i've been meaning to post the latest on the linda woo trial. i wrote about her in an earlier post -- she's that mother-of-the-year from my daughter parker's preschool who told her kids she was taking them camping, packed 'em into a borrowed subaru with some blankets, lit the grill, and asphyxiated her three-year-old while leaving the four-year-old brain damaged. that's some good parenting.
well, last monday she was found guilty of first-degree murder.
it's emotional for me because of how closely it touches my life. just the other day, i was chatting with two moms at laurel hill when my eyes focused on a hand-painted planter next to blue room.
Olive Woo Murphy
2003 - 2006
i never met that little girl but she fits the description of so many at our preschool, an adorable mixed race three-year-old. i can imagine her painting in red room, climbing the dome, sitting in a circle at group meeting, riding tricycles on bike deck. it breaks my heart. nobody talks about her at school. it's too painful, i guess.
she's just a sad footnote and a name on a planter.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
sushi lunch
it's freakishly hot here.
in a city that tends to hover in the 60 to 70 degree range, it throws everyone for a loop when the it's actually hot out. the cats are more languid than usual -- bordering on dead, nobody knows what to wear -- "really, i can go out for the night without a jacket?" -- the kids are pink and cranky, and i turn to eating sushi for lunch and serving frozen yogurt for dinner. good parenting.
i have an organic free range chicken in the fridge, begging to be roasted, but ain't happnin' till the temperature drops.
over the weekend, the pinoy and i went to see tea leaf green (her housemates) play at the fillmore (my old stomping ground). i bartended there for ten years in what seems like another lifetime. i met my husband dan there. saw tons of great music and made lots of strong drinks and good friends along the way.
and, it seems, i still have some juice. i got a free ticket at the box office, free drink at the main bar, and was let into backstage (ok, that was the pinoy's juice, but i did know the aging hippie chick who was working the door and she just let us right in).
tea leaf green rocked the house! ok, so it's a hippie jam band, not exactly my genre, but they are really talented. and they had these badass back-up singers -- macy gray and joan armatrading look-alikes. we drank veuve backstage and danced in the upstairs balcony with the other hangers on.
it's good to be a rock star.
in a city that tends to hover in the 60 to 70 degree range, it throws everyone for a loop when the it's actually hot out. the cats are more languid than usual -- bordering on dead, nobody knows what to wear -- "really, i can go out for the night without a jacket?" -- the kids are pink and cranky, and i turn to eating sushi for lunch and serving frozen yogurt for dinner. good parenting.
i have an organic free range chicken in the fridge, begging to be roasted, but ain't happnin' till the temperature drops.
over the weekend, the pinoy and i went to see tea leaf green (her housemates) play at the fillmore (my old stomping ground). i bartended there for ten years in what seems like another lifetime. i met my husband dan there. saw tons of great music and made lots of strong drinks and good friends along the way.
and, it seems, i still have some juice. i got a free ticket at the box office, free drink at the main bar, and was let into backstage (ok, that was the pinoy's juice, but i did know the aging hippie chick who was working the door and she just let us right in).
tea leaf green rocked the house! ok, so it's a hippie jam band, not exactly my genre, but they are really talented. and they had these badass back-up singers -- macy gray and joan armatrading look-alikes. we drank veuve backstage and danced in the upstairs balcony with the other hangers on.
it's good to be a rock star.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
farewell chronicle friends
i angsted and angsted up until the deadline last tuesday at 5 p.m., but ultimately decided that the best decision for me was not to volunteer for the buyout, but rather to stay put at the chronicle. who knows, i might be laid off next week, but i will have collected one more paycheck...
it's really hard to watch people go. tomorrow is gabs's last day, michael and i went out to lunch with her at anabelle's. jessica left today and i went by her desk to wish her well, but she'd already left. i walked through the newsroom and they were having a farewell party for all of the journalists and editors who were leaving.
it's windy and rainy here today, but tomorrow we leave for warmer climes in sonoma. i shopped for little easter outfits for the kids -- a little white eyelet dress for parker with a yellow shrug pink, sparkly flip-flops, and a rainbow-hued straw hat from h&m. the professor, also known as winston churchill, got a pair of old-man madras plaid shorts to be worn with his stride rite sandals and white collar shirt. so damn cutey!
off to hunt some easter eggs...
it's really hard to watch people go. tomorrow is gabs's last day, michael and i went out to lunch with her at anabelle's. jessica left today and i went by her desk to wish her well, but she'd already left. i walked through the newsroom and they were having a farewell party for all of the journalists and editors who were leaving.
it's windy and rainy here today, but tomorrow we leave for warmer climes in sonoma. i shopped for little easter outfits for the kids -- a little white eyelet dress for parker with a yellow shrug pink, sparkly flip-flops, and a rainbow-hued straw hat from h&m. the professor, also known as winston churchill, got a pair of old-man madras plaid shorts to be worn with his stride rite sandals and white collar shirt. so damn cutey!
off to hunt some easter eggs...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
solo with los ninos
husband in la until next monday, sigh.
actually we're doing ok, got lots of stuff going on. parker and i are having a mother/daughter afternoon.
nino is at natasha's russian family daycare out in the avenues. she runs a tight ship over there in the outer sunset. it's the anti-laurel hill nursery school. they have structured activities including gymnastics with mr. alex, the stocky, gruff gym coach with a thick russian accent. it's so cute to see thesee babies and toddlers respond to his commands to walk the balace beam, "throw ball" and do the obstacle course. none of them would dare not obey.
natasha also has a russian music teacher who plasters her face with makeup (kind of a weird eastern bloc thing) and brings her portable keyboard to play for the kids. they have regimented naptime, and the older kids do worksheets to learn the alphabet, colors, numbers, etc.
at laurel hill, the kids play and do art projects all day and often run around completely naked...
i dropped parker off at her hippie preschool yesterday – free love, nudity and art – and stopped at the laurel hill playground next door. i have been hearing for years about a child development program there run by city college and thought i'd check it out.
it's was pretty cool. it's a child observation class to learn about development through play, with professional guidance. it's set up like a preschool, but geared for younger kids. there's an indoor art area and a great playground with tennis courts with lots of little ride in/on vehicles. roman loved it, but kept wanting to run into the bathroom to play hide-and-go-seek. eventually he slipped on the tile floor and split his lip. great parenting. letting the kid run around in the bathroom. i decided to sign us up...
actually we're doing ok, got lots of stuff going on. parker and i are having a mother/daughter afternoon.
nino is at natasha's russian family daycare out in the avenues. she runs a tight ship over there in the outer sunset. it's the anti-laurel hill nursery school. they have structured activities including gymnastics with mr. alex, the stocky, gruff gym coach with a thick russian accent. it's so cute to see thesee babies and toddlers respond to his commands to walk the balace beam, "throw ball" and do the obstacle course. none of them would dare not obey.
natasha also has a russian music teacher who plasters her face with makeup (kind of a weird eastern bloc thing) and brings her portable keyboard to play for the kids. they have regimented naptime, and the older kids do worksheets to learn the alphabet, colors, numbers, etc.
at laurel hill, the kids play and do art projects all day and often run around completely naked...
i dropped parker off at her hippie preschool yesterday – free love, nudity and art – and stopped at the laurel hill playground next door. i have been hearing for years about a child development program there run by city college and thought i'd check it out.
it's was pretty cool. it's a child observation class to learn about development through play, with professional guidance. it's set up like a preschool, but geared for younger kids. there's an indoor art area and a great playground with tennis courts with lots of little ride in/on vehicles. roman loved it, but kept wanting to run into the bathroom to play hide-and-go-seek. eventually he slipped on the tile floor and split his lip. great parenting. letting the kid run around in the bathroom. i decided to sign us up...
Monday, March 23, 2009
too close to home
i recently reported to the criminal court of san francisco for a jury summons.
i entered the huge courtroom, watched a video with the other prospective jurors, then proceeded to fill out the paperwork that indicating that i take care of my children two days a week, so please don't put me on a jury.
the guy next to me, a retiree, filled out the lengthy questionnaire given to those who weren't seeking to be excused.
i forget what prompted me to do it, but i asked him what the case was about.
he showed me the front page of the questionnaire where i read about the case of linda woo, who asphyxiated her three-year-old daughter and attempted to do in her four-year-old son and herself at the same time. the boy lived but is brain damaged.
it gets even crazier for me. this story was hauntingly familiar. a friend of mine told me about this happening to a family at her co-op preschool. which is now our co-op preschool.
coincidence?
the next day was my work day at laurel hill. i hadn't been able to sleep well, thinking about how linda woo borrowed a subaru outback (my current ride), told her kids she was taking them camping, and then shut them in the wagon with her, a suicide note, and a lit hibachi.
i told our director anne about my summons and the crime being prosecuted. before i could even get the word "asphyxiated" out, she pulled me into her office and broke down. yes, it was true. linda, her husband and kids were once one of us.
just another family at a preschool in san francisco.
i entered the huge courtroom, watched a video with the other prospective jurors, then proceeded to fill out the paperwork that indicating that i take care of my children two days a week, so please don't put me on a jury.
the guy next to me, a retiree, filled out the lengthy questionnaire given to those who weren't seeking to be excused.
i forget what prompted me to do it, but i asked him what the case was about.
he showed me the front page of the questionnaire where i read about the case of linda woo, who asphyxiated her three-year-old daughter and attempted to do in her four-year-old son and herself at the same time. the boy lived but is brain damaged.
it gets even crazier for me. this story was hauntingly familiar. a friend of mine told me about this happening to a family at her co-op preschool. which is now our co-op preschool.
coincidence?
the next day was my work day at laurel hill. i hadn't been able to sleep well, thinking about how linda woo borrowed a subaru outback (my current ride), told her kids she was taking them camping, and then shut them in the wagon with her, a suicide note, and a lit hibachi.
i told our director anne about my summons and the crime being prosecuted. before i could even get the word "asphyxiated" out, she pulled me into her office and broke down. yes, it was true. linda, her husband and kids were once one of us.
just another family at a preschool in san francisco.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
boy, oh boy
i got myself a true XY testosterone fueled boy. nothing effete or delicate about this kid.
so different from my little girl who sat on the floor and quietly watched signing videos in a pink cotton frock.
last week he tore the toilet seat off its hinges and busted into the liquor cabinet. childproofed? yup, it was. roman-proof? clearly not. seems to be pretty early to be breaking into the hooch at 18 months...
we had a little family vacation last week. i reviewed the children's suite at hotel union square for uptake. what a great idea! i didn't know what to expect and we had a really fun night. i even got to try my hand at the wii for the first time. i sucked. big surprise.
then it was up to sonoma for the weekend to visit the grandparents where i ate perhaps the best cracked crab of my life, picked up fresh by pops and dan that morning in bodega bay.
parker and i visited a few places for me to write about for uptake including sugarloaf ridge state park in kenwood. staggeringly beautiful even in sunday's gray drizzle. we're going back next month to the observatory for an aries full moon party.
no big news chez chron yet. the vote to ratify took place over the weekend but the ax has yet to fall. we remain in a sort of purgatory awaiting our fates...
good news about my website which is forthcoming at lisadion.com. got some preliminary designs from carey who is working on it. very excited!
happy patty's day.
so different from my little girl who sat on the floor and quietly watched signing videos in a pink cotton frock.
last week he tore the toilet seat off its hinges and busted into the liquor cabinet. childproofed? yup, it was. roman-proof? clearly not. seems to be pretty early to be breaking into the hooch at 18 months...
we had a little family vacation last week. i reviewed the children's suite at hotel union square for uptake. what a great idea! i didn't know what to expect and we had a really fun night. i even got to try my hand at the wii for the first time. i sucked. big surprise.
then it was up to sonoma for the weekend to visit the grandparents where i ate perhaps the best cracked crab of my life, picked up fresh by pops and dan that morning in bodega bay.
parker and i visited a few places for me to write about for uptake including sugarloaf ridge state park in kenwood. staggeringly beautiful even in sunday's gray drizzle. we're going back next month to the observatory for an aries full moon party.
no big news chez chron yet. the vote to ratify took place over the weekend but the ax has yet to fall. we remain in a sort of purgatory awaiting our fates...
good news about my website which is forthcoming at lisadion.com. got some preliminary designs from carey who is working on it. very excited!
happy patty's day.
Friday, March 6, 2009
sweetness and uncertainty
chronicle employees who are part of the media guild met with our union reps yesterday to discuss out fate.
i waffle between thinking i should try to ride it out and hang onto my paycheck till they pack up the presses or volunteering for a buyout and embracing a new life as a stay at home mom (SAHM for those who don't speak mommyblog). i'm going to get some good advice, then go with my gut...
i left work after the meeting to go to parent observation day at miss tilly's ballet studio.
parker couldn't find her new ballet shows and once again had to borrow a pair from miss tilly. she's currently sporting a brow-raising shiner on her right eye and the vestiges of light blue marker that she and her buddy alexandra painted their faces with at school yesterday, before getting busted in the bathroom. then there was the "tattoo" on her arm that i tried to scrub off, but i just ended up like a big purple bruise.
so, there we were at miss tilly's powder pink waiting room with the pacific-heights-hamlin-school money crowd. miss tilly invited us in after she assembled all of the little dancers in their positions seated on the floor. i gasped when i saw them -- all small and pink and adorable in little tutus -- and instantly teared up. it was the sweetest thing ever.
miss tilly is amazing. she has to be in her sixties or better and she jetes around her airy, bright california street studio, in tights and a leotard, still checking her perfect form in the mirrors. her hair is coiffed, makeup impeccable and there's not a drop of cellulite on those firm dancers legs. i had parker on a waiting list for two years to get her into miss tilly's. she loves it.
miss tilly puts up with nothing, chastising parents who try to slip in late and chatty 4-year-old girls equally. you meet her and instantly know who's boss. it was so sweet to watch these little girls practice plies, hops and bows with "miss wendy" playing tchaikovsky on the piano.
a nice antidote to the chronicle hysteria.
i waffle between thinking i should try to ride it out and hang onto my paycheck till they pack up the presses or volunteering for a buyout and embracing a new life as a stay at home mom (SAHM for those who don't speak mommyblog). i'm going to get some good advice, then go with my gut...
i left work after the meeting to go to parent observation day at miss tilly's ballet studio.
parker couldn't find her new ballet shows and once again had to borrow a pair from miss tilly. she's currently sporting a brow-raising shiner on her right eye and the vestiges of light blue marker that she and her buddy alexandra painted their faces with at school yesterday, before getting busted in the bathroom. then there was the "tattoo" on her arm that i tried to scrub off, but i just ended up like a big purple bruise.
so, there we were at miss tilly's powder pink waiting room with the pacific-heights-hamlin-school money crowd. miss tilly invited us in after she assembled all of the little dancers in their positions seated on the floor. i gasped when i saw them -- all small and pink and adorable in little tutus -- and instantly teared up. it was the sweetest thing ever.
miss tilly is amazing. she has to be in her sixties or better and she jetes around her airy, bright california street studio, in tights and a leotard, still checking her perfect form in the mirrors. her hair is coiffed, makeup impeccable and there's not a drop of cellulite on those firm dancers legs. i had parker on a waiting list for two years to get her into miss tilly's. she loves it.
miss tilly puts up with nothing, chastising parents who try to slip in late and chatty 4-year-old girls equally. you meet her and instantly know who's boss. it was so sweet to watch these little girls practice plies, hops and bows with "miss wendy" playing tchaikovsky on the piano.
a nice antidote to the chronicle hysteria.
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