Talkin' Bout My Generation

I haven't posted in a while because I always feel that I have nothing to say and too much to say at the same time, and not enough time to put together a cohesive thought.

I was listening to Kurt Cobain today and thinking about how sort of weird it is to be a 40 year old mom who likes Kurt Cobain. I can't totally explain that in a way that seems completely consistent and logical, all I can tell you is I really, really like him and Nirvana. I don't listen to Nirvana all the time, but when I'm in the right mood, it's kind of the perfect thing. And I also still totally love so much of the music from my growing up years. The Clash, Psychedlic Furs, The Cure, The Smiths, New Order, Violent Femmes - these are all some of my favorite things in life.

Kurt Cobain came along and rocked my world when I was already married and had a little baby, but Depeche Mode and The Thompson Twins were the soundtrack of my youth.

Sometimes I feel like revisiting my childhood, and I put Earth Wind & Fire, Andy Gibb and Stevie Wonder on replay, and that feels nice too. That feels like 6th grade at the roller skating rink on a friday night.

Wham and Boy George feel like saturday night at the dance club with the scent of Le Sport perfume in the air and neon everywhere.

Janes Addiction feels like "Plastique" in Provo and high heeled witch boots with long fake pearls and glitter on my cheeks.

Kurt Cobain feels like ripped jeans and reading on rainy days.

Being a part of generation x is a little strange.

I would not have been caught dead listening to my mom's music when I was in jr. high or high school. My mom's music mostly consisted of a heavy rotation of Elvis. My mom loves Mr. Presley in a big way. I thought he was cool until I was about 10 and then I abandoned Elvis for The BeeGees.

But my kids, 1 part of generation y, and 2 millennials, don't mind my music at all. Which seems weird - but makes me happy.

I mean Holden does definitely roll his eyes if I've got the Bonnie Pointer on - but The Cure or The Smiths he listens to almost as often as I do. In fact The Smiths seems to be making a bit of a comeback among his friends - as though they are just discovering something really cool for the first time. But I found them first.

And although I do not particularly love some of Holden's music - it has a harsh edge and not enough melody for my liking at times - I find we agree more often than we disagree. And sometimes I am listening to something new that I love and Holden will say "Who is this?" and my reply might be "Modest Mouse" or "Badly Drawn Boy" - and Holden will raise an eyebrow at me and say "oh...I like those guys". Which makes me smile inside. Which makes me feel that although many parts of me are 'mom-like' and dorky, maybe there is still a remnant of cool deep inside me.

Announcement

There's a new Shando Blog - read there to see what mexican psychos, tired old ladies and a slightly wonky Mickey Mouse all have in common.

Because I was Bored*...

(*Bored usually means avoiding work, chores or errands and should not be confused with actual boredom, which I haven't experienced in years)

1. Go to www.deviantart.com
2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box
3. Use only the first page
4. Right click the image and go to Image Properties.
5. Copy the URL of the image.
6. Paste it just like you'd paste any image into a comment.

1. what's your first name?

2. what's your favorite candy?

3. what's your relationship status?

4. what's your favorite color?

5. who is your celebrity crush?

6. what band/person did you listen to most recently?

7. favorite movie?

8. favorite disney character?

9. what kind of pets do you have?

10. dream vacation?

11. favorite dessert?

12. Brand of clothes or shoes you're wearing right now?

13. One of the words that describes your personality?

14. favorite foods?

15. favorite time of day?

16. favorite tv show?

Sunset at Rocky Point

Sunset at Rocky Point
Originally uploaded by SeenOnce.

Dude, What could be better than Sunset at Rocky Point?

BOOKING A VACATION to ROCKY POINT!

I'm very happy about it.

Sun, Reading, Fresh Shrimp, Beach, Sand, Water, Breeze, Sunsets, Burritos, Shopping on the beach....

Can't wait for May 23rd.

Art Quilts

One of my best memories growing up is helping my grandma and my mother quilt. I loved the actual quilting part of quilting. Frankly, I think I'm half way decent at it. I think it's sort of sad that no one learns to actually quilt anymore. Every time they teach the girls in Young Women's to "quilt" all they do is teach them to tie a blanket. That's not a quilt!

I understand it though. Quilting is a bit of a lost art because it takes a lot of time to make all those tiny stitches. A lot of women who make quilts these days don't even hand stitch their quilts anyway - they construct and design them and then they "quilt" them on a machine. Eventually, I will be one of those old ladies who says annoying things like "I remember when we had to do all of this by hand". I used to love to quilt and to do embroidery. I can't remember the last time I did either, I just don't have the time.

I like to imagine that someday when I am older and life is less busy I will have time for these things again - I don't know if this will actually happen or not, but it would be nice. It would give me something to do while Kirk paints.

I grew up with very traditional quilting patterns like the wedding ring and the log cabin. But I love a lot of the new art quilts who have taken the traditional patterns and turned them on their head.

The only problem is that I can't sew the quilt together. I have absolutely no patience with a sewing machine. I always end up breaking the needles or jacking it up with a big wad of thread somehow. I am massively impatient with a sewing machine. I love the quilting part and the designing and picking out colors part, but the cutting and sewing and ironing part? There, I am a total disaster.This may ultimately stand in the way of me quilting as a hobby. But aren't these art quilts cool?