An Urban Girl

Mr. Urban had attended one of those feel good,  fulfilling gatherings on the weekend, where the company and the conversation had left him refreshed and renewed.  Every once in a while, he and a group of friends gather to sip good wine and muse about creativity, risk taking and changing the world. I can't wait to sit to our family dinner on those nights.  He is bubbly and intoxicated with good stories to share.  And  his story telling is completely captivating.  On Sunday night, after a nice dinner with Mr. Urban's mother and brother, where the ladies had mostly dominated the conversation, he quietly pulled out the laptop and queued up a youtube video, while everyone was waiting for tea. That morning he had met with Ramin Bahrani , a brilliant screenwriter and director. That morning, I had once again forgotten my reusable bags and walked inside the door with 10 plastic grocery bags from the market.  "Let's watch a fun movie about a bags, the ocean and fishi

If you have not experienced the joys of being awaken mid-REM, night, after night, after blessed night, to the not-so-gentle-tunes of a crying toddler standing right there by your night stand, her silhouette much more imposing in the dark of the night, let me tell you just a little bit about what it's like...  it's a little bit like experiencing Chinese water torture on a night of shellfish poisoning.  If you have a good sleeper, Congratulations to ya! If you have been or are currently experiencing night wakings with your beloved toddler, and its many wonderful, colorful side effects on your little one's nerves including over-tiredness during the day, moodiness, irritability, heightened sensitivity, inability to follow directions, loss of hearing, loss of appetite,  and new found irrational fears, just to name a few... I want you to know that that you are not alone my friend! And after you summon every ounce of will in your being to peel your tired body off the mattr

I have a line up of great books for the new year that I can't wait to get started on.  All non-fiction and serious in subject matters! I started out strong with Vice President Al Gore's bestseller The Assault On Reason , examining the state of American politics and leadership.   Never mind the fact that I am about five years too late in picking up the book.  Well, better late than never.    In over a week, I have diligently read up to page 3 of the introduction, and I tell you, its great stuff.  Very informative.  Very interesting.  And then yesterday, just as the UrbanToddler and I were leaving the library after our weekly retreat, 2 additional books sneaked their way to the top of the huge stack of Eric Carle books we were checking out. Have you noticed libraries these days are masters of product placement with a stack of best sellers on one irresistible display right before check out, and another delicious looking stack of cook books or travel guides or diet books o

I have a deep obsession with words.  I love them.  They are to me the ultimate expression of beauty.  Well, words and food and the hearts of the people I adore. But right now I want to focus on words. Memorable conversations for me are not just those that flowed with ease and fun, but those with an impressive flow of beautiful words. Disappointing instances in relationships are often for me over the choice of words by the "offending party" rather than the spirit of the disagreement... "I am not hurt by what my boss said, but by her choice of words..." Even in love, it wasn't Mr. Urban's beautiful face or gentle eyes that first melted my heart, but his words.  His mastery of words in different languages.  And his calm, sweet, confident delivery.  Now here I am with a three year old who wishes to fit all thoughts and feelings into four simple efficient words with elongated vowels for emphasis and a magical finale: "I DON'T WANT TO" (pro