Going Gaga

Maggie and I started Valentine’s Day much the same way we start most weekend days. She sits in her chair in the kitchen, throwing whatever she can get her hands on and I putter about or just plop down at the table with the crossword. We always have tunes and it HAD BETTER be the Maggie Mix, which is a collection of pop tunes that we downloaded for her birthday party last year. The first song is Single Ladies, Maggie’s favorite and it continues from there. She is delighted.


Valentine’s Day was a little different from other Sunday’s, though, because we had the visiting rugby players staying with us. I kept Maggie away from the pots and pans that she likes to throw so the boys could sleep. I was cooking away preparing for the consumption of mass quantities by the guys. The music was on, but a bit lower than usual. We were enjoying ourselves even if Maggie was limited to throwing the less than satisfying dishtowels.

I heard someone coming down the stairs and said, Maggie, here comes Dad. I poured coffee into the stupid heart mug I bought and said loudly “Happy Valentine’s Day, Dad. I heard a strange voice say,” No, it’s Aaron.” Aaron went to bed earlier than everyone else the night before and was up early too. I offered him coffee but told him he could not use Steve’s cup. He did not seem phased by that. Go figure.

He greeted Maggie and she just smiled at him. I realized this pop music was playing and explained that we have to listen to this because it is the Maggie Mix. He said, “I like this Music, Maggie, this is Lady Gaga, isn’t’ it? “

Maggie’s reaction was instantaneous and delightful. When she heard him say Lady Gaga, she whipped her head around to him and grinned from ear to ear. It was as if she was saying, “Ok, you’re cool” while at the same time basking in the attention from her older brother’s friend. It was a very "teenage girl" moment and four days later it’s still making me smile

It was a moment of normalcy in my very abnormal world.


P.S. February 18 is my dad’s birthday and I miss him. He is looking down on us and smiling. However, he would not have liked Lady Gaga.

Also I need suggestions for Maggie Mix 2, because her birthday is fast approaching

The morning after

Ahhh, Tuesday morning after a long weekend. I can finally relax. Maggie was off to school and I was enjoying a cup of coffee and a telephone chat with my sister. I was looking out the front window as we talked marveling at all the parking places. That never happens except on street cleaning day. OH CRAP. It is the 3rd Tuesday of the month. I hung up on my sister mid sentence and yelled for Steve. Both cars are parked on the street cleaning side and the cop was working his way down the street. I ran around looking for my purse and ran outside assuming I was too late. However, Steve managed to get to the guy before he wrote the ticket for my car. Steve’s car was already nailed. I prefer to think we SAVED $63 because we only got one ticket.

So much for the quiet morning.


It is a fitting end to a wacky weekend. The Olympics, a dinner party, a visiting rugby team, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year and visiting with friends. It was nonstop.

On Friday night, Maggie suddenly lost a tooth we did not even know was loose. That was freaky, but fine. At least she did not choke on it this time. Saturday was a big dinner party here with my mom, sister, brother, niece and her friend. They came over because Tim and a bunch of his rugby teammates were coming and we decided to make it a party. Just as I was putting the food in the oven, Tim called and said they might have pizza and might miss dinner. Ok, I am pretty flexible, but that was a bit much. Are six large hungry men coming to dinner after their rugby game or not? It makes a huge difference in the amount of food. I opted to cook it all anyway, because I figured they would probably eat whenever they showed up. They arrived just as we were finishing so we all moved into the living room and had a second seating for dinner. Yes, they had pizza and yes, they wanted dinner. The food was consumed. They were effusive in their praise, one saying he had not had a meal that good since Thanksgiving. That is nice, but they live in something akin to a fraternity house, cook for themselves and eat a lot of Top Ramen.

All six stayed here and on Valentine’s morning, I made 18 eggs and three lbs of bacon and a loaf of bread and sent them off to their game against USF. Steve and I spent a romantic Valentine’s afternoon at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park watching the match. It was very entertaining and Nevada won big. I am still unclear on all the rules of this game, but running into one another at high speeds is a huge part of it.

Monday I met some friends for lunch, which is always fun and watched the Olympics all weekend. I absolutely love the short track skating. It is so exciting. All the speed skating is great as is the skiing. After that luge catastrophe, I could not bring myself to watch that. Unlike most Americans, or at least American women, I do not like all the figure skating. I do like the individual stuff at the end, but the pairs and the Ice dancing just does not do it for me.

My friend Grace called and stopped over for a visit. She lives in New York, but is here visiting her mom for Chinese New Year. She has a new cookbook coming out in May called Stir Frying to the Sky’s Edge (check out pre reviews here (http://books.simonandschuster.com/Stir-Frying-to-Sky's-Edge/Grace-Young/9781416580577) Looks like another winner. I am going to buy a copy for next time the Rugby team comes over.

For now, I think I will just pay the parking ticket and rejoice that there weren’t two.