It Sucked and then I Cried

Tonya Jean, as promised, here are the pictures:





One of those books has your name on it!

Tales from NW

Earlier this week (like so many times) I circled my car around the neighborhood for twenty minutes, only to find a parking space in a two hour zone. Gave up, parked the car there anyway. Got up before the crack of dawn to move the car to a legal space, but it took ten minutes to find one. Cussed. A lot.

Just now I circled the block around my building three times. No parking. Found a spot four blocks away. Walked to my building only to find an empty parking place right in front. Now, if I go back to my car by the time I get to this new open space in front of my building it will surely be taken. Then I will drive back to the old spot cussing that I wasted my time, and then that one will have been taken too. So, I leave my car where it is (and p.s. it's a spot only open on the weekends, so I'll have to move it later anyway) and think about how nice it will be to have a driveway again someday.

Safety never takes a vacation

I heard that from someone.

I was just unpacking from last weekend (and the only reason I'm getting around to it now is because I have people coming over tomorrow night, otherwise I'm sure it would be even longer before I got around to it - don't judge me) and I found a bottle of hairspray left in my backpack by accident. Not like a travel-size bottle, like a full-on bottle. And not a peep out of TSA. Seriously, what's the point?

Ash Wednesday

"You come from dust, and to dust you will return."

Oh Boy

Last Saturday I went to Flag and saw Stampead do their thang.  There is more to write about my little jaunt to Arizona, but for now...

A little history. If I were still on MySpace I'd be really dumb and link to a blog I wrote there about the first time Andrea and I stumbled onto this band.  Our band, as we like to say.  Thankfully, it no longer exists and I can pretend I didn't really write that story.  Ever since, we have had fun stalking these boys like it's our job.  I think the music is brilliant, but seriously, the icing on the cake is the audio/visual experience of watching them perform right in front of you.  This weekend we got to see them in action once again, and it was just as good as I remembered.

They played all of our favorites, which if you asked the other girls there with us they would tell you our favorite is every song they play, but I digress.  I still think Commotion is one of the greatest, Bang Our Glasses Again has the hottest guitar you'll ever hear, you can't help but smile when they play Milk & Honey, and Calm Me Down is the saddest song ever.  I love everything on their new album, but Don't Tease The Lion is definitely a fave.  My Widow and Funeral Train are sad, but beautifully written.  Oh Boy has the greatest first line to start the album and between that song and Alabama, it just captures my happiness, and Rain On Your Rooftop is a totally sweet love song...  I could go on and on.

[Side note: Isn't it fantastic to watch people do what they love?  No matter what it may be.  I have no musical aspirations, but seeing these guys do what they are meant to do is totally inspiring.]

[Side note to Katie June: Don't read any further.  It's for the best.] 

They had a new kid with them this time, David, playing keys.  He was a total kick in the pants!

Can I just say that Ivan is possibly the most adorable human being on the planet? I want to put his joyful self right in my pocket.  I can never understand what he is saying, but he's just so damn happy!

And Sean is just one of those people that you feel instantly comfortable around, like you've known him forever. And he is an uber talented drummer. I think they hide him in the back because they know he's really the coolest.

But those Jewish boys, I tell you what: I just can't get enough of 'em. I stand firm in the belief that if everyone just watched Eric do his thing on the harmonica it could bring world peace. He's also quite possibly the most amazing guitar player ever. And that hair... good god.

I kind of had an Andrea-head-tilt-"huh" moment watching Judd perform. I absolutely love the lyrics he writes, love to watch him belt out songs with that voice, oh boy - that voice (lol!), and I like that he seems a bit shy in person. (Because I totally make up their lives in my head, of course.)  Anyway, he caught me watching him a couple of times and held my eyes while he sang. Man, those boys know how to work it. I guarantee there isn't a girl in the world who has watched them put on a show and not wanted to fuck everything in sight afterwards. I'm just sayin'.

For documentation purposes

"KTJane is right, as always."

Really?  I guess I won't argue.

01.20.09

I've been counting down to this day for a few years now.  Literally.  

When I started that countdown I didn't even know who would be running for President.  I certainly didn't know I'd be this happy and thankful for who would end up as number 44.  I'm pleased that the majority of Americans cast their vote for Obama.  And I hope others will soon be able to clearly see that he's not the foreign terrorist they thought he was, but a decent man, a fellow American, who is doing his part to bring as much change for the good of all people as he knows how.

He's not a savior, just a man, but a man that inspires, and hopefully, brings change.

The Deep Freeze of '08

In the beginning it was just light flutters of cute little snowflakes.  It was fun to curl up with a blanket and eat cozy food.

And then those little snowflakes got serious and were pouring down like crazy!

This is the ice that sealed my car shut.

And more ice frozen on top of the snow...

But it sure is fun to play in!

And I have the best neighbor, Tyler, who is diligent in keeping our sidewalks cleared and helped me get my car open.  Have I mentioned I love this city? 

Missing the good old days

Office dialogue:

"Did you turn the A/C down again?  It's freezing in here.  Can you hear my teeth chattering?"

"Are you kidding?  Do you see the bead of sweat on my forehead?"

-----

"Are you hiding the plans now?"

"No. I just put things away when I'm done with them."

"Oh."

and a little later:

"Did you see how nice that was just now?  The way I walked over and found what you needed, BECAUSE I PUT IT AWAY."

"I can't hear you."

-----

"Did you have time to get together those reports?"

"Yes, and I called the bank and they already picked them up."

"I am unworthy."

"I know."

Good night

I'm sitting in my favorite chair in the apartment reflecting on a wonderful evening and a wonderful life.  There are dishes piled high in the kitchen and it still smells like cornbread and chili in here.  Last night I invited a couple of friends over for dinner this evening and they in turn invited a couple of friends and we all ate a warm, comforting meal together and shared stories.  Part of me kept thinking of all the other people in the neighborhood that I wanted to invite over, too, but my apartment couldn't hold them all at once - and what a beautiful thing it is to know so many lovely people to invite into my home.  Mostly I'm just amazed by how none of us knew each other just a few short months ago, and here we sat squeezed together around my coffee table tonight sharing each other's company like we were old friends.

I was having a conversation a couple of weeks ago with my beautiful friend, Tonya, and we were talking about prayer and God and these sorts of things, and she said something to me about moving to Portland... like didn't I feel called to be here?  And I answered something like, "No... I mean, I guess not.  I certainly prayed about moving, but I don't feel like God said YES or NO about moving.  It's not really a yes or no kind of question - I mean it's just going to make life different, but there is nothing inherently  good or bad about it."  But I've been thinking about that question a lot lately.  And I think I just might want to change that answer.  I feel like I'm at home in Portland.  I felt it every time I came to visit last year, and I still feel it every day now.  This is just where I am supposed to be.  I love it so much.  And I love the people.  People I would never know if I hadn't moved.  It is like I was called.  And I'm so glad I took the risk and answered.