we all sing the same song

i have no idea who this woman is, but she must have been at my house today, or yesterday or maybe the day before...

the mom song

(click up there, mom)

finally, megs...

okay, i'm not sure about this... way back in the beginning of october, my "pal" tagged me (what kind of friend would put you on the spot like this?!). but because it isn't my turn on the Wii yet, and no one wants to watch Mamma Mia with me--i have the time (maybe not the courage) to respond to the challenge.

as i sit here click-clacking away, i have this major anxiety growing in the pit of my overly-full Christmas tummy with the facts that (1) i'm not sure that i can come up with 7 interesting things about myself, and (2) that i don't really have 7 blog friends... that's a lot of pressure, megs!

oh, speaking of meghan, she is this amazingly wonderful friend with whom i have been blessed. my husband and hers grew up together in idaho, and have remained friends over the years--thus meghan and i have become friends. now here is the one (two) best things about being friends with meghan... sweet pea and beans. she is the incredible mom of these funny, crazy and sweet little boys. i have great admiration for her, because not only is she a great mom, she is a great working mom. she has taught me to be okay with the fact that some moms work, and that those moms are still really good moms... anyway, if you want some giggles, you should check out her blog at sweetpeaandbeans... and keep your eyes peeled for her new creative outlet/business venture, Sweet Pea & Beans custom stationary.


let's get focused... here are the rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog, and giving them the lowdown...

unknown? maybe. interesting? perhaps. all i could come up with? definitely!

1. i refused to marry dave. he had to ask me a couple of times before i relented.
   
2. dave and i lived in maine... for about two weeks--just part of the adventure!
   
3. i love books that are set in England prior, during and right after World War II--any recommendations?
   
4. i insist on being involved (if not in charge) of my kids' school valentine's day parties--because i'm an expert, you know
   
5. i love tea parties--going to the Brown Palace, having them at my home... whatever, i love 'em!
   
6. during a summer in college, i was a nanny. i was 21 and got to spend the summer in NYC, the Cape and just cultivating my love for the whole of the east coast, especially for the very cute boys with their very cute accents... thus the move to maine with dave, of course, without the cuties...
   
7. i surprised dave with an early Christmas present! we're going to florida to see the Cornhusker's play in the Gator Bowl--we leave the snow for the sun tomorrow!
   

now here is the rougher part, i've got to find 7 people to tag... well, these are the lovely ladies who i follow:

• scribbler... i know that megs tagged her, but... she didn't publish, so i'm retagging her
• marla... who i worked with in lincoln, way back before jacks!
• allison... who i stumbled upon, and left a comment--then this gal who has been called the "one of the most influential up-and-coming women online" actually sent me an email back! in awe, i am!
• jennifer... who is training for a marathon... i wish i had the discipline, so i appreciate living vicarously thru her!

um... yeah... so i could really only come up with these four gals who i felt slightly comfortable tagging. but this is the challenge to you reading my blog. either:

1. leave me a comment with something interesting you know about ME, or
2. leave me a comment with something interesting you want me to know about YOU!

don't be a blurker, leave me a comment!

i love my friends' kids

we have always known that mike is quite a cinematographer, but we had no idea he'd be putting warren miller on alert!

skiing with mike and rhys

and i'm so glad i don't have teenagers, yet...

the ghosts of Christmases past

the other day, the boys and i put up our Christmas tree...

i'm not sure if i've always been too preoccupied with making sure the bubble-wrap gets put back in the right Hallmark box, or whatever it is that i seem to stress over. because i don't think i've ever noticed that the boys were remembering the ornaments like they did this weekend.

some times i wish i was one of those gals who has it all together (as if!). you know, the ones who have inspiring halloween/fall/thanksgiving front porches, and whom probably have festively decorated their whole home with glamorously themed items... including their Christmas tree(s). there is something so beautiful about those trees, they seem so grown-up and elegant. and i want one!

but on the other hand, there are the decorated trees with reindeer made from fun-foam and traced little fingers. or the Christmas trees, interestingly, also made from tiny hands traced
on fun-foam. there are ornaments from school, that remind us of favorite teachers. we have ornaments from places we've been (like our new disneyland ornament) and trips we've taken, ornaments from when i was little, boxes and boxes of goodies from my mom and dad when they liquidated, and the ornaments we've started buying to build the boys' collection for when they have their very own trees. when the rubbermaid tubs were opened this year, it's a treasure trove of memories... and not just for me anymore.

it made me smile to listen to the boys talk about when they made the sparkly snowman in 1st grade, or that mrs. taylor gave them the snowflake last year. and they both commented on the hot wheel flaming hot rod ornaments they both got from their nana and papa when we lived in colorado--that was a long time ago!

and, this was also the year, when the boys took a good look at the ornament my mom gave dave and me for our first Christmas... as i am unpacking the boxes, i heard:

ryan: oh, look, here's santa and mrs. claus... and they are in the... uh, {giggle} jacks look at this...
jacks: {snort}
ryan: {giggle}
jacks: {furtive glance, snort}
ryan: mom...
me: yeah...
ryan: {giggle} did you know--
jacks: they are NAKED!
me: yeah, i know... nana gave it to me
both of them: {wide-eyed and belly laughs} NANA!


especially good memories this year!

miss ya, babe!

tj 4 cf

whenever a new restaurant opens in the big city,

people flock like lemmings over a cliff.

two years ago when the olive garden opened, you'd think something really great was happening! you couldn't get near the place for months! i mean, months and months! it opened in december, and still in march for jackson's birthday we had to wait for an hour (and them some!) because that's where he wanted to go...

for a pizza?!

however, when it's something i like, i.e., taco john's right by my house, i was just another blur of fur over the cliff for my potato oles... and here comes the beauty:

when we were paying and the cashier asked us if we wanted to donate a dollar for cystic fibrosis research... so, of course, i start crying because that's what i do when my crusty, grumpy heart is pierced.

so if you're in the mood for something fast and "west-mex", give taco john's a visit, and donate to the CF foundation... thanks!

check it out!

a new blog...

all about me and the books i read!

piranhathon

it's that time again!

saturday is one of our fundraisers for our swimteam... and it's the hardest for jackson and ryan because they earn money for each length they swim across the pool.

now before you get your checkbook out to sponsor them ... remember, they swam hard last year: ryan, 70 lengths and jackson, 60 lengths .

if you're interested in helping out the boys with this, please let me know (email me) before saturday, and you will then be a proud reciepent of the 2008 speedo picture!! not something you'd want to miss out on : )

we thank you for your support!

i caught you!

you are a blurker...

i might not know who you are exactly, but i know you are lurking around our blog and aren't leaving us comments.

it's so easy to overcome your blurker-ness. next time you read our blog, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the post and click on comments. you can tell us what you think--nice things, tho, because we're all very tender-hearted at the hentzen house--of our blog, our little life, or that i use dashes and ellipses too often... thanks!

a skeleton and a... um...

... a caped jaundiced kid? an oopmahloompah? i don't know exactly...but he liked it, and that's all that matters... right?!

(but he still has a orange tinge to his face... after many washings!)

and jacks went old school with a skeleton.

so after i made the costumes all last week --and then seeing this face-- it occured to me that the costumes are just a vehicle for the candy... with a costume, you get free candy; without, you get nothing.

unless you're this momma, who (even without a costume) gets all of the snickers!

on a pumpkin hunt!

it has been a gorgeous fall! wonderful weather for being outside. and so off we went today, in search for the perfect pumpkins... aka the biggest pumpkins we can carry!

as show for you first by ryan...

and then by jacks...

and here is ryan holding my cute "little momma" pumpkin...

because sunday is the only day he doesn't work, it's our day when we get to talk to dave as much as we want whenever we want...

and here is jacks' happy, cute face before they heard that daddy wouldn't be home for halloween...

and then ryan's after he heard... the day kind of went downhill from there.

well, it's not so good today...

since dave left on tuesday, i have been very well occupied -- why i didn't say "busy" versus "occupied"? i have been noticing that when i (or other people) say that i'm busy, it is preceding why i haven't done something or it's an excuse for my poor behavior? i've cut it from my vocabulary because i never want anyone to feel like i'm too busy for them again. enough said. i'm cranky... which is the point i'm trying to make here

okay, oh, so i'm cranky because dave left us for this new job stint in sunny burbank, california, and we've been going thru life, you know we go to school/work,














soccer games,














going out for pizza and arby's, field trips, harvest carnivals at school, football games (GOOD JOB, TRAVIS!)














and movies. we are going, going, going we haven't had time to really miss him... too much. but today, i only had to go teach dave's sunday school class--isn't he an amazing man? he teaches sunday school at our church... i can't stand the little monsters, and he just does it because he knows it's the right thing to do. and by little monsters, i mean my boys who were so squirrely this morning i was about to smack them both.


again, focus... so we went to sunday school, church and wal-mart for groceries and that was it. nothing else. no other distractions. i actually lost it in church, because dave has such a great voice when he sings, i can comfortably know that no one else can hear my dead bird's warbly singing, well maybe except for God. so here i am crying at church because poor me... my husband has got a nice new, very well-paying job and here i sit having a pity party when there are worse things in the world... people don't have jobs. people can't feed their kids. people are losing bits and pieces of their lives because of the onset of the recession. i don't want to be a whiner.


but i am having a pity party... i ate my pita/egg salad lunch (good for weight watcher points--i'm going to lose weight while he's gone. he can come home to a skinny wife) and promptly gave the clicker to jackson, curled up in a blanket and slept for most of the afternoon. then i watched the shows on the dvr, trying to free up space for more spiderman, spongebob and phineas and ferb episodes... and erasing all proof that i'm addicted to the GND. i have laundry to do--i bought socks at wal-mart so i didn't have to wash them, however. i have a ridiculously hard reference question exercise due for school tomorrow... who the hell is Gustavo Adolfo Býcquer? plus, i need to cook something (a few somethings) that will last us thru the week--dave usually cooks dinner! he's so awesome! and here i sit well past 10 blogging about what?


i remember when we were in college, and the soccer season was over... we got so drunk for a whole weekend, i usually missed school on monday. and the last year dave played--oh, yeah, it wasn't me playing anything organized. always dave, the team player... God, he's so great! anyway (again) that last year, we're driving around in his jeep with the radio blaring and with far more people than there were seatbelts. there were people piled on people, and we were all very drunkly singing/screaming the words to that proclaimer's song, 500 miles... and at one point those dorky looking bespectacled scots sing, And if I grow old well I know I'm gonna beI'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you, dave turned to me and winked.

this is the link to where the video should have been, but i got pissed off trying to figure it out, so click here...

and so here we are, quietly growing older together. there will be much more traveling in our future and it sucks... but until he comes home to us swimming starts, there are Halloween costumes to make--a scarecrow and a skeleton, other harvest carnivals to go to, various playdates, picking pumpkins, carving pumpkins, homework for everyone, library work, laundry to do, dinners to make, PTO meetings, bottles of wine to drink with friends and (thankfully) little boys to love...

the proof!

we stood in the freezing cold and wind and waited for the mutt strut to start...

then we almost went back to the car when we found out it was a 5k rather than a 3k...

but i bought the obnoxiously expensive shoes that were guaranteed to make my body not ache all over...

and i promised jacks we'd do it together, and i shot off my big mouth about doing this thing...

the first mile was okay--we trained for that...

the second mile was grueling--we weren't trained for that, and we walked a lot of that mile...

the third mile hurt like hell, but the end was in our sights! we walked much of this, but did run the last bit and thru the finish line...

the times are abysmal: jackson came in first in his age group at 45:20... then me (also first in my age group) at 45:36, and then ryan at 46:21 (2nd for his age).

did i mention there were only 7 runners, and 150 dog walkers? but we set out to do it, and WE DID IT!

what do you mean this a 5k?

we completed the

5K

there was no 3K... just three long miles!

but we did it!

pictures on the way...

the season is almost over!

i can't believe that the season is almost over, and i haven't posted any pictures of my guys playing soccer! what kind of soccer mom am i?

well, obviously, i didn't get a picture of ryan playing tonight either--

the yellow dragons lost... again.

but here he is next to our cluttered countertop (with just a few of the fruitflies from the peaches buzzing around--how gross!) explaining to me how thistalman battles his foes.

and who is this thistlalman?

he's a new character is ryan's ever growing comic book empire. it appears that thistalman is strong in his powers and able to swoop in and take care of evil-doers (see the picture of ryan demonstrating the "swooping"). in addition to said thistalman and his band of battling creatures, we have a whole book about the adventures of moose man and beaver boy. and that's dedicated to me... his "moose" momma! i'm so proud!

tomorrow is jacks 2nd to last game...

hopefully, we'll get to see him in action!

you know what assuming does, right?

if you put a child in the shower with instructions:

wash your hair with shampoo, and please don't forget to use the conditioner in your hair

wash your face and your body with soap

please be sure to rinse all of the shampoo, conditioner and soap off before you get out

you'd assume that somewhere along the lines the NECK would get a little sudsing... i was wrong.

this afternoon, i was getting a little ryan attention, and as i was soaking this up i began to look--really look--at his neck. it's grossly underwashed. what does he do in the shower for 15 minutes? it's not washing his neck, that's obvious. where is his mother?

anyway, fall is here and we're trying to come to grips with it! this weekend jacks, ryan and i are running our first 3K together. jacks read a book about running track in 2nd grade, and ever since he's mentioned how much he'd like to run. i've always held the conviction that people who run for fun are slightly mental; but when jacks saw the flyer for this Mutt Strut and asked me to run with him... i changed my thinking. i love that he asked me to run with him!

so now all three of us are running, and i can't think of a better way to spend our saturday morning... except maybe by scouring ryan's neck!

tapping into the maverick-ness...

there have been more times that i haven't voted than i'd like to say... yet, maybe i'm paying much more attention to the world that my kids are going to inheirit from us and i'm beginning to worry about their future... so here is my contribution into the realm of political-mindedness:

don't vote

please click on the link...

sorry about the confusion, mom! : )

mortality sucks...

{big sigh}

if only we could stay 33 forever...

accidental genuis... mayhaps

i so can't take credit for this, but my good blog friend, scribbling in san antonio,brought this gem to my attention... it's worth the 4 minutes! check it out!

and by the way, the scrib is wonderful... visit her blog too!

creatures of habit...

it's become tradition... and maybe we're boring, but every year when my parents come for their trip to idaho, we always go to jackson (just over the hill into wyoming). i guess it would be boring if it wasn't so much fun for jackson and ryan! watching their little faces light up when my dad pays an arm and a leg for the alpine slide tickets, and while dave signs their lives away to ride the said slide.

none the less, it's the nearest slide...

and snow king has a really good miniature golf course, if you can pull ryan from the video games...

and the view isn't too bad either!

a few days late...

and because the guys couldn't speak to their Auntie in Berlin...

we're sending lots of birthday wishes, and hope you are having lots of fun!

is you is, or is you ain't...

ryan and i have always had this connection... we're both snugglers. jackson just has never been one of those kids who wants to be too close, he's sweet--but don't push it.

when ryan was a baby, i carried him deeply snuggled into the space between my neck and shoulders, taking in his sweet baby smells...

when he was a toddler --and heavily sobbing with some sadness--he'd crawl up on my lap with his left thumb firmly inserted and his right hand resting in my cleavage (held over from his nursing days), and then his tears would subside as i held him close...

and as he's grown, he still seeks me out for for comfort for physical or emotional aches and pains(altho, he's done reaching for the boob), a quick hug in the hall way or even a reassuring hand to hold when he's a little nervous...

and that all came to a screeching halt yesterday!

we started school yesterday, and as we walked across the blacktop to the boys' respective lines, jackson was holding my hand and i reached for ryan... nothing.

i reached again... air.

i reached a third time, and saw him swing his arm out of my reach.

by this time, we had reached his line, and he turned and walked off with a wave and said, "see you later..." no kiss, no hug, not even a high-five! off he went to 3rd grade.

so jackson and i walked to his line. he squeezed my hand once before he let go, and walked off to get in his line. so i stood there watching my babies completely independent and confident walk into their classrooms with their friends.

dinah washington sung it, is you is or is you ain't my baby? and of course there were other conotations, but that's what came to mind yesterday as i watched the blacktop empty around me.

and yesterday when i picked them up, it was ryan who snuggled up on the couch with me and told me about his day. so of course, they aren't babies anymore, they are growing (by the grace of God) into my great little guys...

don't miss the tom and jerry version of the great song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq2Mt0HAq4M&feature=related

i'm so disappointed...

these are bullies...

so yesterday, as usual i drop the guys off at day camp... and the director/owner says, "can i talk to you all in the office?" it wasn't really a request.

so in we go, and she proceeds to tell me that the guys were caught making fun of another little boy for the way he talked. i was mortified! not my children! they have been raised in a very tolerant and open-minded home, where we've always said that the world would be so boring if God made everyone exactly the same. it's not easy, but i want my guys to be the kind of people to enjoy diversity and differences--especially when they live in cookie-cutter perfect idaho falls.

my jaw is still on the ground in shock, when i realize i have to say something. i didn't completely freak out, but in a very controlled voice i said, "i'm so disappointed in you guys..." and then ryan starts crying, and jackson (as stoic as ever) looks down at his feet not uttering a word.

then the kicker of the whole thing is that the said child "we" were bullying was the owner/director's own child. okay, i'm sure that i would never have known about the incident had it not been the spawn of the day camp director/owner. so my emotions go here and there with thoughts like:

• if it were my children who were teased, i would have told them to suck it up and realize the teaser was a jerk and move on... however, now i'm the mother of the jerks!
• then i go the other way, and my heart goes out to this little boy and to his mom, who is hurting from the sting my boys inflicted.
• and then i'm so angry with jacks and ryan over this for so many reasons like the little kid is only going into kindergarten, ryan still can't pronounce his R and W sounds... and they know how it hurts to be teased.
• and back the other way, boys will be boys, and kids tease each other. but that's just so wrong.

so now i'm the mom of bullies... nice.

picture from Eric & Caroline's wedding May 5, 2007

happy day!

happy birthday, dave!

happy anniversary, dave!

thanks for celebrating with me in coeur d'alene this weekend!

do you know CJ Box?

one of the best things for me when i have* to go to conferences is meeting the authors!



how many times have you read a book and wondered about who wrote this book... i often think about that when i read stephen king, because what would fuel someone to write like this? i also wonder when i stumble across a especially juicy book-- is this woman so deprived that she writes her deepest fantasies for the world. or conversely, is she writing autobiographical?



so anyway, here i am in spokane trying to be TALL next to this very nice guy, c. j. box. i'm so embarrassed that i haven't read his books--even though they have been recommended! he is from wyoming, and writes about the issues of the rocky mountain west. i think i have been leary to read him, because i seem to have this apathetic view of environment writings--please don't preach at me! i do care about the enviroment, but i'm not overboard like the the people who are saving water by peeing on their plants...



so anyway, i have been assured that i'm wrong about the author and what he writes. i got one of his books, free fire. this is the seventh (maybe) book in the joe picket series, but it's about yellowstone and this weird strip of land (the sliver that is idaho) where mass murders take place... you should check out the website.

and here is the view from my room here. that's the spokane river. dave is flying in today because he wants to do something special for our anniversary. what do you think about that?

yes, he is charming, but i really know he's here for the fly-fishing. it will be just like our honeymoon--he fishes and i read. i guess that's just the ABCs of us.

*have to go to conferences? not so much of a "have to" thing -- i love getting out of idaho falls and hanging out with other librarians... especially at the corks and cans events. highly recommend coeur d'alene's bar 6.

renaissance...

a rebirth? a revival?

{see me climbing up on my soapbox}

how many of you are getting your money's worth out of your library? it appears free... but you do pay for library services thru taxes. so are you using the library privileges you pay for?

why not?

libraries are here to help...

and that's what the renaissance is about. change is coming in the world and in libraries thru the internet and google, but libraries are still here to help with the motivation for life-long-learning.

get over to your library and ask your librarians some questions. if your librarian is snarkily stuck at the desk, please remind her that YOU are the reason she has a job...

{stepping down}

denver is great... and i'm looking forward to spokane tomorrow!

some times...

there are no words to express how you feel when you look at your kids... this is one of those times.

they're, their, there...

really... i do know the difference...

they're so cute...

their nana took this picture while on the boat going across the river to pirate island..

we loved disneyland, and we can't wait to go back there!!

(and the readers are saying, how many more pictures can there be of their disney vacation? enough already!)

i'm suffering from frazzled brain , mayhaps : )

the first picture...

almost makes me want to be there... almost

their home!

my fisher-boys are home safe and sound!

so far we've heard about:

• ryan throwing up twice in the car from too much ice cream
• catching perch, muskies, northern pike and cropies
• the leeches in the water
• the huge mosquitos and flies that bite
• tubing and cliff-diving
• uncle gil's pancakes
• celebrating cousin ella's birthday with an elmo pinata
• watching PG-13 movies
• and how much fun they had doing all of that stuff with cousins kyle and tyler!

i can't wait to see and post the pictures!

thanks, Dr Twinning...

check out my morning jacket's "librarian"...

my professor put this up on our blackboard, and i missed a lot of the lyrics but caught the sexiest librarian part...

Sweetest little bookworm. hidden underneath...
Is the sexiest librarian...
Take off those glasses and let your hair down for me.
Take off those glasses and let your hair down for me.

Simple little beauty- heaven in your breath.
The simplest of pleasures- the world at it's best.

i like that image far more than the alternative image burned in people's minds!


lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/my_morning_jacket/librarian.html

the lights are on, but nobody is home...

jacks and ryan left for their fishing trip in canada a week ago...

... and we've been pretty busy, but i also realized that we aren't as dull as i thought we'd be without the good-time boys around.

thursday: rode my bike to work, and then rode my bike home. but dave went to the chukars' game with curtis and jacquie... jacquie had to drive them home with the windows up because they were going to start yelling (cat-calling) at people on 17th street... very nice.

friday: dave and i rode bikes to weight-watchers and to bubba's for a shared plate of buscuits and gravy. i know there's some sort of disconnect there, but what can i say?! then i immediately went home for a nap... a late morning nap--pretty pathetic. then i worked at home and dave worked on jacquie and curtis' electric problem hit-list. then the four of us went to the cellar for dinner. they have really good green beans... i mean, i had salmon and that was good. but i don't like green beans--unless in tempura--and these were really yummy. i ate all of them.

saturday: dave and his pals went fishing. he's so lucky to have friends who will sacrifice a saturday to cheer him up--since he didn't get to go to canada with the boys for the week of fishing. again, i went to work. maybe i work too much? i like the library gig, it's a fun way to make money : ). we were supposed to go camping too... okay, pick yourself up! get a grip! we planned to drive up to yellowstone and camp at the madison junction campground, then dave could get up early and fish, then we could get to island park for church at the little church in the pines... but one of us didn't call until about an hour before we were leaving for the said campground. so we watched fool's gold and ate a huge bowl of popcorn.

sunday: woke up super early, drove up to island park. went to church... now, i've got to say that reverend ted can give a sermon! best sermon i've heard in a long time. i was weeping at the end. of course, i'm a cryer--but i was truly moved by him and his simple words of Christ's love and grace... boy-oh-boy. after i got control, we cruised up to west yellowstone, and had the best burgers and bloody mary at this place we'd never been too: bullwinkles. i chose it because i love moose and thus love most things about moose--we're going to go to moose, wyoming next weekend. but dave chose to stay for the build your own bloody's. eww... after a delicious lunch, we went into the park. we hiked to harlequin lake... yeah, we had never done it either. but we've made a deal to try to see things that we haven't seen a gazillion times. it was a quiet little lake/pond covered with lilypads... AND THEN WE SAW A SNAKE! what the hell?!! i ran back to the car... dave stubbled on the path as he laughed at me. after that, we tried another path to goose lake but we were so tired, we turned around and went home.

monday: work at the the library, work at home and school... and dave got up at the insane hour of 4 for his day in sun valley...

tuesday: 12 hours at the library. dave went to american falls...

wednesday: back to the library, and dave played the game cube and made a phemonenal quiche. he's an awesome cook... so we had some wine ate our dinner. it was very nice.

today: back to the library... and realizing that with the boys we are busier than without them... but we seem to fill the time up pretty fast. it feels like with the boys are life is in high speed--a blur of activities and fun times. but without them, everything feels so much slower, more relaxed. i'm pretty calm--a huge change from the tyranical mommy. it's an odd feeling, but nice. i was trying to think if we have any friends who don't have kids, and i don't think we do. i wonder if they look at family-people and wonder if we're spinning out of control with keeping up with the kids. or do we family-people look at people who don't have kids and think how relaxing their lives must be. it's a contorted view into another person's life, i suppose.