Mountain at the Mall

Taken from the Mall food court... sometimes you need to search for reasons as to why one would live in this damp, sunless, cold city... not that I am complaining...

It was the night before Inauguration and...

So tomorrow is the big day... I am so excited and along with most everyone else feel giddy and nervous like it was going to be me taking the oath tomorrow.

In preparation for tomorrow:

• I have carefully picked my outfit (black heels, black wide leg dress pants, and my favorite short red sweater with the ruffle collar...worn over a white t-shirt).
• I have looked through my selection of Obama wear and settled on my favorite Obama necklace.
• I'm letting my hair do what it wants...
• and I have packed extra tissues (I'll probably tear up)

Where am I going.... Not to one of the many parties or viewings... but to work.. Sadly there is a scheduled meeting right in the middle of the inauguration and I am too much of a coward to skip it... (well that, and I am a little behind with my workload and really the last thing I need to do in this economy is jeopardize my standing at work).

But I will watch as much as I can... I will smile at people I normally ignore, I will walk with a little more pep in my step, I will feel exuberant and I will be hopeful...

Flowers! The cure for the winter blahs....

So many gray day and so many more to come, the price one pays for living in Seattle. Most people here, medicate with caffeine, but I prefer flowers.

Werebeagle

Werebeagle derived from the old English, "Offthecouchyoudarn" beagle. There are many myths about the Werebealge some say they are normal dogs until the full moon, others say they are never truly normal and only change in the presence of food. When they change, they become something else... something more...

The first time we realized that Milo was a Werebeagle, was when we discovered the cans... Cans of cat food still in the bin on the floor... each with two beagle teeth holes neatly placed on the edge and the contents sucked dry. What kind of dog does this??? What kind of dog indeed...

Tonight I prepare for bed, knowing that no matter where he starts out, Milo will end up in the middle of the bed under the covers. Like a phantom he will creep or levitate ( I am never sure) under the covers, lying undiscovered until morning. In the morning, I will see that he has once again not only climbed in the bed, but smarmed the sheets with his doggy cooties..

I change my sheets 5 times a week, not because I like the feel of 400 thread count, freshly laundered cotton, but because I love a Werebeagle.

The real reason people use fabric book covers..

Have you ever seen those fabric paperback covers people supposedly use to carry their books and protect them from damage... This is a lie, the real use it to hide the book from prying eyes and protect the dignity of the reader. I don't have a paperback cover and really I don't give a &%$ about dignity when it comes to my choice of stories (film or page)... so that leads me to my current read, Moon Called by Patrica Briggs.

It is one of those books one would envision finding on a cross country bus trip in the bathroom of some dilapidated truck stop... and of course you would read it only because you were stuck on a bus for 40 hours... but no, I picked up the book of my own free will, and even payed full price for it... Shape shifting mechanics, vampires, werewolves and fae (fairy folk) all staged in the exciting Tri City area of Eastern Washington.. (By the way, why do so many stories of alien abduction, government made mutations , werewolves and vampires take place in the Pacific Northwest?.. Does everyone know something I don't ...)

Anyways, reading this book is, I imagine, like having sex on the bathroom floor with some hot stranger...(most likely in the same rest stop one would find this book.).... Immensely satisfying, rather unsanitary and just a little dangerous... (NOTE: I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS, JUST SAYING FOR THE SAKE OF COMPARISON)

The danger inherent in reading this book, is that I will probably read the sequel and with great lines such as "Being Submissive is a Bitch", how can I not...

That Kinda Cold....

I took this picture last year in January when we went to see the eagles. The trip was thrilling but unbelievably cold. Wet misty snow clung to everything, draining the warmth from whatever the tiny snowflakes touched.

No snow today, but I still can't seem to get warm.

When I was little, my father believed that one must sweat the cold out. He would slice up fresh ginger with lemon and boil it down in a big pot. He would make us put on our sweat suits and hats and wrap ourselves in a blanket.

Drinking the tea caused the strangest sensation. Of course it would warm your throat as it went down, but within a few seconds, the ginger would start to heat up. You could feel the warmth move like ripples from the pit of your stomach, out of your torso, through your arms and legs and finally out to your fingers and toes.. In little time your cheeks would flush and you would start to sweat... that drowsy kind of warmed sleep would follow. It's that kinda of cold, so tomorrow I will make my dad's tea.

Hello 2009

Ringing in the New Year...

I thought to make this post a fond goodbye to 2008, when I realized I was overjoyed to see it go. So screw 2008.. yeah we had an amazing election and I am happy to report my family and friends are healthy.. (thank the heavens) .. but really what else was there... (bitter party of one) Okay maybe a little bitter, but time heals all wounds and as the first day of 2009 comes to an end, I am happy to say I am OVER 2008...