Happy Valentines Day

Tonight, my mother complained that I don't write enough blog posts.  "What's happening with the kids?" she asks?  "I keep checking the blog but you don't update?"  Its true.  Honestly, I feel like a freshman in a creative writing class sitting at the keyboard and not sure what to write about.

Thing is, the kids are no longer "cute".  They don't say and do so many endearing things but neither are they winning track events and inventing hydrogen cells.  They are just being kids.  Still, I try and get them OUT sometimes.  Last weekend I took them to a thought provoking and cute art exhibition of work by a contemporary Japanese neo pop artist.  The final room of the gallery was piles of STUFF arranged haphazardly to the ceiling.  It was the artists reaction to the tsunami.

Here is Frost at SAM Asian Art Museum (left).

But tonight Where is Frost?  He is out for a sleepover at Jacks.  This has become something of a routine.  He goes over to Jacks for Saturday night sleepovers the past three weekends.  We have definitely been stood up.  Last weekend Jack and Frost bought a cheap video game and hacked the code to make the characters have very low gravity so they could bounce and fly around in the game.  They kept hitting into things too.  Frost found this very entertaining.  He and Jack eat ramen noodles, walk the dog and sometimes go out to dinner.   Frost just sticks his toothbrush in his pocket and I don't see him again for 24 hours.   

This may be par for the course since Frost is going to be entering High School next year.  He's remarkably sanguine about it, tells me he is not working really hard now so he figures he has some excess capacity, likes reading, doesn't care about money or food (other that Toaster Waffles and lentil soup) and wears t-shirts all year.  He has only one pair of shoes and has to be reminded to shower.

Where is Wren?  Wren and Josh have gone out to a late show of Spongebob 3-D.  I refused.  I couldn't bear it.  Josh and I really wanted to see Kingsmen but its R rated and the parent guide in IMDB said there was a scene in which he was offered anal sex with a Swedish princess and decapitation so we figured we shouldn't take the kids.  Wren has been waiting for movietime in his blanket tent watching youtube and twitch videos on the iPad.  Josh was sitting next to him playing Grim Fandango on the PS4 and Beezle was asleep by Josh wearing a pink satin ribbon I dressed him up in.  Wren is concerned about the world and remains vigilant about possible failures in his parents oversight.  He worries about comets hitting earth and people having car problems on the way to pickup as well as other unavoidable things. He is easily distracted by electronics and sugar.

For Valentine's Day, I bought a box of FRANS Chocolates.  Josh chose the Single Malt Whiskey filled Dark Chocolate truffle and the Dark Espresso.  Wren had the Oolong Tea (he is obsessed with Tea at the moment.  He likes Green Tea and Rooibos Tea and various other teas).  I had the milk chocolate sea-salt caramel and the Hazelnut crunch.

So, I am home alone (with a sleeping dog) and the burbling dishwasher and a pile of discarded food.  My family does not eat much.  They nibble a bit then say "I am full".  On the counter I can see a half eaten box of Golden Rounds crackers, 5 spears of asparagus, three broccoli florets, Chex Apple cereal, two cupcakes, a jar of honey and a dodecahedron dice.  Okay, that isn't food.  Oh, also some Green Tea Bubble Gum (Wren) and Bacon Candy (Wren, because he is still fastidiously carnivorous).

What am I going to do with my silence? My copy of Fungi magazine has just arrived so I could read that.  There is also the box of chocolates, which is now unattended, which could be eaten.  I am watching a show on AppleTV called Outlanders and am also learning how to import geocoded locations into Google Maps Pro.  This is strangely satisfying.  If I had Google Earth with KML when I was a kid, I would have mapped my world out with birds nests and hideouts.  

This Monday is a holiday thanks to America's Presidents.  We hope to go on a hike if its not raining.  Since Seattle is having one of the warmest winters ever, it will probably be nice weather.  I also plan to buy some plants and put them in our new back garden.  Tomorrow, I hope to be running around Greenlake and then take Wren to Nathaniel's birthday party.  

In the week ahead, Josh hopes to be interviewing for a new position.  He has a number of opportunities developing but he needs to know more details on all of them.  

The dishwasher is still going and I am going to watch Outlanders.   Happy Valentines Day to all.