you alright?

while in london a few weeks ago, i noticed that friendly folks here and there were asking me if i was alright. "you alright?" they'd ask. or maybe, "are you okay?" i don't know about you, but i was really starting to think that maybe i had a large pustule on my face. or perhaps i looked quite lost. or maybe, just maybe, i looked so stupid that they couldn't help but ask me if i was okay since i could be a damsel in distress in need of rescuing.

this question got asked of me one too many times, and i began to get suspicious. either there really WAS something visibly wrong with me, or it was an idiosyncrasy of british english rather than american english. i asked a very nice british guy named jake (a talented and hilarious artist) if i was going crazy or what.

he kindly informed me that "you alright?" is a kind of british way of saying "how you doin'?" AH! problem solved. we had a long talk about all the ways that british and american english are entirely different. like "lift" and "loo" instead of elevator and bathroom. it's funny that although we're technically speaking the same language, "to get pissed" there is to get drunk, while here it is to get angry. hm.

well, here's an obligatory photo of t 'n' me in front of the tower bridge.

walking the dog

this accidental photo of jane and s was taken at sunset the other day... gives new meaning to the phrase "walking the dog," doesn't it?

it's my 34th birthday and we're still chilling at the lake. we celebrated at dinnertime saturday night with my favorite cake- triple chocolate, what else? i am so predictable. my gram, my little brother and kate, and my folks were here. they gave me lovely jewelry, a cookbook, and what else? chocolate. hey, a gift of chocolate to me is a guaranteed success.

t and i are separately, and in 2 states, preparing for our thursday trip to london. no, no, it's not a fun sightseeing trip this time, but a working trip. he and i are flying separately, then meeting up at the airport. we'll only be there 4 days, and most of that time will be at the STAR WARS CELEBRATION EUROPE where he will be displaying his limited edition star wars print. it will be so nice to see my love again after a couple of weeks apart!

what a trip

a week ago tomorrow, we started out on our annual trip to michigan to stay with my folks at their place on lake michigan. when i say "we" i mean the kids, the dog, and me. t stays home and slams down as much work as possible in the month that we're gone. he keeps meaning to come with us, but work keeps getting in the way.

my dad, who is retired, is kind enough to fly to nc then drive a minivan full of madness through 5 states back to his own home, delivering us safely to grandma. what a guy, huh? let's hear it for my dad.

we started out on my almost-bald tires, but when we discovered that there would be rain in the mountains of west virginia, a detour to discount tire was in order. this, of course, set us back a couple of hours and several hundred dollars (not to mention a pleasant 2 hour walk around a shady parking lot with 2 kids and a dog), but we kept on trucking. 8 hours of driving, and we were through akron, ohio, and decided to stop at a motel. finding one that took dogs proved to be a little tricky, but the shady-looking motel6 said okay, so there we camped. turns out it was a "ho"-tel with lovely ladies turning LOUD tricks in the next room. good thing dad didn't have his hearing aids in.

on the road again on friday morning, we realized that after many stops and many walks, the dog still hadn't done her business. not any kind of business. well, you can't force a dog to go, so we just stopped every couple of hours and let her walk, but to no avail. 15 minutes before reaching our destination, the dog finally couldn't hold her bladder any longer, and the splashing noise coming from the back of the van could only mean one thing.

for the past week, we have had a great time playing with my older brother, nephew and niece who are close in age to my kids. here's a pic of the cousins:



and here's a pic of me with my BIG little brother and my little big brother.




everybody (but us) left today, so it's a little quieter around here.