Coming up on the end of summer weekend random ramblings

• Another Friday night coming up where its going to be really difficult to determine how to spend my time. The scale is tipping toward Floor Model (a favorite of this blog) and the wonderful Mandates (who I've not seen since a dark and stormy night at the Circle A last fall) at Linneman's. Also on the bill is a band whose name I see around a lot, called Frank Says Fuck It, which I know nothing about. One of those band names that don't get said on the radio too much, and perhaps that's by design. C'mon guys, if the old WMSE couldn't even say "Butthole Surfers" (they used to say B-Hole Surfers) or even the "Jesus and Mary Chain" (they used to say the J and M Chain), well, Frank Says Fuck IT is right out. Competing with this stellar lineup down the street at Riverwest Commons is another favorite of this blog, Eat the Mystery, with some out of town special guests. Might run back and forth between sets. This will all go down after we take the kids to see "Happy Feet" in Pere Marquete Park as part of the River Flicks series.
  
  
• So, I'm surfing my blogroll, and once again, the Blog of Unnecessary Quotaton Marks has a post that has me spitting on my monitor, but this time, not because of the quotation marks (though the link is rich with 'em.) Watch out Hillary, Princess Christina Gerasimos Billings-Elias is running for President of these United States, and maybe we do need a princess in the White House. And since this website isn't exactly organized following Jakob Nielsen's Usability Best Practices, the home page ( which you won't want to miss either) isn't linked from the bio. Billings is running as a Democrat.
  
  
• I just got done with training to be a Girl Scout Leader. I was a Girl Scout growing up, and my mom was a leader, and Stella wants me to help out with our troop. Some things haven't changed a bit, but the fact that they even make you go through training is a big change since I was a kid. It's nice to know that our girls are now being led by people who were at least given a clue as to what to do. They're really good about how you don't HAVE to do any specific activity. If your troop isn't into earning badges, don't do it. If they are, badger up! If you're not a crafty mom, find a volunteer to be the "crafts mom." This is a good thing for me, because there's lots of different kinds of moms. (And invariably, most kids want the kind of mom that's not you.). F'rinstance, I by no means am not the "craft mom." Stella's Aunt Kristi is the "craft mom." Kristi is always getting out newspapers and I'm pretty sure she has a standing credit account at Michael's, and she's always got some great craft going. She's the mom who bakes things like dirt birthday cakes for the kids and has them make homemade gifts at christmastime. I am NOT the "craft mom." Stella gets delicious Pick and Save birthday cakes. I'm more of the "adventure mom." I'm all about jumping in the car and going exploring in the woods, or suddenly exclaiming on a rainy day "Let's go to the museum!" I can pull off being "sports mom" when necessary, taking the kids on bike rides (which is more consistent with "adventure mom") or grabbing the ball and playing one-on-one hoops with the kids. In fact, I got dragged into being the coach for T-Ball when Stella was four. I warned the parents: "Look, they used to make me play right field, I'm 6 months pregnant, I call the boys 'sweetie' and the only reason I got into any baseball team besides the Cubs to begin with was that when I was fourteen I thought ChiSox shortstop Bucky Dent had a nice butt. Do you really want ME teaching your children how to play this game?" Nevertheless, they all nodded "yes" because saying no meant one of them would have had to literally step up to the plate. Same at Girl Scouts. I'll be a co-leader. I'll take them camping. I'll take them geocaching. I'll take them to the museum or rollerskating. Just please, for the love of all that's holy, don't make me be the Cookie Mom.
  
  
• As promised, you'll be getting a rundown on the Bluegrass Bash as soon as I get a chance to edit the numerous rich paragraphs of stories submitted by Boy Howdy and his Uncle BJ. Topics include: Wisconsin raccoon taxidermy, skillfully executed contract negotiations, and the importance of Benjamin Franklin on Philadephia's economy. You can't wait, can you?