"If they say, why? why? tell 'em that is human nature"

It started out a normal, good day.  I took the boys to the library.  We circled around a few times for parking since the small lot is always full.  I finally found a spot in a residential area that I knew didn't require permits and was close enough to lug the boys and books.  We were in and out in less than 30 minutes.  As soon as we headed back to the car, I noticed a police car and an officer standing by all the cars on the side of the street I parked.  Panicking, I speed walked with books and boys and make it to our car where the officer is writing on his tablet.  Yep, parking ticket.  I pitifully tell him that I didn't even notice the street cleaning signs that of course I now see blaring at me from the trees they are temporarily pinned up on.  He just says, "Aw, and I just finished writing it out."  I'm thinking, that doesn't mean you have to give it to me!  I'm trying to get the boys in their seats and telling him we just went to the library, couldn't find parking in their tiny lot, etc.  I must have looked pretty pitiful anyways because he did look sorry but not sorry enough to tear up that ugly orange ticket.  He says something like they got a call from a neighbor on the street so he should be seen doing this for whoever is watching.  He goes on to ask if I'm on a neighborhood board to see who keeps calling from this street.  I tell him I'm not in this immediate area (or I wouldn't have driven my car in the first place!).  I defeatedly ask him how much it is.  He says, "$50" and hands me the ticket.  I try not to cry and get in the car. 

Ethan asks his millions of questions and I rudely tell him that I'm in a really bad mood and even have the nerve to say that we should've gone to Target first like I originally wanted to (but went to the library first per Ethan's request) like that really had anything to do with it.  A few tears escape and I am so embarrassed that I try to hide my tissue from the absolutely clueless driver in the car next to me.  Then I think, I should've had those tears earlier when I was talking to the cop instead of trying to fight them back.  Maybe they would've worked in my favor like I hear from girlfriends who have done so in the past on purpose.  Then I think, why couldn't he have cut me a little slack?  He already had written more than a handful of tickets (apparently I wasn't the only one who didn't notice those signs) and was on his way to write several more.  I'm sure the city already just made hundreds of dollars from those other cars, so couldn't he just do without my $50?  Why does some person have nothing better to do than call the cops when people park on their street the one day there is street cleaning?  Maybe I would've gotten away with it if I had taken shots of "water" and beat up some people at the bar or pummeled a bartender who refused to serve my drunk self drinks anymore like some Chicago cops have done?  I'm officially having a bad day, and I can't even splurge on a Starbucks drink or lunch out because I now owe the city 50 bucks. 

All these thoughts and more and the whole time I know that the facts are simple.  No matter how well I can justify my actions and vilify the rest of the world, I did something wrong, got what I deserved, and just need to suck it up and move on.  I'm humbled at my flagrant display of human nature.  How difficult it is to admit fault and accept consequences.  How easy it is to lay the blame on everything under the sun in such ridiculous ways.  To focus on a flaw and generalize it to a group while ignoring the logs in my own eyes.  To feel entitled to getting off.  To allow a glitch in the day affect innocent ones around me (Ethan!).  To get overworked emotionally about something so insignificant.  I'd like to think that the officer was the devil incarnate.  But truth is, he's probably a nice guy just doing his job.  And thanks to time and the cathartic effect of blogging, I'm happy to be over it.  Till the next inevitable flagrant display comes along, here's hoping these boys have better driving experiences:

An Ode to Kimchee

Your taste is gross to most;
Your looks leave nothing to boast.
Worst of all is your smell,
Making many think of hell.

But our love is quite savage
For Korean pickled cabbage.
Kimchee, beloved kimchee,
Perfectly paired with grilled galbi
And even better some days later
In bokumbap (fried rice) we so savor.

Sorry to the non-fans around us
Who smell our breath & then get nauseous
Just avoid us if you must
Because for us, it's kimchee or bust.

"...and a copy of this play..." (from Our Town, by Thornton Wilder)

Earlier this month, some girlfriends and I went to see Our Town at the Lookingglass Theatre.  (If you haven't been to this theatre, you must!  It's so intimate, demands a creative use of space, and is such a unique venue.)  It was really good, and actually my first time seeing this American classic on stage.  I really appreciated the genius of Wilder and loved so much about it.  Anyways, one of those aspects is how the narrator spoke of putting items in a time capsule including a copy of the play so people years from now would know not just the headlines from the paper, but the minutia of routine.  The play emphasizes how meaningful the seemingly meaningless can be.  All that to say, here was my day today, so that years from now, I can remember the sweetness of it all, despite the ever-present readiness to "call it a day!"   

6:40am - wake up to Connor's voice coming through the monitor and the sound of Mike showering.  drag myself out of bed to feed the baby.

7:15am - make a big pot of coffee, say bye to Mike, get the paper, make Connor's breakfast.

7:40am - Ethan comes downstairs.  finish feeding Connor his cereal & banana, get Ethan dressed.

8am - Ethan  & I eat our breakfast while Connor plays.

8:30am - shower while boys play in my room.  Connor calls Uncle Peter (really, he did somehow).  Call Peter back to explain that we weren't prank calling.

9am - take boys downstairs, check email, book tickets to california for July 4th weekend (YAE for girls' weekends & meeting baby Lucas then!).

9:25am - put Connor down for his nap.  hear him 30 minutes later so did he really nap?  probably not.

9:30am - weekly playdate with the neighbors at our house this time.  our living room becomes circus-like with 11 toddlers & babies and 6 moms/babysitters.  fun for all!

11:45am - lunch with the boys and some playtime afterwards.

1pm - put the boys down for their naps, read Word & follow mc hammer's advice (pray).

2pm - online (email, facebook) time but thinking I should be napping.  hear Ethan come out of his room.  so did he really nap?  definitely not.

2:30pm - Connor wakes up.  snacks for all.  marinate the salmon.  read books over & over & over to Ethan.  play time.  wonder if Connor's teething again because of the extra drool & clingy-ness.

5pm - feed Connor dinner.  let Ethan snack on some of what C's eating.  note to self: don't let Connor self-feed freshly cut strawberries unless he is already wearing bright red. 

5:30pm - bathtime for the boys.  tell Ethan not to put his mouth in the dirty water.  manage to finish task with only a few wet blotches on self.

6pm - boys are lathered in lotion & in matching pj's (Ethan loves matching with Connor now).  watch remake of Billy Elliot in Ethan's room, starring Ethan Beckett who is dancing spastically while Connor pounds on the alligator keyboard whose batteries we finally changed making it a new toy again after lengthy hibernation.

6:15pm - cook the salmon, boil the asparagus, saute the mushrooms, welcome Mike home, peek out of kitchen now & then to see Mike filming Connor walking

6:45pm - put Connor down for the night, eat dinner with Mike & Ethan, consume nightly vino, let Ethan eat applesauce & crackers after his constant complaining of a tummyache and eventual production of physical evidence that he was telling the truth (yuck)

7:15pm - let Mike clean up & load dishwasher, call parents to get their flight info for tomorrow night

8pm - Mike puts Ethan to bed, upload video of Connor walking to computer/fb knowing family will want to see it, email.

9pm - ask Mike to get us ice cream cones, bore the world with this blog entry, eat ice cream and feel happy.

9:45pm - wash up for bed, spend the rest of the evening on the couch letting my brain rot (aka watching tv) so I can spend quality time with my husband, plan to get to bed by 10:30 but as always end up asleep much later.

And that's allllll, folks.  Calling it a day.  If you actually read this whole thing, sorry I'm not the genius Wilder was.  The idea was better than the actual product, but I'm stickin' to it for the original reasons!

Liar, Liar

Is it wrong to be adept in the art of deception?  It felt strange to be so pleased that I could lie so well and fool my nearest and dearest.  But it was awesome!!!  Rent may be one of Mike's favorite musicals so he knew that it was playing in Chicago for a very limited time with original cast members, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp.  Like with most things that fall in the category of "having a life," he just assumed that we'd forego it because of the kids.  I decided he deserved to see it because he's the best husband in the world and always so willing to stay home with the kids so I can try to have a life during the evenings and weekends. 

Earlier this week I told him that Sora & Jaime would be coming over for dinner Friday night since they are starting their spring break.  Then later I told him that they insisted we go out like for dessert or something while they babysat.  Friday morning, Mike calls from work and asks if I wanted to go to the Tru lounge.  Uh oh.  Afraid that he might make reservations somewhere, I quickly emailed Sora that I was going to make a bold-faced lie and involve her in it.

So I emailed him: "sora suggested this place for us tonight....oliver's twist.  have you heard of it?  it's a cocktail & dessert lounge housed inside the ford theatre.  it's super cool and super reasonably priced.  they don't advertise or anything, but apparently it caters to the theatre crowds.  so if we go sometime around 7:30-8, it'll be empty since the shows start then.  there's even validated parking in the nearby garage off randolph.  i say we give it a try.  her coworker told her about it and she went there after she saw jersey boys and said it's awesome.  sound ok to you?"

I had to be able to park in that garage and get him inside Ford Theatre and knew that he would probably try to look it all up.  It must have worked because even Sora, who was in on the whole thing, googled "Oliver's Twist" several times to no avail so she could be prepared if he asked her questions.  We had a nice dinner together with the ladies, and then took off.  I was a little excited and thought I might be talking too much and make him suspicious.  But he wasn't picking up on that or that I prepaid for parking like the sign said for "theatre patrons" or even that I pulled out a printed ticket they scanned for us to enter.  It wasn't until after I handed him the tickets and gave a knowing look that his face broke into the widest grin of disbelief.  It was so GREAT especially when his grin stayed plastered for awhile.  And the show was fabulous, so fabulous that I wish I could've bid for the chance to star in it next week.  After the show, they auctioned off a chance for you to participate with 2 seats for your friends to watch you.  The proceeds went to Broadway Cares, a charitable institution that supports agencies who help those with HIV/AIDS and other partner organizations.  If only I had $3000 to spare, I would've paid that much to have Mike up there.  Although, according to his facebook status from a few days ago, I am owed a performance of La Vie Boheme from him since I got him tickets and babysitting!  I'm going to clear our dining room table so he can do the whole performance.  Now I understand better why surprises are so much fun.