A Plan

"How's summer camp reentry back to reality going, bud?"

"It's sort of hard. I'm kind of crabby and I might have a tantrum maybe. Or maybe I'll just hang out in the bed until school starts."

Smacksy Sunday Links

Leap when you're almost ready.

You aren't lazy, you're just terrified.

Searching for the man who saved his parents.

The man who has lived alone on an island for 28 years.

Famous book hoarders. (Nigella's office is my favorite.)

And a grateful octopus.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: Rx

Thursday afternoon, on our way to the car from lunch, I tripped on the sidewalk and landed on my right wrist. Again. An ER x-ray showed no fracture or break so I'm delighted to report, it's only a sprain. I've been laying low since then, mostly hanging out in bed with the best prescription I know: ice/Ibuprofin/Levi/stand-up specials. So far we've watched Tig Notaro, Mike Burbiglia, John Mulaney, and Jim Gaffigan. Levi is especially a fan of Gaffigan.

Awesome

We got mail. Awesome mail.

Field Trip

On the way back home today, we stopped for lunch and later I took Mr. Rosenberg to a small petting zoo. Mr. R. made eye contact with as many llamas (alpacas?) as possible, talked to the goats, and the bunnies, fed some snacks to a cow, and hung out with some pigs, two lambs, and an ostrich. Then we came home to Teddy and Levi.

Mr. Rosenberg is getting closer and closer to his goal of being covered in animals at all times.

Sinks

This is the double sink vanity in our hotel bathroom. Please notice, both of our toiletries are stacked up around the sink on the left. We are both using the left-side sink exclusively. I don't know why this is happening. The right-side sink is a perfectly fine sink. I think this might be what happens when you live in an 864 square foot home and are used to sharing a bathroom the size of a phone booth. (Remember those?)

The Spa Robe Suits Him

He was skeptical, but I think this whole "time-off" thing might be working for Mr. Rosenberg. He tried to answer a couple of (forbidden) work emails and people on his team told him to log-off.

Newlyweds-ish

Bob is at camp this week. Mr. Rosenberg and I have taken the opportunity to leave town for our first trip, sans Bob, since we were married twelve years ago. I know. Our actual honeymoon was a trip we took when I was already five months pregnant, so technically, Bob was with us too.

I won't lie. This is pretty great.

Smacksy Sunday Links

Things to remember when your heart is breaking.

Ways to feed your intellect.

Generosity, happiness, and the brain.

I have read some terrific books in the past couple of years, but the book I read last week is, by far, my favorite.

Dreamy sun-bleached images of swimming pools.

And I love this cat story. (I've known humans like Mason.)

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: You Say Cheese and Then...

... your brother drops a photo bomb on your sweet portrait.

One Way or Another

There will be baseball.

There will always be baseball.

At Work

I'm at the point in my career where I have a corner office with a view and three admins. I'm still waiting for an executive washroom.

White Out

Yes, the photo booth seemed to have some lighting issues. But the sentiment is outstanding.

He's on the Seven Day DL

Bob's knee has been sore for the past week. Today, the doctor said it's an over-use injury and he needs to stay off of it for the next week. He'll be missing two ball games and one practice but will hopefully be back in action in time to leave for sleep-away camp on Sunday. Until then, compression, ice, elevation, rest, Pokémon Go, the MLB Channel, and lots of popsicles.

Codependent but so Cute

Seriously. I can't get enough of these two. (That's a good thing because they are up in all my business all the time.) They walk around shoulder to shoulder and generally like to hang out a few inches away from each other as often as possible. I would like to eat them with a giant dog spoon because of their extreme deliciousness. Now you know everything.

Smacksy Sunday Links

Mr. Rosenberg and I eloped twelve years ago today. It's been a lovely dozen.

How to wait well.

Guilt-free introverting.

One simple question.

Waiting to get her voice back. I love Mayim.

Japanese playgrounds at night.

And baby bunnies.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: Retro Bob and the Hibiscus

Hibiscus, 2007. Photo by Lisa Sjolund

TGIDogs

Brothers.

The Bigger the Hair, the Closer to God

*I bought this sweater at Foxmoor Casuals in the Capitola Mall with babysitting money.

In 1978, the summer before ninth grade, I made a trip to my mom's hometown in the panhandle of Texas. I hung out with some local teenage girls who were beauty queens. Miss Borger, and Miss West Texas Panhandle were beautiful girls with big, beautiful, Texas beauty pageant hairstyles. I wanted to look just like them. While I was there, I got a layered haircut, a plastic box of hot rollers, and a fresh can of Aqua Net.  The results were not tiara-worthy.

When I got back to California, I spent the mornings before school, fighting my hair with a giant round brush while trying not to burn the tops of my ears with the spiky rollers. Every day by third period, regardless of the thick shellac covering my head, the big, bouncy curls wilted in the fog of my seaside hometown. I lived in the wrong territory for hair that was, as my mom would say, "bigger than Dallas."

Just in Case You Thought Baseball Was Over

Hint: It's never over. Thank goodness.

Levi Rosenberg, MD

In case you weren't 100% sure that Levi is 1,000% awesome, whenever he gets the chance he has been licking the wound on Mr. Rosenberg's knee. The internet jury's out on whether this is optimal first aid or not but there is a French saying, "Langue de chien, langue de médecin" which translates to "A dog's tongue is a doctor's tongue." (I'd definitely rather see Levi licking Mr. Rosenberg's knee than our internist, Dr. Huizenga, licking Mr. Rosenberg's knee. Also, Levi has a lower office visit rate.) 

The spitty point is, Levi is taking care of Mr. R and his sweet efforts are appreciated. 

Ice Cream Man

On Friday night, Bob's baseball team had to forfeit the second game in a tournament because they didn't have enough players for the lineup. This knocked them out of the tournament entirely. The guys were understandably disappointed. We decided to all meet for dinner and then headed over to a ball field nearby for a game of parents versus the kids. (I was, as always, the scorekeeper.)

Mr. Rosenberg was never really a ballplayer. He had a year or two of little league around first or second grade. He played tennis in high school and has run a number of triathlons over the years but baseball wasn't his thing. In his first at bat of our little game, he hit a ground ball past second, and as he took off running, he slipped on home plate and went down hard on his knee. He got up and made it to first, bleeding. On his second at bat, he hit a home run over the fence driving in two runs.

In Bob's league, it's a tradition that when a player is up to bat with bases loaded, all of the players yell "Ice Cream Man!" If the player hits a grand slam, then the parents have to buy ice cream for the whole team after the game. On his third at bat, Mr. Rosenberg hit a grand slam, tying up the game.

It was a very warm night. We were playing quickly to end our last inning before we ran out of daylight. The moon was almost full in the sky and everyone was laughing and cheering each other on. The mom sitting next to me leaned over and said, "It's kind of perfect right now, isn't it?"

The kids ended up winning the game 11 to 10.

I commented to Bob, "You and Dad were both big hitters tonight."

"It must be in our blood, Mom," he said.

After the game, we all walked down the block and Mr. Rosenberg bought everyone ice cream.

Sunday Links

You can't waste good.

Selective Attention: If you are looking for reasons to be happy, you'll probably find them.

Receiving your summer life.

Refresh your personal library.

A pretty great list of driving songs. (I would add Low Rider by War.)

Life around this tree.

And a kitten eating ice cream.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: The Call is Coming From INSIDE the House

You guys. It's not like I don't check the zucchini plant everyday. I do. This whopper came up OVERNIGHT. For the photo, I put it next to the dogs for scale. To be most accurate, I'll just say it's roughly the size of our Prius.

Levi-Baby-Smoosh-Face

Apparently, someone likes a wooby.

Summer Afternoon

When it's too hot outside and you've used up all your screen time and you already ate lunch and then finished a board game, then you read. *Extra points if you can spot Levi in this photo.

Shuffle

When I'm driving, I have my iPhone bluetooth connected to the car stereo. My song library is always on shuffle. I like the unpredictability of not knowing which one of my favorite songs is about to become my new soundtrack. Today, this song came on. It's a beautiful one by Mr. Rosenberg's former band, Lavender Diamond. I didn't realize how much I'd been missing it. 

We Hold These Truths

I love this message. And I always love a long tracking shot.

Happy Independence Day.

3rd of July

Today is a Monday (mail delivery, grocery store, baseball practice) that feels like a Sunday (naps, breakfast out, Mr. Rosenberg home from work). But for Teddy and Levi, every day is a Sunday because they're basically retired. It's a good life.

Sunday Links

I'm sorry I don't know the artist's name. I like this very much.

"What can I do, right now, to be the light?'

How to read an entire book in a single day. 

Just journal.

Rent Week recipes.

Wisdom from Madea. Yes, that Madea.

Weird and wonderful facts about artist Caravaggio. 

And a snuggly wombat.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: Bros

These two. Instant brothers. Levi is celebrating one month as a Rosenberg. A forever thank you to Foxy and the Hounds for rescuing this guy and bringing us all together.