top ten worst things about snow

1. driving in it

2. it's cold

3. it's wet

4. it makes your cuffs cold and wet

5. shoveling it

6. the underlying layer of ice

7. getting stuck in it, and then having to push your car

8. the way you're never sure if you're going to make it to work, or wind up overturned in a ditch

9. it makes outdoor jobs unbearable

10. it collapses roofs and avalanches snowmobilers.

11. it makes businesses close

okay, that's eleven, and i could have gone on even longer. all i can say is, it was sunshiney and rainy here today!! woohoo!!

picture of the week: i couldn't decide

my gigantic family















us!!















ian actually took this. no, not lightning, just prolonged exposure















and this and the next were a really cool tree at a rest stop on the way to spokane

why i love comics: a top ten (a day early!)

1. they are like short stories
2. the pictures add another layer of meaning to the sometimes sparse words
3. they are like entering another world
4. they are ADDICTIVE
5. they can convey so much emotion
6. i love seeing the different aesthetics of each artist
7. i can read the story in different ways: by reading the pictures only, or by reading the captions along with the pictures, and i get a different story each time
8. they make some tough topics a little easier to swallow
9. they can be the perfect mix of poetry and documentary
10. they're cool

snow...

i went for a walk (because there is no way i am driving in this!) down to riverfront park. it was so much fun and it was an excellent workout! my hips are so sore.

top ten things ian has done for me recently

to commemorate one year tomorrow!!!

1. he saved my gramma's knife. going through the airport security, i had completely forgotten about the knife i'd salvaged from my grandma's jewelry box upon her death, and was pretty convinced i'd lost it. ian, however, went back through security, retrieved it, and called one of his friends to pick it up.

2. he let me listen to npr this morning on the way to work. for a week now, i've been listening to someone else's radio station to and from work. without my requesting or even mentioning it, he turned the channel to npr so i could listen to the news this morning.

3. he stopped for egg nog on the way home from the grocery store today. he was tired and his knees were hurting and his stomach was aching from those nachos, but when i mentioned wanting to stop at the liquor store sometime for egg nog, he swung on by. and offered to go into office depot, too, but i declined.

4. he's woken up early every day for six days to take me to work. he's really not a morning person, but he's managed to get himself up and not be terribly grumpy in order to have me to work by eight every morning.

5. the other day, we were talking about how i don't buy anything from altria and he asked me if a certain brand (i don't remember which) was altria and i confessed i couldn't remember. i said it was really hard to remember them all. so he told me that he would help me remember. he's always been not only tolerant of my moral stances, but downright supportive of them, even though they're not his thing.

6. massages my shoulders with icy hot when i'm feeling stressed.

7. compliments me on how well i clean or decorate the house. i know it's little, but it's nice to hear someone say that they appreciate the way i keep the house up.

8. he brought me coffee at work. 12oz double-shot pumpkin spice latte.

9. he has, on more than one occasion, driven all the way out from north richland to pasco, to give me a hug when i'm having a bad day at work.

10. he has been by my side every single day for an entire year!!

picture of the week: our charlie brown tree

to make you laugh?

a day late: 10 things that make me blue and their remedies

1. men - a good movie
2. bills - a good book
3. my broken phone - good wine*
4. the economy - thrift store shopping
5. men - good wine*
6. lack of sleep - sleeping in on saturday
7. dirty dishes - a curtain
8. the miles between my best friend and me - a phone call
9. life - a hug from ben
10. men - a talk with my best friend

* it's really important that the wine have a screw top; the last thing i want to do when i'm blue is mess around with a cork!

luck

well, my car broke down again yesterday. we were stopped at a drive-thru, ian driving, and he told me that the oil light kept flickering on and off. i said okay, once we're done, we'll pull over and check the oil, maybe run into the albertson's next door and get a quart or two. then he asks me how hot my temperature gauge usually gets. i lean over and look at it. the little needle is pointing at the H. i go, "not that hot."

he hands me my coffee and we roll out and park just in time to have a sickly sweet cloud burst from under the hood. ian pops the hood, i go and take a look and i can see a giant puddle of flourescent green radiator fluid forming under the car. it continues to just DUMP the fluid onto the ground until there's nothing left.

i call perfection tire, which handled my transmission when the hose had a leak and they said they couldn't take it today, being that it was three o'clock and they closed at four. i knew nowhere would be open on a sunday, so i went ahead and asked what tow company they recommended, called them and had the car towed to perfection anyway.

so now ian's waking up early on monday to take me to work and hopefully the car will be ready in his two-hour break between working at bookwalter and working at wsu. if not, he'll have to switch shifts at wsu with someone. we have money in savings for just this kind of thing, i just always hope i won't have to use it, you know? especially since we just got the transmission worked on a month ago! :-P

polaroid from long ago

i found this in a box earlier this week when i was digging through my closets looking for christmas lights. i don't remember taking it, or where it was taken. judging by the age of the other items in the box, this polaroid is probably 7 or 8 years old. pretty though, isn't it?

top ten things i did in las vegas

1. thanksgiving dinner on top of the stratosphere. so it turns out his dad is deathly afraid of heights, and thus ordered a double bourbon with dinner. when the waiter brought it out, he murmured to dave, "you'll be okay with this."

2. going up the eiffel tower. i know it's not the real thing, but it's still really cool and kinda romantic in a "LOOK, THIS IS REALLY ROMANTIC!!!" kind of way.

3. seeing the belagio fountains. i have a cool video i'll try to post later.

4. going into the luxor. it's very tall. and it was really cool when we came out and it was pouring, seeing the rain slide down the black glass. i tried to take a picture, but it's one of those things you just can't capture on film.

5. fondue. i know you can do this anywhere, but we went to the melting pot on saturday night and it was a-fucking-mazing!!!

6. the new york new york rollercoaster. okay, maybe it's really expensive and crowded and nauseating and it knocks you around a lot and terrifies the shit out of you, but... okay, maybe this shouldn't have made the list, but there it is.

7. the ceiling at the belagio, designed by chihuly. really, you should have seen it. it's incredible.

8. the patisserie at paris. i have another picture to go with this one, it was also amazing. i'm so going back THERE next time i'm in town.

9. getting to wear a t-shirt outside in late november. paradise.

10. red rock canyon. you saw one of the pictures. the topography of the area is really interesting.

so far

most memorable















thanksgiving dinner on top of the stratosphere




















"paris" vegas

best















the ceiling at the bellagio, designed by chihuly















red rock canyon

vegan thanksgiving menu: a top ten

1. homemade tofurky (my first attempt!)
2. homemade stuffing
3. garlic roasted winter veggies
4. mashed potatoes (!!)
5. mushroom gravy
6. whole cranberry sauce
7. brusell sprouts (after years of consistent avoidance, i am giving this veggie a second chance)
8. fudge balls :]
9. wine, lots of wine!
10. pumpkin pie

sleepless

winter days

when the clouds move in
when they set up camp below the
trees and mingle with the fallen leaves

i find solace in notes
high and low
strung together like birds on wire

and truth finds me in my waking life:
there is no divine favoritism

we are each of us like the tree
which loses its leaves when
the sun moves away

yet cognizant still that
the sun will return
and life will continue its
cycle of ebb and flow

the who farm

i think this is a tremendous idea!

a day early: top ten pictures of 2008 (in nearly chronological order)

1. the coast trip - march














2. it's written on his face - april



















3. my beautiful love - april















4. kiss from the top of the world - may














5. the messy kid trio - may & june






































6. the poppy parade - may



















7. spelling it out - august















8. latsyrc and heaven - august















9. camping - september















10. trip down memory lane - october














and now for a new challenge: during the week that you are NOT posting top-ten, post a picture of the week (or two weeks, as it may be). found pictures are acceptable, but pictures that you actually took are preferred. pictures can be anything: portraits, fun graffiti, happenstance snapshots, whatev. how's that sound?

top ten one-liners about coffee

1. coffee: only the independently wealthy can afford to sleep
2. coffee: skip the crap and just give it to me!
3. coffee: cheaper than heroine, but just as addictive
4. coffee: the almighty bean
5. coffee: caffeine-induced insomnia will save the economy!
6. coffee: support your local breweries!
7. coffee: few things are better to wake up to
8. coffee: to stop my sleeping habit
9. coffee: stained teeth are sexy
10. coffee: when will they start serving it intravenously?

rabies = zombies

i have been inspired! listen to this episode of This American Life, specifically the first story about the raccoon. i think we may have something here...we could turn it into a commentary on ecology/the environment/urban sprawl.

did you know that electrons have mass?

i didn't even know they were catholic!

what not to do

i put the coke in the freezer in an attempt to chill it fast. i told myself i wouldn't forget about it. i woke up to this.

that was harder than it looked

* carpenters - i love karen carpenter's voice. it also hails back to my fear and consequential high school obsession with aliens

* yankee doodle - don't you laugh. it ALWAYS gets stuck in my head. i think it's the rhythm of my own walking

* calling you - this is for ian and me "our song"

* three days grace - transformed me from the college goodie two-shoes into someone to whom my youth kids could relate as i realized that people became punks for a reason, usually

* chevelle - my favorite band. had to choose a song. figured it might as well be ian's ringtone.

* heal the world - among the many eco songs they made us sing in high school that helped me become the hippie i am today

* matchbox 20 - just expressing my love for superman

* why georgia - always expressed my constant desire, as an ingrained transient, to pack up and leave without notice. i used to imagine loading my laptop, guitar, and a few items of clothes into my backseat and taking off.

*bulls on parade - one of the first songs that turned me onto my lifelong obsession with rock band. of course, this song was in guitar hero 3, but you get the idea.

* scarborough fair - probably the first song i learned to play on guitar. and the name of my rock band 2 band!

challenge: top ten

for this top ten (it can count as your monday post if you want) chose the top ten most memorable or influential songs of your life and put them in a play list (go to playlist.com to create one). then write a little bit about a few of the songs. here's mine in chronological order:

1. a better son/daughter by rilo kiley: i listened to this song a lot after my brother died. it is sort of an anthem for me: things are going to get better. the drum really drives that feeling.

8. amazing grace on the bagpipes: my mom absolutely loves this song and bagpipes. to me, it represents her.

9. what a wonderful world by louis armstrong: my dad loves "sachmo" and would always sing this song when i was growing up.

10. el shaddai by amy grant: when my family went on road trips we would always bring along the collection of amy grant tapes. this is one that i remember sing along to a lot.

the other songs all held meaning at different times in my life. no children by the mountain goats was the song that got me hooked on them :]

i can't wait to hear yours!

10 things to get for someone going to paris

1. an umbrella - (preferably black with white polka - dots) because it's classy
2. sleeping pills - they'll need 'em after all the café
3. a money belt - rick steves swears by them
4. a french-english dictionary - self-explanatory
5. a neck scarf - because it's classy
6. big black sunglasses - see numbers 1 & 5
7. a t-shirt that says i'm sorry - if they are american
8. a sleeping mask - see numbers 1, 5 & 6
9. a big canvas tote - to carry all of the souvenirs they are buying for you
10. a book - it's a long plane ride

11. a wine guide - lots of drinking!

so cool!

top ten reasons to love halloween

1. pumpkins!!! pumpkins everywhere! lit up on stoops, in giant bins outside of grocery stores, in your cheesecake, lattes, bread, muffins... pumpkins all around.

2. candy corn. also, candy pumpkins (see above). especially when your future mother-in-law, who is always laughing at your boyfriend for being weird, tells about how just last week she was hanging out with her friends and put candy corn "fangs" in.

3. leaves. in many colors. blowing around like multi-color confetti in the wind. speaking of wind, it turns out it's something the tri-cities specializes in.

4. candy everywhere. all the time, all over the place. chocolate, nerds, caramels, suckers. everything. everywhere.

5. costumes. of course. the best part is being able to wear jeans to work. :) and, of course, it's the one day a year that i don fake eyelashes.

6. corn maizes!!! !!! !!!!! ah, the flashlight fun. the costumed weirdos stalking you in the middle of nowhere with toy chainsaws. the corn cobs flying through the air. the way, when you're done, you can no longer feel your ass because your choice to wear the costume with the mini skirt was a very very poor one. i love love love corn maizes.

7. parties. including and especially drinking. alcohol. especially since the calories gained by the candy aren't nearly plentiful enough.

8. trick-or-treating. i hear it's so much fun. getting candy for free from strangers. the one time i've gone, my favorite part was being able to see into people's houses and see how they live and decorate. yes, i know i'm twisted.

9. cute kids in costumes. because there's not excuse enough to dress a baby up as a bumble bee.

10. BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE IT!!!!! kicks ass.

i love autumn!

i had to stop a minute and take this picture on sunday before heading out to my mom's. it was just so quintessentially fall.

signs you are sick

1) sneezing - i mean repeated sneezes, like five in a row, every hour

2) hot flashes - normally you tend to run cold, but when everyone else in the office is freezing, you're comfortable

3) suddenly cold - just after a hot flash, you're all of a sudden freezing. not just cold, but shaking

4) you're cranky - yeah, the person on the other end of that phone call may have terminal cancer, but damnit! they need to pay their bills just like everyone else!

5) loss of appetite - normally you could eat all day, but not when everything tastes like cardboard

6) tiredness - at 8:30pm on a saturday, you - 25 and single - are already in bed

7) cough - the kind that makes your head feel like it will implode and keeps you and your neighbors up at night

8) apathy - you don't care what the hell is going on in the world - you just want some f-ing peace and quiet!

9) red nose - after countless hours spent blowing your nose with cheap office tissue, you are mistaken for a drunk

10) addiction - every four hours to the second you reach for that bottle of thick sweet syrup

mario andretti: concluded

he found a new home with a little girl who loved him from the start. :)

story-starter

as more and more banks go bankrupt, the government starts buying more and more of them until they control the country's finances. in a seemingly-utopian move, they outlaw paper money and issue every social security card-holding american a debit card. now able to monitor incomes and expenditures for all people, the crime rate goes down, as does poverty, since the government can accurately monitor and supplement below-living-standard incomes. the national debt vanishes.

the tricky part is trying to figure out what direction to take the problem of the story. i mean, we would start having a hand in controlling other world markets. either other countries would have to accept our non-currency or they would have to stop doing business with us. not really a huge problem, as we already have non-currency with credit and debit cards.

the other problem would be the people in the country who don't have social security cards. whole immigrant families relying on their native-born children to work and buy for them. but not buy too much, because the government has discovered many an illegal immigrant that way. or maybe they'd develop these little sects of people who create communes in the country, growing and trading and such.

it has potential, i just don't know what to do with it.

mario andretti

i'm trying to find a new home for my little hamster. we don't play with him enough. problem is, i don't want to *give* him away because i don't want him to become snake food. so i'm selling him for $10 and have gotten no hits. :(

halloween costumes

here are some ideas for that last minute halloween party. (not all of them are in good taste.)

1) smarty pants: tape smarties all over the front of your pants. if you wear glasses, wrap tape between the lenses. caution: only apply candy to front of pants. you wouldn't look too smart sitting on the candy.

2) undercover C.I.A. agent: all you need are jeans, a t-shirt and those cool aviator sunglasses. do the johnny depp - once upon a time in mexico - thing and wear a t-shirt that reads "C.I.A." for extra points.

3) growth spurt: rummage through your closet, or shop your local thrift store to find clothes at least two sizes too small. practice a goofy walk or uneven voice for that extra awkwardness.

4) bookworm: wear glasses, dress in all green and carry around a book. show extra effort and memorize a monologue or poem.

5) conspiracy theorist: put a colander on your head, wear a garlic necklace and carry around a flask, refusing to drink or eat any food besides your own.

6) vigilante: simply wear your under garments on top of your clothes and fashion a cape out of a large towel or bed sheet. use only your cleanest underwear to avoid embarrassment.

7) an onion: starting with your lightest weight and most tight-fighting, layer on as many articles of clothing as possible. this costume works best for outdoor activities.

8) depression: skip your shower for a couple of days and wear sweat pants and shirt and carry around a half-eaten carton of ice cream. answer all questions with a non-committal noise.

9) the economy: wear a white t-shirt with a large red downward arrow. act the part by displaying manic depressive behavior.

10) yourself, as a Jehovah's Witness: just say you don't observe holidays. no costume required.

top ten favorite fake meats

10. tofurky dogs - good texture, and just enough phallic resemblance to make dinner enjoyable
9. morning star chicken starters - just don't let them send you to the hospital. $4500 later you might be regretting it
8. quorn chicken - small portions, but very edible and good for seasoning
7. morning star chicken nuggets - a tasty lunch or snack!
6. yves pepperoni - just get a cheese pizza and slap these on. i've been seriously considering taking a package to papa murphys and seeing if they'll put them on my pizza, too.
5. morning star hamburger patties - i'm just having a recent craving for hamburger. probably after i cooked one up, topped it with cheese, avocado, and lettuce, and put it on a warmed onion roll bun.
4. morning star buffalo wings - just the right kind of spicy, no bones or gristle.
3. field roast - makes a wonderful valentine's day dinner, too!
2. field roast apple sausages - i need to get me some more of these, just the right amount of sweetness
1. tofurky hickory smoked sandwich meat - i could live off this stuff.

new challenge

all right, we're gonna get this blog off the ground, with weekly challenges. or rather bi-weekly, since we'll trade off. starting with me on monday, each monday, we need to come up with a top-ten list. it can be on anything we want whatsoever, just make a top-ten list and talk a little about it. then next monday, you'll come up with one, etc.

capisce?

new favorite regional band - click here

a saw
an accordion
a glockenspiel
and a steel guitar

... but not all at the same time

perfect!

james allen

"dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil."

tidbits

1. why is it that when you tell someone a door is locked they still feel the need to try opening it themselves?

2. i saw clever pop culture reference on the back of a hoodie today: TI(RED), like the red product movement to benefit AIDS education/research.

3. i saw a yellow lab in the back of a truck locked up in a crate that was way too small for it. the poor dog couldn't even lie down and every time it moved i saw the sides bulge a little. grr. i wanted to let it loose.

4. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94826773 (a stay of execution has been issued - at the last minute.)

my next tattoo

i think i want a blue heron to go with my poppies. it has significance, but also i just love birds and it's one of my favorites.