Tickle · the · Pear

A couple of miles away there was a 7-11 which was demolished as the plot was purchased and slated for some other commercial development.  I had hoped that the two gorgeous cherry trees on the adjacent sidewalk would be spared but that was not the case.  Now it sounds like there is a general cherry tree apocalypse.
Washington, D.C.'s cherry trees will be removed after this season's festival
Stumpy’s last bloom: A beloved Tidal Basin cherry tree faces the ax

This is one of the rare years when the three Abrahamic holidays line up - Easter, Passover, and Ramadan are during the same spring.  I took out some of our Ramadan decor, including the Ramadan Advent calendar.  It has pockets for treats for each day.  We used to put a Hershey's Kiss in each pocket but then discovered one year that Z had eaten them all at he same time. :/   I also gave up on the Ramadan daily garland - Z takes a loop off for each day but then we'd forget and lose track. Target has some cute Ramadan crafts this year in their in-house line so I will try those out.   There are also seem to be more kid-friendly/family-friendly community activities this year. 

We try to attend as many sports events as possible so when Washington Spirit organized a pre-season open house we went.  I belong to the Rose Room Collective so we got invited to a special session with the General Manager.  It was really fascinating - he talked about the transition to the new coach, recent trades, and other behind the scenes happenings.  Z and his friends also got on the big screen and afterwards he got several autographs on his Washington Spirit sweatshirt.  I was proud that he asked Ouleymata Sarr for her autograph in French.  

This past weekend was a long weekend - Presidents' Day on Monday - and since it's a federal holiday we all had the day off. Friday was a day off for Z so he participated in an urban wilderness camp.  It sounds counter-intuitive since we are in the center of a major metropolitan area, but there are definitely large swathes of nature within the District. Boy Scouts is not an option due to logistics and I still want Z to learn basic wilderness skills (though Mo points out that whenever we visit Morocco or the Philippines Z spends a lot of time in a rural environment).  I'm glad he is able to go since I don't think he's up for overnight camp yet. When he was a younger he and a whole gaggle of kids went to a "classic" camp way out in MD but they hated the long bus ride and complained about the bugs, etc.  The only fun thing was all the weaponry.  Z still has his wooden sword and he discovered an interest in archery which he continued with a formal class.

I was knocked out with a cold for most of the weekend but I was OK enough for all of us to attend the Premiere Lacrosse League championship final on Monday.  We had gotten free tickets to the double-header on the first night, and disounted tickets to the final.  I sent to my mom and cousins a video clip about lacrosse in the Philippines so that they know there's a Philippine national team that is heading to the Olympics and that Z might qualify for!

A couple of months ago I mentioned that I needed a way to record my reading habits that was not just screenshots on my iPhone.  I started a Google Sheet with the author's name, title, series, Goodreads link, key words/tropes, and a notes column (really to show if the book was a DNF - did not finish).  So if someone is interested in a romance where a female electrician in Montana who's pined for her boss since childhood (he's her brother's best friend) so much that she enters them in an engagement contest, I can find that book easily.   (Make Believe Wedding by Sarah Manning)  Not counting the DNFs, I've read 30 or so books since January 1st.  I've also re-read several, which I don't count in the spreadsheet.  All this to show that I've been extremely negligent in any kind of adulting.

I'm proud that Z won his school spelling bee and made it to the third round of the next round wih multiple schools.  We had practiced old school with index cards, and then one of the other parents showed me the app which not only had the current word lists but also pronunciation so that non-native English speakers like her and Mo could still help drill without confusion. 

Z's summer of magic, otherwise known as the camps I've signed him up for:

We've lived in our home for *gulp* 12 years this April, and we (I) have finally gotten around to making some low-key changes that make a big difference. Like...a towel bar in the kitchen.  Replacing the cumbersome coat rack with wall hooks.  Purging a couple of hundred books (seriously) AND installing new shelves and organizing our remaining books.  We replaced the cushy denim couches with sleeker, velvet ones - we lost comfort but gained space.  We also got rid of the dilapidated piano we had inherited from a neighbor who moved.  With Z concentrating on the violin and little hope of repair (seriously, few keys worked correctly), it was time to say goodbye and good riddance.  One of my favorite new purchases is a cushion cover in the design of an airport luggage tag, in our case, DCA.

The priority has been Z's room now that he's moving into the tween years. I don't know yet where to house his golf clubs and mountain bike, but we have reclaimed the nook under his bunk bed.  When he was younger he used to hang out there, and then it became a random depository for books and stuffed animals.  We cleared everything out, added a foam mattress with a waterproof cover, and now it's back to being a cozy space with fairy lights and pom-pom garlands.  I am myself tempted to take a nap there.

Some random posts from 2014:

another snow day expected

the beanery

For the first time in two years or so, it snowed. Snow is still a novelty for me.  I like the initial snowfall, not the later stage of hard, icy, dirty snow.  In retrospect it's too bad we didn't have a big snowstorm during the pandemic since we were already stuck inside.  Z got the day off since the whole school system is closed as well as the government, but we are still expected to work from home.  Thankfully our office director sent a message acknowledging the need for flexibility.  Mo took Z to Capitol Hill for sledding with the other neighborhood kids.

For the first time in years, we did not do a service activity for MLKJ Day. I had signed Z up for a basketball clinic with the WIzards.  We did one last year with the Mystics. Z had already attended Wizards summer basketball camp for the past two years, and the dad of one of his soccer teammates is the lead coach, so it was fun to see them again.  The Wizards did a pretty good job of commemorating the holiday during the game vs. the PIston.  They had several video presentions, including clips of Wizards players talking about the impact of MLKJ on ther lives. The Howard University Gospel Choir performed the national anthem and also at half-time.  Of course Washington DC is known as "Chocolate City" and MLKJ spent many iconic moments in the city so the holiday is especially meaningful.

I can't believe Z will graduate from elementary school and start middle school this year. "The longest shortest time."

One of my colleagues welcomed my physical presence in the office with a $5 creme brulee donut from a local gourmet place.  It was delish but quite frankly I don't think I could tell the difference between the gourmet donut and Dunkin' Donuts.  But it was a nice gesture that I appreciate a lot. I'm so lucky that for the majority of my working life I've enjoyed colleagues whom I consider friends.

Although we are on the local Jewish Community Center's MLKJ Day of Service website, we will not be doing a service activity.  Instead I signed Z up for a basketball clinic with the Wizards.  He did one with the Mystics last year, and it was fun. The clinic fee includes a t-shirt and tickets to the game the same day which is always fun to watch. In other sports news, we got free tickets for the first night of the Premiere Lacrosse League championship and discounted tickets for the final on Presidents' Day.  We attended the championship in 2021 in Audi Field but now the PLL has restructured with expansion teams and geographic assignments. So our "local" team is the Maryland Whipsnakes based at JHU's Homewood Field in Baltimore which is still a trek.  We might spend a day in Annapolis to visit the Naval Academy and attend a lacrosse game.  We can get to Georgetown easily at least. In other other sports news,  I'm excited about the Professional Women's Hockey League but sadly there is no team in the immediate area and presumably the annual professional women's hockey showcase we've attended will no longer happen.

This year is Z's last year in elementary school (*gasp*) and also in the childen's Sunday School program at church (*double gasp*) . He is certainly acting more and more as a tween but at least he stills to us and (reluctantly) cuddles.

Santa Claus (i.e. Mo) brought a new-to-me refurbished laptop so hopefully I'll post more often.  My Chromebook was really getting cranky and while the keyboard + iPad combo was useful, I think I'll be more efficient with a traditional laptop.

Somehow I am better with podcasts rather than audiobooks. Maybe because audiobooks require more concentration for me.  I have been listening to two religious podcasts every day, usually in the mornings while I get ready for the day or during the lunchtime walk.  Forward Day by Day is Episcopal and always ends with a prayer for a far-flung diocese. Come Follow Me - Daily Dose is Mormon and follows the Sunday school curriculum.  Mo and I have talked about finding a similar podcast for the Koran - a short segment of scripture reading followed by some analysis. I found one interesting series but it ended in 2016 with an episode on Trump's election.

Since I'm reading more regularly now I've looked for some way to record the books I finished (or didn't).  My current system is totally unsustainable - taking a screenshot of the book cover and blurb on my iPhone/iPad.  I started a spreadsheet last year based on my screenshots but then got overwhelmed.  So this year I've started on January 1st with whatever I've finished to date. I've seen some really elaborate set-ups and other readers recommend Goodread or StoryGraph, but I'm sticking to simple:  author/title, series, link to Goodreads, key words, and notes (did not finish, novella, read previous books, etc.).  For books I want to read I tag them as "next" in Libby, "favorite" in Hoopla, save them to a list in Amazon, or if it's Kindle Unlimited email the link to myself. I should probably set something up on the Kindle app in my iPad too but the app is definitely more limited than the Kindle device.  I also have all the books in Apple Books, Nook (Barnes and Noble), Book Funnel, and Booksio.  *sigh*

My work laptop's USB ports don't work anymore and since we're supposed to be getting new laptops the IT guy just shrugged.  So now I am coping with the annoying mousepad.

Halloween this year was pretty mellow.  We stayed in the neighborhood, and there was a lot going on, in and outside of school.  We went to one of the local parks for the neighborhood Halloween party, then decided to opt out of the Haunted House at the local police station because the line was too long.   Officers from so many different law enforcement agencies were giving out candy on the sidewalk anyway.  Then there was the Halloween party and T or T in our complex.  I opted to just hang out at home. 

I was excited that lacrosse was announced for the next Olympics.   Z is now too advanced for the lacrosse program in DC and was bored at the Georgetown clinic last weekend.  I signed him up for a clinic over Thanksgiving weekend at another venue so hopefully that will motivate him more.   Morocco does not have a national lacrosse team but the Philippines does and Z could technically qualify since I was born in the Philippines.  Onward in the struggle against the soccer-industrial complex!