Rob and Scarlett are dueling over music right now. He’s controlling the Sonos system in the house, which means he basically wins, but she’s giving him a good run on the back deck with Let It Go, tinny on my cell phone, but somehow still SO LOUD. Rob turns up The Black Crowes. Scarlett clears her throat and gives it her Elsa all.

The battle flips to Margot and the Nuclear So-and-So’s versus something horrendous from Kidz Bop. Obviously this seemed like the perfect time to sit down and try to write.

Rob is still on vacation this week, but we’re home, just dealing with end-of-summer things: purchasing school uniforms, contemplating how to handle an $875 parking ticket, continuing our efforts to train Otto (and wondering if his training could include a court appearance to argue that ticket down to a more reasonable amount. This is a story for another blog, especially if Otto does end up being our lawyer.)

Can we really now be listening to both Bonnie Raitt and The Wiggles? Why is this happening?

Rob is opening a bottle of wine. Now that’s a sound I can handle.

Today was Ice Bucket day. I knew we would be doing the challenge again, but Scarlett was vehement that she and Otto be our family representatives in the chilly endeavor. So there they were in all their glory, (slightly different from their current status running in circles together listening to Shut Up and Dance With Me while Rob tries in vain to calm things down with Tom Petty’s Wildflowers. This is not an “everyone wins” situation.)

A reprieve. Scarlett and Otto go deeper into the yard, their noise receding until all I hear is Rob’s REM. The wine is pink and cold, the grill is filling the yard with sweet and smoky smells, and a breeze is blowing towards my spot at the dining room table. I think I’ll leave it at that, enjoy having only one song in my head, and just share our #icebucketchallenge video.

Every August Until A Cure.

Wait. Taylor Swift vs Led Zeppelin? Someone stab me with an ice cube.

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