Everything I Tell you is Hearsay

i’m trying something new lately; when i am sad, instead of lying in my bed and praying for sleep, i actually get up and go spend time with people who like me. it’s revolutionary, i know.

to that end, i went out last night with my friend emma. we had a lovely meal at Wild Abandon (which is one of my favorite restaurants, but i always forget about it) and then tried to go see Up In The Air at the fancy theater in Vantucky for which i happen to have a gift card. it hadnt really dawned on either of us that it might sell out, but, of coruse, it did. so. we scooted back to the right side of the river and had some consolation cocktails at the Virginia Cafe. were very pleastantly surprised by the bill once we’d finished; apparently happy hour lasts most of the day on saturday at the VC.

so, movie time came and we decided on The Fantastic Mr Fox, about which i knew nothing, but emma had heard good things. it was a delightful surprise and i thouroughly enjoyed it.

mounted by the venerable Wes Anderson and his usual cast of characters (plus goerge clooney and meryl streep ftw) this story adapted from a Roald Dahl book was charming and sweet and funny and visually engaging.

being a fervent fan of The Royal Tenenbaums, i have a bit of a tendency to get very excited about any new Anderson offering. as such, i’m sort of pleased i had no idea what i was in for. having had no expectations, i was simply delighted by the film without reservation.

it is very much a typical Wes Andersen offering, but in no way the less for that. definitely hodie friendly, it was enjoyable and disarming, a pleasure to watch and a genuine treat.

emma liked it too.

recommended.

didnt turn out like i planned.

first i kinda randomly…

hacked all my hair off

went to seattle

saw an amazing sunset

went to ikea

experienced intense coveting of this bed

then got smacked with the sick stick, like hard.

i only drink tea in times of desperation

i coudnt face the idea of an evening spent at the ER, so i’ll be going in the morning. but, generally, boo. episodes of gossip girl and chicken soup delivery nothwithstanding…

even though i never had one myself. turns out, a large portion of the state was on fire…

Re: OR-WIF-Tumblebug Complex

---

518 acres, 10% contained.

Tanker 00 committed out of Missoula @ 1345 today to this fire.

A Type 2 Incident Management Teanm will take over today. Expanded road and area closures were put into effect yesterday for a large area around the biggest fires in the complex. Complete information about the road closures and area closure can be obtained by calling the Middle Fork Ranger Station at 541-782-2283

so. i decided, sort of on a whim, that i was going to get the fuck out of town this last weekend. in service of this, i borrowed a car, loaded all the usual crap into it, and headed for Crater Lake. this wasn’t in itself a bad plan. the weather was beautiful and i like driving, so i decided to make the most of my trip and see what i could manage to enjoy along the way.

i bought this book some years ago called “Hiking the Hot Springs of the Pacific Northwest” and have proceeded to never actually use the thing. this trip seemed like a good time to remedy that. i looked at the book, my trusty Benchmark atlas and decided on the Wall Creek Warm Springs.

about 50 miles east of Eugene stands the quaint and charming townlet of Oakridge. the drive through the Willamette National Forest was just beautiful. winding, and lake strewn, the route was still fully green, but the hints of yellow and orange in the trees are beginning to show themselves

i have a strange obsession with taking pictures of signage

i would say this was one of the more enjoyable scenic drives i have ever been on. it wasnt dramatic, or breathtaking, but it was lovely and serene. lots of trees. i liked it.

the guidebook was pretty specific and gave excellent directions to the spring itself. i was vaguely worried that on a lovely friday evening such as the one i arrived upon, there might be stiff competition for the soak. turns out; not another soul there.

me and my feet go the best places together

it was labeled as a “warm spring” and this was a pretty accurate protrayal. it was better than tepid, but only just. on the plus side it did not stink of sulfur or tarnish my silver. i sat in the soak and read George Carlin. good times.

by now i was pretty hungry so i decided to roll myself back into town and see what was on for eats. this hamlet seemed to have a few likely options; the local brewpub or the slightly ramshackle divey place. it came down to whether i wanted sesame seeds and thousand island on my burger or pepper jack and a cibatta. on this occasion, froof prevailed.

this was the most delicious cider i have ever consumed

dinner was tasty, though as usual, there was too much of it. i was feeling kinda aimless at this point, since i had orginally toyed with the idea of going to Ashland to see a show but it had now become too late in the evening to reasonably expect to arrive before curtain. with no other concrete plans i just got back in the car and started making my way eastish.

i had been hearing for some time about the fire; on the radio they were keeping pretty close track of it. and i could sense it in that suddenly my inhaler seemed like my new best friend. but it wasnt until i started heading east from Oakridge that i really started to see any evidence of it for myself.

o'er the misty mountains...

i started to notice a distinct haze in the air and could smell the smoke as well. it was not an unpleasant aroma; it was the smell of camping. i had long since abandoned any hope of my own campfire; smokey the bear was practically foaming at the mouth and all the signs were red with their EXTREME FIRE DANGER placards up. so at least i got to enjoy the ambiance anyway, right?

my reasoning hereafter was, “what the hell is the point of getting a campsite if i cant have a fire anyway?” as such, i folded down the seats in the ‘Ru unfolded my futon and “camped” at a rest stop somewhere along hwy 97. yes, i know, devestatingly romantic.

i woke up at a not-ungodly-early hour the next day and scooted the rest of the way over to Crater Lake National Park (North Entrance)

see? like i said? with the signs?

to my surpise and pleasure i had managed to show up on some kind of magical “taxpayer headpat freebee” day so i didn’t have to cough up $15 to get into the park. neat! the kindly ranger in her silly hat handed me a little map-y doo-hickey and i was on my way.

smooooooke on the waaaah-ter

it was especially hazy this morning, and she warned me that visibility wasn’t going to be fantastic with all the smoke. i determined pretty quickly that i wasnt going to be content looking at the lake from the rim and needed to get down to the shore. i didnt want to go on the boat ride (who the hell decided to call it “Wizard Island”? was this national park founded by Renn Faire dorks or what?) but i wanted to put my feet in the water at the very least. i’d brought my suit thinking i might take a dip but my handy dandy map-y doo hickey alerted me to the fact that the lake stays a constant 38° and i did not bring my hypothermia hat, so i decided to pass on that idea.

there’s only one place on the whole lake that you are allowed to be on the shore. Cleetwood Cove involves a fairly steep trail; it’s a little over a mile, but has a considerable elevation change of 700 feet. this is the only way to reach the water’s edge and what is, to my mind anyway, all-too-generously called a “boat dock.”  i think i’d have been more inclined to say “canoe hitch” but i digress…

no, i do not feel the least bit silly or self-conscious dashing in front of my camera for this"candid" photo!

once i made it down to the shore i was gratified to see the water was every bit as unbelievably blue as anyone had ever suggested it was. but apart from admiring said blueness, there wasn’t much else to do.

yes, this water is sufficiently blue for me. i think i'm done here...

i did, i will admit sit down and get my hands wet. i didnt want to take off my shoes though because every surface was covered in soft grey ash, and i didnt want getting wet to turn me into a crusty ashey mess. i am a wuss. i did also pull out my tarot cards and find that i am isolating myself too much. sheesh, you take ONE little trip all by yourself and all the sudden, you’re anti-social. sometimes the universe is a NAG!

i then proceeded to charge back up the trail as fast as i was able. the placard at the top said it typically took people 40 minutes to make the return trip. i timed myself at 25. take THAT National Park Service!!

on such a smokey day, there were only very few other people around. i think i might have encountered a grand total of 2 dozen folks my entire time in the park, and i am including the somewhat surprsingly surly staff at the park’s Mazama Village Store where i was condescendingly informed that since it is federal land I WOULD HAVE TO PUMP MY OWN DAMNED GAS. that was an adventure all by itself…

after that excitement, and the scolding from the universe, i felt like my time alone on the road was over. so i scooted myself back to town. next time i run away from home, i’ll take a buddy.

holy. shitfire. leroy.

sven has been acting like a bastard. he does not want to shift into gear. once in gear, he frequently slips out. it’s like having a boyfriend with ED; if you can even get it in there in the first place, there’s no guarantee it’s going stay put long enough to be useful.

as such, i’ve been trying to avoid driving him for anything but necessary trips. social calls do not fall under this heading. so i was determined to make the public transit thing work for me yesterday when it was sauce-makin time. i didn’t really have any clear sense of how far it was from the nearest train station to my sauce-making destination, but i figured, i’d jog as far as i could and then walk the rest of the way. ever since the demon pushups, the gym has been a little scary. i’m really trying to avoid reinjuring myself, but i felt like i could use the workout.

now. it is true, that over the last few months i have become a whole bunch more fitnessy than ever before. that being said, i am still not actually fit. i still get winded far faster than i’d like, and am nowhere near at the strength level i’d like to ultimately achieve. and, i am an especially bad runner. i failed freshman PE because i was unable to manage to complete one circuit of the track (that’s a whopping 1/4 mile folks!) at even a slow jog. what a wuss.

it does turn out, a few things are in my favor now:

• asthma medication! breathing; i’m for it.
• knee braces! all my joints hate me, but most specially these. probably cause i have whacked them a few times with skilifts.
• industrial strength sports bra! cause nothing slows you down quite like 2 black eyes…
• proper running shoes! no, keds will not work just as well, thanks.
• 5 hours of energy! yeah, seriously. and i used them all.

my expectations were pretty low when i got off the train. i’d brought my braces, my iPod, and my inhaler for the purpose. i stretched and bounced and tried to remember to pace myself. off i went.

after about 10 minutes of an admittedly slowish, but consistent lope, i was expecting to start to feel that sense of desperation that usually overtakes me at just about a mile. oddly, apart from some twinging in my hip flexors, i felt fine. i was pleasantly surprised and just kept trucking.

and just kept trucking.

the twinging was on the move too; what was at first only left leg, soon moved to the right. thigh pain made an apprearance, as did a few complaints from my knees. all of this, though slightly annoying, was completely managable, and the profound exhaustion and pain that usually overtakes me was nowhere in evidence. at over halfway through the route with no significant distress i was feeling pretty good about myself, but convinced it wouldn’t last.

i did, i will admit, stop once for about 30 seconds to snarf on some blackberries growing by the side of the road. they were tart and firm. many more not quite ripe yet. do think a pie might be in order…

mmm. pie.

where was i? oh, yeah, jogging. it was like, every time there was an intersection ahead i’d think “well, even if i just make it up to there, that’s still way further than i thought i was going to be able to get running. i was sure i’d have walked at least part of the way by now…” but then, i’d arrive, check myself, realize i felt pretty much fine, and just keep running.

after rounding one particular corner, i knew i was going to make it all the way to where i was going without stopping. and i knew without a doubt, that it was the longest run i had ever taken at once in my entire life.i didn’t know how far it was exactly, lacking a pedometer, but i knew it was definitely the winner.

i got to my destination and then i lay on the floor panting and perspiring. for a long time. i was soaked to the skin (i am unaccustomed to sweating that much, it was gro-ess) but incredibly proud of myself for going the entire distance on the run. i alerted my sauce-making partner that i needed to hear deep and profound admiration of my feat, whether or not it was genuine being totally irrelevant.

and then came the best part; i get runners high yo.i know this about myself, but actually mustering the energy to run has the remarkable tendency to create amnesia. i forget how good running makes me feel. i was giggly, i was giddy, i was silly, and happy, and chipper, and stuff. 24 hours earlier i had been the opposite of all those things, and it was a nice change for everyone. i asked to make sure.

when i mapped my route today it came out to 3.5 miles. which is about 2 miles more than i have ever done in one shot before. i’m sore, but not miserable. usually after i run i feel like i have been beat with sticks. i was totally bone tired last night, but i slept better than i almost ever do. seems i might be a little more fitter than i thought.

now where’d i leave my nikes….

i am in possession of an adolescent girlchild, and so is that one guy. one of these girlchildren lives on the east coast, and she when realizing that her visit here to see her father would bring her within striking distance of Forks, WA caused us to be subject to some clamor related to Twilight. then my child heard the clamor and exponentiated it. so.

the first thing i would like to say is that we knew, and WARNED THE CHILDREN, that there was not going to be a whole lot of rockin’ vampire action up yonder. that it was going to be a lot of driving to essentially see some signs. and in the grand tradition of the obsessed fan, they patently did not give a fuck. when i said:

“you realize, that pretty much, we are going to drive 5 hours to look at a sign that says ‘Welcome to Forks’ and not a whole lot else?”

they were like, bring. it. on. and that is what we did.

we drove 6 hours and all we got was this forking picture

it turned out however, that there was more to Forks than i had anticipated. namely; the most excellent chinese food i have had in many a long year. this seems odd to me. that a tiny town on the Olympic peninsula renowned for rain & vampires is going to have the best chow mien i have ever put in my mouth. happy little surprises are everywhere, no?

there were no chopsticks. i think it might violate the town charter or something

we had wavered on La Push, but we were ahead of schedule and it wasn’t as far as it looked on the map. this ended up being one of the best parts of the trip to my mind. we love the ocean, the light was golden and diffuse, and we had a very lovely time together there. right up til Cynthia and i found the singlemost offensive outhouse in the history of outhouses. seriously.

my three favorite people

and what could top this experience? what could possibly make it EVEN BETTER?? fuckin’ soft serve my bitches. we passed the quintessential purveyor of such treats on our way down into La Push. the diner had a sign out front declaring it on the treaty line, so another photo op was inevitable. might as well score some ice cream while we’re at it, right?

back on the road, we wound our way around the peninsula toward Port Angeles. it was the dimming of the day and the children got rather quiet. the road was very twisty and bordered a lake of breathtaking beauty. i was feeling incredibly happy to be on this trip with these people. i turned to gaze affectionately at one of these people and realized she was about to hurl.

Hodie gets carsick. so CLEARLY the thing to do was fill her full of chinese food & soft serve and then drive down some windy ass roads for an hour or so. this, it turns out is a great recipe for vomit! when i realized she was about to spew, i gently suggested we pull over. i did so by saying:

“pulloverpulloverpulloverpulloverpullover”

to his credit, our driver did so with complete alacrity and judicious haste. it actually worked out great cause i had really wanted to get some photos of crescent lake anyway…

me and that one guy

so scenic, it hurts my eeeeeeeeyyyyyes

so. we finish our lakeside breather and i supply Hodie with a plastic bag. i say:

“if you need to hurl, say something, but if you don’t make it, use this.”

off we go.

i keep checking on her periodically, and it seems the fresh air and moments of stillness have done the trick. i slip back into complacent enjoyment of the scenery when i smell that smell. you know the one…

we pull over again to dispose of the expulsion. Hodie is chagrined. she turns to Cynthia…

“i’m really sorry. it sucks to have to ride in the car with throwup”

“eh,” Cynthia replies “i have 5 brothers and sisters, and we can NEVER ride in the car without someone throwing up or peeing in the car.”

“yeah, but i managed both.”

pardon??

turns out, Hodie had to go. and with (perhaps because of) the giant Taco Time soda cup from earlier that day, managed to relieve herself while we were driving and then dispose of the contents WITHOUT ANYONE NOTICING. i admit. this is partially my doing. once upon a time we had an hourlong commute every weekend back and forth from her dad’s house. and when she was younger, bladder control was not so much in her repertoire. i trained her to manage the problem while on the move so as to avoid wetting herself or my upholstery. apparently, it is a lesson she has learned even better than i knew. i was deeply impressed with her stealth and there were high fives all around.

then there was camping. you know, fire, tent, the whole bit. i actually bothered to put on the rain fly and everything! and this turned out to be wise.

what WAS NOT perhaps so wise was leaving out our shoes, and cloth chairs, and (in my case) expensive vacation cigarettes. turns out, sometimes, it actually RAINS around there! in the RAINFOREST!! can you IMAGINE??

next morning, we were damp, but determined. there was a hot springs nearby and by all that is holy, we were going to be a-soakin in it! i had been trying to get up to this particular spot for a couple of years, so i was very excited to be finally realizing this ambition, despite the mewlings of my child about how much it sucked to walk in the rain.

it was 2 1/2 miles of easy strolling over a mostly paved path. there was some scrambling over a creek in a spot or two, but anyone with a 1/2 decent mountain bike could get back to the springs in about 10 minutes. as it was, we needed about 45 minutes all told to reach them.

our glorious reward for hiking in the rain.

coming back was a little tougher. we had wet feet. and wet shoes. and wet clothes. and a wet 10 year old who can lag significantly behind when it pleases her to do so. i’ve come to accept the best way to handle this is to just carry her. i hadn’t been to the gym in a few days, so i figured it was a fair way to make up for that while getting us back to the car double quick. this however, did not suffice for feats of strength… oh no, it did not.

and it isnt even Festivus!

after all of this, i couldn’t be the pony anymore. but SOMEBODY had to do it.

his horsey noises are way better than mine anyway

we finally arrived back at the parking lot; damp, hungry, smelling like devilled egss, but ultimately triumphant. Hodie remarked how great hiking was for making you appreciate the simple pleasures in life;

“i am pretty sure i have never enjoyed sitting in the car quite so much as i am enjoying sitting in the car right now. i am not getting rained on. i am not moving. my feet don’t hurt. i freaking love sitting in this car!”

profound, my child.

we are wet and crooked but happy

we decided that after this, we were camping in a fucking hotel. there was a laundrymat. there was a shower. it was the height of luxury. we did also have dinner in a very nice restaurant called the Queen City Grill. we sort of stumbled across it after wandering around Belltown & Pikes Market for a while trying to find a place that a) would let kids in and b) had something my kid was willing to eat. she had a Kobe Beef Hamburger but the waiter thought she was a boy. kind of a mixed bag for Hodie.

next day was Seattle-tourist-o-rama. we went to the space needle, but i decided $50 for the pleasure of an overblown elevator ride was excessive. instead we went into the Science Fiction Museum and looked at Muppets. it was groovy, but i can’t post any of the photos i took cause apparently it would be copyright infringement. or something.

the outside was the coolest part of this place anyways

after that we rode the monorail, strolled through Pikes Market and then went on the underground tour. all touristed out, we hit I-5 for home.

we missed a few things. we’d meant to see Mt St Helens, but didn’t get back around to it. we also didn’t know that Kalama High School (which was very much along the way) was the building they used in the exterior shots for the Twilight movie. we discovered this when we got to poking around to see what else could be found locally to fill the Twilight shaped hole in Cynthia’s heart. since we missed the school, we stuffed something else in there.

The View Point Inn is where they filmed the prom scene from the movie. it is also an incredibly lovely and charming restaurant just off the scenic highway in the gorge. i have driven past this place COUNTLESS times, and never thought to stop, but it is now one of my top 5 favorite eateries in town.

we had a very tasty and enjoyable meal and Cynthia was able to obtain some additional gee-gaws for her friends. cause it’s not like you can find Twilight merchandise just ANYWHERE…

well, after Halloween anyway…

and not because i am a patriot. cause, well, i’m not.  i mean, i like it here in the states and everything, but i would in no way call myself super enthused about the birth of various presidential types. except that it affords a wide avariety of people i quite enjoy to congregate in a small resort town and party their asses off. hoo-fucking-ray

i am only in my second iteration of what has apparently been going on for about 12 years now, but this is a weekend i have been looking forward to for months. folks i love doing things i adore in a place that tends to foster experiences i cherish. who could ask for better?

AAAAAAAAAAAND this year, i’m taking hodie. which is a Big Deal. i haven’t been inclined to think she was ready for these kind of grownup-intensive trips in the past, but the grace, intelligence, and perception of my child has been breathtaking of late, and i felt that not only would she behave herself, she would be a credit to me, and an entertaining contribution to the overall social swirl at play. a child rasied very much in the presence of adults, i think she’ll enjoy herself too. she’s already beaten me at quarters… now she can take someone else on. someone who presents more of a challenge than her motor-skill deficient mother. at first i thought we’d work as a team; she’d toss and i’d do the shots, but on these meds i’m not allowed to drink, so she’s just going to have to do her own shots*.

we have many plans i am excited about. some astrophotography courtesy of friends David & Lyza, football/frisbee in the snow, games galore, a dance party (this child knows how to shake it), a go-round on the surfing machine, and a day on the slopes are all in the offing.  there is a fair amount of squealing and hopping going on in the house. she is rolling her eyes at me alot as a result.

i am so proud of this girl. humbled by her sweetness and wit. i take very little credit for this, but i most pleased to be privy to the truth of it.

*i’m kidding about the shots.

it was a good one this year!

i always like to see my birthday as the ultimate opportunity to indulge myself. as such, i went to some effort to have all of my favorite things. it became my twitterproject for the day…

birthdays are all about favorite things; 1st favorite, stumptown mocha!

favorite thing #2 bacon squash galette from grand central

favorite thing #3: LOTS AND LOTS OF ATTENTION. it may be the hat…

favorite thing #4 shopping! favorite thing #5 being sung to!!

favorite thing #6 singing “Favorite” by Neko Case

favorite thing #7 PRESENTS!! borders gift card, @lyzadanger w/ the LibraryThing subscription. pegged as a bookworm i guess

favorite thing #8 leaving work early!! only 2 hrs to go!

favorite thing #9 bacon & blue cheese potato salad. mmmm. lunch

favorite thing #10 surprise blue sky out my window!

favorite thing #11 wardrobe change!

favorite Thing #12 MORE PRESENTS: bottle of patron

for symmetry i would have liked 31 favorite things, but as the day wore on, i got a little distracted and couldn’t keep tweeting as they came up. long about 4pm i was talking to my Uncle Ed (who’s birthday it also was) and having a rousing discussion about politics and love. so, that was amusing at amusing at any rate. then it was off to seattle.

we ended up going to Freak Night at the WAMU theater. it was quite a spectacle. costumes everywhere. it was sort of amusing to see certain trends in the room; there were tons of pirates, many slutty versions of cartoon characters (although my favorite was seeing 1) standard Rainbow Brite 2) Slutty Rainbow Brite and 3) ULTRA Slutty Rainbow Brite all within like 5 minutes of each other) and a veritable SWARM of bumblebee costumes. i was jessica rabbit. looked faboo if i do say so. did not get photo on my own camera (doh!) so proof of such will have to wait.

the lineup was pretty wicked: we had Crystal Method, Moby, and Paul VanDyck. it was dancetastic. at some point i gave in and took off my beautiful but patently cruel high heels and started prancing around barefoot. good times.

slept over at my cousin Khava’s place. and i do not exaggerate when i say she has the MOST COMFORTABLE BED I HAVE EVER SLEPT IN. man ALIVE! we got in after 4am and were up by 9 and i still felt more well rested than i have in ages. i gotta bust ass over to costco and get me one of them mattress pads post haste. had breakky with Khavs and her boyfriend at Jax in West Seattle. potato pancakes. mmmm. little Pike Street market action wrapped up our time in Sea-town. i swear i never feel such a vital intrest in produce as i do when i am walking through that market. i got an avacado that i’m pretty sure is larger than the head of my child. i don’t even LIKE avacados. it was so shiny, and green, and alien-head-looking i simply could not resist. we also bought a giant red pear.

later that night it was time for all the silliness i didn’t get to on the birthday proper: $5 steaks at the Acropolis, lap dance, and karaoke. i was sad to discover that Hollywood Bowl no longer has the kick-ass dive bar style lounge anymore, because it was my favorite place to go sing. alas, no more. they have re-modeled in a “Grand Central” style i like to call “drywall chic” which is wholly shabby and utterly disappointing. i liked the laid back atmosphere and boy’s club quality of the old lounge. and just for the record, there was literally NOT ONE PERSON in there on a saturday night. might have been a tactical error folks. so, we were forced to go with karaoke plan #2: The Galaxy. i have no specific problem with this place, although i did have to step over vomit on my way out the door. i also enjoy that one of the waitresses looks EXACTLY like Caroline Jones. my singing was less than stellar due to slight cold and/onset of drunkness, but i had an enthusiastic audience in my cohorts, so it was grand nevertheless.

finally on sunday, it was time for the last event of the birthday-stravaganza-weekend. brunch at Meriwethers for Chicken & Waffle. oh, daddy. the general consensus around the table was that no one needed to eat again all day after that. we were a full and tipsy crowd after all was said and eaten. dee-lish.

it was lovely, i felt very loved. i’m glad it’s all over for another year. next, VEGAS!!

ELECTION2008 Hot Political Topics:

Cheney, Gobama, Vote OBAMA, Michelle Obama, Chavez, NObama, Bush, Dems

i like to think of myself as a pretty adventurous soul. i like to go, and do, and try stuff, so when my friend suggested we go surfing i was all for it. nevermind that it was early October and forcasted to be rainy and windy and 12ft seas…

i will admit, i felt pretty tough and cool with all that gear strapped to Klaus’ rack…

we made it down to indian beach on saturday and the place was de-sert-ed. there was only one other vehicle in the parking lot. at first i think to myself: “sweet! beach all to ourselves!” then i get out of the car and think: “clearly, we are insane…”

cause it was sideways rain, windy-as-hell, and chilly as all get out. i had never before used a wet suit, so i was still somewhat skeptical about its ability to keep me from losing a vital percentage of my overall body heat. and last time i checked, hypothermia is not hot. also, though equipped with what SHOULD work as chest-mounted-built-in flotation devices, i am not the world’s strongest swimmer. i was getting slightly nervous about how rough the ocean looked, plus, when we unstrapped the boards, the wind picked them up and tossed them off the top of the car and cruelly down to the pavement. i found myself looking at my companion and saying: “have i made it clear i don’t want to die like this?”

nevertheless, we hoofed it down to the water and gamely waded in. it was at this point i discovered what i can only describe as the most magical thing i have learned in years: if i wear a wetsuit i can go in the ocean in october, and it is totally comfortable. seriously, this is life-changing information.

so. after a brief introduction to surfing basics, i wrestled myself on top of the board i’d been handed and managed to ride a pretty nice wave back to the shore. i was on my belly the whole time, but i can see why people abandon real life to do this all the time. i have to liken it to the feeling i had the first time i was on skis; the feeling was one of body-engulfing ecstatic giddiness. this obsession? it has me.

bolstered by my initial success, i waded back out into the water and took hold of the wider board my friend offered me in the hopes that though more cumbersome, it might prove slightly more stable for me and thus easier to mount. trying to wrangle this board was definitely more challenging, and about 2 minutes after he handed it to me, i managed to set it parallel to the wave (just exactly like you aren’t supposed to) and when the swell caught the board it smashed me full in the face and knocked me under. the degree of distress this caused my compatriot was considerable; apparently there was lots of blood.

i was fairly equivocal about the whole thing. i am constantly hurting myself; twisting, spraining, bruising, burning, scraping, or otherwise mangling myself. i fall down frequently doing nothing more complicated than trying to sit in my chair at work, so this pretty much seemed like par for the course. i spat blood into the ocean for about 10 minutes, but other than that, it didn’t really slow me down. plus this way, i’d look EXTRA tough and cool!!

ultimately, it was a really great experience. almost as soon as we got in the water, the wind let up and the rain stopped. the water was rough, but not scary rough. i had a few people tell me it wasn’t really an ideal day to get started on, but even if that’s true, i’m hooked. as far as i can tell, that just means, it gets better!

went to Sunriver with some peeps over the weekend. was able to do this primarily because i work for some folks who own a couple of vacation rentals there and as an employee they offer us the use of one of them for a ridonkulously low rate. so, semi-free vay-kay? i say yes way!

gathered up a few friends and the kiddo and off we went. the weather was phenomenally
lovely and perfect. mid 80’s during the day, dropping to the 40’s at night with a clear waxing moonlit sky. warm enough for all sorts of outdoor adventures, but cool enough to have hot tub and fire at night.

did i mention before how much i love fire?? i love fire. a real lot. i managed to build two this weekend without the aid of chemical propellants. may have been a first. everyone else was complaining that they felt like we were enjoying a vacation on the surface of the sun, but i thought it was cozy.

we went for a nice low-key hike with Hodie out to Benham falls, which i must say, could have more aptly been called Benham Slight-Elevation-Decrease. not much “falling” going on. certainly a nice scenic rapids though. i also learned something very interesting about Lyza apparently, she has a crush on the Ponderosa Pine that requires frequent up close olfactory encounters. she also managed to draw her spouse and my child into this strange love fest. i felt a little dirty watching and taking photos, but a girl’s gotta make a living, right?

we did some movie watching and some game playing and bike riding and generally just had a nice low key weekend. i did continue my habit of falling down for no apparent reason. TWICE in like 20 minutes, no less! toppled off the teeter totter, and fell into a utility access hole. awesome! killer scabs and bruises.

was feeling kinda blue, so it was especially nice to be with friends who were content to be there and let me be a little blue. lovely friends.

but first… there was serious lounging to do. i had all day to kill, no money, no ideas, and a bathing suit. so. i parked myself on the deck of the pool of the hotel next to mine and sat there. for six hours.

normally this would be impossible for me since i have the attention span of a gnat and don’t especially like the hot hot heat. however, with nowhere else to go, i stayed put. forced lounging; new concept in my experience.  i was pretty religious about reapplying my sunscreen, but i did fail to adequately cover the crease between my hip and thigh. this is NOT a fun place to get a sunburn. no.

perhaps most annoying about all of this was lack of book and crappy night’s sleep prior. i was TRYING to relax, and would have given my left nut to be able to fall asleep, but it was too hot to doze. i kept having to get another towel damp and drape it over my face. not so restful.

finally i gave up and went inside where i discovered that i had access to the spa facilities. oh to have PRODUCT IN MY HAIR for the first time in days. it was bliss. bliss i tell you. not to mention using conditioner. sweetbabyjesus it was divine.

i had already decided that getting home as soon as humanly possible after the show was now my highest priority in life. i needed my bed, i needed more shirt options, i needed to be home. right the fuck now. so i decided it was time to get all my little duckies in a row so as to be able to depart from Renotown just as soon as the show was over. this included getting some gasoline, which i had not done since Lakeview.

well. the stupid gas station attendant back there in Lakeview FAILED TO REPLACE MY GAS TANK CAP. and so, in a panic, i began to scour the metro Reno area for a gas cap that will fit Klaus. this is not as easy as i expect it to be, and i spend about an hour going from Knecht’s to Autozone to Reno Salvage to Kraagen and spend at least 15 minutes on the phone with two seperate male automotively inclined loved ones who reassured me that the lack of a gas cap is unlikely to result in Klaus or i bursting into flames. but then, i found a new cap anyway. whew.

having averted this minor automotive crisis, and flushed with triumph, i made my way to the amphitheater and parked myself in line. i was first. by about 15 minutes. but after six hours by the pool, a 45 minute wait for the gate was nothing. i did discover happily that the opening act was another band of which i am very fond, but did not realize was on tour with Neko. so hooray! Crooked Fingers for the price of Neko!

the venue was lovely and nicely sized. the weather was soft and breezy. sunset perfectly timed. i scampered inside and spread my blankie on the lawn closest to the far right side of the stage (the better to see you with my one good eye!) and settled down with my bag o’ tricks to occupy myself til showtime.

and it was glorious. Neko has such a following in Portland that there would have been no way to see her in such a setting. and apart from the fact that this allowed me to be about 30 yards away from her to watch the show, it also colored the tone and timbre of the performance. it was friendly and engaged, intimate and warm like the night in which it was set. i could see the nuance of expression on her face, the comments she made under her breath at her band mates. and her voice was like warm honey. she played the songs i most wanted to hear, and when i chirped my enthusiasm for a particular song she made a gently mocking reply. i have decided we had a moment.

and then, the moment passed. the show ended. i changed into my jammies, climbed into the drivers seat, and with only a pause and admire the wash of stars with Jupiter wheeling more closely than it will for 867 years and two stops to sleep, i barreled home at one shot. and apart from the funny smell from the trash i forgot to take out before i left, it was never more welcoming than in that particular too-bright haze of morning.