Midsummer Observations

It is shocking - shocking, I tell you - how slow the latter half of July has been considering the first half and all of June were moving at breakneck speeds of all the above-average social butterflyness it could. So I've now had time to catch up on blogs - tho I can see the rest of you and your summers have NOT slowed down in the least because um.. yeah.. you're barely keeping up in the blogosphere [read: GOD I need some rest-of-summer plans] - I've done some shopping, had dinners with friends, drank lots and possibly even extra lots of wine, been pretty rigorous about this working out idea, which is actually less than an idea and more just me being excruciatingly sore in every possible muscle and not getting the least bit tinier overall that I've noticed, had my car fixed (more about that shortly), got a raise, reconnected with an old beau, tried to date a new one that will be moving in October anyway, so yeah, that's going well.. and have been keeping up on The Daily Show and learning more about politics than I should in any given summer.

So you know.. it's going.. just.. a little slowly right now. Tho crap! It's August already. You know what that means for Seattlites? Yeah, um.. summer is just about OVER and all of us here could swear it just began! So yeah.. there's that.

ANYWAY.. I've thought about some things and I'd like to share them with you.

* I am totally losing my eyebrows. NO, it's not because I'm over-plucking. I don't pluck in the middle of my brows where they seem to be thinning. It's just uh.. I'm getting older? Possibly. The hairs are seizing their moment to escape?? More likely. Additional guards are being called in.

* Seriously, if you already thought Jon Stewart was frickin brilliant, last night's Stephen Colbert's The Word, about special prosecuter Alberto Gonzales, was beyond stellar. I'm just wondering how many times Bush can invoke executive privilege and continue to back this guy..

* Tho I really wouldn't use my blog to say how great myspace is, it has done its bit of good and brought me so many new old friends. One being your friend and mine, dear Ammogirl, as well as other scattered high school and college randoms that I never really hung out with actually, but certainly appreciate their vigor in getting my attention and reminding me of who they are. So last Saturday hit a little closer to home when a boy I was completely smitten with my second to last year in college found me. And when I found out he lives just over on the eastside (well, I questioned at first, why the hell would you live over there?!), I was super happy.

So Jasper* and I re-met, caught up over drinks (and snacks, you know I have to have food, people), and I was just genuinely smiley the whole time. Not that I was hoping to reconnect that way - but I always had this affinity for him and he's always been a cuddly sort of guy - tho he'll probably hate me for writing that - but he's just one of those people you feel good being around and I know I need more people like that in my life. So.. yay me! Also, I can tell I talk too much for him.. probably why we never amounted to much.. but as a friend, he's very sweet in putting up with it so far. Bonus!

* I love this girl. I know I bring her up all the damn time, but you have to understand, we are sooooo different that it's kind of funny that we're friends. And then perfect because of exactly that. We've had good chats, done tarot, thrifted, gifted, dressed up, down, and all around, listened, had at least one tiff and at least a couple moments of 'I'd really like it if you didn't do that' sort of thing. Tho sometimes I expect one of us to put her arm up and push the other away a little due to our past experiences, we continue to motion the other to come closer instead. I mean, I'm persistent when I think someone is worth it and I'm just glad she allows me to remain there as one of her friends. Yeah, I pretty much love her to bits.

* Construction in your backyard sucks. Just in case you had no idea or thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad? No no.. it is. My landlord sold the backyard, which is less than 10 feet from my front door (that's around the back of the house mind you), so someone could build two townhouses.. and they started this morning. Let me just say bringing a backhoe thru a tiny alley sounds like a T-Rex stomping thru and then when it bites thru the cute little picket fence that's probably been there since the 50's like it's chomping up it's morning meal.. um.. it's a bit disconcerting. Not to mention loud. Also, the 'construction' guys should leave their seven-year-old kids at home. The ones who shout from my 'front' porch to their dog, which they also shouldn't have brought. Hi. Yeah. Thanks for noticing I sort of live here.

* When in unfamiliar parking territory, maybe look around your car for possible things that you may run over and, in fact, could be out to damage your sweet little ride and cost you oodles of cash to fix. Take my advice.. don't park in the sketchy pull out in front of one of your best friend's gorgeous Cape Cod mansiony houses even tho you love visiting, but just as a precaution remember that blackberry bushes and gravelly grassy areas can hide gigantic cement rocks with rebar in them that were once probably part of a house nearby but turned into blatant debris that was not so blatant at all because YOU DIDN'T SEE IT THERE WHATSOEVER and CRUCNHCRACKELYCRUNCHYMANGLEYCRUNCH was the sound it made as your poor little roadster ran over it and then promptly cried.. cuz OW...... sigh.

* Observation to self: Stop whining about stupid shit when life could change drastically in a matter of moments like it did for many people in Minneapolis when a bridge crossing the Mississippi River collapsed in the middle of yesterday evening's rush hour leaving four people confirmed dead, at least 79 others injured, and 30 or more still unaccounted for. I'm relieved the school bus full of young children trapped on a portion of the broken bridge was evacuated safely, but watching the raw video of the bridge in process of crumbling sincerely took my breath away. My heart and prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones to this accident as well as those who are still waiting to hear. Stupid tragedy. Finger pointing is imminent..

* On a lighter note - it's my little brother's 34th birthday today! I can't believe he's that old and he's doing so well - see his surf shop link here: Wave Hounds. Go there for bikinis, random jewelry, surf boards and gear, and a chat. He or my sister-in-law, Red**, will set you up. And tell him I sent you! Happy birthday little bro!


*Again, he picked the name, but at least this is one of his actual nicknames and it suits him I think. Cute, isn't it?
** Not her real name. See the website silly.