Gone Daddy, Gone

Whoa, I totally didn't see that coming.

The kiddo flew the coop, ran off to look for a place down in Cali.

OK, I mean I DID know he was going to be moving. He accepted a job down there and obviously he needs to find a place to live.

And buy furniture.

And...and...

but I was totally sideswiped to find out he cashed in his CD and just took off without letting his dad or I know what his plans were.

I found out in a text message.

Bummer.

A Too Brief Respite

So the 3-day weekend was a much-needed respite from the last couple of weeks at work. Especially the visit to the lower falls near Mt St Helens.
Absolutely GORGEOUS.
There is nothing more soothing than the sound of water flowing over rock.

We're gearing up for another long & tedious travel period for work. I get upset just thinking about it, with so much other stuff going on right now.

The kiddo is going to move to California for work reasons and we won't be here to help him move, because of work.

My best friend in the entire universe is getting married and I can't be there, because of work.

My brother is having a change of command ceremony and we can't attend, because of work.

Sheesh, one common thread in all of those.

Discontent.

Blowing Off The Dust

Whoa, been a long time since I've kicked around in here.

Lots of dust bunnies blowing about, guess I'll have to do something about that.

It's not that I don't want to blog, it's just that I can't seem to find the time to stick to it. I enjoy writing and sometimes I find myself with something to say long after I've logged off.

The view from Hotel Monaco at the moment is almost that of a fall day instead of one of the waning days of summer. It's breezy and something like 71 degrees.

The room is cozy and inviting with a great overstuffed chair that's just perfect for me to curl up and enjoy my latest reading material -- The Night of the Gun, by David Carr --

I'm torn between wanting to stay in and veg out for another hour or venture into the life and breath that is Seattle. The light crisp breeze isn't all that bad and I did bring a sweater.

On the other hand, another cup of peppermint tea and the book are playing siren at the moment.

Decisions, decisions...

I suppose it's time to head out and see what's going on. The book will be here when I return.

Just another day in Paradise

I love Portland. Really, I do. There's nothing like riding your bike down Hawthorne, checking out all the people, including the lovely couples locked in an embrace while waiting at the bus stop. Awwww, ain't it sweet?

We've been overrun with politicians lately. Today we are graced with both Hillary and Obama, in town stumping their respective candidacies. Ha, that made me laugh - stumping, Stumptown (PDX's nickname). They are staying at 2 different downtown hotels. Just look for the paparazzi.

Remember Me?

Yeah, so I'm resurrecting this baby so let's see what happens.

I got an email this week asking if I'd like to be listed on www.VerveEarth.com Sure, why not. Let's see if I can do this thing!!

In the meantime, what have I been up to? Well, mainly just working. The show circuit is starting to pick up and I'll be traveling pretty much every weekend from now until the end of July. Sucks to be me. Some people think it's pretty cool, getting to go hither and yon. Personally, I get tired of living out of a suitcase.

Until tomorrow, buh-bye.

Oh yeah, you can also catch up with me on the message boards. I post on YUKU, so check out my profile.

This or That

[size=2][b] This Or That Questions [/b][/size]


[b]This or That[/b]
[b]Coke or Pepsi::[/b]coke
[b]Juice or Water::[/b]water
[b]Pen or Pencil::[/b]pen
[b]Pool Table or Air Hockey Table::[/b]pool table
[b]Blue or Pink::[/b]blue
[b]Car or Bus::[/b]car
[b]Orange or Apple::[/b]apple
[b]Green or Blue::[/b]green
[b]Braces or Not Braces::[/b]braces
[b]Coffee or Hot Chocolate::[/b]coffee
[b]Msn or Yahoo::[/b]Msn
[b]Camera or Digital Camera::[/b]digital
[b]Cds or Dvd::[/b]dvd
[b]Gym Bag or Book Bag::[/b]book bag
[b]Laptop or Desktop::[/b]laptop
[b]Walk or Run::[/b]run
[b]Sit or Stand::[/b]sit
[b]Pizza or Pasta::[/b]pasta
[b]Cake or Ice Cream::[/b]ice cream
[b]USA or Mexico::[/b]USA
[b]Shower or Bath::[/b]shower
[b]Sandwich or Cookies::[/b]sandwich
[b]Chips or Candy::[/b]chips
[b]Aeropostale or Hollister::[/b]Hollister
[b]Walmart or Goodys::[/b]Walmart
[b]Plane or Train::[/b]Plane
[b]Earrings or Necklace::[/b]Earrings
[b]Books or Magazines::[/b]books
[b]Nail Polish or Not::[/b]not
[b]Reading or Science::[/b]reading
[b]Math or History::[/b]history
[b]English or Math::[/b]english
[b]Football or Volleyball::[/b]football
[b]Softball or Baseball::[/b]baseball
[b]Basketball or Soccer::[/b]basketball
[b]Tennis or Volleyball::[/b]volleyball
[b]Coke or Spirte::[/b]coke
[b]Sunkist or Coke::[/b]coke
[b]Mountain Dew or Sunkist::[/b]sunkist
[b]Dogs or Cats::[/b]dogs
[b]Fish or Snake::[/b]fish
[b]June or August::[/b]august
[b]Lime Green or Pink::[/b]lime green

[url=http://www.bzoink.com/S93838/This_Or_That_Questions.html]Take this survey[/url] | [url=http://www.bzoink.com/surveys]Find more surveys[/url]
[url=http://www.bzoink.com]Bzoink[/url] - The Original Survey Site

Truancy!

I have been neglectful in my blogosphere realm. I guess the hollydaze can do that to a person. I've been remiss in gift buying and so I've spent the better part of 2 weeks caught up in the crowded shopping malls frantically playing catch-up.

I find it increasingly difficult to really get into the spirit of the whole present exchange thingy. Why was this tradition ever started in the first place? What does Santa Claus
have to do with me feeling obligated to bestow a token gift upon someone? I dread it when someone asks me what I want for Christmas. Aside from being outlandish and asking for a Ferrari or a million dollars, what do I want that I already do not have or can't obtain myself? Likewise, trying to find gifts for family members and friends is becoming increasingly harder. My dad and his wife are in their late 60's and have everything they need/want, so I invariably end up sending the Harry & David gift basket
they have come to expect year after year.

The kiddo wants cash
which, while practical, seems out of place as a Christmas gift. The only fun I actually have in the whole gift-buying frenzy is picking out things for my two adorable nieces who are 8 and 3. I am prone to getting the toys that make the noise and in the past have somewhat annoyed my sister-in-law --- which actually is part of what makes it fun to shop for these two. And I do the same on their birthdays. I am so naughty, I know. But my brother encourages me and actually thinks some of my choices have been "outstanding"! I love him.

So, what do I want for Christmas? World Peace? The War to END? Lower Gas Prices? Food & Shelter for All Mankind? Sure I do. But mostly, I want a quiet day just spent at home with good food, family, and friends. Cheers to you and yours.

Home again, Home again, jiggity-jig

Well I made it home from Long Beach in one piece, albeit a very tired and worn out piece.

I rode back on the plane next to a guy who looked a lot like Eugene Levy and who had enough ear wax to seal window. He also had very bad dandruff and smelled vaguely of cheese. He told me he was afraid of flying and he had the death knuckle grip going on the armrests. I had the aisle seat and he got up and down to go to the bathroom 5 times.
At least he didn't puke in his seat, so I do have that to be thankful for. The flight out of LAX was delayed 3+ hours because the plane was coming down from PDX via San Fran and it was delayed because of the awful weather we've been having back home. I took full advantage of the situation though and drank myself into a uncaring state, courtesy of 3 pints of Stella.

The show itself was thankfully uneventful and if you don't know (or don't care) about who went best in show, I'll tell you.
It was the lovely Sealyham Terrier.

Best of all was getting to catch up with a dear friend whom I just don't get to see often enough.


Worst of all was coming home to the severe rainstorms, closed roads (including 20 miles of I-5!) downed trees (including 2 of my own), flooded yards, etc.

Another Year Older...

So my birthday came and went - #42. I don't feel any different. Are you supposed to feel any different when putting another notch in that getting older belt? I dunno, maybe when I hit 50 I'll feel differently. No one believes I'm older than mid-thirties, so I should take it as a good sign I'm aging well. I do miss being carded at bars, I used to get that up until I hit around 33-34. But my hair was longer and I was about 10 pounds lighter then. *sigh*

For numero 42 I spent most of the day curled up on the couch, sick to my stomach, watching the episodes of Dexter I had missed over the last couple of weeks. No birthday dinner for me, except scrambled eggs and wheat toast. Happy birthday to me.....

Gobble Gobble

Wow, here it is the day before Thanksgiving.

I can't believe the year has gone by so quickly. For the first time ever, we won't be having dinner at our house. No rising at 6 a.m. to preheat the oven, chop & dice the celery, mushrooms, onions; no melting butter, no smell of turkey permeating the house. Worse yet, no leftovers to dine on for the 2 days following so I'll actually be forced to cook.

Oh how I adore those leftover turkey sandwiches made on dinner rolls and filled with turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce. Fare thee well.

Not that going over to feast in the company of a friend's house is necessarily bad. It's just...strange.

I do have to bring a pumpkin pie, but that's it.