A Walk to the Dairy Queen

Nothing says summer like walking to Dairy Queen after dinner. We did that last night and it was so much fun. It felt like we were on vacation. Zoë shared chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles with her entire body. I think she even managed to eat a little bit of it. I had my all-time favorite -- a Snickers Blizzard. (So much for that diet!)

Did you know there is a Blizzard Fan Club? I have to admit, I am tempted to join.

Playdate follow-up

In all fairness, I feel I should report that last evening's playdate with Megan was much more pleasant than I expected. Megan's whole family (Mom, Dad, brother) are all quite nice and a good time was had by all.

I'm still a little unsure about the Mom picking Zoë up at school though...

Playdates

When did that word get coined? I can't decide if I like it. I once read an article about how it was so feminine sounding and it wasn't fair to boys, but I'm not sure I agree with that one. I guess, if you have to call it something, playdate will do, but it does conjure images of soccer moms in minivans...one of my least favorite stereotypes.

Anyway, Zoë was invited for a playdate today. Last week I found a note in her cubby at daycare from Megan's mom saying that Megan was dying to have a playdate with Zoë. (Megan obviously has good taste.) Megan's mom also says in the note that she would be happy to take Zoë home from school with her one afternoon because Megan leaves after lunch time. Megan's mom then left her email and phone number.

I have no idea which little girl is Megan and when I asked Zoë who Megan was she said, "I don't know." (Eventually she remembered.) I have never, ever met Megan's mom. Why on Earth would she think that I would let a perfect stranger take Zoë home from school? I was really, really surprised by that offer. I pretended it didn't happen when I emailed to make plans, but when we spoke on the phone, she re-iterated the offer. I didn't want to be rude, so I had to tell her that I didn't think Zoë was ready for that. Am I overprotective, or is Megan's mom just not thinking?

I am very interested to see how this playdate works out.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the great Dads out there -- especially my husband, my brother, and my own dear old Dad.

There's a good piece in the NY Times magazine today that really shows just how much impact a Dad has on his daughter. Check it out here.

Happy Anniversary Brenda & Jon

Today is my brother and sister-in-law's 9th wedding anniversary. In their honor I am posting the poem I wrote for them and read at their wedding.


There are so many more than
seven wonders.

I have seen water rush
and crash down a great cliff,
thousands of feet dropping,
merging with a lake
of stillness.
It never slows and never looks back.

There are places where the land,
so rich and vital,
produces the sweetest fruits,
purely of its own volition.
In celebration of itself.

Today we will see love and joy
create one entity.
Both beautiful with life,
an abundance to give, yet spaces to fill.
They share a love as natural as any
gift of the Earth.

There are so many more than seven wonders.
not the least of which is love.

Life's a Beach

It was actually sunny yesterday so at Zoë's suggestion we went for a picnic lunch at the beach. Despite the wind, it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. Husband caught this beautiful shot of Zoë. Something about it feels like a window to what she will be like as an adult.

A Star is Born!

Yesterday afternoon was Zoë's first dance recital. She has been taking a dance class all year at her daycare. It was so cute! She was terrific -- absolutely no stage fright and she was really into performing. Can't say she's going to grow up to become a dancer, but it was so much fun to watch!

And of course, here's a picture:

One Singular Sensation...

I am so excited because the revival of the musical A Chorus Line is finally happening! I have been saying for a couple of years that is time. It is my all-time favorite musical and definitely the best show I ever saw on Broadway. Advanced tickets are on sale for American Express card holders so I bought tickets for September 23 last night. Don't call me that night, I'm busy! I didn't realize, but the show will still be in previews when I will be there because it doesn't officially open until October 5. But that's OK with me.

Unsurprisingly, there is a production blog on the website for the show which is pretty entertaining. Check it out here.

Kiss today good-bye and point me toward tomorrow...

I love Maureen Dowd

I was wondering why the gay marriage issue had re-surfaced in the last couple of days and Maureen Dowd answered that question perfectly in her Op-Ed today. (Sorry if you don't have Times Select.)

Something fun to read

Check out this piece from the LA Times written by David Israel. It is quite funny!

You may recall that David Israel is the author of Behind Everyman which I wrote about last year here. The book is now slated to become a movie sometime in the future. I really look forward to that.

In search of Part 2

I was thinking about going to the movies with my husband tonight and the two top choices were X-Men 3 or Mission: Impossible III. It was then that I realized that some time was missing from my life because somehow I completely missed both X-Men 2 and Mission: Impossible II. Did I slip into some kind of time warp? Was I abducted by aliens? Was my memory erased? When did these movies come out and how did I miss them?

A quick stop on IMDB revealed that:

M:I II came out in 2000. 6 years ago! OK, I give myself a pass on that one because even if I had seen it, there is a chance I could have forgotten it. Perhaps the memory self-destructed?

X-2 was realeased in 2003. Again, I give myself a pass. I was just getting over surviving the first year of having a baby. If I did make it out to a movie, it certainly wasn't going to be to see X-2.

Interestingly enough, you know what these two movies have in common? Gay men pretending to be straight and tough. I've seen Hugh Jackman hosting the Tony's and if that isn't his authentic self then he is the world's finest actor. And I don't think I even have to start on Tom Cruise. He's just Cruis-azy!

Another mystery solved thanks to the power of the World Wide Web!