two memes with one stone

Thanks to the lovely Troutie for considering me a kreativ blogger, and the  inspiring Mothership for calling me beautiful. I had fun with this, thanks very much for tagging me.

Instructions

1) Thank the person who has given you the award.

2) Copy the logo and place it on your blog. 

3) Link the person who has nominated you for the award. 

4)Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5) Nominate 7 other people

Instructions

Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Here are seven fascinating facts about Geekymummy:

1) I am a huge fan of musicals. Especially those by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.  I should probably be ashamed of this, but I'm almost 40 years old and I'm finally comfortable with my cheesy taste.  Evita. Jesus Christ Superstar. Miss Saigon. Chess. Blood Brothers.  Cats. Les Miserables (most especially Les Miserables). Aspects of love. Rent. Chicago. Mamma Mia. I've seen them all and more, some of them many times, from the nosebleed seats and from the stalls (where I am proud to say I was once sprayed with Micheal Ball's saliva). I own many West End and Broadway cast recordings, on vinyl, tape and CD, from the Evita concept album, through the Broadway cast recording of Rent to the Mamma Mia soundtrack. My sister and I spent hours of our teenage years belting out "On My Own", Don't Cry for me Argentina" "I know him so Well" and "Tell me on a Sunday" either accompanied by my sister's piano playing or in front of the mirror on the upstairs landing with hairbrush microphones.

2) I was in the school choir. It wasn't a Glee style "show choir", it was more of a Verdi and Benjamin Britten kind of a choir, but it was fun all the same. At the peak of our fame we had a segment on an episode of that epitome of cool TV programming, the religious music show "Highway"., in which we and the late Sir Harry Secombe sang a hymn in a  chilly bandstand by the river. We did compete once, in an Eisteddfod (I think that is Welsh for "Sectionals"), which was fantastic fun. We had a professional recording session of the songs we performed there, and I am just now wondering where that tape is. I'd love to listen to it again,.Some of the soloists (I wasn't a soloist, I was just an alto in the choir) performed some show tunes  quite brilliantly on the recording, and in fact out star singer was called Rachel, so maybe it was just a tiny bit like Glee after all.

3) I realized that Geekydaddy was the man for me when I found out that he owned the three disc symphonic recording of Les Miserables. I was completely convinced while on a road trip through Utah we listened through the whole thing, and I discovered that not only did he know all the lyrics, he even cried when Eponine died.

4) I'm not a great television watcher. Occasionally though, I do get completely swept up in a show. The last broadcast show that had me waiting for each episode with baited breath was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a show with a name so stupid I couldn't bring myself to watch it for two seasons. Then one day I accidentally caught an episode and I was hooked. And yes, of course I loved the musical episode "Once More with Feeling".

5) Much like with television, I am not a big follower of popular music these days either, though I used to be an avid recorder of the top 40 of a Sunday evening. I listen to the radio, enjoy current music but never really know who the newer (ie more recent than about 1995) artists actually are.  Then I heard Lady Gaga. Over and over again I found myself doing my "driving dance", which involves tapping my hands on the wheel and bouncing about in my seat while keeping my foot steady(ish) on the gas pedal. I downloaded the "Fame Monster" album, and I have become a die hard fan. Inadvertently the kids have too, and whenever they get into the car they ask to hear "pappa pappa pappa ratzti" over and over again.

6) As you may glean from all of the above I was a sitting duck for the TV show Glee. I only picked up the show about five episodes ago but I am now seriously thinking of changing my name to Gleekymummy. This  past weeks episode, directed by Josh Whedon of Buffy fame, and featuring the song "I dreamed a dream" from Les Mis was a slice of TV heaven for me. Next week Gaga. Can it get any better?

7) I love to sing, in the car, in a choir, even (OK especially) karaoke. If I can hit that sweet spot of having had enough alcohol to get confidence but not so much that I lose all sense of pitch I'm not too bad, either. I keep meaning to join a choir or take some voice lessons, just for fun, when I have the time.  I turn 40 this year and I have a secret desire to  celebrate this by singing at Martunis, San Francisco's gay piano bar. I've been practicing this song (in the car) for the occasion. The song blew me away when I first heard it. Having only heard her dance hits I had no idea that Lady Gaga had an inner Broadway Diva.What do you think? Should I go for it?!

I love getting these memes, and I like the tagging part because I like to share blogs I love with others, but please, don't feel that you have to actually do the blooming thing,  they can be quite time consuming and it is not my intention to burden anyone!


Beautiful Blog to: TheMadHouse,  WAHM-BAM, MuddyNoSugar, Its a Mummy's life, FromStageDivesToStationWagons,  TheSardineTin,  Sleepisfortheweak, BabyBaby, and MochaBeanieMummy (no, this isn't 15, but I haven't got all night here)

Kreativ Blog to: SingleMummy, NobleSavage, lifewithMaggieandBen, ItsmyLife, DeerBaby, CalifLorna,  TheKingandEye,

A bluebird day

This is a post for the weekly photo prompt gallery started by Tara at Sticky Fingers;
This weeks theme is 'colour'.

I don't know where the phrase orginated, but here in California when an enormous storm has whirled a couple of feet of fresh snow onto the Sierra Nevada mountains, and then you wake up to that pristine whiteness and blue, blue sky, it is called a "bluebird day".

We woke on Saturday to this vision of blue and white. I took this picture from a cross country ski trail, looking down over the frozen vista of the lodge beside lake Serenity. I like the contrast in scale, the mountains, the cabins, the snow covered pines, and the tiny dots of a family and their dog dragging their sleds across the frozen lake, and a child about to sled down the roof of the little cabin in the foreground

A picture can't really capture the blue of a California mountain sky though. I had never seen a sky like it before I moved here. The word "blue" seems too mundane for something so intense.  I tried "azure, cerulean, and cornflower instead, but even these very lovely words don't quite express what I see. When I look into it I feel that I can see through time out to the boundaries of existance. If I stare hard enough I believe I could absorb some profound information about the physical nature of the universe simply from the colour of the sky.

Before you think I live some kind of idyllic existence with the liberty to ponder at leisure about life, the universe and everything, I should point out that the storm that brought this loveliness played havoc with the driving conditions, and when we arrived our driveway had not been plowed (yes that is how we spell plow in America!), so we had to carry the disoriented kids through three feet of snow into the house, then try to find a spot to park the car where it was at minimal risk of being blindsided by a snowplow. We finally got to bed at 2.30am.

I probably don't need to elaborate upon the effort it took to get two very tired adults, two children and all our gear out of the house the next day to drag our exhaused arses out skiing. You can imagine without me going into detail the tantrums we dealt with as one tired little boy didn't want to sit in his pulk, and an equally exhausted little girl got frustrated with trying to ski but didn't want anyone to help her or even offer sympathy. The beautiful thing about cross country skiing on a bluebird day though is that once you get going you never once think "oh, this was a terrible idea". Sitting in the cabin watching "go diego go" looking longingly out at that blue sky, that would have been a terrible idea.

I took that picture while we ate our sandwiches, and both children slept in their pulks. For those few moments it was just Geekydaddy and I and the marvel of the snowy universe.

Shiny happy things

The always thought provoking and entertaining Noble Savage tagged me for for this one, the shiny happy things meme.

 I am meant to tell you about at least one thing that never fails to put a smile on my face.

While wondering what to write, I thought about the many things that make me happy, from the mundane (shopping at Target, Battlestar Galactica, a good curry) to the more profound (my dear friends, family, and of course my lovely kids). Then I arrived home, and was greeted as I am every single day with a big wet lick and a frantic wagging tail, and I realized there is just one thing in my life that absolutely always makes me smile. The dog.

I'm dedicating this post to Geekyhound, the often ignored inspiration for my blog's name. The hairdog herself, who is actually called Yuba, named for a river in Northern California, or more accurately for the exit off I80 called "Yuba Gap", since every time we drove past it we would say "That would be a great name for a dog!)

It is hard to describe the human relationship with a dog without falling into cliche, or turning into a chapter of "Marley and me". For me, having a dog in our life connects us on a deeper level to the world. By sharing our lives with another species, we can get a glimpse of how the world might appear through different eyes, and recognize that being human isn't the only way to be.

Yuba  is a fluffy black six year old dog of indeterminate breeding, though we guess maybe a chow-chow and a retriever were involved in her parentage. We got her from the Oakland SPCA back in 2004, shortly after we got married. Our intention had been to get an older dog, suitable for us dog novices, but I fell in love with this spirited ball of fur, and pursuaded Geekydaddy that we had to take her home. She was a nine month old 40lb doggie teenager, untrained, wild, with a ridiculous amount of energy and a penchant for chasing our indignant cats.  She was also very smart, with a strong desire to please,  and especially to please someone with a pocket full of freeze dried liver. We signed up for dog obedience and I threw myself into the world of positive reinforcement training, which is actually quite good practice for childrearing, though the freeze dried liver doesn't work quite so well as a reward with the human kids. I even trained Yuba to do "agility", the showjumping like sport for dogs, and if we hadn't been blessed with the kids I would probably have become a crazy dog lady, with a house full of rescued mangy beasts and a wall of rosettes.

She is part of our family and I dread the day, hopefully long in the future when we no longer have her around. She was our first dependent, but is even happier now the pack has expanded. When we brought newborn Geekygirl home from the hospital she wanted to be with her all the time, and embraced her new responsibility as "dog big sister" with great seriousness. We had got her some special treats, to associate the new baby with good things for dogs, but instead of eating them, she offered them to tiny Geekygirl, placing them gently on the bouncy chair, then lying down next to her. I'm not one to anthropomorphize, but I was touched by this display of love and loyalty.

Since then she has been a steady back for wobbly little toddlers to lean on, a patient furry princess to be adorned with tiaras, and of course a vigilant cleaner of peanut butter smeared fingers and faces (and worse!)

One summer night back in 2004 someone abandoned a puppy. Maybe she grew bigger than expected, maybe she chewed up something precious, or maybe her owners lost their home. Rather than seeking training help, or finding her a better home, these owners gave up on her. I'm glad they did, because she is the best dog anyone could ever have, she puts smiles on the faces of everyone in our family every day, and all she asks in return is a scratch behind the ears.

Here she is getting that scratch, our sweet Yuba, or as we often call her "The dog of love"

If you're reading, I would love to hear your happy things. Apologies if you already did it!
I tag Followthatdog, craftytales, WAHM-BAM, and Wendywife

 

Photo by my pal Steve Reel.

The stories and songs Meme

There is a fun meme going around. Sandy at Baby Baby tagged me for it weeks ago, and I have had this one bubbling in my mind for a while. so decided to hold off on "UK trip part II"  and instead post this musical interlude. The idea is to name a song which reminds you of something. It doesn't necessarily have to be your favourite song, just one with a story which instantly transports you back to a time and place.

I had always been an 80's music chick, with some forays into techno and classic rock, but when I moved to California and fell in with Geekydaddy and his crowd I was exposed to a much broader swathe of music, some good, some bad, and some bloody awful. On CD and also played in impromptu jam sessions. I eventually got over my British reserve and as the bongos were passed, often along with the bong, I joined in. I recall a transcendent version of U2's "one" that continued for a full 20 minutes because we all got stuck in a loop with the lyrics.

I was also exposed to a strange phenomenon. Men who dance. Heterosexual men who spontaneously get up and dance to music at parties. Up in our mountain ski cabin, after skiing and dinner, as the wine (and other California crops) continued to flow, we would take it in turns "Rocking the mike" and would dance the night away. The song I've chosen captures those hilarity filled evenings of friendship, and is one I had not even heard of until I moved here. You see whenever this song is played, my husband and his cronies all strip off their shirts and dance like headbanding maniacs, often playing along on guitar (real or air, depending on musical ability).

I'm not sure how this started, the tradition was entrenched long before I came along, and as a good sport  exhibitionist, I would strip to my sports bra and jeans and head bang along with the rest of them.

They even did it at our wedding!

So without further ado, I give you Boston "More than a feeling". A song that, whenever I hear it on the radio causes me to smile and lightens my mood as it reminds me of my friends, of dancing, of freedom from responsibility, and of my husband and our brilliant wedding day.

Watching the clip makes me realize that the 1970's was the zenith for ridiculous outfits for men in rock.

Who doesn't want to be danced around by half naked groomsmen at their wedding?

I tag "it's a mummy's life" , my dear friend Followthadog who recently posted a very funny conversation with her son about song lyrics, and who also had the Boston ritual performed at her wedding, and my friend at Craftytales, who just started blogging.

High fives from 2009

It hasn't been a good year for the world. But it hasn't been a bad year for the Geekyfamily. We're had some good times. I joined the British Mummy (and parent) Blogger network this year, thankful that I can find some way to be called "Mummy" and not "Mommy", which seems to be a losing battle.
Tash at WHAM_BAM, and mothership at Motherhood-the final frontier tagged me for a list of good things about my 2009, thanks ladies, so here they are.

1. Our trip to South Africa. Last year we saw in the New Year on the other side of the world. Though it was grueling journey, it was worth it to experience a beautiful new country and to spend time with Geekydaddy's family. Sometimes the conflict in the world exhausts me, but a country like South Africa while it still has its challenges, reminds us of the successes of politics and gives us hope that the power of human beings can pull victory out of a seemingly impossible situation.

2. Remodeling our mountain cabin. Sine we were away for the Christmas period last year, we embarked on a remodel of our Tahoe place. The lack of garage and central heat just didn't work for a family with two kids. We started this just as the economy crashed down around us, so were able to have our pick of contractors (we found a lovely guy, just starting out on his own, and our project helped carry him through a very rough time in the home building trade). It was completed, actually under budget, in time for another high point..

3. Geekydaddys 40th birthday. Slowly but surely our circle of friends are hitting and passing the big "four oh". Geekydaddy and I love to be surrounded by our friends. Before kids we would socialize every other night, and we miss those evenings of easy laughter, inane banter and deep political analysis (honestly, we have several times solved all the worlds problems, but then been unable, in the cold and far too bright light of day been able to recall exactly how). We piled into our newly remodeled place, rented an extra cabin, stocked up on food and beverages, and enjoyed a weekend together complete with our children and animals, and commemorative T shirts.

4. Another 40, this time my mum and dad's ruby wedding celebration. After our South Africa trip a jaunt over to the UK seemed like a breeze; what, just one 10 hr flight with a 3.5 year old and a 1.5 year old? No problem! The previous year my siblings (I have a younger sister and brother who live in the UK) and I had asked my parents what they wanted to do for this momentous occasion. They floated the idea of a party. I told them that if they had one, we would come, so the event was planned, and what a lovely day it was, marred only by poor Geekyboy throwing up all over my carefully chosen outfit minutes before the party. We have had lots of family gatherings over the past years, all three of us having had good sized weddings, but these have been family occasions, and what with mum being one of eight, and dad one of four, with the associated offspring (you do the math, I have 20 first cousins), the guest lists were limited. This time mum and dad invited their immediate family only, and left room to invite friends, people they have met and stayed in contact with throughout their married life. I was struck by what strong friendships my parents have formed, and how they have continued to form new friendships throughout their life together. It was an occasion to celebrate the power of both family and friendship, and of course the great partnership my mum and dad have evolved over the past forty years.


5. Which brings me nicely to the last but most definitely not least high point of 2009, the birth of my gorgeous nephew in November. My little brother had the good fortune to find himself a fantastic wife,  and now they have added to my parents brood of grand kids with number six, the second little boy. My sister in law is a warm and lovely person (and no, I'm not just saying that because I know you're reading!), children adore her, and she and my brother were very ready for their family life to begin. Having a first baby is like being slammed into a wall, emotionally and often physically. It is hard to even remember, let alone try to convey to someone else what it can be like. When a woman I care about is about to become a mum, I hope fervently that she will have an easy time during labour and delivery, a strong healthy baby, and an easy time with breastfeeding. That the transition to motherhood isn't made harder by medical scares, disappointment, and pain. All of this came to pass for my sister in law and my brother, they transitioned quite easily into parenthood, and though I have seen plenty of pictures of his ever growing cuteness, I am so excited to go over the the UK at the end of this month to meet the little guy. I predict that this will be one of my high fives for 2010.

I'm a bit late on this, but I would like to tag a few folk. If any of you reading have high fives for 09 to share I'd love to hear them. If you want to link back to me, that would be lovely too!

I tag my dear friend followthatdog who started me blogging; troutie, a very amusing mum writer based in London, Tiff, in Australia at three ring circus who takes amazing photos, the mad house, who makes very cool crafts with her kids, and probably got this already from someone else, and rox of rox and roll, who writes about life with kids in Silicon Valley

a lovely award

Thanks to Coding Mama at WAHM-BAM for this award.


I recently joined "British mummy bloggers" and came across all sorts of lovely people, including Coding Mama. As a recipient of the award I am to tag five blogs I have recently started to follow, and to tell you my five pet peeves.

When I got this tag I thought "I'm a very chilled out person. Not much peeves me", and I struggled with what to write. Then a news article and its blog fallout, followed by a related issue at work both made my blood boil, and triggered all manner of peevishness!

So here are my five:

1. The absolutely awful, dismal employment rights protections that this country (the USA) provides for women with children. It didn't escape my notice that the article about women being unhappier now than in the 1970's that spurred the debate on the Times blog was an American one. When it comes to our kids and our careers, most of us have the stark choice "Come back after 12 (often unpaid) weeks, or leave, and take your chances on getting back into the workplace if/when you do want to return"

2. People in HR who don't know their job, almost screw my people out of the meager legal maternity protections that they do have, and then blame others for their errors.

3. Women who don't support other women (see above).

4. People who oppose gay marriage, especially those who say that "we need to protect our children" from it. I hate to break it to you, but some of our children are/will be gay. Don't we want their relationships with their chosen partners to be equally valued under the law? We need gay marriage in order to protect the rights of all gay people, now and in the future.

5. Children who don't say please and thank you. Especially when they are my own.

Now I need to link to five blogs I have recently discovered, and pass this award on to them. I don't actually have five recent finds, too busy, but I have recently enjoyed reading the eloquent Noble Savage, the amusing and touching Mothership, and the savvy Susannah at a modern mother. I'm also going to break the rules and link to my bestest friend Followthatdog, over at "From stage dives to station wagons" , because she rocks, and because by chance she just posted a list of peeves anyway!

a meme for me!

My friend followthatdog at from mosh pits to mashed potatoes,(and also from stage dives to station wagons) tagged me for a meme. I get to tell you 6 random things about me, and I get this lovely award! Thanks, Followthatdog.

1. I wanted to be a vet, but I didn't get good enough 'A level' results to get into Veterinary college. Instead, I ended up developing drugs for people!

2. When I was about 18 months old I but my tongue almost in half, falling over while running away from my mum and dad who were trying to put me to bed. The hospital staff couldn't see what had happened through the blood and swelling, and determined that I had damaged my front teeth, so they removed two of them, one big front tooth and the one next to it. Then they realized that actually it was my tongue that was damaged (as my parents had told them in the first place). So I got to grow up with a gappy smile until my adult teeth arrived. And I still have a scar in my tongue.

3. I love horses. As a teenager I loved horses more than people. I wore my horseriding boots to school, and managed to put a drawing or description of a horse into every into assignment.

4. I love cars, but I didn't learn to drive until I was 30.

5. I met my husband at a 'bad taste clothing party'. I realized as we continued our relationship that he had not been in costume at the time.

6. The older I get the worse my music taste gets. I frequent a radio station that plays 80's big hair music like Journey, Bon Jovi, and Bonnie Tyler, and I sing along in my car at the top of my voice!

The tradition is to pass on the love, so I send it to:

wcsokmom

mommastantrum
roxandroll