Thursday, August 24, 2006

Tuesday, 11:45 a.m.

"Mommy....Where we going?"

"We have an errand to run, sweetie..."

Late Tuesday morning, O and I set off for a little drive. I had a stack of papers with me, and an envelope of money. As we drove, she pointed out her favourite sights. The cows grazing in the field. The river flowing slowly under the old iron bridge. The airplanes taking off from the local airstrip.

"A Dance Party, Mommy?"

"Yeah, Ok...we can listen to some music..."

We drove, listening to the cd that I made of songs that I like. Another generation needs to have an eclectic taste in music, too.

"Mommy! An elevator! We go for a ride?"

"Yes, sweetie...did you want to press the button? Oh..here, here's a note showing us what level we're parked on. Did you want to have it?"

We rode up the elevator to the lobby, passed through the couryard, where people sat, talking, enjoying their lunches. I consulted the building directory. We passed through the metal detector, and found the appropriate office.

"Would your little girl like a lollipop? It'll occupy her while you fill out your paperwork. Here you go...it's pink to match your shirt... Do you have all of the forms already filled out? You need to fill out a vital statistics form. Do you have someone who can serve the papers to your husband? You cannot be the one to do that. Here...you can stamp your case number on your copies. Here's a list of the other papers that you have to fill out. Did you get the information on the parenting seminar that has to be attended before the final decree? Here's your receipt...have a nice day..."

I read a lot of blogs. I love getting a glimpse into another person's life. Their thoughts. A posting by Crazy Aunt Purl really hit home. Especially this quote:

I read an article last week that talks about how we save our worst behavior for our spouses or loved ones, treating them with less compassion and kindness than we would our assistant, or our co-workers. I vow to never do that, think maybe that was one of the contributing factors in the downfall of my marriage, I don't know, I never will know. But if my neighbors ever overhear me making noise, I want them to be hearing my laugh or my friends cutting up or middle-of-the-night sounds, and never, ever the yelling.


There has been too much ugliness. Too many things said, and too many things done that people who are supposed to love each other should not do. Too much hurt. Too much, that it doesn't even really register anymore. Too much yelling.

Far too much yelling.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Something I found...

My friend Michelle lent me a couple of books to read while I'm going through my difficult time. The one that I just finished is called Sacred Necessities by Terry Hershey. The premise of the book is that to be truly alive, we need but few things. A few sacred necessities....Amazement, Sanctuary, Grace, Stillness, Simplicity, Resilience, and Friendship.

In the Friendship chapter, I found this poem by James Kavanaugh, which I love...


Will you be my friend?
There are so many reasons why you never should
I'm seldom predictably the same,
I bluster and brag,
I seek attention like a child,
I brood and I pout,
my anger can be wild
but underneath I shake a little every day
more than strangers would ever know.
And I wonder --
if I show you my trembling side,
will you still be my friend?

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Lies I've been told...

If you keep making that face at your brother, it will stay like that.

Your goldfish got flushed out to the ocean.

You forget the pain of childbirth as soon as you see your baby.

Tattoos don't hurt.


So, at around one o'clock this afternoon, I assumed the position on the chair at Primeval Ink for Jen to start work on my tattoo. Notice I'm still smiling at this point....

Ok, so some people start out with something small.

Something easy.

Not a five inch portrait of your daughter on the small of your back.


It took two and a half hours.

Jen is an amazing artist...

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

I have an eclectic taste in music. It ranges from 30s-era jazz to Metallica.

But I've always had an affinity for Johnny Cash -- ever since I was about four years old. My mom would take my brother and I to church every Sunday. Afterwards, as we were driving home, as soon as we pulled into the driveway, you could always hear the music that my dad was playing. He has an eclectic taste in music, too. But one of his all-time favourites was Johnny Cash. He'd be playing his old records, and I would always have him play 'Ring of Fire'. Sunday wasn't complete without it.

I love this song, 'Hurt'. Its emotion is so raw.

HURT (by Johnny Cash)

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Saturday, August 12, 2006

Blog title still applies...


This is the little sweater I'm working on for myself. I love the colours...I've always been partial to anything olive green, or orange, or rusty-red, so to have three of my favourite colours all put together, makes me pretty happy.

Haven't been doing much, lately. A lot of writing, a bit of reading...I'm definitely a contender for a position in the Army of Ennui: Major Excitement....

O and I went out for lunch with Michelle at our favourite Thai place (ok, so it's the only Thai place in town). It's funny...we get seated at the same table every time we go, and we don't even need menus anymore...

And just because I haven't had a pic of either O or Spencer the Cat in a while, here's one...

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Too funny...

Sometimes I just too uninspired to think up something on my own, so I glean from the wealth of knowledge that I read daily....(or try to)...

Found this on Liberty's Yarn...Thanks for finding it!

I really like Henry Rollins...but as a warning, don't listen to his stuff with your kids around. I like intelligent humour, especially when it's a little on the dark side. His rants are priceless. My favourite is Episode 10...followed closely by Episodes 15 and 17. Also, check out this...Henry Rollins' Love Letter To Ann Coulter. That woman is like nails on a blackboard to me...I've watched the video more than a few times, and snickered to myself every time...again, though, not child-appropriate...

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Tourists in your own city...

I love taking pictures. I take pictures of pretty much anything that catches my eye.
While my Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, and their two kids were here for the last couple of days, we got to show them the sights...

Scene from the Seattle Aquarium...starfish in a tide pool...




Walking on the beach, Edmonds, WA...


Saturday, August 05, 2006

Interesting night...very fun morning...

Didn't have the best night last night...but this morning made up for it...I took my nasty feet over to Woodinville with Michelle and her sister Aimee and got spa pedicures at 9 am. Michelle and I got there early, so we went to the coffee place/bookstore next door for breakfast. A non-fat vanilla latte and a valencia orange biscotti sounded just about perfect. Now I have pretty red toes with white flowers and little pink crystal centres.Ok...not the best pic ever, but it's really hard to take a picture of your own feet, and get any detail.

It was fun....all three of us sitting in a row on the comfy vibrating spa chairs, each with our own attendant.

It was a little slice of heaven...

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Blonde Ambition....

So, I have this thing about colouring my hair. Call it vanity...call it I started going grey at 22...but I have this thing about trying out different hair colours. So, since I've mentioned before that I lovelovelove Annie Lennox's hair,
I decided I wanted her platinum blonde hair too. So, last night, I decided that I would be blonde. So...an hour after putting on bleaching kit #1 (oh yes....Number One), it was not so much a stunning shade of platinum, as a slightly SpongeBob shade of yellow...so...on to kit #2...another bleaching kit, but this one was a neutralizing shade...and after 45 minutes....my hair was a melange of platinum blonde...and SpongeBob yellow.
So...not one to give up, and since I still had hair to dye...on to the red. So...I now have Annie Lennox hair...it's just from a few years back...

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Thank You...

I was standing at the kitchen sink, immersed in thought, and the doorbell rang. Outside, on the front porch was a little square box from Sarina, and inside was this...


A hat for O...and gloves for me...they are so beautiful. And everytime I wear them, or put the hat on O, I will smile and remember that I am truly blessed for knowing the people that I do.

Thank you so much.

Ok...Blogger and I are getting along now...

...so here's my pic...fishing in the cul-de-sac...



It's been a very long, draining day...I'm very tired. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally.

An old friend from University called tonight, and we talked for about an hour. It was nice.

I even worked on a sweater the other day, too...since it isn't 9000 degrees in the house.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Blogger still doesn't like the idea of uploading a pic...

...so I'm not....

So...the date has been set...my friend Michelle and I are getting tattoos on the 16th at 12:30. I took my picture of O in to the shop, talked to two different women there...so Michelle is getting hers done by Dawn, and I'm getting mine done by Jen. It works out so that we can get our work done at the same time. But hers will be done faster than mine, so she can keep me company...feed me Diet Coke and chocolate.

We were talking about it after we made the appointment. I remarked to her..."Hey...now we're going to be the bada$$es of the cul-de-sac!"

To which she replied, "OH TOTALLY! Now we just have to get babysitters...."

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