August 2009

Do you have those moments in life? You know where everything feels ok even if it isn’t completely ok. They can come out of nowhere and at the strangest times. For me it generally usually occurs when something breaks me down a little and I just have to give in and admit that I can’t know or control everything that will be.

Last night I was driving home on I-10, which at 1:30 am is 6 open lanes of feeling just so completely ok. I suddenly was thinking of those moments in life I remember feeling the same way. Sitting at the hotel in Mendocino. In a church in Barcelona. In my shower in highschool. Those times when life could be confusing or uncertain but I know that regardless of how it feels in the moment it will all be fine in the end. That I’ll be fine in the end.

I love those moments.

like …

• the new Facebook app. for my iPhone
• free appetizers with happy hour (yay T’Afia! seriously and organic too! good call Kat)
• running a mile without getting tired – this is a big accomplishment for me
• mozzarella
• things that make me laugh like Texts from Last Night or almost anything that makes it to the top on Digg, like this.
• finding a new good blog to read or any of the ridiculous comments on posts at Gawker
• that even though I only work part time and get to do it in my pjs I am STILL looking forward to the weekend
• candles that cover of the smell of dog poop

Happy Thursday!

A few days ago my sister sent me this article from CNN “The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers” and now I can barely do anything on Facebook without questioning myself. Not that it is necessarily stopping me but I stop to think: ok which annoying Facebooker am I being now.

For example, Ted Kennedy passed and I came across this great video of him giving a speech after MLK’s assassination on Talking Points Memo. And I was going to post it but then thought uh oh what if that would count as being a town crier.

And then today I was posting photos from the past weekend/weeks and I had a few that I thought twice about posting for sake of not being a paparazzo.

p.s. Casey hopefully you’ll read this and just FYI I have a cute photo of you and Andrew on the beach that is sorta stalkerish since I’m sure you guys didn’t know I was taking it. I’ll have to send it to you. and p.p.s. notice my Catch Phrase blogpost title?

On that note – of stalkerishness – I will just up and confess that I am definitely a lurker. I mean seriously we all have those friends on Facebook who we don’t really know very well but keep them as friends so we can check out their photos or blog posts. Uhh or is that just me? And being a lurker is kinda one of those awkward things. You know where you might accidentally mention something that you would have no way of knowing other than your stalkerish tendencies and then whoops it gets really awkward.

Well thankfully my job includes Facebooking so I have every excuse in the book to play online, annoyingly or not.

So just yesterday (or was it the day before? whichever) I noticed that my Obama 2008 sticker was missing from the bumper of my car. Yes that’s right someone actually took the time to remove the Obama sticker from my car. Welcome back to Texas. So now I of course need to replace it both to show my Democrat love and to shove it in the face of whatever damn Houston Republican felt the need to de-Obama me.

side note: the other day I saw someone driving with an Obama bumper sticker placed right smack on top of their Kerry 2004 bumper sticker. Just keep on keeping on.

Anyway back to my stolen sticker. My last bumper sticker was the free one from MoveOn.org (thanks guys) so this time around I’ve got to figure out which way to go.

Should I try the never fail “Texas Democrat” to cover my bases for the next howeer many years no matter who the President may be?
Or something a bit more obnoxious?Or perhaps I’ll just keep it simple:

Either way I’m going to assume that maybe whoever took off my bumper sticker was just doing so because they wanted it for their own car. That’s right – so popular they ran out of the real bumper stickers.

**ha I forgot to publish this post a few days ago so here it is now!**

This is basically how I felt when I got up this morning too.

I think the combination or sangria, Harley squirming all over the bed at night, and doing such a fantastic job winning at Mexican Train dominos (ok we’re only halfway through the train but I’m going to gloat now since I’ll likely wind up losing horrifically when all is said and done) meant that 8 am came about four hours too early.

Hanging out down here in Kingsville since yesterday. I finally am ready to admit that ok, maybe even with the breeze (which we certainly don’t have in Houston) it feels quite a bit hotter down here. I’m not quite sure how that even is possible. The other day I was talking to this woman (ok it was the check out lady at Walmart) and she was saying that at least in Houston it’s humid so she perspires and then cools off. I’m not sure if that’s true or not but I am now stuck comparing if I like to feel like I’m in a swamp (Htown) or I prefer a giant sauna wind tunnel (Kville). Either way, thank god for AC.

This is a really great and informative slideshow that lays out the basics. Seriously worth the time to check out.

I’m too tired to write anything real about this topic tonight. Let’s face it if you know me you know I have my opinions. But thanks to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert I’ve laughed off the majority of the depressing news of the day so instead I’m just posting this awesome picture.

Now that’s a homemade protester sign I can support.

After whats seems like a complete sprint marathon (does that even make sense?) of finishing up in SF, driving/moving home, Europe and the Northeast, I am finally stopping and taking a breather. Phew. It feels good. I had an incredible past few months but I am so ready to be settled back into a routine of some sort at least. First things first I made my to-do list, started putting things on my calendar, and am unpacking my life. The important things.

Despite the heat and humidity it is nice to be back in Texas where everything feels comforting and familiar. I think that maybe moving straight here and settling right into life would’ve been a bit more of a shock. But after living out of a suitcase – albeit in amazing places – for the past month-plus I am so happy to be somewhere where #1 everyone speaks English (ok and Spanish but at least languages I understand), #2 there is air conditioning and #3 most of my favorite people are at least in a few hours driving distance if not closer. I think it is worth the mosquitoes and extreme sweating.

It is odd though to feel like I am embarking on a whole new journey of a different sort. I think that I have become rather used to this feeling. I wish I could say I’ve had some profound “a-ha” moment lately where I feel like I burst through and stepped into my new life with intelligence and clarity. I mean isn’t that what traveling is supposed to provide? I think instead I’ve kinda slowly loped into it, with a little bit of knowledge and a whole lot of keeping my fingers crossed. There is so much that is new and unknown but I have such a peace through it all. Granted my “to-do list” includes such huge tasks as get a job, get health insurance, and get a haircut. Ok the last is maybe less monumental but still rather important. I’m either incredibly naive and crazy or else incredibly wise and trusting to have such peace through it all. I’m hoping for the latter of course.

I blame my lack of blog posts on the nonexistent cell phone/Internet service in Ellsworth, Maine. Or that my days were full of the lake, kiddos, and sunshine. But in reality it is probably the endless hours of rummy Jeanne and I played. Truly ridiculous and wonderful at the same time. Of course the weather in Maine really was incredible. It was the perfect week of kayaking, mini golfing, s’moring, refridgerator surprise, tubing with Sophie, laughing and enjoying my family and their family. And of course there are few people I enjoy as much as my Aunt Jeanne. “Probably”.

Now I’m taking in the sights of NYC while visiting my friend Katie. I haven’t been here since I was 13 so it is quite a different experience! I explored Central Park, went to the MoMA, shopped in Soho, and of course am loving sitting, drinking, and chatting. Tomorrow it’s back on the bus to DC, then a day in Maryland before back to Texas on Thursday. Phew.

I have loved all my adventures of the past month but wow am I ever ready to be home.

Day three in Maine and we’ve had about several boat rides and kayak trips in the sun, twenty s’mores, and thirty games of rummy. It’s turning out to be a great trip already! My only complaint? Mosquitoes. Wait make that two complaints. Mosquitoes and deer flies. Although thankfully Jeanne and I are in a competition for who the bugs love to nibble on more so at least I’m not the only main course this trip.

As for the rummy, Jeanne got a card game book out of the library and we both suddenly remembered “wow playing cards is really fun”. It’s funny how that always seems to happen. I remember endlessly playing spades on a trip in 6th grade so now I’ll be in a quest to relearn that. And rummy – mindless entertainment that I’m assuming when you’re playing for score rather than just for fun can get rather intense. Next up?Gin rummy.

And for now it’s coffee drinking and loon watching out the picture window. I don’t think diving birds will ever get old!