Until next time

A last ride on his cousin's shoulders:

Can't wait to this cutie again soon!

Bath Time

It's like he's trying to tell us something:

Okay, you can blame his naughty auntie.

Finished haircut

Even though I took pictures of us cutting his hair, I'll refrain from posting them to prevent any accusations of child cruelty by way of 3 adults and 1 tweenager having no haircutting skills between them. Suffice to say we managed to get it down to a single little tail:

Fortunately, this little guy has the face to pull it off:

That adorable smile helps.

Mundan

The big day of the Mundan arrived.  At first the power was out and the ceremony started with just the light coming in from the skylights.  It started with a priest leading a series of mantras with the little guy and his parents.  He didn't have to sit there the whole time but I was impressed how quiet and attentive he was throughout most of it. 

Fortunately, the lights came on early in the ceremony:

I loved his outfit--obviously he rocked it:

Paul, as the mother's brother, had the honor of being the first one to cut off the first five locks of his hair:

And after those symbolic locks of hair of his past (and any possible birth defects) were clipped, he was then given his first bites of non-baby food:

Sigh--goodbye babyhood!

Who is this cutie?

It's our nephew, Madhu!

We arrived for his Mundan--his first haircut at 11 months that signifies moving from the past and on to the future. It's significant when the mother's brother clips the first locks off so of course, we're in.

Here are the two cute cousins together:

Enjoy that long hair--tomorrow is the big day!

And Away We Go!

Off to see our nephew and mark his 11 months in a special Indian ceremony. Haven't seen him since he was this small:

Apparently he is walking and creating all kinds of chaos/fun. Can't wait to see him!

SoCal Recap: Boy crazy

I confess I go a little boy crazy for these cuties whenever I make it out to SoCal. The best is when this one is up for some pix in the morning before he goes off to start his day.

Only topped by some dual selfies, which is awesome because the morning is when I look my puffy and bloated best:

Then there are these studs (the little one loves tickling the bigger one):

This one is just as cute eating his pancake at the famed Knowlwood restaurant:

Nom, nom, nom.

The best?  Sweet smooches for this boy crazy visitor!

That little hand of his--so cute!

SoCal Recap: Gorgeous, Delicious Wedding

No matter what the weather, it's always a gorgeous day for a wedding. Fortunately the weather was wonderful and the wedding was beautiful. Congrats to L and D -- such a privilege to witness this part of their journey together!

I LOVED these wedding cupcakes. Not only were they delicious, but came in multiple flavors that begged you to have seconds! Or at least I hope it was okay I took more than one...

Unfortunately, can't blame any cocktail for this:

Or the moves on the dance floor. I'm definitely afflicted with that condition where I think I'm some Beyonce/Justin Timberlake/Jabbawockeez lovechild on the dance floor, but sadly, I'm probably more likely the lady in the Sun Drop soda commercial:



Unfortunately, in clear light of day, I'm somewhat anxious of any photographic and video evidence of my (as I'd like to prefer recalling) "killer" moves. Apparently there is a Mom-version of the internet-consequence-lesson to sexting here, except instead of nudie pix, it's wedding dancing, aka, Dropping it Like it's Hot. Eek. Keeping my fingers crossed.

SoCal recap: Wolfpack Lite

The night before our friends' wedding, we went to Morongo Casino.  If Morongo is Las Vegas Casino Lite, then we hit it up Wolfpack Lite style as well. Lite because we didn't lose anybody, lose a tooth, steal a tiger, or find a baby. And not sure if the Wolfpack enjoyed cool beverages by the pool:

Now both of my friends are more experienced in this setting than me so either could be the charming Phil Wenneck character, so I'm pretty sure I'd be the Alan character. Hey, you guys ready to let the dogs out?

Though if you were to ask Paul, he'd say I'm probably most like Stu's girlfriend in the scene where she is berating the thought of them going to a strip club (which I have to say, is one of my favorite scenes in The Hangover--not only soooo funny but encapsulates their relationship):

Melissa: I know. It's just...boys and their bachelor parties. It's just...gross.
Stu: You're right. It is...gross.
Melissa: Not to mention that it's pathetic. Those places are filthy. And you know the worst part is? That little girl grinding and dry humping the f***in stage up there. That's...
Melissa & Stu: Somebody's daughter up there.
Stu: I was just gonna say that.
Melissa:  See?  I just wish your friends were as mature as you.

I briefly was winning "big" at my first go round at Black Jack (definitely well coached by my friends):

Unfortunately, the rest of the night my gambling did not go as swimmingly.  But I did my best to eat my money's worth and then some at the $20 seafood buffet:

Best deal ever. Take that, Morongo! If this was a movie, I'm sure that a security guard would tap the closed circuit tv screen of my visage eating my fifth plate of crab legs and mutter, "That's a ringer. Take her out." And I would be dragged out clutching the crab legs with my buttery hands. Why isn't that ever shown in casino movies?

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Who let the dogs out?

SoCal Recap: Best Haircutter--Christina Sanchez

In SoCal, I got to meet up with old friends/counselors and discovered these...kumquats? Is that the right word? They're like tiny bitter oranges. Really refreshing:

Enjoyed some sushi at Miyako--this place features a female sushi maker and is one of my fave spots in Orange County. Plus I love how one order of nigiri is THREE pieces!

And got my haircut by Christina Sanchez. I definitely have an appreciation for someone who constantly wants to learn in their field and Christina is always growing. I know Paul thinks I'm hypocritical that I'd pay almost any rate to get a good haircut when to him I apparently berate him when he forgets to use a coupon when he goes to Great Clips or cringe when he asks me to pick up his fancy Neutrogena shampoo for him--as if I'm saying "oh? did the Suave knock-off I got you at the Dollar Store run out?" But honestly when you have hair like mine, it requires mad skills to make it look decent for a wash-and-wear girl like me. And Christina has them. And frankly for her skill, I feel she is currently a bargain, as she manages to tame my coarse hair and cut it so it doesn't look so ker-razy.

Plus she also is the proprietor and creative force behind Le Modern Trinket. I love how she upcycles vintage pieces into art you can wear. She let me buy this one (it's a vintage Bakelite domino ring!) when I was getting my haircut (you can get your own at her shop):

A fruitful day in SoCal!

Locks of love

The girl finally agreed to a haircut (I think the heat/humidity here influenced the decision) IF she could could donate her hair to Locks of Love. Fortunately, our local Great Clips knows the procedure and the girl hopped into the chair:

Don't worry, that disdainful expression is the apparent embarrassment I cause her by wanting to record these precious moments, not at losing her hair.

The minimum donation is 8 inches--at this length, Locks of Love apparently sells the hair and collects the proceeds. At 10 inch donations, they apparently actually use the donated hair for the actual hair prosthetics for the kids. The girl wanted to go the 10 inches. Here are her donations:

And here's my girl with a sweet new do!

End of Days

Apparently the world was supposed to end today.  I should have guessed that the sign of the Apocalypse would be when a former Governor of California would be able to share the belt, if not take the Top DonkeyHole Husband title outright away from Tiger Woods.  Arnold Schwarzenegger who has been rumored to be a womanizer for decades, topped the whispers when he confessed to having a love child with his housekeeper, who was pregnant at the same time his wife was pregnant with their youngest son. Worse? There may be more...

Anybody else think Tiger is going to do amazing this year now?

Yeesh, for what it's worth, the world didn't end today.  Which possibly means one thing--there are worse DonkeyHole husbands out there than Schwarzenegger.  Blech.  Start storing fresh water reserves now...

Happy Birthday Annabelle

I remember wishing for a little brother forever. I got a sister.

Everyone was thrilled.

Especially me. 

Happy Birthday Annabelle--I love you so much.  I'm the luckiest to have a sister like you.

Happy Birthday Joanne

Happy Birthday to a great friend I've known since college in New York--Joanne!

As a fun reminder of time gone by, I thought I'd share some memories when she was in The Hot Corn Girls.

Anyone still have this issue of Sound Views? From 1995?

Of course not! But in case you're de-cluttering and happen upon it, you'd find an interview with The Hot Corn Girls and a pic of Joanne on bass:

And of course there was a review from the illustrious Village Voice from their show at Continental:

Text:

Hot Corn Girls: Joanne broadcasts her bottomed-out bass transmissions with the unbridled energy of a certified punk rock dream come true.  And she doesn't even have to sing-that's squealing, squawking Bob's job.  Together they're half of the local Hot Corn Girls, whose raw, spiky rock bursts off the stage like an early Buzzcocks' single or a No. 6 train incendiary device.  Continental. (Stovall)

 Joanne, now a happily married mom and teacher in Connecticut, I know you still rock.  And yeesh, you haven't aged at all.  Happy Birthday, you ageless wonder.

First Day

Upon landing in SoCal at 1 in the afternoon, my first target: Native Foods

Bonus: Linda treating me to lunch there.  She was thrilled to take me there. Well actually, I'm paraphrasing. Her actual words were more like, "There is no way in hell I'd ever come here if I hadn't promised to bring you here for your birthday. I mean, what is this stuff anyway?!" To which I replied, "Shhhh. Just savor your sub sandwich made with wheat gluten balls...Heavenly, right?"

By evening, got a rubdown at O La La and chowed down at Vy Da with K & V :

The only mistake: trying on possible new clothes. Worse: swim suits. Worst: my friends' corroborating-honest-reaction gasps as I tried on stuff and consoled me by saying well, wear what you have, at least it works!. If the winking emoticon with the arms out for hugs had a sound, I believe I heard it in their voices. On the plus side, I'm motivated to work out in the morning. How many minutes on the elliptical to lose 10 inches of poundcake off this frame? Fingers crossed that 20 will do it!

Great start to what should be a wonderful week. Because honestly, so much more than a complimentary swimsuit, I miss seeing my friends. And eating delicious SoCal food. My aim is to do a lot of both.

Tomorrow, another bonus: haircut.

Off To SoCal

Tomorrow I depart at the crack of dawn to catch a flight to Southern California for my friends' wedding. So excited to see folks and eat food. Hopefully plenty of both!

Note to self: No more of this peanut spread

This is AWFUL:

Do not ever buy or ingest it again. It tasted like all those special ingredients that scientist warn will cause cancer. The texture was what you imagine termite vomit might be like. Yes, you think Walden Farms caramel sauce isn't too bad but this is NOT that sauce. Additionally, if someone recommends this, make a mental note not to trust that person's taste in food ever again. They have obviously lost all taste bud faculties.

Highlights from Mother's Day

For Mother's Day--I enjoyed one of my favorite dinners--sashimi and sushi!

Definitely a treat! We went to dinner on Friday night because I like to avoid the crowds on actual Mother's Day.

On Saturday, I enjoyed an Intro to Quilting class at a local sewing shop:

Surprisingly, I was the youngest one there by about 20 years. I kind of thought this was one of the skills one is supposed to pick up early on in life. It was definitely an intro class, explaining the basic concepts of quilting and how to use a rotary cutter. After 4 hours, here is what I had to show for it:

I'm going to confess that I'm a little daunted by quilting.

On the more productive side, I finally went through my hundreds of CDs:

And sorted some for donation, and put the ones that made the cut into these binders:

Now here's my next conundrum--I've been buying most of my current music as mp3s--should I still burn a backup CD to file in here?

And on Sunday morning, surprisingly, we woke up craving breakfast food prepared by somebody else and attempted to go to the Original Pancake House. What a mistake--because, duh! It was Mother's Day. The line was out the door. We tried another place, Cafe Strudel, but also line out the door. We ended up trying the brunch offering at a local natural food market, Rosewood Market--and surprise, no line at all!

I enjoyed their tofu scramble, vegan grits, tempeh "bacon", and vegan biscuit with nutritional yeast gravy:

Hope all the Moms out there had a great day!