Tuesday, July 26, 2011

i am your best friend

Erin: some dude that works at LA state pen added me on Google +
i have no idea who he is
me: haahahahaaa
by works there, it probably means he makes license plates for 10 cents an hour and skeet skeets to your profile picture
Erin: ew
me: you're welcome

Sunday, July 24, 2011

sunday

On this rainy Sunday, I'm washing my bedspread, making watermelon rind pickles, biscuits, and fried chicken, while reading Carson McCullers.
#south
#i'mbecomingmygrandmother
#mylifeisawesome

Friday, July 22, 2011

bright

Today, I'm so full of energy that I almost feel crackly. When work ends, I'm going take a run. And then I'm going get Ravi from the airport (he's in for a very brief visit) and we're going drink (more drinking!)

Other things I want to do soon:
Go to the farmer's market (and pay the food co-op!).
Go volunteer at ARNO.
Adopt a cat (I've hit a snag with that but I'm working on it. Potential cat names: Leon Trotsky, Quimby, Frank).
Bake a dusty pink cake (this weird bit of inspiration comes from a combo of this hair post and this cake post).
Make watermelon-vodka granitas.
Make watermelon rind pickles.
Make a pitcher of sidecars (can one make a PITCHER of sidecars? I aim to find out).
Never stop using paratheticals.
Have a fancy dress party! I think a summer one would be so much fun. We'll see.
Go for a bunch more bike rides. My soul was craving a bike, y'all. I almost cried when I took this one out for our first ride.

So basically, I want to drink a lot, ride my bike, wear dresses, cavort and eat.
Check!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

full of love.

I've been listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs" all day today. It's been a harrowing day. Blair and I broke up. And while I know it's for the best, it's still shitty and sad and I feel guilty and awful about it.

But, after it happened, I took a 9 mile bike ride, circling twice through Audubon park while listening to some Broken Social Scene, which did a lot to put me in a better frame of mind. Speaking of, I got a new bike (did I mention my old one was stolen? Yeah. I hope I have better luck with this one.):

Her name is Heloise :)










So, other than that, it's been an interesting month. I've been drinking far far too much--I threw back a bottle of wine just last night and that's probably the 5th one in a week and a half period, in addition to numerous other drinks. I flew to Chicago to ride with Erin to Mike's wedding in Columbus. The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful, a perfect celebration of Mike and Jarod's love and commitment to one another, as well as their quirkiness. There was a blessing by their parents, someone read a Neil Gaiman poem, a gay mens' choir sang and the entire thing was held on a farm. I cried throughout, partly from the beauty and partly from a deep sense of sadness that there are still so many fucking people out there who want to legislate who we're allowed to love and spend the rest of our lives with, who hate people like my beautiful amazing friends purely because of the love they share between one another.

But much as I loved seeing Mike, I have to admit that it was seeing Erin that was really the highlight of my trip. There are some people that you just fall in with, like you never left, no matter how long its been. Erin and I have that kind of friendship. We were driving back to Chicago from Columbus and I mentioned that to her and she said, "You know, I was thinking that too. Like, when Mike told me he was getting married, there was no question that I'd be there. It'd be the same for you. It's just that kind of friendship." On the way back, we detoured into Michigan, because Indiana is the most boring drive ever (except for Missouri) and we ate at a Buffalo Wild Wings, because we have an infatuation with this news story. We hung out late into the night, drinking honey bourbon on her balcony and catching up and just being with her made me feel right minded again. Maybe I just needed a change of scenery or maybe I needed her advice, but I felt so much clearer after we talked.

Female relationships are so strange to me. I get along really well with guys and, for a long time, they were the ones I made lasting friendships with. But I have these really intense female relationships with Erin and Christie and Alyson and it's almost a feeling that goes beyond any definition of friendship, any verbalizing of "best friends". I feel like those two people can see straight through me sometimes, that they can read my mind. And reminding myself of those connections is almost overwhelming. I mostly come away feeling gratitude to have people like them in my life.

Erin and I, pre-rehearsal dinner.













Me, Mike and Erin at the rehearsal dinner.








Me, sloshed after the dinner. Yay, wine.











My favorite image from the wedding.

















Obligatory kiss photo!

















Mike and me dancing :)

Friday, July 15, 2011

you can never stop and see/ what you're doing to me

Being back in Chicago, especially being here without Ravi, has produced feelings so overwhelming that I'm almost in tears on the L.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

hat's a keeper

Convos with Moum:
Me: So I bought this gorgeous white, silk, beaded, tiered, BCBG skirt...for $9.
Moum: That sounds beautiful! Where will you wear it?
Me: There's a Running of the Bulls thing this weekend and you're supposed to wear white and red, so I think I'll wear it with a black tank top and a red scarf in my hair.
Moum: That sounds really pretty. Do you know how to do a turban knot?
Me: Yeah but actually, funny you should say that, because I just bought a turban today!
Moum: From where?! I was looking at them on Anthropologie and they were almost $200!
Me: No, this was $25.
Moum: Well good. I might buy a couple.
Me: Only we would be shopping for turbans on the same day.
Moum: Mother-daughter turban bonding.

<3

101 in 1001- June update

2) Sing Karaoke.
Eric finally got me to sing karaoke at Little Tokyo. I broke my karaoke cherry with 4 Non-Blondes "What's Up." I went on to sing a number of ridiculous songs, including "Circle of Life" from the Lion King and "Monkey Gone to Heaven," for which I got a standing ovation.

16) Donate $100 a year to charity.
STAIR- $20

18) Read 10 books from the Bloom Canon.
4) William James The Varieties of Religious Experience
This book is, as I keep saying, one of the most meaningful and profound books I have ever read. I think it bears mentioning that my atheist professor counts it among his favorite and most influential books. It has had a strong effect on views about religion and faith, as well as human nature. I was initially surprised to see this book in the canon because, frankly, I had never heard of it before this class. However, after reading it, I feel it definitely deserves its place there.

24) Learn 1 new word a week.
Apposite- apt in the circumstances or in relation to something
Sthenic- of or having a high or excessive level of strength and energy
Aseity- refers to the property by which a being exists of and from itself, or exists as so-and-such of and from itself
Phlogiston- fictional fire-like element which was believed to be contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion

28) See all of the Mindfuck movies.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)

41) Go fishing.
I actually forgot this one was on the list. I went fishing with my friend Eddie at the end of June and we caught exactly no fish, but we did have fun getting super drunk in a boat on the river.

83) Review 20 places on Yelp! and/or Urbanspoon.
9) Cowbell (Urbanspoon)(April '11)--I forgot to include this one in my April update
10) Maple St. Patisserie (Urbanspoon)
11) Little Tokyo Small Plates and Noodle Bar (Urbanspoon)
12) Azalea Lakes Veterinary Clinic (Yelp!)

Saturday, July 2, 2011

what a wonderful world

Things I did today:
Knelt in a bathtub and cleaned feces off of a trembling 8 week old kitten I was fostering (more later)
Rushed to the vet
Rushed to the animal emergency hospital
Had tearful, but pragmatic conversation with doctor
Held 8 week old kitten while she was put to sleep
Cried profusely
Hung out in a gas station parking lot in Old Metairie and drank an icee while waiting for my radiator to cool down after it started spraying antifreeze
Locked my keys in my car
Nap
Had a beer and a burger on the patio at G B's while reading a book and trying to calm down
Levee with Alyson and Otis and lots of other dogs
Nap/crying
Banks St. Bar w/ Eric
Snuggling with Marla/crying

Tomorrow, please be better. If you are worse, I probably won't be on this earth much longer.