She Walked Away

What the...?

Finally, a full moon. I was wondering when it would show up. My life has been in Full Moon Mode for more than a few weeks, let me tell you (actually, don't let me tell you because it's far too weird).

Times like this, for me, are opportunities to accept small victories graciously. It is important to focus on the small things that are (or can be) under my control, as opposed to sinking into the sea of unknown and uncontrollable. What can I control?

I finished my second fuzzy green glove last night. Good thing, the weather should be cold in, what, 6 months?

I took the first of two exams used for my entire semester grade for one of my summer classes the other day. While it's not satisfactory to me, it's nearly an A. Being an art student makes it hard for me to adjust to less subjective grading at times, but I really wanted to ace that one.

I have made arrangements to go out for live music this weekend. That is something I used to do with great regularity, but I have gotten away from it in recent years. Well, that and I have a rather bad reaction to cigarette smoke. Imagine how happy I was about two years ago to go see the Finn Brothers with no smoke. I am sorry Neil had to make the special request because he had the flu, but it worked out to my advantage. Trivial comment: I tried to get close enough to Neil to actually catch the flu from him, but I only managed an autograph from him (and Tim, too) on my liner notes from ENZso. It's one of my favorite cds of all time. Tim looked at it and asked me where I got it. Odd.

Tonight, I will make sure to get outside to look at the Full Moon if it's not raining or clouded over. It's good to know that there is a possible explanation to seemingly strange things. As for control, I hope I can maintain it and maybe, just maybe, lose a little of it at the right time.

Listening to this right now, and it's hard to control my urge to sing:

 

 

Rain.

Olive did not appreciate the weather this weekend.

 

Disappointment

I got up Saturday and pedaled to the farmer's market as planned. There isn't a great deal of produce yet, I guess it's too early, but I did get some asparagus. As I prepared to leave, my bicycle chain broke. I walked home, in the rain. It wasn't too bad, actually. I just tend to feel guilty walking that far without Olive - she would have been great company.

I met a friend at the art museum in the afternoon and we had a great time. While I am not crazy about the recent renovations they made aesthetically (it looks like a convention center), I do appreciate the lovely collection of art practically in my back yard.

I spent Saturday evening and Sunday in something like Spring Cleaning mode. I was actually just looking for a spare chain that I know I have. I am just frustrated that I cannot find it. It might turn out that once I find it, it's the wrong size anyway, so I am happy that I at least went on a cleaning spree. It's not like me at all. I listened to music mostly, but had the race on the radio Sunday as much as possible.

When things settled down yesterday afternoon I started a knitting project and completed exactly half of it. It's a pair of fingerless gloves that I have made before, but I am using a different yarn this time and have ended up with a result between The Grinch and Oscar the Grouch.

 

I'll do the other one. I will. Sometimes I procrastinate, but this time I want to finish them and put them away for Fall. They'll be a great surprise for me when I dig out cool weather stuff.

Thanks to my friends who met me for dinner on Friday. Thanks to another friend for dragging me out at 10:30 for beer. Thanks to my friends who met me at the farmer's market before my long walk home and to my other friend for our nice time at the art museum. Thanks to everyone with whom I was able to catch up to varying degrees on the telephone. Thanks, Dad, for encouraging me to get ready for a hiking and camping trip. I'll make it happen. I will. It's much better to look back on a long weekend and be amazed at everything you did. It flew by, but I had a really nice one.

Memorial Day, Indeed!

This week has been very interesting. While Memorial Day is set aside so that we can pay special tribute to those who gave their lives in service to their country, I believe that setting aside a day for memories in general is a good thing, too. I sure have a pile of them. My personal view of war is a strong one, and I don't believe we should be a country at war, but I definitely support all members of the military who are sacrificing so much at a time when those of us at home are having to sacrifice so little in comparison. Support Our Troops - Bring Them Home.

My maternal grandfather died several years ago. He was a WWII Veteran who had the misfortune of stepping on a land mine in the Battle of the Bulge. I didn't know my grandfather well, but I am so aware of how his service to his country cost him his life - he didn't die in battle, but he lived his life in pain because of war.

On to memories of a different kind... I have recently been in contact with several people that I haven't seen or talked to in years. Because all of this activity has been at the same time, I keep checking the lunar phases to see what is going on. Old boyfriends, former coworkers, old neighbors... I've been talking to lots of people who have known me at various points in my life. I dug out a couple of boxes of photos (we all have those, right?). Want to make me laugh and cry and gush? Show me a pile of pictures from 15 - 20 years ago. It will do the trick. This flood of memories is making me a bit melancholy, too. Fortunately, I never did much bridge-burning in my life, but there are a few people to whom I owe apologies - not huge ones, but the air needs a little clearing from my perspective at least. I'm working on that.

It's so important to keep in mind as I look at old pictures and remember the good old days, that I am making memories now, too. It makes you live life to the fullest, you know?

People sometimes want to know what you would want as an epitaph. Let me state for the record that I want a green burial http://www.ethicalburial.org/, but if I had to answer today what I would want to have etched on my [imaginary] gravestone, I think my answer would be: Yes.

Today, I Love:

 

Confession: I've always loved you, Matthew Sweet. Always. It's just that I am really feeling the love for you right now, as I listen to "Girlfriend" and think about all that means. Hearing this song conjures up some pretty pleasant memories, too.

 

 

 

 

And the award goes to...!

I had a brief email exchange this morning with my dear friend [not really]Gladys. She's had a lot on her plate lately, and our Saturday morning telephone call was cut short this past Saturday so that I could hop on my bicycle to go to the Art Fair.

Our email exchange caused me to remember when Gladys and I worked together and she was once awarded the "Wait! I have one in my purse!" Award at our company beach party/picnic/cookout that turned in to a crazy weekend for all concerned. We ended up going to San Diego the next day in the same clothes we had worn to the company party, and although many crazy things happened, it ended up with me being driven back home by someone I had only met standing in line to get into a bar. I do remember Gladys screeching from the roof of the bar next door, "Hey, I know her, it's LOW-iss!!"

We were lucky to have survived many of our excursions back then, and Gladys knows exactly what I am talking about!!

The email exchange went on to include information about what we might be doing on the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Now that we no longer live across town from one another, it didn't end with any last-minute decisions to go to Palm Springs, or Mexico, or San Francisco... you get the idea. I mentioned that I might just pedal over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to people-watch, even though the crowds tend to include several shirtless men who rip open their empty Bud Light cartons to write "Show Me Your Tits" on the inside and hold it up to anyone within shouting distance - sometimes not even women. Often, The Greatest Spectacle In Racing is going on along the streets as cars wait to get into the Speedway before the 500.

This caused me to ponder (are you keeping up?), how would one of those guys remember to take a Sharpie, anyway? Gladys and I are both Sharpie aficionados and we always have them with us. Always.

When I went to see David Sedaris about two years ago, I had two olive green Sharpie pens with me - one fine point. I had also taken a book for him to sign in the event I could talk to him. As I walked up to him, I could swear he asked, "Are those your fancy pants??" Geesh! Hindsight is 20-20, because I would have ordinarily shot back with, "Honey, ALL my pants are fancy!" As it turns out, he slowed down and repeated part of his question, "Fancy P-E-N-S." Well, yes, those WERE my fancy pens, so David graciously drew me a picture of my fancy pen, signed my book and I insisted he keep my fancy pen for himself. He did. He put it right in his pocket. See? The award for fanciest pants - er, PENS, goes to me! I do love David Sedaris and I would gladly give him any fancy pen he wants! We can all rest assured that none of us would ever use our markers to issue requests to strangers, and certainly not on the inside of a Bud Light carton.

Finally, the award for self-control this weekend goes to...Me again! This is getting embarassing! I managed to only buy beer at the Art Festival. One after, too. A Negro Modelo - yum! I also avoided spending money unnecessarily at the art supply store in anticipation of my supplies list for the Fall semester. I begged the professor to let me know the list early so that we could avoid any cardiac arrest on the first day of class.

Yesterday, I successfully went to my favorite locally-owned music store and purchased only what I had intended to buy, Rufus Wainwright's "Release The Stars." Now for THAT, I really should get an award, as I generally leave with a rather unruly stack of music.

 

  

 

And now it is Summer!

It's true that I had to cover some of my young plants last night to protect them from frost. Yes, frost! It is also true that I have not and will not see anything resembling a break or a vacation any time soon. I was also made aware that I am soon to experience my first exam for my first Summer Session class yesterday - a class whose grade is based solely on two exams (yikes!).

So, I am now aware that it is Summer.

Tomorrow I am going to a local art fair with a friend. We've now made it a yearly event, as we also went last year. Our Rails to Trails project has given us a direct route for bicycling to the fair, and our local cycling organization provides 'valet' parking near the event for a donation. Considering that today is Bike to Work Day and I failed to bike to work, I'll be sure to make a larger donation than I normally would. The same group provides this bicycle-watching service at many events during the summer, and I have often volunteered to work at the venue to obtain a free ticket to the State Fair. It's a fair trade (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk).

I'm a little sad that this art fair I am going to is rarely about local artists, as it was when I attended with my family at age 8 or 9. It seems that the same 'artists' set up shop there every year for a predetermined booth fee and they rarely have much in the way of new art. I do enjoy looking at rain sticks and playing a djembe drum, but I fail to find the artistic value in embroidered aprons with sentiments like, "Kiss the Cook" and whatnot. I do like that this particular fair makes room for a local microbrewery to vend beer there. Whatever your thoughts about microbreweries, a cold beer beats blue raspberry shaved ice any day. It's about the companionship, potentially seeing people you know and meeting people you didn't know before that really makes this an exciting day.

Next up will be the international and religious festivals. These I love, but I dare say that it ends up being a summer of beer sampling (and by sampling I mean severe over-indulgence). There's Greek beer, then Italian Beer (Peroni, incidentally, is one of the only beers I love that breaks my rule of never drinking beer I can read through), German beer then Irish beer. The folks at the Irish Festival have come to expect me ordering the first Black and Tan the very second the outdoor mass is over.

So... Here's to Summer. May yours be filled with great friends and great beer!

 

 

 

A Few Minutes with Billy Pilgrim

This past weekend I was under the weather. A woman with manners would leave it at that, because the details aren't important (or pleasant).

I managed to watch Slaughterhouse Five between fits of productivity and a few naps and general chit-chat with Olive and Lys. That Billy Pilgrim was great company, I tell you. The next time you're under the weather, I would recommend watching this film [again]. I had requested the movie from the public library at the same time I learned that Kurt Vonnegut would be making a rare public appearance here in March. Sadly, Kurt never made it to that appearance, and his son appeared in his place to remember his father in the city of his birth. 

While I hope not to be under the weather again any time soon, I plan to read Bluebeard next. We'll have to see if Rabo Karabekian is as much company as Billy was. I suspect he is. RIP Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Check this out, readers:  http://vonnegut.cultish.org/

 

And now for something entirely different! A blogger that I occasionally read had this entry, based on a conversation she overheard in the grocery store:

Two young girls, probably in their early twenties, are standing in the check-out line when one of them turns to the other and says in a tone she might use to talk about her nail polish, “I haven’t heard from Christine today. I guess she overdosed.”

Do you think one of the reasons Christine might have overdosed is that the friends in her life, when struck with the possibility that she might be dead, do not check to make sure she is fine and instead hit the grocery store to buy some Gatorade?

If you know me, you know why I think this is quite hilarious. Incidentally, I hope Christine did not overdose and that she is breathing easy and having a great day.

 

Have you met my bicycle?

Growing up in a cycling family, I am at no loss for bicycles. I have them in the garage and the basement. Last count was somewhere around ten or eleven.

For a fairly recent birthday, however; I asked my Dad for a special bicycle. I wanted a grocery-getter. A bicycle for le bibliotheque. My two criteria? I wanted it to be pink (or easy enough to hit with some spray paint) and have a coaster brake. Enter my Dad: he's the Greatest Dad ever:

 

The Best Bicycle

So... what I got was a Ross English Bicycle. Three speeds, a freewheel and a hand brake to assist with inner-city braking to avoid personal injury. When Dad found this bike, it was blue and possibly never-before-ridden. Dad picked the pink paint, then worried that it wasn't pink enough. Uh. It's PERFECT!!! Retro-fleshy pink. Awesome! I added a black bell and a black basket and now I am in business. This bike is hands-down my favorite. It is comfortable for errand-running, but commuting will be left to a Cannondale, no doubt. My pink DreamCycle is ideal for leisurely pedalling, but when I need to get somewhere on time, I probably want a little more technology.

My favorite bicycle errand is to ride it up to the village Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. Two weeks from this Saturday, I plan on heading that way.

Vox Hunt: Magnetic Fields

Show us some magnets.

I made this magnet from Shrinky Dink plastic. It's Audrey. I sent the best one to Audrey's Mommy as a thankyou for something special (thanks, Alicia).

 

AudreyMag

...can't ...breathe...