tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72111468589046568952024-03-12T20:00:02.519-07:00Seven PresidentsAlways up to something.sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.comBlogger384125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-13170794018333486222020-04-29T22:18:00.001-07:002020-04-29T22:18:21.985-07:00Yes, I Will Take YouThe Thing Is<br />
by Ellen Bass<br />
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to love life, to love it even<br />
when you have no stomach for it<br />
and everything you've held dear<br />
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,<br />
your throat filled with the silt of it.<br />
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat<br />
thickening the air, heavy as water<br />
more fit for gills than lungs;<br />
when grief weights you like your own flesh<br />
only more of it, an obesity of grief,<br />
you think, <i>How can a body withstand this?</i><br />
Then you hold life like a face<br />
between your palms, a plain face,<br />
no charming smile, no violet eyes,<br />
and you say, yes, I will take you<br />
I will love you, again.<br />
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from Mules of Love (c) BOA Editions, Ltd., 2002.sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-62052315168778025442020-04-29T22:16:00.001-07:002020-06-08T19:44:42.510-07:00Stargazers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpvhXNT6GWGnw2lg6vY-NIWGMj5y7yVcd8zdEBDL6u1Cu4TZLxbEQveqj_y3azAvWJ2i7bPwxtNbAlodTee-xzJeQCEGkT0z25N-gcv_rZ4-IBky3nZAG0Vub-yv0DmIqYFOoz6P6yww/s1600/IMG_9893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpvhXNT6GWGnw2lg6vY-NIWGMj5y7yVcd8zdEBDL6u1Cu4TZLxbEQveqj_y3azAvWJ2i7bPwxtNbAlodTee-xzJeQCEGkT0z25N-gcv_rZ4-IBky3nZAG0Vub-yv0DmIqYFOoz6P6yww/s320/IMG_9893.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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There are a lot of things about this time under quarantine that will change me forever, many of them beautiful gifts. It reminds of me that <a href="https://sevenpresidents.blogspot.com/2011/07/list-is-back.html">last week</a> before my babies were born. They were late, and each day the waiting was interminable, but I spent the time doing things I would never normally have done. Making friendship bracelets, shopping for mysteries at a used bookstore, going to brunch with my husband on a weekday. How to spend time in an innocent, innocuous, easy way when you are bigger than a house, it's hot as hades (July), you don't want to spend money, etc.<br />
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These days, when everything is closed (even the parks), money needs to be saved, and we are all together with no place to go, we are finding new activities, new patterns, new ways of being with each other, new hobbies, and new interests.<br />
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The girls have opened a bakery in the playroom and it seems whenever we bake one thing we bake two things at a time. So far <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/05/confetti-cookies/">Confetti cookies</a> have been a big hit, but we've made our classic family Chocolate Chippers, sugar cookies dyed and marbled to resemble the planet earth as seen from the moon, Magnolia Bakery cupcakes (while retelling the story of when I wouldn't let Kris have a bite of mine when we were dating -- he ordered banana pudding instead, if you can believe it), and pound cake. We made a <a href="https://lidiasitaly.com/recipes/potato-pizza/">pizza out of potatoes</a>. Kris cooked a turkey for Easter (our first bird).<br />
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We started out with family movies nightly, but that was when we had no kitchen or dining room and every meal was eaten huddled around our coffee table in close proximity to the TV. We watched a lot of classics from our childhood (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Back to the Futures 1-3, Ferris Beuhler's Day Off, A Princess Bride) and some contemporaries (Frozen 2, Forward, The Princess Diaries 1-2).<br />
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We've planted seedlings. We've weeded like we've never weeded before.<br />
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One night we went for a walk after dinner and watched the stars come out. It was dark, and I pulled the girls in a wagon. We looked at the moon, we noticed a bright star in the sky that turned out to be Venus. The longer we walked, the more stars we could count. We saw Orion's belt appear. It was exciting.<br />
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My father started coming over once a week to give astronomy lessons. I downloaded the stargazing app. You hold your phone to the sky and it shows you what constellations you can see. Last night we noticed two stars above the moon -- the heads of the twins of Gemini, Castor and Pollux.<br />
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To me, there is nothing more magical, an activity I imagine I'd take up in the best version of my life, and one I certainly wouldn't be doing if not for the quarantine.<br />
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I've often time found times of great tragedy and disruption to be teachers. It's uncomfortable to admit but sometimes when everyday life is grinding away I wish that something would disrupt it, snuff out all the momentum and hit the pause button. Unfortunately, I have found that only tragedy and waiting for babies can really slow time -- to recenter and refocus life. The hope is that we will carry these new, slower rhythms with us in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaK5JKtPAQfx-tk-B7fSdtCp5HMSeBcY08eT0mgDG8bmNBcQKTVdevv5varH0kRb3u_lKiEDl8R5xDCkv-fwBd5JfbqF5SGLvJ_pXn1EbjHKlXd77fwIuu_1qDKRzLbEH5xQWaJZbzBI/s1600/muddy+d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="995" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaK5JKtPAQfx-tk-B7fSdtCp5HMSeBcY08eT0mgDG8bmNBcQKTVdevv5varH0kRb3u_lKiEDl8R5xDCkv-fwBd5JfbqF5SGLvJ_pXn1EbjHKlXd77fwIuu_1qDKRzLbEH5xQWaJZbzBI/s320/muddy+d.jpg" width="320" /></a>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-26106903255306420972020-03-25T19:24:00.002-07:002020-03-26T08:29:35.246-07:00Well, I Didn't See That One Coming<div style="margin-bottom: 4.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;">
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Coronavirus (COVID-19) started as a news item from a distant land called Wuhan, China. I was pretty sure it would stay there. I don't know why, except when these types of things have happened before, that's kind of how it's gone. Then it was on cruise ships. I would never go on a cruise ship so, still distant land. Then there were a few cases in Washington state and it got very bad in a nursing home, which again, seemed very far and didn't apply to me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Then there was a man in New York who had it. Actually, he lived in New Rochelle and the more I heard about it (he went to a gathering at his temple and a lot of people caught it), at some point I realized he lives in the same town one of my best friends from college grew up in. Her parents go to his temple and live in the quarantine zone. They are ok. But still, all of the sudden, it was getting closer. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">And after living and working in New York City for more than a decade, I was clear that any kind of highly contagious virus that also has along life on surfaces was bad news. I started to worry. Not that I would get it, really, though I did stop touching things so much and start washing my hands like crazy. I started worrying about work. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">I work for a restaurant group that runs seven large restaurants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We started upping our clean down protocols as per CDC recommendations. That was one thing. But then something funny happened that I never saw coming -- people in the news starting telling people not to go to bars and restaurants. People on social media started to say how irresponsible it would be to go out. Very quickly, the restaurant industry became a casualty of Coronavirus. It turns out that highly contagious viruses that become public health crises intersect with hospitality in a big way.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">The next 10 days felt like running from an avalanche that we weren't sure was an avalanche til about day 5. There was no leadership from our federal government. The state was slow to move also. The cities are restaurants were in started putting restrictions on our hours and operations -- same day restrictions. Which is unprecedented and completely insane. Also necessary, but I think we may never see a chain of events like we did ever again because people will look back and think, wow, we could have done that better. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">This is a confusing time for everyone on the planet. It just so happens that our industry and my company were at the front of the fallout (well, behind the healthcare workers of course). I have been super keyed in to it because unfortunately I had no choice not to. Now that I am home with my family quarantining and I have some time to process and reflect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #1c1e21;">It is challenging to support <span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33);">the</span> company I had to lay myself off from while also homeschooling by two daughters who are 4 and 8. Their teachers threw together a remote learning program in 72 hours. They go to a Montessori school which is very much about a prepared environment and tangible learning materials. So it's possible that being stuck in my house which is also under </span></span><span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">construction is not exactly the best place to try and learn. We do what we can while also learning how to all share our days and our space in a constructive way. We practice simple Spanish over crudite platters. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Half of our downstairs is cordoned off because after 5 years of living in this house we finally pulled the trigger on renovating our kitchen. So our refrigerator, amongst other things, is currently in our living room. And we are trying to stockpile food that will last us days. We are doing dishes in our bathroom. All things considered I think we are handling it much better than we thought it would. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">I know people who have gotten <span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33);">sick</span> from it. It is scary. I don't want anyone to have to go to a hospital right now for anything. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">I have a similar feeling to how I felt on 9/11/01, when I was a student at NYU living in a dorm on Union Square, or when Trump was elected in 2016. I grew up in the 80s and 90s when it seemed like nothing mattered, nothing was ever going to happen, and history was over (there was even a guy who wrote a famous book called "The End of History"). And these events make you realize that you are very much living through history. Personally, I feel like this is 9/11 times 1000. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">We don't know how long we are going to be quarantined at home. We don't know how long our businesses are going to be closed. We don't know what the fallout will be from this virus -- the sick, the ones we will lose. The economic casualties. Will I be one of them?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">I keep thinking of my grandmother who grew up on a farm in the Depression. There is a part of me that just thinks, if this is it, if all the boom-times are over, I can deal with that. It might be harder, but it might be simpler. I might have a clearer idea of where I stand. I might be able to focus on other parts of my life that have taken the back seat. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">There is another part of me that feels the calling to work in government. It has come up for me a few times in my life. One of them was at the Women's March. When I was leading people off the boardwalk into Bradley Park, I saw my brother and stopped. He remarked at how amazing it was. As thousands of people walked by me, chanting, empowered, I turned to him and said Jim, "I think I could be president." And he said, "I think you're right." </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Maybe that's ridiculous. But I believe government is important, really important at times like these. I believe I have a calling to serve. I believe I'm smart enough to figure out almost anything. I believe I can broker compromise like it's my superpower. I know how to communicate, and I can give a damn good speech. I don't know if I have the stomach to run for elected office, but I have such a yearning in me to be a part of that world, I think it will be the next chapter of my life. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">. . .</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #1c1e21;">We started a coloring club at work to support the workforce that we had to lay of on Wednesday March 18 because of <span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33);">the</span> government mandated response to COVID-19.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">As a business, all our intention is on reopening when this is over. That will be a feat for many restaurants, many won’t survive. However if I ever had to bet on a team, I’d bet on ours at Smith. Pulling off the impossible is our specialty.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #1c1e21;">So many need support at this time. This problem is bigger than any one person, group, company, or industry. We are dealing with a human problem and all our lives are at stake. With this stunning cascade of events, in this international emergency, our 7 restaurants at Smith had to close their doors last Monday for the health of the public and our employees. Our biggest imperative is that we open up as soon as is feasible when this is all over. When? When. Until then, we are ta</span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="color: #1c1e21;">king it one day a time.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #1c1e21;"> </span></span><span style="color: #1c1e21;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">The thing I have grown to cherish most about the hospitality industry is that a healthy, thriving restaurant requires all different kinds of people in order to function like a well-oiled machine. The breadth of backgrounds, ages, races, professional and education experience, the hard-knock tales. The tales of incredible triumph and transformation. When given an opportunity, a restaurant is a place where a person can rise above wherever they came from to create a new future for themselves and their family. It's usually the person you never see coming who ends up being your champion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">The reality in this country is that most Americans have little-to-no savings for the kind of a head-spinning, lightning fast crisis like the one we find ourselves in with COVID-19. Not for medical bills, not for sudden unemployment. Which is why we wanted to put something out there in the world that might highlight the incredible love and generosity spreading around the world, and create a cushion for our staff in this time of emergency.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">I don't know how you choose where to give right now. I don't like having to ask for handouts. But I do like to color.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://smithrelief.fund/">https://smithrelief.fund</a></span><span style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">P.S.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">If you made it this far, don't you agree now's a great time to pass Medicare for All? Call Congress now. 202-224-3121</span></span><br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-13523491666035328232019-01-03T19:15:00.000-08:002019-05-28T19:01:38.627-07:00More / LessInspired by <a href="https://cupofjo.com/2019/01/fun-new-years-resolutions/">Cup of Jo</a> (still the best blog out there), in 2019, I'm seeking<br />
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MORE</div>
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Fun</div>
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Intimacy</div>
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Vulnerability</div>
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Day trips</div>
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Bath bombs</div>
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Reading </div>
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Writing</div>
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Love in my heart</div>
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Organization</div>
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Home cooking</div>
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Trying new things</div>
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Kindness</div>
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Outdoors time</div>
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And LESS</div>
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Impatience</div>
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Instagram</div>
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Gossiping</div>
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Anxiety</div>
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Insecurity</div>
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Candy</div>
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Mental escape hatches</div>
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Let's see how this goes, new year.</div>
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sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-54870451678537191842019-01-03T18:49:00.003-08:002019-01-03T19:16:12.560-08:00I Am A Grownup<i>I found this draft from April 2017 and I am delighted by it.</i><br />
<i>Maybe I'm back.</i><br />
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I drink black coffee.<br />
I have two children.<br />
I make my bed more often than I don't.<br />
I am on the fundraising committee of my child's private school.<br />
I clean my dishes after I use them.<br />
I pick up all the trash that rolls up on my property on a weekly basis instead of being too resentful of slobs that litter to pick it up.<br />
People (multiple people) have asked me to run for elected office.<br />
I have a LinkedIn profile, that I put effort into.<br />
I make lunches.<br />
I am in charge of flossing other people's teeth.<br />
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I stopped resisting life, in my better moments.<br />
<br />sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-1327102537550092702017-02-26T20:54:00.000-08:002017-02-27T10:04:50.752-08:00Clippings For The Scrapbook<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5u6QoNYhLdC1_tsO0uKTpRltBApnf-h8nUPRjGF9Uz1gY-LU_DTcjPI8yvkZhaMxXg76LUfcwS8rGGiUcOAE05VRXcocERamc8U0Rp8j0sT2zY4LdR60ZEmc-B4MATlaV8iH9ya7czY/s1600/16422532_10212107569870339_1303437872051843266_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5u6QoNYhLdC1_tsO0uKTpRltBApnf-h8nUPRjGF9Uz1gY-LU_DTcjPI8yvkZhaMxXg76LUfcwS8rGGiUcOAE05VRXcocERamc8U0Rp8j0sT2zY4LdR60ZEmc-B4MATlaV8iH9ya7czY/s640/16422532_10212107569870339_1303437872051843266_o.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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One day I'm going to write here about my experience organizing the Women's March of Asbury Park. It feels like it's still very much going on, so it's not ready to come out yet. The facts of the matter are captured in the links below. A wild idea, a casual yes, and after less than one week of planning, 6000 people marching through the great streets of Asbury Park who got to experience catharsis, healing, strength, hope, and the beginning a movement that will change the course of the history of our nation.<br />
<br />
It has already altered the course of my life in a powerful way. Rather than setting me off on a path I never thought I'd walk, it woke me up to the very power of the path I'd always been walking. I am the child of committed citizens who hung portraits of our greatest presidents on our walls. A 24-hour loop of NPR played in my house for as long as I can remember. I declared my major in History at NYU a few months before the Twin Towers fell, which I watched from my dorm at Union Square. I spent the first decade of my professional career at Quotable Cards, finding, editing, and designing the inspired words of some of the greatest writers, thinkers, and doers of our times. I've spent the past five years of my life at Smith, which has been a professional crucible for me, burning away the accumulation of learned behaviors that I used to hide and keep myself small. The people I work with have been as committed to me as my own damn parents, reminding me what a gift we human beings can be to each other. And I have found friends who are adventurers, up to big things, up to making a difference, who build community wherever they go.<br />
<br />
(I'm watching the Oscars right now so maybe I'm getting a little swept away. But remember my old site, Iamunrepeatable.com? This is me.)<br />
<br />
Sometimes when the light shines on you, you get a chance to see who you really are, who you've always been, and that you have always been enough. And that knowledge frees you up to know that you can do anything.<br />
<br />
<i>Coverage of our march from our local paper of record, the Asbury Park Press, with a short video.</i><br />
<a href="http://www.app.com/videos/news/politics/2017/01/21/women's-march-asbury-park/96897838/">http://www.app.com/videos/news/politics/2017/01/21/women's-march-asbury-park/96897838/</a><br />
<br />
<i>A short video of my remarks at the beginning of the march, including <a href="https://www.wall-of-us.org/taketheoath/">The Oath</a>.</i><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCJETqadNBo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCJETqadNBo</a><br />
<br />
<i>Our follow up letter to the editor to the Asbury Park Sun:</i><br />
<a href="http://asburyparksun.com/gratitude-in-their-own-words/">http://asburyparksun.com/gratitude-in-their-own-words/</a><br />
<br />
<i>Our Women's March of Asbury Park page, including our next event:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/womensmarchAP/">https://www.facebook.com/womensmarchAP/</a><br />
<br />
<br />sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-9104446610435291882016-12-11T19:56:00.000-08:002016-12-11T19:58:35.015-08:00v 2.0<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt;">I submitted my acapella rap to a production going on in Asbury this winter called THE AMERICAN FLAG: TRUMPED. Why not?! I revised it a bit so that it isn't so specific to the time and place it was born. Wanted to share it with you guys, since I'm not at open mics every Tuesday, and it was burning a hole in my pocket. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt;">The difference is basically more cursing, more anger at the election post-mortems, and my admittance that I never did like Thomas Jefferson. (Listening to the Hamilton soundtrack has only reminded me of my first impression and confirmed my distaste.)</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Hamilton State of Mind</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">My baby cousin’s </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">got this Hamilton-</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">non-fiction-</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Rapping play on replay.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Michelle Obama,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Music Drama,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">And it's on All day...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">But we all got that upset-</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Trump threat,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">PTS - D OD.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">It's liberal hell-</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Can Lin-Manuel</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Take all of this</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">pain away? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It's just a little hip hop,</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Some say,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">But they’d be wrong-</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">ALL Day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Cuz we all know</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">That words matter.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">The pen shatters</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">the sword-</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Paper smothers the rock-</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">A bill could kill the glock!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Stronger</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">together?</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">There's still time-</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Si se puede</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Don't be shy.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Putin’s coming <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">for our democratic government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The keys to our kingdom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Went to a capitalistic
internet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Wall Street’s getting richer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">While the poor die in the
street.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Obamacare can’t save you-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“Live free or die” – Preach!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">You think this is all the
Davos Man?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Motherfuckin C’MON MAN.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">You can’t kid yourself now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">You just thank me later--<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Imma tell you how<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">This shit’s much, much
plainer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s so simple that you
missed it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">You’re too close,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And now you’re twisted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s that sado-misogynistic-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">All-men-created-equal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Thomas Jefferson <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">hypocrite shit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s ridiculous!<br />
Can’t you see it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">America’s a dream!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So sobeit!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">But there’s no rest for the
wicked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And without it, you don’t
last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Guess who invented “this too
shall pass.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Do you have land, for the
taking?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Free labor from a chain gang?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Resources for the grist mill?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And/or a reproductive system?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Turn down your white noise,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Forget the Founding Fathers--<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s that mythic City on the
Hill shit,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">That when it’s built, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">you gotta build a wall around
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Don’t play stupid with me-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And we’re way past denial,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And whatever you do –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Don’t you tell me to smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I’ll come for you softly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Like a hot knife through
butter,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I don’t have time for fools,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I’m a full-time working
mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And</span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> I’m done listening to other people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Hollering,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Hogging
all the air in the room,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I stopped
bothering,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Putting
myself in the conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So that’s
it! This is my revelation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I see
now, you depend on my participation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">But who
am I to say?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And what
am I to do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I’m just
gonna to have to be me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And
you’re just gonna to have to be you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And we’re
going to Hamilton <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">the hell
out of this,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And when
we look back,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">we’ll
know we wrote for justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">We were
the voice of welfare, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">and the
blessings of liberty,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And it
was done by little you’s<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">and
little me’s, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;">From sea
to sea to shining sea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><stay woke=""><o:p></o:p></stay></span></div>
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sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-42847658521119096742016-11-27T19:46:00.002-08:002016-11-27T20:13:42.198-08:00A Very Rappy Thanksgiving<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After Thanksgiving dinner my little cousin introduced the family to <a href="http://www.smule.com/listen/autorap/79">AutoRap</a>, an app that takes anything you say and makes it into a top 40 hit (seriously, it almost could). It was the perfect thing to get past the tryptophan. The little ones were super cute, I sounded like Iggy Azalea, my jazzy uncle threw down with some baritone "Hello Big Bopper" (CLASSIC), and my mom spit a verse from "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening." It was so good it was stuck in my head for 3 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Those same cousins listened to the <a href="http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/">Hamilton</a> soundtrack for hours on the drive up to Maine. This led us to watch Lin-Manual Miranda <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w31jboLYcH4">freestyle battl</a>e rap Black Thought from the Roots on Jimmy Fallon over Black Friday breakfast. Only watch if you want to see an e</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">lectrifying display of genius-ness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coincidentally that night was our annual dinner concert, put on by various members of the family. It's usually a few jazz numbers, maybe a few Beatles songs, and lately the kids have performed a few numbers as well. My AutoRap little cousin was preparing an original rap over an instrumental, and told me he could be in his crew. I was honored, and pumped given all the hip-hop stimuli, but my toddler toddled off to another room and I had to leave the rap "studio" jam sesh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But armed with iPhone Notes, I was off to the races. Maybe it was the liberal bubble, maybe it was the love of family and the exuberance of the kids, but I started telling everyone I was going to rap at the concert. And I did. And it was so fun. I had red cheeks and tears in my eyes at the end. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I was 18, <a href="http://sevenpresidents.blogspot.com/2013/09/10-things.html">the apple of my eye</a> asked me if I'd be his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hunter_(lyricist)">Robert Hunter</a>. Hunter was the official lyricist for the Grateful Dead. This invitation was a blessed outside confirmation of both my deep love of music and my way with words. I was very flattered by the offer but never felt I knew how to write a song. It went nowhere. He's dead now. Not Robert Hunter. My friend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm turning 35 this week. It's taken me as long to discover that figuring-out-how is a great stopper of things. It's better to just do, without worrying whether your output will be right, good, or perfect. Save judgement for after it's done, if you ever get that far. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Donald Trump is our new president. I'm going to die one day. You are too. There's an opiate epidemic out there claiming people. There's global warming. Syria. What are you going to do? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Remove your stoppers. Pierce through the blockage. Creation is an anecdote. It causes movement, makes openings. Pathways to other places.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So here's my acapella rap. Next up, beats. Imma let it flow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hamilton, The Sequel</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Stella's got this Hamilton-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">non-fiction-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Rapping play on replay.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Michelle Obama,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Music Drama,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And it's on All day...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">But we all got that upset-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Trump threat,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">PTS - D OD.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It's liberal hell-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Can Lin-Manuel</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Take all of this</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">pain away? ...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He said we got </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">this one shot-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One shot!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes we got </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">this o</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ne shot-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One shot!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">So we gonna</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">be like Steph Curry</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">in a hurry-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Melo be that ball hog-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Those Trump loners,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Selfish soldiers,</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">won't in it for the long haul...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We got 4 years:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">grinding gears-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">bake sales, epic fails,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">mass shooting, Portland's looting.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Black lives matter,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">so do I, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">you do too-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">White silence</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">causes violence-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Get up now,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I mean you.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Are we gonna stay here?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Drinking pour over?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">While the fly overs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Are playing Red Rover?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">No! -- </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We be those rabble-rousers,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Fist-shakers,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Trouble-causers, bubble poppers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Revelation? Revolution!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It's a Pant Suit Nation</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Declaration </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Dependence upon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Common Sense--</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Yes!!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Stronger</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">together?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">There's still time-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Si se puede</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don't be shy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Is this land your land?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Or my land?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">His land?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Or their land? --</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It's our land.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Don't forget it, regret it,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">alphabet it--</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">From Z to A, and A to Z,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Bangor, Brooklyn and Jersey.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">From The Golden Gate </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">to the Tappan Zee.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We build bridges-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And democracy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Yes it's our land-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">from to sea to sea to shining sea-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">To little you, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">to little me</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Just sitting there, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">in your seat...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It's just a little hip- hop-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Some say-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">But they be wrong-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">ALL Day!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cuz we all know</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">That words matter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The pen shatters</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the sword-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Paper smothers the rock-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A bill could kill the glock!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Can't talk dirty to me--</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Throw my name in the gutter-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I'll kill a fool</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Like a hot knife through butter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I write the rules,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The rhymes, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And the blues.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I'm standing here,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">With no microphone,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Just a pen a paper-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Check that -an iPhone-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">To say this ain't a house-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It's a light green home.*</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We're here to stay,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And I'm here to say-</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">That I'm the D A double-L A S</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Live on West Broadway--</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hey!!!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh9FvbCHU36UY-eWNOpzp6u62ziBbxZgyRVOTJ3DvpfyowD0cU9PsYsAs066_maENTioAYV2pNMzoBDWBnC5WP4d5EV1xX3VSeeZFbklzn6gTrGyXISa4eLajjDGQ5Jad2UXvhJgoCeo/s1600/IMG_3487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh9FvbCHU36UY-eWNOpzp6u62ziBbxZgyRVOTJ3DvpfyowD0cU9PsYsAs066_maENTioAYV2pNMzoBDWBnC5WP4d5EV1xX3VSeeZFbklzn6gTrGyXISa4eLajjDGQ5Jad2UXvhJgoCeo/s400/IMG_3487.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>*My uncle just got Midnight Green shutters, and is really excited about how they bring out the light green color of his house. This was my favorite part of the rap.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-698034246382234832016-11-23T12:11:00.003-08:002016-11-23T12:11:48.186-08:00Snapshots From My Liberal BubbleA large part of the allure of New England is its timelessness. The barns, the cedar shake, the rock walls, the colonial architecture. It's an unchanged, idealized, airbrushed snapshot of Americana to bask in while you eat your lobster roll and your blueberry (apple?) pie.<div>
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We're in Maine this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, 21st year running. We stayed three nights in Kennebunkport for a little R&R before the family gathering in Bangor. </div>
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There are no awkward dinner conversations across party lines here. It's a retreat to our family <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/20/saturday-night-lives-bubble-skit-about-liberals-in-denial-over-trump-was-perfect/">bubble</a>. And you know what? For a vacation, for this week, it's fantastic.</div>
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sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-9583665844960027712016-11-14T20:38:00.002-08:002016-11-16T09:53:26.854-08:00Government<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #343434;">The global nightmare of what I've been referring to as
#Trumpocalypse has been upon us for almost a week now. I can best describe my
feelings about it as an elevator of sadness, because there are so many levels
to my upset and disappointment. I won't spell them all out for you here, because if
you are reading this, odds are you already know too well what they are.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><!--EndFragment--></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #343434;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I heard a journalist on "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/podcasts/run-up">The Run-Up</a>" describe the surprise of Hillary's loss as "a failure of expertise on the magnitude of the fall of the Soviet Union or the Vietnam War." </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Yes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Media failed us. The Information
Age failed us. In the oppressive nowness of the Internet, data, social
media platforms, and our so-called "smart" phones, we’ve lost
something. Our heads are down, glued to the shadow play of our screens. We’ve
willfully surrendered a dimension of our reality. We've been flattened. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">In the election post-mortem, a
slow-mo replay of the sucker punch, the dominant narrative looks like it's
going to be that Hillary didn't do anything to connect with the white working
class. I think when it's written in the history books, they'll tell a different
story. A more obvious one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">My husband, who makes Bernie
Sanders look like the center-left establishment, has this theory: no one has
done anything really to help the poor in this country. The Democrats have
aligned themselves to welfare and bureaucratic assistance programs, which, when
you get up close to them, are horrible. Better than the alternative Republican
philosophy (survival of the fittest), but no way to live. Dispatches from your
local community organizer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The thing is, I am a partisan
Democrat. I was brought up on NPR, PBS, and LWV. But the reason why I vote
Democratic down the line is because I believe in what the party stands for.
It's not perfect. It may get perverted or watered down in practice, or lead to
bloated government, but the Democratic Party in my lifetime has stood on the
side of good more often than not. While the Republican Party is out there
capitalizing on religious fervor, racism, and xenophobia, we're making room in
the tent. If that is going to cost me a little more in taxes, sobeit. I was
raised to believe that those who can spare some should. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">What I got from listening to my
husband is that I have the luxury of worrying about the optics and the
principles of my politics, while families living in poverty may not have the
time. So I've made a commitment to myself to spend my time more wisely.
Less Netflix, more politics. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Wake the fuck up, Dallas. Be that
change. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I didn't fully realize how much
Hillary Clinton meant to me until she didn't become our next president. All
those people who hate Hillary so much... Why? Would they feel that way if she were
a man? To be that determined, focused, unwavering, calculating, and hardened...
Every quality that got her to be The First is every quality that was hated
about her. It's a goddamn fact, and I had to look inside myself and see how I
have been living into that paradigm. Always be likable. Don't go too far out on
a limb. Don't let people judge you... <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">It keeps you small. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The first time I told my 5 year-old
daughter who was running for president, she got to say “I want the girl to
win.” I never had the chance to say that. That is a big deal. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I was out of my mind when <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/beyonce-jay-z-endorse-hillary-clinton-us-president-election-cleveland-ohio-concert-a7399211.html">Beyonce endorsed Hillary</a>. Beyonce is the embodiment of female empowerment in pop
culture today. She spoke of the importance of her daughter seeing a woman
leading the country, less than 100 years after women gained the right to vote. I
reposted a picture of the moment on Instagram, and an aunt of mine commented
with a “thumbs-down” emoji. HRC would tell me not to take it personally, but I
did. It's shocking to me how much women reject their own identity politics. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Like I said, so many levels. So many levels. It's a long elevator ride. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Lastly,
and perhaps most importantly… Some of us believe in government. Which is why
the election of a man who, thus far, has shown no respect for it or the office
he will hold is so deeply troubling. I can only hope that the weight of the
office, and the burden of carrying the entire country on his shoulders, will
shape him more than he will shape it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">There, I mustered up some optimism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I went to the DMV today to renew my
driver’s license. Margot and I were there for almost two hours. As tedious as
it was, it was also restorative. There, in a government building, filled with a
cross section of our citizenry -- all nationalities, all races waited patiently
in line, chatted each other up, answered each other’s questions. We got our
papers, got back into our cars, and went back to where we came from. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Six days after, it was a minor
miracle for which I give thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LOZsORCnK5W7kXBkqldFRiupO0lIUIyoGx-37oyMARAuczIarIX0JiYTC8lmgibAegh_2tJ10iyxyVqxOt2JlTLM-tJeyVB3uu6xJNIp1WGb3-6xWAaf0W0XIN8qodW8hhUVTSocWCA/s1600/unnamed.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LOZsORCnK5W7kXBkqldFRiupO0lIUIyoGx-37oyMARAuczIarIX0JiYTC8lmgibAegh_2tJ10iyxyVqxOt2JlTLM-tJeyVB3uu6xJNIp1WGb3-6xWAaf0W0XIN8qodW8hhUVTSocWCA/s320/unnamed.gif" width="320" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-58137421519820861352016-07-17T19:38:00.001-07:002016-07-17T19:38:49.092-07:00Dispatches From Cape Cod, Part 1<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
We are up in Cape Cod with my in-laws for the week. It's my first time and so far it's just perfect. Our little cottage is 2 houses in from the beach. The water is warm and very calm so Lil Pip and I are swimming around like mermaids. When we arrived on Saturday night we took a walk down to the beach at sunset and she waded in so deep her dress got wet. Five minutes later she was duck diving waves. It was like witnessing a communion with the sea. Baptism? Whatever. You get the idea.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lNn_sXLBxHwdOjoPYnh1M79SLJiElw31LTLB8bcm0-JUg9O2jY0HR7UsVCWaVeW7lybkSN0olU4rAbU-u-VHply8H7n9vq0UdJl8xILy1Cu6NgJ0ikaBDKXB9tRphUq2Bi-SXKk3IAQ/s640/blogger-image--312446393.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My grandmother had a tree growing in her front yard covered in trumpet vine. Every day she'd sweep the fallen flowers off the walk.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8Pj0h24dsuCN3YDTTN7vn0hLKxyNgLf-UTbqxXxF3SqLW9DEsItGvGxgvmbh0HRXt_DVZj-Oh8odVomjAuxIhlILZvGrKh2u35uVsYkaWcx4KdFDSIddPfau_uNIAUN7Y9FOy49Sy0Y/s640/blogger-image-2089340072.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="481" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Driveways paved with shells.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJGA1tm3u9KpHvVUvKI9452Fp1c2qrtG9xhfUBccF-TTuCoIvfFqiWVn7DdJdK9lFNJ2rsaCkXQsGAuA3FfI3VsLxtUMWnCc4772YWYIO1VTFhwPkghGwsc8NWBD3gF_yDFSvDEfH2NE/s640/blogger-image-1586976129.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hydrangeas! Check.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB8Aj4jtiU-U5E8J0hut51HpQWF25bG79NzbncYghHjEaNE0vR8tDriqfmd_aVo5BjDqGaXIH5AcSmt5ezwi60C2XZs7SC87T_gkuXjeelh5KtGZzRBXlSoa2OKHNnHc6IewA6sgYxCY/s640/blogger-image--334132356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB8Aj4jtiU-U5E8J0hut51HpQWF25bG79NzbncYghHjEaNE0vR8tDriqfmd_aVo5BjDqGaXIH5AcSmt5ezwi60C2XZs7SC87T_gkuXjeelh5KtGZzRBXlSoa2OKHNnHc6IewA6sgYxCY/s640/blogger-image--334132356.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Privet hedge! My favorite summer smell.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJLZ9tpLYxwa5E4HlRkWev6w3bNYo2nbOdkUbmAgcSaWNlFeok81MXp2qqvwir4oyPqFel_hffwgkafl5JuMfuM7gI0cQPkse3h2HQqF1o0LWJLyQCW2_mNRq7YVpaXuDa9oHiJ7CbhE/s640/blogger-image-1139688485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJLZ9tpLYxwa5E4HlRkWev6w3bNYo2nbOdkUbmAgcSaWNlFeok81MXp2qqvwir4oyPqFel_hffwgkafl5JuMfuM7gI0cQPkse3h2HQqF1o0LWJLyQCW2_mNRq7YVpaXuDa9oHiJ7CbhE/s640/blogger-image-1139688485.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Every house has cedar shingles. Why doesn't every town do this? There are no ugly houses.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IhkRRjJH-5VETQBdDpMK4VMvFpDXT3UW9blLeWSWz8p_02lASPRRTso3v-CL1mGGHxwlsMFTBP9xDNiI0L6STBO6coE8xY8cHXKOXwy1f8s3O9W3PGudHUS0IyRaZrYzQ0r9dMFVTCo/s640/blogger-image-369380088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IhkRRjJH-5VETQBdDpMK4VMvFpDXT3UW9blLeWSWz8p_02lASPRRTso3v-CL1mGGHxwlsMFTBP9xDNiI0L6STBO6coE8xY8cHXKOXwy1f8s3O9W3PGudHUS0IyRaZrYzQ0r9dMFVTCo/s640/blogger-image-369380088.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wildflowers by the side of the road.</i></td></tr>
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<br />sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-37387068341167360772016-07-06T15:56:00.001-07:002016-07-06T15:57:01.919-07:00Take the A Train<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">They used to put short poems and excerpts from classic literature up in the subway -- Poetry in Motion they called it. I read this on the ACE my freshman year at NYU and scribbled it down (before Google was so prevalent you only had to remember key words for later). It used to get stuck in my head and I'd say it over and over again. I love the sound of it. It laid dormant in my brain for many many years until it came back again a few months ago. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">God I love poetry. Good poetry that's like an all out game of tag... Just out of reach and then you catch up to it, and grab it, and its meaning is revealed to you. This one is mostly just fun to say, and that has its reasons for existing too. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">Plus, it's peach season. Go get one and honor the moment with one of the earths juiciest fruits. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Peaches </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">A mouthful of language to swallow:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">stretches of beach, sweet clinches,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">breaches in walls, pleached branches;</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">britches hauled over haunches;</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">hunched leeches, wrenched teachers.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">What English can do: ransack</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">the warmth that chuckles beneath</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">fuzzed surfaces, sweet velvet</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">richness, plashy juices.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">I beseech you, peach,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">clench me in the sweetness</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">of your reaches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #776644; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px; text-decoration: none;">-<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200504/inmemoriam" style="background-color: white; color: #776644; line-height: 20.8px; text-decoration: none;">Peter Davison</a></span>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-31792167741643038792016-05-30T18:56:00.001-07:002016-05-30T19:09:23.823-07:00Snapshots from MDW 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvQNt6uq5EGekRc1CoZffrICfIWSi4NkCT0pcF-L7y-_fVB_RuTb11pES3tnWHEH_sI5p4bcAynI-r7w_2pn-fnfYfy35FIEZ7TRM6DLk5y4RS4nxfWKcWUS4sAR-L0NSYQ-vOPeQmr0/s640/blogger-image--1171944340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvQNt6uq5EGekRc1CoZffrICfIWSi4NkCT0pcF-L7y-_fVB_RuTb11pES3tnWHEH_sI5p4bcAynI-r7w_2pn-fnfYfy35FIEZ7TRM6DLk5y4RS4nxfWKcWUS4sAR-L0NSYQ-vOPeQmr0/s640/blogger-image--1171944340.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>At work, we opened a hidden tiki bar. There's a rum drink under all those plants.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kept my pie commitment and brought two plum pies to Lobsterfest.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The prettiest little irises in the garden at Lobsterfest.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>We finally got some warm weather! The sprinkler came out.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mr. SevPrez redid both the foundation beds in front of the house... A lot of hard work.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The girls and I laid on a blanket in the lawn and stared up at the sky while he worked.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aside from our showstopping lupines, these humble mountain laurels are keeping it real.</i></td></tr>
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sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-83500994296048890272016-05-11T08:03:00.000-07:002016-05-11T08:37:36.304-07:00One More Time<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJpd24OiK4-34jYbAQrI81DmlN9aECJnlUCE8MqYrHSzhwGSdTezCMOELYHT_pObyhtvGwgOQFSxR6ga6rUzsPjGIepP-PDLXGkdREIgmJJk9HjYU1dl-akVW38YVtJvJRsjL074XsQQ/s1600/IMG_0507.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJpd24OiK4-34jYbAQrI81DmlN9aECJnlUCE8MqYrHSzhwGSdTezCMOELYHT_pObyhtvGwgOQFSxR6ga6rUzsPjGIepP-PDLXGkdREIgmJJk9HjYU1dl-akVW38YVtJvJRsjL074XsQQ/s320/IMG_0507.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Early May and June<br /><br />This is our time,<br />A reassurance that there are some<br />sensations I will never forget.<br />The sun coming back,<br />the heat,<br />the trees, their leaves, the natural world.<br />This is the time that we found<br />each other —<br />we confirmed each other.<br /><br />In eighty years I know<br />even if I don't remember who I am,<br />I will see the particular neon green bouquet of maple buds,<br />and hear the playoffs whistling in a room<br />down the hall of my convalescence,<br />and I will return spring of our courtship,<br />when we were lucky enough to gleam a future<br />in each other's eyes.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">-DDH</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">(c) 2010.</span></span></span>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-40537670936215364842016-05-08T19:44:00.001-07:002016-05-08T20:03:29.048-07:00Ikebananas<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6MbfT8c-wAjxd09fiHBsLJIWVGMK44YjeTC0Wq0X4Im02iv56B_iYOTQfTdr4JSJOaRc-e-ERUTV6FGWRE_eqsSM1QVuKP_H4TR0HiEiyu2uFI6gUqY0K7E1JNbywq1vSg-jnZ2i1Qg/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6MbfT8c-wAjxd09fiHBsLJIWVGMK44YjeTC0Wq0X4Im02iv56B_iYOTQfTdr4JSJOaRc-e-ERUTV6FGWRE_eqsSM1QVuKP_H4TR0HiEiyu2uFI6gUqY0K7E1JNbywq1vSg-jnZ2i1Qg/s640/IMG_0556.JPG" width="480" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last week I took an Ikebana workshop with my husband and mother-in-law through our county park system. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ikebana is a Japanese art of flower arrangement. I still couldn't tell you much about it, but </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikebana" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wikipedia </a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">does a great job. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was held at </span><a href="http://sevenpresidents.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-wrong-woman-wrong-man.html" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">our favorite park</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, Deep Cut Gardens, and I think I signed up for it because I was hoping it would take place in their magical greenhouse (it wasn't). But I find floral arrangements to be one of the great pleasures of life, along with watching a baby nap, sheet cake that's better than it needs to be, falling asleep on the couch, and The Met. Plus, I'm always looking to add to my bag o' tricks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once we arrived, I was excited to learn a different approach to flower arrangement that uses materials, shapes, and proportions uncommon to the Western style. All my arrangements tend to look the same. I do a lot of round stuff with one kind of flower. Any time I diverge from that, it gets awkward. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We each made an arrangement, and mine was OK. To be honest, I'm not sure I know good or bad yet, it's so foreign to my eye. I'm not a natural minimalist, and I didn't think my materials vibed together all that well. I wasn't sure if I'd do it again by the book, but I was inspired to try again with plant materials from our yard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So today, after Mother's Day brunch, the babe was napping, the mister was mowing the lawn, and Pip and were looking for something to do to pass the time until our next meal. (Why not put it bluntly.) She came with us to the Ikebana workshop and was eager to try her hand at making her own arrangement. We took clippers outside and found a ton of good stuff to use. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I gave her a traditional vase and I used a wide, shallow bowl more typical of Moribana (the style of Ikebana we "learned" -- that's a stretch). We had two colors of Japanese maples, azaleas, lilacs, and Japonica. There are a lot of specifics to the proper placement and geometry of the branches in Ikebana (refer to our handout up top), but I despise following instructions in all circumstances except when giving my children medicine, so we wung it. Basically: tall thing, slightly less tall thing, wide thing out to side, something protruding toward you, something heavy down low to anchor it. This is probably blasphemy but I find it works.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mama Ikebana</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pip took a more maximalist approach and made the most beautiful arrangement I've ever seen (I'm not exaggerating because I'm her mom). I'm telling you, you'd have to pay $130 <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=saipua+flowers&rlz=1C5ACMJ_enUS519US520&espv=2&biw=1153&bih=673&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjnuuDB-8vMAhWGXRQKHR5ZDVsQsAQIKw">in Brooklyn</a> for this thing. It is hauntingly beautiful, and all from found clippings in our yard. I would have been hard-pressed to summon the freedom to make something so luscious and exuberant and great.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pippa Ikebana</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's something I've noticed whenever she paints too -- she has an innate understanding of beauty. It's direct, it's colorful, it's free, and she knows exactly when to stop. Picasso said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once you grow up." Kids. You learn something from them every day, if you pay attention.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On a side note, the babe is ten months today! She has her bottom right front tooth, and all the others seem to be just below the surface. She loves to eat real food (clementines! ricotta! meatballs! banana!). She isn't quite crawling forward yet, though she just figured out how to get over her other leg, and she loves to do "So big!" and clap for herself. She says "da da" all the time, and yesterday she said "Pippa" (we both heard it). So far she has no interest in saying "Mama" -- not even for Mother's day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8XuBdTq9YAvf-SKhXqGj2mZ2EnsGwynWXtOernfOV7ZBxoJUzCvFJW3cftuEWGzr5-MOR17mbF8buUtaDB_7qSI5QYSk4xngSMpxHAYCfIe1a4qO5U1v-vHhA04sqrTEfNpSy7PbVME/s1600/IMG_0450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8XuBdTq9YAvf-SKhXqGj2mZ2EnsGwynWXtOernfOV7ZBxoJUzCvFJW3cftuEWGzr5-MOR17mbF8buUtaDB_7qSI5QYSk4xngSMpxHAYCfIe1a4qO5U1v-vHhA04sqrTEfNpSy7PbVME/s400/IMG_0450.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-84375607363037313372016-03-29T19:39:00.001-07:002016-03-29T19:39:10.088-07:00Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mvgGxyRdlFbFTou9qj9vADeqJeY09JflNvT6rAbSxW-xCZomllgaJ_T-kqCeS9ImHMSYOzHb3ydwtxA8Y9AQ2kWyeHTGVbfilPkhsjBb79LA4_i7kAzRdpDluPMOyjsjcYf2-K__Q_s/s640/blogger-image-20362807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mvgGxyRdlFbFTou9qj9vADeqJeY09JflNvT6rAbSxW-xCZomllgaJ_T-kqCeS9ImHMSYOzHb3ydwtxA8Y9AQ2kWyeHTGVbfilPkhsjBb79LA4_i7kAzRdpDluPMOyjsjcYf2-K__Q_s/s640/blogger-image-20362807.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">New front door, new house numbers. Just in time for our Easter brunch. It made a much better backdrop for the group shot of all the kiddos after their egg hunt. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Baby Margot is almost 9 months and has a great sense of humor. She plays peekaboo (she prefers to hide), looks like she's getting a bunch of teeth any day now, and manages to scoot backwards when she's in a crawling position. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Her big sister is becoming the sweetest lover of life you'll ever meet. She radiates joy, is honest and kind and wickedly smart. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Very blessed around here. </i></div>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-84688039178966836492015-08-29T08:16:00.001-07:002015-08-29T08:16:21.700-07:00Deep Thoughts From The Porch<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font color="#000000"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiurevSkvEIs-s-EoEPfTHeEZAiuncL628e2tSAbLQhtLVhJUwZZUQgz-bs-56xbATFlD1AstPObM699lo4gk3-iQ1rcA6SGYM6zpZCSHE_wwemrPPHprLaqJWi2gzWvr9DMPFT2gh9gI/s640/blogger-image-213609466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></font><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiurevSkvEIs-s-EoEPfTHeEZAiuncL628e2tSAbLQhtLVhJUwZZUQgz-bs-56xbATFlD1AstPObM699lo4gk3-iQ1rcA6SGYM6zpZCSHE_wwemrPPHprLaqJWi2gzWvr9DMPFT2gh9gI/s640/blogger-image-213609466.jpg"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We have a book called "What A Seed Needs" about a pig who is also a farmer. He plants a few different kinds of seeds and the book walks you through all the things that are required for a seed to grow into a flower, vegetable, what have you. Sun, a place in the dirt, water, time, and a little love and care. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But did you ever really think about it? How amazing it is to plant a little tiny spec of something in the dirt and then get bushels of tomatoes, or hundreds and hundreds of flowers? I have been sitting out on our porch overlooking our gardens and find myself awestruck this summer. Almost every day for the last two weeks I have been harvesting a pint of sweet orange cherry tomatoes and picking a bouquet of zinnias. Sometimes for us, sometimes for neighbors and friends.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> As I nurse our little baby, who similarly came from two specs and grew into the most lovable and spectacular little person, I can't quite believe how long I've been taking the miracle of life for granted. I mean seriously, have you ever really stopped to contemplate how things grow?! Is this why people love science?! Amazing. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QCP2zQOLm34XTSptR7LmyTXQMwmHPdsoFQX4I_1UqYtcHyu4CJSKshahUwLGr8v53SJBeevocjcZr8sGcdhOpjX2vs_WqotXem-QqcI6-CZYnroci156AFH84EXI5Sd2-EjSQ7UrAGc/s640/blogger-image--1745346481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QCP2zQOLm34XTSptR7LmyTXQMwmHPdsoFQX4I_1UqYtcHyu4CJSKshahUwLGr8v53SJBeevocjcZr8sGcdhOpjX2vs_WqotXem-QqcI6-CZYnroci156AFH84EXI5Sd2-EjSQ7UrAGc/s640/blogger-image--1745346481.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNlXlzXGQ_4fmggVYVK_i40SYRjRQgJBjdRe7f7FgQh8XoCrG3i7be1VQGDL7kLwWD46135tMsp6P_FibmxF-CXF8FXkZ1xEYmCD3h-s-uK0rKTmiOf188xjC-JApeHYfTRJNj4Z_sxg/s640/blogger-image-736286908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNlXlzXGQ_4fmggVYVK_i40SYRjRQgJBjdRe7f7FgQh8XoCrG3i7be1VQGDL7kLwWD46135tMsp6P_FibmxF-CXF8FXkZ1xEYmCD3h-s-uK0rKTmiOf188xjC-JApeHYfTRJNj4Z_sxg/s640/blogger-image-736286908.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div></div></div></div>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-42560894662777163362015-07-24T14:15:00.001-07:002015-07-24T14:16:17.865-07:00Garden State<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqripj8NKyUpN_9LktA4AOUOdX18qBHEEDLdsZxoziMoAa7dTRYRQDnn71WguXlhPGVBRoJv7ft87W37m1rtFA4QTn5a_u5AGpIiTJkRswf92DRCOHYtgAibBgcdTcipoYXt-0qYI1uw/s1600/2015-07-22+10.21.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqripj8NKyUpN_9LktA4AOUOdX18qBHEEDLdsZxoziMoAa7dTRYRQDnn71WguXlhPGVBRoJv7ft87W37m1rtFA4QTn5a_u5AGpIiTJkRswf92DRCOHYtgAibBgcdTcipoYXt-0qYI1uw/s640/2015-07-22+10.21.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>We went full teepee this year!</i></td></tr>
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<br />sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-40687697681583242242015-07-22T11:25:00.001-07:002015-07-23T19:23:31.840-07:00First Fortnight<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLgCmDER0naeTjE8TDmZek-t9aSDjm02pfrsX-HigMmA5KeWVB3tfN51yGjbePZc29FZQdYoBUoDcjfVrHMUX7WdunWjOo68pRDSL32GuEfTteOO7U5ekjMOGao0XC97MIvZGTkXWOlo/s640/blogger-image--1776695022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLgCmDER0naeTjE8TDmZek-t9aSDjm02pfrsX-HigMmA5KeWVB3tfN51yGjbePZc29FZQdYoBUoDcjfVrHMUX7WdunWjOo68pRDSL32GuEfTteOO7U5ekjMOGao0XC97MIvZGTkXWOlo/s640/blogger-image--1776695022.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>We've been a family of four for two weeks today. She is a happy newborn: she loves eating, sleeping, pooping. She gets the hiccups at least once a day. In natural light her hair has a reddish, auburn tint. Excited to see how that develops. We have redheads in my family but only on the side that I'm not actually blood related to. She has my color eyes and looks a lot like her big sister did as a baby, except she has less prominent lips. <br>
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She immediately took to breastfeeding (like moments after she was born), and she loves to fall asleep snuggled up next to me. Breastfeeding is so special, but it does get exhausting. It's a lot to know that you are THE food source for this precious new creature you love so much. Everyone wants to help but they can only do so much. Really I don't mind it, only when I she's in the middle of a feeding frenzy and I want to eat, or I've just fallen asleep, or we are out and about and not in a time and space where halting everything and plopping down to breastfeed is an option. But all in all I can't really complain. My mental plan is to breastfeed for 6 weeks and then take each week as it comes. I will be going back to work in mid-September and I anticipate introducing some amount of formula at that time.<br>
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But enough nitty gritty details. Zinnias are blooming, the humidity just broke, tomatoes are turning red, the Tour de France is in the Alps, Mr. SevPrez started a new gig doing what he loves, and our first born is about to turn four. Life is good.sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-21327369484871924982015-07-17T18:44:00.001-07:002015-07-19T13:27:49.370-07:00Her* Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Black and white and ballet slippers. Quilt by <a href="http://sevenpresidents.blogspot.com/2014/04/grandma-d-1925-2014.html">Granmda D</a>. Hand-knit sweater with owl-cables by my Grammy. Humpty-Dumpty lamp has been in the family since my 45 year old brother's nursery!</div>
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*The newest her.</div>
sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-77390405361666394592015-07-08T06:18:00.001-07:002015-09-08T18:54:20.158-07:00The OdysseyI sit here watching Wimbledon waiting to go to the hospital for an 11am appointment to be induced. I don't need to pack a bag because my bag has been in the car for a week! I had no expectation that I'd be 10 days past my due date and counting. None whatsoever. But that's the way these things go. I've been hooked up to the baby monitor 4 times in the last two weeks and all reports are that the baby is doing great. Great heartbeat, great bloodflow. I've had 2 ultrasounds and she looks a little squished but otherwise seems to be enjoying herself, moving around doing dance routines as we get poked and prodded. A showoff. Apparently your amniotic fluid levels have to be above 5 to be considered safe... Mine were at a 10 yesterday. They estimate her to be 8 lbs 10 oz, but could be up to a pound off either way (yikes!).<br />
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But when my doctor came in yesterday examine me, after all this good news she said, "The baby is perfect, she's doing great. Much better than you are." Maybe the nurse had told her that I was clearly having a nervous breakdown when she came in to check on me. Or maybe she could just see it in my eyes.<br />
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I have been kidding that the baby knows I needed a vacation. I did, surely. And it's been really nice to have some time off to gather myself before her arrival. Our parents have been awesome about watching the Pipster and she has been super eager to have sleepovers, so I've been able to get a lot of R&R. Frankly I miss my little one a bit, clearly more than she does me. But it bodes well for her in this transition that she feels so comfortable out and about. But there are strategies to waiting. For a while I employed the "tomorrow, it'll definitely be tomorrow" tactic. That starts to wear on you after a week.<br />
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A few days ago I decided that if I felt good (some days are better than others) I would just go about my business as if I wasn't 41 weeks pregnant, and stop worrying about arrival times. But that puts you into a delusional state. There is no baby! Labor and delivery? What? I just wasn't feeling mentally prepared anymore, or in the frame of mind that we were about to become a family of 4. And that was unsettling. The other thing that pops into your head is that everything's just fine until it's not -- like you're waiting for something bad to happen.<br />
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I don't know what happened to me as I stared up at the fluorescent lights in the doctor's office, listening to her little heartbeat running around 160. I just lost it and it was hard to get back. I think maybe it was a way of the universe nudging me to communicate my wishes with my doctor when I might otherwise have told myself to buck up and keep waiting. What came out of my mouth was that I couldn't go any longer than Thursday. She recommended we schedule an induction because my body, in her opinion, was ready.<br />
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So I had orders to call the hospital this morning at 5am to confirm my 6am arrival time. I set my alarm for 4:45, hopped in the shower, and... They had a crazy night and there were no beds available (!!!). Call back at 9. Luckily the Mister only had 1 sip of coffee and was able to go back to bed to get some more sleep. After trying for about an hour to go back to sleep myself, I came downstairs and low and behold, "Sneakers," my favorite Robert Redford movie, was on. I used to have it on VHS! What luck. I feel asleep on the couch and woke up a couple hours later to Breakfast at Wimbledon. Called the hospital at 9. They promised me they'd have a bed ready and everything set for 11. A much more civilized time for my fashionably late baby.<br />
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I thought I'd take a few minutes to record this epic journey to the starting line before life totally changes and I don't remember what it's like to have two free hands.<br />
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Man I am excited to meet this little girl. Keep you posted.<br />
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<br />sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-12839708043737266462015-07-05T15:28:00.004-07:002015-07-08T06:48:08.803-07:00Catching Up On Milestones<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbkDkDpPi6od-TwlO4Z3UI5xoSaY_Z1eS64gckwACuqQOJrl6yqkDRIDei0haYtV4C6jAQR8_xk3QvtUmVqFNJr2GVt11QY1iJLaOtVc_3hpDYvhAbBnF4M-alJtx0kKW1R6ULU6b8F4/s1600/2015-06-22+10.27.34-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbkDkDpPi6od-TwlO4Z3UI5xoSaY_Z1eS64gckwACuqQOJrl6yqkDRIDei0haYtV4C6jAQR8_xk3QvtUmVqFNJr2GVt11QY1iJLaOtVc_3hpDYvhAbBnF4M-alJtx0kKW1R6ULU6b8F4/s320/2015-06-22+10.27.34-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>4th birthday party guest list with figure drawings!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the things I've realized on the doorstep of having a newborn again is how much I've forgotten. It's been a gift to be able to refer back to this blog to see the moments I recorded. So while I'm twiddling my thumbs at home, I figured I should take the time to reflect what it's been like to have a three year old, and everything that's been going on lately. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Someone finished their first year of nursery school (although she couldn't attend her last day because of strep throat). She made lots of friends, had a great teacher (Mrs. Larsen), and even flirted with staying for lunch (basically glorified snack time). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We discovered that the two best ways to get a toddler to take amoxicillin twice a day for 10 days was 1) mix with chocolate milk and 2) take straight up in the shot glass that Tylenol is taken. Whatever you do, do not dispense in the dispenser they give you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We got much better at going to the doctor because of Doc McStuffins and giving regular check ups at home. But thankfully, we didn't have to go very often. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Still, Curious George reigns in this house. Narrated by William H. Macy, with a theme song by Dr. John and beautiful traditional cartoon illustration, it's a blessing. I'm pretty sure we feel we've all learned a few things from George and The Man with the Yellow Hat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />The dentist was made more pleasant by having a lady dentist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We experienced our first dance recital. It was 2 days before my due date, and I actually checked into the hospital with a false alarm that morning. But luckily we made it and our little ballerina did great. She didn't even complain about the itchiness of the costume on the day of -- but the dress rehearsal was a different story. I was the "backstage mom" which meant I got to stay with the girls and reapply lipstick. We ordered the DVD so we'll be able to watch for years to come. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nightime pullups (diapers) were finally cast off for good in March this year. Once again, it was 100% due to the little one deciding it was time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We discovered that the best way to put off neighbors that just don't know when to stop coming over to play (and invite the whole neighborhood with them) is to look them in the eye and say "Now's not a good time." You only have to do it once. And then you can plant a hedge for good measure. And then get a fence (to be installed by mid-August). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Benjamin Moore paint color <a href="http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/balletslippers">Ballet Slippers</a> is not at all the color of actual ballet slippers (we are now experts, see above). For that, you must choose <a href="http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/peachcloud#ce_s=peach cloud">Peach Cloud</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We love our new house so much we want to haunt it after we are gone. The nesting period of pregnancy was good for us here. Inside and outside, the house is shaping up to be more and more ours. I am currently planning our kitchen reno as a way to think about something else besides the arrival of our newest addition. Who knows when we'll do it, but I'll be thoroughly ready!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Game of Thrones" is addicting. "True Detective" was brilliant. Once I figured out how to get HBO Go on Roku it was on!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Due dates are suggested arrival times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grandparents that live close are godsends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cousins continue to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.</span></div>
sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-59004986710829974702015-07-01T20:16:00.000-07:002015-07-01T20:16:07.918-07:00Knock KnockJust waiting around for this baby girl: three days past due and three pretty good false alarms in. I'm handling the wait much better this time around, trying to enjoy myself and my time. Yesterday we saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3850214/">"Dope"</a> at 2 in the afternoon because why not? And today we took the little one to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/?ref_=nv_sr_1">"Inside Out"</a> at 3. Her first movie. Trying to get in as much quality family-of-three time as possible while the fourth takes her time.<br />
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About halfway through the movie I started getting contractions, about 5 minutes apart. Without thinking too hard about it, I really thought that was it! When we got home I put my phone charger in my bag, packed my toiletries, started timing my contractions on the app on my phone... And that's the kiss of death. I should really never do that again. I know that if I'm really going into labor I will know because the contractions will get more and more intense. But I can't help myself. Technology! It's a temptress.<br />
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Tomorrow morning is first day of gymnastics lessons. Then maybe some free time as the kiddo hangs out with her gram. What to do, what to do? I feel like I've gotten almost everything done that I can conceive of. Maybe I'll finish my book (<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Adam-Dalgliesh-Mystery-Series/dp/0307275736">The Lighthouse</a></i> by P.D. James), go pick up an Ergo baby carrier at Babies'R'Us (aka the worst store), wash the curtains in P's room, see another movie?!!!<br />
There's a new "Terminator" out!sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-48440707658550426962015-06-04T18:19:00.000-07:002015-06-04T18:20:49.017-07:00GraduatingI just celebrated my 8th wedding anniversary, my daughter is about to turn four, and I am about to have a baby. I dated my husband for 4 years before we got married. We started dating right after I graduated college. I realized the other day, when on the way to meet my husband for our anniversary dinner, that I am living my life on a four year pace -- graduating to something new every four years. It's pretty wild! And I just realized, when I think about my career goals, I have a four year plan. 4 years! It's incredible.<br />
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I suppose I have been programmed to believe that it takes 4 years to learn something: elementary, junior high, high school, college. It's a comfortable amount of time for a "stage." And it did cross my mind, when thinking about having a second child, that it'd be nice not to have both of them in college at the same time.</div>
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When I told my husband, he reflected and came to the conclusion that he prefers a 2 year pace. Do you have a pace? Or are we just weird?<br />
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sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211146858904656895.post-71037930308706511982015-05-24T19:30:00.001-07:002015-05-24T19:30:42.763-07:00Smellivision<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_NlgtP9qHKypOA3jsmzwWpFCjcd0DFndSeJNp3joUqEy2welLlk4l5i0SpDDCd6Y4aSMYK4Bw-tXjeWYuw2JPKbVAkh_xGHZmbWt2BNI-MufrwrVrlH0alyKwYzO2_vY-vnigNk1yiU/s640/blogger-image--2021364176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_NlgtP9qHKypOA3jsmzwWpFCjcd0DFndSeJNp3joUqEy2welLlk4l5i0SpDDCd6Y4aSMYK4Bw-tXjeWYuw2JPKbVAkh_xGHZmbWt2BNI-MufrwrVrlH0alyKwYzO2_vY-vnigNk1yiU/s640/blogger-image--2021364176.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Lilies of the Valley just overtook lilac as the most intense, best smelling, sense memory I have of my childhood. We went to my in-laws for dinner and the perfumed the expanse of their entire front lawn. My mother-in-law was sweet enough to pick me a bunch and they filled up our entire downstairs with the smell of spring. <div><br></div><div>And we got one if our orchids to bloom! This has never happened before. Usually they flower when you get them and then... Crickets. But the mister has been studying up. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5xkzKOjECKotoCe3IRwVZX-6wVZQd_JRcR0cHafX7lUyVPxsluD2tQwmvgxesPTjLG92j2wudf6A6jTf_yn93sswqy89JXdgYcfwC1zoNgTose34C2hWDN-S5bRegd8161JCerWsem8/s640/blogger-image--226617324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5xkzKOjECKotoCe3IRwVZX-6wVZQd_JRcR0cHafX7lUyVPxsluD2tQwmvgxesPTjLG92j2wudf6A6jTf_yn93sswqy89JXdgYcfwC1zoNgTose34C2hWDN-S5bRegd8161JCerWsem8/s640/blogger-image--226617324.jpg"></a></div><br></div>sevprezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090229920401812084noreply@blogger.com0