'll always be like that.

Ford should put us in a commercial, that kind of idyllic. Well, except for how N looks like he's about to crawl under the truck.

And yes, we lasted two months as homeowners in Utah before we bought a truck

The Barter Bar

2010-12-12T23:25:00.004-06:00

So, in my rural Utah location there is a call in classifieds radio show. So every morning on one of the local radio stations you can call in and let all the faithful listeners know that you're selling your old tires, or goats, or spinning wheel. Perfect for getting rid of my moving boxes I thought. But here's the thing, it's really hard to get through. People are just burning up the line trying to get the word out on their junk. So, I had to resort to email, which they read on air. Then my line was burning up with people who wanted to come and get my free boxes.
The lucky recipient? My garbage man. Yup. He said, "Oh, I know where you're at I pick up your garbage on Thursday mornings." When he came we had a nice conversation about trash, you know, how my neighbors forget to put out their garbage, or the lady who lived her before me didn't produce much. Turns out that's what living in a small town's like.

Alternatively

2010-11-17T23:12:00.002-06:00

Alternatively, I can just release the J-vac.

You're Gonna Be So Jealous

2010-11-10T22:26:00.004-06:00

If you are well over 30 and/or have multiple children you're so jealous:

That is the central vac intake located underneath my kitchen cabinets, which means I don't need a dustpan. I just sweep all the crumbs, cheerios, and dried mac right over in front of it, flip the switch and it all gets sucked away. So, until the boys realize how cool it is and suck up something sticky and it ceases to work I am just going to enjoy it... it and the rest of our new house.

The Party

2010-10-31T23:08:00.004-06:00

We did a combined birthday party for my boys this year. It was supposed to be N's turn but since he wasn't too pleasant on his actual birthday,

I decided three-year-olds aren't ready for mass present reception and we went with the combined party, no gifts.

Since we have so many boxes I decided we'd build a box city at the party. This is part of the reason I couldn't just call it off after N's shenanigans at the family party. This was the perfect plan to re-use my boxes (and be forgiven by mother earth for the carbon footprint of those pants...maybe).

Pre-party, land development, - with cousin D
Cousin D really got into the whole thing
Creating the building of their choice

The nice thing about moving so much, is that you only have to be slightly creative once, then you can do it over and over...
N loved using the glue

city at completion

It really got fun when we pulled the basket of matchbox cars out.

Defending the Galaxy (again)

2010-10-31T22:52:00.003-06:00

I made my boys use the same costumes as last year (they were great costumes), plus we had an important addition:

Nacho is a lot easier to throw together than Chewbacca

A full range of anticipatory emotions

Sometimes I Worry

2010-10-28T00:03:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I worry:
that I'm doing this parenting thing all wrong
that the tone in our voices and in our house is too critical
that I spend too much time organizing and cleaning and party planning
that while I worry, I don't seem to be able to change

Posting on My Mind

2010-10-10T22:29:00.008-05:00

Frequently things happen and I think: I've got to blog about that. The last few weeks have been filled with such moments. Here they are all at once, pace yourself:

Oct. 7 - Biggest D@&! Carbon Footprint
I unpacked a pair of pants I bought from Old Navy.com for S before we left for India, not realizing that clothes are cheap there. They never fit him while we were there so I packed them in our shipment, not realizing it would be a year before we saw those things again. I looked at them today: Made in India. Which means that $7 pair of pants were made in India shipped to the US, flown back to India, packed, stored, and shipped back to the US. Now they are too small. Sorry Mother Earth.

Oct. 4 - Greatest Friends Ever
A number of my friends from Dallas helped me pack up (nearly two and a half years ago now!). The messages they left on the boxes had me laughing all day. AND MISSING THEM!

Oct. 3 - Ah, General Conference Weekend

We love General Conference Weekend

Oct. 1 - We Did It!

We closed yesterday!

Which means our last 11 months of living like this:

Are pretty much over. Thank goodness for the minivan, eh?
Sept 26 - Fall

We are between houses. My mother in law sold her house, and so, she was finally able to get us out of her basement. Our new house is under contract and we are waiting for it to close. We should be moving in Oct. 1!! In the meantime we are living in the family cabin. It's about a 45 minute drive to school and work and I was kind of dreading these two weeks, but it's been beautiful and quite relaxing.

Sept. 23 - Baby J

Sept. 14 - My Condolences to Facebook

Facebook here I come. I got a new job at church, I'm going to be working with the teenage girls. I didn't like teenage girls when I was a teenage girl (my mom says that's not that unusual and that's part of the problem with teenage girls). So, it looks like to communicate with them I'll have to get a facebook account. Of course, they are likely to doubt my cred, what with my brandspankin' new account and all.

As I've shared, I'm about the latest adopter around and my joining/buying/using usually coincides nicely with the sharp decline in popularity of said fad. My condolences to facebook. Good thing they got the movie out when they did.

Don't bother looking for me yet, I haven't even had a chance to blog over the last few weeks.

Smile

2010-09-23T23:49:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week

2010-09-13T15:12:00.003-05:00

Oh, she is well trained. She used to be a life guard. She can blow her whistle louder than any of the other teachers.
S, reassuring us on the topic of his first grade, first-year, teacher

Pass the Mustard

2010-09-13T14:55:00.005-05:00

Hazards of Costco and helping your mother-in-law move:

One gallon of mustard, expired Jan 2010, never opened.

Things with OUR house are moving along and it looks like we'll be in at the beginning of next month. Really looking forward to our own space and unpacking all the boxes we packed up over two years ago, expired mustard and all.

Monopoly

2010-09-07T23:37:00.003-05:00

UGH! Inspecting the inspectors findings, "initial fees worksheets" and "good faith estimates" that don't match up, looming deadlines, and Phil, who never gives up on numbers, who just gave up.

Remember how in Monopoly you could mortgage your property by flipping the card over? That sounds good.

Summer Break

2010-09-01T21:55:00.006-05:00

So, in case you haven't noticed, and I really hope you have, I took a Summer break. I should have posted something notifying you of said break, but I didn't. That was all part of the break. But school's back in, we're no longer traveling back and forth between Salt Lake and my rural Utah location, the kids are in bed at a reasonable hour... I should have time to blog a bit.

The summer photo recap:

Hiking the Mormon Trail above Salt Lake City

Realizing that you went the wrong way and your ride is nowhere near

Hogle Zoo Classic

Baseball and Fireworks, July 4

More Baseball and Fireworks, July 24

The shipment from India came, but we still don't have a house, so it still looks like this.

And we saw so many of you as you passed through Salt Lake or as we passed through Dallas. It was a great, all-American Summer. I'm looking forward to the next one already.

Realtors! Honestly!

2010-07-11T23:23:00.002-05:00

So, it looks like we're gonna take the plunge, you know the big one, the one we've so far avoided in our nine years of marriage. A house.
Somewhere in all the rentals and sublets we've gone and gotten all opinionated, which it turns out, makes it difficult to find something that we like. We went out with a realtor on Friday. Not my mother in laws realtor, his name is Jim Shorts. I can't even say it without laughing, how could I make serious decisions about my families home and financial future with Jim Shorts? If the Simpson's ever sold their house they'd list it with Jim Shorts.
No, not Jim, another realtor who took me to a few places I asked to see and a few of her listings. Nothing doing. Then we started discussing lots and building and she told us about a beautiful 3 acre parcel with a beautiful view she's just listed. It's out of town a ways. We drive out there. It did have a beautiful view, once you looked over the freeways and past the train tracks and turned your back on the substation. No joke. Three acres sandwiched between a freight train spur, the freeway and the regular tracks, bordered to the south by a electrical substation. Oops, I guess I just forgot to mention those drawbacks?

More of the Same

2010-06-17T00:05:00.005-05:00

We are residing walking distance from an upscale little strip mall. Do those go together? I guess I should say upscale little shopping centre. There is a White House Black Market, Chico's, Subway, Asian-ish furnishings store, gelato place, charming children's store, fabulous toy store. Just like the last upscale little shopping centre that we lived within walking distance of. They both even call themselves "Something Village". Eerie.

And quite the opposite of the shopping villages sandwiched in between:

Not So Conflicted

2010-06-16T23:06:00.002-05:00

Apparently, the woman from whom we're subletting this summer is not as conflicted as I am about toy weapons. My boys love her.

Calling all Trappers

2010-05-30T22:48:00.008-05:00

This arrived by mail one day last week. Thankfully it was misdelivered. It's only my neighbors that read this, not anyone I actually live with. Time to move you think?

Oh, now that you mention it, we will be moving on. We're headed north, to the capital for the summer, see if it has me claiming it's the place. So if you're passing through (and I actually know you, and you don't read Trapper and Predator Caller) let us know.

More Baby J

2010-05-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

And a couple of N, who seems to have it all figured out:

Tooth Fairy

2010-05-18T00:20:00.004-05:00

This is my Grandmother, a.k.a. The Tooth Fairy

A few weeks ago while visiting, S mentioned that he had a loose tooth (he'd already lost two teeth that week). She heard this and started in with, "Oh really, come here, let me have a look at that... hmm... I don't know. Yeah, I'm not sure if it's ready." And he walked away.

"Not loose enough?" I asked.

"Yeah" he said as he felt it with his tongue and then in all sincerity, "Hey, I can't find it. Which one is it?"

And I knew she'd done it again. He was elated when he realized she'd pulled it out. I remember standing in front of the mirror at my uncle's house and her doing the exact same thing when I lost my first tooth. I'm still trying to figure out how she does it.

Late Adopters

2010-05-07T14:10:00.004-05:00

We are the latest adopters I know. Sorry kids, no marketing company darlings here.
Email: 1998

Digital camera: 2003

Cell Phone: 2005
Blogging: 2008
Texting: 2009
Dr. Laura: 2010
Flat screen TV: never, we'll be skipping straight to HD... someday
ianything: We don't, and haven't ever, owned an Apple product
Kindle: another gift giving occasion came and went today, still no Kindle

Wait. Dr Laura?

Okay, so we haven't fully adopted Dr. Laura, no listeners here (is she even still on the air?) but I recently read:

Phil found a copy in a box destined for goodwill in his mother's basement (talk about late adopters). He pulled it out. I figured I'd better take the hint. Though I scorned it and teased the whole way through, I also found myself trying out some of her suggestions. Guess what? Being nice gets you points. So does being direct. How embarrassing! Adopting Dr. Laura before Steve Jobs?!

Maybe I haven't been direct enough about the Kindle?

Difficulties

2010-05-07T13:56:00.003-05:00

Please excuse us at Blogburn. We've been experiencing technical difficulties: router in a funk, full memory, new camera learning curve. And some not-so-technical difficulties: this little girl REALLY likes to be held... while you stand...and walk, or at least sway.
But you haven't been forgotten readers. I think of you often while standing and swaying.

India Revisited

2010-04-14T00:02:00.003-05:00

A couple of nights ago during that early morning nursing I was flipping channels and there was India, in the form of the reality show Blood, Sweat and T-shirts. I recognized the streets of Delhi from the buses. It was all so familiar, yet so foreign. It was unnerving. In many ways living in India feels like a different life.

Of course the fashionistas that star in the series seemed like spoiled crybabies. But I also recognized their various reactions since I feel like I experienced each of them in turn in the time that I spent there. Confusing. Contradictory. Painful. Exhilarating. A bit much for 3am.

We have arrived

2010-03-28T22:25:00.003-06:00

March 9: Sign S up for soccer

March 10: Third child is born

March 16: Drive home the new minivan

Stealing the Show

2010-03-14T18:16:00.004-06:00

N has been VERY excited about his new sister, and has managed, with his antics, to steal some of her spotlight.

Yeah, these are all from the hospital, what with the third kid, I can't seem to keep up with the picture loading and organization.

A little more about J

2010-03-14T15:10:00.003-06:00

Addressing some questions:

Yes, all my babies have been big, over 9lbs. She was not the biggest.

The boys both had dark hair when they were born too, but not so much.

We'll probably call her Josie, but I'm waiting to see what develops on that front.

Priya is an Indian/Hindi name. Supposedly it means "beautiful" or "beloved." We just like it.

Welcome Little Sister

2010-03-13T23:12:00.002-06:00

Josephine Priya Blackburn

03.10.10

9lbs 11oz

21 in

Pregnancy is bizarre

2010-03-01T22:04:00.003-06:00

Some pregnancy symptoms just don't make any sense.
Why am I increasingly clumsy while it gets increasingly harder to get to the floor to pick up what I've dropped?
Why can't I breathe? What do my nasal passages have to do with it?
Why can't I remember anything?

And then there are the things that come and go with different pregnancies.
With S I was so swollen that I couldn't wear anything but my Jesus sandals, in November, in Philadelphia. But that one has disappeared in the following two pregnancies.
With N I regularly had leg cramps at night, but not with S or this pregnancy.
You don't want to know about the sweet new symptom this time around.

Just over a week until my due date. I'm ready.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre

2010-02-13T23:38:00.003-06:00

We thought about going. Really.

Would have made for a memorable Valentine's, no?

Front Page News

2010-02-05T21:44:00.000-06:00

The below the fold headline in Tuesday's Sun Advocate, the local paper, was in HUGE font: Shopping Cart Consternation. Really.

Hangin' Out

2010-02-02T21:58:00.001-06:00

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Cheapest Mom You Know

2010-01-25T23:01:00.003-06:00

So, when I send him off to school in these, sometimes I wonder if I am the cheapest mom alive. We found these authentic moon boots in the house, and since they fit, S inherited them. They had to belong to one of Phil's youngest brothers, which means they haven't been worn in 20+ years.

Other times, when I send him off to school in these, I can only think of this:

Small Town Schooling

2010-01-18T23:31:00.003-06:00

We enrolled S at the local elementary school since we weren't (still aren't really) sure how long we'd be staying with Phil's Mom (Phil's arranged for a leave of absence from work). Sometime during the first week, when I went to pick him up after school, he was making gun gestures with his fingers.

"Gun games at school?" I said
"Here we can!" With obvious glee.

Welcome to small town America.

Time Flies...

2010-01-18T22:56:00.006-06:00

... when you're livin' in your mother-in-laws basement.

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since I last posted, a pretty busy two months too. However, as I heard repeatedly from those who left India while I was there, life back in the USofA can seem pretty boring by comparison. Turns out that everyday can pretty much be the same here, you can always get hot water, your electricity is reliable. You're only relying on your dishwasher, washing machine, and car, not a whole staff of help. And, what do you know? The machines are for more reliable, but really far less interesting. So, I'm not sure what I'll be posting about... Small town Utah tales? Aren't my children cute posts? Pregnancy complaints?

Here's a few photos of the Holiday haps in our new/old world, to tide you over as I rediscover my blogvoice:

Snow Fort Building

Assisting Snow Fort Building

Sledding

Nativity Acting (and Picking)
Tidepool Exploring
Shoveling
OJ Making
Seeing 2009 Into the Sunset

Christmas with family in UT. New Years with more family in California/Mexico. It's been great to spend so much time with those we missed while we were so far away.

Goodbye

2009-11-25T10:24:00.005-06:00

I really don't have a clue how to write this post.

My father in law, Dennis Blackburn, passed away very unexpectedly last Thursday. We will miss him terribly. He was a great father in law, father, and grandfather. He was a great example to Phil. I credit him with teaching Phil how to be the great husband and father that he is.

As a result we are back in the US earlier than we expected. We finished things up as quickly as we could in India, had our movers come a few days early, cancelled our travel plans, and returned to Utah to be with Phil's family. It was one of life's tender mercies that those arrangements all went as well as they possibly could have. We will be here for a few weeks.

And you miss out on all the witty little goodbye India posts I had planned. Maybe at some point I'll get back around to posting about our last few weeks there.

The night Max wore his wolf suit...

2009-11-11T11:30:00.004-06:00

The invitation:

I was highly entertained, but then, I am his mother, and yes, sometimes I want to send him off to bed without his supper.

Church Worlds Colide

2009-11-11T10:32:00.006-06:00

Some friends from Dallas are currently in India so we went to Chennai this past weekend to spend a little more time with them. You'll have to check out benac.com for the true lowdown on their travels, since I'm relying on their photography. Their travel agent/guide is a man we go to church with here. Also in Chennai are the McKinleys, some great friends of my parents, and mine as well.

You'll have to ignore N's frightful eyes, we are in the mad dash that is the last few weeks before we leave India. I don't have time to worry about devil eyes.
They are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I credit them with my travel bug, since my first international experience was under their wing.

It was an interesting mix: influential family friends, Indian acquaintance, post marriage friends from Dallas, all shaken together in Chennai, with a heavy dose of monsoon thrown in. In the end it was a great weekend. It felt really good to see familiar faces.

The boys, including Phil, just wore their swimsuits for Saturday's sightseeing.

Happy Birthween

2009-10-31T21:24:00.001-06:00

We had a Halloween Birthday party in S's honor last night in the park across the street. I realized I'm too much of a control freak to handle India or kindergartners with grace, and the combination is deadly. Very little turned out how I'd envisioned. It could have had something to do with the Halloween theme in a country that doesn't do carved pumpkins and plastic teeth. But hey, the six year old had fun.

We made paper plate masks, thanks to orangeyouglad.com. My joy at finding these masks made me wish I had something I could hire them to design.

And each kid got a pumpkin to decorate:

In lieu of bobbing for apples, we tied apples with strings to the monkey bars. "No hands" was taken very literally.

I think N is eating a lollipop in every photo we took. No idea how many of those he ate.

The weather was perfect. The kids costumes were a lot of fun. Happy Birthday S!

Defending the Galaxy

2009-10-30T09:43:00.003-06:00

Happy Halloween!

The Evil Eye

2009-10-25T10:33:00.005-06:00

We went to the Indian Air Force Museum on Friday. Where we learned all sorts of new things.

One highlight was the "war trophies" from the 1971 war with Pakistan...

and the attempted evil eye. I guess they were unsuccessful?

Proud Owner

2009-10-22T12:49:00.003-05:00

This took some getting. Fairly proud of it. Now that I have it. I had to have an interview; an interview at the Pakistani embassy. I had to go four days in a row. To get form. To turn form in. To have interview. To pick up visa. Plus there was the trip to the typist (the form had to be the original that they gave you, not available online, and typed) and the bank (to pay the visa fee) and the photographer (for those little pictures). How's that for adventure? Happy Birthday/Anniversary/Father's Day Phil.

Yeah, I'm not all that sad that a couple of the countries Phil really wanted to visit "on the way home," won't issue visas to Americans outside of the US. I don't know how many times I could do that.

And while I'm thinking about it, what do they do with all that paperwork anyway? And what about all those little immigration slips you fill out every time you enter and exit a country. Does anyone ever look at them? Do they get filed away forever? Do they have a huge bonfire every few months at immigration points worldwide?

I also like how my flash obscures any pertinent info, how's that for security measures.

Have you ever thought you wanted a driver?

2009-10-14T10:52:00.000-05:00

We have had a string of drivers since being here, and now that we are about to leave, I think have finally figured out the problem and what we should have done months ago. Phil's company provides the car and driver for us. They just hire a car through a local company. Most expats, and many Indians have drivers. It's kind of expected if you're a foreigner. Not exactly sure why, except that driving here is crazy. Anyway, here's the summary of our last year:

Driver #1: No English. None. Very confusing trip from the airport to our hotel on arrival.

Jag Ram: Drove us for three days, then said he'd have to take a couple of weeks off since his chest was hurting and his doctor told him to rest. Um. Okay. Never heard from him again, we still ask each other from time to time what the chances are he had a heart attack.

The Burper: This guy burped all the time. Then he'd wave his hand in front of his mouth and waft it away. We asked for a new driver.

Rajesh: What a talker. This guy just didn't quit talking, but he was friendly, knew his way around. We were happy. His fatal mistake? He mentioned that we should just ask for a bigger car, since we didn't fit (with him) in the compact car we had. So we did; and Phil's company found a different vendor who would supply a minivan type for the same price. So good-bye responsible car company and goodbye Rajesh.

Mukesh: Polite, kind, knew his way around, was great with the boys, good English. We were in heaven. He wasn't. The car company was paying him about 60% of what he was worth, when they were paying him at all. He told us he had an emergency in his village and would be gone for a few days. That translates to "I'm quiting," I now know. Turns out he got another job. Good for him.

Mukesh replacement: Zero English. Didn't know his way around the city. Drove the complete opposite direction for S's play date that morning, but I couldn't tell him. Remember? Zero English. Didn't even last the whole day.

Uday: Ran away with his girlfriend one night. On the way out of town he stole the car owners cell phone. All after dropping us off at home. At least that's what we heard.

Harish: Caught him smoking pot with the neighbor's guards when I walked out to go pick S up from school one day.

Raj: Baby faced guy who was just dumb, really no kind way to put it. Had trouble getting back to point A, even when it was only 1km from point B, and you'd driven it an hour before.

Ram: This one was decent, he just rubbed me the wrong way. Obsequious, which considering that many in India still use "servant" to describe their driver, maybe that's how a driver is supposed to be, but I couldn't take it. Plus Phil thought he smelled bad. He lasted the longest, partly because I was gone for six weeks over the summer.

Preetam: Ram lined him up before he left (making sure to take a cut of his first two weeks wages), so I was suspicious, but it's worked out well. Except for the car company, who once again weren't paying him what or when they'd agreed to, and tried to fire him when he asked them to pay him. So, after huge confrontations with the car company, we switched back to the first one (which is what we should have done months ago). But they won't hire Preetam because he doesn't have a commercial license, which in India takes as long to get as we have left here. Ugh.

Driver #12: Supposedly a fill in for a few days until Preetam could start driving. Smoker. How long do you think he'll last?

Meet Pat

2009-10-10T07:05:00.004-05:00

I had the big ultrasound today. The law abiding doctor wouldn't disclose the sex (it's illegal here, due to the STRONG preference for boys). He did shoot the ultrasonic waves around the sensitive area a bit, but I couldn't tell. Does that mean it's a girl? Earlier on I thought I saw evidence that it's a boy. So did Phil. Really we don't have a clue. So for now, it's Pat. Due March 13.

Whose idea was this counter? "Only 154 days to go"?! Yeah, that sounds wonderful.

Most Walkable

2009-10-08T08:42:00.000-05:00

So, turns out, Hong Kong is an amazing city.

Not sure how I missed that before.

We went for a long weekend last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm just gonna say, if you ever have to choose between Delhi and Hong Kong, go with Hong Kong.

Quote of the Week

2009-10-07T10:11:00.003-05:00

"I think my shoes are bad. All the other kids are faster than me. Or maybe theirs are newer or something."
- S, reporting on the second day of organized soccer at recess.
As predicted, things seem to be on the mend with the "two best friends" at school. After all I heard though, I'm not sure I want them to be...

It happens to everyone

2009-09-30T11:01:00.005-05:00

But somehow it doesn't make it any easier. After school today, S was very frustrated by the smallest things. I asked if something happened at school and he started to cry. He said that his two "best friends" wouldn't let him play today. Broke my heart.

Isn't my kid cute?

2009-09-23T10:42:00.002-05:00

Whenever I ask N to put his shoes by the door, he puts them by the doors to the patio. Doors we rarely use. Doors on the other end of the house from where he'll need them. It makes me smile every time.

Making a list

2009-09-22T23:14:00.004-05:00

My netflix replacement service here has a pretty limited Hollywood selection and I haven't caught Bollywood fever, so I'm kind of on a TV series run. I'm currently watching the second season of 24. I didn't make it through the whole first season of Lost before Phil got online and read the plots of the next few seasons. I was convinced to just give it up before things got too crazy.

It's got me thinking about some old series that I was too young or too sheltered for, but were big enough to break into my pop culture consciousness. Like:

(Speaking of this age category I went to lunch with some friends yesterday where one of the major topics of conversation was health: our health, our husband's health. Depressing. I thought we'd have another 30 years before that kind of thing dominated)

So I'm making a list.

First Haircut

2009-09-15T07:28:00.004-05:00

This is nowhere near the first haircut, but since we can't seem to remember the camera for any of the true firsts, we can fake it. This is the same shop where all of N's 60cent haircuts have taken place, though I think the first one or two were lollipop aided. Click on the photos and check out the background to get a true feel for the place.

What do you do...

2009-09-10T04:58:00.005-05:00

...when your office is having a '70s party and you live in India and neither you nor your wife have a clue where to purchase said costume? You have one tailored, of course.

Apparently we weren't the only ones, Phil's office had a tailor come in and take orders. Alas spouses were not invited to the party, so I only have the solo photos taken in our '70s kitchen.

American Sports

2009-09-06T11:55:00.004-05:00

I woke up this morning to Phil and KSL cheering on the Cougs (why are we always out of Dallas when the cool stuff happens there?). I kinda like the early morning football bit. Done, out of the way, and back to the Sunday routine by 9am.

And S had his first T-ball game of the season (and of life) yesterday (we are novice parents, and forgot to bring the camera). I haven't laughed so hard in quite some time. The leadoff batter headed straight for third base after he hit a dribbler that bounced off the T. There was another kid that, seeing second base occupied, cut across the infield from first to third. I think S's teammates must have been wondering why there was all that throwing warm-up before the game, since no one even attempted to throw the ball to a base, it was all taken care of by footrace. And S? He hit last, which in T-ball is cleanup, and so his contact with the T, rather than the ball, became a home run. We're already looking forward to next Saturday's game.

The Most Amazing Drive Ever

2009-09-01T11:06:00.008-05:00

My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and one of Phil's cousins were here visiting for almost two weeks, so after the usual Delhi sightseeing we took them north. Mostly because we've been really wanting to get there and they provided the excuse. We flew into Leh, which is on the dry side of the Himalayas and predominately Buddhist.

Then drove across the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, ending up in Srinagar, which is on the wet side of the mountains with a Muslim population. Turns out "dry side" is a bit of an understatement. This area was barren. And absolutely stunning.

The road was crazy. Windy. Bumpy. Dusty. Narrow. We crossed one pass that was over 13,000 feet high. It was a 430km (270 mile) drive that took two 7 hour days to cover.

Luckily you could always get out and throw some rocks.

And there were monasteries

and 25 foot Buddha statues carved into rock for pit stops.

There were checkpoints galore. The whole area is quite militarized, owing to border disputes with both Pakistan and China. At one, Phil's mom misplaced her passport, which resulted in our being stopped later by the military, their radioing back, finding it, and our waiting for another vehicle to bring it. The army guys were rewarded with photos, tales of her family in the US and red vines.

Eventually a truck arrived with the passport in hand.

We did the same hike in Sonamarg, Kashmir on the way into Srinagar, that we did with my parents. And Phil got his turn to go to the early morning floating vegetable market on Dal Lake (Which is a lot cooler than that description sounds).

The Loo

2009-08-31T11:17:00.003-05:00

Been traveling the last week or so with some of Phil's family. It's official. When you have to use a nasty public facility, I prefer the Indian variety, in all of it's no touch glory. I bet you'd been wondering...

never fear, lots of travel pics on the way, I won't leave you with this one for long

Freeze

2009-08-15T04:06:00.007-05:00

Fighting off the space ship

Indiana Jones with gun and whip (the kid hasn't even seen Indiana Jones)

Recently everything that S draws has guns in it. I naturally lean towards the no gun camp, and as a result, I've caught myself saying things like, "I don't want to hear about guns and fighting." Great. He just heard that there are things that I would rather he not communicate with me.

When I stop to think about it, instead of just following popular mommy opinion, how can he be expected to play so many of the things that are naturally interesting to him without some toy gun involvement. I mean police? With no gun? But you should see the looks at the playground when your little boy invents a game that involves shooting.

So here's to all you moms frozen in politically correct child-rearing limbo. Good luck and let me know if you figure it out.

Cooks do Delhi/Srinigar/Agra Slideshow

2009-08-08T05:47:00.002-05:00

I've been asked to post pictorial evidence of my parents adventures in India. Here it is:

Do they look legit to you?

2009-08-08T05:19:00.003-05:00

When my parents were here we went to Agra (Taj Majal) by car. On the way back into Delhi we were waved off the road by these guys. Apparently we missed a toll booth. An unmarked toll booth that only cars with tourist plates and some large trucks have to stop at. They claimed that we would have to pay the fine immediately to them... and the other 5 or six guys hanging around. I was livid. Mostly with my driver for stopping (though to his credit the traffic was heavy and it would have been difficult to get past them without running one of them over since they were jumping out in the road) but also at the audacity. I refused to pay. I asked to speak to a supervisor by phone. They gave me a number that didn't work. Then while one guy gave me a second number, another walked around the back of the car with his cell phone. I started to laugh. They were getting rather angry since I continued to refuse to pay them. After much back and forth I had the driver go back to the toll booth, where I said I would pay my fine to the toll booth operator. When we got there only one lane was open and one of the guys that had been hanging around our car was sitting in an empty toll both, waving us over. We chose to wait in the regular line, by the time we got there they'd scared the uniform wearing toll booth operator out of his little booth, replaced by the same guy who'd been sitting in the other booth a few minutes earlier. The two in the picture continued to insist that we pay the fine/bribe/baksheesh, but the guy in the toll booth asked for the regular toll. I still don't know, maybe they were for real.

Oh and the fine/bribe? 210 Rupees. About $4. Still not quite sure why I didn't just pay it.

Here's the backside of the tollbooth, didn't look significantly different from the front.

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-06T22:29:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, Aug 5 was S's first day of Kindergarten.

He was really happy because my parents were here visiting us and got to see his school and classroom. They just left last night, so they are currently somewhere near the north pole. We miss them already.

Ahh!

2009-07-02T22:37:00.005-05:00

Top five things about the US that I've missed in the last year:

1. Green grass, especially Utah grass.

2. Dryers, nothing quite like warm, dry, sweet smelling laundry.

3. Being completely alone in the car.

4. Eating fruit without an antibacterial bath.

5. Family (cousins!) and friends.

What I haven't missed:

1. Dial-up: my parents have dial-up, which means it'll probably be a while before I post again (thank you Carrie for letting me use the computer). Hopefully you, my readership, (and I) will be able to survive the technology issues.

Kindle My Dreams

2009-06-08T10:17:00.003-05:00

Just started "Team of Rivals." Nothing quite says cool like lugging an 800 page book with you to get a pedicure. So if someone is looking for something to get me for any approaching gift giving occasions I have an idea.

Too Busy

2009-06-07T10:49:00.004-05:00

Too busy fighting with the landlord to have time for posting lately. You're lucky (if you, dear reader, are not my mom) that you haven't had to listen to the whole saga. Some (almost) funny highlights:

- The landlord telling us, "Stop threatening not to pay the rent, I really hardly care about the money."
- My yelling at his wife, something about "the house going to burn down." Yeah, counterproductive. I'm blaming the aforementioned culture shock and the long blue sparks coming from the fuse box.
- The landlord, "Your wife yelled at my wife in front of a low class person (electrician)."

On the positive side, we head to the US later this week. Looking forward to seeing friends and family (and avoiding confrontation).

School's Out for Summer

2009-05-26T11:53:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is S's last day of preschool. S loved school this year. His teacher gave everyone a CD full of pictures she took throughout the year. It's great to see what they've been up to and it looks like it was a lot of fun. On to Kindergarten!

Of Plastic Wrap and Culture Shock

2009-05-25T10:47:00.004-05:00

You know you're not over your culture shock when you catch yourself thinking: This doesn't happen to plastic wrap in America. Why can't I just get a decent box in this country? ....What? Did I seriously just think that?

People Cost

2009-05-19T10:58:00.002-05:00

Today I went to the dentist and there was the dentist (who actually sat next to me for the whole appointment), one assistant to suction out my mouth with that little sucker thing, and one assistant to turn the overhead light on and off whenever the dentist didn't actually need it. I guess so it didn't shine in my eyes?

A few other recent labor cost related marvels:
- Delivery of 12 yogurts to my door. That's all 12 30cent yogurts.
- Watching them demolish the house behind us manually. That means men carrying load after load of bricks and concrete and wood in little baskets perched on top of their heads to a dump truck, walking up the ramp, and dropping the rubble in. It was 107 degrees today.
- Never buying anything without talking to someone about it. You tell proprietor what you want (broom, Kleenex, tomatoes). His assistant shows you selection, discussion ensues, you bargain, you pay.
- Hand painted curbs. Black and yellow striped curbs. With a brush.
- Thrice (they use thrice a lot here, I like it)/week personal yoga instruction, in my living room.

This post could use pictures, still can't bring myself to snap photos of people doing manual labor simply because I'm incredulous.

"Okay, well, bye."

2009-05-12T10:40:00.002-05:00

"Mom, why were you talking in that voice?"
"What voice?"
"That voice like you are just meeting someone, but you weren't just meeting someone, you were talking to Christina." (Christina is the maid/nanny).
That, dear S, is also my I-am-so-sorry-you're-deathly-ill-but-how-in-the-world-am-I-going-to-survive-today-without-you voice. Very versatile, that voice.

Selfishness exposed by the five year old in the back seat. I didn't realize I was that obvious.

Oh the Logic

2009-05-10T06:13:00.003-05:00

I guess I should have expected the mixer role play to escalate, but when N came into the bedroom yesterday with the empty flour canister I was surprised... and very scared. What we found was this:

Almost entirely in the bowl. Who doesn't make a little mess when they're cooking?

Obsession

2009-05-07T06:44:00.001-05:00

N has been really into the mixer this week. Last week it was his little potty seat. The week before that the speakers and music (see post below). The whole being entertained by something for more than 20 seconds is new, and I gotta say, a nice development.

Shall We Dance?

2009-04-19T11:37:00.003-05:00

N spent much of this weekend dancing.
Sorry for the bad lighting... someday I'll figure photography out.

It Gets Better

2009-04-19T10:45:00.001-05:00

Current weather: 103 degrees, "blowing dust".

Sudan and Myanmar

2009-04-16T10:57:00.002-05:00

I met a woman at the park today who is from Sudan. Her husband works for the embassy here. There is a family that lives close to us that is from Myanmar, also working for the embassy.

I don't know quite what to say when I find out these basic facts. How do they land government jobs that take them out of country? Does that mean that they are complicit? Or does it just mean they saw an opportunity out and they took it? How many times do you think I have to make small talk before I can ask how they feel about their government?

Widespread Dust

2009-04-16T06:14:00.005-05:00

That's the weather description for Delhi on yahoo weather today. 95 degrees, widespread dust.

Dusty is a weather condition. Who knew?

What do you do...

2009-04-14T12:25:00.003-05:00

when your 18 month old throws one of your sassiest (which doesn't take much in my wardrobe) high heels into the toilet?

when you are in the car with your driver and you realize that after the prized afternoon nap, you put your shirt on inside out?

It was one of those days...

Travelogue Nepal

2009-04-14T11:25:00.002-05:00

So, I feel that my blog has gotten rather run of the mill (maybe it always was, but I flatter myself to think that my early entries were a bit wittier than those of late). Recently, I've tended towards travel and "aren't my kids cute" entries, which really aren't that interesting. So I wasn't going to post about our spring break trip, but it really was fabulous and so here it is:

We went to Nepal to do some hiking and spent a day in Kathmandu. Yeah, Kathmandu (as a kid it always fit in my mind with Timbuktu. Is it real? Where?). I was overwhelmed by the idea of planning and executing a family hiking trip to a foreign country so we had Crystal Mountain Treks arrange our trip for us. Here's my little plug: We were really happy with them. The guides and porters were excellent. The whole trip felt very individualized and we got lots of personal attention.

We spent three days hiking near the Annapurna Mountains, a day in Pokhara, and a day in Kathmandu. The day we arrived, and the first day we spent hiking, the mountains were completely obscured by the clouds. But then it rained, hailed even, and the result was beautiful mountain views. The boys were good sports, S transported himself almost the whole way, and N was pretty agreeable about spending so much time in the carrier.

Once again, there are labels, click on the bottom corner to view them.

Being ahead puts us behind

2009-04-06T10:44:00.006-05:00

Since we're so far ahead of mountain time, we missed general conference this weekend. The plan is to show it taped next week. It felt strange though to just have regular Sunday meetings. I really missed it.

And I can't believe it's been six months since last conference, when we last saw all our family. We miss you guys!

Typical Wednesday

2009-04-03T09:29:00.005-06:00

Lest you begin to think that the typical Saturday is a typical Indian day, and since my last few posts have been along seriously so blessed lines, I bring you the typical Wednesday:

N wakes up far too early. The driver calls to say he has a family emergency and he has to go to his village. I'm ponder what this really means (since last time it meant, "I quit") and figure out how I'm going to get S to school. I ponder in the shower since I can hear myself think there, even though N is crying at the door, when the water slows first to a cold trickle and then completely stops. Sometimes you get the soap off, sometimes you don't. Later, I find N at the computer:

Then we have lunch:

Seriously, would 45 more minutes in the morning be too much to ask?

Once he wakes up again, it's...No, don't hit your brother. No, you can't stand in the pans you've taken from the cupboard (remember no dishwasher and inside shoes). No, you can't play with the outlets.

I've had enough nos, by the time we get to food therapy, I throw caution to the wind and hope that salmonella isn't related to lack of refrigeration. Yes! You can lick the beater . See... Indian Wednesdays are pretty much like your Wednesdays.

Typical Saturday

2009-03-30T21:30:00.005-06:00

At our parent teacher conference S's teacher suggested that S could use a little more dad time (ouch). So maybe it was out of parenting guilt, or maybe it's because he just likes to play, Phil spent a GOOD chunk of Saturday building this airplane/space shuttle with S. It even has retractable landing gear, I'm impressed.

Then it was time for haircuts. N's first, and in typical second-child parenting style, we didn't take any pictures. S's first haircut was documented with video and still shots, and extended family pitching in. Dang.

And a late afternoon trip to Jantar Mantar. They are these huge astronomical observatories built in the 18th century. Phil could actually figure out how they worked. I just marveled at their size and climbed around a bit.

And you know what's cool? Sampling the watermelon before you buy... in March.

Turtles at the Taj

2009-03-24T10:15:00.004-06:00

The boys lost interest pretty quickly on our recent trip to the Taj Mahal. Luckily there was somewhere for S to perfect his turtle impersonation. And lots of doorways to run through, and hide behind.

Earth Hour

2009-03-24T10:10:00.001-06:00

So, you gonna do it?

Books I've Never Heard Of

2009-03-18T09:47:00.003-06:00

I started reading My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett to S this evening, it was recommended by the school librarian. Published in 1948. So far it's perfect for us: S can understand it with only about one stop for vocabulary/page and there are enough quirky things to keep me interested. Why haven't I ever heard of it before?

We're on the hunt for some good chapter books. We enjoyed Charlotte's Web and Ralph S. Mouse (me less than S on that one). Stuart Little's vocabulary was a little too old fashioned for us. I quit the Ramona book after the first chapter, we're not ready for Ramona yet. Have any favorites we should check out?

Happy Holi

2009-03-10T19:44:00.004-06:00

Happy Holi. I hope you have a good one.

For Mom

2009-03-08T11:18:00.003-06:00

N is finally doin' a little communicatin'. A little. Mostly it's just confusing.

Hindi

2009-03-05T01:18:00.002-06:00

So, I'm taking a beginning Hindi class. No, I can't really say anything and I understand even less when spoken to, but it's really interesting. I'm learning all sorts of insightful things. Like tomorrow and yesterday are the same word: kal. Maybe that's the issue with the plumber?

Or that there is no word for "have." What you say is that something is near. So "I have a pen" is "Mere pas pen hai." (yeah we're not bothering much with nouns in class), or "The pen is near me." Maybe that's why whenever they boys leave something in the car it disappears, only to reappear the day after I ask the driver about it.
Tuesday: S leaves stuffed snake in car.
Wednesday: Where did the snake toy go?
Thursday: Snake sitting on the seat. Near me again.

Weekends II

2009-03-05T01:11:00.008-06:00

Dang, I had some witty title thought up this morning but it's gone now. Gotta agree with Marissa on this one.

Last weekend we went to the Mughal Gardens at Rashrapati Bhavan, which is the president's residence. A bit like a visit to the Rose Garden. The gardens are only open to the public for a few weeks in the spring, so we went. The gardens were beautiful, really stunning. But because of security concerns you can't bring cameras. There's nothing that grates on Phil quite like being told he can't do something, so we spent a good portion of the outing pointing out to each other the futility of such restrictions. I mean if you really want to bring a camera for some nefarious purpose you're not going to be stopped by a few pat searches (though the lady was a little mystified by the underwire, so they are pretty thorough). Besides, Google Earth? Anyway, I digress, beautiful gardens, you'll just have to take my word for it.

Then the wedding. The invitation said wedding 7pm, reception 8pm. We got there at 7:45, slightly nervous that we might miss something. We were probably the fourth group there. Gave us lots of chance to take pictures of the scene: the full on stage (real flowers, I checked). The paan table, the fruit stand. By the time the groom arrived (who is a co-worker of Phil's) our boys were done, and we slipped out about 11pm. Never really saw what the throne N borrowed was for, hope that if we cursed their marriage by sitting on it cultural ignorance will count for something.

I wore another saree. It was too short. A few different women filled me in (Gee, thanks). I'd hitched it up so there was no gap between the blouse and skirt. You don't want to see my very white, post-two-nine-pound-babies stomach, you just don't. I have much better ankles, believe me. There were a few other foreigners in sarees. They had strapless blouses, which I've never actually seen on an Indian woman. I wonder if anyone told them their shirts were missing?

Weekends

2009-02-26T09:25:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we went to Qutb Minar. There is still a long list of sights in Delhi that we haven't seen. We've been saving them for when we have visitors, but we're starting to despair of ever getting any... well at least when I'm willing to go outside (the weather's been perfect the last few weeks).

Why yes, it is the worlds tallest brick minaret.

Some "snaps" of N, since it's been a while since he made a Blogburn appearance. And one of the random guy below. There were a couple of women in fabulous sarees posing here. We asked them if we could take a picture as well and the man below (who was accompanying them) said no, but we could take one of him... um... okay...

Phil and I went to an event at the school last weekend, which was Indian Dress, so here we are:

This weekend we're invited to an Indian wedding. Cool.

Hazards of Marble and Irregular Electricity

2009-02-17T10:43:00.005-06:00

2/26, This never got posted:
I was a half hour late to pick up S from school today. School is only 3 hours long.

Last night I took off my watch to do the dishes and it slipped from my hands, from slightly higher than normal, onto the kitchen counter. The glass broke and the watch stopped. So today I was keeping my eye on the clock on the microwave and at 3:04 I headed for the door. Then I pulled out my phone and saw that it was really 3:37. The electricity had cut out for... well I think it must have been 33 minutes... while I was out earlier.

Thank you marble and irregular electricity.

With the extra half hour I finally got the pictures we had framed up on the wall.

Chalk it up to culture?

2009-02-16T06:02:00.011-06:00

Or does that make me some sort of prejudice? Here's a few confusing/frustrating, possibly cultural, experiences:
Indian
Last week our driver told me one evening that he had a family emergency and he was going to have to go to the village for a week or so. He introduced me to a substitute driver (who incidentally didn't speak English nor know his way around Delhi, but that's another story). He has not come back. We had our help, Christina, ask around. He got another (much better paying) job. I'm glad, I don't feel that he owed us anything (Phil's work hires the car company, the car company hires him)... except maybe honesty. I can't figure out why he would tell us that story? What does he gain by it?

Today I took the boys to the zoo. As I got in the 10 person line to buy tickets, I noticed that there were no other women. None. On a Monday afternoon. I get in line with N, in stroller, S, and one of S's friends. We're moving along just fine, until a man behind me starts saying stuff to me. No idea what he's saying, I say, "I'm sorry I don't understand." The man in front of me translates, "He says you should wait over there." As he gestures to the side. "Why?" "Because you are disturbing the line." Then, the man behind me, and the man behind him, push past me. It took a lot of restraint on my part not to shove them as they went by. A lot.

& Mormon
I recently started teaching the teenage girls at church. I think it's a pretty good gig as far as church jobs go. I'm supposed to teach twice a month, and the girls in our branch are a good bunch. But I am a little irritated with the manual. It's not real solid in the scripture department. So far, I haven't felt that there's a whole lot of the "meat" of the gospel in the lessons. Then the last lesson was on homemaking.

I met my all around domestic helper (I can't quite figure out how to refer to her) through church. She calls me Sister Kathryn. It startles me every time. It make me feel old. Like Emma Smith old.

Sorry for the series of posts with no pictures. And yes, I did just mention my driver AND my maid. At some point I'll get around to a post defending why I need all the help.

They are watching

2009-02-10T11:01:00.004-06:00

So, we got a bill from AT&T for $2,769.85 for phone calls and blackberry usage here in Delhi, AFTER Phil had his blackberry unlocked, AND he'd changed his sim card to an Indian network. What? How did AT&T know what calls he'd made? Who told them? Suddenly I'm a conspiracy theorist. And maybe all those spy movies really could happen...

Paper or ...er...

2009-02-07T09:17:00.004-06:00

Here's an interesting article on Delhi's new law against plastic bags and some of the other challenges of life in this city.
What the law means for me, is that I have to start buying trash bags.