a splash from the past

cliff divin' sickleback brown, originally uploaded by Hollis Queen.

i got a scanner from my folks for my birthday, so i will be busily scanning in some old gold until the newness wears off or my eyes give out, which ever comes first. if you and i used to hang in the pre-digital days of the nineties and early '00s, check out the flickr site and get ready for some blast from the pastiness. this shot was taken out in louisa county during the summer of '97, the year that tony and i started dating. he and dave choi somehow managed to convince me to cliff dive into a smelly quarry from about 3 stories up. let's just say my entry was less than ideal. tony and dave, though....they dropped in like champions. and then we were each promptly maulled by horseflies and tore ass outta there. good good good summer times.

Photo of the Week

mon amie la rose

received in a message sent from tony with love on my birthday.

Photo of the Week

word up!

Angus and his cousin Sam memorized Captain Huggface's moves a few weeks back while visiting my folks. Ever since then, Angus has been giving a recital of his version of this performance for anyone who'll watch. And my baby is an uncanny mimic, so he has been blowing minds all over our fair city with his booty-shaking, roboting and moon-walking. Here is the original. Adopt a few of Huggy's moves and incorporate them into your own dance repertoire...you know, to keep things youthful and fresh.

Photo of the Week

Why I Love the FAIL Blog

see more pwn and owned pictures

Photo of the Week

Inspired by the my internet friend Jessica at gonzomama knits, I am going to add a new feature to the old blog. Each week I will post what I think is my favorite shot of the week. I think I will make this a Thursday feature, as I have something else planned for Fridays. Stay tuned for that. So without further ado.....

Aren't these swell?

Adorably Disturbing Cuddlies Follow the link to see all of the other creations, and to see the dolls' posteriors on display, which I think is the very best part....so slumpy and mopey and cute. They're so up Noodle's alley. I must remember this for his birthday.

Funny Ha Ha

Some things cracked me up bigtime today, and they are just too good to not share so here ya go. Plus I haven't posted in ages so I figured what the hell.

Well, this here photo is one of the funny things. Tony, I love you. Funny boys really are the keepers. Look at this man---straight up pimpin' through the wilderness with our double-wide stroller, ya'll. Holla!

Also, while driving through the city, Tony and I spotted an older woman (she looked ancient, but that just may be from hard living), dressed eerily similar to that hot mess Britney Spears in all those trash mag pre-psych ward shots. She was wearing a super short skirt, halter top, platform heels, big hair, fake tan...the works. She gave me the heebies and as we rolled past I pointed (such nice manners and such a kind heart, I know) and said, "Ick...cougar." Tony's reply slayed me: "Somebody call Animal Control!" I think it may become our new code for Prowlers.

And then a bit later on we took the kids to the river for a stroll around the Pony Pastures* and I made Tony & the kids escort me to the parking lot restrooms because they looked sketchy. "Walk me there," I demanded. "The restrooms look kinda rapey." Sometimes I make myself belly laugh and it usually is highly inappropriate. Plus, making up new words is almost always funny. To me, at least.

*Back in 1996, my old roomate Jenny and I went there to swim and saw some creep "watching" us and "entertaining himself" from the bushes, so I am well aware of the reality of danger in this specific location. That particular fellow didn't get away without a nice pelting courtesy of river rocks thrown by yours truly. My arm is golden...he was punished.

giggles galore

I think they might like each other or something.

Hey, Bo Diddley

thank you & goodbye

My, Oh, My

Someone's been a busy drunken beaver. 30 or so? That soon? Really? You dust with them? Really? Ammo? Really.

it has a name

this week has been a hard one.


we finally had our long awaited, much anticipated & ultimately heartbreaking appointment with the developmental pediatrician. i left the meeting holding angus' little hand tightly and fighting back tears, my head filled with about as many questions as i had answers and with an actual panic-induced ringing in my ears. i suppose that sort of thing tends to happen when you are told your beautiful and brilliant little handful has autism.

and i thought i was properly prepared to hear this. for over a year things have seemed to be leading us here, to this diagnosis. for longer than a year. in the past few months i have read fourteen books on the topic, readying myself for the possibility. but it was still enough of a shock that my head filled with pressure and my ears heard only wha wha wha wha as the doctor explained things to me. i can't believe i did not hold it together. a week before this appointment, i met with our pediatrician and she made a point to tell me what was most likely going to happen and made me assure her that i would try my best to just get as much information as possible and not react. but there i was, deaf. even though i had promised our pediatrician and myself that i wouldn't let this happen.

i've had a few days to work through what i thought i had already worked through and i am really getting to okay with this. he has a best-case scenario sort of diagnosis within the spectrum, i guess. he is high-functioning, and that combined with his high intelligence will give him wings. so now i have kicked into action-mode, busying myself with compiling our list of new books to read, new diets to try, new therapies to begin. readying myself for the inevitable struggle for services with the insurance company, with the schools. learning about his educational rights. learning to accept and move on. my new goal is to KNOW. to continue to advocate for him even better than the best my abilities can offer. and above all else, i had to have that moment--later in the day of his diagnosis---where the feeling ran over me that no matter what angus is still the same boy he was before the doctor uttered those words. and that kid is really fucking great.

there has been some related good news this week, too. well, bad news that is also good. combo news. at an appointment with his asthma & allergy specialist today, skin tests showed that angus has significant food allergies to ingredients in about 70% of his current diet. this was so hard to hear because the kid barely eats as it is. if i were to compile a list of foods he will eat i don't think i'd get to 20, and almost all of it is effected. so what he has been eating is making him sick. bananas (a staple of his diet since he began eating solids), corn & corn products (corn is in everything! who knew?), cottonseed oil (a ridiculous & unnecessary filler also in tons of food), peanuts, all tree nuts and mild allergies to other things, too. so tomorrow we begin a 7 day elimination diet where he will not be allowed any foods containing known allergens. he may starve. he is so stubborn about food i just don't know how this will go. but after the week is up, we then let him binge for 4 days on allergen-heavy foods and see what happens and then report it to the physician.

where is the good news? well, for starters, soon angus' body won't be in constant defense mode. once the bad stuff is cleaned out of him he should feel better and lose the rashy, dry skin and eczema that make him so uncomfortable. and as a bonus, our doctor explained that some children who exhibit autistic traits are doing so due to food allergies. so there's that. fingers crossed.

i hestitated to write here about this, but decided that this will be good for me. it's kind of a relief to put all this out here. our day to day difficulties are emotionally exhausting and socially isolating. this forum is a good way to sift things into perspective, to vent and brainstorm, and now maybe get some advice...some support. not pity though. my baby rules. i don't want to change anything about him. (well, except for the food thing. i'd love for him to eat anything i placed in front of him....that'd be cool.) i just want to fortify him for what could be a rough future. help build him up strong and happy and unbothered by being misunderstood. make sure he knows how fantastic he is exactly as he is. and just enjoy him.

and that's not hard to do. because he is amazing.

P3 is One

Happy Birthday, Little Man! You remind me of someone.

hello, summer

In Virginia, approximately 3 weeks separate summer from winter. Those weeks have come and gone. Hello, Summer. So nice to see you again.

semi-successful experiment

I just finished my photos for the May Nectar & Light Photo Trade and I am satisfied with what I produced, but wish there was more time to really achieve what I wanted with this assignment. I feel like I was just getting warm....almost there, but time has run out and the deadline to mail the photos is the 18th. The theme for the month is Losing Focus: Finding Beauty in the Blur. I wasn't able to get what I wanted using just depth of field or focus, so I ended up shooting through the lenses of dollar store nerd glasses, in the style of TTV ("Through the Viewfinder" photography is as taking a picture of something through the viewfinder of any camera with another camera.) I am now on the hunt for an old Brownie camera to use for TTV shots. I found one at a thrift store for a buck recently, but put it back because the whole back of it was missing. Grrrrrrr. Just look at the kind of images shooting TTV this makes? Beautiful. Anyways....here are the final images I am settling on for May. Near to what I had hoped for, but not quite there.

The Duke Spirit - The Step and The Walk

Ooooooooooooo, this record is so goooooood.

Go out and buy Neptune now. The record is great. Did this video post successfully? We'll see. If not, then head over to YouTube and look for them. Thank me later.

I Have Internet Cooties

It's true, but first I must share some serious awesomeness with you all. Well, mostly just with fellow wavy or curly haired folks. Friends, countrymen, I have found salvation. My formula is the Anti-Poof. This stuff is crazy good and delivers what it promises for under $5 a bottle.

Ahhh, yes---one more thing before I get back to talking cooties. Netflix up The Orphanage right away and enjoy.

OK, so I caught the Internet cooties from my friend Tracey, but it's cool. She entertains me daily with her amazing artwork (her work is fascinating...go take a peek), so I don't mind a bit. (one day I will own one of her paintings....) The rules are simple: 1. pick up the nearest book 2. turn to page 123. 3. find the fifth sentence. 4. post the next three sentences 5. tag five people and acknowledge who tagged you. If you want to play along, please do. Morgan? Erika? Becky? Nancy? Sherrie? I am curious to see what you are reading.

So here it is. An excerpt from Beautiful Children, by Charles Bock. This dude never met a comma he didn't want to plop between phrases and just keep on keeping on, a veritable minefield of run-on sentences, this book. Here goes-----

The Beatles and "Revolution" for Nike got things started, although that was
more of a ghost story than fact, it happened so long ago that most of the people
in the truck hadn't been alive back then, nobody had even seen the actual
commercial. But everyone knew about it, just like they knew "Satisfaction" by
the Rolling Stones for Microsoft. And the Who got tagged for that "best I ever
had" song, which had been used by Lexus automobiles.

i love spring

skirty, originally uploaded by Hollis Queen.

skirt weather is here. correction....bare-legged skirt weather is here. can i get an amen?