9.0 Human League – All I Ever Wanted

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As a continuation of the 80’s nostalgia theme of Doug’s recent mix, I dug up this gem from a couple years ago. I have a few others that might make a nice response to Doug’s mix.

Still, I have to say that one of the songs Doug chose, New Order’s Krafty, is the pinnacle. It has had the replayability of Blue Monday, with no less than 4 gorgeous sweet bridges across the verses and choruses filled with upbeat lyrics.

Yes, nostalgia can have a saccharin aftertaste, but not on these nice new sweet goodies – pure sugar. HaHA!

Wrenny Turns 8

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Time flies! Wrenny’s birthday yesterday was a blast. She picked her favorite restaurant for lunch, which happens to be mine, too – Udupi -a vegetarian Indian restaurant with the best buffet ever. We always eat too much, every time! It’s one of our decadent pleasures.

That night we had cake and presents and she had a smile on all night. She loves horses, and the horse theme prevailed, on the cake (a nice brown and white horse on a chocolate-iced vanilla cake, mom’s a master cake baker) and with the presents.

And tonight, a big sleepover! Let the fun continue!

UPDATE: A great time. Each year we’ve been setting up a treasure hunt, and we keep having to make them tougher. Here are some of the clue cards we did this year:

9.5 Great Expectations

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Now that I added a “books” category I might as well fill it up a bit with stuff I’ve read recently.

A rich look at life in a different time, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations will take you to a place where class really mattered, but then shows that regardless, people are people, and the richest and most affluent can be the poorest and least happy, and vice versa.

Other recent quick-reads: Alexander McCall Smith’s Portuguese Irregular Verbs series (hilarious), H.G. Well’s The Time Machine (which stands against the test of time), J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye (will be a great re-read for the rest of my life), and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped (pure fun).

9.5 Doug’s mix :P

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My college buddy Doug sent me a retro+new mixed tape today of bands we’ve loved and newer stuff he likes, and it’s joyous and melancholy, and in heavy rotation. One of the few images that persists in my sorry small brain is Doug playing perfect air guitar in the window of our second story frat room to “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”. Thanks for sharing that blissful moment of music with me, and the knowledge that it is always there to lift us up. Word.

  • New Order: Waiting for the Siren’s Call, Krafty
  • Erasure: Breathe, I’ll Be There, Let’s take one more rocket…
  • Pet Shop Boys: (lots)
  • Robbie Williams: Kiss Me (redux)
  • Fisher: You
  • Mute Math: Typical, Plan B
  • Switchfoot: The Shadow Proves the Sunshine
  • Eluvium: Perfect Neglect…, An Accidental Memory…

8.5 Freakonomics

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A lot tighter than Junk Science, this book targets a few completely random subjects with statistical analysis, most often with unpredictable results. Crime related to abortion rates, the true hazards of daily life (e.g., wet bathroom floors – ala Gavin de Becker), nature vs. nurture, etc. What makes the book resonate is the truth that bubbles up from the clinical statistical approach – any presumption is fair game, resulting in some great insights. I wish Junk Science had felt that true.

P.S. Thanks to Gary, he’s been my source for current popular nonfiction lately. :>

Prius, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

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I really tried to coerce my ’94 Honda Civic VX into starting again after it died in the parking lot at work. New plugs, rotor blade, distributor cap – words that previously had no meaning to me, until Ricardo explained, and helped me install them (thanks Ricardo!) – but to no avail. Hybrid car shopping commenced. Continue reading “Prius, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…” →

Dad goes to Horse Lessons

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No, dad’s not learning to ride, but it was great to watch the girls do their thing. We talked with Ms. Debbie, sat in the sun, and just generally enjoyed a beautiful day. We met the dogs, Bandit (who lived up to his name by sneaking off with both my 15-pound backpack and Ms. Debbie’s brush, taking them to his “stash”), Lacy, and Sky, who just had puppies. She was very sweet and very proud as we approached the puppies, but once she hunkered down on top of them to feed, the smile vanished and it was time to give her some space. :> She had plenty of reason to be proud, the little whelps were bundles of cuteness.

Missy, the horse that Reiley usually rides, was sold to a girl who’s been in horse shows with her. The horse was still boarded at the stable, so she could still say hello, but it was time for her to ride a new horse. She ended up riding Brandy, the horse that Wren usually rides, so Wren got to try a new horse, too. Reiley found Brandy to be very cooperative, while Wrenny got to help Ms. Debbie get Dandy more used to being ridden for lessons. Way to stick with it Wrenny! And Reiley had a nice gallop up the last hill on Brandy. I almost missed it, she went up the hill so fast. Thanks for inviting me along, girls!

Sleigh Ride!

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Nearby downtown Apex does a really nice job during Christmas – they blocked off the roads and set up sleigh rides! With no snow on the ground, we had to opt for rubber wheels, but we did have horses – lots of them! And the girls’ horse instructor, Miss Deb, ran the show, so the girls got extra rides up in the front – thanks Miss Deb!

The downtown is decked out in splendor, and the many many fun shops, full of artsy trinkets and holiday smells, all throw their doors open for the night. Fun!