Ghosts of Halloween Past: Retro Bob

Small Cowboy Bob, Jack-o-lantern Bob, Dinosaur Bob

How the Reading Thing Going? Here's How

This week I had the great pleasure of reading a friend's manuscript. Her book is coming out next year and I can't tell you about it yet but you can bet I will when it goes on pre-sale. For now I'll just say it's warm and funny and interesting and inspiring and boy oh boy do you have a good one to look forward to. That's right, I said boy oh boy. That's how serious about it I am.

Monday

We got home from the trip yesterday.
I picked up these guys today.
My question is, did they miss us or just the bed?

Smacksy Sunday Links

Do not be daunted 

by the enormity

of the world's grief.

Do justly, now.

Love mercy, now.

Walk humbly, now.

You are not obligated 

to complete the work, 

but neither are you free 

to abandon it.

                 - the Talmud

A holiday roadmap - finding your way to more comfort and joy.

Give to HIAS.

Leonard Cohen sings Dance Me to the End of Love.

And a deer licking a cat.

Thoughtful Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: First Day of the Tournament

What do you do in between playing games? You play more.

Night Drive

Us and the moon, driving through the desert.

Charging and Playing

On our way to Vegas for a baseball tournament, we stopped at a charging station to charge up the car. The big forty charger station in the desert was empty, save for us. We had about an hour to wait, so the guys pulled out a ball and their gloves. It really livened the place up.

What's Going On?

Me: Do you realize what's happening?

Mr. Rosenberg: Probably not.

Me: Bob's at practice and we are sitting here watching baseball on TV when we don't have to.

Mr. Rosenberg: And we want to.

Me: We're totally into it.

Mr. Rosenberg: Who are we in this moment?

Me: I'm confused.

Mr. Rosenberg: Oh! And he strikes out looking!

Reading Things

The latest installment in my book a week resolution is Taylor Jenkins Reid's, Maybe in Another Life. My friend Ann sent me this book. It's a sweet love story and I mean that in the most positive way. It's a little heavy on the foreshadowing but there were still some surprises. I'm loaning it to my friend Karen to read on an upcoming flight and now that it's too late in the year to call it a "beach read," a "flight read" is just right. The book's a thumbs up, folks.

They Do This

They sleep, touching butts. (They're close.)

Smacksy Sunday Links

Growing up in the library.

Tips from a brain scientist for staying mentally fit.

When you're ready.

A photo essay of 24 hours in America.

And an owl rubbing noses.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: A Perfect Day

For a ball game.

Friday

You know, at the end of a long week, sometimes you could fall asleep standing up. So you do.

I'll Just Show You a Thing I Made

This is the thing.

Meeting at Home

Coach Talk

Hold Your Nose

Teddy waiting for his brother to return home.

Levi came in after playing in a (forbidden!) flower bed in the backyard last night. When he trotted into the house, Bob and I looked at each other and started yelling.

"Levi! What is that smell?"

"Dude, that's so gross! Mom? What is it?""

"Levi, what did you roll in?"

"Is that a skunk smell, Mom?"

"No. It smells more like a dead thing."

"Mom! Do something!"

I'm telling you, friends, it was putrid.

Levi is too large for me to get into the tub and Mr. Rosenberg wasn't home yet. I tried rubbing Levi down with some weird dog wipes I had in the cabinet. Bob followed him around spraying lemon air freshener until the house smelled like a lemony fresh dead thing.

Today, I dropped Levi off at the vet for a full de-stench-ing shampoo spa experience. The smell is mostly gone from the house, however Levi was kind enough to transfer the odor to my car.

Windows down, everyone. Windows down.

Stonehenge

The Stonehenge project is complete. Mr. Rosenberg was compelled to sing "Stonehenge" from Spinal Tap all weekend. "... Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell. Where the banshees live and they do live well. Stonehenge! Where a man's a man and the children dance to the Pipes of Pan..."

Smacksy Sunday Links

There's a word for all of those books you've bought but haven't read.

Stop canceling things.

Make an enemy of envy.

18 around the world.

This is what 18th century Paris sounded like.

And a sweet seal.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: Boats on the Bay

This week I read a gorgeous children's book. Boats on the Bay is written by Jeanne Walker Harvey and beautifully illustrated by our friend Grady McFerrin. This book will make a sweet holiday-birthday-something-gift for your favorite baby-toddler-youngster-person. 

Practice

Just some guys playing ball.

A Great Good Night

Tonight my friend Karen and I went to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. It was the first

time for the both of us.  It's pretty spectacular on the outside.

It's also pretty spectacular on the inside. This is what it looks like when the LA Philharmonic is warming up and you're trying to take a photo around the head of the guy in front of you who's wearing a hipster porkpie hat. The Disney Concert Hall was made even more spectacular on the inside with the presence of one of my favorite musicians, Andrew Bird. 

This is Andrew Bird. Mr. Bird is a singer-songwriter, violin player, and phenomenal whistler. I was first introduced to his music when I saw him in a short piece on a kid's show back in the early, sleep-deprived years of being Bob's mom.

Here he is as Dr. Strings back on Jack's Big Music Show on the Noggin Network. Remember Noggin? Me neither, but I don't remember anything from that year because, again, sleep-deprivation. We were all so much younger then, even Andrew Bird. Anyway, tonight he played with the Philharmonic and it was special. It was, dare I say, magical? Yes, I do dare. It was a little magical. 

Here he is singing some more grown-up music. You're welcome. 

(Magically welcome.)

Fall Ball

Dropping the guys off at practice. Sweet evening.

The History of Standup

You should be listening to The History of Standup, a podcast from my friend Wayne Federman and his friend Andrew Steven. 

As it says in the podcast description, "Comedian Wayne Federman teaches Andrew Steven about the history of standup in a casual, conversational history class, looking over some of comedy’s most interesting moments. From Vaudeville to Netflix, we look back at the evolution of standup comedy."

It's funny and fascinating and available on iTunes and what are you waiting for?

Mood

Mondays, man. Am I right?

Smacksy Sunday Links

How to know it's October.

The search for home seen through the lens of tea.

The things chronically tardy people have in common.

These farmers.

A radio station where you pick the country and decade.

And baby goats and a big dog.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: Supplies

Today: Six pounds of clay and eight sheets of green felt
Monday the 15th by sixth period Ancient Civ class: Stonehenge

On It

It wasn't until just today that I realized I've been using a WTF planner. 

My New Rock

Yesterday I was at the hippie crystal store with some girlfriends and I bought this rock. It's called Peacock Ore but it 100% looks like a rock from the parking lot someone spray painted and threw some glitter on. But it isn't. Probably.

The internet says, Peacock Ore is also known as Bornite - a copper iron sulfide mineral commonly found in hydrothermal veins and contact metamorphic rocks which tarnishes to iridescent shades of blue, purple, green and gold. 

Sure is pretty. For a rock. 

Thirty-Five Short Years Ago

In 1983 I had a friend who came to Hollywood from the South Bronx to promote Wild Style a film about hip hop, break dancing, and graffiti artists. Kenny, aka Almighty Kay Gee, was a member of the rap group Cold Crush Brothers featured in the movie. They were in town for a week, performing at clubs.

My roommate Bob and I were living in a little yellow house on Bundy Drive in West LA at the time. Kenny was at our place one afternoon and recorded an outgoing message on the answering machine in our kitchen. Within a few days, the message went low-key-1983 viral. It started with a few random hang ups and built to a fever pitch of people calling just to listen to the message. They would sometimes laugh or applaud or yell out, "I love your message!" before hanging up.

I'm no rapper, but I can still recite it by heart.

You've reached Bob and Lisa's answering machine
I'm Kay Gee from the Cold Crush, if you know what I mean
This machine right here could never ever be the whack
So leave your number and your name and they'll call you right back
And you can't beat that and you know you can't
You know you can't beat that with a baseball bat
Huh huh huh huh

Week Two

Week two is complete in my Book-a-Week Rosh Hashana Resolution Situation. I finished this book I started earlier in the summer but hadn't made it back to.

I've been reading Elizabeth Willard Thames' financial blog, Frugalwoods, for a number of years and I'm a big fan. Her book is more memoir than financial advice which makes sense since she's not a financial expert and her current financial habits are already published pretty explicitly online. She chronicles her move from single yuppie to married homesteader with self awareness and humor.
Thumbs up and stuff.

Make It Stop

It's the worst ear-worm, you guys.