sunday

went to little nina's 3rd day party at the children's art studio in alameda today. maya did some out of the box and way off the paper hand painting (read:smearing glittery paint all over the paint room with her hands, but they didn't seem to mind) and miles and darby constructed a whip cream machine (it shot whip cream at adults) out of pvc pipes and joints. joy made a homeade cake, thank you.

the croakies weren't looking too good so we spent approximately another 50 bucks and now have a deluxe terrarium set up with heat lamp, air plants, lots of tasty crickets running around. yes, we now have to take care of crickets too, feed them veggies and cotton balls soaked with water and supposedly dust their food with calcium. i admit his is all quite educational, but for who? miles is busy playing teenage mutant engine turtles (don't argue about this one) while rich and i study the frog book and fret about the croakies' ambient temp and cricket diet.

yes, i am purposely holding back about schools because i am so obsessed with school thoughts at this point that if i start writing i may never stop.

today after the birthday party, back in the city i snuck out to try and track down a neighbor and our video store owners to ask them about their kids' schools. it was a perfect sunny afternoon. i chatted with a woman at the bus stop about her 2 year old's harness, as i am thinking of getting one for maya with her elbow issues. 24th st was humming: a mural tour group checking out the water park, people with cones leaving st francis, the old woman by the grocery store with her permanent garage sale laid out on the sidewalk. lots of happy drinking young and aging hipsters in and out of pop's. the bakery smells good, eur0-techno blasting. the neighbor and video store people are out. i stop at the little vintage clothing place to look for a pair of earrings to buy and make myself feel better. virginia is there behind the counter with her 4 month old baby miles. he coos and squawks and smiles and we chit chat but i can't find the right earrings. i remember when i used to go in there almost 5 years ago with my miles that small in his snugli, wandering around on maternity leave looking for some earrings to buy to make myself feel better. on the way home i notice a bunch of trucks on hampshire st and a little tent set up with a woman chopping up fruit. she tells me they are filming a movie set in the mission starring benjamin bratt and written by his brother. right here in my neighborhood. i head home and as i cross the street i look up the hill and see the school to which we were assigned. see, i can't control myself. where miles would probably be in a class of kids from the quite sketchy housing projects, but with a good teacher and principal and kids from all backgrounds in the other classrooms, spanish, mandarin, autism. the school is about 7 blocks up potrero hill, a white building against a blue sky...our neighborhood school...my brain hurts, feels like it is gently crumbling with so much going on inside it.