summary.

well, 2007 is nearly over - only five hours left. tonight, my sister, kati (whose visiting from Kansas City) her friend, Bridget, my friend, Emma & I are having a marvelous dinner at The 112 Eatery and then off to see Brother Ali at First Avenue's 7th Street Entry. Should be a fantastic time. But before good times are had, I thought might look back on all the excitement of 2007...oh and how exciting it was! I started this blog and purchased my fantastic camera in the late winter/early spring. Both of which have provided me with very nice outlets for...I don't know...stuff. I suppose they have provided me with a canvas for all the thoughts & ideas that come in and out of my mind.

With Spring came traveling: New York, Atlanta & L.A. Through out the summer I was consumed with taking extra long bike rides, picture taking, and trying to rid myself of The Hives. I turned 29 while traveling though the Great Pacific Northwest visiting old friends from college. A week later, Handsome Randy turned 40 in Arizona and I surprised him with a quick birthday visit. It was priceless and that day is at the top of the list for my favs in 07.

With Autumn came another trip to New York, a lot of business at work and a promise to myself to work out more despite the cold weather. Autumn also brought Wyatt, the first baby in my family in a very long time.

There are a few things I didn't do that I wanted to, but I won't go into that, I'll just roll those over to my aspirations for 08.

I also have a lot to be grateful for: I am part of a some really great families, I have fantastic friends, and a partner in crime that couldn't be more perfect. I am warm each night that I go to bed and I have never had to go hungry. I am healthy and able. But most importantly, I made it though yet another year and have very few, if any, regrets.
xoxx

motion picture recommendation

Juno.

so funny & so good.

go see it & tell me what you think.

xoxx

normal life.

so christmas is over.

phew.

all in all a lovely time was had & I was fortunate enough to be fed many times over with amazing food & received the loveliest of gifts.

But, I am really happy it's done and that life will soon resume as normal.
more soon.

xoxx

crazy animals.

So sorry. i'm currently consumed by gift giving (shopping).

But these stories caught my attention and are pretty amazing.

Leapard in Visit to Israeli Home
Passenger 'Hid Monkey Under Hat'

xoxx

parking and shopping and cussing

ah, christmas shopping. so much of it to do & so many places to go. There is one place I steer clear of if at all possible: the mall.

Parking (more in a minute), it's crowded, everyone's crabby (including me) & it's hot because you wear your stupid winter coat which is likely to be bulky and cause you to take up twice as much space as you would in say, a cute sundress.

So parking.

I have a vivid memory of going to Rosedale Mall with my dad in my later elementary school years, maybe even junior high. After circling the parking lot forever to find a parking spot. We finally resorted to stalking a woman we spotted coming out of JC Penney's. We slowly drove behind her as she walked to her car and waited ever so patiently as she gingerly placed her shopping bags in her trunk, got settled in her car, started her engine & let her car warm up for a couple of minutes ("Oh, come on, lady," my dad would say through gritted teeth, "It ain't that cold out, just give us your spot!") and as she carefully pulled out of the spot, her tail end toward us, another car came from nowhere and zipped into the coveted parking spot right under our noses. Many expletives came out of my dad's mouth as he sped away and threatened Rosedale Mall that we would just leave and not shop at all. While I doubt Rosedale heard him and would have cared if it had, we relented, stalked another shopper leaving the mall and got our parking space, fair and square. Yeah.

I hadn't thought about this occurance in ages until this afternoon. I found myself at Rosedale Mall, much to my chagrin, attempting to park near JC Penney and I was circling and circling and circling. At one point, a car ahead of me was stopped for what seemed to be a very long time and just as I was beginning to feel annoyed, I noticed another car coming from the opposite direction (& the wrong way at that) attempting to awkwardly pull into a vacant parking space. The car ahead of me was shaking his fists and honking his horn. The car going the wrong way seemed to be ignoring these gestures but finally gave up on the parking spot and drove away. However, not before stopping next to the car ahead of me to exchange a lot of nice words in really kind tones about how smart each other was in regards to parking. Obviously I'm being sarcastic, there was nothing nice about the 30 second exchange at all, except that it completely distracted me from my annoyance. I will admit that I rolled down my window so that I could hear better.

But seriously, it's a parking spot and it's the holidays so why not just be a little bit nicer while exercising better patience. I don't know, I suppose because we're all stressed out about an assortment of things & it's much easier to freak out at a complete stranger over a parking spot than it is to deal with the source of the stress & anxiety directly. I'm a little guilty of this myself using a different outlet, but guilty none the less.

Witnessing the said encounter helped me put things in perspective and I'm proud to say that I went into the mall at 4:31 and was out by 4:46 having visited the two shops I intended and coming out with exactly what was on my list. All the while I was perfectly chipper and wearing my bulky winter coat and feeling too warm. But I made it through and you know what's even better? I don't think I'll have to go back! (Knock on wood)

xoxx

my holiday love.

I don't wear holiday sweaters or earrings or tights or socks. I don't wear anything holiday themed. I enjoy having a tree, a poinsettia, and a centerpiece. But what I really love and appreciate more than anything regarding the holidays is the music. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is an album (movement? I should know this having studied classical music my entire childhood) that I make a point of listening to in it's entirety a couple of times during the season. John Lennon's "Happy XMas (War is Over) is a fav as well as Elvis' Blue Christmas and Ella Fitzgrald's "It's Cold Outside", I am embarrassed to tell you how much I charged to my credit card last week at the itunes store downloading Christmas music. Too much, that's all I'll say. But I do have a nice collection now.

But the music that tops all of the above is singing hymns with my gramps at the late night church service on Christmas Eve. It's the only time of year I go to church and the only time I enjoy it. "Joy to the World" is a highlight as gramps often exercises his baritone voice echoing "Repeat the Sounding Joy" and harmonizing with me through out. The service always closes with "Silent Night". The lights are turned way down, almost off, and everyone holds a candle. it's so beautiful, I always cry and every year I really want to reach for gramps' hand & squeeze it, but he is Scandinavian after all, and that might just be a little too much affection for him, so I don't.

xoxx

I'm a bad book clubber.

my workplace is on Minneapolis' Nicollet Mall. many people work on "The Mall", but those of us who are in the restaurant industry have a special bond. While we don't all know each other well, we do know who each other are and nod to one another on the street and overtip when visiting each other's establishments.

A couple of months ago I was on a double shift and had a little time to kill before my evening shift. It was rainy and cold outside so I ended up at the giant bookstore a block down. I was perusing the magazines when Joe tapped me on the shoulder. Joe works at a restaurant kiddy corner from the restaurant of which I work. We chatted comiserating over our shift start times when from the corner of my eye I saw a display for The Kite Runner. Handsome Randy's sister, Beth, had recently passed the book onto me & I was just finishing it up. I asked Joe if he'd read it, he hadn't but was hoping to. I told him he should absolutely read it & I'd bring the copy I had to work the next day so could borrow it. He excitedly agreed and promised to bring me a book as well.

sweet, let's trade books all the time! we plotted a book club.

I finished the book that night and forgot to bring the book to work. Joe didn't forget. He showed up just as my shift was ending, book for me in hand. Joe gave me a small smile when I told him I forgot his. I took the book and promised I'd have his tomorrow.

well, it's 2 months later. I still haven't remembered to bring the book and I run into Joe several times a week. Joe is someone who I look forward to running into, he really great to talk to. But since our book club agreement I dread seeing because I keep forgetting to bring him the damn book and he always looks so hopeful, as though this may be the time I pull it out and hand it to him. it never is.

Bringing the book for Joe is one of those things that I think about as I'm getting ready to leave for work and then forget until I'm en route. It is still in the place it has been since I finished reading it, on the second stair near the back door. I placed it here so I would see it on my way out & grab it for Joe. Well, now it's just become part of the landscape; I see it, but don't really register what it is.

well, I've turned a new leaf. I just put The Kite Runner in my bag and now I bring it to Joe tomorrow before work and will look forward to running into him once again.
Joe. Sweet, patient Joe will finally have the coveted novel to read.

xoxx

a centerpiece for the holidays.

remember this post? Well, I've since updated our dining room a few times and the above is most recent. I felt very thrifty as it only cost $5! And I do like it; it's pretty, it's simple & festive. My aunt PAL would be so proud, she is actually, I told her all about it this evening.
xoxx

gatos.

<----Cyrus

I never write about my cats.
me, who has had cats my entire life, has never posted anything more than a sentence (if that) about my cats, Asha & Cyrus.

There is a blog, Minnesota Meow and it sort of made me feel as though I was a crappy cat owner as I realized I had not once blogged about my cats. so, I'm going to remedy this and blog about all of them. sorry to bore you, but I must...here goes.

my earliest memory ever is standing in the kitchen of a neighbor about 4 doors down from my childhood home. I'm admiring a newly acquired orange and white kitten. Then flash to my dad scolding me in my bedroom for running off without telling him. I couldn't have been three yet; he must have been terrified. He has no memory of this incident, but it is crystal clear for me. I can still see that kitten.

We always have had cats. For a long time they were always all black (Shadow, Rainbow & Rascall) or all white (Whitey & Popcorn). But then Popcorn had kittens and we kept one, Pudding, who was black and white. This was during my 1st grade year. Pudding was the best cat ever and he lived to be about 10. One night he went outside and never came back. This is what cats do when they die, I'm told, they just go away to be alone. It's very private for them.

Popcorn disappeared about a year after Pudding's litter was born. We acquired Stevie shortly thereafter to fill the void. She was rescued from a 2nd grade classmate of mine who claimed her stepdad hated cats & threw Stevie down the stairs when she acted like a cat. Stevie lived to be about 20, she only died about 2 years ago. She was a petite little tabby who was an expert hunter & had many litters of kittens through the years (contributing nicely to the overpopulation of cats and homeless pets problem), including Pom Pom who was born when I was about 8.

Pom Pom was super skittish. When he was only a few months old he was locked in neighbors garage for a week never to be the same. He lived to be about 18. This was sort of torturous for my mother who was not all that fond of Pom Pom. In his later years he developed a terrible habit of peeing in her closet thus causing his popularity to wane. When I came home from college, I brought Pom Pom to the vet to be put down (it's hard to give away a cat who pees inappropriately). He was quite healthy, he just couldn't shake the habit of peeing in my mother's closet. The vet (who was definition of The Crazy Cat Lady) was appalled and refused to put down a cat of such "strong & healthy stock", she then lectured me for not taking him in as he was originally my cat. I agreed, but explained that I had acquired two cats of my own in my adulthood and resided in a 500 square foot studio apartment. Crazy Cat Lady saw none of this and sent me on my way with Pom Pom who was a little freaked out, but alive, and me trying to find the words to share with my mother. Pom Pom disappeared about 2 years later.

I found Asha at the Humane Society in Tacoma, Wa in 2000 while I was in college. She came with the name "Ghosty" and was about 6 months old. Her first night with me she climbed beneath the covers and laid on her back with her head on the pillow. Asha---->

Cyrus came into the picture shortly after I moved back to Minneapolis in 2001. I needed company for Asha so I headed to the Minnesota Valley Humane Society. He was pretty young (3 months) and quite shy.

My planned companionship for the two cats works well. Though Asha kicks Cyrus' ass on a regular basis, she spends more time grooming him and napping with him. And I couldn't imagine our house without them.

xoxx

living phone free.

so, on saturday night I lost my phone. for good.

It fell off my lap into the snowy road when I got out of The Blaze to scrape ice from the windshield. Someone found it and sent over a hundred text messages and made crank phone calls. good times.

I've obviously had the phone turned off and since I have made calls from our seldom used land line. My new phone arrives tomorrow but I have to admit that I have enjoyed life without a cell phone.

Remember the days when cell phones were few and far between? I have a specific memory of seeing a woman walking down Park Avenue near the PLU campus with a cell phone in hand mid conversation. I remember thinking to myself how crazy that was, having a cell phone and just walking down the street talking to someone. But now I do the same exact thing all the time.

My dad & i have a little joke that everytime I shop at Target we talk, this seems to be true enough as I talk to a lot of people when I'm at Target and seem to forget half of what I'm there for because of it. I have caught up with long lost friends while walking around Lake of The Isles and I have paid utility bills while riding the bus. This of course was all made possible my cellular telephone.

There was a time where the anticipation of getting home was built up due to the possibility of messages waiting on the good old answering machine. In college, I lived in a house with 5 other people. We all shared one phone line and I think our answering machine listed all of our names. We all heard each other's messages and shared the phone bill with each of us having special codes for our long distance services. Yes, long distance. We had to wait around if we were expecting a phone call. And it was really annoying if you were say talking to your boyfriend when your roommate's parents called via call waiting. Now, most of us use our cell phones for long distance calls as there are no long distance fees, no waiting around for phone calls and seldom do I have to get off the phone because a call for someone else is beeping in. And as for long distance, ha! What is that? I don't even think we have long distance on our land line as there is no such thing as long distance in the world of cell phones.

Cell phones may be more convenient but cheaper they are not. My bill averages about $100 per month and I seldom go over my minutes and almost never have roaming charges. I do have a few special options such as insurance (recently coming in handy), unlimited texts, etc, etc, and these hike my bill up. But I guess it's okay since I pay for it every month & don't really think about the cost.

This weekend it was kind of fun to await a phone call knowing if I left home before it came I would miss it. owell, I thought, I have to go. And I did. It was also fun to return home not to check the answering machine because we don't have one, but the Caller ID to see if anyone called.

I tell a good story quite sincerely, but I am eager to receive my new phone tomorrow. I shopped at Target this weekend without my Pebl in hand and there were moments that I reached for it to call someone (probably my dad). I acquired everything I needed as I had little distraction. I guess I'm ready for that distraction once again.

xoxx

Mc Rove in The House.

This footage has been the talk of Handsome Randy & I since we first saw it. Taken at the Annual Press Club dinner, Karl Rove proves to be quite a stage presence. Perhaps he'll be the next talent Rhymesayers finds and open on the next tour for Brother Ali or Atmosphere. ha.

go here to see it (I couldn't get blogger to upload it...sorry).


You have to give them credit for doing it. it's not half bad for the purpose that it holds, and they even did a little beatboxing! amazing.
xoxx

*first snow*

I woke up this morning to a lovely snowfall. It snowed all day and into the night leaving us with a nice foundation of 5 - 8 inches for winter. how lovely.

This is the piece of winter that I love and appreciate more every year. The snow and what it brings out in people is quintessential to Minnesota. This morning when I pulled my sorels and trudged through the fresh snow I felt like I was earning my stripes. I don't think I'm alone in that.

And then there's the conversations with strangers you randomly have about the snow. Everyone has a story, whether it be about shoveling their car out this morning or how much snow their sister said she got up in Hackensack. It's fantastic, and every said conversation I overhear or partake in leaves me with a wide grin and happy to be living in Minnesota.

But what I love the most is the quiet that comes with a snowfall. You step outside and there's a quiet that is unlike any other kind. A soft crackling in the background as the snow continues to fall and settle in. Maybe a shoveler or two in the distance, but for the most part there is a soft and beautiful silence. This is remarkable and something that everyone can speak to. It almost makes you forget how cold it is. The winter activity I savor the most are late night walks after or during a snowfall. The snow sparkles as light hits it, the air is crisp and doesn't seem as cold as it truly is, and there is only the sound of snow. it takes your breath away.

xoxx