Random Fridays

1. Do you ever wonder why you always see just one shoe on the side of the road? How do they get there? Do that many people chuck shoes out of car windows while driving down the road? And if so, why only one?

2. I think they should invent an ultrasound/doppler application for the iPhone. How cool would that be for pregnant women?

3. Have you ever sat on a beach and tried to wrap your mind around how many grains of sand there are on the planet? It makes my brain hurt when I think about it.

4. On a related matter, how do we know that no two snowflakes are alike? I really don't think anyone's actually analyzed every snowflake that's ever fallen and run it through some crazy snowflake database.

5. Some days I think the person who invented cubicles should be forced to wear underwear two sizes too small for the rest of his or her life.

That'll teach him to shoot at my house

We were enjoying a nice dinner last night when we heard what sounded like someone opening a champagne bottle in our living room. I got up and checked, but there were no rogue sommeliers in the house, and I saw nothing out of place. We went back to eating, and two minutes later there was a knock on our door.

Apparently our next door neighbor happened to look out his window at the exact right time and saw the neighbor punk from across the street shooting at our front door with a paintball gun.

Long story short, there were no parents or adults home; this 12 or 13 year old was home alone with his much younger sister. We made him wash off the paint, called the neighborhood mall cop (who was at least 18 himself - glad our HOA dues are going to good use!) and I put the fear of god into him about playing with guns of any type.

The good news is he was a horrible shot and missed our dormer window three times. The even better news is he seemed contrite, and promised me he would never handle a gun again without adult supervision. Who knows if he was telling me the truth, but if our little adventure with him prevented a serious gun-related accident in the future, it was worth it.

Now we just wait and see if the father responds to the note J left for him. The only other time we've talked to him was the day he moved in and backed into our friend's car. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Five years

Five years. Long or short? In five years a child can go from a squeaking newborn to a well-spoken kindergartner who reads and counts. A cherry tree can grow twenty feet. A five-year old gerbil is positively ancient.

Tomorrow, my marriage will be five years old. Some days it feels like we're newlyweds. Some days it feels like I've known him my whole life. Every day I'm thankful for him and that we found each other.

We won't go out for a fancy dinner, or spend the night in a swanky hotel on the beach. It's opening night at my husband's theatre, you see, which means he has to work. The good news is, I can be there with him. I know it's not the most romantic way to spend an anniversary, but it works for us. And honestly, it's kind of fitting. We met through the theatre, after all, six years ago Saturday.

Don't tell him, but I'm thinking about sneaking in a bottle of champagne.

J, baby, I love you. Happy anniversary!