april 1

Knee deep powdery snow. A gondola ride to great heights. Filming a funny video. The best hot chocolate in the world.



It was a damn fine day.

march 31

It's cold at Lake Tahoe. Icicle cold.

march 30

She got to play with dogs all day. And it was the last Friday of the month, which means free donuts. And now we're going to a movie. Then to see Ian's show.

That's one contented girl.

march 29

We walked to Chili's and got her some dinner. She felt a lot better, and said she'd tidy up after the meal.

march 28

The Boy isn't the only slob in this household. And this isn't even showing her bedroom.

Just sayin'.

march 27

Great seats. She had a blast.

march 26

I'm a sucker for a kid who asks me to buy them a book. Even if it means more sitting on their arse, I think the answer has always been yes.

march 25

She saw The Hunger Games. And is now in love with Liam Hemsworth.

march 24

The handoff was uneventful, but we were late getting out the door. I told her, next time be completely ready to leave before you watch tv.

march 23

So far, this hint hasn't worked. He did agree to scrub the bath. But ... it hasn't happened yet.

march 22

I scrubbed it with degreaser and used the power washer but it didn't come clean. Sorry.

march 21

She thought that eating 50 dried apricots would cure her diarrhea. Oops.

march 20

Today, there's a new leak. It feels oily, and it's definitely coming from the truck. While I am sorry to see it, I am glad for the evidence that I am not going nuts.

march 19

This is what our bedtimes look like. She regales me with stories and Facebook jokes. Then she demands a stomach massage. Sometimes I say no. She doesn't like no.

march 18

That should keep 'em going for a few days :-)

march 17

They spent a rainy day at the Happiest Place on Earth.



So did I.

march 16

After two days home alone from school, she wanted company last night. I was glad to say "sure". She slept like a rock.

march 15

Matzo ball soup. It hit the spot.

march 14

I finally figured out that the front camera is way lower resolution than the back camera. And thus I got a decent photo of my haircut for the first time.

march 13

She was inordinately thrilled when Ian responded "I love you too." It meant so much to her.

She misses you very much.

march 12

She was goofy tonight, and we laughed a lot.

Did you know she can only cross one eye? Regardless, I love her.

march 11

After buying his flight, we decided he needed more information, so I bought him this book with an ancient gift card. He fell asleep on the couch while reading it, but not because he was bored. 

He dropped his phone a few days ago, but it still works.

march 10

When I was leaving for my hike I asked, "You're not just going to sit there and watch bad TV all day are you?"
"No!" she declared.
But she has.

In other news, the fridge is now clean.

march 9

After dinner at Ruby's we saw This Means War. An action romantic comedy -- it's trying to appeal to both genders. It was actually pretty entertaining, if one's expectations were low (which mine were). A fun night out.

Quote of the day:
"It’s not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It’s the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff.”
— Mr. Rogers’ commencement address to Dartmouth College, 2002

march 8

Buffy says hi.

march 7

The boy fixed the vacuum cleaner. Because he wanted to clean his room.

Double plus good.

march 6

She tells me that I don't have to wake her, that she will get up in time for school. So far that's proved to be true. I'm glad.

march 5

She's being really good about letting me know her whereabouts. I appreciate it; it means I don't have to worry.

march 4

She felt a huge thrill, then a big disappointment, when she spotted the truck in the driveway.

I made baked penne with roasted vegetables, pesto chicken and Korean short ribs. It felt good to cook again.

march 3

I cleaned for four hours. And discovered that the kitchen rug is, in fact, machine washable and dryable.

march 2

At 9pm she was dancing in the aisles, tossing crap in the cart as I followed her around. I bought flowers and wine. We were both happy.

march 1

I made the bed, tucking everything tight and smooth. 

The boy and I worked on his Europe trip. 

She was cheerful after dance. 

The house feels peaceful. And the cat is all over me.