Zoolights

Deborah and I visited Zoolights to see the choir she is usually a member of perform.  They sang Christmas songs and songs from their repertoire.

Then we walked around and took in the lights.  (And the animals.  We saw the baby elephant! He was, predictably, quite cute.)

This is a river with alligators and hippopotamus and other animals.

I grabbed a photo of this kid because he looked too young to have a Letterman jacket.  He struck me as maybe a freshman, maybe.  I looked a little closer and guessed from the early 1990's dates on the patches on the jacket that it was perhaps first his father's jacket.

(Letterman jacket side note.  I was checking the spelling and found this Portland Oregon store that made me want to get my own Letterman jacket. I want the all-wool with the sailor collar.)

Self portrait with Deborah. (And lights)

We sat and people watched and chatted under this great dragon.

It was a fun night.

Some days you stop and look at the pictures at the check out station and notice your friend is in one of them.

I've been checking books out for a very long time and not noticed Deborah.  She's the one in the center with her arms in the air.

Meeting with Dr. Cottrell

Dr. Cottrell ended her official advising duty when I got my A.A. from Cottey College in 1995, but we've stayed in touch.  She was at conference in Portland and we had a chance to catch up.  And now I'm older than she was when she was my adviser.

Photo from October 1990, poem by Gary Soto

Another good one taken by Cindy.  That's me on the left and H on the right in Pleasanton, California where we traveled with the marching band for competition during the autumn of our sophomore year.   I'm wearing fishnet stockings with zebra striped glow-in-the-dark Converse high tops. My friends and I were prone to wearing the fishnet/Converse combo from time to time.  That was the band trip that H arranged for all the boys in the band to sing "16 Candles" to me on my 16th birthday.

Also in the same photo album a poem/snippit of a poem by Gary Soto that I really liked when it was handed to me by Mrs. Brown, my awesome ninth grade English teacher.  Thank goodness I kept it, because I can't find it anywhere online.

My autographed copy of Rules for Becoming a Legend.

Here's what Tim wrote in my book!  You can read more about his author reading by clicking here.

Oscar Party Food

Kelly provided the house and the TV plus the prize for correctly predicting and the Oscar BINGO. I provided the food.  We had one item for each best picture.

For Dallas Buyer's Club: an antioxidant salad

For Nebraska: Mac & Cheese

For Philomena:  Buttered Cabbage

For Captain Phillips:  a traditional Somali Lentil dish

For American Hustle: Vegetarian Pigs in a Blanket

For 12 Years a Slave: Vegetarian Collard Greens

For Her: Jello Jigglers cut in heart shapes

For Gravity:  the Cosmonaut, which was Tang and Vodka, shaken.

For Wolf of Wall Street: Mini Quiche 

(which were not available, so I bought Nancy's Quiche and cut them up)

Postcard from Virginia

Another nice postcard from one half of Pike Schemes was waiting for me when I came home from my early release day.  It was accompnied by a letter too!

LOTR Extended Editions

"If I were going to watch all the extended edition of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in one day, would anyone be up to watching them with me?"  So the query was posted and so people replied in the affirmative and so the Lord of the Rings Butt-Numb-A-Thon came to be.

Laurie and Burt provided us with three meals which was good, because we were watching movies from 9:00am to 10:00pm.  Here was the spread for Breakfast.  We also had sandwiches for lunch and tacos for dinner.

And we begin.

And we continue.  And some of us discover that sitting on the top part of the couch is preferable to the couch.

And so it ends, and I take a picture of the liquids that got me through my day.  Tea in the morning, water through the day, hot chocolate to get me through the last two-hour stretch.

I confess, I didn't really know what I was signing up for, and it was rough going in the middle*, but I'm proud to say I did it.  There were nine of us (if you count Lily the dog) who watched all three movies.  We should get tattoos.

*I actually left to feed the cats simply so I could get up and walk around.  I even did lunges, my legs were feeling so dead.  Since I stand at work now, I really never sit down for long stretches any more.

The Lorax Setup.

Kelly and I arrived at the park in Vancouver, Washington ready to see the Lorax.  We were early so we claimed a seat in the front and got to witness the trouble with the inflatable movie screen.

The wind was a problem.  It wasn't big and gusty, just a persistent blowing that blew that screen right over.  They tried to raise it a few times and then called for backup in the form of stakes.
 

When the stakes arrived, up it went again.
 

And employees held steady.
 

And pulled.
 

And tugged.
 

And stood patiently while stakes were pounded into the ground.
 

Like what is happening here.
 

Some support?  Or just looking busy while chatting?
 

There was a lot of standing and waiting.
 

And phoning.
 

And waiting.
 

The mom said, "Okay 1-2-3 open your eyes" and the kids eyes flashed open for a second while she snapped the picture.
 

Still waiting. (Tom Petty says, "The waiting is the hardest part.")
 

But that waiting ends eventually.

 

A band of caution tape to keep everyone safe.
 

And a tie off.
 

Go City of Vancouver!
 

An announcement about how it will all work.
 

More tying off.
 

These were darling.  This outing marks the first time I've seen the fold-y chairs with sun shades.
 

 All that hard work means kinks in the back.  Luckily, someone can do something about that.

 

Success! 

 

Postcard from WDC

Another good card, also not from Postcrossing, but from one half of Pike Schemes.  I love Summer Sara.

Postcard from Lee's birthplace

Look what arrived in the mail today.  Not from Postcrossing, I've been slacking on that and thus my mailbox hasn't been festooned with postcards from around the world.  But from one half of Pike Schemes!  And the best part is that I've already read the blog post.  Thanks Sara!

Laurie Notaro

Kelly and I wandered down to Powell's for our third Laurie Notaro reading.  She was funny as ever, in her hilariously charming over-sharing way. If you are looking for a bit of a pick-me-up any of her books of essays will do.

ps.  The gallery installation behind her was incredible.  A whole heap of author portraits done by two artists. I especially loved the style of Allison Bruns (the top one pictured here).  She was great at capturing expression.

More pictures of the exhibit.
http://powells.tumblr.com/post/51569909347/travelingbookgirl-powells-city-of-books

The most exciting piece of mail I've ever gotten.

That's my friend Cindy on the right.
 

 

And she's getting married!
 

And it's not just a very pretty wedding invitation, it's a record!
 

I'm so excited. 

Great Scott! Look what came in the mail!

A part for a blender we bought.  That was one thing that came in the mail.  It was waiting patiently on the porch along with...

What's this large package underneath?

Once I saw it was addressed to Patricia Clark, I knew who it was from.  Then it was only a matter of unwrapping to find:
(Cue sound of angels singing.)

  A cake carrier.

And not just any cake carrier, but a Tupperware carrier in perfect condition in the always-winning shade of Harvest Gold!   I can transport my cakes in comfort and style all thanks to Sara and Shawn at Pike Schemes.  You guys are awesome.  Thank you so much.

Birthday Card

I was thrilled that my colleague Julie volunteered to make birthday cards this year, because the last time she made me a card it was my favorite card of the year.  But this year she totally outdid herself.  I might just frame this.  How lucky am I?