Oh Happy Day

Over the weekend, without fanfare but not without notice, we commemorated an important milestone. We went to a party to celebrate someone else, but I was thinking about our special occasion the whole time.

Two years and three days ago, on March 7th, 2008, Shae came to live with us, and we unofficially became a family. Less than two weeks after we first saw our gorgeous girl, we fell face first into parenthood.

Maybe as more time passes, I'll stop remembering these little nothing holidays that hardly even matter: Meeting Day, Welcome Home Day, Adoption Day. But I hope not. They are very important in the Story of Us.

And every time we tick off another one of these special dates, we have a reason to remember how you saved our lives. Thank you, sweet thing. Thank you so very, very much.

Stay (Wasting Time)

We had to take our cat Owen to the vet yesterday, and we didn't want to take Shae because we weren't sure how the combination of "sick animals" and "adorable puppies and kittens" was going to go, so like any responsible parent, I ran interference and took her to McDonald's for supper.

She and I don't get to spend much time alone together any more. Since G got laid off, he's been responsible for getting her dressed and fed in the mornings, getting her to and from school, making dinner and entertaining her until I get home from work. Having some "Mommy-and-Me" time was a nice change.

I was hoping we'd get a chance to go outside and run around at the park after dinner, but "Kung Fu Panda" ran longer than I thought, so we didn't even leave the house until almost dark. We sat at a table near the drive-thru line so she could watch the cars pull up and make faces at herself in the window.

Her favorite car was a shiny red Mustang. "Mommy, for my birthday I'm gonna buy that car and I'm gonna drive YOU to 'Donnel's' for dinner and we can have ICE CREAM!" she said. "Donnel's" is what she calls McDonald's. She can say "herbivore" but not McDonald's. Kids are hysterical. And I love how she thinks she can reach the pedals.

Owen was admitted to the vet hospital, and they kept him overnight. Poor little guy was dehydrated, with a low fever and an infection. I feel like the worst pet-parent ever. He is doing better this morning, but I worry. Shae can't want for him to come home, so she can give him treats and snuggles and loving. Me either, for the same reasons. We're hoping to hear back soon.

Ode to the West Wind

Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own!
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth!
And, by the incantation of this verse,

Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawakened Earth

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

-- Percy Bysshe Shelley

WTF!? Friday: Uncle Oscar

Way back in the uncharted backwaters of time (the mid-90s), I graduated from Syracuse with what is maybe the most ridiculous degree ever: a B.S. in “Writing for Telecommunications” -- i.e., writing for television, radio, and film. I am proud of my degree, of course, but to say that it goes unutilized in my current field of employment is probably the greatest understatement in the history of ever.

I mean, really: I do billing for a technology company. Aside from the occasional nastygram to particularly belligerent salespeople, I don’t do much writing at my day job.

But back in the day, I had aspirations. One of my professors, who is now one of the world’s leading experts on TV criticism (yes, really), said once that I might have had a future in that business, but I guess it’s pretty fair to say that life got in the way. Not that I will ever let that stop me from having opinions (see: “Dancing with the Dorks”). I love the movies, always have, always will, and I generally have some strong opinions about them. There are films that are beloved that I can’t stand (“Gone with the Wind,” “Forrest Gump,” “Titanic,” just to name a few), and I tend to champion little bitty things that nobody but me has seen (“Searching for Bobby Fischer”). If you have a week and a half and enough booze to get us through it all, I could tell you where the Academy has gotten it wrong and where they have gotten it right in the last 20 years.

Sparkle and Shine

I am not 100% sure, but I am starting to think that Shae is maybe a "genius," kind of in the same way that I am a "genius." You know, like she knows and understands words like "herbivore" and "carnivore," and just yesterday she watched an episode of NOVA about Pluto -- the ex-planet, not the cartoon dog -- and yet she still can't seem to master some of the more important life skills ...

... like maybe not sticking the bubble wand directly on your mouth if you expect something to happen. Like mother, like daughter, I suppose. There are days when neither one of us has a lick of common sense.

(But I would like to point out that only one of us still eats Play-Doh. Although I do love the smell of it, especially when it's new.) We're getting excited about the weekend, too. There's a chance of snow late tomorrow, but it's supposed to be clear and above freezing on Saturday and Sunday, which is always a good thing.

I know I'm not the only one who is looking forward to getting out of the house for a little while. Fresh air. Sunshine. Hooray!

Winter is almost over! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Let us chortle in our joy.