GET INTO IT!

This is Thomas (who just turned three) playing Wii. He's the youngest in our clan (for now), and he's quite a character. I love these photos, and just had to share them with the rest of the world.

HSM3: Part 1

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HSM3: Part 2

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GET DOWN TONIGHT

THE CHARLESTON

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Y'ALL

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HALLOWEEN 2007

I don't have any pictures from the actual trick-or-treating, but this photo pretty much sums it up for me, this year. This is Thomas, almost 2 years old, at the pumpkin patch this past weekend.

BENNY HILL vs DISNEY

This is amateur footage, from Disneyland, of Pluto chasing a young boy around Main Street, USA. The reason for the chase is still unknown... but lucky for us, the folks over at Hollywood Press TV remixed it with the world famous Benny Hill Show chase song. (To see the original version of Benny's theme, click here. To see the original Pluto clip without the Benny Hill music, click here.)


This one is for the Sarah & Sophia

MY HALLOWEEEN

My Halloween sure has changed: from drunken nights on The Boulevard, to... well, this.

That's Thomas (the newest member of the family) in the "hunny" pot, and James, in a costume I wore 28 years ago. Things change, but stay the same, eh?

DEEP IN THE 'HUNDRED-ACRE WOODS...

Well, here it is... four months after the fact, I finally figured out where I stashed this picture. I posted an entry about this little bear's second Halloween adventure this past October, but had to settle for a photo of a drag queen to accompany the text because... well, that's a long (not-that-interesting) story, so we'll just skip over all the mind-numbing details.

I hesitated before posting this picture -- so much time elapsed between the original mood inspiring the post, and the (re)discovering of this photo's location. Posting in March seemed a little silly, to be honest. But it's such an adorable little picture, how could I not share it?

When I first got my grubby little hands on this photo, it wasn't anything more than a visual marker—a snapshot of my favorite little bruin to join the stacks of other memorable-but-not-always-meaningful moments. Don't get me wrong -- seeing him take his first steps, hearing his first words and the look on his face when he realized all those balloons, and presents and cake were for him, on his first birthday are all warm, fuzzy memories I'll treasure for the rest of my life.

But if you've spent any large chunk of time around children under the age of five, then you know... well, you know. They change (and grow) so quickly, it almost seems like they're an entirely different person from week to week. Yet somehow, the changes they go through -- right before your very eyes -- seems less like a transformation, and more like a metamorphosis.

As quickly and radically as a little kid develops into a little person (person-to-be, perhaps?), there's something comforting, and soothingly natural about the way their personality takes shape. With James, it's almost as if every little, new piece of the puzzle revealed makes sense; somehow it all just adds up... while still managing to surprise.


Back when I originally intended to post this picture, it was just a marker on my life's timeline. But now, it represents so much more: I remember, with amazing clarity, trying to imagine what my life would be like when I turned 30. I mean, it wasn't like I had it all worked out--far from, it actually. On numerous occasions over the past six or seven years, I tried to imagine how the path I was on would play out, and if I could "see myself" in that job.

Or living in the same city, dating the same guy, blah, blah, blah. I never decided that one outcome was better than another, or fooled myself into thinking there was one path I had to take to be happy. I mentally / emotionally / spiritually sorted through a number of equally different, equally enjoyable scenarios... but not a single one included bedtime stories, trips to the park, booster shots, or spending an afternoon on the couch, looking at books about animals. I never imagined so much of my life would center around the joys/challenges of early childhood--that on average, I'd spend more of my week talking to a little boy in a bear suit, than at gay bar/club/party... which sometimes also involves bears, but that's a whole 'nother mess.


Now, this photo represents the unexpected, yet wonderful, twist my life has taken. It isn't how I imagined it, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

IT'S A BOY!

I'm so thrilled to announce the arrival of my newest relative… my cousin Julie, and her husband, Doug had a beautiful baby boy this morning. (I don't have a picture yet, so I've posted these two shots of the day my mom brought my baby sister home from the hospital.)

His name is Thomas Robert Staub… Robert, for Doug's family, and Thomas, after my mom's father, who passed last year. We would have just celebrated his birthday this month, so it is nice to welcome a new soul into our life. Thomas' older brother, James is very excited about the new arrival. He's two and a half, so I'm not sure he really understands how much his little world is about to change… all the family members who've been around for Christmas have been asking him if he's happy to get a new baby brother (he says yes). This is usually around the same time they handed him his Xmas gift, so I think he may have the idea that this brother is a gift, or comes with gifts… I'm not sure. All I know is that we're all really happy.

And that's enough for me.

JUST HAPPY TO BE THERE

I'm not sure when this picture was taken—I think sometime in early 1978, I'll have to check with the parents on that.

That's my older sister (Laura) on the left, my baby sister (Marisa) in the middle, and that dork with the gap-toothed smile is me!

TRICK AND/OR TREAT!

Well, Hello There, Ladies!
Originally uploaded by Wanda Wisdom.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, everybody! Check out Wanda Wisdom's get-up! This just proves that you're never too old to enjoy the holidays.

I'm going trick-or-treating with my cousins' kid tonight... He's two years old, and even though he picked out his little bear costume on his own, for some reason, he's been telling people he's going to be a giraffe... (And yes, he understands the difference-he's an animal enthusiast). Hey, I'm not gonna argue with him.

OH, HAPPY DAY

So, let's just get the teasing out of the way now. I'm turning 30 today. Big whoop. Now look at my funny, awkward (and a little sad) pic and laugh. (It's OK, I did.)