A Few Good Memes

I realized “Hot are you?” is more fitting than I realized, if read as “Hot.  Are you?”  Global Warming.  Hybrid.  Better-than-thou.  Love me for my sexy hybrid while I save the fecking planet.

We’re off on a two week road trip.  Picking Alyssa up today from a week of summer camp in Wisconsin with other kids who have lost a parent to cancer.  Then we hit the road for Charleston, SC to visit Anna’s brother and family (some of my favorite people in the world).  We’re stopping on the way in Charlotte, NC to see my super-cool cousin and check out her first home.

We’ve got our books on CD.  Right now we’re completely engrossed in Robert Louis Stephenson’s Treasure Island.  I’m loving the flowery language and the larger-than-life characters.  The little ones are having a hard time following, so I have to stop every track or two and give the Cliff’s Notes.  We’ve got our snacks.  GORP and granola bars.  We’ve got our laptop and DVDs.  We’ve got our Nintendo DS.  We’ve got a camera.  We’ve got our music.  Lots of Beatles and this year’s Springtime Mixtape.  After SC, we hit Disney for a week.  The kids will have a blast.  My mom and stepdad recently moved to Florida, so they’ll come to Orlando for a few days, as will my ex-step-mother-in-law (Anna’s dad’s second wife who we still enjoy visiting with).

Then we crawl back home in utter exhaustion.  Sadly, Christine couldn’t make the trip, so we have to spend 16 days apart.  Things are going better than ever with her and that makes 16 days a heck of a long time.

Wish me luck, swabbies.  This captain is on the lookout for any whiff of mutiny on the S.S. Hotaru.  I wouldn’t like to be breaking out the irons.  May the winds be at our backs and the rum flow freely (well, not while captaining the ship).

Bine tagged me on this one and it seemed fun, especially since the first entry has gotten no less than 40 plays in the last 2-3 days. I’m obsessed with it.

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

1. Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings. Yes, it’s from an iPod commercial. I have no shame. Every once in a while, I get stuck on a song and have to listen to it until I completely burn out on it. I love the part in the middle when it breaks down and it’s just tom toms and a synth with an envelope filter. I suppose it’s Franz Ferdinand meets The White Stripes.
2. In the Waiting Line - Zero 7. I come back to this one all the time. Mellow.
3. Ain’t No Reason - Brett Dennen. Love his accent.
4. Water in the Fuel - Fred Eaglesmith. I love songs that paint pictures. If/when I get back to playing out, I want to play this one - simple and powerful. Reminds me of the old-school country music I listened to growing up (Waylon, Willie, Dolly, Emmylou). Some wonderful, now lost, internet person sent me a live Kasey Chambers CD and she covered this. It was just about pull-the-car-over good.
5. Angel - Jack Johnson. From his new one - Sleep Through the Static. Short, sweet, romantic. I like Jack Johnson because there’s really no pretense. WYSIWYG music. Chris and I took the kids to see him a couple weeks ago and had a good time, even with staggeringly drunk girl deciding to (literally) crash on our blanket with us. Ian: “Daddy, why did that girl just lay down here?” Me: “She’s just very, very tired Ian.”
6. I’m Yours - Jason Mraz. White guys doing reggae with clever lyrics. Works for me every time. See also: 311, The Police, Snow. Reggae (white, black, or otherwise) just pushes my buttons.
7. Last Request - Paolo Nutini. Is he not just crazy sexy? I wouldn’t throw him out of bed unless he was better on the floor. And here he is begging for just one more roll in the hay. Twist my arm.

I guess it’s a spring full of mostly boy-music. I tend to oscillate between big batches of female singer/songwriters and big batches of male singer/songwriters. With a bit of electronica thrown in for good measure.

Tagging: Fuzzy - browsing his Last.fm recently played list is like archeology research, Jessica - bound to be something inspirational, Tammy - because I have no idea what she listens to, Sam - for some oldies fun.

Ian and Emma have become enamored lately with The Name Game (Ian, Ian, bo-bian, banana fana fo-fian, me my mo-mian, Ian!)  Last night at bathtime they had me sing it to the name of nearly every adult and child they know.

Note to self: Avoid singing the name game for Chuck, Mitch, and Alice.

Mother’s Day 2008

Originally uploaded by Jason Dufair.

Planting flowers at Anna’s grave. It was a cold and rainy day, but I believe it’s a good tradition. The kids picked out some nice annuals and a new sunflower sculpture and angel windchime.

Yes, Ian is wearing one croc and one cowboy boot

Here are some pics from skating with Barack Obama. I hope he does well today. All you Hoosiers and Tar Heels, get out and vote! And vote for Barack! I think he’s a regular guy trying to put America’s best interests above his own. And he stands by his principles; he opposed the war since before it started. Vote early! Vote often!

We got to go roller skating with our next president last night - Barack Obama. Pretty cool. He came by our skating rink and hung out with us for a couple hours - took a lap around the rink with his kids (he walked). I got him to sign my copy of his book (”The Audacity of Hope”) and was able to get some pics of him with my kids. Alyssa and her friend got autographs too. It was a bit of a media frenzy, but definitely a good time. The local news interviewed us afterward and played a clip with me in it - about 40 seconds into the video on the right (click to start the video - sorry for the commercial). Christine is on my right and Emma is in my arms. A number of my friends were there and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Alyssa and I were also out knocking on doors for Senator Obama yesterday. It was a cool experience. Met at headquarters, got an inspirational speech from Illinois’ senior Senator Dick Durbin, took a packet of names and addresses, and went out to rock the vote in south Lafayette. It was pretty fun and pretty damn cold! Alyssa forgot her jacket, so she wore mine. We talked to a few folks, mostly supporters. Most weren’t home. A couple were even Republicans! I was glad Alyssa got to experience democracy first hand.

Now all you Hoosiers, get out and vote for Barack Obama. He’s one of the few that has opposed this wasteful war from the beginning. I do like a lot of things about Hilary, but the whole “Oops, I voted for the war. Sorry!” spiel doesn’t work for me.

I’ll post some more photos from campaigning and skating soon.

(oh, I’m on skates - I’m not actually that much taller than Chris)

Here I stand with this poem I wrote you my true love. All sealed up in a glassine envelope with a stamp. Now if I only knew which box would ensure you will receive my missive…

Pick One

Originally uploaded by Jason Dufair.

Guess they’re not exactly losing their religion. They’re probably too busy exhuming McCarthy.

Almost a year later, my custom “Hotaru” plate came in (yep, that’s the bureaucracy of the Indiana BMV for ya). Thanks to Bine for the name! Of course, one of my co-workers came in this morning and said “Hot are you?” She thought perhaps it was a gift.  Oh well. Maybe I’ll get a bumper sticker that says “It means firefly” or something.