An ABC update

A few minutes ago I got our first exterior paint quote

Because our house looks all rugged and peely

Couldn't imagine going another year with it like this

Damn shame it'll cost 5 grand

Except thankfully that includes a lot of repairs and such

Forces us to make a decision about selling our house

Good thing the market is so great right now (yeah right)

However, there is a house down the street that we might like...

In other news, we leave for Vegas in a few days

Just can't wait for the pool and pina coladas

Kid stays here at home with Nana

Leaving on Monday, won't return until Thursday night

Maybe we'll just stay there, set up house by the "lazy river"

Nana will bring August and we'll live every day in swimwear

Of course we'll get a bit pruney, after all that time in the

Pool, but honestly that's fine with me

Quite a fantasy I've got going here

Really, I'm looking forward to vacation

Seems like it's been a long time since the last one

There was a long weekend in Victoria

Unplanned stay at the hospital (oh wait, that doesn't count)

Visit to Kalaloch on the coast

Went to Italy almost 3 years ago

X marks the spot, poolside in Vegas 3 years to the day

Ya know, it's a great way to spend an anniversary

Zowie, are you still reading this mumbo-jumbo?

"Younger Than John McCain"

Did you hear about this song/vid on NPR this morning? Funny.

Sword vs. tambourine -- who wins?

Jane and I saw the most fascinating spectacle at Greenlake today: two men loudly and heatedly arguing about religion from 25 yards or more away from each other. One resorted to belting out Jesus songs while banging his tambourine. The other kept yelling while doing something that looked like tai chi, and then -- ready for this? -- waving around a sword. We decided not to gawk and keep walking.

Crazy-person argument, performance art, reason to call emergency personnel? Some of each?

Jane, maybe we should've kept gawking. I'm dying to know what happened.

At the park

Quitiversary

I had this post all thought out a while ago...the one about how May 13, 2008 was my 3rd Quitiversary, or the day I left my old career. Problem is that right now I can't think of any of the surely profound things I had planned to say.

Oh, except this: I am so glad I quit. I will never regret leaving a career that sucked my soul dry for more than 12 years. It's true what they say...things do work out in the end, even when it seems like there's no possible way to manage life without a certain income from a certainly horrible fit of a job.

And also: there will never be such great coworkers as the ones I spent nearly every day with for most of 5 years. Thank god good friends always last longer than jobs or careers.

I've crossed over

Remember when you were a kid, or more precisely a pre-teen? Adults seemed to say the stupidest things and find the most annoying ways to draw you into conversation. For years I was proud of the fact that I could start up a conversation with a kid without invoking the subliminal (or not) eye roll that comes with talking to an out-of-touch adult. Those days are over.

Take Sunday. My thirteen-year-old nephew has reached the not-talking point of his adolescence. He's a nice kid...really into music and polite when he needs to be. But he really has to bear some silly conversation from his elders.

Me: "We heard you drumming when we pulled up. Were you playing on your own, or while listening to something?"

Him: "Listening to something..."

Me: "Like what?"

Him: "I don't know...different stuff."

Me: "For example..."

Him: "Just music and stuff."

Okay fine. Shortly after that...

Me: "So seriously, you sounded really good earlier and I'm wondering what you were listening to..."

Him: "I don't know...just some music."

Me: "Yes, I understand, but what kind? Who?"

Him: "Uh, like, alternative, some rock..."

Me: "Ah, I see. Who exactly? I really want to know."

Him: "I dunno."

Etcetera.

What would've been so hard about actually telling me the name of a band or artist? Did my line of questioning really reveal my apparent out-of-touch status? Have I crossed over into that category of adult? Sigh. At least (I hope anyway) I haven't ventured into the following phase of adulthood when you pointedly embarrass a kid without even knowing it.

My mom, while discussing my brother as a new parent: "That could be you in ten years, [nephew]!"

Him: (sighs, looks down at plate)

Free day

I have 6 hours until I need to pick up August. I have already decided not to go to school today, and am giving myself a "free" day to get some stuff done and generally recoup. I'm torn between working through a To Do list, versus being a hedonist for several hours.

To Do list
read journal articles I've been meaning to get to for 2 months
pick up desk and office area
work on stats
walk Sammy
pick up paint for bedroom painting project

HeDo(nist) list
schedule massage with Michael
shop for flirty new black flats
bake something evil
take a nap
hang out at La Panier in the Market and watch tourists and drink cappuccino and read the paper
waste time on the internet (okay, a pathetic way to be a hedonist)
go to a matinee and eat evil movie popcorn

Thankful

You know, sometimes I go back and read what I've written and think, "I am damn lucky."

I think that last post may have been my response to hearing some really bad news about some friends of a friend. I want to work harder at appreciating what I have in the moment and snuffing out stupid anxieties that are wastes of time.

Sunday 10

1 - There is such a thing as too much chocolate. I had to eat a head of lettuce for dinner just to counteract the cocoa levels in my system.

2 - Mother's Day is like a birthday without having to get older.

3 - The camcorder we have on long-term loan apparently needs some kind of fancy converter thingymabob in order to download. It will probably cost about the same to buy our own camcorder.

4 - Ray is likely heading to India for a week or two for work sometime in the next few months. I wanna go.

5 - Got a Zagat 2008 restaurant guide, and used up all the flags on places I'd like to go. I hope we make it to at least 3 of them. (Sigh.)

6 - I had repeat flash thought today: if I could do anything career-wise, I'd go get a PhD. Oh wait! Really?! Hurray!

7 - August has some really lovely and brilliant cousins. Lunch today was followed by an impromptu violin and piano recital and a lengthy memorized speech by Benjamin Franklin, aka 10 yo Daniel.

8 - I must get on a schedule for more regular exercise well before my days ramp up. Going to get to the gym/pool by 6 am Mon - Thurs this week, and once on the weekend. Note to self: blogging about it might help make it stick.

9 - Came upon Perpetual Kid...a great little online store for tons of cool stuff, like this and this.

10 - Our household has successfully transitioned from diet soda to sparkling water. I'm pleased to report that we haven't had Diet Coke in the fridge for at least a month.

9 months today

Photos by Jana

Campaign logos

It's been said (I heard last night) that Barack Obama's campaign logo is so strong it could launch planes. I just went to his website to see if it's true. It is. Somehow it communicates strength, hope and renewal, all in a little souped up O. It's genius.

Seriously, go look at it, then proceed to Hillary's site (clunk clunk), and for a real laugh check out McCain's. I literally laughed out loud, and then swore I could hear the soundtrack of a 1950s western or WWII movie. I think his logo came from a sheriff's pin you used to get out of a Cracker Jack's box.

I'm not a designer

few weeks ago we went to a fundraising dinner thing. We were chatting with one of Ray's colleagues and his partner and we learned the partner is the creative director at a local company. I can't remember the conversation much, but eventually the partner asked, "Are you a designer?"

"No," I answered. "I just have a lot of opinions."

Since then, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what made him think I was a designer. Was I saying designery things? Was I having a particularly good hair day? Maybe it was the dress I was wearing...a black and white number with a geometric design. Or maybe it was my red patent-leather peep-toe sling-backs.

Anyway, the point is that I took his question as a compliment, a very nice compliment. I appreciate all sorts of things that are well-designed, and I like talking about what makes them that way. This evening, the movie club watched Helvetica, a documentary about the origins and evolution of the very popular typeface. It was really interesting, and I found I wanted to know more. Like how exactly did the creators come up with the look of each letter. And how it compares to other similar fonts. And other stuff like that.

I don't think I have the chops to be a designer, but after seeing the documentary tonight, I'm realizing it's likely my interest level that passes off as a good eye. That and my good taste in shoes.

Merciful heavens. Again.

Finally. There's been a void in West Seattle. A big void. And now it's filled...deliciously.

Zippy's Burgers opened yesterday, and we tried 'em tonight. Excellent burger -- we both ordered the Zip Burger -- like something you would make over your own grill if you had all the best ingredients and secret sauce to boot.

I also just learned that they have 7 types of root beer available, not to mention a "wacky burger box" for kids a la Seattle's landmark burgery of yesteryear, Herfy's. Brilliant.

And the heavens mercifully opened

Cue angelic chorus. According to DHL, my new laptop is in Seattle and will be delivered to me sometime today.

RIP Compaq Presario, you ol' curmudgeon. It takes 2-7 attempts to start you up. You hibernate at the most inconvenient times. Your screen has a big blurry streak across the top, and tends to wobble unless I wack you Fonzie-style. And sometimes your USB ports don't work. I am fed up, Compaq Presario, so your replacement is imminent. Granted, you've been moderately decent these last 5 years, but I'm hoping the new machine is a lot less...feisty.

Ray: "So, I'm thinking you should password protect your new machine, since you'll be lugging it to and from school. Or will that bug you?"

Me: "Are you kidding?! I'll be able to boot up without crashing over and over! I think I can handle a password."