Scotch, babies, pork, tractors, love

(we had the "Carlton" one)


Well I didnt get on this blog as much as I wanted to this weekend, but such is life. We had a great time, and as a way to remember it all, I will put it in a list. Then you can read this list and be jealous at how cool my life is. And then you can call me and I will let you hang out with me so you can experience the coolness that is Goldsmithdom. Cheerio.

1. On Friday, Ba-Ba came over for supper....I made a pretty good pulled pork. We would have consumed more beer, but it was all frozen, since it was sitting out in the INSULATED breezeway. Yeah it has been pretty cold up here. I think it was -17 on Friday night (with the wind chill). Lynne and George stayed for supper and we had a good time!
2. On Saturday morning, I let Amanda sleep, and Callum and I cooked oatmeal and 3/4 pound of Joseph's special slab bacon. Further proof that God truly loves us. Callum LOVES bacon. And daddy does too.
3. I tried to talk to my sister, since I heard she is 62% dead or something. She is very sick and we have been trying to reach her. But every time I called her she was sleeping or throwing up or something. But this was okay, since I got to talk to Twon a lot this weekend. We really bonded over Glee, brewing, and fashion. We are really looking forward to seeing the Favrys next weekend
4. Since I havent been able to talk to Kristin, I sent her a couple of really heartfelt e-cards. I know they really plucked at her heart strings.
5. Then, since it was Michelle Garner's birthday, I sent her a couple of really lovely birthday e-cards. I know they changed her life.
6. I was so inspired that I sent an e-card to George AND to Twon
7. I changed my facebook profile picture to Shrek (this is "doppleganger" week on FB, and you are supposed to put a picture of your "lookalike")
8. We took a ride over to the Hargroves to meet their youngest little boy--four day old Rylan. YOu really forget how small these babies are when they are born! Fellow colleague Rich Redwine (yes that really is his name, and no he isnt a French Indian chief) came by since Jesse had been going on and on about this Scotch he picked up in Scotland last summer. Jesse, Rich, AMANDA, and I sampled some fantastic 16 year old Scotch (you cant get this stuff in the USA). I am still somewhat of a Scotch "virgin," but this stuff was amazing--as it traveled down your body, you felt warm, inspired, and vanillaey at the same time. FURTHERMORE, Amanda now loves Scotch. She hates having .0000008 tsp. of salt touching her food....but she loves Scotch.
9. We watched X-Files after CS went to sleep
10. Had a great time at church sitting next to the Carlsons....Callum and his girlfriend Emmy took turns feeding each other goldfish and fruit snacks. The parents all pretended it was wedding cake. Then we realized we were in church and we should pay attention. Then we did.
11. Drove up to Skowhegan for Griffin Pelotte's FOURTH!!! birthday!! I cannot believe this little guy is four! It was a John Deere theme party, and we were supposed to dress up like John Deere people (yellow and green colors). But, since I forgot to DRESS like a John Deer user, I just made sure to spit a lot on the floor, swear at little kids, and backhand my wife every 12 minutes or so. I fit right in
12. Callum took a great nap--and so did mom and dad
13. I went on a secret trip to meet my secret brethren at Mainly Brews Pub to share a secret 22oz beverage to talk about secret upcoming events in the life of our secret society. A great, unplanned event
14. Now I will publish this blog, have some leftover pulled pork, stoke the stove, and get ready for the week ahead.

Words, words, words.....

hi there!


Hamlet responds with this answer in Act 3 of Hamlet when Polonius, in an attempt to make conversation with the Danish prince, asks him "what do you read, my lord?" I still laugh at this line each year when I teach the play to my seniors. Part of me laughs because it is a funny line, and part of me laughs because I am relieved to only have two more acts to read with a roomful of kids who would rather be getting chemotherapy than reading Shakespeare.

I love Shakespeare for his witticism, sharpness, and economy of language--one of my very first blogs (if you have been hanging out since the inception of Goldsmith5) was entitled (after famous Shakespeare line) "Brevity is the soul of wit...."

Here are some cool words Billy Shakes is credited with inventing (note though, that back then, in the 1500s, it was hard NOT to invent new words....since the English alphabet was still young....but, these interesting words and phrases have stood the test of time...)

*He coined the phrase "elbowroom" (when talking about people being to close together)
*He first used "hot tempered" (to describe a person who "flew off the handle" easily)
*Invented the term "catch a cold" (to describe how a person becomes sick)
*First used the word "bedroom" (before that, people retired to their "closets"
*Created the mystique of the "green eyed monster" (a popular thing to haunt children's bedrooms)

Also, Shakespeare both invented the WORD and the game of "leapfrog".....but, I suppose if you get enough guys in enough tights, then that game sort of just manifests itself. So.........

PART II: SHAKESPEARE MAKES ME WANT TO BE PUNNY

That is right....punny. As in a play on words. Here are a few I've created (if they exist other places, I have never heard them...I am freestylin' my pun skillz

1. "What do I want to do with my life?? Well, off the top of my head, I'd say I'd like to cut hair"
2. Whenever I have time to kill, I enjoy hunting
3. I love to eat seafood....I sometimes eat steak, but its rare
4. Currently, I am studying the flow of rivers
5. I used to deliver goats fora living....just kidding.

Shakespeare was a genius at using puns. Some other time I will go into detail about them.

I was talking to a colleague of mine today about the nature of "jokes" and comedy (I teach a comedy unit in my speech class). We both agreed that, sometimes, the punchline--on its own--is as funny (if not funnier) than the whole of the joke. For example:

1. And the doctor said "RECTUM?? It dam near killed him!"
2. So the moral of the story is: Never believe a Brit when he says the check is in the mail
3. Because Pygmies are cunning runts
4. "Hey," said the club manager, "I thought you said you wanted a six inch pianist!"
5. And the guy said "okay....so where's this Pit Bull with the sore tooth?"
6. That's great for you, but what about all my tongue depressors????
7. Forget about visiting Tobego, I need to a facial!
8. Because they both have pits....
9. And the train conductor said "well, I pity the fool who gets off in Shoboygin!"


AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE ARE THE "BUT I DONT EVEN KNOW HER!!!!" THINGS...

whopper with cheese
three hole puncher
iced tea pitcher
rear defogger
doberman pincher
Grammar
poultry deboner


i like words.

My little boy's first haircut

Callum got his hair cut this past Sunday after church. In the woman's bathroom. Kitty, a woman in our church, is a former hair dresser, and she has cut the hair of all her grandbabies. She was an obvious choice. Plus, Callum likes her and feels comfortable at church. Here is Callum's "party in the back" that he had going on for some time. Interestingly enough, we did not grow this on purpose. Rather, his hair just kind of manifested itself like this from the time he was....like....three months old. Clearly he is a party boy.

Notice Callum holding his Thomas "hoo hoo" for comfort while Kitty assesses the situation. The mirror in the background gives this photograph a quasi-existential kind of look; it is as if one is looking at one's self through the prisms of childhood.....and stuff. I am somewhat of an artiste. And I put an e on that because I am an artiste.
He was SO GOOD during the hair cut. He didnt cry at all, and he actually seemed to enjoy it. Off comes the pony tail!
Such a little boy.
Already, he is getting mad chicks with his new hair style. Thatta boy CS! His two girlfriends, Mia and Emmy (who also happen to be Kitty's granddaughters) were very interested in what their special guy was doing. Only moments later, I had to break up quite the cat fight over who would take Callum to the Snowflake Dance. ....

(actually, there were half a dozen people in the bathroom watching the event. Kind of funny actually. I like the toilet).
Coincidentally, I do not have a good "after" picture, but I will take one. He looks very handsome with his new haircut, and he looks like such a little boy. Where did our baby go?


Hi.

Callum's 18th month "check up"

This past Wednesday was a snow day for all of us here at Goldsmith5. Well, actually just for me. Amanda is off on Wednesdays. All told, we really shouldnt have had a snow day. But hey....I am not going to complain!

A snow day meant that I got time with Callum and Sally....AND it meant that I could go to his doctor's appointment in Hallowell. I cannot believe Callum is "nearing" the age of two. Where has the time gone?

Callum looked great, and had a great physical. As far as height goes, he is in the 50th percentile. But, when it comes to weight, we have a little peanut on our hands--he falls within the bottom 15% of kids his age. Right now, he is showing signs of being more of a "Willard" than a "Goldsmith." Hopefully he'll have a growth spurt at some point though...or else he'll be playing free safety instead of tight end at the Naval Academy!

He is 33 inches tall, and weighs in at a cool 23 pounds. Also--and we've meaning to let people know this--we are pretty sure he is a "leftie." Cool, huh?

Each time he goes to the doctor's office, he gets a new book from the doctor. Here, Callum sits atop the exam table and peruses the farm animals in his new volume while waiting for Dr. Murray James......


We really love our doctor--he is my dr, Amanda's dr, and Callum's dr. He is also Ba-Ba's doctor as well. Look at Callum just standing there, standing up straight, waiting for Dr. Murray-James to check out his heart.....
Ever the curious patient, Callum wanted to help play with the stethoscope. He may be a little skinny-minny....but he still has those pudgy little "rugby" legs.....
What a brave little guy at the doctor's......
After the appointment, we met up with Ba-Ba, who took us to lunch at AHOP (Augusta House of Pancakes). A really good place we havent been to for a while! I got a great Reuben, and I enjoyed a bowl of creamy potato chowder (insert jokes here Jay). Callum always enjoys seeing his Ba-Ba....they both brighten up each other's day.

Brit Fix

One of the many fantastic BBC shows.....

David Suchet as Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot." Possibly the finest character actor I have ever seen. Brilliant. And I absolutely use no exaggeration.
Mr Rumbold, the manager of Grace Brothers Dept. Store
Dr. Siegfried Farnum D.V.M, of course!

Okay. Here is why I am so cool: I wear a pocket watch. I have a collection of scully caps from England and Ireland. I don tweed jackets to school. I have a netflix queue which is largely comprised of shows from England.

Did I mention I am a 31 year old male who loves to ride a bicycle?

So....what is wrong with me? Why am I so different? Am I really THAT different....or do I just ADMIT what I think is great about television, instead of hiding behind a horde of people watching "Dancing with the Stars?" (no offense to those dancers....kind of).

Amanda and I love things usually only old people or museum curators would love--as I write this blog, Amanda is doing a jigsaw puzzle, for crying out loud. In the room we're in, there is an antique mahogany music cabinet behind Amanda. After I finish writing, and Amanda finishes separating the "edge" pieces of her puzzle, we'll go watch a black and white Sherlock Holmes mystery starring Basal Rathbone. Most people my age have never said the word "Basal."

I love it. We love Agatha Christie mysteries, All Creatures Great and Small, Fawlty Towers, Keeping up Appearances, Bangers on the Lorrie, Are You Being Served, Grace and Favour, and a million other BBC favorites. Dont get me wrong: We are fanatics of "The Office" (AMERICAN version), NCIS, "The Unit," "Arrested Development," and "Glee." But, sometimes, we just like our British fix. It really is just good quality television......plus, everyone drinks tea, beer, and whiskey all the time, and its fun to count how many they are downing throughout a 30 minute episode....

My buddies rip me to shreds on a daily basis over this. But I am 84% okay with this. Here's an email I got from a "mate" today:

"british shows in ja's queue:
Dingleberry Gardens
Bangers in the Lorry
Suppository Manor
Admiral Bixby's Bum"

British shows DO have a certain sound to them, dont they.....?

How do you classify British television? Well, if I were to teach a "film class" on the topic, here are some superlatives:
-Hardened, un-emotional people
-privileged individuals contrasted with NON privileged
-low-brow "potty" humor made funnier by the fact that the "upper crust" is making the joke
-a disciplined resolve to pause throughout the rigor of daily responsibility in order to drink tea
-dressed up individuals, even in their own home, at night, with all the shades shut, and the closest onlooker 56 miles away
-sexual innuendos aplenty
-small portions of food
-no dental hygiene is ever mentioned
-ascot ties and tweed hats
-a reverence for manners and morality--ironically enough, since there is so much crude humor
-whiskey, brandy, and gin in these beautiful crystal decanters
-the usage of the word "decanter"
-no one under the age of 67 tuning in to watch all these things.......

Finally some snow.....

Robert Frost has a great poem about "old snow" where he compares the week-old banks to that of yesterday's newspapers lying on the side of the road; they are black and mottled, crumpled looking, unbeautiful, and nobody cares about it (unless you are Hannity). However, we awoke to a few inches on the ground, and the snow continued to fall all day. A nice white covering to our disgusting looking landscape. More snow in the forecast tomorrow and tomorrow night. I understand Maine is a difficult place to forecast the weather, but this year the weathermen and woman have been absolutely AWFUL. They miss EVERYTHING.

The Goldsmiths had a nice day inside today, recovering further from our episodes of last week, and making sure we are strong for the coming week. This morning Callum and I played blocks in the living room--he is very good at stacking stuff--although he loves to purposely topple his tower over just so he can yell OHHHH NOOOOOO!!!!. Good times. Here he is RIGHT AFTER toppling a tower....I think this picture captures "Callum's essence" perfectly.



I was eating an orange while he stacked blocks. He thought it was hilarious to take a piece of orange and put it at the top of his tower. This really entertained him to no end. Hey....I wish I was this easily happy.
What a little turd....he kept stealing the orange and trying to work it into his towers. Hey....a fleshy orange stuck in between wooden blocks is STILL more structurally sound than something Uncle Timmycocks builds (wah wah wah)
What did you guys play with growing up--as far as blocks go? I, myself, was a straight Lincoln Logs guy...I never got into Legos. Or Duplos. I used to build whole towns out of my Lincoln Logs. I also used to tinker around with Tinker Toys and Construx. And you can't diss the regular old geometric wooden blocks. Old School. What else was there for brands of blocks? What am I missing. I love blocks, man!

Oh, and here is another engagement photo I found. This went in a newspaper someplace. Hilarious!

Laughter, hot chocolate, chil, and hills

"Hey Santa, I want the 'Good Charlotte' box set....and some Neosporin for all the self inflicted cuts on my arm....."
This was an engagement photo I found on my one my many comedy sites....she must really want the world to see the man she loves!
Dont even try....because you will never be as cool as this guy. NEVER. ever.

We spent our Saturday over at "Hargrove Hill" for Jesse and Ciara's second annual hot chocolate party--where they serve delicious "tapas" and completely homemade and exotic hot chocolates. This year was especially neat because Ciara is literally hours away from delivering their second Hargrove baby....so we all waited for her to go into labor (the sledding, interestingly enough, didnt do it!)

It is always wonderful to get together with the Hargroves, and we need to do it MUCH MUCH more. Jesse and I decided it would be fun to have "dueling chilis" to serve to the ladies at the party yesterday. The "brews" were both dynamically different, but both looked equally as beautiful in their cast iron pots, staying warm on top of the wood stove in the great room. Jesse made some type of ridiculously hot (only mildly hot to non-wusses) chili with smoked shoulder in it. I made a recipe called "Gringo Chili," which called for tomato soup instead of any crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. I added some special seasonings, including beer and chocolate. I thought it came out pretty good!

Jesse does in fact, live atop a hill, so the three chubalicious men carved a nice sledding track down the face of it. We had a great time taking runs down the trail--Callum, though, was too scared to go down the hill with me. He has been very scared of a LOT of stuff lately (dogs, sledding, bubble baths, and other random stuff). He didnt even like ME going down the hill myself. I think he thought I was going to get hurt. He didnt even like being pulled around the "flat" ground by me. Oh well. I hope he learns to love the snow like we do! He did, in fact, love seeing Jesse's ducks and roosters--he has converted an old wood shop into a a little winter house for his fowl friends.

Hey, how bout those Jets? Still hate them...but I always love an upset.

Oh....maybe I'll post some pictures of the sledding, etc when HARGROVE puts down "The World is Flat," gets off the can, and sends me them over email (wah wah wah)

What is love?

First, a couple of pictures.....Callum has really been getting into cooking lately!! He always wants to be involved, and he loves "stirring" things. Look at his focus as he puts some cheese on Amanda's famous homemade pizza (look at the little pile of mozzarella!)

playing with the spatula, getting ready to smooth out the sauce.....

First of all, a pledge from Goldsmith5 to post more. If not for you, for us. We want to capture all the small events of our humble lives up here in Maine...we want Callum to see it all someday.

I titled this post as I did simply because I used to think that the love between a couple was magnified by a power of 10 when they brought children into the world, and worked together to raise them; thus, I have seen my love for Amanda increase and develop into new and beautiful ways ever since we have collectively begun bringing up our son. However, I think even THIS love becomes exponentially more rich if husband, wife, and 1.5 year old become voraciously ill (with a bio-terrorism strain of stomach flu) and still manage to NOT ONLY not kill each other, but also take care of each other, nurture and support each other, and work through the squalor of what our home became yesterday. And now, arriving somewhat through the end of this thicket of diarrhea and vomit, I am proud of you Amanda....and I am proud of you Callum.....we all worked very well together yesterday.

Besides my experience with cancer, I can think of two other times in my life (and I am totally serious) when I have felt as bad. One was on the day we moved into our home in Fairfield, and the other was when I actually HAD real "influenza" three years ago. The past two days here on Military Ave have certainly rivaled both of these. I'll spare you most of the details, suffice to say that we were absolutely obliterated--I actually cried because I was too weak to even pick up my own son (now, this is absolutely hilarious!!)--Amanda and I were both truly emotional wrecks yesterday...in addition to physical wrecks. It must have been some type of 24 hour bug or something...because we are both eating, drinking, and walking--and keeping everything in our body, to digest in an orderly fashion. However, the utter weakness still remains--as any of my students who had me today will tell you. I went into school today (I dont know why) and basically just told them "okay....today sucks and I feel like crap....get out your midterm notes and study.....I'll be at my desk...shut up and get to work." And that was all.

Okay, it didnt go EXACTLY like that....but almost....

As with any traumatic situation, there are funny moments. Here are two:

1. Callum got us both sick (he is grounded). I got sick first (while Amanda was out at her book club on Wednesday night). As I was retching into the toilet bowl, pleading for my life with the porcelain god, thinking things couldnt be any worse (did I mention the mess on the floor?) I hear our little buddy awake in a fit of terror (I am LOUUUDDD when I throw up). So, with vomitous hands and shirt, I go to soothe by raucous son. Just what I wanted to do at that point.

2. During the 3rd or 4th time throwing up, for some reason, I started thinking of this clip in mid vomit-stream www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiQJ3c4o-Gl (if this doesnt work, please do yourself a favor and go to youtube, and enter "glee josh grobin." And then picture me laughing WHILE I was throwing up, and having carrots come out of my nose. This 22 second clip is, for some reason, the funniest thing I have seen in weeks. I love it!

So that is love. Throwing up one minute, and then kissing the next. Ah, the mystery of marriage just keeps getting more and more intriguing....

I'm such a baby.....(a reflection)

A rare family photo of the Goldsmiths (usually there is no one to take the picture!). Note the new "Newcastle Brown Ale" beer towel (from England) Amanda got me for Christmas....Former student Meryl stopped by on her break from college--Callum took NO TIME to warm up to Meryl. He last saw her during her last winter break. She is so great with kids--she has such grace and gentleness and Callum just loves her.
Callum kept bringing out book after book after book for Meryl to read to him. And he loved showing off his trains....
Callum's new favorite game: He stands on my stomach and jumps up and down to the rhythm of the "jingle bells" song from Elmo. He sings it as he jumps.

I figured out something about myself today while cross country skiing off the Quarry Road in Waterville: I am a total wuss. I am actually a very fearful person; and I dont mean "emotionally" either (well, that too, I am sure). I have a real tangible fear of both heights and speed. And this is funny, since I consider bicycling to be my most favorite thing in the world--gunning it down a steep hill on a road bike can garner speeds of up to 50+ MPH (unless, like me, you ride the brakes down the hill, evening out at a peaceful 27-30MPH. Why am I so afraid? I've never had any type of traumatic experience (well, Anthony, there WAS that time at Attitash......). I mean, I just recently fell of my bike for the first time this past September, and I have been afraid of speed and heights long before that. So maybe I need past life regression therapy....or hypnosis.....or just a couple of beers.

Skiing has become, as of late, a close second to bicycling for an outdoor activity I love to do the most. I've always said there are two types of people in this world: XC skiers, and downhill skiers. Downhill folks like to bask in the thrill of the moment; they live quickly and they love instant gratification. Or so I thought. XC skiers, on the other hand, love to "take life in," and go slowly, observing all the beauty of the moments that make up our lives. Except, for me, XC is nothing like that. First of all, it is hard work and my legs and hips kill. Second, you go pretty damn fast down some of the heavily packed down, quasi icy trails. And when you get to an actual HILL (and I say "hill" in a relative sense, since we are talking about central Maine here....this isnt the White Mtns.) you go pretty fast. And this absolutely terrifies me. Cross country skiing is, for me, the perfect nightmare of height and speed--both are whisked together in a sort of cardiovascular omelet. I am skiddish, slow, and fearful when I ski. I even fall once in a while (on the flat parts, even). And I have no grace whatsoever.

But I love being out on my skis.

Even when I am with friends or around people, I can't seem to "man up" and play the part of a fearless, typical "guy." I am an unabashed scaredy cat, and even when getting to a hill and my friend says to me "come on Jared....just snowplow down....its nothing at all....you can do it," I still take off my skis and walk down the hill. Why is this? Any psychologists out there?

But all these thoughts came to fruition this afternoon when I realized how easy the trails actually are, and how silly I must look to others. The Quarry Road trails are beautiful, pristine, well groomed, and heavily used by both novice and expert skiers. In fact this afternoon there were a few groups of lessons going on--everyone from Colby students to 6-7 year old hooligans were getting lessons on how to "squat and reach" when going downhill....and how to "skate-ski," and a bunch of other stuff. Maybe I should take some lessons. The kids were learning the correct technique (I've never been a fan of technique in any facet of my life....i.e. formal music lessons). And, suddenly, while walking down a semi-steep hill in a beautiful pine forest, a half dozen 3rd graders came absolutely WIZZING by me....not a traceable iota of fear on any of their red, snotty faces. Such grace. I dont know--maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

Callum is happy it is almost Friday.....

Callum loves to laugh--that much is obvious. But tonight at dinner we gave him one of his little ice cream sandwiches for dessert, and then rolled up the wax paper in which it was wrapped. Amanda threw it at me, and Callum thought it was hilarious. Naturally, we tried to get as much mileage out of it as possible....even if I had to throw it at myself....enjoy

Wunderful!

Amanda got an iPod touch for Christmas, and we have been really enjoying it (she lets me use it). We bought it to use almost exclusively for listening to radio stations--with the touch, you can go on the internet (the iPod touch is just like the iPhone...with the exception of the phone part). Since we have the cool docking station, we just stick the ipod into the station, and listen through the speakers. We really enjoy AOL radio and Pandora....but the thing we just cannot get enough of is an application called Wunderradio. It was probably the best 7 bucks we ever spent. Unlike XM, you dont have a monthly subscription....we paid 7 bucks and we were done. Wunderradio allows you to listen to virtually any radio station in the world....in the world!! We have listened to Chinese pop, which is hilarious, and we have checked out German folk music, just because we can. In Maine, your choices are pretty much limited to NPR or country. And although I love NPR, I get tired of hearing Dianne Rehms try to talk, so Wunderradio fills the void nicely. What we've learned is that Canada seems to have the best radio stations in the world. More reason to move to Newfoundland. But what we really love is:
91.9 WUMB (a folk station I used to listen to...Umass Boston radio)
CKUA (a community supported radio station from Alberta Canada that plays amazing jazz)
WLSB (a Copperville, KY station playing bluegrass music)
WSCA (Portsmouth NH's community radio station)

I also love the fact that I can listen to great Boston and RI stations like I used to as a kid--WBRU, for example (Brown University's station) was a mainstay on my dial growing up. In addition to radio stations, you can select programs you like (A prairie home companion, World Cafe, Folk Alley, Weekly top 40, Lady GaGa's show, etc) and it will bring you to the most recent broadcast of the show.

Well worth the money

Hopefully everyone is well. Amanda and I have been doing a bunch of skiing and snowshoeing in the afternoons while one of us watches CS. Hopefully we get more snow soon. And midterms are looming over the campus of WHS. January is always a fast month. Have a good night

meanderings 57

9 to start '10

1. We had to buy matches the other day, since we were out (well, that logically follows, doesnt it??) But I digress.....So we buy these boxes of matches, and when I went to take one out to light the stove I see the following phrase on the box: "New look....same great product." For matches?? Really?? Arent matches just one of those things that have looked the same since they were invented? How could matches possibly look any different and still be effective? In this economy, why are R&D folks spending good money looking for ways to improve matches? (Plus, they didnt look any different......)

2. When people arent sure about the weather, or an impending storm, they might say "well, we arent sure about the track of the blizzard....so we'll just keep it up in the air." Of course it is, silly! I love double entendres, and I find great entertainment from watching the weather. More reason why I need to join a club for special people......

3. I think it would be funny if one of the liberal tree hugger hippies wanted to spread the word about the decimation of the world's forests and the corporate "sharking" of the pulp paper industry. Would one of these hippies write a book in order to do this? And, if they were real, true hippies, would they be upset if the book was an overwhelming success and had to go for a second printing? Hmmmm......

4. Amanda and I got a new game for Christmas. It is called "Quelf." That, in itself, is funny. Quelf is a game that seems to be similar to all the Cranium games where one needs to act out, be creative, etc. But what was perhaps more interesting was the disclaimer at the top of the directions that advised anyone playing the game to "check with your physician before undertaking any new recreational activity." Hilarious. I am imagining going to the doctor's and paying a 15 dollar co-pay JUST so I can say "Hi Dr Murray-James! I brought this game with me today.....I am wondering if you could read the directions to Quelf, and then tell me if I am healthy enough to play it. Thanks. Oh? Not sure? Well, why dont we play a couple of rounds of Quelf, and then you can observe me to see if it is okay if I continue. Great."

5. From the "Are you serious???" file: We bought Callum a box of Hood ice cream sandwiches the other day--they are really cute, since they are little "quarter" sandwiches. He loves them. On the box, emblazoned in yellow letters, reads: "Special freezer pack!" Do advertisers even have to graduate high school?

6. My mom is going to see "Bowser" at Mohegan Sun. You know....."Bowser"......from "Sha-Na-Na???"......you know.......

7. One of my least favorite parts about living in Maine has to be the people who have to falsely emphasize that they are indeed from Maine by pronouncing "baked potato" as "baked pu-tay-tuh." I can handle the highest taxes and the second worse governor in the US (after Deval). But PLEASE can Susan Collins do something about this?

8. Did I mention that my mom is going to see "Bowser?"

9. The only time we ever listen to country music (an oxymoron in itself) is when we eat breakfast at our favorite breakfast place: The Flatlanda' (yes, I hate the "a'" thing too.....). We ate there yesterday, and I noticed how each country song basically follows the same cliche formula: You've got a quasi-catchy guitar riff with shallow vocals that go on for 1.5 minutes or so, and then, quite abruptly, ALL the music stops (except for maybe the bass drum) and you have the quasi attractive female vocalist say her "catch phrase." Then the music starts again and we're back to the crap. You know what I mean by "catch phrase," right? It is how country music lyrics work.....every other piece of lyric can be awful....but there needs to be some type of "anthem-like," totally repeatable line to say when the music stops like "you can take my life, but dont touch my truck," or "put down the lipstick and pick up my Remington" or "I burned my skirt, and from the flames lit my cigar" or something like that. And you need to sing it to that special country "beat" thing. You know what I'm talking about.....try it.....I know you know what I mean....

Makes snow difference to us.....

We love going outside in the storm. And Callum does too....cant you tell??????

Actually, he really was having fun....it was just that the wind was blowing in his face. Callum is funny in the snow; he loves it, points at it, repeats "snow" ad nauseum....but he doesnt like to walk in it...it is like he thinks it isnt the real "ground" or something. It's funny.
We went out for breakfast, since we knew we would be in all day, and thought getting out would be a good thing. Then, when it really REALLY started snowing, he hung out and read Thomas the Train books, played alphabet blocks, did puzzles, and danced to bluegrass stations we listened to on Wunderradio. FINALLY Callum went down for a nap, mommy worked on her puzzle, and I started what turned out to be a phenomenal pot roast!

In another year or so, Callum will start pulling his weight around here.....
Before it got dark, Sally and I took turns skiing up and down the streets of our neighborhood...the town had not plowed yet, so the conditions were perfect. How often do you get to ski in the street?????

The calm before the (big) storm

Happy New Year everyone. As I write this, it is snowing furiously outside (like it has been since yesterday, starting at about one o'clock), yet, according to the weatheridiots, the "real storm" hasnt even started yet. I dont obsess over weather forecasts like a lot of people do, but this is interesting to watch, since there are really three separate storms that are (and will be) affecting Maine...and one of them will go out to sea, get stronger, and then come BACK to hit us again. At any rate, the National Weather Service has warned Maine to prepare for a snowstorm of "historical significance." Wow. That kind of sounds scary, huh? But we have plenty of wood, DVDs, books, and groceries to get us through. Like I said, it started snowing on Thursday, and isnt supposed to stop until early Monday morning!!!

I spent the morning of New Year's day doing some cross country skiing with Pastor Nielsen, the pastor of our church. We had been talking about going, and the conditions were pretty nice yesterday morning. It was my first time using my "new-to me" skis (friend and blog contributor MET gave me these at the end of last winter), and I had a blast. There are just so many great places to get into the woods around here! Pastor and I went to the "Quarry Hill" woods in Waterville; actually, we started in Waterville, and skiied back into Fairfield. Stunning views, and even groomed trails!! Below, you can see the cleared area where the Colby College Ski Team's tow-rope used to go.....

Pretending I know what I am doing.....but what is interesting to me is the sky: When we started, it was bright and sunny, and we could virtually watch the storm moving in across the horizon...
Last night, being New Year's Eve was a quiet night for the Goldsmiths. We were going to go have dinner with the Pelotte's, but that fell through when it started snowing. But we were also invited over to the Shore's house (the two girls who always play with Callum) to have some drinks and play some Wii. Later that night, Amanda and I played Scrabble. As always happens when I am winning (so, in essence, EVERY time!), Amanda desperately tries to make up points by creating some ridiculous word....and then is ADAMANT that the word exists. Over the years, I have made the following deal with her: She needs to both pronounce AND define the word; if I am impressed, she can have the points. Last night's word, as you can see at the bottom of the board, is pronounced "keck-sance" and is defined as being "very hectic and confusing situation." She even used it in a sentence: "The Goldsmith house was in a Qexonsce on Christmas morning with all those presents!" Whatever.......
Here are Amanda and Callum taking a break from looking at the storm outside....Callum even watched some of "White Christmas" today. He likes the dancing.
Food is a huge component of snow storm lore....and Amanda and I decided to combine talents to make homemade turkey pot pie. I had roasted a turkey breast earlier in the week, and I combined those leftovers with a "from scratch" gravy I made. Amanda made her signature crust, and we baked it in one of the cast iron skillets. It was awesome.
Looking forward to the storm to come.....