Holi

I'm not a festival person. But I do like two. Holi and Halloween. 

Holi is tomorrow (relative to the day on which the events that follow happened, and not relative to the day on this was posted). Jeanne asked if I wanted to take the kids to the Hindu temple for Holi and I had to ask her where that would be. Which was enough for her to determine that going to the temple wasn't on top of my list of things to do for Holi.

So she and Simran stopped by the Indian store and bought Holi dry colors and came over to the house. Alu and Michelle were visiting, and it was great because they got to see Simran.

We found white T's for everyone and screamed and threw colors on each other right there on our driveway. Some neighbors and people driving by stared. Then Tim and Ava came over and we got Tim to take pictures. Next year we may be in India during Holi.

We reminisced about Vivian's first Holi - when she was a few weeks old. Simran - looking very different - gently placed marigold petals on her tiny baby head. Here's a grainy google video. For her second Holi we doused her with color. Evan got the full toxic treatment for his first.

The Minimalist

At the unofficial official SX (how cool is it when it's an abbr of an abbr) launch party for chimpit this evening I heard a 25-year old sysadmin tell me that she is a minimalist. Which reminded me of when I was a minimalist. Which then brought on the self doubt in the spirit of Freedom-is-just-another-word (yes, Janis was belting that out half a mile up the street at Threadgill's about the time I was when being born) and I asked myself - am/was I a minimalist? And does it fucking matter?

The answer is still a resounding yes and yes. I'd like to think of minimalism in terms of two similar but different ideas: stripping away everything to it's fundamentals, and doing more with less.

I still use my 20-year non-shocked old mountain bike. Lazy? Spend-thrift? Stupid? Possibly, but I like to think it's minimalism. Gardening (don't water it in summer or cover it during frost), traveling (four t-shirts, four boxers, a pair of shorts and two pants - including the one you're wearing - doesn't matter how long or how far the trip), cooking (Bittman's recipes - at most 5 ingredients, all fresh), architecture, design, life - there's a unifying thread.

And how do I reconcile that with two kids, several mortgages, and a home full of stuff? The other day Vivian and I were getting ready to drive somewhere. And she wanted to take a bunch of toys. And I heard myself explaining "Sweetheart - travel light. Don't take what you think you need. Take only what you can't do without." Why, she asked? Otherwise you don't really know what you need. And meanwhile you're carrying around a pile of shit.

It comes down to the backpack vs. the RV. The sail boat vs. the power boat. The rag top vs. the SUV.  The iPhone vs. the home entertainment media center. The charcoal grill vs. the outdoor kitchen. You get the idea.

And yes, back at the Freedom-is-just-another-word level, minimalism is angst. But if you are luck or unlucky to have more than you need it's not a bad way to frame your life .

Jo's Crossfit Challenge

Saturday morning Jo grabbed a protein shake and headed out a little after 7:30am. It was 55 degrees and windy. I got the kids bundled up and we were at the gym by 8am. 49 degrees, cloudy, and gusting winds. Vivian commandeered my jacket and Evan snuggled closer in is bear suit and hat with flappy ear covers. We watched Jo and her group warm up and then start the benchmark. It began to rain. Jo did great. It was a downpour by the time the kids and I got back home. 44 degrees.  8:45am.

Experts believe that children develop the power to stick with something (or be quitters) at about the age of four.  So Jo's Crossfit Challenge should be a nice spot of inspiration for Vivian. During the last ten years I witnessed an occasional green bean or romaine lettuce pass Jo's lips. And then she signed up for the Crossfit Challenge. Along with huge improvements in strength and speed came an unprecedented change in eating habits. She jumped into the world of kale and broccoli and brussels sprouts and spinach and zucchini and squashes of ever color and shape and sweet potatoes and bell peppers and eggplants and other unmentionables.

The turning point came early in the eight-week challenge. We were at the Whole Foods downtown shopping for dinner. Jo picked up a bag of brussels sprouts. I told her that we already had a bag at home. She replied "just in case...".

Crossfit is a good program. Jen's a great coach. And I'd better work on my max deadlift before Jo breezes past me...

Spring

Its that time of year. Dinner on the deck. Evan foraging for acorns. The kids climbing on Jo on the front steps. A bird's nest in our mailbox. Vivian having a "bow party".