humpin around

today was a good day.
it was sunny. oscar got to go to two dog parks.
and jes tried out a new veggie pot pie recipe that was DELICIOUS.

but before we go there, let me tell you about my new niecey.
her name is zoe jean and she is perfect.
i had been sending my sister positive energy from yoga for a quick and easy labor, and i think she got it. pitocin, an epidural, and one push, and out came zoe jean. sweet buddy.
here are a few pictures of her:





I get to see her in a few weeks when we go and visit. i am really excited. also excited to see the boys. last time i was there zach was a little blob and now he is a holy terror. a really cute holy terror.

on to humping:

this morning we decided to take oscar to a new dog park at piedmont park. this was not a great idea. there was a huge golden lab who would not stop trying to hump him and then this posse of big mean dogs with scrotums just kept on attacking him. he stuck his butt down, he rolled on his back to show that he wanted to play and then when they cornered him, he showed his teeth and got a little angry. we decided he was still a little too small for that park so we went to the park closer to our house. here he had a wonderful time but still go humped some more. first by this teeny tiny dog named roscoe. they would play and then roscoe would TRY to hump oscar, and then they would play. then this other bigger black and white dog named finn went to town on him. finally a curly furry brown dog arrived and finn got more interested in him. oscar was so good about it and he was super sweet to all the kids he encountered at both parks. it made me very proud of him. when we got home we gave him a bath since he ran through AND rolled in the mud at the dog park and then he took a four hour nap. i joined him for two hours while jes made an amazing veggie pot pie. we had nikki and christina over and they loved it too. then we played family feud on the wii. they totally won.

last thing i want to write about it last night. jes and i headed over to our friends new restaurant for a drink and dessert. this couple came and stood next to us at the bar because all the bar stools were taken. they lived in the neighborhood and were excited to try a new restaurant. i chatted back some. the guy was pretty drunk and the woman was on her way. the guy told jes she looked like a deerhunter b/c she had on this black and red plaid hoody. he said to the bartender "i'll have what the hunter is having." he was REAL interested in her for one of three possible reasons:

a) he was trying to figure out her gender
b) he thought she was a boy and he was gay and he wanted to get with her
c) he sensed her innate dislike for strangers touching her and therefore was drawn immediately to her

he came over and was rubbing her shoulders and her back and she just clammed up. when we left i went to go say goodbye to a friend and i had to walk past him and he wanted a hug. so i gave him a hug. whatevs. then he gave jes a hug and whispered in her ear "she's a good one (referring to me), you should keep her." jes's skin was CRAWLING. it was totally fucking hilarious. i cackled the entire way home b/c inevitably drunk people are just drawn to her and want to hug her. little kids are fascinated with her too generally and she just sort of pats their heads. its a weird phenomenon to observe and i am not sure how to interrupt it. i mean its clear i will chat with them all day long, but they don't care, they want her.

ok it's been a long day. i am going to hit the hay.
back to work tomorrow. fyah.

exciting november

While the month of November started out sort of sad, it got a lot better.
We headed to San Francisco to begin the celebration of Jes's 30th birthday.
While there we walked on the beach with the dogs, went to the hill with the dogs and ate more food than you can shake a stick at. The food highlight for me was the chicken pot pie at Liberty Cafe. It is unholy how good it was. My goal is to find a recipe that tries to come close.

Here is a picture of the beach where we walk the dogs. I can't tell you how at home I feel near the water. I could seriously sit and look at the waves all day. It is so relaxing to me.



We also went to Davis one day so Jes could see how California does a "college town." It was a sunny brisk day and we walked all over campus and the beltway and then stopped and got lunch. Here is the crew as we embark on our walk:



We also spent some quality time just laying around, playing bananagrams and eating various delicious desserts that Mary made. I think my favorite was the sweet potato cake with a sweet glaze. Good shit yall. Here are some lounging with Davis puppy pics:





We also got to visit a few friends other than Mary and Dusty. Jes got to see her old roomie Drew. We walked around the Mission with him, bought some papel picado banners for Jes's bday party and he and Jes got some "secret breakfast" (read: bourbon and cornflakes) ice cream. It actually tasted real good but was way too creamy for my stomach. On Sunday we got brunch with Nifa, her wife Maya and their babygirl Zuri. This was my first time meeting Maya and Zuri and seeing Nifa's house in Oakland Hills. It was a really lovely time. Here is a picture of the gorgeous family in front of their house:



I sang a lot to Zuri and I think she liked it.

On our last night in San Francisco, we had a beautiful and delicious dinner made by Mary and hung out and then I think I might have taken a disco nap. We took a red eye from SF back to Atlanta and then I slept for hours when we got home. Not a big fan of the red eye overall.

I had to work late on Jes's actual bday (November 17th) so we just went to El Myr with Nikki for a burrito and a pitcher of beer. It was kind of perfect really. Then that weekend we had a little get together to really celebrate her bday. It was just how I wanted it: good food and good friends. We got some dips from Taqueria del Sol, some ice cream cakes from Dairy Queen and we made a big pot of three bean chili. We also had a tiny keg of Miller Lite which I visited too many times. Thank heavens for Tylenol and water if you know what I mean.

So here are a few photos from the party. First up, Kim and Sarah looking cute like they do:



Then Nikki and Leah who ALSO turned thirty just recently:



And here is one of me and Jes after the party ended, tired as hell:



I am embarrassed to report that it ended just about midnight.

Tonight I am going to see The Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theater with my friend Angie. Jes is in Boston for a Lawyer conference.

Hope your December is shaping up nicely!

some bad news

this is my 201st post for this blog and i wish i could start it better than i have to.
last week after 19 years of an amazing life, we put our sweet boy larry kitty down.
his health had been deteriorating pretty quickly over the last six months and he weighed a little over four pounds.

it was a very rough decision for jes and me and we really went back and forth about it. i know he is in a more calm place now but i also know that he was loved like no other cat. it's hardest most when we are home. strange how such a little skinny old man cat can take up so much space in our house.

horace has really stepped it up and is becoming a total lover. he even lays in the bed with us at night, by our feet (not up near my chest where i want him), but maybe after time...

anywho, i just wanted to post a few pics of my sweet boy and let my friends and family know he is in the kitty condo in the sky with sweet emily.

Rest in Peace Larrykitty.

36!

So yesterday was my birthday.
I am 36 now.

What might I be doing on the first night of slumber as a 36 year old?

Not slumbering sadly, but instead up, looking at facebook, not doing work work or school work like I should be (why not be "productive")? Instead I am FINALLY blogging again after months.

Larry woke me up and now cramps are keeping me up, so i figured there is no time like the present to get present if you know what I mean.

the rest of summer was really very good. i worked a lot and then played on the weekends either at the pool, working in our yard, or going on bike rides with jes and angie b. it was seriously the most relaxing summer i have had in a long time because i didn't have some "project" that i was working on like my dissertation, a revision of my dissertation, finding a house, etc. even though we did work a BUNCH on our yard and such, it didn't feel as burdensome as some of those other projects. i feel like i got to spend time with friends more than i had in a while and that was really nice. i guess that was my "project" this summer: learn how to relax and connect with friends. good one, dt.

horace is scampering across the floor like a sidewinder snake. i think he is hopped up on catnip. we celebrate his bday with mine. we are both libras. then we celebrate larry's bday with jes's. they are both scorpios. go figure.

even though i had cramps for a good part of the day, it was an outstanding bday. i got so much facebook love, text love, voicemail love, and also IN PERSON love. it was sort of ridiculous. i am still trying to soak it all in and savor it. my co workers got me cupcakes from this local place. i had a banana bread one and it was GOOD. then i had a meeting with the ESL working group and they sang happy bday to me over a chocolate brownie with a candle in it. we had dinner with the crimmins and i got lots of giggles and snuggles from becker while nolan slept and got real sweaty. they got me this card, well really an envelope shaped like a boom box and when you open it, the song "the right stuff" by the new kids on the block plays." i couldn't stop opening it. i think jes was getting annoyed. i thought it was hilarious.

also, when i went down to move the laundry from washer to dryer I found my bday present from jes: a wheelbarrow (!), a push broom (!) and TWO PLANTS for my office. it was pretty much the most perfect gift ever. i have wanted a wheelbarrow since we moved in and now i have one. i think it is going to make the raking of our dead front lawn so much easier.

i also got THREE serenades today: first my sister and nephew ben sang happy bday to me. zach sat by quietly wishing he knew the words. then azad called and sang a stevie wonder version of happy birthday. it was very extensive and sort of ended in a rap, but i couldn't understand all the words. and then right before bed i got a piano serenade from rolita with finn in the background yelling "donna" or "donald" (what he calls me) and maybe some other stuff i could not make out. totally adorable. it helped me go to sleep very happy.

we lost the cord that connects the camera to our computers to download pictures, so hopefully we can get another one and i can download some photos from various things we have been up to the past few months.

until then...

blame it on facebook

i know i have been so remiss about writing
but honestly it's b/c i just post short quips on facebook
i know, no excuse really but let me just say this:

there is an owl hanging out in our newly cleared out backyard.
i have named hir oscar. i think ze is either a barred owl or a spotted owl
let me show you a few pics of each:

barred owl:







and here is the spotted owl:





oscar is more rectangular or boxy than the spotted, but hir markings are similar. jes thinks ze is a barred owl. i have put in a text to my friend stacia who is the closest thing to an owl expert that i know. i will let you know what her thoughts are on this. or perhaps if she reads this she can comment so everyone can learn from her.

i don't know why i am so excited about this owl. some say owls are bad luck, but others say they are sign of good luck and prosperity. i am going to go with that. i am also going to go with the fact that ze just wants a human friend. i told her i was excited to get to know hir and that i loved her (too much too soon you think?). ze just looked at me (intently listening i believe) while perched on ernestine and angela's clothesline. we MUST put our clothesline this weekend! jes is also looking into how to build an owl house.

stay tuned.

what i have not told you about: the clearing of where the wild things are in the backyard, my bout with poison ivy, mary's wonderful visit, jes's trip to new york, the ridiculous heat here in the atl, and nolan and becker's half birthday.

who knows if i will ever get to it.
oh yeah, and what about michael jackson dying? i still can't wrap my head around it.

anywho, gotta watch true blood now.

sunday morning

it's a lovely sunny and warm sunday morning
jes is still sleeping, the kitties are lounging, and i am blogging

i got up, cleaned up all the "presents" larry left me overnight, and did the dishes left over from our mother's day/father's day celebration we had last night.
jes's folks were in italy for mother's day so we celebrated last night. we made a delicious dinner of peach/ginger/chipotle pepper grilled chicken, grilled zucchini, and grilled beets with feta cheese. for dessert we had HOMEMADE strawberry rhubarb pie (jes made it!)it was so good yall, seriously.

jes's dad put up these new railings on our front porch because there used to be an awning and they cut it off and so there was all these sharp edges from where they cut it off. i think jes and i are going to caulk and sand it today and then paint it black (to match the black iron the railing is made of. jes's dad also helped up take down our old mailbox that had no door on it and then put up the BRAND NEW mailbox i bought months ago. i absolutely love it. i mean it's now chicago bears helmet mailbox, but it is really nice and new.

i wanted to post a few pictures from our housewarming party. the first one is of nolan and becker chilaxin on the couch:



and here is a picture of me with baj, robby and christian:



and here is the sundress crew: nikki, christian, christina, and andi:



lastly, me and jes in the glow of the party (and the summer heat):



it was a really lovely day filled with delicious food and great friends. jes's mom brought all this great stuff. the thing i think i liked the best were rosemary cashews. i also loved these spicy little potato cakes that seema made from a recipe in the indian food cook books she got us.

other than that, not much to report. i have poison ivy and i hate it. it itches all the time. i have a bunch of stuff to put on it and i think i might try to see a doctor about it tomorrow. oy i need to put some cream on it now.

happy sunday!

what is my problem?

why can't i get it together and blog people?
i blame it on the house and the nice weather really.
here is my first installment, really just an excuse to post a recent picture of maya and nifa's babygirl zuri:



i mean can you handle it?
i don't think you can handle it.

more in a minute...

i love this photo

i got this photo from this blog i read called "Anti-Racist Parent."
The author wrote about how this picture demonstrates the importance of having a man of color or biracial man as President of the United States.

The little boy asked Barack Obama if he could touch his hair because he wanted to know "if it felt the same as his."



God Bless America