P 'n B In London

Bee and I were happy to find out that our knitted selves made it safe and sound to Stitch London's headquarters. The show is tomorrow at London's Science Museum, and we wish that are real selves could be there as well. If you happen to find yourself in London tomorrow night, stop in and say howdy to lil' Peanut and lil' Bee.

Desert Camping

Tomorrow, the Misers are camping in the Mojave Desert! However, we're not going to the usual spot (our caves in the Granite Mountains) instead we're going to Joshua Tree. A trip to a National campground with a three year old just seems easier. Our caves are all about primitive camping: we have to haul our gear (including heavy ice chests) over rough terrain for a half mile. I know that Bee would find that a forced death march as opposed to a vacation... So we are going to Joshua Tree instead, and I cannot wait! I've been looking forward to this trip for weeks now; it is what helped sustain me through my finals at LACC. Every time I felt overwhelmed by the amount of studying to be done, as well as papers to be written, I just closed my eyes and thought of the desert. It helped to keep me calm and focused. Sparky and I have always had a love affair with the desert and we hope to pass it on to little Bee. It's the place we always went to when the city became too much, too impersonal, too smelly. The Mojave is where we got back in touch with nature, back in touch with our inner Hippie selves. We are considering this trip a sort of practice run for our Bee as we will only be spending one night there. But we plan on making the most of it, and hopefully she will grow to appreciate the Mojave as much as we do. Plus an added bonus: at night, we'll be able to see tons of stars - and a full moon!

Stars In My Eyes

We went to a barbecue last week in Waldron, Indiana - a teeny, bump in the road of a town. Sparky's niece Hopestar lives there, and she throws a barbecue for us every year. We love it out there in the country because it feels as though you've finally gotten away from the big city, or the sprawling metropolis known as L.A. It was a very hot and humid day, and we were surrounded by fields of grass and giant oak trees - very peaceful. Sparky and his pals played baseball while Bee and I chatted with the other guests. One of them, Lori, asked me if we saw many stars in Los Angeles.
"Not really," I told her. "It's so bright there because of all the streetlights, and then with the clouds rolling in from the ocean at night, it makes the stars seem quite dim. But out in the desert, you can really see them. It's fantastic out there!"
"No, I meant movie stars," she said. "Do you see many movie stars?"
I had to laugh. I don't see many movie stars in L.A. either. We don't exactly hang out with the monied of Hollywood these days. But I would rather see real stars instead of movie stars any day.
  

Back Home

We got back from Indiana just the other day. It was a great trip - it's so verdant there right now. We saw family, friends, lightening bugs, thunderstorms, ginormous grassy lawns, and lots and lots of corn growing everywhere. Sparky's dear old friend Michael drove us to and from the airport, which is more than an hour away from tiny Rushville. (Which was my only complaint: everything is so far away, you have to drive and drive and drive to get anywhere. It seems like a lot of Hoosiers have humongous commutes.) When Michael picked us up at the Indianapolis Airport, he spoke about the good old days of air travel, before 911 ruined it for everyone. It made me quite nostalgic. Remember when you stepped off the plane and saw a friendly face waiting for you right inside the terminal? That's what Sparky misses the most. Michael misses driving someone to the airport and hanging out with them until they got on the plane. He says that he used to stand there and watch the plane take off before he would leave. The thing that I miss most is the free stuff, like meals and checked baggage. I'm a Miser, so naturally I hate paying for these things. Thankfully, Bee has her own carry-on with little wheels, so she pulls her own luggage these days. But I hate having to pack miniature bottles of things, and not being able to bring my own water. Also,  I dread going through security, especially with Bee. We always seem to have way too much stuff that we are trying to negotiate onto the conveyor belt, and it's awkward having take off our shoes. I always try to be upbeat, and even cheerful, when enduring this ordeal in order to make it go by more smoothly. And this seems to actually help. But I really miss those days when you could just show up fifteen minutes before your flight and still make it onto the plane in time. Back in olden times when flying was actually fun.

Indiana Bound

Tonight, the Misers are taking the red eye to the Hoosier state to visit Sparky's family and friends. Bee is excited, Sparky is excited, and I'm just hoping that Bee sleeps on the plane. That will make me happy. The thing that I'm looking forward to the most is seeing the flat, wide-open landscape and maybe spying a lightening bug or two. I especially like the weather in Indiana this time of year - I hope it's nice and hot and humid. Also, it will be great to see everyone again. This trip should be fun, and best of all: school is out for summer! 

Our Knitted Selves

I've joined a club called Stitch London. It's not really a club per se, more like a community. But still, it is kind of clubbish. And I'm not a really big fan of clubs. It's only the second one that I've been a member of in my adulthood. Well, I was also sort of a member of a book club for awhile, but wasn't able to attend any of the meetings due to work. And then I heard from one of the members that it was kind of over anyway. Apparently, one of the people in the club who actually read the book got pissed at the other members who hadn't read the book, and so she proceeded to hurl the heavy tome at them from across the room. She may or may not have hit one of them in the head. I think that was pretty much the end of the club. Anyway, Stitch London is doing a show with London's Science Museum for the re-opening of the Who Am I? gallery. And I've entered a knitted version of myself and Bee. I'm not sure if these knitted figures really look like us, but they sort of feel like us. Anyone and everyone who makes a little version of themselves will be in the show, and it may travel around the world. Pretty cool. I mailed   us off today, and it only cost four bucks and some change. Not bad for a flight to London. Bee was sad to see us go, but I figure that it's the only way that The Misers can afford to go to Europe this summer.