The Gap Is it striking to anyone else that when you see all of the footage at the Superdome in N.O., almost everyone who ended up there is black while almost everyone being triaged at the airport/makeshift hospital is white? Not to diminish their suffering. It is real and tragic and horrible. But this hurricane is showing us what we have always known, but what we rarely choose to talk about. I wish the media would just come out and say it so that we could acknowledge it, and then someone in the government would have to take responsibility for it. Not to preach. I am just as guilty living in comfort with three meals a day, a car, a job, etc... too many toys for my daughter. Cable television for me and my husband. I just want the country as a whole to own up to the epidemic problem of poverty and socio-economic disparity that is all around almost all of us every day - especially those of us in big cities. We have just come to accept it, and I think that's horribly, horribly wrong.Sorry for the downer. I'll get back to toddler talk very soon. The Gap

Is it striking to anyone else that when you see all of the footage at the Superdome in N.O., almost everyone who ended up there is black while almost everyone being triaged at the airport/makeshift hospital is white? Not to diminish their suffering. It is real and tragic and horrible. But this hurricane is showing us what we have always known, but what we rarely choose to talk about. I wish the media would just come out and say it so that we could acknowledge it, and then someone in the government would have to take responsibility for it. Not to preach. I am just as guilty living in comfort with three meals a day, a car, a job, etc... too many toys for my daughter. Cable television for me and my husband. I just want the country as a whole to own up to the epidemic problem of poverty and socio-economic disparity that is all around almost all of us every day - especially those of us in big cities. We have just come to accept it, and I think that's horribly, horribly wrong.

Sorry for the downer. I'll get back to toddler talk very soon.

Rehearsing for her new back up singer job. What the...? Originally uploaded by Mamaramma. Rehearsing for her new back up singer job.

What the...?
Originally uploaded by Mamaramma.

I Like the Way You Move Is it parental pride or plain old neediness that makes me do the things I do. Maya had her first check-up with her new Las Vegan (I have no idea if she's a vegan or not, but I'll make a point to ask next time) pediatrician. She's going down the checklist asking me all the relevant questions - I have no good answers for the questions she asks.DR: Does she have a good appetite?Me: No, not unless eating for about 3 minutes a day constitutes a good appetite. (And it's 90% mac and cheese, people. KRAFT mac and cheese. ) Dr: Does she eat green vegetables?Me: (I'm trying to remember the last time she didn't spit a vegetable out of her mouth of any color) No, not very much.Dr.: Does she drink a lot of water or juice in the day?Me: Like, 4 oz. (But she nurses the life force out of me -does that count for anything? I drink LOTS of water a day and still go to bed feeling dehydrated. The water must go straight from the Brita to my belly to my breasts to Maya to her heavy diapers, and sometimes if I've forgotten to hide the garbage, to our dog.)When it becomes obvious that she's not going to ask me the questions I WANT to answer, I just offer it up.Me: But she knows, like, 150 words, 30 phrases or sentences, can sing the alphabet song and can count to ten. Dr: Mmmhmmm. Well, I'm going to send someone in to test the iron in her blood, and then we'll see you again at 18 months. Then I just feel plain stupid. Somehow, Maya eked by the whole iron test. She must be getting some from the dog food she steals or she's getting take out at night while we sleep, cause I can't remember the last time she ate anything with it. After being pricked and prodded, she grumpily tried to fall asleep in the car on the way home which is death to her home nap. So I kept her awake with some OutKast which she LOVES. She sung along, "I like waaaaaayy moooove" and I thought, she's doing OK. But maybe we'll start taking some vitamins. I Like the Way You Move

Is it parental pride or plain old neediness that makes me do the things I do. Maya had her first check-up with her new Las Vegan (I have no idea if she's a vegan or not, but I'll make a point to ask next time) pediatrician. She's going down the checklist asking me all the relevant questions - I have no good answers for the questions she asks.

DR: Does she have a good appetite?
Me: No, not unless eating for about 3 minutes a day constitutes a good appetite. (And it's 90% mac and cheese, people. KRAFT mac and cheese. )

Dr: Does she eat green vegetables?
Me: (I'm trying to remember the last time she didn't spit a vegetable out of her mouth of any color) No, not very much.

Dr.: Does she drink a lot of water or juice in the day?
Me: Like, 4 oz. (But she nurses the life force out of me -does that count for anything? I drink LOTS of water a day and still go to bed feeling dehydrated. The water must go straight from the Brita to my belly to my breasts to Maya to her heavy diapers, and sometimes if I've forgotten to hide the garbage, to our dog.)

When it becomes obvious that she's not going to ask me the questions I WANT to answer, I just offer it up.

Me: But she knows, like, 150 words, 30 phrases or sentences, can sing the alphabet song and can count to ten.

Dr: Mmmhmmm. Well, I'm going to send someone in to test the iron in her blood, and then we'll see you again at 18 months.

Then I just feel plain stupid.

Somehow, Maya eked by the whole iron test. She must be getting some from the dog food she steals or she's getting take out at night while we sleep, cause I can't remember the last time she ate anything with it.

After being pricked and prodded, she grumpily tried to fall asleep in the car on the way home which is death to her home nap. So I kept her awake with some OutKast which she LOVES. She sung along, "I like waaaaaayy moooove" and I thought, she's doing OK. But maybe we'll start taking some vitamins.

Vaccination Town Hello all. I'm realizing that it was a lot easier to keep up with my blogging life before I had a job! I haven't been able to catch up with most of you yet - and by most, I mean any and all! I haven't actually begun working yet, but I got a job at a Montessori preschool and Miss Maya gets to go there as well which makes it mucho mucho convenient for me. This week I've been going through the process of getting fingerprinted, licensed, etc. It wouldn't normally take so long, but I have a talent for getting lost, especially in new cities. In Chicago, the lake was always east. THERE'S NO LAKE HERE! So, forgive me. I know I've been remiss. Here's a current Maya shot to tide you over:Who doesn't do her hair?... ME! Vaccination Town

Hello all. I'm realizing that it was a lot easier to keep up with my blogging life before I had a job! I haven't been able to catch up with most of you yet - and by most, I mean any and all!
I haven't actually begun working yet, but I got a job at a Montessori preschool and Miss Maya gets to go there as well which makes it mucho mucho convenient for me. This week I've been going through the process of getting fingerprinted, licensed, etc. It wouldn't normally take so long, but I have a talent for getting lost, especially in new cities. In Chicago, the lake was always east. THERE'S NO LAKE HERE!
So, forgive me. I know I've been remiss.

Here's a current Maya shot to tide you over:



Who doesn't do her hair?... ME!

Were you wondering where I was??? It's been a long summer. From Chicago to Montana to Vegas to L.A. to Vegas again, we have traveled like happy, stinky soldiers. Wha? We have only now learned the value of budgeting and the pitfalls of having to drive all over the country with the current gas prices. Maya has grown and grown and grown. She's walking, she's singing the alphabet, she's counting to 13 (seems unlucky to me), she's learning to swim, she's studying Kabbalah... just kidding. Will survived his crazy Teaching Institute in L.A. and came out on top. He was selected out of 600 some people to deliver the commencement address, and is kind of amazing as I always knew he was. Today is his first day of school in Vegas. I've been the tag along support system through the summmer hiking like crazy in Montana and wondering what the hell to do with Maya, Ollie, and myself in West Hollywood, and now finally entering the world of the employed here in Vegas. Ollie doesn't know where she is, and is happy as long as she gets her standard 8 hours of napping a day.Here are some photos from our summer! Our first stop on the 3 DAY TRIP. It's tradition now. Wall Drug offers many delights......though Maya did not find this one so delightfulMiss Maya awakens. I'll have to finish this another time. Were you wondering where I was???

It's been a long summer. From Chicago to Montana to Vegas to L.A. to Vegas again, we have traveled like happy, stinky soldiers. Wha? We have only now learned the value of budgeting and the pitfalls of having to drive all over the country with the current gas prices. Maya has grown and grown and grown. She's walking, she's singing the alphabet, she's counting to 13 (seems unlucky to me), she's learning to swim, she's studying Kabbalah... just kidding. Will survived his crazy Teaching Institute in L.A. and came out on top. He was selected out of 600 some people to deliver the commencement address, and is kind of amazing as I always knew he was. Today is his first day of school in Vegas. I've been the tag along support system through the summmer hiking like crazy in Montana and wondering what the hell to do with Maya, Ollie, and myself in West Hollywood, and now finally entering the world of the employed here in Vegas. Ollie doesn't know where she is, and is happy as long as she gets her standard 8 hours of napping a day.

Here are some photos from our summer!



Our first stop on the 3 DAY TRIP.


It's tradition now.


Wall Drug offers many delights...


...though Maya did not find this one so delightful

Miss Maya awakens. I'll have to finish this another time.

we're still here! sorry this will be sloppy! i'm at a kinkos in bozeman, mt with a fussy maya on my lap (who took her first steps thursday!) and her happy time is fading fast! we have no internet access where we're staying and when will's not working, i try to spend as much time with him as possible - so getting away to a computer center is difficult right now! Anyway- i miss you all, and so much has happened. we're out of chjicago - drove three days out west where maya and ollie proved themselves to be excellent travelliung companions! stopped in deadwood and had dinner at the gem saloon. here in bozeman, will's working for shakespeare in the parks, and maya and i are getting in as much hiking as possible. it's so beautiful out here - i can't say enough about it. i'll post pictures later - much later. feeling healthy and happy and even a little tan! i'll try to check in soon! we're still here!

sorry this will be sloppy! i'm at a kinkos in bozeman, mt with a fussy maya on my lap (who took her first steps thursday!) and her happy time is fading fast! we have no internet access where we're staying and when will's not working, i try to spend as much time with him as possible - so getting away to a computer center is difficult right now! Anyway- i miss you all, and so much has happened. we're out of chjicago - drove three days out west where maya and ollie proved themselves to be excellent travelliung companions! stopped in deadwood and had dinner at the gem saloon. here in bozeman, will's working for shakespeare in the parks, and maya and i are getting in as much hiking as possible. it's so beautiful out here - i can't say enough about it. i'll post pictures later - much later. feeling healthy and happy and even a little tan! i'll try to check in soon!

Transition Hello all - Well, somehow we did it. We managed to fit a three bedroom apartment into a space that might, in any other situation, make a good sunroom... a SMALL sunroom. That sunroom was actually a Penske truck that is currently parked at some motel in Nebraska with my husband and father in law who are so kindly making the drive out to Las Vegas for the exciting reward of moving all that stuff into a storage facility. Hey! Nobody ever said we don't know how to live. it. up. Some people go to Vegas for the Strip and the gambling. My husband and his dad go for the good times that come with moving large heavy boxes and sleeper sofas. Question: if what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, are our future masters degrees going to be worth a damn in any other city? What if we have another baby there? I'd like to keep all my children. Thank God Maya happened in Chicago. I just feel so sad for her little brother or sister; I mean, I'm not staying in Vegas forever. I hope they like it! Now I'm sitting in my parents' basement while Maya probably is having nightmares about this new sleeping situation. She likes the familiar, my friend. She likes the familiar. We're here until Will flies back in on Friday at which point we'll all drive out to Montana. God love Will. Poor guy has to drive 27 hours to Vegas, fly back, and then drive 24 hours to Montana with, very likely, an unhappy baby, an uncomfortable dog, and a wife who will be engrossed in Travel Yahtzee. (Have you tried it? It's addicting, I tell you!)MOre news at 9:00 Transition

Hello all - Well, somehow we did it. We managed to fit a three bedroom apartment into a space that might, in any other situation, make a good sunroom... a SMALL sunroom. That sunroom was actually a Penske truck that is currently parked at some motel in Nebraska with my husband and father in law who are so kindly making the drive out to Las Vegas for the exciting reward of moving all that stuff into a storage facility. Hey! Nobody ever said we don't know how to live. it. up. Some people go to Vegas for the Strip and the gambling. My husband and his dad go for the good times that come with moving large heavy boxes and sleeper sofas.
Question: if what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, are our future masters degrees going to be worth a damn in any other city? What if we have another baby there? I'd like to keep all my children. Thank God Maya happened in Chicago. I just feel so sad for her little brother or sister; I mean, I'm not staying in Vegas forever. I hope they like it!
Now I'm sitting in my parents' basement while Maya probably is having nightmares about this new sleeping situation. She likes the familiar, my friend. She likes the familiar. We're here until Will flies back in on Friday at which point we'll all drive out to Montana. God love Will. Poor guy has to drive 27 hours to Vegas, fly back, and then drive 24 hours to Montana with, very likely, an unhappy baby, an uncomfortable dog, and a wife who will be engrossed in Travel Yahtzee. (Have you tried it? It's addicting, I tell you!)
MOre news at 9:00

Moving P5110005 Originally uploaded by Mamaramma. Proof positive that things are moving along. Don't have much time to update here, but I wanted to check in and say... I'm not dead! I should have more time to update next week when I'm at my parents' for the week! Moving

P5110005
Originally uploaded by Mamaramma.

Proof positive that things are moving along. Don't have much time to update here, but I wanted to check in and say... I'm not dead! I should have more time to update next week when I'm at my parents' for the week!