Playing around

Amanda has gotten Callum REALLY into Patty-Cake games, and its funny to see how Callum now claps for just about everything! You change his diaper, trigger the jack-in-the-box, or say certain random words, and he just starts clapping. Here we are, playing Patty-Cake right before his bath. And I think this has now become my new favorite picture. I need a bigger copy of this. Look at him....he looks so proud of himself for clapping. Hilarious.

I called this post "Playing Around" because the pictures revolve around playing with Callum. And today marked another milestone: I "officially" passed down my first childhood toy to Callum, in the form of a box of Matchbox and Hotwheel cars. He really likes playing with them actually; sure, he puts each one in his mouth to "test it," but then he pushes them across the floor and chases them. I have always been a "saver" of things, and I'm always reticent to throw anything away; I guess I just always had this idea that someday some of my things would be worth a lot of money or something. I have all my old baseball cards, all my old coin collection, my sea shell collection, a bunch of original "Smurf" figures (dad always makes fun of my for that), and I've started saving t-shirts to give to Callum when he's older (Red Sox, Patriots, my old football jersey from high school and rugby jersey from college, etc). But I guess I just wish I saved everything to pass down to him....

I remember my dad always saying to me when I was younger: "Jeez...I wish I saved (fill in the blank) for you! It would be worth so much money now!" And although I've saved some stuff, I wish I could reclaim:

1. My comic book collection, with some priceless "Green Lanterns," "Thors," and "Spiderman's."

2. My GI Joe ensemble, as I had tons of soldiers, the "Cobra Twins," the Hovercraft, and the Aircraft Carrier (yeah, I pretty much rocked)

3. He-Men paraphernalia, as I had the actual Castle of Grayskull, Evil Lynne (well, actually I still have Evil Lynne...wah wah wah), Shee-Ra, the Battlecat, Man-at-Arms, Orco, and two types of He-Men (the original, and the one that twisted and punched and then his chest caved in)

4. Star Wars!!! Obviously. I think I still have Luke, Darth, and Admiral Akbar (go figure). But what in the world was I thinking by getting rid of my laser gun, my "Planet Hoth Rebel Base," and all the other figurines I had??!! Never mind Callum...."I" want to play with them again!

Oh yeah, Dad we're going to need the "Beep Beep" for Callum soon. That's a whole other blog....

A (somewhat) Wish List

The world according to Humphries....... A VERY familiar scene in the Goldsmith household. We got Humphries at the tail end (no pun intended) of the burning season....but he's gotten a few fires still. That being said, he is "starting" to be seen in front of the stove. Still not in the context Thomas used to indulge (if you remember, Thomas would pretty much lie on the hearth). But, we're thinking Humphries will eventually be a wood-stove kitty cat.

Q: Why does Callum play with this cat thingy more than anything else in the house lately?

A: Because its not one of his toys....duhh!!!

He loves this thing! I think grandmom gave this to Amanda. We keep it on a bookshelf, and, of course, Callum has found it.
The Favry's are due any day now to have their first little boy (and our first nephew!). On the (somewhat) eve of Jackson's birth, I put together a quick "wish list" of pleasant thoughts and hopes I have concerning two little cousins spending time together. Geography is our enemy here, but we all hope to do the best we can.....please feel free to add some!!

1. Two little boys to run around Nannie's house around the holidays, eating chocolate something-or-other, and then touching the wall

2. A new audience to which to tell my old jokes that everyone has already heard a million times

3. Constant practical jokes played on Papa Goldsmith (hide his glasses, put whoopie cushions on his chair, put ice cubes in a cup with a hole cut out of the bottom and then hang it above him while Papa sleeps, change all the settings on his computer, etc)

4. The possibility of matching outfits for certain holidays

5. All the cool things about apple picking that we used to love when we were kids can now be passed on to Jackson and Callum

6. a contest to "find last year's turkey carcass" the fastest (this will be done, as tradition, on the morning of Thankgiving)

7. The image of Papa Goldsmith sitting with a six year old and a five year old, surrounded by Shirley Temples, crumpled up napkins, and a huge Pu Pu platter on a table

8. Constant practical jokes played on Nannie (playing "touch the wall" and "how long can I go with my shoes on in the house before Nannie notices")

9. Seeing the two of them in the bath together (every family in America has pictures of their little toddlers in bathtubs with other toddler brothers, sisters, cousins, etc.). Kranthony, I think we'll have to do this one in Maine, for obvious reasons.

10. Taking two little guys out for a canoe trip down the Kennebec or a notable Connecticut river

11. Carrying on perhaps the greatest Goldsmith family tradition: The deep-sea fishing trip. I've done a little math here....when just dad and I go, dad usually packs 12 sandwiches for the day. SOooooo.....if me, dad, Twon, CS, and JR go, then that works out to....um....about 388 sandwiches, a pallet of Pringles, and a keg of Polar seltzers. You should just buy a cow, Papa.

Gel

But first, the most adorable problem we have ever had. We have no idea HOW in the world Humphries was able to do this, but today while Callum was taking his morning nap, Humphries somehow jumped up and OVER Callum's crib railing, and into the crib. Amanda walked in to see this! He was keeping his little buddy warm--Callum and Humphries have really bonded! And even though this is very cute, we do not want him to jump up in Callum's crib, and we have taken the course of action to prevent it from happening again. Its too bad though....Humprhies is a good boy.....Some other Callum shots.....

Every afternoon we play "I'm gonna getchoo!" on the floor of the sewing room. He has me pinned down here. I lost. Oh well.

Okay. Where does our son get these BEAUTIFUL eyes??

Callum loves his new singing doggy. Thanks Nannie!

Gel.

One of the best jobs I ever had was as a guide for fourteen 25 year old female Swiss exchange students. My friend Seth and I "chaperoned" this trip to Acadia National Park, and then down to Camden, where we took the girls sailing, for a week, aboard "The Mercantile," a windjammer sailboat. I could write a whole BOOK about those two summers, but suffice to say that we had lots of time to talk while aboard the ship. One afternoon, the subject of "national" stereotypes came up, as we teased the girls about how no European women ever shave their armpits, etc. We wondered what "we" are known for, as Americans, in the "European theater." Their answer, given with the least bit of hesitation, involved three stereotypes:

1. Americans are ALWAYS chewing gum. Every political cartoon depicts us gum-chewing morons

2. We are very, very known for the way we drive while eating fast food sandwiches, and many sitcoms and satirical shows (SNL types) show Americans driving poorly while eating Big Macs

3. We cant handle physical pain, and we pop pills for EVERYTHING!

All good assessments I think. But, just the other day, something dawned on me: We have become a nation of gels. That's right, a nation of gels. When did this happen? When did everything we once knew to be good and effective suddenly become turned into a gel? And what's the deal with this ultra-American notion that, in order for something to be effective, it has to be in a gel form? Seriously!

1. Sneakers: Used to be foam pads. Then air or pumps. Then the advent of "gel" inside sneakers--Asics and Reebok were the first pioneers

2. Shaving: Shaving "cream" is for old-timers. Now, everything is shaving "gel." In fact, the Hanaford in Waterville only sells one type of shaving cream--Barbasol. Everything else is a gel now

3. Soap: Soap-on-a-rope? Nope. All that novelty is gone....replaced by "shower gels." What happened to perfectly good BARS? They are seen as unsanitary. How can SOAP be unsanitary? That's like saying that water is too dry. Now, we squeeze this gel onto stupid loofah things that are germ factories in themselves

4. Food: Johnny Crockett and I used to hike a lot in the White Mountains, and before we left we'd have a Power Bar. But, before my 5K a couple of weeks ago, Dave at Matthieu's cycle recommended this "energy gel." Now even food has become gel. Are we too lazy to chew? Or are we too busy? Or, will food damage the teeth that we clean with......

5. Toothpaste: Nope.....gel! You can't find a lot of "paste" anymore. Gel is obviously more effective. Why? Maybe its because "gel" is more streamlined; it is able to come in smoother and cooler colors....and that is so awesome!!

6. Physical Therapy: Yeah...people still get it. But why go through the hassle when you can just sit back and have....you guessed it.....GEL injected into your knee, elbow, etc. This gel lubricates the joint. Hooray for gel!!

7. Ben Gay: First of all, why is this stuff CALLED this? But I digress. After football practice in high school, I used to put Ben Gay (a white cream) on my sore muscles. Think you can find that any more? Try. Now, its new and improved....as a "fast acting gel." Apparently "gel "is faster than "cream. " I can see sore muscles running away in fear as they see they are going to be rubbed with gel versus cream.

8. Tylenol: We sure to pop pills, dont we? And why take a regular pill or tablet filled with powdered up pain reliever, when you take a "fast acting gel-cap?" Again, is gel really faster

9. And this one REALLY takes the prize....Liquid Plumber: Are you kidding me? Stuff to remove hair and clogged drains??? But seriously, we were having a slow drain a few weeks ago. I went to Hannaford to buy some stuff....and they had the regular old Liquid Plumber.....but then they had the "double action gel." Can someone tell me why our drain de-clogger needs to be gel now? It was working fine before....

What else am I missing here? Its just so funny--in our present day American culture, we seem to have this idea that if something is "gel," then its somehow faster and better and sleeker and smarter. Its very funny to observe.

Chinese Food Restaurant Naming Matrix

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Chinese food; actually, its more like an addiction than a love. Or, if you will, its an addiction THAT I love. Hot mustard and lobster sauce run through my veins, just as they do my father, and my grandfather. That being said, I've noticed lately that Chinese food restaurants just aren't trying too hard. All we hear about in the news is how China is ahead of us in everything and we need to COMPETE....China, China, China. With all we read today about how American schools, businesses, and technologies need to compete with China with just about everything, I find it ironic (and extremely funny) how, in America, its the Chinese restaurants who could give two craps about competing. For one, they hardly ever advertise. That is because they know their restaurant is the same as the one down the street, and so on. Furthermore, when they DO advertise, its only to show how their prices are lower than that place down the street; its all about price, and they could care less about quality. The second reason they dont compete is because they can't even put forth the effort to have their menus spellchecked and proofread for clarity ("We being closed on Saturday next for weddings in families" or "We have great value, however we can alter the spiciness to your taste" for example). Thirdly, beyond the cheapness of their prices, they make no effort to appeal to or identify with their "audience" of menu readers--there's never anything about how good their food is, or how much they care about quality, etc. There's just no "backstory." I mean, when you go into a good Italian restaurant, for example, there's always a little quib on the menu about how Mama Josephina created these recipes back in Villa Villa Cola in Sicily in 1850, and how, besides her family bible, the recipes were the only thing she brought with her to America, blah blah blah....There's nothing like that with Chinese food restaurants. And FINALLY, Chinese restaurants have been generically naming their restaurants for years--there's absolutely no effort going into creating something new and innovative...its all the same rote crap. Some names are COMPLETELY disheartening in their character in fact--"China Buffet" comes to mind. Doesnt get more simple and unimaginative than that.

SOOOOOO.....in an effort to help my fellow Chinese food restaurant entrepreneurs be even MORE lazy and uncompetitive, I have created a Chinese food naming matrix. Its pretty easy: All Chinese food restaurants follow a simple ADJECTIVE + NOUN formula. So all that you need to do is pick one (or maybe two if you feel like expending some energy) adjective from column A and then pair it up with a noun of your choice from column B. Do this, buy a fryalotor, and purchase one of those kitty cat clocks where the eyes move every time the second hand ticks....and you too could purvey your own Chinese food restaurant!

COLUMN A --- COLUMN B

Imperial--- Panda

Chung ---Lee

Ming ---Terrace

Mandarin--- Garden

Happy--- House

Tea--- Corner

Lucky ---Dream

Jade ---Empire

Golden ---Buffet

Grand--- Garden

Oriental ---Dynasty

China ---Express

Panda--- Kitchen

Lotus--- Pagoda

Royal ---Dragon

---------Island

---------Palace

---------King

---------East

Grandparent's Weekend

Callum says: "It's spring! Time to put your winter hats away!!!"

Callum and Papa, taking a break from playing......

"Turkey and apples with my Nannie....in my new high chair!"

I took a personal day on Friday, since Callum had his NINE MONTH doctor's appointment with Dr Murray-James. I dont know if you can believe this, but a boy who "I" fathered is "below average" as far as his height and weight go!!! He was hovering around 50% at his six month appointment, but he has since fallen behind a little. Clearly, daddy needs to take him to Big G's more. He had a great appointment (and he was happy he didnt have to get shots!). After the doctor's we headed down to Mass for a little grandparent visit.

Even though I got pulled over in Wells and was given a 185 dollar speeding ticket (totally bogus, and I am contesting it), our trip down went very well....and Callum slept the whole time. We first stopped at Papa Goldsmith's, and Callum was happy to crawl around, play with Kody the 85 pound Maine-Coon cat, and sit on his Papa's lap. Callum even helped his Papa make a meatloaf for supper.

After Papa's we went to Nannie's house, and Callum hung out with PB while he waited for Nannie to get home from work. Nannie bought Callum (and Jackson...when he uses it come November) a nice high chair to use when he goes to "Nannie Camp." Callum enjoyed it very much, and as you can see from the picture, had fun eating his supper. After supper, Callum was out like a light.

One of the perks of staying at my mom's is that Callum sleeps upstairs in the den, and we sleep down in the finished basement. The den where Callum sleeps is right next to my mom and Bob's room, so Nannie gets up with Callum in the morning, and we get to "sleep in!" On Saturday, we slept until 7:30!!! It was so awesome!!!

On Saturday, we made our way over dad's after Callum got up from his nap, and then we went to Fresh Catch for some seafood. The service was awful, but the fried oysters were great! And Callum had some of his Papa's "filet of sole," and some of his mommy's fried haddock sandwich. Callum also enjoyed some cornbread. We then stopped at Hilliard's House of Chocolate (the world famous Hilliards), Honeydew Donuts for some coffee (Honeydew BLOWS Dunkin Donuts out of the water) and Petco, since Papa bought Callum all the setup he needs for an aquarium for his first birthday....more on that later!

After that, it was back to mom's for some serious playtime! Callum was as busy as a beaver, as he crawled all over the place, playing with all the new toys Nannie had for Callum, including a really awesome dog that sings when you touch it (daddy thinks the girl singing is wicked hot....even though he cant see her). Callum actually wore us all out, as it was tiring just to sit and watch him....

After Callum went to sleep, mom and bob "babysat" while Amanda and I went out on a date. We ended up at the Stoneforge Grill by Stonehill College, and we sat at the bar and had a couple of drinks while we watched the NCAA basketball on one television, and NCAA hockey (the REAL March Madness) on the other. It was awesome just to sit at the bar, have drinks, and talks. It reminded us of the times before we were married when we used to go out on dates...haha!

This morning we went over to Timmy the Greek's new house to see....well....his new house. It was great to catch up with Tim and see his new pad....very nice Tim!! We then went out to Stonebridge Cafe for some great breakfast (chicken cordon bleu omlette!) with Tim, and we further caught up by talking about the times when we used to be cool....haha

A very good weekend indeed, even though we didnt get to see the Favry's. But we'll see them soon enough....Kristin is sure to welcome Jackson Robert into the world any day now! Then I will be an uncle, Amanda will be an aunt, and Callum will be a cousin!

Meanderings 48

Two headed monster??

I didnt even know Amanda was taking this....its destined to become a classic. I am yelling at Callum "NO....the stove it HOT." Look at him looking at me. "I'm sorry Daddy...."

1. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is perhaps the only American folk adage we have that's hell-bent on ruining people's jobs. I mean, in these tough economic times, I think we should abandon that saying. Let's try and save everyone we can.

2. Dentists are funny people; they are the only folks who make a living by helping people do everything they can to NOT come and see them in the first place. Think about that for a moment. When you go to them, they polish and scrape and pick at your teeth. They teach you how to brush better. They help you with your flossing. For crying out loud, they even GIVE you the tools you need so you dont have to go back. But we do....kind of funny

3. If someone earns enough an average amount of money, they make a "living." But if someone earns an above average amount of money, they make a "killing." What's with that?

4. What ever happened to the monocle? Someone needs to bring that back. Or maybe it never left, and I'm just looking in the wrong places. No pun intended. Kind of.

5. Now that we've changed the clocks for daylight savings time, it stays darker longer in the morning....and when it does get light out, the sun, for some reason, REALLY glares the whole roadway, making it difficult to see. As I was driving up a hilltop into Benton yesterday, I began to get really angry at Being the selfish, greedy, and entitled American that I am, I immediately began to cast blame on those responsible, muttering to myself how I pay good money in taxes and shouldnt have to deal with this crap. And then I realized I was complaining about THE SUN. Then I realized I'm a freakin idiot. Then I had a good laugh and everything was better. Life is like that sometimes.

6. If Vassalboro Maine (the town in which THE GRAND VIEW topless donut shop makes its home) is going to pass an ordinance against nudity and nude businesses in the town, then that is all fine and good. But how on earth can they complain about nudity in a private donut shop, but still make it perfectly okay for people at public ice cream stands to be outside, in their morbidly obese pale white bodies, donning small bikinis or tight jeans with muffin-tops and furiously stretched thong whale-tales? I mean, can we just kill two birds with one stone here and get it over with already?

7. Isnt it funny how they call it a weather "forecast," but for over half of the "forecast" the weatherman tells us what is going on at the "present" time right outside our own windows? Thanks Beavis, but I have my own thermometer....and I have windows too. Use your cute little computers, and tell me when the heck its going to snow again this week. The should change the name of the news segment from "weather forecast" to "corpulent -middle -aged -man -in -short sleeve -shirt -and tie-telling -you -crap -you -already -knowcast

8. I hate it when you're watching TV and there's this ad with some gourmet chef making some fancy chicken or beef dish, decorating a silver platter with deliciously succulent food....and then through the magic of digital imaging all that great food is morphed into little glass dishes and you realize you're watching a catfood commercial. Usually, while some pretentious white cat is scurrying towards the dishes of food, the narrator says something like "and we use the same high quality ingredients to make this gourmet fancy feast catfood" or something. What a buzzkill....

9. I dont want to beat a dead horse here and complain about the dinks at AIG who are taking my money that I loaned to them and paying their selfish, greedy, country-ruining workers millions of dollars in bonuses. I'll leave that to someone else, like you. But what I seriously cant believe....what I find absolutely SHOCKING in fact, is that the leader of our country....our PRESIDENT... is COMPLETELY powerless in getting AIG to not pay these bonuses. Can you even IMAGINE how much the rest of the world is laughing at us right now? What the heck kind of crap is this? Hey, other countries might have more Draconian practices set in place, but its humiliating when a country like AIG is literally raping the American taxpayers and our very own President cant do anything. "oooh....we had contracts we had to honor" or "ummmm....we promised these bonuses 'before' the crisis happened." Absolute BS. You are telling me that the most powerful man in the world (after Mike Thurston) cant pull some strings somehow? What about all the contracts AIG broke with the American people and their customers? Right now the United States of American must look so damn stupid to the rest of the world; undoubtedly our integrity and toughness as a world power is being called into question if we cant even handle crooks in our own USA. In China, for crying out loud, they just executed people for screwing around with MILK!!! Do something Barack.

10. Piggybacking on my last point, I can only imagine if this whole AIG bonus thing was going on in a middle eastern country: There would be all-out rioting in the streets! That's the thing with Americans....we never riot. Other countries riot all the time, and its so funny to watch, because there are usually two universal truths that go along with rioting. First of all, there has to be some dude "cheerleading" the rest of the mob on, usually saying something with a lot of "K" sounds in it. Then, the mob repeats these "K" sounds back to the cheerleader. Secondly, these people are most of the time holding up a wooden stick with a painting of their weird, cultish leader attached to the stick; its never a photograph....if you want to riot like a Dirka, then it has to be a painting.

Happy St Patrick's Day 2009

Hi. Amanda AND Jared here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Jared surprised me tonight by making us corned beef and cabbage for dinner. It was delicious -- Jared is such a good cook. Callum and I are very lucky!

Going along with the St. Patrick's Day theme I am reminded of Jared's Guinness glass curse... Every Guinness glass that he has ever had has gotten broken somehow. DH gave him two Guinness glasses and they both broke during Jared's college years. My senior year of college I went to England on an orchestra exchange program. I managed to get two Guinness glasses from a local pub in York. I packed them very carefully in my luggage, brought them back to the US, unharmed. Somehow they have both ended up in pieces on the kitchen floor. Jared does currently have four that I bought him for Christmas two years ago. We'll see how long they last...

It was such a nice day today that we took Callum for a little walk before we ate dinner. We dressed him up in his Irish sweater and matching hat. This sweater set used to be Jared's when he was little. It's handmade by someone that Jared can't remember (sorry, he says). Nannie saved it all these years, Grammie washed it and blocked it, and now Callum can wear it. It is still a little big, but he looks so handsome...

Callum and Mommy.

My two Irish half-Jews.

In other news, we have changed Siegfried's name. We decided that he just didn't look like a Siegfried and we were having trouble calling him by that name. So, he is now....Humphries.

Goodnight!

Lucky Leprechaun 5K in Rockland

This past Saturday, I ran my first 5K....the first of many, I am sure, because I had a blast. My time was nothing to write home about, but I could care less. I was just happy to be out with friends and family, on the ocean, supporting a good cause, and enjoying an early spring day. And I love the thought of training for other races (including my triathalon) and constantly improving. Good stuff. The race was at 11, and Amanda, Callum, and I followed the Reynolds to Mark's house in downtown Rockland. Rockland, for you Connectimassajeryans reading this, is just south of Camden....its right on the coast. A beautiful little downtown.

It was a "leprechaun" theme, so obviously I had to don my Guinness shirt. That reminds me of the "Guinness curse," which I am sure would make a good story for another blog sometime. But I digress. Eric's friend Mark (and Mark's cousin Todd) also ran the race. Everyone was decked out in green regalia. But there were no ladies going "erin go braless." Yeah. Here we are before the run started. Although a nice spring day later in the afternoon, the morning was quite nippy...especially on the water.

The wind was even enough to take the little guy's breath away, as you can see below. But he was SUCH a good boy, cheering his daddy on the whole time. Or he slept. I can't remember....I was running.
Here we are...."the elite." Haha... From left to right we have Toddy, Mark, Dinkus, and Eric. I dont want to embarrass Eric, but he ran a hell of a race. Great time, Eric! (he used 'roids)

Here I am coming along the final stretch....I was pretty tired. It was supposed to be a flat course, but I found that it was a lot of uphill terrain....but maybe it just seemed that way to me because I was pushing along. (Note the irony of the street sign...we're on the coast of Maine, yet there is "Pacific Street" right above me?????). It should also be noted that the only reason I look like I am working is because someone was holding a green beer for me at the finish line. Just kidding.

And here's the trophy I got after the race!
Like I said, it was so much fun to do this. Eric and I were already talking about next year and how it would be so neat to push the little ones in strollers (a lot of parents were pushing their kids along as they ran).

After the run, we changed up and had lunch at "The Boathouse," which was a restaurant in a gorgeous spot overlooking the harbor. Even though they are the first restaurant I've ever heard of that doesnt have highchairs, it was still great to have a good burger, and spend time with friends.

Up here in Maine, it seems like spring is working its way in....are we really done with the snow? Will I be stoned to death if I say I really hope we get one more good storm? Sorry....its just that right now everything looks so drab and gross....like two week old lentil soup that you reluctantly throw out to make more room in the fridge. So there.

Siegfried at home, running leprachauns, and more

So Saint Patrick's day is coming up next week! Yippee! The one day of the year when

a. EVERYONE wants to be/thinks they are Irish. Well, you are not. And I am. So go make a Toutiere pie or something.....haha

b. It is PERFECTLY acceptable....even encouraged....to completely caricature a whole ethnicity of people as small, drunk, red little men. And even though that may be true.....(haha)

Luckily, we Irish can handle it....we just have another beer and its all good. But I'd like to see if, for a Polish Patron Saint's holiday, they had shirts with little perplexed individuals struggling to change a lightbulb. Or, for the Puerto Rican festival of the Saint Maria Conchita, if folks put up decorations of fancily decorated 1989 Toyota Celicas on cinder blocks in unmowed yards. I wonder if THAT would be okay.....

Even though I am 50% Irish, I have never really embraced the whole St Patrick's Day (it is not St PADDY'S day....) "thing." Oh well. I am proud of my heritage, and I guess I show that by my tweed blazers and Irish knit hats. One thing I have never ever consumed is: However, I will definitely be enjoying some green beer on Saturday, at the finish line of my very first 5K run. Eric and I are running the "Lucky Leprechaun 5K" this Saturday morning. It takes place in Rockland, right on the coast right above Camden. After the race there will be green beer and Irish Stew. Bring it on.

I havent told anyone yet, but I am training for my first triathlon--to be run on May 31st...which is my birthday. This will be my "golden birthday" (I will be 31 on the 31st), and I figured: What better way to celebrate than compete in a triathlon. Eric and I made the decision to run several races this season (this Saturday's is a pretty early one) to get in shape for bigger races. I just figured it is something where I can have a goal, and train to REACH that goal. It will benefit me both physically and mentally. Furthermore, I really want to participate in races, rides, and runs that benefit causes dear to my heart---like cancer and MS. I figure: If I can do it...I can help people. So that is my new "thing."

But I am REALLY gearing up for the "Michael Scott Dunder Mifflin first annual 5K Rabies Awareness (pro am) fun run.....for the cure."

Siegfried is adapting well. He slept behind the futon for most of the day (Amanda was working from home today). He finally came out around dinner time to visit with us, and he's been out and about for the whole night thus far. He definitely is a WICKED mellow little guy--as I mentioned yesterday. I thought Thomas was pretty sedentary....jeesh. Right now he's lying in the green recliner in the den downstairs. As you can see, little Callum LOVES his new friend....and Sig doesnt seem to mind the attention....

Look at that little smile! Callum can't take his eyes off his new pet.

And here, everyone poses for the camera. Siegfried has really interesting eyes, and they dont come out very well with our camera. I have to say that Callum REALLY looks like me in this picture below. Look at those little pork-chop calves of his....

I bring Siegfried for his first vet appointment tomorrow at 345. There are a few peculiar things about him. First of all, he kind of still smells....but I think that is still the shelter smell thing. Second, he's kind of clumsy, and seems to have trouble walking downstairs (it looks like he falls and stuff). He's only 3, so I doubt there is anything "old" and not working right. Again, he's looking forward to meeting everyone.

Welcome Home Siegfried!

This is the newest addition to the Goldsmith clan--Siegfried Goldsmith. This past Saturday, Amanda, Callum, and I went to the Waterville Humane Society to look at cats. We have been mourning our dear Thomas since October, and finally realized this house was somehow empty without a pet. The criteria: He had to like Callum. And like Callum he does! We sat down on the bench in one of the cat rooms, and up hops this little guy (previously called Sandler) onto the bench. Immediately, he starts rubbing against Callum and me, and he had no problem with Callum petting him....even when Callum "grabbed" his fur and then his whiskers, Siegfried didnt mind a bit.

Siegfried, obviously, looks a lot different than our dear Thomas. I guess that was done on purpose. He is very soft, and has a huge head! He is a three year old boy, and he was a stray found in Winslow and brought to the shelter. He has been at the shelter since January 16....so he was ready for a nice warm home.

He's a little sore today because yesterday they implanted a microchip between his shoulder blades. But other than that, he's a happy guy. He's EXTREMELY mellow....I have only heard him meow one time. He has a VERY dull, slow purr. And he's just making his way around the house, sniffing here and there, finding comfortable places, and eating a ton of food. He's a bit skiddish right now, but at least he isnt hiding on us. He has kind of a funky smell going on, but that is from the shelter....living in a stressful situation with like 30 other cats can do that I guess.

All in all, we're happy to have him home...he'll be a wonderful addition to the family, and he cant wait to meet everyone. On a sidenote, its hard having another cat, since we were so attached to Thomas P., and, I anyway, find myself comparing Siegfried to Thomas (Thomas never laid on the recliner....Thomas had such a louder purr....etc.). I need to stop that. They are both very different and wonderful little guys....all in their own way.

More pictures to come...Callum is already asleep, so he was unavailable for photos this evening...

Humane Society, Hallowell, and Craft Day

Hi. Amanda here.

On Saturday, after Callum woke up from his nap, we decided to take a ride over to the Waterville Humane Society to look at cats. Ever since we lost Thomas we have been talking about getting another cat but I think we've both been a little hesitant. Thomas was such an amazing animal that we fear no other cat could compare. On the other hand, our house just feels so empty without a cat that we knew we needed to adopt another one. Finally, this weekend, we decided to see who was out there looking for a home. And we found Sandler. Sandler is a 3 year old male, black and white, and he is a big puppa cat with a big round face. He immediately came up to us, sat on Jared's lap, rubbed against Callum's feet, and seemed very happy to be with us. He didn't purr, but maybe that will come in time. Callum even pulled his whiskers and fur a couple of times and Sandler didn't seem to mind in the least. We are going to pick him up on Tuesday, I think, so stay tuned for pictures of the newest member of our family...

Okay, I just have to say that Callum is looking more and more like a little boy everyday. Just look at him here! We were getting ready to go to the shelter and he is very excited to see all the kitties.


He wanted to wear his Phillies hat, just like his Daddy. I love my boys!


After the humane society we drove into Hallowell. We were going to meet my parents, Jonathan and Mel, and Grandpop at the Lucky Garden for dinner. We had a little time before we were to meet them so we decided to walk around Hallowell for a little bit. We bought CS a really neat clock for his room, I found a new scrapbook store, and Daddy had us pose in front of the 'Goldsmith' sign for a picture.

We then had dinner with the family and it was really great to see P-Pop after his trip to Florida and New Jersey. Welcome home, P-Pop!


For a while now I've been wanting to do a monthly craft afternoon. I have so many crafts that I want to do and I never find the time to do them. I thought it would be fun to get some friends together once a month specifically to chat and work on our projects. The group today was Michelle, Mel, and myself. We planted ourselves in my 'crap room', as Jared calls it, and got to work. Callum also joined us for a little while. He worked on pulling his fish out of the fishbowl and then putting them back in. Michelle and Mel worked on their scrapbooks and I did some knitting. Hopefully next month we'll have a few more people join us...

Jared was at our beck and call, getting us drinks and snacks, and making a really great pasta fagioli soup with sausage (I don't know if I got the spelling right). I love you, Jared -- thanks for letting me relax with my friends and for being our slave for the afternoon!

Magazines that were....

Sorry I havent posted much this week....but now I am back.

Thanks again for all the GREAT responses about the "Stores that were" post! Its great to see everyone reminiscing about the good old days when there WERE these stores....before Wal Mart and Crap-Aid took over the world! Before I continue with the magazine post, I couldnt help but thinking how foolish I was for leaving the following off my original list (and, I apologize, but these are mostly Mass places local to where I grew up!)

SPAGS: "They have no bags at Spags." But they did have a lot of crap you didnt know you wanted or needed until you saw it

SANNIES (or was it Sandy's): In downtown Mansfield....a kid's clothing store....Susan Shaw turned my mom on to it, and we used to get a lot of jeans and such there

COBBS CORNER: Not a "store," per se, but more like a big Jewish hangout. Is it still there? Was this in Sharon? What the heck is even there? I just remember my mom saying that we were going to go over to Cobb's Corner for shoes or clothes, etc

CHRISTOPHER'S: In the deathtrap/intersection of Stoughton Center....my sister and I used to get our shoes there....and they used to give out cool banana keychains.

BILLY VIGOR'S SURPLUS: Johnny C....mourn ya til I join ya.....

MVP SPORTS: Before Pricks and Modells and all those stupid places, we had a REAL sports store...with Johnny Most as its spokesperson, "commentating" on what was on sale that week. The ads were awesome...colored-in pictures on newsprint. And a catchy jingle

COLEMANS and HERMANS: Two great local sporting goods stores. Colemans has no relation to the big camping supply company. One was in Stoughton and one was in Quincy, right? And were Colemans and Hermans somehow related? Hermans had a catchy jingle too.

*******

Anyway, I was thinking about old magazines we used to have when we were kids. My cousin Lauren used to buy all the "teen" magazines and virtually wallpaper her room with pictures of NKOTB....and Nana Courtney used to inudate our house with all her old women's periodicals. Isnt that funny how libraries are too snooty to call them magazines? Johnny C, what is with that? Anyway, I think some of these magazines might still exist...but I never see them anymore....I used to love magazines when I was a kid

1. BOY'S LIFE: Boy Scout magazine. Anyone? Always cool articles about camping and sports.

2. PENNYWISE: Not Johnny C's punk band...but an old kid magazine about how to save money, make things yourself, budget for retirement....things like that

3. TEEN BEAT: The first of many teen magazines to be mentioned. This, I think, was the original, and most of the time had Kirk Cameron's picture on the cover. What is he doing now? Isnt he in some quasi-Christian cult or something?

4. BOP, TIGER BEAT, 16, SUPERTEEN: More of the same. Mostly NKOTB, Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Home Improvement, or Vanilla Ice

5. WOMEN'S WORLD: I dont think they make this one anymore. Nana used to give it to my mom. I remember it because it was larger than your average size magazine....and printed on very chintzy paper

6. INSIDE SPORTS: Not "SPORTS," which is still around today competing with Sports Illustrated. Does anyone remember "Inside" In my opinion, they always had a better swimsuit issue. No?

7. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS: Who cares about Michael Jordan's new contract or Emmit Smith's performance at the combine....I want to know what they like on their pizza, and what they watch on TV!!! Yeay! Also, they had a cool comic called "SPOT" or something like that. I remember this because Dr. Bryan T. Maher used to draw this little red character all during Mr. Pratt's poor excuse for a science class. Maher, are you reading this?

8. DISNEY ADVENTURES: On sale in the checkout line of Shaw's when I was kid. Is it still around?

9. RANGER RICK: For all the "Amandaish" kids who actually went outside and played and got fresh air...and didnt just sit on their butts playing Mario Brothers. Cool outdoor magazine about animals, lichens, and such.

10. CRACKED: Who remembers this? I dont know if they still make it or not, but it was a magazine that competed with MAD, right? My cousin Michael Wayne used to give me all his old issues. As I remember, it was funnier than MAD.

11. ZOOBOOKS: Awesome, awesome, awesome magazine. Each issue was about a different animal, and it was dedicated to teaching you just about everything about that animal! They had cross sections of the animal's body, skeleton, etc. And you could collect them all and then be a smartass little kid at family Christmas parties and tell your Uncle how big an elephant's femur is. And such and such.

12. GROO: More of a comic....and the only comic I put on this list. But it was a big (page-wise) comic, and a pretty arcane one at that. Plus, it was hilarious! The would-be warrior GROO and his quest to save something or someone?? Anyone?

13. MUPPETS: Kristin used to get Muppets magazine. I remember the issue I used to look at all the time had Kermit and Kirk Cameron on the cover

14. HILIGHTS FOR CHILDREN: As opposed to HIGHLIGHTS FOR ADULTS I guess. A magazine that ALL good little boys and girls read, right? Just as male college sophomores immediately flip to the centerfold of a Playboy, so did I flip to see what good old Goofus and Gallant were up to THIS month....that ass-kissing Gallant, with his nicely starched shirt and even sideburns....

Stores and Restaurants That Were

I was just thinking yesterday about stores I remember from when I was a kid....stores that I dont think exist any longer. Maybe some of these DO still exist, but I havent heard of them or seen them in my own life for quite some time. I guess this means I'm getting old. Living in Maine, I always hear the "old timers" talk about what "used to be" on Upper Main St in Waterville, or Halifax Street in Winslow, etc. A funny thing about Maine is that when a store has been there for a long time and then that store goes out of business and another store replaces it, people, for the most part, still refer to it by its old name. Forever. In Fairfield Center there is a store called "Damon's Quick Stop." Its a popular destination because it intersects some key snowmobile trails going to Waterville, Fairfield, Skowhegan, or Norrigewock. But don't ask anyone where "Damon's" is....they won't know what you are talking about. They only know of "Jock's Variety," the store that was there like 10 years ago before it became Damon's. Maine is funny like that. Anyway, here is my list. I wonder what you can add to it....

ZAYRES: Cool old department store. Orange lettering and fancy design font.

ALMACS: Before we had the "big box" Shaws move into Easton, my mom would do all the shopping at Almacs....the grocery store off of 140 in Mansfield. It was right next door to her aerobics studio

PURITY SUPREME: A grocery store. I thought they were a chain. Papa Goldsmith used to shop there, and I remember they had a red heart in between the "Purity" and the "Supreme."

FRANKS: A nursery/greenhouse/crafty kind of place. Across from the old Paperama at the Westgate Mall. I think there were some in Maine too....

HQ: The "other" big-box home improvement store. Remember them? They had the big green letters? They must have lost out big to Home Depot somehow.

GROSSMAN'S: The orginal hardware store, as far as I know. My dad always needed to go to "Grossman's" to pick up something. I think they had a big orange sign you could see from the highway. Again, I think they existed in Maine too.

TAPE WORLD: I think their name implies they are now an obsolete store. But they sold wall to wall tapes....

RECORD TOWN: Same thing. But records.

THE WALL: Another music chain store....they tried to be all "right brain" by having the gimmick that their CDs were guaranteed for life....AS LONG AS you kept the sticker on the cover. If you broke it, they would give you a new CD. The only problem was that they only stayed in business for like two weeks.

CHECK FARM: This one's for Johnny C.....its all about the Now & Laters and creepy pedophiles with inoperable cataracts.....

MISTER DONUT: I found out, while researching for this blog entry, that Mister Donut has re-marketed itself in the Asian donut theater. Those are three words I bet you've never seen all together. But apparently, they are pretty big in China, Japan, etc. Seriously. Which means they've come a long way from their days at Westgate Mall across from Lazarino's pizza....

SUPREME DOUNUT: Never had their donuts, but heard they were actually pretty good. A pretty boring logo as I remember. What's funny is how I remember these stores by their logos, colors, designs, etc.

NICKELODEON: Another donut place in Brockton...near the fairgrounds. I probably only remember it because it had a creepy clown on its sign....and weird little mirrors inside (like the ones you'd see in a funhouse)

STRUCTURE: I think they virtually INVENTED the whole male-metrosexual clothing genre...haha. Basically they were 50 dollar collared pullovers with stripes on them

DUNNINGTON SUPER DRUG: Before RITE AID took over the world (and CVS for that matter), we had two wonderful drug stores: Osco and Dunnington. There was also Sedells, and they deserve their own category too. But I remember there was a Dunnington in Brockton, and I remember the "logo" was green and showed an old man pushing a cart through the store. Call me crazy, but that is how I remember it!

CHILD WORLD: What is this Kay-Bee and Toys R Us crock of BS? Everyone knows Childworld is where it was at. Being a kid started and ended with Childworld. Word to Peter Panda.

LAURIAT'S BOOKS: An independent mall chain of bookstores. Are there any still in existence?

BRADLEES: Everyone remembers Bradlees, right? I loved Bradlees. They had Icees!

JORDAN MARSH: Currently known as Macy's. This didnt happen TOO long ago, right?

RAVE: Amanda wondered about this place. Do they still exist? Kristin used to get a lot of her clothes there...sort of a teeny-bopper type of clothing store!

LERNER'S OF NEW YORK, G.FOX, and CHERRY WEBB AND TERRAIN: Three more random clothes stores I dont think exist any longer.

*****

(Amanda had these "New Jersey" offerings for the list....I've never heard of any of these places, but then again I didnt grow up in New Jersey!)

Kiddy City

Chi Chi's

Golden Corral

John Wanamakers (tea sandwiches with watercress)

An afternoon at the museum

The Maine State Museum, that is! Augusta, Maine's Capital city, boasts an extraordinary museum, archives, and library. Yesterday we met Lynne and George there for Callum's first trip (of many, we hope) to look around the museum. To our surprise, Jonathan showed up too, and walked around with us for a little bit before leaving to go work on some hot chick's car. Below, Uncle Jon and Callum pose for the camera, while George scowls because he just realized Barack is still our president. I could have easily written "George looks on with joy and excitement at the map detailing the museum layout" and that could have been right on too....George IS the master of expression after all...... Can you name all these fish? When Amanda and I were first dating, and I first came up to visit her during one of our winter breaks, we went on a date to the museum, and I impressed her by naming most of these fish correctly. I think that is why she married me, actually. Yesterday, however, was a different story, whereas I only got about MAYBE half of them correct. Ortiz, I bet you can do this!

The above picture is taken from the "Maine fishing heritage" exhibit, and the museum also pays homage to Maine's other indigenous crafts, exports, industries, and arts. There is a section on boat building, ice cutting, locomotive constructing, granite quarrying, logging, and even sardine canning! We'd love to take any of you out-of-staters to the museum next time you are up....it really is pretty impressive! Its a hidden gem indeed.

Callum is just overjoyed at the ice cutting exhibit. Can you imagine if Chelsea got a load of this??!!?? She'd be in heaven.....life-size ice cubes!

This is downstairs in the "boat and engine" room. There is such irony in that Grampy is smiling, yet Callum isnt. They have some beautiful sailboats and handmade canoes down there....I love the canoes, as you can tell from my shirt!


Callum gives me a proper "thank you" for a great afternoon at the museum!

We'll have to go back soon, as Callum didnt get to see all the animals and stuff....and we know he loves his moose!!! He was getting pretty tired and hungry, and we had to get him something to eat.

As I write this, ANOTHER big storm is slowly moving its beautiful head up the coast and inland a bit to slam us with at least another foot of snow. I think its safe to say that "no school" is a pretty safe bet....but you can never tell!!! If so, I think this will be our 4th snow day (is that right Michelle or MET?) I thought we have had more, but I think this will only be our 4th. Oh well. Just more Curious George for CS and I to watch. PLUS, I can watch the boy romp around in his walker.....