A Letter to My Daughter, 03/12

Dear Emmeline:

Seven years old. How is that even possible? Everyone says that time passes more quickly as you get older, which is most definitely true. But nothing makes time speed by at such a ridiculous rate as having a child and watching her grow up. Sometimes, my heart aches for the little-bitty girl that you used to be, just as I know that, several years from now, I'll long to have the seven-year-old back.

This has been a big year for you. The tooth fairy has now visited our house six times, and you're quite the snaggle-puss. You recently discovered that the tooth fairy had left one of your teeth behind, secreted in a box I fill with mementos of your childhood, and you were quite confused until I told you that I'd explained to her that I thought it would be nice to keep one of your teeth for you. You accepted this grudgingly but wanted to know if the tooth fairy wanted her money back, seeing as how she didn't get to keep the tooth.

Mardi Gras 2012

I'm officially exhausted, after going to 24 out of the 26 parades. God, do I love Mardi Gras. And I know there's lots of discussion out there about people being too territorial on the parade route, but I have to confess, I'm a parade junkie and love getting as close as possible.

How close? Close enough to almost get hit in the face with a tuba by St. Aug, close enough to catch beads from Bret Michaels, and close enough to interact with the flambeaux. I would like to add, however, that no tarps, caution tape, roped-together ladders, parade chairs, or any other barriers were used to make sure I had a good spot. If you want to be up front for all of the action, then you actually need to get there early and be up front.  Nothing makes me crazier than the people who lay 12 ladders down next to each other on the parade route hours ahead of time and then don't actually stand in "their" spot until the parades start rolling.

Chasing Indians

How to Piss People Off During Mardi Gras

Decide that not only do you need to clearly mark your own space on the parade route on Bacchus Sunday, when most of the Saturday parades are also having to roll, but that you need to do so with a tarp that is clearly a lot larger than the six people in your group need. These people hogged that much space all day long so that their kid could play football during parade breaks.

The Tide is Turning

Divided Court Rejects Proposition 8
A federal appeals court has declared California's 2008 voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, concluding that the prohibition served no purpose other than to "lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians."

Another Time and Place - Dave Von Ronk

When first I met you years ago
In another time and place
The thought came to my mind
I'd never seen a kinder face

Dear 2012

You know what? So far, you really suck and have me on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Is this what you had in mind? Is this payback for not (really) believing in that whole Mayan calendar thing:?

Let's recount what's happened so far this year, shall we? On day what, 39 or something? Of 365?