First Day Of School = No pictures

Yeah... you read that title right. I didnt get any 1st day of school pictures. Its kind of sad. I'll fully admit that. But you know what? Im over it. Im going to start a new tradition that fits better with our family dynamic. Its called 2nd day of school pictures. Hell... it might be first WEEK of school pictures when all is said and done.

See, this is the thing: there is usually a lot of crazy emotions going on for the first day of school. Anxiousness. Anticipation. Excitement. Nervousness. And its not just the kids - its me too! Add rollercoaster emotions to the general running around/getting up early/finding our morning routine and we're looking at a morning of high expectations and potential problems. I dont want that, certainly not on the first day of school. Our new pastor at St. Francis just had this wonderful message to us in the bulletin this week. He talked about learning to let go of some of our expectations and instead to enjoy what the Lord has presented in front of us. I know its totally out of place to hear me talking about religious stuff, but I had to admit that Fr. Bud seemed to be talking about me when he wrote that sermon. I have some issues in managing my expectations. Not 24 hours after reading his message on Sunday, I was tested.

Segue to this morning: Finn was up at 5am. Yep. You read that correct. Finn is an early riser, but not normally that early. Im going to call this phenomena "nervous excitement." As much as Matt and I hoped he would fall back asleep, once Finn was up he wasnt going back to bed. He was also talking a lot - talking a mile a minute. Talking about really random stuff like... oh heck, I cant even remember right now. It was random. In all honestly, I think he was just ready to get the day going. He knew it was his first day and he was anxious to get it going. Seamus' morning was different than Finn's. He got up much later and after his shower he seemed, how do I put this, in a piss poor mood. As he sat on the couch this morning I was struck at how much like a teenager he was acting: lethargic, annoyed and with a mocking tone that didnt sit well with me.

Then the drama began. Both Seamus and Finn take medication for their ADHD through a patch that is applied to their hip/buttock area. The medication takes up to 2-3 hours to absorb into their blood stream so we apply it to their bodies when they are sleeping. This medication has proven fantastic for Seamus, but Finn's skin often gets irritated where we position the patch. We have to be careful to alternate where we apply it so that his skin doesnt get inflamed. This morning Finn was complaining about the patch - that it was itchy and stinging. This is not uncommon. When the patch is first applied, Finn usually says something about the itch and/or stinging. It usually goes away within the first 20 minutes, but it had been 1.5 hours since I first applied it. It should have been fine. I figured he was just over-exaggerating and asked him to focus on something else. Finn will often get fixated on the patch which seems to make the uncomfortableness feel worse. I could see him trying hard not to touch the area but he was having a hard time. Then he started tearing up.

"Mama it stings. Can I take it off?"

"No Finn. You can not take it off. Its the first day of school. This is the whole purpose of wearing the patch: for school."

"But its hurting. Its really hurting."

After that, Finn began to cry and my anxiety started to climb. I couldnt let him go to school without the patch. That was out of the question. The medication would be in him full force any minute and I didnt want to waste the patch he had by replacing it with another. To add to my frustration, Seamus began belittling his brother around this time - calling him a "baby" and telling him to "stop whining" because he couldnt hear the tv. That was totally not what Finn or I needed. I could feel my body tense up. I could feel my frustration starting to boil. After snapping at Seamus to leave him alone, I decided to look at the patch and see what was going on. Was it as bad as Finn was making it out to be?

It was. It was bad. In my morning haze, I put the patch in the exact same spot where Finn's skin was already irritated. The area looked very inflamed and raw. Crap! I felt so horrible for not believing in him sooner. What the heck was wrong with me? Why hadnt I just looked at it before and switched it sooner? We went to the bathroom, removed the patch and put some ointment on it. That seemed to soothe the area and Finn was relieved. Then I applied a new patch to his other hip that was not irritated. I gave Finn a big hug, told him I was so sorry and promised I woudlnt make that mistake again. Finn seemed pleased with that and the tears stopped.

That's when I noticed the time. We were going to be late. I hadnt taken any pictures up to that point and as I looked at Finn's little bloated face I decided the pictures werent necessary. I could take pictures tomorrow or the day after or next week. It wasnt important at that minute. I didnt mention anything to the boys and we walked out the door a few minutes later than I had wanted.

As we were sitting at a light on our way to school, Seamus said "You forgot to take our pictures today, Mama." I told him it was fine, that I didnt forget. I told him I wanted to start a new tradition of taking pictures on the second day of school instead of the first. He groaned - a reaction that made me smile, actually.

Once we were at school, everything went smoothly. There were no tears and no weary goodbyes. Seamus found his classmates right away and was off without looking backwards. He is definitely exhibiting middle school tendencies (ie - independence,) but I was grateful he found himself right back in the swing of things. Finn hurried straight to his class with me lagging slightly behind. He only looked at me with worry once and it was when the teacher mentioned his snack. I had forgotten it. I mouthed to him Id get it to him and not to worry. Then I smiled, said goodbye and left him in class.

It was a rocky start, but it ended up better than I had expected. Oops. There's that word again. Expectations. So what if our first day wasnt what I had planned or imagined. So what if we were a little bit late and I forgot the snacks. So what if I dont have pictures. My kids got off to school in good spirits with no tears. For that I am sooooooo grateful. My expectations for the day were modified and you know what: its all good. :)

Happy Monday, everyone.

Happy Anniversary To Us

Matt surprised me his year by suggesting we go to Street Scene as an early anniversary gift to ourselves. For those of you who dont know, Street Scene is a huge concert venue in San Diego that occurs at the end of each summer. They usually have 40+ bands of various genres - some well known and many others 'up and coming.' The bands perform all weekend long. Ive been to Street Scene before in the mid 1990s and had a fantastic time. Matt, however, isnt a live music guy. He has this thing with crowds so we havent gone to many concerts together.

All that changed on Friday night. After Matt lined up some tickets and I booked some babysitting (thanks Mom and Dad!) we ventured out to downtown and had the best time listening to the music. We saw Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Cake, Modest Mouse and Cage the Elephant. That last group was so much fun and Matt's favorite of the night. Cage the Elephant is a young band and the energy they put out into the audience was contagious. We had a total blast!

It was so fun to hang with Matt apart from the kids. Im lucky that after 12 years of marriage we still have so much fun together.

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A Cautionary Tale and a Call for Advice

This past Spring, the boys and I went out and bought something I have wanted for many years: bird feeders. I have many friends who have bird feeders in their yards and once I began looking around I noticed there were quite a lot of them in our neighborhood. I must admit, I liked the idea of bird feeders for two reasons. One: I liked the way they looked hanging in people's yards. They make the homes they occupy seem homey and cute. I know that sounds stupid and superficial but its the truth. I liked the curb appeal. Primarily, however, I believed the bird feeders were an easy way to observe nature close up. Seamus is such a nature boy. He loves being outside exploring his surroudings. I knew he was going to love them. Finn isnt an outdoorsy kid, but I had the feeling he might like them too.

Matt hung two bird feeders on the tree in our front yard and from our front window you can see them perfectly. It didnt take long for the feeders to work their magic. The birds came in droves. There are certain times of the day where the feeders are particularly active: in the morning and in the late afternoon. When the kids were in school last Spring and the house was quiet, I would regularly sit back and watch birds for minutes on end. Its hard to explain how or why I enjoyed spying on them. I just did. I felt close to nature in those moments. I felt calm and relaxed; centered and unworried. I really looked forward to the quiet time alone, in my house, watching the birds.

One day last month, I was up earlier than Matt and the kids and randomly decided to look out on the bird feeders. The morning was still cool from the night. It was probably in between 6:30 and 7 am. To my surprise the bird feeders were full. There were multiple birds feeding on top of the feeders and dozens more below on the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention. Among the birds on the ground was a rabbit and he too was feeding on the fallen seed. I was sooo excited by this! I have seen many rabbits in our yard at night, but I was stunned to see one feeding side by side with the birds. I didnt even know rabbits liked seed! I sat there by the window for many minutes watching the scene play out. It seemed remarkable to me. Before long, a squirrel darted from the side of our house. It ran directly and frantically to the seed under the birdfeeders, paused for a half a second while it gathered the food, then ran back to where he began. The squirrel did this several times while I was watching and all the while the rabbit and the birds continued eating unfazed. I didnt even know there were squirrels in our yard!

I was feeling absolutely delighted at this point. A rabbit, a squirrel and some birds in my front yard. Wow! I decided to get my camera out and take some pictures. I was surprised and marveled by this menagerie occurring before my own eyes. I needed to document it for the boys. They'd never believe me otherwise. I live in a Southern Californian city of roughly 90,000 people. There are lots of cars and concrete in these parts. There is very little open space and yet I had this mini habitat forming in my front yard. It was so cool!

And then it happened. In a split second, I went from zen like euphoria to total disgust. Out from under our front porch another furry animal joined the group: a rat. A big, mangy looking, f****** rat. It took everything in me not to scream. I hate rats - who doesnt? I impulsively leaned over to hit the window, therefore disbanding the whole affair, but that nasty rat was in and out before my fist hit the glass. I felt sick. It still makes me wince to think about it.

For about a week afterward, I didnt replenish the seed in the feeders. I needed some time to digest not only the fact that there were rats living in my house, but that I may have brought them here with the bird feeders. How could something so good bring about something so bad? Is the pleasure of watching the birds worth the risk of rodents living in close proximity? Im not sure what to do. Does anyone have experience with this?

I never thought Id say it, but thank God for our cat, Omalley. Even with a bad hip, Im pretty sure he wont let any small animal in this house. At least, I pray he wont.

Spread it Around

I saw these posters today online by Micah Max. I think I need one (or all) of these:



On his site the description says:Designed as a part of the Power To The Poster project held to raise awareness to issues that poster makers are passionate about. Instead of blood for oil, immigration, or healthcare, I chose to try and create something that deals with interpersonal awareness. Want to give or get some forgiveness? Tear off a tab and make it happen.

I like it! :)

Happy Tuesday.

Bookshelves!

Did I ever mention that I got a bookshelf? I did! Finally. We picked it up at Ikea. Its nothing brilliant but it totally works for me. I love seeing a lot of our books in one spot. I will post a picture soon. The coolest thing about getting our bookself is that Matt is now totally on board. He wants to get another soon and make a wall out of it.

Color me happy. :)

Blue Is Officially in Kindergarten!

My nephew Elijah (I call him Blue) began kindergarten today. Finn and I went over to his house this morning to see him off. Blue was excited and cheerful and not at all afraid or tearful. He has the same wonderful teacher that Finn had in kindergarten. She is one of the best teachers I have ever known. I feel very confident he is going to have a fantastic year.

Watching my sister and Barry go through the first day of school milestone with Blue made me remember Finn and Seamus' kinder years. Seamus' was a little unusual. We pulled him from preschool after winter break because of some problems. Shea was spending a lot of time in timeout and I disagreed with how his teachers were disciplining him. There was no doubt his teachers had their work cut out for them. Shea was a handful, but he was incredibly bright too. My mom, who taught kindergarten for several years, suggested pushing him up to kindergarten. She thought he might be bored. After lots of coaxing I finally agreed and he was enrolled in Monte Vista Elementary School. Seamus cried like crazy on the first day. He wanted me to go with him and when I couldnt, he freaked out. I'll never forget it. Shea only had 1/2 year of kindergarten but what a huge year that was! Even though he struggled with behavior issues, he caught up academically very quickly.

Because Finn watched his brother go to school before him, his first year of kinder was far easier. He had no apprehensions; he was ready to go to school! I remember he wore a Star Wars t shirt on his first day with a plaid button up over it. He looked so adorable to me. After I dropped him off, I sat across from the playground (far out of his sight) and cried for a while. I called my mom in tears and she rebuked me for being such a sap. I couldnt help it though. I was so sad and scared to let him go. He did great though... just like Elijah.

Seeing Blue off today was such a different experience for me than it was with my own boys. I was super excited for Blue and I felt assured that he was going to be fine. He's is, after all, a smart, friendly kid. Why wouldnt he do great? However, with my own kids I feel much differently on the first day of school. I feel stressed with apprehension and fear. I typically dont sleep well the night before. I feel very insecure about how their day will go by without me. I worry a lot and I always cry (though not in front of them.) It literally takes me a few days before I start to let go. Its so ridiculous... I know. I can hear my mom now saying "Knock it off, Lisee." I know, Mom, but its hard for me. School has never been easy with my kids. The auntie gig is great because I can love my nephew like he's mine, but the anxiety that comes along with parenting isnt there. Today I really enjoyed the experience and I was excited for Blue to be start his academic life. I wish it were like that with Shea and Finner. Maybe this year, with some preparation on my part, it will be less stressful and more relaxed.

Thanks to Jen and Barry for letting Finn and I tag along.

Happy Monday!

Mission Beach Love

My sister and brother in law have been staying in a beach house on Mission Bay for the past week. Yesterday Dama Shan, the boys and I went down to enjoy the fruits of their labor. I was really excited to go and hang out with them for the day. Sometimes I get something in my head and the expectation of it happening gets away from me. I get super, almost irrationally excited and often times the reality of the experience cant compete with what I had built up in my mind. Yesterday fulfilled all my expectations and more. We had SUCH a great time! I want to live there with my extended family forever. ha ha. Seriously, it was so much fun! I loved casually hanging with my sister and her family. I loved the sun, surf, bikes, kayak, boogie boards and sand dollars. I loved that Mom, Dad, Miranda and Matt came over after work to have pizza and beer on the patio. I love that Dama Shan was here to be apart of the love fest. I want to go back and do it again everyday until school starts.

This morning when I got up, I began looking through the bagillion pictures I took. I came across these few and had to post them immediately.

I love these kids and I love these pictures. My mom is going to be so giddy happy when she sees these today - her four grandkids all together.



Thank you so much Jen and Barry for having us. I enjoyed you and your hospitality so much. Love you tons!

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Edited: Im going to add more pictures throughout the day as I find more. I literally have hundreds.

I loved this one. My family was hanging out on the patio and this good looking lady skates by on the boardwalk with her dog. Look at Matt and my dad: they're totally checking out the DOG... not the good looking lady. Too funny.

When we showed up at the beach house, the tide was really low and there were TONS of sandollars (LIVE ONES) all over the place. The kids would wade around in the water and pick them up with their toes. They collected literally dozens of them yesterday. I have never seen so many live ones in one place before.



They also found this HUMONGOUS piece of seaweed in the water. Jen, Barry and I were tripping out at how large it was.

Eli and Abbey - looking all adorable:

Finn was quite miserable for the first 45 - 60 minutes we were there. Dama Shan hypothesized that his foul mood was brought on as a result of " videogame withdrawal." I agreed with her. However, Finn perked up as the day rolled on and had a really great time riding his bike. There is a wonderful boardwalk all around Mission Bay and Finn was quite fearless riding on it. We were all amazed. Ive been trying to teach him to ride a two wheeler for the latter part of this summer. I think we're close. As Matt mused yesterday "He can fly, but yet take off or land." Hopefully we can get those training wheels off soon.

Kayaking:

As I was taking this picture, Finn kept asking me if we could keep a bunch of the sand dollars he'd found. I would tell him no, but he'd keep pleading with me. We ended up bringing lots of shells home, but not a sand dollar. We released them all back into the wild.

Last one is of my sisters and mom with Abbey.

More Yosemite Pictures

I wanted to share some more Yosemite pictures and some comments, but its been a super busy week. In order to cut down on time, Im going to do this in bullet form.




-We needed more than 3 days in Yosemite. Most of you who have been to Yosemite will be horrified that we had such a short amount of time in the park. In fact, we had roughly 1.5 days. We packed it in though - hiking to two waterfalls, one lake and various trails. The kids were great. We hardly had any complaints. When we got too hot or tired, we'd stop by the many water areas in the park and let the kids swim and wade around for an hour or more. I love that about Yosemite. Everywhere you look, you can find random people hanging out in the streams and waterfalls.


- We got to Yosemite the first day around 6pm. We still had plenty of light so we did the short hike to Bridal Falls. We scrambled a bit on the rocks in order to get closer to the fall. In Summer the waterfalls at Yosemite arent as raging as they are in Spring. The kids played in the stream coming off the fall and Barb got this nice family picture of us. Its so rare that we get pictures taken of us as a family. I was so pleased that she got one of us in Yosemite.

-Barb, by the way, is my mother in law. We planned our trip to Yosemite with her in mind. Barb had never been to Yosemite and we thought it would be fun for us to experience as a family. It was the kids first time in the park too. Technically, Seamus had been before. Matt and I visited Yosemite for the first time when I was about 6 months pregnant with him. I think Seamus enjoyed that distinction - that the trip was his second time in Yosemite. ha ha

-We rented an RV and drove up to Yosemite. It took us about 7 hours I think. I wasnt really paying that much attention because we were watching movies most of the way up. I think renting the RV was half the fun for the kids during our trip. They had never experienced riding in a motor home and I gotta tell you, it was a much easier affair than driving up in our minivan. We were able to spread out and watch movies. I could keep the kids away from Matt while he drove - most of the time anyway. It was fantastic. Id love to do it again, but it was pretty darn expensive.


-Finn really surprised me on this trip. Out of the four of us, he enjoys the outdoors the least. He's not exceptionally coordinated and he doesnt like to exert himself too much. He really doesnt like extra hot weather. But he was SUCH a trooper on this trip. I was really proud of him. I cant remember hearing him complain once the entire time we were in the park. Sure... he asked how long until we were done with a particular hike and he periodically asked when we were going to go back to the RV. But seriously, the kid was a joy.

-One the way home, we decided to take an unexpected detour and visit Sequoia National Park. None of us had ever been there before. Boy was it worth the trip! Unlike Yosemite which was very hot, Sequoia felt like Fall. It was very crisp and cool up there and the air smelled sooooooo heavenly. It also looked like the Ewok village in Return of the Jedi. Matt and I got a kick out of that. The trees were ENORMOUS and full of life and like Yosemite, the pictures really dont do the park justice. Its gorgeous! Matt and I agreed we could love to go back there with the kids and camp. Hopefully we can do that soon.


Crikey! Ive gotta go. Ive been on this computer far longer than I had expected.
More later. :)
Happy Wednesday.

Home Again, Home Again. Jiggity Jig.

Just got back from mini vacation to Yosemite. Awesome trip... more to follow.

Introducing LtCol Matthew McGarvey

This past Friday Barb, the boys and I went to Camp Pendleton to attend Matt's promotion ceremony to Lieutenant Colonel. Its a pretty big deal for him; a huge accomplishment. The boys and I attended his promotion when he made major a few years ago. I remember Finn being a baby on my hip and Seamus a rambunctious toddler. I could barely pay attention to what was happening with our young sons in tow. This time was much different. The boys were older and realized the significance of what was going on. Seamus in particular was intrigued by the pomp and circumstance of the occasion. Matt's mother Barb was here to see the ceremony and I know that meant the world to Matt. She pinned his bars on when he was first commissioned back in 1992 and on Friday she pinned on his silver, LtCol oak leaves. Very cool! Lastly, the oak leaves that we pinned on Matt's uniform were given to him specifically for the ceremony by Richard Hemenez - our very good family friend and mentor to Matt. He couldnt be there to see Matt get promotion, but he passed on the oak leaves in his absence. It was very special day.


Here is a picture of Matt's buddy Joe. They were in ROTC at Carnegie Melon together and he was also in our wedding. I smiled when I saw him walk to Matt's office before the ceremony. Joe also works on Camp Pendleton but in a different building on base.He's been a good friend to Matt over the years and I know Matt appreciated him coming over to witness his promotion.

The ceremony was done in the lobby of the building where Matt works. On the walls are dozens of photos of former Commanding Generals and Sergeants Major. The pictures start in black and white and turn color with the years. Its impressive. And then on another wall is the power pyramid - the big whigs who control things in Washington DC.

Lookie who's on top now. Wow. That actually struck me quite profoundly when I saw it. Made me smile. Now, he just has to make it worth it. Do me proud BO! Dont make me regret my vote.
Happy Sunday!

Marriage and Prop 8

I recently read a excerpt from an interview Brad Pitt gave with Parade magazine about marriage. I wanted to post it because in the wake of Prop 8 I had a really difficult time trying to explain why I was so vehemently against the proposition. I tried to speak rationally and eloquently about it, but in the end my heart always got the better of me. Brad explained pretty closely how I feel about it. For me its always been a equal rights issue. If consenting, adult heterosexual couples are allowed to be married under the law, then so should consenting, adult homosexual couples. Its pretty straight forward for me. I dont believe in treating people differently because of who they are and in my mind, that is what Prop 8 did. It discriminated against homosexuals because of who they are.

I had a couple uncomfortable discussions with some friends who were in favor of Prop 8. Most of them truly believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Its just the way they feel. They dont hate on gay or lesbian people. They werent spreading fear among their friends, family and community. They voted with their hearts and minds and while I don't agree with their stance, I can respect that. We're all different people who bring different perspectives and experiences to the table. I believe in diversity of people and I can agree to disagree. Where I get upset is when I hear institutions and individuals prey on the fears of citizens with misinformation and hateful propaganda. I feel that that form of expression is toxic and disgraceful. I have zero respect for it.

Excepert from the interview.

On the right to love: “It’s ridiculous that Prop 8 took away gay people’s right to marry! I have no understanding of that kind of hatred. Maybe it’s fear of difference or of the unknown. If you feel belittled, maybe you need someone else to belittle to feel powerful. It’s the only way I know how to explain it. You’ve got religion telling you what to think about homosexuality, about marriage. They say homosexuality is a choice, a lifestyle, something you can be cured of, and that isn’t true. But if you’re tucked away and have no friends who are gay, you’ll believe what the preachers say. Just think of it in terms of being in love–how would you feel if someone told you that you couldn’t be with the person you loved?”

On wanting the best for his children: “Would it bother me if a child of mine turns out to be gay? No, not one bit. Listen, I want my kids to live the lives they want to live. I want them to be fulfilled. I hope I teach my kids to be who they really are.”

I agree with what he said about his kids too. I hope that if one or both of my sons are gay and they are lucky enough to find another man to love and spend their lives with that they will have the right to be married before God, family and friends and be protected by the laws of this country.

Summer is Slipping Away Too Fast

We were at the pool with Eli and friends yesterday and out of nowhere I got this really bad, visceral feeling that summer was slipping away too fast. It is August after all - we start school August 31st. As with many things I dont want to admit, Ive buried the feeling deep down for another day. I cant cope with it right now. I want summer to last forever.

In other news, Dama Shan is coming today. Soooooo excited about that. I love when my mother in law comes. We all look forward to it for days. She'll be sleeping in Seamus' room and he wrote her a little message on the door this week.

Eeeeeekkkk! I didnt notice how trashed the rest of the door was until I saw this picture. Better clean that before she comes.
Happy Thursday, everyone!

Childhood Memories

Recently I was floating around in cyberspace and I came upon an image that threw me back to 1978.

This image used to hang above the bed in my parents bedroom! When I saw it unexpectedly on a design blog I was so shocked and delighted by it. My reaction was immediate and physical - like seeing an old friend I hadnt seen in years. I saw this image daily for years and years to the point of it blending in with everything else in my childhood home. But when I saw it online, I just burst out with nostalgia.

I remember this print being very large - like five feet tall. In my memory it took up a lot of the wall and acted as a sort of head board for the bed, raising toward the ceiling. Considering the age of my memories, Im thinking it might have been normal sized but seemed large because I was a small kid. Who knows. There were times I remember laying in their bed studying the butterfly woman with an appreciative eye. I dont think I ever equated her being a flapper. I dont recall ever seeing "The Flapper" title under the image. That would have explained a lot. No ... in my youth I just thought she was a pretty half woman, half insect. ha ha So random how I never thought that was strange (a woman butterfly?) or tried to investigate why a woman would be illustrated with wings and antenna. I guess I wasnt a curious child.

Seeing this image again brought so many questions to my mind. Who picked it out? My mom or my dad? Seems like an interesting pick for either of them, but then again what do I know. Did they have it framed or buy it framed? Now that Im adult, I realize how expensive framing a large print can be. That thing was large, or at least I thought it was. I wonder where is it now? Did my parents get rid of it or is it hidden somewhere? Ironically, my parents have nada over their bed now. No colored paint, no wallpaper, no pictures - of butterfly women or otherwise.

Anyway... deep thoughts from Lisa McGarvey. ha!

Happy Tuesday!

Phil X and Fretted Americana

This post is for Tina. ;)

I went to high school with a guy named Dustin Jack. We lived in totally differnet social circles: I was a goodie goodie in honors classes and he was the bad boy/artistic type who wore a leather jacket and played in a band. Although we were not friends in school, we are now "friends" on Facebook. Funny how life works.

One day last week, Dustin posted a link on facebook to a youtube clip of Phil X playing guitars for Fretted Americana. Who is Phil X you ask? Roll film:






**note** - I love how in that last clip, PhilX went off on a tangent at about 1:07. I could so appreciate that entire aside. I do that stuff all the time too. I key into the music and get lost in the intricacies of it. Once I find something that fascinates me (or something that is misunderstood by others as Phil X describes in his first example) I wanna talk about it because its so cool and interesting to me. It fills me up and gets me excited. But to others, they often look at me like "Dude... take your ADHD pill. You are all over the place!" ha ha




I know I keep adding clips (I wonder if thats legal?) but I cant choose between them all!

Does this guy shred or what? I wish there was a way for me to accurately describe how CAPTIVATED I was watching these videos. Alas, I dont write that well. ha ha But seriously... I sat in front of my computer with a huge grin on my face for hours watching this guy play. In one word: spellbound. Nope... that wont work. Two words: turned on - and Im talking about the music, not the guy. I loved hearing him talk about the guitars: about the technical aspects of the sound. I loved hearing him demonstrate it. Id never heard or seen that stuff before: the education part of it. Thanks to my dad, I can identify classic riffs in seconds. I was raised appreciating the greats: Page, Clapton, Hendrix, etc. However, I never knew what made the sound. I never knew about pick ups or tone or various amplifiers augmenting the sound in different ways. I could identify the sound, but never understood how it happened.

When Matt came home, we both sat in front of the computer till almost 11pm watching this dude play. Dozens of videos. Pretty cool stuff.

As a self professed music freak, getting linked up to these videos was a total thrill for me. I hope it is for some of you. Muchos gracias to Dustin!

Also if you're interested, check out the store: Fretted Americana Inc.

Soccer Weekend.

This weekend we participated in our first Vista Storm soccer tournament.

The Storm is a club soccer team here in Vista. Seamus' upcoming sixth grade year seemed like a good time to join so we wrote numerous checks and got him on board with the U-11 boys team. For a few weeks this summer, it didnt look like there would be a team. Apparently the U-10 team did very well last year but when the coach decided play for another club, he took all his players with him. This year, there is a brand new coach (Coach Chris) and an entirely new team of 10 and 11 year old boys. With the exception of one player, all the boys on Seamus' team are new to the Storm. This is their first year playing club ball. Unlike most of the Storm teams, Seamus' U-11 team is truly starting off from scratch. They are still figuring out who will be good at what positions and learning to play together as a unit.

Given the previously stated facts, it was understandable that they didnt do well in the tournament. On the first day, they lost all their games to established teams with more experience. I think it was hard for some of the boys. But on the second day, the team rallied and won their first and only tournament game. Woooo hooooo! Not only was it exciting for the boys, but it was also thrilling for the parents who were experiencing their first taste of club soccer.

Seamus played well this weekend. I just love to watch him play. Soccer - being such a fast paced and physically active game -seems like a natural sport for his personality and strengths. Although his skills need some honing, he never gave up in any of the games and he hustled up and down that field like a madman. I was very proud of him. This weekend one of the parents on our team nicknamed him "the mosquito" because he pestered the heck out of the opposition and never gave up in his pursuit for the ball. Matt and I thought the nickname was quite fitting.

Next weekend we have another tournament and Matt and I have learned what is necessary to pack and what isnt. I completley over packed on Saturday, but on Sunday we had streamlined the process down to the bare essentials. Dama Shan will be in town this week so she'll be able to watch Seamus play. I know she enjoys seeing the boys' activities so this next tournament is perfectly planned. Also, Finn will be joining us again. He sat for hours and hours this weekend watching his brother's games- not an easy feat for an 8 year old in Temecula heat. The games this weekend were the first of the season, so I dont think he realized what he was getting into. As the games continue Im sure we'll encounter lots of resistance on his part. We'll have to find some alternative day care scenarios for him. But he honestly did remarkably well this weekend: very little complaining and no tears. I was very proud of him too.


Happy Monday!