You're Old

You're old (you're old...)
Groaning like a geezer
Yourself a-crackin' like an old has-been
Look at yourself, old man, you've got multiple chins
'Cause you're old
Mmm...

You're old (you're old...)
A wheezing, decrepit windbag
Where you once had muscle, you've got jelly rolls
Buddy, you're as ancient as the Dead Sea Scrolls
Man, you're old
Mm-hmm...
(You're old...)
You're old

--"Mid-Life Crustacean," from Sponge Bob Square Pants

Thomas happily sang this song as I was driving him home from school the other day. Perhaps once upon a time I would have laughed.

Fed up with back pain that has been getting steadily worse for so long I can't remember the last time I was painfree, I finally went to see my doctor. (A person can only put up with Simon demanding, with hands on hips, "So when are you going to see someone about this?" for so long.) She poked, pushed and squeezed ("Does that hurt? What about that? And that?" with my replies, "Not much...a little...yes, that does...Jesus CHRIST!!") She ordered x-rays and ultrasounds and sent me on my way to contemplate my fate. A week later the news came in the mail--no frightening lumps, tumors or cysts--yeah! However the x-rays DID reveal "lumbar arthritis." Grr...Old, a-crackin' like an old has-been.

Desktop Press

Thomas was struck with a strange fervor at the start of the new year--he threw himself into cleaning his room, organizing games, treasures and Lego, and packed up or threw away seven garbage bags worth of formerly-precious things. With his desk clear for the first time in several years, he set to work setting up a comic writing station. With a dozen or so very sharp pencils, many erasers and an entire ream of paper to hand, he set to work creating his daily comic (published by Desktop Press) "Edward's Adventures." He penciled a week's worth of comics and promises that there will be more to come. His readers wait with bated breath.

Walk in the White Woods

One really great benefit to huge snowfalls is that Frederick loves walking (and running) in the snow and he really gets worn out.

Snowed In--Again

On December 27th I flew to Baltimore to attend the Eastern APA (American Philosophy Association--yes, there really is such a thing) for three days. This is the big jobbing conference and most people are there not to attend papers or book sessions but to apply for jobs or, as we were doing, conduct interviews for a new opening in our department. Imagine 2 days of interviewing candidates, 30 minutes each with only a few minutes in between, from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. By the end of the second day, I didn't care who we hired. As I sat there, listening to each person tell us how great their teaching was (and most of them really did sound great), I could just see across a very crowded room (39 other tables filled with philosophers and philosopher wannabes), through the hallway and out of a really large window overlooking the bay. Sigh. And as my stay wore on, rumors started flying that a massive snow storm was heading towards the midwest and airport closings were expected--for late Sunday afternoon and evening. My flight left early Sunday morning, but I wasn't feeling too confident as reports of 2 or more feet of snow were being predicted. (And I heard that parts of the Ricky Mountains got 8 feet of snow but that just sounds ridiculous.) Luckily, though, the flight was unremarkable and I made it home just fine--but we awoke to this on Monday morning.

It's Christmas time...

Jami settled for a somewhat smaller tree than has been her custom of yore. On the plus side, she could carry it around tucked under her arm. And small though it be, its bounty was indeed, erm, bountiful. (And by the way, it's not actually snowing inside. I don't know what's up with my camera, though.)

Here you can see the fam. enjoying said bounty. (And that green thing is not the macabre-ly severed leg of the grinch, but in fact Frederick's stocking.)

Thomas, pleased by Grandpa and Margaret's Lego loot. (So were we - it kept him busy for hours.)

Thomas models his Granny-hat (and yes, he did pick out the colours himself). Jami can't take the Christmas spirit ANY MORE. That, and the fact that Thomas awoke at SIX THIRTY, full to the brim with yuletide cheer. Funny how that never happens on a school day.

The rest of the day was fairly low-key. We were spared the Christmas Dinner frenzy by the fact that we'd neglected to do the shopping until after 7 on the 24th, whereupon I discovered that everywhere (and I mean it - even Wal-Mart!) was closed. So we had a very nice Lasagna, with apple crumble to follow. And so to bed, with only the sounds of bleeping from the next room from Thomas's new Nintendo DS (and if you don't know what that is, you are so totally un-coral) to lull us to sleep.

Snowed In

Today we woke to find Flint buried under 8 inches of snow. We tried to dig our way out, but the snow just kept coming down. We then resigned ourselves to spending the day inside reading books, eating soup and the remains of granny's cookies (see below), and keeping the fire burning hot. Here Frederick relaxes in his beanbag chair while working his way through his extensive library. Note generous supply of flotsam and jetsam scattered across livingroom floor--that's what comes of having a Frederick contained in a house for too long.

Frederick interrupts Simon's (admittedly feeble) attempt to clean the kitchen for a quick review of large trucks, bulldozers, loaders, graders and the like.


Bryce and Thomas worked through the remainder of the day by playing some infernal game on that damn gamecube. What pair of morons bought Thomas that thing, anyway? Tonight's forecast calls for another 6-8 inches of snow (!) so the chances of everyone going to school tomorrow seem low. Sigh.

Granny visits

Granny visited for almost three weeks right after Thanksgiving. She immediately set to work in our kitchen, making bread, cakes and cookies every day. (Simon figures that as a family we ate over a stick of butter every day--scary.) And when she wasn't cooking, she was knitting. And here she is pictured doing both at the same time!


Here Jane attempts to teach me how to use my long ignored knitting machine. And in just three days I completed Thomas's newest sweater (green, dark red, light red, orange and yellow striped--he looks like a giant roll of lifesavers wearing it). It wasn't fun, but it was interesting. It was also extremely uncomfortable hunched over, straining with anxiety--a surefire recipe for upper back pain. Still, now I know how to use it and the world will be my knitted oyster.

Flint Handmade Craft Fair

On December 1st, The Lunch Studio hosted the first annual Flint City Homemade Craft Fair. I joined in when I thought it would be no big deal but was a bit anxious when the doors opened at 10 a.m. and there was a line of people crushing to get in. The crowd was amazing--particularly given that it was the only thing going on in downtown Flint on a Saturday. (And people from Flint know that that is no exaggeration--"nothing going on" really means NOTHING going on.) I covered for Stephanie Bills (of "Frankenstitch Monsta" fame) who has to work at the rival restaurant, Steady Eddy's (great pancakes, but sandwiches greasy). Here is a display of her works that Thomas has collected through the years. Payment for minding her table was that little wombatty thing front and center. I can't remember his name. [And for those that measure success in terms of cash intake, I did all right--taking in just over $400. I even cultivated a slightly scary fan who tracked me down to harangue me about Christmas stockings.]