I have a hair stylist!

I don't think I've had a regular hair stylist since high school.  I've just never particularly connected to anyone, so I get my hair cut as infrequently as possible.  I just tried a place near my new apartment, and I think I might stick around!

She was so nice, did a good job, but the clincher was when I told her I didn't want my hair blown dry because it's hot and my thick hair takes too long, she offered to braid it for me instead, two perfect braids and I felt like an absolute goddess.  I stupidly didn't take a picture until after I'd slept for a night, but you get the gist.  It's WAY better than anything I could do, what a cool bonus!

The next day my hair was dry, and the braids created waves as if I had a perm, so it's fun to have a series of styles for a few days.

First Trip To The Dentist!

The Up-Side of Politics

I really want to believe that politicians are good people, and in public service for the right reasons.  I really do, and it's got to be true of some of them.

I saw a clip of this speech before Memorial Day weekend, and embarrassingly, I had no idea who it was.  I was just listening to the words, amazed by the power and authenticity of this man.  Just check out the first couple minutes, it's worth it.  It's powerful and personal, and just like that, he has my admiration.

Golden Gate Park

I'm overdue in writing about my weekend in San Fran!  It was great to get away, but San Francisco was a little crazier than I expected.  The vibe was a little more gritty urban than I had imagined, it was not very relaxing.

The respite from this was spending a day at Golden Gate Park.  I love walking in parks, and this is one of the best there is.  It's 3 miles by .5 mile, which is 20% larger than Central Park in New York.  It has an epic amount of stuff in it, a Japanese tea garden, a large lake, windmills, ball fields, a fine arts museum.  We saw an amazing array of things, people riding around on Segways, a family of ducks, fields of lilies, people on horseback.  But the best part of it was just taking a few steps off of the main roads, and you're in wilderness.  Big beautiful trees, peace and quiet.  I didn't particularly enjoy San Francisco, but I was ready to move to be close to the park.

It also happens to border the Pacific Ocean, and it might have been my happiest hour of the weekend to lie down in the warm sand and sunshine, and listen to the waves.

Fun At Lauren's

These are some recent pictures of Ada and Logan at their preschool/daycare, including their recent birthday!  Great stuff Lauren.

I love how the perspective in this one makes Ada look about
six inches tall!

Quote of the Week

Me: Would you guys like to ride on a plane sometime?

Ada: I want to ride on a tractor.

Me: Ok, we can probably do that.  Do you want to ride on a plane sometime?

Ada: No, a tractor.

Lasagna!

It's not healthy, but it's easy, tasty and makes a ton!

• 1 box lasagna noodles, ready to bake variety
• 1 jar pasta sauce (I like to get some kind of basil and garlic variety), and you might like to have a second jar standing by.
• 1 egg
• 2 lbs. ricotta cheese
• 4 oz. romano or parmesan cheese
• A sprinkle of dried basil
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 pack pepperoni

1. Brown ground beef.
2. In a bowl, mix parmesan, ricotta, egg and basil.
3. Layer ingredients in pan: sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, ground beef, pepperoni, and mozzarella, repeat.  Top with a last layer of noodles, sauce, and mozzarella.
4. Cover with foil, bake at 375 for 45 minutes, uncover for 15 more.

Quote of the Week

Ada: "Mom, when I say 'more salsa,' you get me some.  [one second pause]   I need more mom!"

A Handy Tool Tip

I've discovered a really cool little application that you should download and start using immediately.  It's a password management tool, which doesn't sound that sexy.  But it's awesome. The concept is, you only have to remember one password, to get into the tool.  It remembers all your passwords, and you can doubleclick the one you want to move it to your clipboard and paste it where you need it.  So you never have to remember passwords, or even type them.  It also has a built in password generator, so you don't end up using 30 different variations of that lame password you made up years ago.

Ok, probably still doesn't sound sexy, but download it, throw a couple passwords in there, and see how you like it.  Download here, or here for macs.