Artzy Carmen’s Neighborhood

View Artzy Carmen’s neighbors

Whole Lotto Luck

Kirk
7 minutes ago
Post a comment

When I walked into the living room this morning, Amanda and Karin were discussing last night’s lottery drawing. Karin looked at me and said, “Someone won the Mega Millions last night.” Then, after a short pause she continued, “It wasn’t us.”

“Well, I sort of figured that," I replied. "You know, since the two of you weren’t convulsing on the floor when I came in.

“We would probably both have heart attacks.”

“More money for me, I guess,” I said dryly. Karin and Amanda began to protest my tasteless comment, but I continued, “Good thing, too; it’d pay for all the therapy I’d need.”

They both gave me a look that indicated my save had only barely cut mustard.

“But then maybe I wouldn’t even want the money,” I ventured. “I might be like Hurley on LOST; completely terrified of it. Might end up all freaking out: ‘Aaaaah! I don’t want the money! It’s bad luck! It killed my wife and daughter!’”

Zach quipped, “Hell, I’d take it.”

There was a claw hammer lying nearby that had yet to be put away from a recent picture-hanging job. I picked it up and pretended to bash Zachary’s head in with it, then turned back to Karin and Panda. “Aaaaah! I don’t want the money! It’s bad luck! It killed my wife and both my kids!”

A Diego all of my own...

Mama: Night-night, honey.

Boy: Night-night Mummy. I mean... are you still Alicia?

Mama: Er, yes?

Boy: And I'm still Diego?

Mama: Oh yes, always.

Boy: Ok, night-night, Alicia.

Boy adds, for the avoidance of doubt: I'm Diego.

Mama / Alicia: Night-night, Diego. Thank you for being such a good Diego this afternoon.

Mama / Alicia : That's ok Mummy. I mean Alicia. Thank you for buying the Cornflakes. Can you make sure Diego doesn't get sick, and Dora and Alicia and Boots too. Thanks Alicia.

Day 9: A community full of idiots

Yod
22 minutes ago
1 comment

To my parents' credit, a lot of this wasn't their fault. Well, it was but it's understandable why they didn't act more like human beings. Most of their friends were also Asian with children, and their abusive methods of parenting spread like cancer as they all reassured each other that this was the way to raise bad kids in this horrible white world they lived in.

Instead of trying to describe the different things they did, I'm going to share with you some of the things I overheard at their dinner parties. You be the judge. Keep in mind that the speakers here are all professionals with college degrees making upper middle class incomes and working at major corporations. So it's not like they lived in a dark hole, unless you consider Ohio a dark hole.

I was very impress by dollar store. You should see the BRAND they have! They even has LA GEAR! (this was in 1995 mind you).
My kid tried to take a dangerous trip with their friend last weekend. But I'm not dumb enough to allow my kid to go to camping with boy scout.
Of course I vote Republican. I don't want gay or black to move into our neighborhood.
Did you hear about Charles kid? He so bad! Get to college and not want be doctor anymore. See, I told Charles don't let kid live in dorm, get bad influence other kids.
We never eat in restaurant with nice looking. Because you are pay for nice looking instead of food. If you want to pay for nice looking spend money decorate your house instead.
We don't allow kid watch TV. TV give them temptation not be good kid.
I talk to my kid about sex last week. I say, sex is for bad kid, you get doctor, and then family.
His daughter went to school dance with black. That why they move house to come here and be this school system.
I don't like Mexican food. Mexico is poor junk country with low class people. Why their food going to taste any good.
In home country we not have Mexican. But we have Filipino. Same thing.
That Kim Dae. He pretend to believe in joke Jesus so Presbyterian bring him to America. When he get here, he tell them, "I don't believe in your white children story!" and leave church.
My wife caught kid masturbate. We yell for three hour. You suppose study, not masturbate!
I make my kid do talent show play violin. He say other kid make fun of him. White kid jealous.
Did you hear is son is a GAY? What? Oh, not gay? Have girlfriend that work at mall? Is bad too!
We find out our kid take English class at Yale, so we cut off money and tell him if take Mickey Mouse class we make him go to Ohio State.
We think about adopt. But only brown kid available here. And if we want Asian kid we just make our own.
My husband was lay off last week. They say he not communicate good. We think are sue discrimination.

So serious

She's worried about my coughing.

image.jpg

From Angel to Spirited in 3 short years...

Carrying both of them, wrapped in towels and fresh from the bath, I suddenly caught the full double-impact of these laughing, mischievious brothers. "Blah!" shouted one, right in the face of the other, who shouted back louder still, "BLAAH!" Then they giggled until they hiccupped and I laughed too, inspite of all my moaning about how much hard work they are.

They smell strangely of Lynx shower gel, left here by visitors. I can guess that one of them was brave enough to prise the lid open with their teeth, there's no telling which, and the other egged him on and held out his hands to have it rubbed in. I was all of three steps away fetching a warm towel, and the bath was drained of water, but still they manage to do what they know they shouldn't.

I devoured chunks of the Baby Whisperer's toddler book while they napped today and emerged armed and ready for the afternoon's onslaught. It seems the original Angel Baby has developed a Spirited streak. Re-reading the descriptions of the different natures or 'types' of children made me smile in acute recognition of the boisterous Spirited boyishness, and I realised how lucky we are to have such strong characters for sons, such confident souls with such energy and apetite for life.

As I write this Baby Brother is in bed, having crawled into my lap and whimpered "Sleep. Milk." "Are you tired?" I asked, and he nodded and said "Ah-haa." He took a little plastic puppy to bed with him, woof-woofing as he went. Big Brother is playing perfectly around my feet, suddenly enthralled by a couple of board books with chunky wheels. He's tracing the lines and swirls on the rug as if they were roads, and silently making the vehicles loop-the-loop and leap from chair to chair. As he does this I realise how much he appreciates time to play alone and how very little of it he gets. He's constantly interrupted by a small interfering one, so is it any wonder he defends his territory so rigorously?

This afternoon was good. I issued two stickers for helpful behaviour, and managed to practice the wisdom I learned from the baby whisperer. It made the world of difference and I actually enjoyed the time we spent together more than I feel like I have for a long time, even though it was interspersed with the usual bursts of trouble and strife. They hit each other on the head with wooden spoons and one threw a bowl of cornflakes all over the floor, but they also rolled on the floor in affectionate wrestling, and we all laughed repeatedly. I've taken a step back and realise that they're still so small and in so much need of gentle guidance. That they respond well to gently enforced boundaries, and that I can be a calm and collected Mama, and teach by example what it means to handle your emotions and reign in your impulses. I'm lucky to have the opportunity to teach these boys how to be. Lucky to be their Mama, lucky to have a husband who so staunchly and affectionately defends my being here and thus having no income, even where that means he spends not a penny of his hard-earned on himself and still sees red whenever he checks the bank balance. We're lucky to live in the place that we do in the space that we do.

"Sorry," I said instinctively for some accidental misdemeanour. "Sorry is not enough," shot back the tall blonde-haired boy of a thousand dramatic expressions, quick as a shot. I smirked but was suitably chastised.

Cheeky Munkeys and the Squirrel Mafia

Laurie
41 minutes ago
Post a comment

So it turns out I do have some internet access at my friends' cottage -- from the front porch I can pick up a nearby wireless network. This is also prime chipmunk locale, and they come up almost to my feet to eat peanuts that I toss onto the planks. My hosts picked up a six-pound bag of peanuts in the shell just for me to feed chipmunks with. There's also gang of five black squirrels who started approaching the porch, trying to muscle in, but I threw peanuts for them way out onto the grass.

Am I getting any writing done? Not much. With eight bird feeders within sight of the porch as well, this is better than TV.

Bikini contest

image.jpg

Lil helper

Kisa as always, trying to help, this time its with the cable guy

image.jpg

Is this happening to anyone else?

Nacwolin
2 hours ago
2 comments

I haven't been receiving email notifications for comments, private messages, etc. This has been the case for a day or two, maybe longer.

Has this been happening to anyone else?

I sent a note to feedback, but it is the weekend, so...

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else was experiencing this.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In other news, I guess I kind of went AWOL again, eh?

I've been reading and commenting, but I haven't posted anything, except to a fitness group I joined (but that is a private group).

I was working on something earlier in the week - a devotional type of thing - but I haven't finished it. Perhaps this weekend.

I haven't slept well the past two nights either. I can tell Rob's concerned about the viability of the company he works for, and that type of stuff is never any fun. And as much as I hate to admit it, that stuff impacts me, my moods, etc.

(Hello, my name is Nicole, and I am a teensy bit high strung...)

As for good things, how about that Office finale!?

Very cool. But can't believe we have to wait until September to get some closure/answers.

Work continues to go well. I am really appreciated for the things I do, which is such a lovely change from where I used to work. I guess they did appreciate me - at least some - and a few would say so, but not at the level they tell me and show me here.

It is such a nice change.

The countdown to the last day of school has begun - less than 2 weeks now. I am happy about that. It doesn't look like The Daughter will get to start work at the summer camp until the last day of June, though. She is pretty bummed, but unless the enrollment doubles in the next 2 weeks, they just won't need her till then.

OH! We planned our vacation - a short one this year, but we are still going to get a few days away. We are going to Virginia Beach for two nights, then we'll travel a bit inland to stay near where most of our friends live for two nights. I found us an okay (*fingers crossed*) place right on the beach with two beds and a sofa bed. I've read that the rooms are small, and I am sure this will be nothing like the Hilton where we stayed last year for free (yay for hotel rewards), but since we are paying for it, we had to downgrade a bit. And we don't plan on spending much time in the room anyway.

I guess that about covers the latest in these parts!

And now since I am still in my pjs, I suppose I ought to remedy that and move away from this computer...

#50

Kelly
2 hours ago
2 comments

Finished The Unspoken by Thomas Fahy. Pretty good, nothing spectacular. It's about six teens who are the sole survivors of a mass cult death. (They killed the leader after he poisoned all their parents.) It's five years later and his last prophecy (that they would all die five years later) is starting to come true.

Not sure what's up next. There are a lot of options.