Smack me Gently

So GB and I decided we'd be sneaky and avoid yesterday's blistering heat by driving to the Gorge and going for a hike by the waterfalls, in the shade. Of course, when we got there, we realized that everyone else had the same idea, only earlier in the day, so there were no parking places left.

Now, I'd spent a whole 8 hours the previous day in a hot little office with buzzing flies, no a/c, and a terrible lot of accounts that needed settling. And then I worked on job applications until midnight, when a girl supposedly got abducted just below my bedroom window (or saved from her drunk-ass self-- in this neighborhood, it could go either way, or it could be one of the local crazy men-- the one who likes to ride his bike and sing in falsetto at the top of his lungs, for example).

Anyway, there was frantic screaming of "don't touch me, you hurt me" followed by the slam of a car door, an engine driving away, and then silence. And apparently, I'm the only person in the whole freaking neighborhood who didn't have a functional fan that night and/or wasn't drunk out of their skull, so nobody else I've asked had heard the woman scream. At 1am, a neighbor lady I know went into her back yard, sang a little ditty about the cat and the fiddle, and then went back inside. I think that's what finally let me sleep. The neighborlady singing happily to herself in her garden after midnight on a Thursday.

And then I woke up freaking early because my cat had a sneezing fit all over my toes. So I was pretty darn grumpy by the time GB and I had stood in line for biscuits and bacon (for over an hour), sat on the increasingly hot front porch to EAT the biscuits (mine had applebutter, mmmm), drove to the Gorge, and then realized that neither of us knew what already-full parking lot area was the one for the hike we'd decided to take. (I love that my roommate not only KNOWS all the hikes in the entire pacific nw, but has books showing you what they look like and how long/strenuous they are, too!!) So I snapped at him a few times in the process of parking SOMEWHERE THAT MIGHT BE WHERE WE WERE GOING, and felt awful (but still grumpy) when he got really small and quiet on his side of the car.

But as soon as he'd loaded my sandals and my water and my other water and my purse and my emergency pack that looks like another purse into his backpack, and we were actually hiking, in a breeze, toward waterfalls-- I was able to shed my grumpy, and GB started talking to me and smiling again. And when we got to the part where the bridge was washed out and you had to scramble down where no path is or was, and then leapfrog across if you didn't want to get your hiking shoes soaked, and then scramble up again on the other side...

He totally stopped, scouted our chosen descent for poison oak (he thinks he might be immune at this point, but isn't going to test the theory and also REALLY didn't want me to suffer with it), and then also checked the whole potential crossing to make sure he wasn't asking me to do something too risky and uncomfortable. He went first, and tested each step, and warned me when a rock was tippy, and watched to make sure I got past that rock okay. And then when I had trouble with one of the actual leaps in the path he found across (as opposed to a long step from big flat rock to another rock), he held my hand and made sure I landed okay on the other side. Totally without making me feel like a wimp or a loser.

It's been a long time since I've had a guy take such good care of me. Like, maybe the last time was my dad when I was little. And GB wasn't trying to impress me or anything-- he's just that much of a considerate sweetie. I felt so cared about, and having him support me all the way down and across really built my trust for him. Like-- I felt it start to grow in a waivery uncertain way that told me really clearly how long it's been since I felt like it was safe to put my well-being in someone else's hands. The ex usually got me into a situation, and then ran on ahead impatiently while I struggled with fear, slippery rocks, and much shorter legs all by myself, mid-stream.

Total brownie points for the boy, and he didn't even know he was being awesome. Then we wandered upstream, past all the people sitting in the water to cool off, and found our way out to a big flat boulder in the middle of the river. It was a wonderfully cool, shady place to sit for a few minutes and talk about how we want one of these rivers-- for natural air conditioning purposes, as well as aesthetic value-- in our back yard someday.

Of course, once we'd survived the way-too-hot 2-mile hike back up and down and up and down to the ovencar, made our way home, showered off all the sweat and blisters from the hike, and were actually starting to FEEL the a/c in the room-- he smacked my ass so hard it left a red spot, which totally made him giggle every time I glared at him for the rest of the evening. I will never understand this man.

Tagged for Life: A Memoire

So... There's this new form of the "get lucky" email going around. It's a blog challenge based on a mythological bet that Hemingway once made. His autobiographical words were purported to be, “For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”

And here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like
3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post (http://herebaby.blogspot.com/2008/06/six-word-memior.html) if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogsphere
4. Tag 5 more blogs with links
5. Don’t forget to leave a comment in the tagged blogs with an invitation to play

So... Can you sum up your whole life in six words?

Ahem: "wise others curious boundaries open self"

Wise
Others
Curious
Boundaries
Open
Self
Wise
Others
Curious
Boundaries
Open
Self
Wise...

It may change as my life continues. First, there were the wise others who watched me. There were may wise others, curiously. Then there were others, curious about me or about whom I was curious. I spent a lot of time focused on others. Isn't that curious? I also spent a lot of time being curious about HOW this was so... and I discovered that it had a lot to do with boundaries. My boundaries, and those that others had toward me were rather curious for much of my life, really. Curious boundaries, had we. Very open, they were. Yoda, I was not.

And then the curious boundaries opened, and in many ways my life transformed because I gave myself permission to pass them. And then I became curious about life. I decided I wanted to live it. So I started creating boundaries between myself and those who threatened my life. Boundaries. Curiously, my life opened before me as my boundaries became healthy and real. I myself became open. Open to life, open to health, open to change, open to possibility and hope and reality and new beginnings. I opened to myself, and got to know her in a new and intelligent way. Wisdom, they call it.

I opened to Self, and became wise. I became myself more fully and more joyfully than I have ever been before. And here I am. Open, and in relationship with my Self. Learning new ways of being. Making friends with others. Disseminating wisdom to others. Wise. Curiously wise in working with others, really. Especially for my age. I'm about to become 30. I have a lot of life left. And I'm curious about what it will bring...

My six-word autobiography might need some editing and modification and change as I go along.

....TAG! You're it.

Vewy Intewestink!

For kicks and giggles, I took the personality DNA test again-- the one in the box on the right side with all the funky colors in it that says "Benevolent Architect"...
I am now a "Benevolent Analyst"... go figure. http://www.personaldna.com/report

Apparently, I've now got both feet on the ground, and need to add more creativity into my life. Vewy Intewestink!

More of a Good Thing

A while back, Crazy Aunt Purl asked her blog readers for good crock pot rescipees. Believe it or not, I'd actually embarked on my second attempt at crock-pot ownership just that week. The first attempt was one of those "oh, that would be great!" costco purchases, that doesn't look ridiculously large until you get it home, and realize you'll have to store the crock pot that feeds 20 people in one go... somewhere... and that there are a total of ONE PERSON at your dinner table...

The second attempt, well, Fred Meyer had a sale on crock pots, and the one I got is only supposed to make three servings at a time, if you fill it up all the way, which I don't. I even bought and cooked chicken in this thing, which is actually a minor miracle. I haven't cooked chicken in about three years, unless I was trying to impress somebody. And I think that only happened once. (For the record, it worked.)

Anyway, I heard about the blog post of rescipees for the crock pot, and went to check it out, and all these descriptions of food were SO YUMMY... I went to the store on my way home from work today, and bought an onion and some real vegetables. And I even cut them all up and dumped them all into my crock pot, and ... well... I guess I'll find out how it tastes tomorrow. But I feel so darn HEALTHY to be making something that takes more than 3 minutes to cook! (Now in case you were worrying, I actually do eat healthy food most of the time-- and cook it myself, basically from "scratch"... well, I don't make my own chicken broth... but anyway-- don't worry.)

AND THEN somebody actually mentioned that the dutch oven can be used the same way as a crock pot, but you put it in the oven at 350 (?) for five hours, and that same tremendous juicy stew of yummy foods happens. Wow.

I love food. I love it even more when it both tastes good and is good for me. Especially when I'm stressed out, and not getting enough sleep. Which would be most of the time, really... Going to bed at 11pm and getting up at 5am will do that to you. And not working and job-hunting, and moving to a new place to live, and being in a major car accident that was actually your fault, and sorting through every dagmn piece of crap you own and deciding that at least 1/3 of it MUST GO AWAY, and attending a major conference in your professional field-- on the other side of the country-- mid-move, and...

Well... I'm hoping to establish a more productive and less stressful routine in February. I really count my new year as starting then anyway, so I'm still really hopeful about everything. Hope is my friend. And, really, so is my new crock pot. Friends are a wonderful thing to have, let me tell you. I'm lucky that way. (And I'm not talking about the food.)

Bumper Stickers

Okay. I don't need a frog. I need a toad. My old "gotta be me, and I'm weird" bumper sticker was a toad. And that means its time to visit Hot Topic at the mall. And hope that music group (or whatever it was) is still "in."

Toads being, strangely, the symbol of Hecate, the Goddess of the waning moon, universal wisdom, women's intuition, transition and crossroads, herbal healing, and -oh, yeah- witches. Which will keep me from using that "I heart Herbs!" one, and possibly also the "Dirt Worshiping Tree Hugger" one. Probably save me from a few nasty looks, too, especially if my new job is anywhere that's not here. Anything I can do to stay safe in my new car is GOOD, people. I promise, no incriminating baggie of dried coconut in the glove box, either.

Also, I have a bumper sticker somewhere that says "Normal People Worry Me" which will go on the FRONT of the car. My good friend, SLM, has promised me an Evil Bunny, and an "Eat a Lime" bumper sticker, so I'm good there... And I'm saving the one I found that says "Outrageous Older Woman" for my 60th birthday. Trust me-- I'll still have it.

Anything else you've seen that really REALLY needs to be permanently affixed to my car? Because I'm starting to think that's enough, really. For a small car with no hiney to speak of.

CatTail #347

There I was, sitting at the dining table, reading my favorite comic book and blowing my nose because I have the head cold for hell...
when suddenly, and very quietly, from the direction of the bathroom...

ka-thud.

It sounded strangely like a cupboard door closing. But it's just me and Abbigale tonight. Waiiiit....

My cat must be trying to get into the bathroom cupboard. Again. So I yell a reprimand, and watch the hallway for any nonchalantly emerging kitties. But nobody appears. Sometimes she waits until I actually head toward her to stop whatever it is she KNOWS she isn't supposed to be doing... so I get up from the table.

No dice.

I went down the hall and into the bathroom, stepping carefully in case any guilty kitties tried to flee the crime scene, as they've been known to do. The bathroom was empty. Silent and empty. (Insert shark music here.) So, not being one to give up easily, I opened the first cupboard door I came to. And out popped a kitty. Pmmrrowt? A kitty who had obviously been trying to open the hinged side of the cupboard door for some time with no great success, but was too proud to meow for help.

I really hadn't thought there was ROOM on that particular shelf for a cat, but hey-- I've been wrong before. And she didn't actually knock anything over while she was in there. Actually, I used to barricade that cupboard doors shut with a half-gallon of vinegar, but people kept stubbing their toes and looking at me like I was crazy when they went into the bathroom... They obviously don't know about Abbigale the Intrepid Explorer. But I do. I have photographic evidence of her earlier excavations under the living room rug. And a permanent record of her fangs in the soft wax of a tapered candle that once got in her way. I've occasionally woken to the sound of wind chimes. Inside the house. And thus been called to duty as refiller of dangerously low cat food bowls at 4am-- more than once. So I know that just because I couldn't immediately see evidence of a crime didn't mean one hadn't been perpetrated. Oh no.

A ka-thud in this household, however quiet, is worth a thorough investigation, and probably a good laugh. If it isn't 4am. At 4am, it's only worth throwing a shoe in that general direction and hoping the covers are still warm when you get back under them.

I love my cat. Mostly.

mmmmm

I had a yummy visit from an old friend. I think it's been about two years since we were in the same state at the same times (oh, except the states of sleeplessness and denial. We visit those frequently.), so this was just awesome. Especially after I FINALLY found the right Starbucks in downtown to pick him (and his large suitcase full of wine) up at. Could there BE anymore road construction in downtown??!!1

Dessert first. St. Cupcake, anyone? With WAAAAAY too much frosting on top? Lunch at Lonely Planet (organic foods that somebody else cooked for reasonable prices, people!!!), with lots of napkins because apparently I have issues...

And then coffee was mentioned, and whadayaknow, there around the next corner was an AWESOME coffee place... well... I'll take his word for it, because coffee is not my friend. And on to the coolest delicatessen, where I finally found black french lentils. I've been looking for a while, you know. Apparently at TJ's, they're seasonal. WTF??

Then, a good gab and some old comic books at my place, and off to dinner. THAI! GOOD THAI! Level 4 spice Thai, and I LIKED it. Believe it or not, level 4 Thai food is less spicy to my mouth than black pepper. And MUCH more tasty. He got the seafood special, and dagmn was it good! Have I mentioned that I like Thai food?

Then back to my place for a movie and an early bedtime. I had work today, and well, he had to catch a plane. I hope it's not another two years between now and the next visit. That is just too darn long. But hey-- at least I know my futon works now! And, I've learned that glass is a liquid. Honestly. A highly intelligent person told me so. I guess I'm glad.

It means that the new "rock chip" in my windshield will just smooth back over, right? I mean... it's only the size of a salad plate. And... in a just world... the idiot who threw something off the overpass and onto my windshield this morning will eventually get that same karma back...
times three.

Vote me in!

I joined the I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGER madness today.

You know that photo of my cat hunting dustballs under the rug? I use it a lot. And hey-- I've shared with my friends, my blogging family, and a few others-- but why stop there? I COULD be sharing it with the WORLD!!!

www.thecheezburgerfactory.com//ThereIsNoDead.jpg

Because, you know, why do homework when you can do this?!













By the way, these are not mine. I borrowed them from the site.
Because I love them. And I am just a little bit insane. =)

Heroines, A Quiz

I just took the Jane Austen Heroines Quiz. Fairly accurate. Friggen Funny.

Here's me--

Take the Quiz here!

I'm Anne Elliot. Who I totally identified with and loved when I saw the movie, and who has the last name I always wanted, and who even (in a very small way) looks like me. COOL! Of course, I'm not so big on doing things the way my family has always done it or something-- but I am big on doing things the right way, being the good girl, as it were... much the same sense of responsibility and willingness to take on other's problems-- easily persuaded if it might be the right thing to do, don't you know...
So go have fun, take the quiz (thanks, Shana, for pointing it out to me), and let me know what heroine YOU are! =) I tell you, this is better than horoscopes!

http://www.strangegirl.com/austenquiz/

:: A N N E ::

You are Anne Elliot of Persuasion! Let's face it, you're easily persuaded, especially when faced with choices that are or aren't 'the Elliot way.' But this doesn't mean that you don't have conviction. Actually, your sense of duty is overwhelming. And though you won't stick your neck out too often, you have learned to speak up when it counts. To boot, you know how to handle sticky situations. You love deeply and constantly.

Fiddy and Fried

Yesterday, I wrote a 55 page paper. Well, I wrote a 40 page paper, plus 15 pages that each listed a single reference source-- the same source-- 15 times. (I really do not understand my Management professor.) Yesterday, I also discovered the absolute best most perfect way to appreciate my bed.

You know, sometimes I'm not really excited about going to bed. There are too many wonderful books and cool movies and good friends that I want to spend my time on instead-- and of course, the cat must be petted. And then there are the times when I'm not able to sleep or the bed is too lumpy or too hot or too cold or the sheets are wrinkled... and I'm just not really very appreciative of my bed.

But yesterday... or rather, this morning, I figured it out. First, stare at a computer screen from 10am until 3am, with a few short breaks for eating and other necessities. Your eyes will be so bugged out and tired that the dark is a soothing relief. By 3am, you will no longer be sure how to string words together into sentences, or you will forget that the sentence needs to END, and will just string all your thoughts together in one long long long sentence that never ends and gets kinda messy and really fairly pointless. And you'll be tired of holding up your head, tired of sitting at the desk. Tired of leaning forward on the one arm to read the screen better because your eyes got fuzzy around 4pm, and eyes don't get a second wind.

Then, you go to bed. And bed feels like some luxurious palace where nothing has to move and nothing has to bear weight, and it is SOFT and COOL and DARK and QUIET and SUPPORTIVE and there is NO GUILT INVOLVED... Man-- I tell you, going to bed this morning felt better than sex.

Of course... the alarm went off at 7:30. And the phone started beeping at 9. And the cat decided that 10am was really quite late enough, thank you. And I gave up even pretending to sleep by about 10:30... I mean, after all, I still have another paper to write today. Sigh... I miss my bed.