I owe $82.24 on my student loan. I've known I was close to being done for awhile so tonight I checked it out. At about $50 a month it only took ten years to pay off my loans. I'm wondering what I'll do with my extra money come July. Hmmmm. The possibilities are endless.

EASTER CARNAGE!!!

It happened in my own front yard. Sometime between 3:30 and 4:00 pm on Easter Sunday a crime was committed against nature (do you think I'm exaggerating? just wait). That morning we had a little egg hunt with Len, Monique & Darby. Soon after we headed to the zoo along with half of Los Angeles (if you're wondering, I don't recommend the zoo on weekends, let alone weekends when they sponsor activities). When we got home Isaac headed to the front yard -- where everything was perfectly safe and normal -- looking for his basket. It was inside, he retrieved it and he & Emily went on with their adventures in sugarland.

Half an hour later I was up in the kids room (which overlooks the front yard) cleaning or looking for a lost toy, or maybe I was just running away, whatever, but I looked out the window and saw lots of feathers. Then I noticed a couple of pigeon body parts. Looked like a cat had his way with one of the neighborhood birds. So I headed downstairs to let Martin know and prevent the young 'uns from playing out front. He didn't jump up to inspect the situation so I decided to. Much to my surprise there was not one bird in two pieces, but two birds in three pieces! (turn away if you're queasy -- I'm gonna go ahead and tell you the gorry details). Heads removed (only one head was found) feathers plucked from the breasts but little meat was eaten. An entire nest was knocked down as well. This was all beneath the giant palm tree which houses various species, typically harmoniously, such as squirrels, sparrows and the aforementioned pigeons. I went back inside to tell Martin more details. He still didn't get up to inspect the crime scene (NBA playoffs), so I decided that I could get over my willies and get the shovel to remove the carcasses. Got the shovel and a bag and while heading through the house I convinced my man to come see the mess. He inspected the carnage and held the bag as I dumped the dead birds. I took them to the trash. Man, trash day is Friday. There's gonna be a whole lotta smell going on by then.

We speculated but couldn't come up with any reason for the murders except perhaps El Chupacabra. Then I realized that he's more of a livestock kinda phantom. So I called the SPCA today and talked to their wildlife officer. She said that in all likelyhood, get this, it was a squirrel! A squirrel was able to chew the heads off of, not one, but two FLYING ANIMALS 25 feet up in a tree. Huh? See, I told you it was a crime against nature.

All better. The whole family caught a bit of the bug. We decided it was that and not bad barbeque. But we're all back up on our feet and ready for egg decorating and hippity-hoppity fun this weekend. Or at least that's what the kids are egg-specting. I think we'll do some stuff with Len, Monique & Darby this weekend. Isaac truly loves Darby so it's always fun to see them interact.

I was thinking about cleaning the kitchen floor. But I think I've talked myself out of it. I could do so many other things. . .like, not clean the kitchen floor.

Oh Lordy Be! I am sick! I've got a stomach bug that has stopped me in my tracks. And on Martin's birthday too. As rarely as I get sick, what are the odds that I'd land face down in the toilet on Martin's birthday? Well, pretty good if you look at the last year, but I'm not gonna go into that. But you should see what my man has been up to today. At last count he had posted 18 times. And he's working on another right now. What a freak. Happy Birthday to my very own Freak.

It's not a party until someone throws up, right? So last night's mini-surprisish birthday shindig for Martin turned into a party at about 5:15 this morning. Animated wails coming from the kids room had Martin & I out of bed in seconds. Isaac had tossed his proverbial cookies.

The get-together was small but fun. Mr. & Mrs. Pusateri and Mr. Andersen joined us for a couple slabs of meat & other standard friends-hanging-out fare. Mrs. Pusateri brought the "birthday" supplies -- cake & pinata -- since I was going for the element of surprise. The actual birthday isn't until the 15th but since Family Pusateri was to leave town for Cincinati early Sunday I had to get my party groove on. The kids had wacky Ham-Ham fun, while the men stood around the grill and talked about whatever it is that men talk about. Probably meat and basketball. Michele & I tended to the kitchen like good women-folk.

After dinner we let the kids go wild on the pinata. A pinata for a 35th birthday party? Yes. Following the beating and subsequent mad gathering of candy the adults snuck away to eat a bit of deee-licious cake while the kids ate as much of their booty as they could while we parents weren't watching. Hugs were exchanged and the fiesta had ended. And the house wasn't even that messy.

We were able to quickly get the kids to bed. We cleaned a bit and were in bed pretty early. Then the party started. . .

Of course, as soon as Martin & I cleaned Isaac and the bedding we realized that the Ps were travelling today and worried that we'd sickened folks who were flying two-thirds the way across the country. We've not heard from them. Isaac seems better, so I'm hoping we're not the subject of any cursing today. The diagnosis, by the way, was too much play along with too much candy. A three hour nap seems to have helped Jr. quite a bit too.

It's been a relaxing day despite the early rude awakening. Mr. Andersen gave Martin some great cds that we've been enjoying. And I finished our taxes. It's all good.

I've been doing our taxes on TaxCut software and realized that we can't write off Audrey until we get her a Social Security number. Some of you are saying, "now, they just sent me my kid's SSN. What's wrong with you?" Well, here's the deal. Audrey was a homebirth. For some reason, the birth certificate people and the social security people trust the over-worked folks who work at the hospital to file a true and accurate report of a live birth. But they don't trust a loving midwife and an un-drugged mother. So with Isaac, who was born at a birth center, and Audrey, who was born right here in the bathtub, we had to take the child to the government office and show them fifteen forms and letters from the midwives and our fingerprints and a blood sample and our FBI files to prove that the child (who looks just like Martin and is suckling at my breast) actually belongs to us. Do I rant?

So anyway, we got Audrey's birth certificate awhile back (the office for Pasadena is a whopping two blocks from our house) but I never thought to get a Social. So now I need one. I'm unhappy about it. But I'll try to get an appointment tomorrow. And I'll be sure to take a urine sample with me.

Today was one of those days when I realized just why we live here in SoCal. 74 degrees. Mild breeze. Green grass. Flowers blooming. Kids playing happily outside. There are a lot of reasons not to live here, but if you visit during the spring I don't know how you could turn away. It was gorgeous. Absolutely perfect. The kids rode their bikes and scooters and played in cardboard boxes and later we went to the park. While Emily was swinging she said, "I'm going to have the best dreams tonight!"

So just in case any of you thought I was the one posting pictures and video to my blog, I'm not. It's all Martin. I have to rely on him for all things relating to technology. Ok, I don't have to, but I choose to. And I've become lazier about learning new things as the years pass. But I make a mean cookie. Almost any kind. And my pies aren't bad either. I've chosen my battle and it's in the kitchen. My current conquest is egg-free baked goods for my allergic son. I will win. Don't doubt it.