NKOTB reunion

For the first time in months, I favored the Today show over Noggin where it was announced this morning that New Kids on the Block are reuniting.  They all still look cute.  I don't know if my mom-vision has prejudiced my eyes.  I recently realized that my leading-man crushes have crept up the time line.  I find George Clooney wicked sexy where I was once like '...skip the old guy and show me Matt Damon!'  I never noticed how dreamy a well-worked tuxedo could be.

I hate reunion shows.   The main deterrent isn't the hell I would get from my friends or the fact that I would probably have to go alone. I don't want to look around me and see myself in the wistful, reminiscing eyes of the other women my age nor do I want to see the people who might show up seeking some irony or kitsch in something I used to love. I once worked with a girl who was 7 or 8 years younger than me.  She would wear an old New Kids t-shirt that she probably found at a thrift store.  It was the same shirt I used to have in high school.  Suffice to say, I didn't find it clever.   

[Side Note: When exactly did the t-shirt trend switch from ironic wit to elitist disdain? I remember when people would only wear band t-shirts to support a group they liked.] 

Perhaps, my memories are too dear to challenge with a revival.  

My very first concert was the New Kids (No More Games). The fever hit me late. When Hangin' Tough dropped, I was a huge metalhead. My sister and I would make fun of the girls who liked New Kids.  But then, I don't know what happened...it was my sophomore year at a new school...my best friend was dying her hair magenta and trying to turn me on to The Cure...and I was taping NKOTB on Oprah.  My friends thought I had microwaved my brain.  

I have enduring love for the unabashed predictability and the cotton candy harmonies of the boy band. The incomparable Jackson 5 was a boy band.  New Edition was a boy band.  The Maurice Starr oeuvre of new editions and kids was followed by the managerial touch of the even sleazier Lou Pearlman.  Funnier even than this quote,  "I got involved with Chippendales before Backstreet and it's Chippendales and New Kids on the Block that gave me the idea to pursue Backstreet.", is the fact that he created a band and then created their own competition! (Backstreet Boy and then N'Sync).  God, there is a lifetime of scandal, innuendo and synchronized dance moves in the boy band niche!   It's yummier than a waxed pec! 

Blockheads may be the new Fanilows... ( http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/04/03/dear-new-kids-on-the-block-fans-aka-blockheads/ ) ...we shall see if Vegas has a permanent stage for them to hurl their panties.  Until then, and unless Tiffany is opening for them again, my memories of the New Kids are good enough for me.  Probably.

Time to shine

I start taking appointments for facials and limited waxing on Monday.  I'm excited that I'll be liberated from my home for two working days. I am also glad to finally be using all this knowledge and skill to make people smooth. I am still really nervous.  No one expects me to be perfect right out of the starting gate.  Most of the pressure is coming from myself.  I just want to do a good job and I'm really not ready to be thrust back into a service industry.  In any service industry, every mistake you make is a reason to call a manager.  And in this occupation, every single hair remaining on a waxed leg is a big mistake.  One single hair could damage my reputation.  Think about that.

Last night, the babe slept in her crib from 9something to 5:30 this morning.  I couldn't sleep at all.  I checked her breathing every couple hours.  I really missed her.  I'm glad she is ready for this important step.  I'll try to match my newborn's courage and leap into the unknown with grace.

Nap time

This post is my first real-time nap blog.  The babe is down, after fighting me all day.  She made it to 4:30 with a mere hour of sleep under her figurative belt.  Oh, why do the wee ones dread naps so much?  When she stirs, I'll publish.

I had wax training yesterday.  I thought I bungled my facial.  Yikes! Get hairy. If you live in the area, you are going to be my guinea pig. You may tremble, you may yell but, you will thank me when I'm done! More later.  The babe bellows...

Chet and Dot

I can't stop haunting this shop!  Everything is so precious.

 

Coffee sweaters!  So affordable and utilitarian.  They are made even more brilliant by the fact that they are customized from recycled sweaters.  Just slip one onto a re-usable container and you're Al Gore's darling.

How much do I want one of these!  So much that I put an exclamation mark at the end of a question!  I would totally gift this to a sewer.  It includes a tape measure and pincushion with coordinating pins.  Bonus: The box is twee, too! 

Cuted-up clippies.  Once the babe has hair, she will need these.  

Shop is here

They Might Be Giants Podcast

For the young and young at heart!

The babe and I were searching for some tunes in our music library today. The slow, lullaby jams are our daily. (Btw, I highly recommend Azure Ray, Pinback, The Album Leaf, Early Day Miners and Sigur Ros. It really isn’t necessary to listen to Mozart unless you crave it. I think variety expands their noggins anyway.) Anyhow. this was the first occasion where I was looking for something danceable. Until now, it was never a good idea to add any spice to my infant’s day. She arrived saucy! But tummy time and mobile chasing lost their charm without yawns. Today, the babe was ready for more.

Where would you go first? They Might Be Giants just seemed the obvious choice. They’re fun, they’re frisky, they’ve actually covered educational songs. The babe worked it out to "The Statue Got Me High". It made her so happy that I thought I might look around and see if they have done anything new. Not that they had to but, they have made CDs and DVDs specifically for kids. They also have a podcast which includes a special Friday night edition just for children and families. Puppet involvement makes it irresistible! 

You can clicky at itunes for freebies and they’re website takes you to all the fun places where their stuff is.

 

http://theymightbegiants.com/ 

Our generation is doing things their own way, especially with music. I kinda like that TMBG bridges the gap between puerile infant junk and things with more sophistication. I’m not quite ready to expose my PYT to certain themes. For example, I used to love singing her to sleep with "My Mother was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" until it occurred to me that one day soon she might ask: "Mommy, what’s a brothel?’ or even worse: "Grammy, what’s a prostitute?". I realized that I wanted her innocence intact. She’ll have to be at least 3 before she hears that again. :)

I Write the Songs

Another step forward into my babe-induced dorkiness.  I invent songs now.  Bad songs.  I only sing them because they make her smile.

Months ago, my fellow mommy friend confessed to me that she did this.  "I'll never do that," I thought.  "I'm too self-conscious."  Show me a self-conscious mother and I'll show you a gnome on a leprechaun on a woman who hates shoes!  It would seem that nobody's opinion of me is more important than my daughter's smile.

So you won't be surprised if you hear:

"You've Got No Pants"

"You Aren't Wearing Any Pants Right Now [Papa remix]"

or

"Let Me Wipe Your Mouth (With a Burp Cloth, Girl)"

Sunday

I had my second facial interview yesterday.  My technique was a tad Jack Tripper.  I was obviously out of practice.  It was understandable that I was awkward with the products and the unfamiliar environment...I mean you don't just throw heated hand mitts at a girl and not expect a little slapstick.  I'm convinced that the esthetician who received the facial noticed every amateurish mistake I made.  She was generous when I asked her how I did.  She said my pressure was really good.  

She is supposed to give me a facial next.  One of the many perks of this job,...this is actually part of my training.  The store manager is going to call to arrange my next training.  I am assuming that I am hired.  It is hard to tell.  Since day one I have felt completely at home but nothing official has been done to hire me.  

A. panicked a little bit when I told him I wasn't feeling any pressure to find a job.  I had to explain that it just means that the way I look at things has changed so much since getting pregnant and quitting my job.  I realize that I can trust myself to move ahead.  Change is scary. The things that have happened for me in the past year have been anything but.  I feel like I am just starting to live with purpose.  So far, I have been able to check several things off of my 5 year plan.  My recent good fortune just makes me feel like I can accomplish all of it!