Na New Na New

Another Christmas has passed. The Nano was met with rapturous wonder and many cinnamon kisses bestowed upon this beleaguered Mom. The Nano has a name: Tony.

I am filled with roast, wine and Godiva and cheered by news from friends all over the globe:

* Lu & Anis blew off the holiday and spent their day in Qatar watching Al Jazeera.

*The Shippee's in LA sent another batch of ultra-gorge family photos. Has someone alerted Maddox Jolie that Zoe Shippee is THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED baby in the world? They are so lovely and it never makes me feel icky even though Alice could be the editor in chief of Redbook magazine!

*John kept calling from Brooklyn to greet his baby brother (who hung up on me twice today).

*Brian got his own MP3 player and will no doubt quicken the healing working in his brother's new Pro Tools LE studio.

*Packie Jerkins saved her man's new kicks for that magical day 34 months from now when he's released from prison.

*Jet bought Bella a sandwich and used up over twenty of her pre-paid minutes to commiserate with me.

*And then Berlin came a-calling, with XiaBau and Bambi Steele singing in Czech, drunk off of many bottles of red wine and readying the Baileys (there was a lot of blabbing about Saphic Love but who knows anymore).

I spent the day trying to figure out iTunes play lists, syncing and censoring rap lyrics for download. Then Claude wanted me to hook up the VCR (you read right). It was all so maddening I haven't had the time to dwell on how the rest of this week is going to turn out.

My mother's house is so clean, inviting, orderly, chic. I can't imagine how I am related to her at all.

Mommy, the procrastinator

(sing to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman")
Mommy, the procrastinator
Needs a Nano right away
For her nine year old
Who's almost ten years...so
He thinks about music all day.

If Mommy, the procrastinator
Finds the Nano's all sold out
She will feel real bad
'Cos the year they've had...
(read her blog and you'll find out)

She mustered up the money
No cash or support from "Dad"
A Rio or a Zen won't do
iPod Nano's are the fad!

Mommy, the procrastinator
Realizes this song is a bore
Call the Best Buy, Now
Let's us hope (and how)
They have Nano's in their store.

Day 1: So Much Fun!

CHOOSE

OK, tell me why it's more frightening for me to declare today DAY ONE SMOKE FREE than it is to blog about my mental health?

Because upstairs you know Claude has a crisp new packet of Marlboros and at any moment you could be on the back deck flicking ash into an old tomato sauce can.

Everyone is talking about this book by Alan Carr and how it may help me to quit. Frankly I was always partial to B. Jack Gephardts The Enlightened Smokers Guide To Quitting. At the end of the day it has seemed to make more sense to just stop outright, grit my teeth and hang on for dear life as the hell of withdrawal sets in. It's difficult living with two smokers - and one of them is your lover. He says he'll quit for Christmas. I wanna force him on this journey with me, but I know know know that's not even the point.

In a life full of mistakes I have but one regret: smoking cigarettes.

So today I will try and remember that it's no fun to walk around feeling half poisoned all the time. Worrying about diaper breath, acrid smelling clothes and furry, smoked out teeth, the sludge that is my blood. Not even one puff is my rallying cry. Fresh vocal chords await!

December Magic

I have no business complaining about global warming and cold December afternoons. A move to a tropical clime is in order, but not for me, not yet at least. I have been pursuing my audio studies at Omega and recently passed into Advanced Recording and Studio Techniques. No time to applaud myself as we were given our new schedules through 'til the end of the course. It will be brutal. Fortunately I'm responding well to the depakote, even though a week of proper rest has still not been attainable since my hospitalization. I'm not too sure if me and Will have what it takes to go even further than we are now, but after this evening's "talk" I hope we are going to be able to work out step-parenting & communication issues, because I do believe we have what it takes to be an amazing team. We'll see. In the meantime, it's Pro Tools 101, MIDI and introduction the mighty Neve console for the abundant one!