Most recent journal entry

Previous journal entries:

7/22/2002: Summer Grunts
7/9/2002: Thank You Excedrin
6/15/2002: Father's Day and Junior Policemen
5/8/2002: Time Insanity
4/9/2002: Good Friends and a Weekend Getaway
1/30/2002: Runaway Day
1/19/2002: Ready to walk
12/16/2001: Ornaments
12/6/2001: Galpals
9/25/2001: Flags
9/7/2001: BabyBabyBaby
8/9/2001: Moving
6/25/2001: Sleeping through the night
6/21/2001: Why Website?

Catching up a bit, since it's been so busy lately that there's been no time to think, it feels like. First I was painting some art props for our local chapter of Moms of Twins to use at the National Convention (held in San Jose three weekends ago), then Allison was visiting before ConChord in LA (we went and saw some of the sights at least), then we drove down to LA for Conchord, went to Disneyland for a day, drove back, flopped about for a day or two before Allison went home, then Paul and I and the boys drove _back_ down to LA for Paul's Dad's 80th birthday celebration this past weekend, then Paul's dad came up to visit us and spend time with the boys for a few days, and we drove around even more. Crazy, really, so much driving with two 18 month-olds, but they're really good about it.

Towards the beginning of all this Paul went and splurged on a cool little digital camera for me. So needless to say I've been snapping away and man, is this camera fun; it's so small it fits in a pocket, it's fast and foolproof and takes surprisingly good photos considering the kind of photographer I am. So I'm going to be wallowing in a flurry of photos for awhile; hope you'll indulge me.

These photos are all from a day in San Francisco with Allison. Anyone who's an SF veteran would recognize all the places we went. People who live around the area tend to scoff at the usual tourist spots, but the fact is they're tourist spots _because_ they're unusual, scenic or fun. And there's really nothing wrong with that. There are of course less well-known places to go that give a whole different, possibly more genuine flavor of the place, but you know, if you never get to ride on the outside of the Powell/Hyde Street Cable Car or go down Lombard Street you're just missing out on experiences you can't get anywhere else in the world.

It's interesting to get to see the area where you live through someone else's eyes. I suspect that one of the overwhelming impressions that Allison went away with during all of our touring about was all the traffic in the Bay Area. I know I've complained about traffic before, but it made me cringe to spend so much of our precious time sitting in traffic trying to get to or from various places. She was very tolerant and tactful, as well as keeping the boys entertained as we sat, and man do I miss her!

One of the other things that I noticed more was the amount of attention that the boys get from total strangers just because they're twins. On one of our outings in Sausalito, we were approached by a Japanese couple who asked to have their photo taken with "the cute little blond children". I think they might have gotten a better photo if Casey had been less suspicious of them and more cooperative, but then again I'm not sure I want to discourage a wariness of strangers in either of the boys. It's a weird thing to deal with sometimes; people constantly come up to us and start talking to the boys and me because they're twins. It's as if they're somehow public property even more than a cute single baby is. I guess common sense and some feelers for the vibes these strangers give off is called for.

Touring around with the boys is a whole new experience though; I end up planning all around their schedules and adjusting my expectations of what to fit into a day. It's a new set of limitations, but it's fun in a different way, too. Not only do I end up meeting people who would never ordinarily have talked to me without the twins there as an icebreaker, but I get to see things through the boys' eyes, and they're pretty much excited by everything, since it's all new and different to them. They're so intrigued by the smallest things. Sticks are big with them right now, but maybe sticks are cool because they can find sticks anywhere, and they're recognizable. There's something comforting in finding familiar things when you're in a strange place, after all. We all look for familiar things in a new environment, one way or another.

I've just really been enjoying life through their eyes. I know that's a hackneyed cliche, but it's a lot like going to the tourist spots: who gives a damn what anybody else thinks; it's fun, it's a blast, and I am savoring all these little moments.