Tigerlily Tuesday - Pigtails & Ballerina Buns

Greetings From Vegas Friday Links

So much Franzen this week. Okay by me. 

- First, his awesome essay in the Guardian promoting his new book, The Krauss Project. 
- The hilarious non-backlash backlash and what that means for Franzen haters
- Finally, this. Franzy, join us on the internets.

- When a man writes a woman

More aspects of Modern Living:
- The terror that is Whole Foods
- The wonder that is Trader Joe's. (They're not really cutting their benefits. Just read.)

- I scroll through this every day. Sigh.

I finally met and hung out with one of my fave writer/blogger folks, Anne Sage of The City Sage this morning. If you aren't reading her, you should be. I have her to thank for this cool website recommendation, The American Edit. Check it. 

Peace out for the weekend, ninjas. My head hurts and it's Tiger Time. 

This Kid

Tigerlily is THREE

Happy third birthday to my favorite human, the one and only Miss Tigerlily. No one on Earth makes me as happy, as easily as this crazy girl. I was with her on her actual BIRTH day, and I'm wishing we could hang out an invite some fictional characters to a tea party on military time today. But alas, duty calls. Rain check, Tigs! Hope your costume for the day is extra wacky!

Happy Saturday

Hope you're having as glamorous a Saturday as Tigerlily here. 

Tigerlily Tuesday

Here's just a few of my recent chroniclings of my favorite person. Tigs loves layering costumes, talking about getting married, calling fairytale characters to invite them to tea parties using military time only to realize she's way too busy to chat on the phone and tells them she's got to call them back. 

She enjoys singing the theme song to Peppa Pig and Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse. She does not enjoy being anywhere other than home. But she'll tolerate other spots if there's hopping allowed. Which, if she's with me, hopping is obviously allowed and is, in fact, the preferred method of travel. 

Hollywood Baby

She hiked all the way up with us. Like a boss.

The Truth.

This is on the side of a building in NYC and I've never read anything truer. Also, you're being watched, apparently. Nice video cam. 

 I'm driving to Vegas today for some belated holiday mingling and car maintenance. I can't wait to meet Baby June, the littlest Woffinden. Not to mention, Tiger Time. I feel like I should eat at Honey Salt. Not a day goes by when some Vegas person isn't raving about it. Hope you're having a fabulous Sunday!

My Favorite Person

No one and I mean no one gives me as much unadulterated joy as Tigerlily. I don't think about anything else when I'm with her. I experience no existential angst. If she wants to hop, we hop. If she wants to race, we race. Drive boats? We drive. Spin? We spin. She is my favorite person. 

Tigerlily Reads Kafka

In the great tradition of the Tigerlily Classic Rock photo series, here is the second in what I hope will become an extensive new photo series, Tigerlily Appreciates Great Art at a maturity level far beyond her years. We already have, Tigerlily and Modern Painting. And now, I present you with Tigerlily Reading Kafka. What can I say? She's advanced. Hope you're having a super Tuesday. 

Tigerlily Is Two!

My favorite weirdo kid is two! I was so crazy yesterday with meetings that I didn't devote the proper attention to the wonderful milestone that is another year of life for the kid I feel is somehow a little bit mine. Happy Birthday, Tigerlily! (Sorry this is a day late!)


I will never stop telling you and anyone who will listen what its like to watch someone being born. How peaceful it is, in spite of all those movies we've all seen with people screaming. I love that Tigerlily's birthday is so close to Mother's Day. And that my memories of her coming into the world, the idea of Emily as a mom, of me taking my place as the kind of surrogate mom that I myself was so fortunate to have a few of-- these new ideas are eclipsing my feelings of loss and sadness that have always marked that holiday for me. 


Emily says Tigerlily is a first-rate weirdo. And I say that's just her destiny. And ours. Thank you Miss Tiggs, for being born and giving me a glimpse of how great it is be a mother. Even if its just an eccentric Auntie-Mother a few times a year. 

Merry Christmas from Tigerlily

Hey. Tiger here. Calling to wish you a Happy Holiday season. I'm extremely advanced for my age, so I can already operate most technological devices, including iphones, vacuums, and my Aunt Ryann's blog. Do me a favor and have the best Christmas Eve you've ever had. Peeeease? Ok, Ok, Ok. 

TL in BW

Today, I am missing my favorite little person, Miss Tigerlily. Last night, I downloaded all my photos from my trip. The hundreds I took of Tigerlily made me laugh and made me hate that I can't hang out with her everyday. See you in December Tigger Monster!

Baby Loves Bieber

It's been ages since I've hit you with some giggles from the TL monster. Oh man, she's cute these days. She sings and dances and has whole conversations with you that she thinks make sense, but really don't. And when she does speak English, she's singing Happy Birthday or telling you who her boyfriend is and singing one of his biggest hits. Carley Nunn and Kristen Delbosque, I have a feeling the following might appeal to you. 


This kid is just pure joy. I dare you to resist her charms. 

Tigerlily is One!

Happy birthday to the baby who lights up my life, little Miss Tigerlily. She is such a joy in every way. How she waves to me on Skype and smiles with her big two front teeth. She's everything I love about her mom, plus a whole lot of her own special qualities. And I will always have a very special bond with her because I was there from the very first moment of her life. I can't wait until she's older and I can be her wacky and eccentric cool artsy Aunt Ryann, but I'm also excited for every moment in between. Tigerlily, I love you! 

On Mother's Day

It's no secret I don't have the funnest time on Mother's Day. But I have been mothered by a whole lot of surrogate moms who completely rock my world. And first and foremost of those is a little special somebody known as the Adi-Mommy.


My best friend's family is sort of one of those package deals. You don't just get a best friend-- you get a whole set of siblings and uncles and dads and the most rocking super mom I have ever witnessed handle a big-time business and a huge blended family.


I think about her and me and everyone in the room when Emily herself became a mom-- probably the greatest moment of my life so far. And when I think about major life events and having a mom there to give me advice, or feel a woman's presence, it somehow doesn't seem like a slight because I know that Adi-Mommy will be there. 


Happy Mother's Day-- to her, to all the amazing surrogates who have acted as mothers to me throughout my life, and to all my beautiful friends who are mothers. 

A French house party

Some of the most fun we had in Paris was doing the local thing with my friend, Kate. She took us to a lot of great places (more on the later) including a fun birthday party for her friend Margaux in Republique. I'm not normally much of a dancer, but my baby-faced, chain-smoking, blonde, curly-haired French twin, Raphael was so much fun with the playlisting (including La Roux!), I couldn't help but boogie. 

Hope you have a fun Saturday! 

tiger classic rock series

She crawls, guys. She's mobile. The world will never be the same. Here is the latest in my Tigerlily as classic rockers series. You may remember Tiger as Elton John. Now, I present to you: Tiger Springsteen. Which classic rock look should we give her next? Kiss? The Beatles St Pepper? (Because we already have the jacket for that... just saying...)

McC and I Make it to Tigerlily

McC and I have been dreaming about the Tigerlily Hotel since back in July when we cooked up this little trip of hers. Yesterday, on our smash-and-grab tour of Edinburgh, we finally made it there. While the place is already a little dated, we loved every minute of it. And you can't beat two entrees for ten pounds and two hours of good conversation. 

Today: Edinburgh farmer's market for hog sandwiches and haggis (She's gotta try it) and a flight to London! Tomorrow, I'll post more about our adventures.

digging through history

One of the things I love to do whenever I come back to Vegas is dig through all my boxes that my Dad keeps in his basement. I reread fiction I wrote when I was a little kid (truly, I was a weird child), remember all the cool books I bought and read, but can't schlep with me everywhere, and look at old photos of my friends when we were really awkward looking (some of us still are ;).


I especially love all the stuff from my summers spent with my grandparents in Georgia. My grandmother taught me how to quilt and is a prize-winning quilter. I don't know that I still remember how to quilt, but at one point, I was decent enough to help my grandmother make this amazing little dutch girl quilt when I was twelve. (That throw pillow, I  even handled all by myself.)


Having Tigerlily around makes me think about women and traditions passed down through the generations. I'm a bit too old to rock this pink quilt anymore, but I spruced up my family's antique bed (my favorite bed ever) with it this trip. I hope one day to pass it on to my daughter. And in the event that I don't have one, I'll give it to Tigerlily. Even if she isn't into pink, it's really warm and perfect for a little girl. 


I'm headed back to Scotland this evening-- and I'm very much looking forward to it-- but it's been nice digging through boxes and remembering for the past ten days.