Walking PDX

If I told you that last week was one of the greatest weeks of my life, would you believe me? (The best part is, I didn't even see it coming.) There were small things, and there were big things, and in between I walked around and took pictures for you:

Art! Or... something. Please make it stop!

This sign makes me laugh every time.
"Oh! Ah!! Yum!!!"

Lazy Saturday lunch: Earl grey tea and a cardamom-sea salt-pistachio brownie.

Somebody nice left these flowers at my door on February 14th, which is apparently some sort of holiday.

Hugs and kisses. (P.S. the other side says "Dream.")

Not pictured: Tapioca pudding, the moon, tofu with peanut sauce, books, phone calls, mix cds, and staying up late talking in the middle of a muddy rose garden.

February

I don't care what the calendar says.


IT'S SPRING!:

Isn't it?

The Home Office

This is where I live and sleep and write my blog:

Hi!

Cubi-blog

There's basically no one at work today. Join me as I stealth blog!

You should've seen me this week. Actually, you would've pointed and laughed, so it's probably best that we're apart. Between falling in the street, spilling my coffee multiple times, wearing my shirt backwards, and chasing my morning bus for a full mile, I've been keeping quite busy. I also might have accidentally knocked over a DJ. Hey, accidents happen.

But then again, things seem to be falling into place. Falling off a curb into a mud puddle into place, but... falling into place nonetheless. I had an EPIC run under the full moon the other night; as I came down the home stretch (that is, past the house with penguin statues, over the hill on Grant, a quick panoramic view of the lit up city, then around the corner for a sprint down 24th) I got a high-five from a passing runner, then was cheered on by a dude on a tall bike. Yes! I've had such a great sense of things coming together ever since the new year. As far as people go, I am jumping in headfirst. I've met so many good people this year: people who will let me in, who hug without warning, who call me up and tell me to be somewhere in 10 minutes for spontaneous fun. I have so much to learn and so many people to teach me.

Unfortunately, I do have some disappointing news. There is a large spider living in the bathroom. What makes things worse is its insane proclivity for hanging out above the showerhead while the shower is running; as you can imagine, there have been some tough times. I know, it seems like only yesterday the season was coming to a close as I plotted to kill the spider outside my window with an pellet gun, but it appears that the jerks are back. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle this, as killing something that's hanging from the ceiling presents a whole host of logistical problems (#1 problem: the spider is icky), but I'm sure I'll think of something totally insane and impractical.

Or maybe, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I'll just leave the stupid thing alone. Do you know something? I actually really love Valentine's Day. I know it's manufactured by Hallmark as a way to part you with your monies, but -- so? It's kind of a perfect mix of love and bitter sarcasm, both of which I am quite fond of. I don't really get the whole boycotting of the holiday thing, since as far as I'm concerned "doing something" is usually more fun than "not doing something," and that "something" doesn't have to include spending big dollars. For example, this year, I will be getting a blood test done at 8 am (it's just a routine physical, don't freak out), which is only $10. What a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your cholesterol level is within normal range! It's also the perfect excuse to have some treats (once again, better than "not having treats") which may include flowers, cookies, whiskey, friends, and Battlestar Galactica.

My heart is about to jump through my ribcage. Too much coffee, not enough sleep. I like it!

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

There are good things ahead. I saw some crocuses sprouting!

I just wanted to say hi, I suppose. How are you?

Goodbye.

Sigh.

Let me get one thing out of the way: I am not cool with this whole "death" thing. No, no, no, not cool at all. My Aunt Susan died very suddenly this week, and needless to say, we were all shocked and heartbroken. All I want to do is type "BUT WHY" one hundred thousand times. I tend to think that this family deserves a free pass from death for awhile, but I know that's not the way things work. But how do they work?

Sigh.

I remember, right after my dad died, how I would sit and listen to my own breathing. Sometimes I'd do it for hours. In and out. It was a form of meditation, I guess. I remember how good that air felt in my lungs, and how lucky I felt, hearing my own heart beat. What I found was that, when you get down to the basic things -- your breathing, your heartbeat -- when you get down to the basic things and start viewing them as little miracles, everything else starts to seem like a miracle, too. I don't know where I'm going with this, really, and I don't know what to say. Maybe there isn't anything to say. But I've been thinking about my breathing more and more over the past few days, and I've been thinking about how lucky I was to know my Aunt Susan. We were and are very lucky.

Inhale, exhale. Keep going.

Whew.