Weekend Recap: A Bit About Guns, Neurology, Meyer Lemons, Books, Food and Burkas

Driving Meyer Lemon

Those are some Meyer lemons that I picked off my friend Jenni's tree yesterday afternoon, after I dropped Oliver off for a birthday party. He finally got to do that airsoft gun thing and, of course, had a blast. He told me that there were some creepy people dressed all in camo running around. Grown men. He said that I would have taken one look and walked out. He knows me well. He asked whether he could go again with Henry, and I said that I wouldn't pay for it or drive them there. Ever. Would I let them go if they paid with their own money? Why, yes, I would, at this point. I figure that if I don't let them do these things, they 'll do them all the time when they get older. They might actually be that grown man in camo running around in Lawndale, California pretending to be a soldier.

Anyhoo.

Later this week, I'm participating in the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles conference/summit. On Friday, I'm sitting on a panel with a few other people to discuss CBD in front of a whole bunch of neurologists and physicians. The other participants include an eminent male neurologist from UCLA, an emergency room physician who is also a father of a child with epilepsy and a woman who has something to do with Realm of Caring, I think. The UCLA neuro is in charge of the show and sent over a suggestion for how the panel discussion should proceed. I am evidently first, and he listed my name like this:

1. Start with strictly parent viewpoint - Elizabeth -- I'm assuming you're not involved in research or healthcare.

And so on. Reader, I had to do it. I had to respond with my characteristic thinly veiled irritation. The veil is, of course, irony and black humor. I'll give a fabulous prize to the first person who guesses why I was irritated and what I might have said. I should add that The Neurologist is a great guy, that he responded to me appropriately and with great humor and that we are all looking forward to the weekend. If you remember, the last time I spoke about CBD, I was told that it was as if a bomb had been let off in the room. Maybe this time I'll wear a leotard and light sparklers. On Saturday's Family Day, I'll be with my peeps, showing the Extreme Parenting Video Project that I made some years ago with Erika and Phil and talking a bit about the journey I've been on with Sophie since she's been diagnosed. I guess I should wear the leotard to that event as well, or maybe a burka to suggest the complete erasure of my identity over the last two decades.

What did you do today, Reader? I did some more purging -- lots and lots of it. Frankly, though, my room still looks like the same, cluttered somewhat bohemian space it looked like before. The Barbie closet is sleeker, though, and I threw out a lot of papers. I flipped through some old journals and had to talk myself out of a deep depression. Suffice it to say that there is nothing new under the sun.

I forgot to tell ya'll about Friday night's Books & Bakes. I think it might have been the best one ever. We talked and laughed about John Lanchester's really great novel The Debt to Pleasure. It'd be hard to describe it, but think travelogue, murder mystery, erudite food criticism, recipes, laugh aloud wittticisms and a creepy serial killer. Here's what I cooked:

Provencal Fish Stew
Toasted Baguette with Aioli
Roasted Tomatoes with Farro
Green Salad
Espresso Creme Brulee

Here's what we drank:

Lillet
Pimm's Cup
Rose Wine
Water

The next book for the salon is Anthony Marra's A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. It's happening on April 17th at 7:00 pm. Please come if you can.

Love,

Strictly Parent Viewpoint Elizabeth

Weekend Wrap-up

Last night, I went to see a show at The Comedy Room in West Hollywood. My friend Andy was the headliner, along with Kevin Smith. The show started at 11:00. That's pm, Readers. I sat on a black vinyl couch in  a dingy old room next to a friend who sat where Frank Sinatra evidently used to sit, back in the day. I pretended to be Ava Gardner but then remembered that old blue eyes beat her up a lot, so I went back to being me, the me that loves my friend Andy's comedy. Kevin and Andy do a podcast called Edumacation, and it's part Science (Andy is one of the smartest people I know) and part Raunch (Kevin) and part Sweet (both Kevin and Andy) and all Funny. The Comedy Club is the kind of place with a two-drink minimum, and the last time I've been in a place like that it might have been the twentieth century. I ordered a bourbon on the rocks and sipped that until midnight when I switched to Diet Coke. The night was raucous, and I laughed and carried on like I was twenty-five instead of fifty. Let's not fool ourselves, though. I got home at 2:30 in the morning, and despite only having that one bourbon, when I woke at 8, I felt ooooooooooooold.

The Big O was born in the 21st century and knows how to make lemonade and sell it. That's what he did all day, clearing another $100.

The Teenager made a few glamorous appearances in between throwing the lacrosse ball against the side of the house and video games in his room.

I lay on my bed recovering from the late night, reading New Yorkers and texting my entourage. Sophie sat next to me, recovering from earthquake-induced seizures, with her beads and her brush. Occasionally, we'd get up and go outside, lie down on a big blanket under the trees and the sky and the sun.

Reader, what sort of things did you do?

Scenes from the weekend

There was another lemonade stand put on by The Entrepreneur. One third of the profits will go to the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. Remind me to remind you of our upcoming EndEpilepsy walk. I have a page up on a website, if you'd like to contribute -- more later --

There was another minimal seizure day with some napping (holy crapola, shitola, maloney, baloney!):

There was Resistance-to-Making-One's-Bed:

There was sluggish watching of Seinfeld re-runs and far too many video games (pay no mind to the large extension cord snaking through the house):

Reader, tell me about your own weekend. Oh, and read this.

Two or three things

Good posters:

and my life has come to this: spending all day Sunday afternoon in Rancho Cucamonga at a minor league (The Quakes) baseball game with my sons and various members of Henry's baseball team and their parents, and I actually LOVED it!

What did you do this weekend?

Day Bits

Baseball season also means the jacaranda trees are in bloom.

Here's Oliver in his catcher uniform:

Here's Henry, post game and happy because they broke their recent losing streak with a 6-1 win over a really good team from Santa Monica!

While the boys were playing basketball, Sophie was ministered to by Mirtha, sitter and friend extraordinaire. She's also an amazing hairdresser, and Sophie is sporting straightened locks:

Finally, not to rub it in, but here's a picture of the roses grown effortlessly in my backyard garden. When I say effortless, I mean it. They get no fertilizer, no sprays, no weeding, minimal water (from the dry California skies) and only adoration from me.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Mini chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting

Yellow Cake with Bittersweet Ganache and Marzipan Eggs

Perhaps the only nutritional meal consumed over three days --

Working off the sugar --

Easter baskets

A smashed clown nose

Sophie's Easter basket

Sophie, attempting to eat a chocolate ladybug

Does Sophie look a bit like Bob Dylan here or what?

The wraparound balls were a huge hit. Way to go, Easter bunny!

I also made Ms. Moon's Angel Biscuits, and there's a big bowl of the dough sitting in my fridge. Last night we ate them with ham and honey. They were excellent, and it was good to be eating a little something permeated by such a dear blogger friend!