It's oh so quiet

Well it has been on this blog for the last two months anyway. Not so much in my life.
I can say that adventure has been absent in my life, but stress has been plentiful. I won't bore you with the details. I will simply mention that I ended the quarter with a perfect 4.0 GPA, ended my University of Washington career with a cum GPA of 3.91. (not perfect, but not bad). As well, I took the LSAT test.

WEEE! I find out my score in a couple of weeks. I am predicting a score of 155. Not low enough to suck, but not high enough to ensure law school victory. Just enough to be perfectly mediocre.
My plans for the summer include:
taking beginning Danish. I know how to say "thanks for the meal," but I feel i should know more before i spend 3.5 months in Denmark.








finishing up wedding gift knitting









taking banjo lessons


and depending on lessons, buying a banjo.












I'll keep you posted on my progress. Also, let me know if you know someone who would like to be my tour guide while in Copenhagen.
Farvel!

Flickr Game

I kifed this from my friend, OwlandAcorn.

the concept:
a. type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. using only the first page, pick an image.
c. copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Check out my Flickr page to see the links!

sometimes i remember

I don't remember anything very often. However, sometimes I remember why I moved to Seattle.
For the most part, it is because I feel safe. But safe is no cause for celebration, rather it is dull and I'm not interested in it.
It's not really the most bike-friendly place and most of the people think they are better than me. It makes me laugh, too.
However, as I battled drunk traffic on my bike on my way home from gay bingo tonight, a man ran into the street and flashed me his tata's.

it was great. I could not help but smile and laugh. it made my night and i could tell my response made his.
would this interaction happen in Manhattan? or Worchester? i think not.
everyone can suck it, cuz seattle is my home

Coffee Talk

Let's take a break from political pandering. I can't assume all eyes are on the United states Democratic race, but it is neck and neck and talk of sharing the ticket has begun. So, really the decision seems to be about who will be the headliner of the show. With that said a break is in order.
As some of you many know, I like to spotlight parts of the world that take an interest in my blog in a series I am calling, "This is your life."
Well, Brno, this is yours...

Brno (IPA: [ˈbr̩.no] (help·info); German: Brünn) is the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1243 although the area had been settled since the 5th century. Today Brno has over 380,000 inhabitants and is the seat of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, Supreme Court, and Supreme Prosecutor's Office.

Geography
Brno is located in the southeast part of the country, at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers. The city is a political and cultural hub of the South Moravian Region (estimated population of 1,130,000 for the whole region). At the same time, it represents the centre of the province of Moravia, one of the historic lands of the Czech Crown. It is situated at the crossroads of ancient trade routes which have joined northern and southern European civilizations for centuries. Due to its location between the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and the Southern Moravian lowlands, Brno has a moderate climate.

History
Brno as such was acknowledged to be a town in 1243 by Václav I, King of Bohemia, but the area itself had been settled since the 5th century. From the 11th century, a castle of the governing Přemyslid dynasty stood here, and was the seat of the non-ruling prince.

During the mid-14th century Brno became one of the centers for the Moravian regional assemblies, whose meetings alternated between Brno and Olomouc. These regional authority organs made decisions on political, legal, and financial questions. They were also responsible for the upkeep of regional records.

During the Hussite Wars, the city remained faithful to King Zikmund. The Hussites twice laid siege to the city, once in 1428 and again in 1430, both times in vain.

During the Thirty Years' War, in 1643 and 1645, Brno was the only city to successfully defend itself from Swedish sieges, thereby allowing the Austrian Empire to reform their armies and to repel the Swedish pressure. In recognition of its services, the city was rewarded with a renewal of its city privileges. In the years following the Thirty Years' War, the city became an impregnable baroque fortress. In 1742, the Prussians vainly attempted to conquer the city, and the position of Brno was confirmed with the establishment of a bishopric in 1777.

In the 18th century, development of industry and trade began to take place, which continued into the next century. Soon after the industrial revolution, the town became one of the industrial centres of Moravia — sometimes it even being called the Czech Manchester. In 1839, the first train arrived in Brno. Together with the development of industry came the growth of the suburbs, and the city lost its fortifications, as did the Spielberg fortress, which became a notorious prison to where not only criminals were sent, but also political opponents of the Austrian Empire. Gas lighting was introduced to the city in 1847 and a tram system in 1869. Mahen Theatre in Brno was the first building in the world to use Edison's electric lamps.

During the "First Republic" (1918 - 1938) Brno continued to gain importance — it was during this period that Masaryk University was established (1919), the state armory (Československá Statni Zbrojovka Brno) was established (1919), and the Brno Fairgrounds were opened in 1928 with an exhibition of contemporary culture. The city was not only a centre of industry and commerce, but also of education and culture. Famous people who lived and worked in the city include Gregor Mendel, Leoš Janáček, Viktor Kaplan, Jiří Mahen, and Bohuslav Fuchs.

In 1939 Brno was annexed by Nazi Germany along with the rest of Moravia and Bohemia. After the war, the ethnic German population of approximately 270,000 was expelled.

Brno today

The Augustinian Abbey of St Thomas, Brno.
St. Peter and Paul Cathedral
Courtyard of the Špilberk Castle
Gate of the Old City Hall
Dominikánská Street in the city centre
Villa Tugendhat
Brno Exhibition CenterBrno Exhibition Center, established in 1928, is the city's premier attraction for international business visitors. Annually, over 1 million visitors attend over 40 professional trade fairs and business conferences held here. In 2007, the center hosted the 14th Meeting of Central European Presidents, and a Rolling Stones concert. Exhibition and convention industry contributes heavily to the region’s economy, while 90% of Czech population associate Brno with trade shows. Thanks to its excellent infrastructure with modern facilities, Brno Exhibition Center has a prominent position in the region. Therefore, Brno can be nicknamed the capital of trade fairs of Central Europe.
Masaryk University, located in Brno, is the second biggest public university-type school in the Czech Republic and the first in Moravia. Today, it consists of nine faculties, more than 190 departments, institutes and clinics. It is recognised as one of the most significant institutions of education and research in the Czech Republic and a respected Central Europe university with democratic traditions advocated since its establishment in 1919.
Špilberk Castle is one of the principal monuments, as is the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, also known as Petrov. The cathedral was built during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its bells ring noon at 11 a.m., a tradition since the siege by the Swedes in 1645.
The town has a long history of motor racing. The first races were run as a checkpoint for the Vienna – Breslau race in 1904; in the 1920s, the town hosted the Brno – Soběšice hillclimb race; and in the 1930s, all races were held on the street course called Masaryk Circuit which led through the streets of the western part of the town and neighbouring villages, such as Bosonohy and Žebětín. A series of Czechoslovakian Grand Prix was held from 1930 to 1935, in 1937 and also once after the war, in 1949. Since 1968, Brno has been a permament fixture on the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) series, and has held motorcycle races since 1965. The road course ceased to be used at the end of 1986 when all motorsport activities resumed at the new permanent Masaryk Circuit, which was completed in 1985 in the northwest section of the town. Among other events, it hosts the Moto GP series. The Czech Moto Grand Prix in 2006 was won by Loris Capirossi.
Ignis Brunensis, an international fireworks competition, is held each June. The show attracts more than 200,000 spectators regularly.
Villa Tugendhat, a unique example of modern functionalistic architecture, designed by Mies van der Rohe and built in the late 1920s close to the centre of the city, was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2002. Another renowned architect who changed significantly the modern shape of Brno was Arnošt Wiesner. Many of his functionalistic buildings can be found all around the city.
In the 1990s, after more than 70 years of discussion, the city council decided to build a new main train station farther from the centre of the town and to develop a more modern area of the town, which is currently occupied by train track. This plan has been criticised for its possible economical and ecological consequences. The whole Brno railway junction is to be reconstructed, which is very complicated due to its 170 years of development since the first train came to Brno from Vienna in 1839. The construction is projected to finish in 2017. After municipal elections in autumn 2006 this project has been put on hold by new city leadership and it appears that an upgraded main station in the city center will be reconsidered.
The Brno University of Technology, established in 1899, has been developing the Czech Technology Park since 1995.
Every September, Brno is home to a large wine festival (Slavnosti vína) to celebrate the harvest in the surrounding wine-producing region. [1]
Hantec is a unique dialect that originated in Brno, however most peoples' knowledge of it is restricted to a few words.
Brno is the home to the highest courts in the Czech judiciary. The Supreme Court is on Burešova Street, the Supreme Administrative Court is on Moravské náměstí (English: Moravian Square), and the Constitutional Court is on Joštova Street. This makes Brno a second capital of the Czech Republic — or would, if the constitution didn't define the capital as being solely Prague. Thus, Brno might be thought of as the "capital of the judicial branch of government" in the Czech Republic.

So, relax, kick your shoes of and take a visit.
Brno: for a day or a lifetime


(thank you to wikipedia. Without it this post would not have been possible.)

should auld aquaintance be forgot

Yet another year has been swept under the rug and the time has come to wax retrospective, or wane if one should so fancy.
The past year paraded many disappointments under my nose. For instance, drinking red wine started giving me sniffles this year. This was a slap in the pants and not in the way I tend to enjoy. Quite the contrary.
What else? Oh, I've become a grump and that means everyone has managed to piss me off enough to make me not want to be friends any more. Luckily, I've managed by drinking heavily and venting to the people who aren't currently pissing me off. I foresee this biting me in the ass in the upcoming year. I blame it on stress-induced episodes and momentary lapses in judgement.
My ass has seen a lot more of my couch. subsequently, my pants are seeing a lot more of my ass. I blame it on stress-induced episodes and momentary lapses in judgement.
my grandma died. that really sucked. and the years of her being sick even more so.
i wasted time with yet another waste of a roommate. this one may have been the worst. she left fecal matter on the toilet seat on a regular basis--YUCK!!
the relief is that it's all over.
i discovered bloody marys, my mouth keeps my day planner from over flowing, i've caught up on a bunch of premium television, my grandma is finally resting, i have a good roommate for once who can drop a deuce without her ass exploding! and most importantly, I fell in love. this was quite a shock, because I was convinced that love was a cliche novelty that didn't go with any of my shoes. Fortunately, love brought shoes with him! my insecurity about relationships seems to be dissolved. and my disdain for man almost completely gone as well. this is a good feeling and Harpo is a good man.
So, what do I want from the upcoming year?
I want to be done with school (for now). and I will be in June (for now)!
I want to travel.
I want to lose weight and some moles.
I want more time for myself.
I want to tell people "no."
I want to be content.



the good news is, I think all of my wants for the year are attainable. I'll let you know how far I get on my list next year. for now, prospero ano y felicidad.

YES

yes, I have not posted in awile.
no, I am not dead.
however, my external hard drive fell asleep and will not wake up.

does anyone want to play Prince charming and awake my memory holder from its deep slumber?

am i a mail order bride?

I never thought so, but apparently the person who sent me this email thinks so:

"Hello Dear.
My introduction, my name is Jeff from republic of Sierra Leone, I want to solicit your attention in receiving funds on my behalf, which my late father left in a merchant bank in Ivory Coast before his death and the Amount is 2.5million dollars. The purpose of my contacting you is because you been a foreigner who I can have trust on to avoid my fathers relatives using the advantage of my age and cheat or betray me of this money, so that is why I decided to disclose it to you.

You live in a Western country with a stable economy where I can invest the money into true you. Please I don’t have any choice of investment; only what I need is your full assistance and support in any good investment in your country.

If you can be of an assistance to me I will be pleased to offer to you 20% of the total fund while the balance will be invested by you.
I am waiting for your response with your full information for me to be to be submitted to the bank.

Sincerely
Jeff kumma"

i wonder if he's handsome. he says he can only trust me because i've been foreign. ha!
i'm tempted to respond just to see what this person actually wants. Probably my bank account info. however, i'm afraid of computer viruses. so, i won't.

what's in a name?

this may be the 1st time i don't use pseudonyms! isn't that weird?
as many may know, I've been kicking around the idea of changing my name. my middle name is marie and i think it is just as useless as most middle names.
my grandfather must have felt the same way. as an adult he changed his middle name to Baca, his mother's maiden name. my plan has been to follow his lead and make my middle name Baca as well. Anyone who has received emails from me knows that I am already using this new middle name.
However, i've begun considering making this name change more drastic. this has been prompted by an overwhelming need to preserve my paternal grandmother's legacy.

OVERWHELMING NEED, form of panic attacks--YAY! the easy thing for me to do would be to go back to my roots as a big bitch and just generally being difficult to get along with. I'm sure some people may think I've already begun this tactic, but i actually haven't. the other thing that has occurred to me is that if my grandparents lived in a spanish-speaking country, my fathers surname would be Garcia Esquivel.
My current plan is to ignore the fact that my mother has a maiden name, because i have no socially defined identity tied to it, and take my father's hypothetical surname.
I think continuing this tradition might actually behoove me. I often struggle with the idea of producing offspring and whether or not they will have my last name. I feel I deserve to pass on my name, because i will be the one to carry the little "f"er! However, I think since dad passes on genetics that he deserves that honor, too. so, who would win? this just bugs me, because it wreaks of domination in what SHOULD be a co-equal relationship. With the Hispanic naming model mini-me can have both last names! this makes me less apprehensive about one day making a copy of my genetics in the form of a person.
this also seems less like name changing as it does taking back what's mine.
my only concern is whether my name will be too much after i pass the bar in a handful of years: ms. shannon baca garcia esquivel, esquire--you know i'm going to use the title, because me using it bucks the boys club mentality of higher education.
that's it. my eyes must now focus on other eyes watching god.

the day apprehensive to begin

The morning after can be such a drag...
I am a service learning tutor for the greatest class in the world--Psycho Biology of Women. However, I had a really hard time getting people scheduled for the required meetings and ended up spreading myself too thin.
My first meeting was scheduled for 8AM on Monday morning. My plan was to be up by 6am to make sure I arrived on time or early. However, the crazy screaming lady woke me up around 4am and I was not able to fall back asleep until after 5am. Needless to say, I did not wake up on time. I got out of bed at 7am and got ready as fast as my sleep-deprived bones would allow (which was not very fast at all, especially considering I needed a shower).
I arrived "punctually" at 8:15am. WHOOPS! the meeting went well, but I felt a bit off my game. Anyway, when the meeting was over I needed to hike over to Bartell Drugs. In my early-morning haze, I forgot to bring Aleve. After surrendering my money, I popped three pretty little pills into my mouth and caught the bus to Planned Parenthood.
My appointment was at 10:15am and I got there at 9:45am. In my mind that erased being late to my first appointment of the day. I had to sign some forms and pee in a cup. Why don't places supply funnels? I can't tell you how much I love getting urine on my hands so early in the morning!
Shortly after I peed on myself, a man took me into an exam room to get the ball rolling. I was a little worried that he might be the one doing the procedure. I couldn't imagine they have men prodding uteri at Planned Parenthood. The place that is supposed to be by women for women. i was panicked nonetheless. Also, the music was terrible. I imagined a male clinician tunnelling through my cervix to the soulful styling of Roxette. It was at this moment of being consumed by doubt that I found out they would need to poke my finger and get blood out of it. If I had known about the finger poking, I may not have come in. He tried to tell my that it's not that bad and not even really a needle. None of that helped. I cried like a baby and made him nervous that I would not be able to handle an hour of vaginal penetration. Clearly, he knows me not. I can handle most anything as long as needles and my blood are not involved.
After I stopped sobbing, he told me 20-year veteran, Consuelo, and a 3rd year resident would be performing the procedure. I sighed the biggest sigh of relief.
The two came in and the resident got to work while Consuelo kept me comfortable. They showed me my shiny, new Paraguard IUD. I announced that I would name her Penny. We all agreed that was an appropriate name, because she is tiny and copper. All in all, the procedure went smooth. However, a slight complication arose due to the position of my uterus. Apparently, it tips forward. I never knew that. Conveniently, it is more difficult to get a copper apparatus into a uterus that tips forward. I must say that I was not made too uncomfortable by this added obstacle. There was some cramping, but I was able to breathe through it.
After some struggle she asked Consuelo to take over. I was relieved, because the cramping was beginning to increase and I could tell that I would soon be in pain. Consuelo went in and did some maneuvering. I was about to say ouch, because I felt a surge of discomfort. However, this discomfort was over before the words came to my lips and just then she announced that she'd gotten it. Penny was in!
After that, I had to get back to school and have 3 more meetings. I decided I deserved Pho. Slim Jeans also decided I deserved wine and muscle relaxers.
gawd bless Slim Jeans!

the day that refused to end...

...gave way to the day apprehensive to begin.
I heard through the grapevine, because i never actually look into the weather myself, that yesterday was going to be a wonderful day during a period in seattle when the wonderful days are becoming fewer and further between. So, instead of a planned jog, i proposed a bike ride. this will prove to be my undoing one day. don't get me wrong: i love me bike

see?! she's cute
However, a jog would have consisted of 3 miles. the bike rides consisted of 30+. i was sore and tired, but came home with a bunch of cute patterns, that no one gets to see until AFTER the holidays!! Bits and I tried to get Emms to hit on a couple of hot biker boys to join our peloton, but it was to no avail. boys, even the cutest ones can be oh so lame-o. also, why do biker boys have the nicest butts?
I digress. Anyway, I came home feeling everything mentioned above, but could not fall asleep. LAME! it was so beyond me. midnight came around and i finally fell into slumbers. THEN, 4am rolled around and i hear a woman screaming, "get away from me. leave me alone!" I wasn't completely in my head. so, i just laid there. then when i came to my senses, all i could think was that: "damn! i'm 'that' person." just then i heard her yelling and coming closer. I sat up in my bed and saw her run by, still screaming: "get away from me. leave me alone!" She looked like she was in a lot of trouble, but no one was following her. Shortly after I heard a siren for her and i was off the hook. Needless to say, we 6am reared its ugly head, I was not ready to get up.
I was not ready for a day of meetings of getting an IUD.
the rest of this story is...
...to be continued...

oh say can you see?

this is the story of my visit to our fare nation's capitol. a story about when tourists stop acting nice and start acting real...
i should preface that my trip got of to a bumpy start, literally and figuratively. Apparently, AirTran at SeaTac International Airport is run by a bunch of slack-jawed in breeders. here is the set up they had going: stand in line for one of two kiosks. get your boarding pass. then stand in another line to check your baggage. don't most airlines streamline this process? oh, and they only had one person checking luggage! i cannot tell you how many people stood in the bag check line for this one woman to tell them they were in the wrong line and had to go stand in the other then stand in the current one all over again. half of the 6am flight were still trying to check in when the plane was schedule to take off, eh. i took me almost 2 hours to get TO the security line. if i can help it, i may never fly AirTran again. The thing that made it more exacerbating was having wendy and carnie wilson in aerobics gear in line ahead of me making fun of the way everyone who walked by FOR DRESSING FUNNY!!! for being such lame-o's, i called them the fitness and the fatness in my head. it helped me chuckle while being trapped with an earful of their fashion commentary.
once off the ground, i was out like a light. that is the nice thing about airplanes. i hate being on them, but can't stay awake long enough to care. However, there was some righteous turbulence on my connecting flight. these days i'm not a church goer, but there is something very special about in-flight bumps that bring out the hail mary's in me. i don't even know where the rosary came from.











Upon landing, i was greeted by my shaggy-haired lover. i must admit, i could not hold back the water works. i have missed him terribly for over a month now. So when I finally got to lay eyes on him again, i was a bit taken by my emotions.
While I was there, we went to Pennsylvania to visit his folks. We went to the Bloomsburg Fair. Apparently the only fair is the Bloomsburg Fair. I have to admit to not being as enchanted as I would have been if I were 10 or 15 years younger. As as side note, i'm sick and tired of this elephant ear regime. So, it was nice to partake in fry bread. McDreamy's family is very nice. Not to sound trite, but they truly are "down-to-earth" folks. As well his niece, nephew, younger sister and foster siblings are very sweet, cute and fun. i really felt welcomed while i was there. which was a relief. families have the ability to be burdensome when they find you disagreeable.

the final day of my stay was spent walking 500 miles and then walking 500 more. We went to the zoo and looked at many cute animals
After walking the extent our appetites would allow, we had a delicious dinner and even more delicious sangria. it was heavenly. we also got very sore feet. i was dense enough to where flip flops for the first part of our day about town.
after dinner and a shoe upgrade, we made our way to the monuments.
they were monumental, to say the very least. it was a lot of fun and at the end of the night, i had blisters on top of blisters to prove it.

the next day we bid adieu. again, i was taken by emotion. only this time, i could not get myself to recover. i wasn't sobbing or anything, but my eyes just would not stop producing tears. it was mildly embarrassing, but a nice man checking my boarding pass noticed i was upset. he asked me if i was leaving. i said yes. he said not to worry, because i would be back. it was strangely comforting. i like random acts of compassion. anyway, i had a lot of fun, but the trip was too short.

to close i want to say that we packed a lot into our short visit. i got to feel like a tourista and a local. however, of all the activities, this was my favorite and the thing i tend to miss most...

el fin

is the pessary half full or half empty?

i have a decision to make here. i have been on birth control since 1998. The reason was because i had flow issues. once a month i felt like the nile river at it's peak abundance and had killer cramps to boot. The option posed to me was the pill. I have been on various forms of hormonal contraception ever since. I switched pills a couple times. there was a brief stint where i had to space my periods, because i felt like a crazy person during menarche. then, moved onto the patch. i moved off after the big scare. i can be a chicken when my life depends on it. currently, i use the NuvaRing. I like it a lot. it is quite convenient to only have to think about birth control once a month. i was quite remiss about taking the pill. anyway, i've been starting to feel biologically cheated by my no-baby insurance. as a "non-cycling" woman, i don't get to experience the full range of monthly emotions. most of my life, post puberty, i have actively avoided mood swings and cramps. but what if i am a crazy woman? shouldn't i get to experience that without needing to be fixed? and cramps can be dealt with without ceasing the cycle. it is for this reason that i am considering IUD, but not just any IUD--paraguard! this is a non-hormonal, copper IUD. it is over 99% percent effective at preventing pregnancy, but would allow me to cycle regularly--maybe heavily and painfully. there are minor risks of uterine perforation, pelvic imflammatory disorder, and ectopic pregnancy. however, these risks are very low.
anyway, i wanted to see if my peeps had an opinion or knew someone whom had tried IUD.
i'm listening...

how drunk is too drunk?

this question would have been answered if you had seen me last night...
I was at SuKat's for girl's night in. which translated to drinking wine, eating cheese and gossiping about everything under the sun. i don't think i could count for you how many glasses of wine i had, but i had a couple too many. maybe my friends can recount this. after already being drunk i decided it was a good idea to go to the twilight exit for one more. on my way to the car i stepped in a hole in the grass and fell on my face. the made a big ouchie on my right shin. somewhere between girl's night in and the bar, i poked my eyelid. this also created a nice ouchie as well. at the bar i harrassed people and was just generally inappropriate for public consumption. i really hope i see myself in The Stranger's--Drunk of the Week, because i was in rare form and it was truly righteous!
when i got home, i brushed my teeth because my mouth tasted like fermented grape assholes. while brushing, i managed to gag myself and throw up in the sick. if you ever wondered, this WILL cause a clog. I also broke my soap dish and my ceramic virgin mary vase. i was able to glue mary back together. however, i think she is no longer full of grace as much as she is full of cracks. and the soap dish died on the table. which is a shame, because i really liked my soap dish. the topper is that my phone is currently located in a friend's Volkswagen Gulf.
so if you take nothing else away from my blog, take away this: one valuable lesson to learn, and better if it's not the hard way, don't let your drinking get away from you while you are in the middle of terribly missing your lover. it can only lead to hangovers and shame.

MEOW!

so i'm just sitting here eating left over thai and checking my emails, when my nostrils feel something tugging on them...





imagine the cutest kitty and translate that to stink. my nostrils burn!
being a crazy cat lady is almost as glamorous as being a parent!

the blog and the beautiful

Some of you know this person as Harpo, but as he is no longer harping he will from here on out be referred to as McDreamy. This is incidental to the good news at hand. and the good new is this--McDreamy is finally blogging!!!!
I can't tell you how excited I am or how excited I think you should be, but you don't have to take my word for it. Check it out for yourself, while picturing him in the pose above. Now you, too, can see all the ways in which he is witty and charming and all the other things that make me crazy about him!!

be well, do good work, and keep in touch

p.s. just an addendum: if you look at the video below you will see that McDreamy and ted are dressed quite similarly. and why are these two my heartthrobs??
p.p.s. McDreamy if far more handsome than ted though and i am a lucky girl.

phoenix fall out

friday night (8/31/07) was my last night in AZ, which always fills me with mixed emotions. For there are things I do appreciate about the valley. I appreciate seeing people of color and hearing spanish spoken without having to drive or take a bus to the south end of town. i appreciate that even the sub par mexican food is still pretty damn good. AZ has a couple vegetarian restaurants that seattle could never hold a candle to. Then there are my friends and family. However, there is also the blinding heat and the blatant bigots, a-holes, insert derogatory term here. On the other hand, I have my food, friends, and timid bigots in seattle. so much push and pull going on. this is even further exacerbated by the turmoil of my living situation, granted this is on the up and up, and the fact that my lover is far away. Regardless, I am homeward bound and absolutely needed to spend time with the folks I care about most before I go home.
During the day, I went bowling with my auntie and my mommy. we were terrible! which i think makes it more fun. i can't imagine being competitive at that recreation. The highlight of the afternoon was during one of my aunt's frames. her foot must have crossed the line or something, either way she lost her balance while on one foot. So, she hopped trying to regain her balance and landed in the left gutter. Then, she hopped again, still on one leg. I'm not sure if she landed on one leg or two, but she landed in the lane to the left of us and totally wiped out. I laughed so hard and am currently having a hard time typing this tale without wetting myself. She was mortified. She puts so much work into looking well kept and pulled together at all times, which is what i think made this even more hilarious. She rather reminds my of Hyacinth Bouquet on Keeping Up Appearances. (if you have never watched this show, you should.)
That night the photo lezbo, hippie hair, and i were supposed to go sing karaoke at some skeezey bar on the west side of town. When we arrived, we decided it was too skeezey even for us! so we went to the divey, faux Irish bar around the corner instead: o'brien's. this place wasn't anything special. what made the night was the drunk friend that was brought along. at one point i was trying to figure out photo lezbo's iphone and drunky magoo says, he goes: "turn the camera on, because i'm ready to make love to your face." it was a little more than i could keep to myself.
needless to say, the day was spent laughing my ass off.
in short, it was a fun trip, but i am so happy to be home.

who the hell is Rose M Eriksen?

and why did she call me? The number (906) 233-9416 came up on my caller ID on Aug 28th. After many encounters with collection agencies, I refuse to answer the phone if I don't recognize the number. Typically people leave a message, this person did not. So, I Googled the area code and found out it is a Michigan phone number. I don't know anyone in Michigan! So, I put the entire phone number in the search engine and it came up with Rose M Eriksen and her address. I typically strive for anonymity on my blog, but I figure if you're listed you're not too concerned with remaining anonymous.
let me know if you have any leads.

be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

happy days

Once upon a time:







a man and a woman.















decided they couldn't imagine making anyone else's life miserable but each other's. they vowed to care and to hold in sickness and in health and tied the knot.




That was 26 years ago to the day. Which makes today my parent's 26th wedding anniversary!
26 years ago on this day: my mom had a melt down, my dad came through at the last possible second, and i had a poopy diaper.
they were married in las vegas and not much has changed since that day except that they have two more rug rats than they did 26 years prior. Here are the three of us caught in the act of being us.

















i think we've got a good thing going here and i'm glad that i got to be around to celebrate it!
Happy Days to my parents and to us, their bratty babies!


here's to a marriage that never jumps the shark!