• Family Matters,  Super Dad

    Dude, we totally got a flat tire.

    Dude, we totally have a flat tire.

    Don’t you love Bug’s expression?

    It wasn’t very exciting though because we were close to home and I called my trusty Triple T insurance guy who came right out after he smoked three cigarettes and drank a cup of coffee. I only had to wait thirty minutes.* Not bad for a tow truck guy. He didn’t even have to tow us! He pulled out the super-mini, fancy-dancy Audi car jack thingy from the trunk, jacked up the car, pulled off the lug nut caps and fixed our tire right there on the spot. Without even reading the manual!!!

    Mr. Manly-Man

    It was so hott. I love a man who will rescue his wife in distress.

    Then we drove our car to the tire place with the dinky little spare tire. It was so cute next to the other big fat tires. I almost want to keep it. Except I can’t drive on the freeway with it and this spoiled my big plans to visit a friend in San Diego today. Blasted tire! Literally.

    7Days, Day 5: "Cold Waiting Room"

    This is me waiting in the tire store waiting room. (It’s my 7days photo.) The dog’s name is Beamer.

    What’s funny is I was just thinking to myself, probably yesterday or the day before, that I need to learn how to change a tire. I know it’s not that hard. I was even going to ask Toby to teach me. So I guess it was providential that the tire blew out today. I watched Toby carefully and except for the part about not stripping the lug nuts and being careful with the not-very-strong allen wrench, I feel pretty confident I could do it next time.

    us

    *I could be exaggerating.

  • Family Matters,  Niece-com-poops,  party party

    80’s Skate Party

    helping Bug skate

    My niece, Rapunzel (no, that’s not her real name), turned twelve yesterday and we celebrated by having an 80’s flashback party at the local roller rink. We didn’t wear old prom dresses and rock out to Depeche Mode (which I would have liked) but we did have a really good time skating and acting like a bunch of tweenagers. It took me back to my own tween days. Like totally.

    skates

    pals

    swirly

    We broke out the totally tubular glow bracelets and waved them around like we really didn’t care. I don’t know if glow bracelets were popular back in the 80’s. I sort of remember them at Disneyland…but they were super fun in the semi-darkness of the skanky skating rink that probably hasn’t been painted, re-carpeted or vacuumed since the 80’s. It’s such a dive. But we love it because of that.

    candy bar glow-cuffs

    candy bar

    The candy bar from Bug’s Rainbow Birthday made an appearance with some old school Now and Laters, candy dots and blow pops. They never go out of style.

    birthday girl

    lacing up holding up Bug

    Bug even skated a few laps with real big girl skates that actually rolled—unlike last time where she trudged around with wheel-locked skates. I need to take her more often so she gets the hang of it. I tried really hard to hold her up and push her around but it was murder on my back. I guess I’m not really a tweenager anymore.

    bday girl books!

    Rapunzel opened presents and we ate technicolored cupcakes that CC made by the light of a nearby coke machine and our many many glow bracelets.

    Martian Cake

    tweens

    V and Rapunzel

    the girl called Elmo

    me CC and her tweenager

    And then we skated, skated, skated until we smelled like sweat-balls from the 80’s and they turned the lights on and kicked us out.