Eye Candy

Liam Gallagher earlier this year.

In The Faces of Your Friends

When I was sitting with Connor in the hospital for three days, I listened to all (well, most) of the Ani DiFranco songs on my iPod. I was reminded of how terrific her music is. It was perfect for those quiet, dark hospital evenings.

Anyway, one song called "Good, Bad, Ugly" contains this line: "It's good, good to be back home, how I miss this time zone. Strangers, they're exciting, their mystery never ends, but there's nothing like looking at your own history in the faces of your friends."

How true this is for me, and I got to live it last weekend when I met up with an old friend. She and her kids were in Fargo, so we drove over for a quick reunion. Toni and I have been friends since elementary school when her family moved into the apartments behind our house. We haven't seen each other for a couple of years, and I was very happy to discover that we still have that kind of friendship where we pick up right where we left off. No awkward getting-to-know-you-again small talk. Just a big hug and then dive in. It also helps that our kids are the same ages and get along pretty well.

Here's to history and old friends.

Return to Form

Music has always been extremely important to me; however, ever since Dylan was born 7 1/2 years ago (yikes!), it has, rightfully so, taken a back seat to the rest of my life. Now that the boys are a little older and can get around on their own, dress themselves (mostly), and feed themselves, I am slowly gaining back several parts of my life that had fallen away. Time is a big one, which has allowed me to start this blog.

Music is another big one, and my new iPod has helped me reconnect with my music. We have tons of CDs, but it had gotten to the point where I wasn't interested in searching for a CD and putting it in the machine. Now, ALL my music is at my fingertips, and I'm rediscovering all this great music that I'd forgotten about: Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, Beck, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Emmylou Harris, Everclear, Foo Fighters, Indigo Girls, K's Choice, Liz Phair, Madonna, Melissa Etheridge, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Sinead O'Connor, U2, just to name a few.

And I can't forget about The Best Band In The World: OASIS.

I'm so excited about music! Thank you, Steve Jobs, for helping me find myself again.

Wonderful Wonderwall

Here's a video from 2003 of Noel Gallagher performing "Wonderwall" live with acoustic guitar and string quartet. This footage was taken from a British awards show, and there is a bit of an interview with Noel and Gem before you get to the song.

Most people over 25 know this song from the mid-1990's. A brilliant performance of a brilliant song. Enjoy!

Family Cruisin'

I just finished watching All Aboard!, the documentary film of Rosie O'Donnell's week-long cruise for gay & lesbian families. It is overwhelming proof that homosexuals can make excellent parents. More than once, I was moved to tears by this movie, and I don't cry at movies anymore.

I especially liked the couple from New Jersey who opened their home to foster two children, Ray and Justin. When they were later going through the process of adopting the boys, they discovered Ray had two biological sisters, so they adopted them, too. Then the state called to say that Justin's mother was pregnant again, and would they take his sister, too. In all, these two men adopted five children who otherwise wouldn't have been a part of a real family. What an amazing story, and just look at their faces!

As a parent myself, I understand how difficult and rewarding parenthood can be. It's certainly the most important job I'll do in my lifetime. There is no reason why homosexuals should be prevented from becoming parents solely because of their sexuality when there are so many kids who just need stable homes and loving parents.

And don't get me started on gender-specific marriage laws...

Amazing Juggler

Check this out! It starts out amazing, and it just keeps getting better. Chris Bliss is a comedian who choreographed a juggling routine to a Beatles medley. He perfectly nails every punch, chord, melody line, guitar lick and drum fill. Mesmerizing.

Co-inky-dink

I teach a class at Bismarck State College called Composition Lab, in which I attempt, most of the time successfully, to instruct my students in grammar, punctuation, and usage. I try to use catchy sayings or quotations to help them remember things. Sometimes it comes off as clever, but mostly it comes off as corny. That's fine with me. I'm getting to the age where I don't care so much anymore, and it's fun to be that wacky teacher who sings songs from Schoolhouse Rock. ("Conjunction Junction, what's your function? Hookin' up words and phrases and clauses.")

Anyway, today we were talking about pronouns and using object pronouns in prepositional phrases. I like to sing "Just Between You And Me" by April Wine to illustrate this. I've used this example and sung this song to my students for several years, but I haven't actually heard the song since couples-skate at Wheel-a-While in the early 80's. On the way home from work, I HEARD THIS SONG ON THE RADIO. What a coincidence! Honestly, it was a little spooky.

Add to that: in last night's crossword puzzle, 32 down was "A desert relief." Answer:
O
A
S
I
S

Welcome home, Connor!

Connor is home now after three days in the hospital, and he's doing much better. He's still coughing and wheezing a bit, but he was running around the house and talking non-stop. He also kept giving me hugs and cuddling. He's so happy to be home. Dylan is happy to have him home, too. He missed his brother very much.

Connor's Rough Weekend

This is a picture of Connor from today (Saturday). It's hard to believe that just two days ago, he was fine. Thursday night his asthma flared up pretty badly. We took him to the doctor on Friday morning, where they discovered he has pneumonia. He was admitted Friday at noon, and he'll likely have to stay in the hospital until Monday morning. They've got him on oxygen, IV fluids/antibiotics, and a SAT monitor. They've done numerous breathing treatments to get the asthma under control, 11 treatments on Friday alone, and another 6-8 today (Saturday).

He has charmed the pants off the staff, who can't believe that a four-year-old does his own breathing treatments so well and with no fight. It also helped that he wore his Spongebob Squarepants socks. Everybody loves them! The hard part now that he's feeling a little better is how to keep him entertained in bed.

Thanks for keeping him in your thoughts.

Pick Your Battles

Finally, here's a "Support Our Troops" sticker that I'd put on my car.

Spring Has Sprung

Spring arrived this week here, and it's dee-lovely! Dee-lightful! Dee-licious! I knew it was coming because the geese started flying over about three weeks ago. Now my irises are popping up, the trees are budding, and the sun is shining.

Today it got up to the low 70's, so I opened the windows for the first time this season. The house was filled with that damp, earthy smell of spring and the sounds of lawn mowers buzzing, children playing and birds chirping. Opening the windows also brought in the dust, but it was worth it. After school, we played on the swingset and de-barked twigs with rocks.

Spring sometimes brings flooding to the Red River Valley, and I feel for them right now, but it's beautiful here in the Missouri Valley. I know the winters are long and harsh in the Northern Plains (except for this year), but it makes spring that much sweeter.

Carrot Munchers

So the remaining member of Oasis is Gem (pronounced with a hard "g", as in "good") Archer. He's a cutie, too, isn't he? All shy and disheveled-looking. In Oasis, he and Noel trade off on rhythm and lead guitar. Since joining the band in 1999, he has penned several songs on the last two albums, and contributes to studio production as well.

Gem and Andy are both vegetarians, and the Gallaghers are soccer fanatics. I came across a funny quote from Noel, who said, "I never thought I'd be in a band with two carrot-munchers who don't like football [soccer]." Apparently things are working out nicely, since Gem and Andy have both been with Oasis for over six years now.