Pig bites

Found this pic of Drew from last fall at the apple farm and just had to post it.

SXSW Day 1

Bob and I are in Austin at SXSW 2009 - an interactive, film and music festival.

Our flight arrive too late to be able to attend any sessions.

But we did get here when there was no wait at registration.

First celeb siting: Kid Rock.

Best band we saw last night: WinoVino at Club Deville

Best drink: Grapefruit Mohito at Lambert's

Great time with Susan and Peter - racing rickshaws

Heading to sessions now for the day including Designing for Wisdom of Crowds, Lessons in Community Management, Twitter for Marketers, Videoblogging. Too many good ones.

I am such a geek!

Spring can't get here fast enough

From Papa with love

I didn't want to write about Pops too much when he was sick.

I didn't want him to read this blog, which he loved, and find it was about how sick he was or how sad we were to think of the world without him in it. About much we'd miss his smile, his walk, his whistling and singing. And those sly grins. And those big hard laughs where he'd shake his head and wipe tears from his eyes.

We all know more than we say, more than we write down.

And that's probably why I never could delete this message left on our voicemail way back in October.

Now, keep in mind, each of his 13 grandchildren and 6 kids and all their husbands and wives have had these messages or calls on each of their birthdays....every one of us, every birthday. That's just the way that Mema and Papa roll.

I can't even begin to say how thankful I am for every birthday message. Every kiss on the cheek. Every conversation in the kitchen while making dinner. Every walk. Every dance. Every laugh.

Every moment Pops will always be there for me, for all of us...singing.

My other Dad

Robert "Bob" Welch
July 6, 1937 - February 23, 2009

Greece: February 23, 2009 at the age of 71. Predeceased by his parents, Bernard and Leocadia Welch; brother, John Welch; Bob is survived by his wife of 50 years, Susanne (Barrigan) Welch; children, Barbara (Daniel) Schreiner, Bob (Molly) Welch, Daniel (Julie) Welch, Sharon (Michael) Posadni, Donna (Charlie) Anderson, Nancy (Scott) Hewitson; grandchildren, Dan, Jim (Jenna), Jon Schreiner; Dylan, Drew Welch; Mike, att Welch; Kate, Abby Posadni; Gavin, Isabelle Anderson; Ryan, Jessica Hewitson; brothers, Leo, Paul (Dona), Eugene (Nancy) Welch. He was a proud member of the St. Charles Choir, Greece Choral Society, and Barnard Exempt Fire Department. Bob was a loving and dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. He will be remembered for his sense of humor and love of life.

Pops - say hello to my Dad and my Mom and all the other angels.

Valentine

I've had the same Valentine since 1981.

When I think back to the first time I spied him outside his apartment in his rude boys thrift store jacket and jaunty brim, who would have known I'd found the love of my life?

But I had.

Hey - he had a hot car too.


Bob is a Valentine kind of guy.

He gives me flowers. This year a dozen red roses.

He usually gets me really big over-the-top corny cards that have lots of swooshes and mushy language.

This year it was a big heart shaped card that played "Can you feel the love tonight" from the Lion King.



One year he had roses delivered to me in Washington, DC in the middle of a blizzard. I'll never forget the delivery guy holding the big bouquet up high so he could make it through the snow.

Bob comes from a long line of steady Valentines. His father and mother have had the same Valentine for more than 50 years.

And Bob gets that mushy Valentine thing from his Mom, who specializes in corny, great cards with lots of double and triple underlines...and confetti.

Having the same Valentine for life is an incredible gift.

This Valentine's Day Pops is very sick. And here we all are - their 6 children and spouses, grandchildren, brothers, and friends all pulling together and feeling that pain...that exquisite pain that comes from love. But no one feels it more than Mom and Pops - the Valentines themselves.

All week 16 year old Dylan has been asking me and Bob for advice. What should he get his girl friend for Valentine's Day? He wanted it to be just right. He settled on a single rose, some chocolates from Stowaway Sweets and a cute card that has Charlie Brown on it.

It's a precious thing. A sensitive and thoughtful and romantic man is entering the world. And like his father and grandfather before him, he comes from a long line of Valentines.

And so on this Valentine's Day I want to send out all of my love and all my mushy, corny thoughts and rain them down like confetti on Mom and Pops.

Because they set the standard. And no matter what - the cancer, the lung disease, the hospital - whatever - it can never ever, ever take away from all of us...or the world...the incredible love that they created and instilled in all of us.

Here's that love - in Dylan's smile.

RIP Lux Interior

Lux Interior, the founder, singer and songwriter for one of my favorite bands, The Cramps, died on Wednesday at the age of 60.

Back in the day we listened to The Cramps all the time and I saw them live in Boston or New York? Or both? with Robin, who turned me on to them in 1981. Anyhow they were raw, pure, psychobilly voodoo and I defy anyone to not feel a certain amount of joyful abandon in this music.

Here is Lux's obituary from the Globe, in which he is referred to as "Mr. Interior." That made me choke on my coffee this morning.

It reminds me of the time I heard "Mr. Biafra" (aka Jello Biafra of The Dead Kennedys) interviewed on NPR while I was driving home from work one day.

That was when I knew my generation's bands was aging up. And now, ummm, some of them aren't making it into their 60s. But hey, who ever would have thought Lux would last this long?

My condolences to Poison Ivy. Here's to you Lux!



Human Fly


I was a teenage werewolf


Here they are playing The Way I Walk at the Napa State Mental Hospital in 1984. Ah...good times, good times.



OK yeah, I'm loving YouTube today.

What's inside a girl


Tear it up


Garbage Man

Milk

When my Dad ran away to San Francisco it was 1978.

That's the same year Harvey Milk was gunned down, along with Mayor Moscone.

As San Francisco was working that out, my Dad was working out a new life.

When I went there he'd talk all about San Francisco politics, which he followed with passion. He had lots to say about Dianne Feinstein, the woman that stepped up as mayor after the assassinations. She is now Senator Feinstein and about the same age my Dad would have been now.

The whole time I watched this incredible movie...I felt like Dad was sitting right next to me, squeezing my arm, making funny asides, cheering Harvey on, weeping at his demise and marveling at his legacy. I loved...and I mean I LOVED...going to movies with Dad.

Go see it. Sean Penn embodied Harvey Milk completely. A master performance. Best Actor, indeed. And the way the film is shot, you'll swear you're right back in the 70s.

What do I make?

Tonight Dylan asked me, "Hey Mom! Do you know what a poetry slam is?"

Do I know what a poetry slam is?

I was at poetry slams back in the 80s when the movement was first starting. I did a bunch of poetry readings around Boston and part of my goal was to build up my courage to go to a poetry slam and try out my own stuff. Poetry slam is the standup of poetry. It's amazing. I never got there on my own - but always wished that I had tried.

So when Dylan asked me tonight I just said, "Yep. Do you?"

"Yes! And I've been wanting to show you this amazing guy - Taylor Mali."

So he brought his laptop over and we watched this.



Taylor Mali is an English teacher who cares deeply about what he does. Which is totally awesome. But a passionate English teacher who also does poetry slams? ...Bowing...I'm not worthy!!!

I love that Dylan loves this guy.

And I just love YouTube. We didn't have that in the 80s. And we also didn't have poetry slams in high school back then, like they do at Dylan's school. So cool!

Oscar run-up

It's that time of year again. When I hear the Oscar nominations and think, "Oh my God! I'm behind in my movie habit!"

This weekend I caught 2 flicks.

Slumdog Millionaire - this will stay with me for a long, long time. A brutal, vibrant, agonizing and miraculous tale. It deepens my desire to go to India. Worthy of a best picture nomination.



The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - A wonderful story, beautifully shot. It is about time and how nothing ever stays the same. I loved this like I loved Forrest Gump. It made me cry and laugh. I'm glad I saw it with my kids, my friends and Bob all of us together thinking about how much I need to appreciate where I am now.



Next up: Milk