...blue crush...

I didn't get to actually see Clayton until yesterday morning due to the fact that he was in the NICU up until that. Nothing serious...he was born with the cord around his neck, so they were extra cautious with him, but all is fine.
He is just divine!
Today, after work, Jeremy, Mom, and I drove up to Piper and Nick's for Mother's Day and to help welcome Clayton to his first evening home. I finally got to see his pretty little eyes open, and he looked right at me! I held him a bunch, and just watched him. I got tears just because. Sigh. It is so nice having him here.

...new baby!...

Piper and Nick had their baby this morning at 11:16 a.m.!
His name is Clayton Blue. Jer and I are going to visit this afternoon to see that sweet baby-face for the first time. Yay!!!

...serene siren...

Last night we had our first tornado sirens of the season! I was at work, which is basically a glass box except the bathroom, when they started screaming. Nothing usually hits inside the city, but I was a little concerned that they were actually going off. Outside things were tinted green, a bit on the still side, and the clouds did not look right. We went into the bathroom for about a minute, and then decided f-it...we can run in if we hear the deafening train-like roar (which is dumb...you usually only have about a minute warning to take cover!) A customer who came in after we left the bathroom made fun of me for being concerned. The sirens went on for ten minutes or so.
When I got home, I found a message on my cell phone from my Mom. It was from the same time the sirens were blaring. Apparently a police officer reported seeing a funnel cloud around 40th and Jefferson. For those who don't know, that is VERY close to where I work! In your face jerky customer. Did you not grow up in Kansas?!
The best was driving around town about sundown. The incoming night made the now long and smooth clouds appear like ocean water right before a storm.

Today is grey and the wind is propelling maple helicopters everywhere.
Soon I will be leaving to participate in the great inventory of '05. I know you must envy my Friday night of compulsory counting and re-counting.

...boppin' along...

Today is...grey, but that is okay. Knowing the wild K.C. weather, it is likely to change to extreme heat and sunshine at any point. I hope it rains more though, because it is good for the plants. The perennial herb garden I put in in the fall is popping up like crazy. We have mint and lemon balm coming out of our ears already! I've been enjoying the endless singing of at least 15 different birds, as well as the scattering of bunnies and squirels every time I step outside.

Jeremy is sick. Sad face. Nothing too serious, but he sleeps more than usual...which is a lot!! I have to be nice and not harass him with song and dance routines like I normally do. I made some tortilla soup the other night though, which should hopefully aid in his recovery. I had never cooked with raw chicken before! It turned out good...I just washed my hands a little compulsively.

I am procrastinating from cleaning up my studio. I want too, yet I don't want to face it because it is so hopelessly filled with junk!!! Alright...just another cup of coffee and I'll go freak out on that room.

Otherwise...work(s) are going good - busy, busy, we have a date set for the estate sale at my Daddad's which is a motivator for getting stuff done, Piper is like a parade balloon and the time for delivery is creeping closer!, we and the cats are well fed, watered, and happy so there isn't really anything to complain about!

...tattered notebook...

Since everyone else is busting out poetry, I thought I would treat you to some verse from my high school poetry notebooks!

This first ditty is from May 30, 1994:

Denny's
the epitome of all existance
muzak in the background
shmigging and drinking my coffee
the blackness of it enthralls me
steam
beats running through me
da bum bum...da bum bum ching
people crowding my aura
drinking milked up coffee
they're the true wimps
people suck
existence sucks
die preppy scum
yeah.

Here is one from April 1997 entitled New York #1:

rooms of spinning people
trying not to break the seal
broken vortex
mad city pulsing
fearless against the night

confidence with legs
we run through subways
man with directions
has no money
but now owns cigarettes
lighted mechanical dreams
fed an artist tonight

Alright...one last one and then I will quit assaulting your eyes. This next one actually appeared in our high school's literary magazine! A lot of people thought it was sexual (due to the getting off line), but honestly it was not meant to be. October 2, 1994:

Alice has given me her magic mushroom
and the Mad Hatter is molesting me.
The Caterpillar inches towards me
and I fall into a sea of feathers.
Cheshire Cat, your smile hypnotizes me
as you slowly fade away.
I like Wonderland
and shiny magic mirrors.
Vivid images appear and delight me.
Sound becomes another language.
I can see through you
and my mask is taken off.
Catch a quick glimpse
because you'll never see me again.
The earth has stopped and I'm getting off.
Only whispy thoughts of me will fog your memory.
Like a candle,
I have melted into a visionary puddle.

So...in the days before it was officially spring we had great weather. Once that vernal equinox hit...it snowed! Nothing stuck, but still! Now it has just been grey, chilly, and wet since then. Bring back the sun! The flowers were blooming, and now they just seem confused.

I finally got new glasses! Not just one pair, but two. I branched out in my style a little bit...one pair is dark plastic semi cat-eye-y. The other is wire frame like my previous, but shaped slightly different. The world is so clear to me now.

The baby book was finished and presented. That is pretty much all I did in the almost week that Jer was gone. Work...work on book...work...work on book. But it was fun. Piper and Nick really liked it, and I did my first binding that involved bookcloth. On to the next project!

Nothing much else new.

...pretty damn true...

Take the quiz: "What does your birth month reveal about you?"

October
Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to takes things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn'tpretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

...strange...

I had a dream last night that I was doin' it with Paris Hilton and Jon Stewart at the same time. Bizarre, yet fun in the dream...

...funny...

As seen from Julie's live journal...

1. Your Porn Star Name (name of first pet + street you live on):
Kiki 70th Terrace

2. Your Movie Star Name (grandfather[mother]'s first name + favorite snack):
Georgia Guacamole

3. Your Fashion Designer Name (first word you see on your left + favorite restaurant): Amtrak La Bodega

4. Your Foreign Name (favorite spice girl + last foreign vacation spot):
I believe I will have to go with Scary Swanage as well (like Julie!)

5. Your Socialite Name (silliest childhood nickname + first town where you partied):
Snookie Liberty

6. Your Drag Queen Name (grandma [mom's] first name + favorite cereal):
Tola Raisin Bran or Birdie Chex

7. Your Detective Name (favorite animal + name of high school):
Panda SMS

8. Your Bar Fly Name (last snack you ate + favorite alcoholic drink):
Chocolate Mojito

9. Your Soap Opera Name (middle name + street where you first lived):
Jane Winterthur Lane

10. Your Rock Star Name (favorite candy + favorite musician's last name):
Dark Chocolate Neff

11. Your "Popular" Name (favorite celebrity's first name + best friend's street name):
Donatella 70th Terrace

...i haven't lost my marbles...

Wow. The weather has been reaching into the 70s, green has been shooting up everywhere, and birds are singing like crazy. On top of that, I have had a really great weekend. Friday I was able to work on Piper's babybook a lot, which I definitely need to do more of. After that, I headed into work for a short while, then Jer came and met me to go down to gallery openings. There were some good things we saw, but I started to get too freaked out by all the people. I needed to leave, plus we had not had dinner yet, so we were both getting hungry. Jer came up with the idea of eating at Jazz (New Orleans style food.) I had only eaten there once years ago, and it was when I was vegetarian, so there was not much choice as to what I could indulge in. This time we went all out. Margaritas for me, wine for Jer, fried pickle appetizer, oyster po'boy (with coleslaw and hushpuppies) for me, andouille po'boy (with coleslaw and hushpuppies) for Jer, then beneigts and coffee for dessert. Ohhh...so good...so stuffed. We barely rolled home, and the rest of the night is kind of fuzzy.
Saturday I was totally off of work. Mom and I were supposed to be meeting at Daddad's to do more cleaning/going through of stuff. Instead, she, Jer, and I went to the marble fest at the moon marble company. None of us had been there before. It ruled! We got to see glass artists from across the U.S. and the amazing marbles that they create. Plus there were demos on various marble-making techniques. Moon Marble is pretty much a giant, crazy store. They not only have tons of marbles, and marble-related games, but lots of toys, and games in general, but all really great stuff...not mainstream toys so much. Afterwards, Mom and I went back to her house for some going through of stuff there, and Jer headed home. After I came home, I had just enough time to clean a little bit before my pals Joanna and Becky came over. We had a nice evening of gabbing and eating good food.
Today I am off to work soon, and who knows what will come about after that.
Josh, Julie, and Morgan...this weekend all we could think of was you all, what with cajun food, fun toyness, and a nice thank you card from Morgan. We miss you!

...bright...

I've been feeling bright for many reasons lately: the sun that has been shining for days, all the coffee I drink in the morning, a new teaching assistant job in fiber, fun lounging with Jeremy, friends getting engaged, planning and working on the babybook I am making for my nephew...not that I don't normally feel pretty good. Everything just seems new and fresh and light. Even things that maybe I should worry about are just not bothering me. That's always nice.

Otherwise...I don't have much to say! I've just been busy with lots of projects and work.

...sigh...

As I am sitting inside, flannel pj pants on, thin t-shirt, and hood up from my sweatshirt, I am taking frequent peeks at what is going on outdoors. There is a plump, solitary dove perched on an angled wire above our garage. All around her there is gentle snow falling like sifted sugar. The sky is a flat grey, but the nerve-like quality of the tree branches break it up. Now I can hear the dove's coos through the window. Different birds are answering back.

...weekend update...

Jeremy and I have had an abundant social calendar to attend to lately, so I haven't had as much leisure time...well, leisure time by myself! I don't feel super write-y right now, but Rick requested an update!
Yesterday was my day off so how did I spend it? First I met with the historian at Elmwood Cemetery (the oldest cemetery in K.C....very interesting.) Far-back generations of my family are buried there, so I had gathered some info/photos for him to take a look at. He just about fell over with some of the stuff...sweet! After purusing some graves, I headed off to my Mom's house to help go through stuff in my old room and clean it out. We need a spot to move all the family history items from my Daddad's to. Most of the things left in that room were from high school. Last night, after returning home from a show at the info shop, Jer and I shared our deepest poetry that we had written in our younger years. It was pretty funny. I also found lots of old art, casette tapes, books, bizzare items, and one lonely flavored condom from when I used to volunteer at Condom Crusaders. So...here is a funny story that you may or may not know about me.

When I was a senior in high school, I ocassionally volunteered at Condom Crusaders putting together the little sample packs that they gave away when they spoke to groups. It included one lubed condom, one non-lubricated, a little tube of lubricant, and an info packet that contained proper condom usage, safe-sex tips, how to clean needles if you have to share one, etc. ANYWAY...as a volunteer, we could have as many condoms as we wanted. In the offerings were many flavored ones...grape, strawberry, banana, cola, etc. I took some of each flavor. Now, it is none of your business as to whether or not I was using them for their intended purpose, but I did have one totally lame moment with them. It was a Friday or Saturday night, and I happened to not be going out. I was up in my room, listening to music, doing whatever. Suddenly I wondered, "Do those flavored condoms really taste like what they say they will?" I proceeded to unwrap each one and take a couple of licks. After a bit I realized how totally lame I was...alone, licking flavored condoms. Dork.

You are water. You're not really organic; you're
neither acidic nor basic, yet you're an acid
and a base at the same time. You're strong
willed and opinionated, but relaxed and ready
to flow. So while you often seem worthless,
without you, everything would just not work.
People should definitely drink more of you
every day.


Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

...lady luck...

We survived all of the icy-ness with no power outages, or slips on staircases and sidewalks. I was sad to see the world of delicately crunching grass and glass-encased trees melt away. But...what replaced it was fog! Yesterday, as I left for work, I paused for a moment to breathe in the silence and enjoy the view of our street enshrouded in fog. I especially love looking at the neighbors towering evergreens when we are lucky enough to have fog. Today seems to be sunny, yet still cold.

In other luckyness...both of my pieces in the show downtown sold on the last day it was open! Woo-hoo! Plus, yesterday I won a fine lump of cash in a contest to sell easels at work. Maybe I should go to Vegas...uh...probably not.

Otherwise, I have been indulging in a couple of books..."Cosmic Trigger" by Robert Anton Wilson, "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, and "An Alchemy of Mind:The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain" by Diane Ackerman. Yay!!! Reading rules!

...back in black...

We returned home from our jaunt to Michigan safe and sound on Sunday. We had a very relaxing, fun trip hanging out with Alan, Meade, and Liam (Lucas, unfortunately, had to work the whole time.) There was a lot of hiking, reading, playing of skittle, sleeping, drinking wine, and eating fantastic food - much of which was made by Alan. Our New Year celebration consisted of spending the day hiking with Alan, Meade, and Jer...eating a late lunch, going to see "Ocean's Twelve" with Jer and Liam, then returning from the movie about 11:45pm to find dinner almost ready. At midnight we had a champagne toast, then feasted on lake trout encrusted with a ground nut concoction, steamed asparagus, challah, and fried potatoes. So good...
Jer and I decided that we enjoy the idea of midnight dinner every New Year's Eve!

So...thank you Meade, Alan, and Liam for your generous hospitality. We had a wonderful time as always.

Otherwise...Christmas was good. There was much celebrating and festive activities. I worked a bunch, then we left, now we are back, and it was right back to work! Good friend Mandylan is in town, so I got to hang out with her yesterday. Currently we are right in the grip of an ice storm. Please chant amongst yourselves that no tree brances will crash through our house, onto our cars, or tear down our power lines! Yay! So far, so good...we are warm, and Jeremy is creating dinner as I type. Yum. Hope everyone is happy, healthy, and filled with love for their fellow earth inhabitants.

...cake for Jesus, I mean Joshua...

Happy Birthday o brother-in-law of mine! Here is wishing you the best year yet. I hope that this time next year, we can celebrate with you in person!
Have a great day with your family, and eat some of Julie's yummy food for me...well...don't eat lamb for me, 'cause I'm not sure if I will ever do that or not. Anyway...I hope all of your wishes come true. Take care.
love you much...


P.S. In un-related news, we found out Wednesday that Piper and Nick are having a boy! We get the instant gratification of having an older niece to play with and talk to, and now we get a nephew to know from the get go! I love being an Aunt!!!

...thanks due...

Yesterday was an exciting mail day...three packages and two cards and a card with cookies from our neighbors! I love getting mail!!!
Anyway, we are no-good at saving our packages to open at the appropriate holiday time. I was going to try to be good this year, but Jer said let's go for it.

Thank you Josh, Julie, and Morgan for the very cool gifts! I never knew a mini-Che existed. The cookies are very good...Jer went immediately for them...not that I didn't, but he got there first. Hope you all are having a nice holiday today. We will try to call at some point, but I am unexpectedly working most of today, and Jer has a tuning.

Thank you Joan! The tile is beautiful, and goes well with our collection. The kitchen gadgets will be definitely utilized. We hope you get your package in time...we sent it off Priority yesterday. Have safe travels and thank you again!

Thank you Rick for the gift last week! I know Jer spoke with you, but I didn't get to thank you yet. We love fiesta ware, so it was perfect! I have already enjoyed many cups of coffee in the mugs. We are slow on gathering your gift...we know what it is, it is just a matter of doing it. That's all I'm going to say. So...it is probably not going to arrive on time, but we still love you! :)

Alright! Thank you everybody!!! The best gift of all is having you folks as family.
We will talk with you at some point this week.
Happy Holidays of all kinds.
love.

...under pressure...

Man...people are getting a little too nutty out there. I really do not enjoy trying to get any sort of shopping done this time of year be it groceries or gifts. People are super-hyped up on consuming...I start to see them just as giant suck-holes bent on obtaining as much as they can in a short amount of time. Especially working retail you get to experience just how much the holidays can turn people into real jerks. Sigh. I just want to grab people and smack them...breathe damnit! Remember, it should not be about getting things. I would be perfectly happy just to have leisurely time with family and friends...no worrying about work, or bills...eating good food, and laughing. Presents are nice, but they don't have to exist.

Okay...just had to get that off of my chest, because I am starting to not want to leave the house!

In other news...things are pretty good. Jer's been getting a bunch of tunings, I am working more hours at Utrecht which is not a bad thing, it hasn't been too cold, we discovered a new favorite breakfast spot within walking distance from the house ('bout a mile,) I'm re-reading "The Red Tent," we have been eating well, Piper and Nick get to find out in a couple of days if they are having a boy or girl!, the kitties are snuggly and cute (though can be scratch-masters at night,)...I don't know...life is just moving on as it should.

If I don't get around to it again...Happy Holidays of all kinds to everyone.
P.S. Hey Josh and Julie...we got invited to a Solstice party for Tuesday night, so we will be celebrating too!

...from Julie...

I really liked this listing idea...
things listed in no particular order

Twelve Good Books:
1.The Journey is the Destination by Dan Eldon
2.House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
3.Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
4.Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
5.Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
6.A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain
7.The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
8.The Year I Didn't Go To School by Giselle Potter
9.Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
10.The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
11.Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Alexander Brown
12.Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins

Eleven Good Bands/Artists:
1.Tool
2.Bjork
3.Pixies
4.Neurosis
5.Pink Floyd
6.Dead Prez
7.Mos Def
8.Garbanzo Brothers Music
9.Queen
10.Submission Hold
11.The Mountain Goats

Here is my list of eleven visual artists...though I think by artists they meant musically, but who cares!:
1.Remedios Varo
2.Yoshitomo Nara
3.Kara Walker
4.Vincent Van Gough
5.Frida Kahlo
6.Joseph Cornell
7.Fred Tomaselli
8.Alex Grey
9.Corrie Beth Hogg
10.Ann Hamilton
11.Kiki Smith

Ten Things You Want to Do In Your Life:
1.visit Iceland
2.have children
3.have an art show outside of the Kansas City area
4.visit every State that I have not yet been to
5.swim with whales and/or dolphins
6.learn to speak Spanish and/or French at least semi-fluently
7.have a party in which all my family/extended family is present
8.scuba dive
9.solve some sort of mystery
10.fully read "Gravity's Rainbow" and "Zen and the Brain" (they are both quite heavy, and awaiting me on our shelves)

Nine Things You Really Like:
1. snuggling in blankets on a cold day and reading
2.talking with/pretty much everything dealing with Jeremy
3.cooking/having a really tasty dinner with friends
4.walking around familiar and unfamiliar cities
5.being an Aunt!
6.sunshine on my flesh
7.my family
8.funny things that kids say
9.thinking about/working on art projects

Eight Things That Piss You Off:
1.people who don't pay attention to their surroundings
2.customers who are rude to me from the get go and for absolutely no reason
3.how utterly cruel people all over the world can be to each other
4.hitting (of children, wives, husbands, or other animals!)
5.crazy drivers...sometimes I'm included in that!
6.words intentionally spelled wrong (i.e. rite, nite, u save)
7.willful ignorance
8.stepping in dog poo

Seven Things You Do Daily:
1.drink coffee
2.hug/kiss/say I love you to Jeremy a bunch
3.make lists
4.eat
5.think about my Dad and Grandparents
6.wash my face
7.laugh

Six Memories:
1.all my firsts with Jeremy (meeting, date, kiss...you know)
2.emerging out of a three-hour hike through sub-tropical rainforest in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney
3.driving through a blizzard in south-western Kansas, and looking out the window to see a HUGE tumbleweed rollin' on by
4.the shame I felt the first time I was caught lying by a friend (it was 2nd grade)
5.the night my Dad passed away
6.lying on the ground in Iowa, the night-sky splayed out before us, watching hundreds of shooting stars

Five Things You Thought About Today:
1.my health (I'm getting over a cold.)
2.gifts left to get for various folks
3.sewing circle tonight
4.what to do (it's my day off!)
5.frogs

Four Things You Like About Yourself:
1.sense of humor
2.my fine booty
3.creativity
4.approachability

Three Things You Don't Like About Yourself:
1.my apathy/indecision/lack of discipline about doing certain things
2.sometimes I say things before thinking about how they might hurt somebody
3.I can be a little too firey sometimes

Two People That You Confide In Most:
1.Jeremy
2.Piper

One Thing You Want But Don't Have:
1.the truth about all of the mysteries of the world