Hey peeps! I'm going on staycation* til after Labor Day!
I want to see what it's like when I look up from the monitor for more than just a day or two. I want to know what it's like to have a clean house. I want to have time to have sushi and get my hair done and get the kid ready for the school year and get things ready for fall in general. My days of heading off to Mexico or Hawaii have obviously been tabled for a while, so for now, these plans I have are exciting. Or at least, something I'm looking forward to. Exciting is a bit strong. ;)
I'll probably check in via my itouch once in a while... 'cause I'm nosy and I like to know what's going on with all you wild and crazy folk.
Apparently my vacation is just in time for the latest NW rain/windstorm. Supposedly a doozy. Good thing I don't melt.
*That's another new word I learned from my Vox hoodies.Y'all are so creative. :)
Last night I dreamt there was an event where Sumo wrestler-type men balanced as many individual plates and other dishes all over their bodies, while a three-man band of other sumo wrestler-types played traditional chinese folk music.
And the only part I found odd was that each contender had to bring his own band.
There are supposed to be thunderstorms today, and they are saying they are going to be kind of the midwest kind of thunderstorms. (In Western Washington, our thunderstorms are once or twice here and there, then that's all.)
I lived in the midwest long enough for the fear of God to be entrenched in my bones whenever a thunderstorm came along. My kid is supposed to spend 5 hours out in the middle of a field with his trombone today. I'm wondering if that's the wisest thing?
Oh yes, I am.
Please consider the large gash on my left nostril. I was washing my face this morning and my pinky got caught in my nose as my hand was moving up over my face, leaving a nice slice along the edge of my nostril. That, in combination with the zit on my chin of epic proportion, should just go to show that all that talent is not going to waste.
I watched The Times of Harvey Milk today.
I never heard of Harvey Milk, growing up. But I read somewhere there was a movie being made about him, and I wondered to myself why some city councilman's life would warrant a movie.
Now I know why. The Times of Harvey Milk is a documentary about his life, and although it's a couple of decades old, it's quite eloquent. I recommend it.
My opinion is that the killings were about more than just homophobia, but that the punishment for the murderer was solely about that. I think Dan White killed the mayor and Milk out of frustration, professional jealousy, spite, and an overwhelming blow to a shallow ego and stubborn pride. I think he avoided the death penalty because of the fear of homosexuality. Which is why this story is so big, especially today.
From Netflix:
"Harvey Fierstein narrates this documentary by Rob Epstein
about San Francisco's most colorful -- and unfortunately, tragic --
political figure: Harvey Milk. A staunch fighter for gay rights, Milk
helped forge a presence for the city's gay community in city hall,
becoming the first openly gay member of San Francisco's combative city
council. But his life, along with Mayor George Moscone's, was cut short
by infamous fellow politico Dan White."
A passionate man, who's life was taken from him in a violent way. I think the release of this documentary was before Dan White's suicide, because there was no mention made of his death. Only his 5 years of imprisonment for violently murdering 2 people. Now I understand the cultural reference of "The Twinkie Defense".
It's truly a moving piece of recent history, and we would be wise to learn from it.
It's funny how life seems to teach you things in the oddest ways.
Last night I was supposed to have sushi with SushiGal, but I cancelled. I just wanted to chill by myself. We'll go tonight or tomorrow, depending on her schedule. Maybe.
I was wandering around my place a bit lost yesterday. I have a lot of work to do, both professional and personal, but none of it is what I consider a high priority. My mind is filled with all the busywork of life, and I think I realize that it's keeping me from getting anything 'big' done. Plus all that personal drama from last week is getting to me. It gets a bit heavy in my head sometimes.
So I got a glass of wine and went out onto my deck to watch the sunset. I watched one of the neighbor cats chase a cricket (I'm pretty sure it was a cricket). She was having a blast I think, as far as cats go. She chased it, caught it, held it for a while until it would get out of her grasp and they repeated the cycle all over again. After crossing the entire back yard, and having it get away for the final time, she turned around and wandered off into the bushes.
I looked at the time and realized over half an hour had gone by, and I had spent it completely enthralled by a cat and a cricket. And I was surprised to find that I felt a little lighter.
I think that's my personal way of realizing that maybe I need to stop and smell the roses a little more often.
The kid's at band camp as of this morning. Yeah I know... "this one time..."
Just a warning: The next person that says that to me is going to get smacked.
Remember how I said I was going to take a couple of days off next time he went away, to get some serious me-time in? That would need to happen this week and it's not going to. I'm sort of in work-mode these days and it will be nice to get some serious stuff done.
I found an awesome magazine, finally! It's called Ode, For Intelligent Optimists. I love the design/paper/articles... Each issue has a theme, and it's explored from a variety of perspectives. The issue I found is about silence. It's discussed from the perspective of business, energy, life, health, science, spirit. I think it's a bit liberal (that's okay with me), but it's a US/Netherland publication, so that doesn't really surprise me. Here's the July issue online, if you want to check it out. I think I'm going to like reading this each month. But I'm getting the paper subscription because I like the layout and paper. That's the designgeek in me coming out.
I did get this book to read this week, while my kid is gone. Maybe I'll be able to figure out how to prioritize myself in my life a bit better. I really hope it's not one of those selfish/self-absorbed loads of crap like Eat, Pray, Love was. I'll let you know what I find out... :)
I think this says it perfectly:
"I was a wonderful parent before I had children."
sigh.
Some things I learned from yesterday's Warped Tour.
- The theme from the tv show "The Office" really is a song, and it sounds really good performed live. I think it was the Lion Kings.
- I am getting old, even in my ears. Bands that scream, all sound the same, especially after a few hours.
- Warped Tour = a lot of screaming bands, with very few different ones thrown in for variety.
- When the man's tshirt says "Alcohol Enforcement" he means it. Which means the 3 guys walking right by him with joints in their hands are good to go, according to his uniform.
- Fat women should not wear bikinis or skin tight clothing. It does not help you look any skinnier. (I am fat. I do not wear bikinis.)
- Tough guys need sunscreen too.
The venue wasn't crowded so that was cool (Yay gas prices!). I sat up on the outer edge, listened to some music, watched a movie on my iPod when it got to be too much, and basically let my kid and his friends go down and watch the bands they liked, up front, then come check in with me once an hour. My kid moshed for the first time ever, which made me nervous (heart disease, hello!). Him too, I think. For the second band they went down to the stage, he refrained. I think he's over the moshing thing now. :)
I gave my phone number to a girl there, who was fighting with her punkass boyfriend. I couldn't help overhearing, because he was screaming at her. I don't know why they were fighting, but I overheard him say she had to find her own ride home. She looked scared. The Gorge is in the middle of nowhere: Basically a 2 hour drive to get anywhere besides a farmhouse or 2. After hearing him call her one too many names, I walked by and gave her my cell phone number, told her what time we were leaving, and to call me if she needed a ride. I knew she probably wasn't going to call, but I could almost bet money that he didn't know that. I mainly did it so he would realize that he didn't have her cornered and at his mercy as much as he thought. I wish I could have kicked him in the balls.
I sat near some musicians that were part of a band on the list, and we ended up chatting about the music profession, because my kid wants to be a musician. They gave me a lot of suggestions to help him get a leg up, so to speak, so that was really cool. He's on the right track so far. I looked like such a "Mom" yesterday, and looked very out of place. So for them to spend a bit of time just chatting with me was a really nice thing for them to do. I felt bad that I did not pay attention when they performed earlier. He said they kind of sounded like Sublime.
Anyway... the next music festival is in a month, and it will have some music I like as well as music my kid likes. It will be much more fun. Fun for me, that is. The boys had a blast.
We are on our way to The Gorge, in George, Washington for the Warped Tour. I'm taking my kid and 2 of his friends. One is hyperactive so cross your fingers I don't strangle him before day's end. It's a 3 hour drive. Ugh. Gotta get going!...
Have a good day kiddies. :)
The bands for today:
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