I *LOVE* These Kinds of Issues

I have a new television show to be obsessed with. I've been anticipating its premiere for a while now, and it finally happened on Wednesday. It's called "Michael & Michael Have Issues", starring Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter.


I've been a fan of the two since the days of "The State" on MTV (a post about that is coming up this week!). I started watching "The State" because I went to high school with one of the guys in the comedy troupe; he was two years behind me but made a huge splash onstage with my friends in the drama department; I was thrilled for his success right out of college when I discovered him appearing on MTV. Anyway, Black and Showalter make up two more of the 11-member team on "The State", and it's been thrilling to see their various projects over the years.

This new show by the Mikes was hysterical; I was hoping that it would live up to its massive advertising campaign, which included gems like these:




It totally did. What *is* the show? Well, it's pure comedy, looking both at behind the scenes and in front of the camera on their show, mixed in with a sketch or two. Here's the opener from the first episode:



That's pretty much the flavor. Their competitiveness is hilarious from start to finish; I've already watched the episode three times, because that's how I roll.

I checked into their blog today and discovered this, though. To summarize, if you're not feeling up to clicking my link (ugh. really? I work so hard to put these links in!), they really need to get the word spread about this show in order to make more than the seven episodes they have. So I'm doing my job, because I think this one's a keeper. So please? Won't you watch? They are repeating the first episode tomorrow (Sunday, 7/19) night at 11:30 p.m. Eastern on Comedy Central, and the second episode airs on Wednesday, 7/22 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

Please watch?

Please?

Pleeeeeeeease?

For me?

Thanks.

A Rare Stroke of Genius

Note: This post is part of Fatherhood Friday at Dad Blogs, where all the cool kids are hanging out. (Moms are welcome over there!) I *might* even have a column called "Teen Angst" there. Welcome to my visitors from DB; thanks for stopping in!


I have *finally* figured it out.

My kids, like so many other teenagers (and frankly, some adults!), are terrible at giving me phone messages. It is totally annoying to find out, sometimes days later, that someone called for me when I wasn't home, especially if they asked for me to return the call.

I tried telling the kids to avoid answering the phone at all if they weren't going to write down and/or give me a message. They took that advice for the most part when the caller ID shows a name that they don't recognize, but for grandparents or other adults they are familiar with, they answer. And then don't write it down. And then don't remember to tell me.

The other day, I returned home from where ever I was (doesn't matter, does it?) and went about my business around the house. The phone rang; it was my mom.

I answered, and she said, "Did the bigger boy tell you that I called?"

UGH.

"Hold on for a second..." I told her. And then I yelled for him. "HEY! OLDER BOY! DID SOMEBODY CALL FOR ME THIS MORNING???"

I heard his reaction from the basement. "AUGH! Yes...I'm sorry!"

And then, it hit me. Pure genius.

"Come here, please!"

He came up the stairs and I held out the phone to him. He was going to have to explain himself to Grandma.

He took the phone from me and spoke with her. The italics indicate what I imagine my mom was saying to him:

"You didn't tell your mom I called?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"What if it was an emergency?"

"Uh, then you probably would have told me that it was an emergency?"

"You better start giving your mom her phone messages, Buster Brown."

"I know...I'm sorry."

He finished apologizing, handed me the phone, and sheepishly went back to the basement.

I figure it'll only take another two or three times of having to do this before the lesson sinks in for good. I'll keep you posted.

A Tale of Two Workers, Part Two

If you're a regular reader (thank you!), you know that Jim and I have raised two mostly unspoiled boys. We don't buy them everything they want, and when it comes to most of their technology and other high-end items (computers, iPods, video camera, guitar, game systems), they have saved on their own and then made the purchases. We're glad we did it this way for many reasons, not the least of which being that they really take care of their stuff.

The younger boy, now fourteen, has really gotten the hang of this "saving money" thing. He has always relied on his allowance, monthly (during the school year) hot lunch money (which he doesn't use: he saves it), birthday money, etc. in order to get what he wants, as well as build up a nice savings account. But he really wants to work and earn more money, right now for guitars but soon he'll start thinking about getting his own car.

He has watched his brother earn money by babysitting and cleaning the salon on Sundays, and he is plenty jealous. He wants that salon job really, really badly. You see, my boss had them BOTH train with her son 18 months ago, so that the younger boy could step in if the older boy needed a week off. That doesn't happen, though. The older boy holds onto his Salon Sundays like crazy.

And babysitting? Um, no. The younger boy, who was a baby when I started working in that health club nursery, does NOT enjoy small children (in the babysitting sense) and is not ashamed to admit it. He has, occasionally, done some group babysitting at temple events with the older boy and others and despises it. And that's okay. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. I would not encourage any teen who doesn't like the idea of taking care of children to babysit; that's just asking for trouble.

So...no salon. No babysitting. What's a fourteen-year-old to do?

For one thing, prepare for when he turns sixteen and can get a job.

I have spoken to the older boy over the past couple of years about how I think it'd be a great idea for him to get a job at a casual restaurant as a server, get some good training, and then work his way through college at a higher-end restaurant (higher check totals=much bigger tips). Though he has always given me the blank stare and the "yes, mom" nod, he's not really going in that direction. Shame. But I discovered that somebody else was listening.

One night a couple of months ago, we were finishing dinner. The younger boy got up and started to clear the table, but instead of doing it like he normally did before that night (taking one plate in each hand and delivering it a few feet away to the kitchen), he put one plate in his left hand, the second plate further up on his arm, and grabbed a third plate with the right hand, slowly walking to the kitchen.

"I think we have a server here!" I said as he smiled from ear to ear.

Every time he has cleared the table since, he does it in this way. Maybe I'll get him an order pad and he can practice that, too. He's got 18 months before he can get a real job; plenty of time to master the other basics!

A Tale of Two Workers, Part One

The older boy is currently looking for his first "real" job. But let me back up from that for a moment.

When he was three, we moved to our current town and I got a part-time job in the nursery of a health club. It was a great job for me (take note, moms of young kiddies!) because I got to take my kids to work with me AND I got a free health club membership. Back then, that nursery was hoppin'. I remember Martin Luther King Jr. Day that year: we had 52 kids in the one big room (with plenty of staff, but still!). It was chaos.

I worked there about three mornings per week, and the older boy adored helping with the babies. He was more than happy to bring us diaper bags when it was changing time, retrieve dropped pacifiers for us, or any other miscellaneous favors that an adult could ask of a three-year-old. For the next two years (until he went to school), he was an amazing assistant and proved to be a really awesome junior caretaker. Over the following several years, whenever we encountered children smaller than him, he was drawn to them like a magnet, getting down to their eye level to talk to them or just trying to make them laugh.

It was no surprise, then, that when he turned twelve, he was interested in babysitting. A boy babysitter, especially to parents of little boys, is a rare and valuable thing; teen boys--though often might rile up small children more than you might want if it's right before bed--play with kids differently than girls do (generally; obviously this isn't true in every case!). Little boys usually really enjoy being babysat by a "Big Boy", and indeed over the past five years my son has proven to be a popular guy in the eyes of the kids he cares for.

But a babysitting job here and there doesn't cut it when you're in the middle of your teen years and you discover that you need a steady income of some kind.

About 18 months ago, he started cleaning the floors at the salon where I work, on Sundays. He gets paid very, very well for the two hours that he is there, and this pays for his car insurance.

Now that he's seventeen and, thankfully, through the nightmarishly busy Junior year we just experienced, he is all about trying to save money to buy his own car and have a more vigorous social life.

He's keeping the salon job (much to the younger boy's dismay, because he wants it!) and has put the word out to his babysitting clients that he hopes they start to go out on dates more often, and now he's looking to *truly* enter the world of work. The funny thing is, he started out with the attitude that he would be able to find a dream part-time job and pooh-poohed many ideas for employment that we tossed at him over dinner conversation. We finally had to explain to him that a teenager who claims to want to earn money can't be so picky, and that although it'd be great to totally love his first job, it's quite possible that he may have to do something that he doesn't "feel up to" in order to rake in some coin. He claimed to understand what we were saying, and we opened up discussion about all the places within a five-mile radius of our house where he could start looking.

Unfortunately (and not surprisingly), this summer is supposedly the worst in 25 years when it comes to teens finding jobs.

Fortunately, there is a new deli opening up just across the street from our neighborhood. Our kid has been totally stalking the place (I'm so proud) since he noticed the contractors doing the build-out. He went online to the franchise website and printed the application, and has had it filled out for about a month, even stopping in twice to see if the owner was there, but no dice.

On Monday we noticed the "Now Hiring" sign in the window. Yesterday he rode his bike over and, as luck would have it, found the owner's wife there, who proceeded to interview him and tell him that he's probably in good shape, because they have twelve spots to fill. He says that he thinks she liked him ("What's not to like?", says his mother), and would call him soon.

Though he will continue to look around, please keep your fingers crossed that he gets this one. The location couldn't be closer to our house, eliminating the need for car juggling! And maybe, just MAYBE, he might enjoy making sandwiches!

Oh...Is There a Convention Going On Next Week?

I hadn't noticed.

Alright, just kidding. I have noticed. I'm starting to get pretty darn excited about it but haven't wanted to talk about it all the time on the Scrawl out of respect for those who aren't able to go and those who could care less.

I do feel the need to do one little bitty blog post about it right now (and maybe one after the convention), so indulge me this once (and then that second time), if you will. Thanks.

Clothing
No, I don't know what I'm wearing yet. I am no fashionista, yet I want to look nice. I keep reading about these women buying fancy shoes (stilettos and all!), but I will not do that for two reasons:

1. My feet are HUGE. The size 11 section of the shoestore contains a few jewels amongst a crapload of clown shoes, so I've never grown to enjoy shoes. If I can find some nice white shoe boxes, I might glitter them up and strap 'em on. That's how you'll find me: I'll be the one shuffling from room to room.

2. Fancy shoes? No. It's comfy flats for me. With all the walking I plan to be doing, whether it's from my house to the train station where we will board the Metra to head downtown or just walking through Millennium Park or on the Mag Mile, my feet need to be happy.

I haven't even gone through my closet yet to see if I have everything I need, but I will do that this weekend. At most I expect to need a pair of capri pants. Big whoop.

I must admit, all of my indifference about what to wear did spike into a temporary anxiety attack when I learned that Tim Gunn of Project Runway (MAKE IT WORK!)(or better yet, "Holla at your boy!") will be at BlogHer. Do I want to meet him? You'd better believe it. And with my vast improvement in handling celebrity meetings, don't be surprised if I get him to go out for drinks with my posse.

Parties
So overwhelming. I've RSVPed to a bunch of them yet don't think we'll make it to all of them. It should be interesting, that's for sure.

Business Cards
I have the most adorable business cards in the entire world. Don't be jealous; be happy for me. My Sister the Graphic Design Wizard designed them, and I am ever so grateful. You might want one for your wallet and one to hang on your refrigerator. They're THAT cute.

Nerves
I don't have them at this point. I am reading posts all over creation about how nervous folks are about meeting other bloggers. I am not nervous. I am excited (very!), but not nervous. Who knows, maybe I'll get nervous as it gets closer? What I do know is that, like many others, I want to write down who I need to make sure to find because I can imagine that the size of the event and the amount of people will make it difficult to rely on my brain. So please, if you're going, leave a comment. (Obviously if you are my roommate, my livestream chat show partner, my north-suburban-twin, or my fellow mom-of-an-eagle-scout-candidate, you can leave me a comment to say hi (and "I love you", if you want) but I obviously know that you're going since you'll be staying at Chez Melisa on Thursday night after the People's Party.)

My Book
Oh yes, before I forget to put it out there, I will be bringing copies of my book to BlogHer:


I was supposed to be doing a book signing but have not heard about that to this point, and my book will not be in the bookstore so I can only imagine that I'm on my own with this...so I wanted to let you know that I have copies, and if you would like to purchase one (I'll sign it if you'd like), please E-MAIL ME and I will save you a copy or two. (I'd rather it not be left in comments because I don't want people to feel pressure to tell me they want one if they don't, so please e-mail me at melisawells {at} gmail {dot} com if you do!)

Some interesting things about the book:

1. The story, though naturally sad in parts because of the subject, ends on an uplifting note because the overall theme is coping and moving on with life as a family after a loss.

2. I used real photos (in black and white) from our family rather than an illustrator. There were several reasons for this strategy, and I've been pleased with the feedback: I've been told that the photos make the story more "real" and "relatable".

3. The book is mostly made up of the story itself, but contains (at the back) a short parent guide on helping kids cope with loss. I do not get into any psychological advice because I am not a doctor, but I offer some suggestions on family activities and such. Our long-time veterinarian had some input into this part of the book.

4. The book is mainly geared towards ages 4-10, but it is truly a story for all ages.

5. My sister, Julesie, designed the gorgeous cover and the interior as well. (In fact, if you hold the book open wide right next to your ear, you may be able to hear the sobbing we did while trying to get through the arduous publishing process.)

6. The book is only available online and not in stores. The most popular places to find it would be Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

7. It makes a nice gift.

Suburban WoW
The baby that Weaselmomma and I made together, with the help of Weather Kim (who we now refer to as Oprah), will be promoted vigorously at BlogHer. If you don't know what it is, click here. And then become a follower of that blog. (and this one, if you're not already!) And then mark your calendar to watch our second livestream (here) on Tuesday EVENING before BlogHer, July 21: we'll start at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 Central.

Summary
I am thrilled that BlogHer is coming to Chicago. I am excited to be able to meet (and re-meet, Momo!) so many bloggers at once, and I am totally looking forward to running around with Sue, Weaselmomma, Michelle, and Mrs4444. I'm sure it will be a memorable weekend during which friendships will be permanently cemented, and I can't wait!