Musings in the Aftermath of Christmas

David Bowie's song I'm Afraid of Americans has been my anthem for the past few days. While it's hard to "drop it like it's hot" to this song, the song as an essence of truth. America is a scary ass country to be living in like 90% of the time (consider racism, George W. Bush, mall shootings if you're not following me....).

I've been bonding with the zoo peeps a lot lately -- pie nights, late night phone convos with Carol, Sudoku conventions -- all seems good in the hood. Zoolights ends in less than a week and I haven't been fired (despite appearances to the contrary). Sweet. Me (for the most part) likey the zoo.

Two of my top 5 friends, coincidentally both who live in other states/countries, are in town for the holidays. I've loved spending time with them. I've needed intimate, safe, long term friendships lately. I adore them both and the amazing things they are doign with their lives.

As far as the fam -- well -- we made it through Christmas. Only two more stress producing functions to go (Lutefisk Extended Family Thing and Parents' annual New Years Day Friendship Feast). Both of the parents are gently nudging me into world travel in 2006 -- I was given money and paperwork to get my passport for Christmas. I'm stoked.

The past few days I've been busy tying up lose ends for the year. Scrapbooks, blogs, and goal setting. It's been cathartic and relaxing thus far. I've done a lot in 2005 and I do have stuff to show for it. Really, I couldn't ask for much more.

Christmas Church was good. Spiritual leader spoke about considering who we're neighbors with (who we share tent pegs with) and how sharing a tent peg with someone connects us. Gave me a lot to consider given interconnectedness as a theme. I'd already been thinking on these lines -- in considering which of my zoo co-workers I would have possibly encountered without the zoo. Some I would have very easily, others I'd probably never have met. It's an interesting phenomenon. Taking that interconnectedness one step further, and with a Christian slant, if Christ is among us in other people and we have a mass of people in our lives each revealing Christ-like qualities, is God in essence already revealed to us? Something to think about...

Tragedy strikes my shoe...

Well, lesson learned today: If there's a pile of shit, I'm bound to step in it. This has both figurative and literal meaning -- for the second time in less than a month I stepped in dog poo. I had to smell stinky shoe all the drive back from Federal Way. And, somehow I do seem to end up in drama situations more regularly than some of my more mature, structured peers (symbollically representing poo). Ironic.




Yesterday at work I finished the book What Works in Schools by Marzano. Marzano has done some freakin' amazing stuff. Not sure the Greeners'll like him, though. He's too education trendy for them, methinks. I think he's pretty researched based and seems fairly practical -- if you can work for a district who takes stock in his findings. North Thurston definitely was.

I must also confess that I ate McDonalds again today. Dammit. I need to stop eating fast food. Fo real. Maybe this will be a New Years resolution. Or maybe I should just go get like a $20 Arch Card and not let myself do more than that per month. Then there's all those other options. Fuck you, fast food additives I'm addicted to! On the positive side of eating, I ate some Pho with Jen. It brought back warm memories.

Picking up parents in less than an hour. Muwahahaa, you're going to die, RAT, you're going to die! Enjoy this picture of a raccoon (courtesy of NW Trek adventure)....

Back to the couch...

I took one day off this winter, ONE DAY -- to go to Holiday Lights at Enchanted Village. Guess what's closed this season? So I'm spending another Saturday night, sitting on the couch, drinking two shots of Bailey's in hot cocoa, yet again watching Law and Order.

There's a rodent living in our upstairs. I reported this months ago to my parents, we set traps, the traps had fur on them but never landed a mouse. Then we got new traps. Nothing. My parents figured the mouse had moved on. Well, after seeing a HUGE FUCKING RAT in my kitchen and standing on a chair for a few minutes out of fear it has rabies and might bite me, I am certain someone needs to do something about this. There's a rodent living in our upstairs.

Went to NW Trek today. In fact, I acted as though I was animal paparazzi today taking 80+ digital pictures. Brandito went with me and helped in the mission. Loved it. Ended up with 25 amazing final prints. We laughed a lot. We saw lots of neat animals. We compared it to the zoo frequently. Loved it. My day wasn't a total wash -- not at all.

Me likey ... ME

Spent the better part of my afternoon enjoying the love affair with myself -- enjoying that I don't have the responsibility of caring for an epileptic poodle, enjoying that I'm not the sole breadwinner for myself and my husband, enjoying my own sense of quirky androgynous fashion, and enjoying that my intense loyalty to committment with friends had me up and 'attem far before my body thought that was such a good idea this morning.

Spent time with my favorite Oly ladies last night. Piano bar. Unlike three years ago, no martinis, snow, or drunk driving this time. Thank God. Instead, we had: muppet moments, "Sean Bolton," Hope socializing with anyone and everyone, and Erin trying to bring a piano player over to my house. Hillarious. Good times.

This afternoon, I ate a little Sakura with a few zoo co-workers. Even got a tea bath on my right leg. Definitely good grub, and a chance to get to know some folks better. I liked it quite a bit, actually. Touched that the roommates graced us with their presence. :)

Snoop Dogg sayz...

According to an AP article out of San Fransisco: “Stanley Tookie Williams is not just a regular old guy, he's an inspirator,” the rapper (Snoop Dogg) and former Crips member told a crowd of about 1,000 outside San Quentin State Prison. What the hell is an INSPIRATOR?

Mr. Williams reportedly wrote children's books urging against gang membership. From what I understand, the books aren't really good for children -- aren't age appropriate. Folks, Christmas is coming. If you'd like me to get you one of Tookie's books, please let me know. Although, it's hard to take an author seriously when one of his names he goes by ends in an 'ie'.

In other news, our beloved *cough, cough -- his job approval rating continues to sink lower* Prez said today that we'd stay in Iraq until the mission there was accomplished. Wasn't that almost word for word what the banner on the aircraft carrier proclaimed when the Prez landed on it shortly after the invasion of Iraq? Didn't it say something like "Mission Accomplished"?? Whoops. What the hell is Bush babbling about now?? Maybe him and Snoop Dogg should spend some time together.

I finished Patricia Cornwell's Trace two days ago. It was a sweet read -- but like her last -- it ended rather abruptly and without too much tying up of loose ends. I've heard her latest isn't that good --although I still find myself somewhat wanting to read it. Maybe in paperback...

Give the Gift of Yoga

At 5:45am, the last thing I want to see is a sign that says "Give the gift of Yoga." Here consumerism meets trendy, new-age, get-in-touch-with-you warm and fuzziness. This sign somehow represents all I abhor about life in Washington, life away from the simple minded, community oriented Midwest. Granola eaters beware.

Mind you, this is after my boss has called and left me a message that she's cutting back my hours for the day (re-igniting my fear and paranoia that I'm about to get fired) and after personally witnessing irrational and pointless road construction that closes far too many lanes of the highway. Nothing pisses me off more in the domestic spending of taxpayer money than the obscene amount of money spent on road construction. So rarely do road crews fix legitimate problems -- so rarely do they fix anything in an efficent and least invasive way. What's up with this?

Going back to bed after what seems like a mildly negative start to the day already...

Quick, quiet contemplation of days gone by...

Crisis is when your $300 iPod seems to be broken and your computer (plugged into said iPod) refuses to boot up. This is especially true at 2am. Talk about scary. Thank you, Apple Support, for guiding us newbies along in the process of ownership.

I gave Solar Richard, complete in his pink movie-star shades, tickets to Zoolights tonight. I'm sorry, but the dude's name was SOLAR RICHARD and he insisted that he was a VIP -- he makes solar LED lights. Doesn't EVERYONE know Solar Richard? What was I thinking!!?

Last two nights have been about Nicole Kidman movies. Watched both Bewitched and The Interpreter. Later was better than former. She's good, but she's not my favorite. All the hype about Spielberg's newest excites me, read about it in this week's issue of Time which I recently subscribed to. Yes, I'm subscribed to yet another mass-media outlet certain to brainwash me into thinking capitalism and GW Bush are the bomb-diggity.

tee hee hee...

Tee hee hee... I love snow. Watching it snow, enjoying the quietness that comes with snow, and being warm and snuggly inside = I love this. It snowed earlier today, melted, and now we've got a good two inches down on the ground again. I'm off work tomorrow; don't have to mess around with it unless I want to... this rocks.

Work has been rough on me this past week. I try not to think too much about it -- it's been kinda stressful. More than it should be -- I've nearly got a Master's degree and a real career, yet somehow I end up experiencing mild workplace drama. I keep telling myself that this job kept me sane throughout the summer and student teaching, now I've gotta stay sane through Zoolights.

Finished P.F.'s Teachers as Cultural Workers. Spent quality time importing songs into my laptop to find their way to the iPod. I like days off.