Snow Day Photos

As promised, here are some photos from our snowy Portland days. It's been a week since the snow has started, and the flurries keep on coming. It's still a beautiful sight, but it's been a bit troublesome getting around town. Oh well, I will keep on enjoying this freakishly cold weather, because it doesn't come around very often. Enjoy the pics.

This last one was taken when my eyes were attacked by stinging snowflakes. The bastards.

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

That's the sound of my boots stomping through freshly fallen snow. Snow Day in Portland!

I woke up this morning to a world of white. This is not a common occurance for the people of Portland. After bundling myself up, I walked out to my car, scraped off the ice and snow and headed to work, which turned out to be more of an adventure than I bargained for. The freeway was pretty clear until I headed into the city where I work (Beaverton...woo.), which is at a higher elevation than P-land. The lines dividing the lanes were wiped out by a sheet of snow, and no one knew what to do. It was fun. Having made this trip a thousand times over, I knew where I was on the road, and my tires felt true to the ground. I can't say the same for other drivers.

I realized that the day was only going to get colder and more snow-filled, so I made the decision to leave my car at work, and hitch a ride with my friend, who was more prepared than I was for such a snow fall. This is when I realized how much I love my new car- I didn't mind driving in the snow, I was just worried that an inexperienced snow-driver would hit my car. I felt safer leaving it at work. Chains on Brook's truck tires, we headed back to the North side.

I spent the remainder of my morning walking around my neighborhood, taking pictures and just enjoying my surroundings- my neighborhood had a winter make-over ::snaps fingers in a "z" shape:: fab-u-lous! Since I can't find my USB cable, I cannot post pictures just yet, but I will eventually.

I ended the evening with a nice bowl of homemade stew. I will now sit by the fire and enjoy the rarity that is snow in Portland!

PS: The word "snow" was written ten times in this blog.

PPS: For anyone who read my last posting- I did get my hair cut, and I did buy my crafting materials. Who's the ninny now, huh?! Not me!

Productive, Yet Not

Greg went on a cleaning rampage yesterday, which was AWESOME (we can be quite the messy duo), and I continued it this morning. I love having a clean house, so why don't I keep it clean more often??? I did an overhaul on the bathroom, tidied up my vanity in the dining room and cleaned the rats' cage. It was a productive morning. I then baked four batches of gingerbread men and gingersnap cookies for Greg (I think ginger stuff is gross). We had a few causalties- a broken gingerbread man leg, a couple decapitations- but overall, quite a success. I felt full of energy...

...and then I sat down.

I was planning on going out to buy materials for Christmas gifts (happy handmade-I-don't-have-money-holiday!), but the sofa was calling to my butt, and who am I to get in the way of true happiness? I sat....and sat....and sat some more. Energy gone. Projects left undone. Boo.

It's been quite a blustery day today, and I'm sure that influenced my decision to stay put. I had plans to go out tonight, but they've been cancelled, and I'm okay with that. It's a great night to stay in. Greg's home now, and he's be working crazy hours at the hotel for the past few weeks, and next week he's going to be even busier, so it'll be nice to spend the evening in with him so I can remember what he looks like.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will continue on with my chores. I WILL go out and buy the tools I need to get my craft on. I'm even thinking of getting my hair cut. Now that I've written it into cyber-eternity, I must get it done, lest I look like a ninny who's all talk and no action. I don't want to be a ninny.

Sister Cities

Oregon

Mexico

From the home page of PGSA:

"The Portland Guadalajara Sister City Association (PGSCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating and strengthening partnerships and fostering goodwill between the City of Portland and the City of Guadalajara. PGSCA achieves this endeavor through on-going cultural, educational, and economic development initiatives.

Additionally, PGSCA's Community Giving Program supports creditable Causes in Oregon through social, cultural and educational projects. PGSCA's four-day Cinco de Mayo Fiesta held at Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park provides the primary source of funding for the organization's charitable and cultural activities. The Cinco de Mayo Fiesta celebrates the richness and diversity of family, culture and community with authentic Latino art, music, dance, cuisine, and hand made crafts.

PGSCA’s mission is to foster intercultural exchange, promote goodwill with the citizens of Guadalajara, and to stimulate the development of cultural diversity between Mexico and the United States."

In late 2006, the government of Guadalajara awarded Portland with one acre of park land in Bosque Colomos, Guadalajara’s largest central-city park. Within this park space, Jardin Portland was created. Jardin Portland is a global model for landscape design, environmental sustainability, and cultural tourism and exchange.

In February of 2008, two rose gardens were created. These gardens line the entrance to the park. Currently in the works are a replica of Multnomah Falls and it's famous footbridge.

For more info, check out:

http://www.pgsca.com/jardinportland/index.html or http://www.pgsca.com/

It's funny, but knowing that the city where half of my heritage comes from, and the city which I now (and hopefully will forever) call my home are connected, it makes me feel like I'm right where I need to be....like I belong here.

...and so it begins...

Greg and I made an appointment for this Wednesday with a housing lender. I'm very excited to get the ball rolling on this whole house buying process. The steps towards buying a house are so foreign to me that I have no idea what to expect in this meeting. Who knows? We may find out that we're not ready to buy a house, but at least by knowing that, we'll know what steps need to be taken to become ready.

It really means a lot to me that Greg took this first step to contact a housing lender. I've been in a pretty big funk lately- what with my dad, my work stressing me out, and just a few other forces in the universe challenging me lately. I got to talk with Greg, and express how important it is for me to take this next step in life and try to own some property, and he really listened, understood and responded. I love it. I love him so much. He really knows what it takes to make me happy now. When I cry about my dad, he shows me videos of animals wearing hats, or helps me learn how to say "I am a pineapple" in four more languages (I'm up to eight, it's really going to get me somewhere in life). So simple, but he knows exactly what it takes to put a smile on my face. I only hope I am always returning the favor for him.

I Hate This

It's been two weeks since my dad had heart surgery and he's STILL in the hospital. He wants to leave, we want him to leave, but they are making him stay. Had everything gone smoothly, he would have been home a week ago. First, he has a troublesome post-op experience where his lungs weren't working, making him stay in ICU for a day and a half longer than he had to. Now he's got a kidney infection, and we don't know when he can go home.

I hate it. I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it.

I just want him home, where he can feel comfortable and safe. Where he can get the rest he so desperately needs, and where I believe he'll be able to recover more quickly. I've been trying so hard to be patient, to be strong, but I'm breaking. It's all I think about. I do nothing but worry about him, and I feel so guilty for being up here and not still down there with him. I feel guilty for not having a house big enough for him to stay in- if I had an extra room, I'd find a way to work it out with his doctors and fly him up here to recover, where I can keep an eye on him and take care of him.

I hate this.

I've never felt so useless to someone I love.

Because Lists Are Easier Than Paragraphs

Here is a list of blogs that I started writing about, but then deleted, or of topics that I intended on writing about, but either waited to long so the event became irrelivant, or I couldn't figure out a way to start it, or any other lame excuse that keeps me from writing on this more often.

* My Dad's surgery. It was tough to go through, so I don't need to relive it in writing.

* My boss, but I don't want to be that person. You know, the person that just bitches about their boss.

* My house being haunted. I started writing about this one today, totally convinced that my house was haunted, and then Greg totally debunked it. Damn scientific evidence and air displacement. I deleted it, because I didn't want to look retarded.

* How I think claiming to be selfish and a free spirit is a cop-out for having to try in life. I think it shows weakness. In a fight or flight situation, flight is the easy way out. You don't have to stay where you are, but when you decide to make a change, do it with grace. I thought I'd get too angry and preachy in this one.

* A blog about Edgar, but that would make me a crazy cat lady.

* Songs I like. I may come back to this one, but I just don't know how to lay it out onto paper-err-screen.

* The kick-ass pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting that Gina and I made. I'm so proud of that dessert, that I've pretty much already told everyone about it, so why write about it as well? I think I may still post the recipe, though. It's easy to follow and deeeeelicious!

* I want to do more for my community. That's about it. It wouldn't be much of a blog. It would probably go a little like this: I want to do more for my community. The end.

* The last good books I've read. Geek Love and Anthem. I've never been good about writing reviews for books or movies, so I've hesitated on writing these, but look them up, because they're worth reading.

* My latest art project. I'm really excited about it, but two things have kept me from writing about it. First, it's supposed to be a surprise for my art group, and I don't know if any of them read this. Second, I have procrastinated the hell out of it, and haven't worked on it in about three weeks. If I start to write about it, I think, "that's lame. Why am I writing about something I haven't finished, when I could be finishing it." Then I don't do either. I could be working on it right now....

That's about all on the topic front. Huh, a blog about blog topics. Where, oh where has my creativity gone to?

flibbity flop

Lately I've been feeling like the world and the people around me are a bit more insane than normal. There are so many things happening right now that don't actually affect me directly, but they're having an impact on my life in some branched out way. I'm stressed, I'm scared, I'm angry, but I'm happy too. I guess I'm stressed about my job, I'm scared about my dad's surgery next week, I'm angry about certain people's actions, and I'm happy at home. Maybe my sensitivity level may be heightened a bit (for what reason? I can't say.) or maybe I'm the one who's gone off their rocker, and the rest of the world is going on with business as usual.



No. It's not me. It's you.



What I'm trying to say is....I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say. Life feels off kilter. Too many stories in my own life and in the lives of those I care about are shooting straight for the dramatic climax at the same time. It's too intense. I feel like I'm waiting- waiting for results. For changes. For a catostrophic end- SOMETHING. The anticipation is rendering me crazy. I don't know which direction to go in my life right now I guess, because I'm waiting for the next chapter in the lives around me. I feel like one of those people may need me, and I don't want to start something new in my own life, and possibly miss the moment when that person will need to reach out to me for help. Does this even make any sense? I feel so distracted right now.





Totally off subject....not that those preceding paragraphs had a subject...



While I was driving on the freeway today, a car was totally riding my ass. I guess I wasn't driving fast enough for him during rush hour traffic- no one was driving fast enough for him, but I was the lucky one that was in his way. He got even closer to my bumper and flashed his brights. Well, I'm not one for road rage, so all I did was let my foot off the gas- you flashed your brights- does that mean you want me to go slower? Then as he quickly swerved into an open lane, he drove up to my car to show me he was mad- that's when I like to give a big smile and wave. He was a young guy- maybe 19 or so, and my cheerful nature did not please him. So he gunned it and proceeded to swerve in and out of traffic to show all of us amature drivers how it's done. I went about my driving duties, and about three minutes later when I was reaching my exit, my friend who was riding with me said, "isn't that the truck that was in a hurry?" Sure enough, we were approaching the young Mad Max. He was in the far left lane, stuck in traffic, and we were two lanes over. As my car reached his, I turned my head to see if he remembered me. He looked, and I gave a great big smile and waved as I slowly passed him. You're going seven miles per hour? Oh, look at that, I'm going ten. Good thing you flashed your brights at me, it really helped you out in the end. Ass.

I Thought You Were Better Than That

Dear California,

I was sorely disappointed to hear that you passed Proposition 8. Seeing how California is the hotspot for new and upcoming trends, I guess discrimination and stripping away Americans' rights are very "in". I hope that trend is very short-lived.

Not so fondly,
Krisha

The Final Countdown

I dropped my ballot off today.



Yeah!



I can't wait for Tuesday. Not only for the long awaited answer of who's going to be president, but for the long desired relief from non-stop campaign commercials.



I can't believe how anxious I am about the outcome of this election! I've never followed political races so closely. I know this is a historical race, but still, I'm amazed at how nervous I am! I'm nervous!



All I can say is- don't forget to vote. We've all been voicing our opinions, but our words mean shit if we don't turn in our ballots. Polls show that Obama is in the lead, but polls don't elect the President, votes do- palpable votes. Voter turnout will be what really determines the outcome.



I've been mapping out the next couple of years of my life lately. I'm hoping that Greg and I will buy a house before the end of next year, and after that, we'll try for a baby, but if McCain is elected, I'm seriously considering waiting to have a baby for at least another four years.

Hmmm

Today at work we were sampling some new cheeses. One of them was called "Cow Chego". It's our own twist on Manchego, and it's pretty good- creamy and mellow. It makes me wonder, though....

If Cow Chego is made from cow's milk, what is Manchego made from?

I think Manchego tastes a lot better. Is that wrong?

Mexico...

...was amazing. One of the best trips of my life. We went to so many places: Cancun, Yucatan, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Lake Chapala, Aguas Calientes, Tlaquepaque....and saw so many incredible sights.

The highlights, of course, were seeing the ancient pyramids of the Mayans and the Aztecs. Unfortunately, we couldn't climb up the steps of the Temple of Kukulkan, because the government closed the steps to help preserve the Temple- good for the history, bad for my....

OK. That's how I was planning on telling everybody about my trip. Now, my mind is like cake batter and I'd much rather be downstairs munching on some pita chips and hummus, and then hop into the shower and stay there for about a year.

Nothing significant happened to make me change my direction for this blog. I just can't seem to get into a "flow" of sorts. The phone keeps ringing, I'm thinking about my laundry that has to go into the dryer, and as I've said before- hummus, pita chips and shower.

This was a trip of a lifetime, truly unforgettable. It made me want to really try harder to become fluent in spanish, and it also made me realize that (as much as I love her) I WILL NEVER GO ON VACATION WITH MY MOTHER AGAIN. There were far too many times where she broke my heart without ever knowing it, and I just don't think I could handle it. Regardless of that fun-filled fact, I will treasure the time I spent in Mexico, and I promise I will not wait another fifteen years to see my family.

Some highlights of my trip:

*Climbing to the top of The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan: There is something so magical about being able to fully engulf yourself in history- to step on the same steps that your ancestors walked on, to touch a stone and wonder how many people before you touched that same stone- little things, but each stone, every inch of paint or plaster that endured and stayed intact after so many years is something to be recognized and respected.

*Lunch in Mexico City during our temple tour: Instead of eating lunch at the restaurant where all the tourists go, our awesome tour guide took us to his friend's place. We were greeted warmly and sat in the back kitchen with his family. I had the best damn chile relleno of my life in that little kitchen.

*Breakdown in Aguas Calientes: My family decided to take a little road trip to see even more family in the city of Aguas Calientes in Jalisco. So there we were- Brian, Greg, my mom, my cousin Raul, Raul's wife and 4-year-old son, my Tio Raul, my cousins Maricela and Carolina and I- piled in an old skool pimp van (plush recliners and a bench in the back) making our way through nowheres-ville when we came across some car troubles. We made it just short of a couple blocks to my Tio Pasqual's house. The van was dead and the ten of us walked the rest of the way. That's how we roll.

*The battle of the Mariachi bands: Brian, Greg, Maricela and I went out to Tlaquepaque to check out some art galleries and do some shopping. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant located inside a big courtyard. What we found out was that this courtyard was home to about sixteen other restaurants- and ALL of them had Mariachi bands wandering the aisles, asking patrons if they would like to hear some music. You know who wanted to hear some music? The table to the left of us, and a table about three parties to the right of us....and they wanted to hear music at the same time. So two mariachi bands were playing AT THE SAME TIME, and THEY WERE PLAYING DIFFERENT SONGS. The best part was that through all of the ::ahem:: music, there was a man fast asleep at the table behind us. Good times. Good times indeed.

There were so many more moments that made this trip the spectacular adventure that it was, but there's no way I could list them all, and there's probably not enough of you interested to hear them all- I am known to blab.

Anxious

We leave for Mexico in three days!!! I'm so excited, but I feel totally unprepared for this trip. I always feel like I'm forgetting something when I go on vacation. Still, I hate how anxious and nervous I get- it puts me in a foul mood, and I'm sure I'm not much of a peach to hang out with.

I just have to breathe.....

For those who don't know the details:

Greg and I are flying to Cancun on Thursday night (hell yeah!). We'll meet up with Brian (my brother) and my mom, and take a guided tour of Chichen Itza. From Cancun, we fly to Mexico City so we can see Teotihuacan. Then we rent a car and drive to Guadalajara to spend the rest of our trip with family. Good times!

What the hell is this entry about?

I never thought I had an addictive personality, but I am finding that to be untrue. I cannot believe how restless I get when I am unable to do my daily internet surfing. I am addicted to my computer AND IT IS STILL BROKEN. It's my own fault- I just haven't gone to Fry's to get the part I need (look at me trying to convince myself that I know what the problem is with my computer. Greg's the brains- I'm just supplying the funds.) and it's because of my own procrastination and laziness. I swear, I am so lazy sometimes.

Anyhoo, the moments I am able to steal Greg's laptop, I feel like a heroin addict doing.....whatever it is heroin addicts do when they finally get another hit of heroin.

Ok, I don't feel like a heroin addict. I don't know what a heroin addict would feel like, and I'm sure it's waaaaaay more devastating (or euphoric) than how I feel when I hop back onto a computer. I'm too square to use that comparison....or should I say, "I'm too cool and above it to know how it feels to use drugs!" Drugs are bad, kids. Don't use them. Ok.

So now here I am, with an endless array of topics in my head that I would love to jot down onto- err- screen, but it's been so long since I've been online that my mind is being pulled in twenty different directions- myspace, hotmail, etsy, banking, flickr, blogs blogs BLOGS! I cannot make my brain settle down and focus. That, and I am still fighting off a cold that I've had for the past week and a half. I swear to God there must be a ball of mucus the size of a grapefruit residing peacefully in the back of my nasal cavity! Every now and then this mother-ship of a booger likes to release it's sticky little cling-ons into my nostrils or down my throat. It's a soothing sort of feeling- having a little snot ball tease and taunt my sinus cavity, and every loogie I begrudgingly swallow brings back memories of when I was a little kid and used to eat my boogers. Sigh, those were the days.

I think I should leave the blogging to another day. Maybe when I'm feeling a little better.

Roughin' it for Our Fourth

Last weekend, Greg and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary by camping at Crater Lake. Despite getting sick on our last day, I had an amazing time. Crater Lake is truly one of the most beautiful sights I have ever laid my eyes upon, and I can't wait to go back! I would love to describe in every last flourished detail just how breathtaking it was, but alas, my skills as a descriptive writer are quite lacking- I just wouldn't do it justice. I do however, have quite a few pictures from our trip. Below are a few, and I'll probably post the rest on the Flickr account that I've recently set up.

Our first peak of the Lake. We immediately pulled over and oggled over the spectacular view.

Getting my toes wet. The water is usually around 32 degrees year round- yikes! But seriously, if I had worn my bathing suit that day, I would have dove right in! It was the clearest and bluest water I had ever seen in my life!

Strolling along in a wildflower meadow. It was a little late in the season for a lot of the flowers, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

See! I told you that water was clear! I took this sitting on a rock-edge about ten feet from the water's surface.

A cute old man took this picture. We look pretty dorky with our jeans rolled up....Greg more so than I :0) I knew I loved dorks.

This mini vacation will go down as one of my all time favorites. The anniversary may go down as a favorite as well, but we've got lots of years to top it! Seriously, we've come a long way in our marriage, and I am so happy that we are in such a good place right now. We had a rough time about a year ago, probably more serious than anyone really knew- if they knew that we were having problems in the first place. Last year, if I was told that I would feel this loved and this fulfilled in my marriage, I wouldn't have believed it. I am glad we are long past that now, and whatever struggles we had, we have survived them and (ok, here comes the cliche) have come out stronger than before. I am so in love with Greg.

broken

My computer is broken!

Greg has a laptop, so I have a chance here and there to hop online, but he takes it to work, leaving me sans cyber world. Boo. I've been wanting to share about all the latest and greatest happenings, but I can't hog the pc right now- Greg's just taking a quick break from work to let me hop on and check on stuff....plus, I kind of have to poop.

Here's a quick peak into my life: new car, new art projects, new travels, new new new!

Ok, I definitely have to poop.

I miss you all. All...probably two of you who read this :0)

Happy

So I'm going car shopping this weekend.

Yes, I have been doing nothing but complaining about my stupid car (trust me, if you've ridden in it in the past nine months, you'd understand) and quite frankly, I am sick of hearing my whining little voice. So, no more. I need to buck up and start thinking happy thoughts again. To help me revive my damaged happy-mojo, I will now list things that make me smile/things that make me giggle. Enjoy:

> Of course my family and friends. Sweet, huh?

> The way my cat looks when he's eating his treats- he looks like a vampire. It makes me giggle.

> Hedgehogs. Greg is really warming me up to hedghogs. Have you seen them? They're effing adorable! They make me giggle.

> Working on my art projects- I'm really happy with the one I'm working on right now. This one is making me smile and laugh.

> Persian cucumbers make me happy.

> Riding my bike makes me happy.

>Greg's kisses make me happy.

>Watching midgets run make me giggle. Go ahead and judge, I'm still gonna laugh.

> When Greg wears random hats- that makes me smile. Today it was a giant top hat and a sombrero.

> Dancing like I've got poopy pants with my friend, Gina.

> Dancing like I've got poopy pants, period.

> Drinking tea.

> Three-legged dogs.

> Singing in the car- although I'm so shy about it, I stop singing if someone is next to me at a red light. Still, it makes me happy.

> Taking pictures makes me happy.

> Crab makes me happy. Eating it, not being infested by it.

> Kayaking makes me happy. I didn't realize how much I'd love kayaking.

> British and Irish accents make me happy.

There are a lot more, but I'm satisfied with this list. I'm feeling better already.

Bug, You've Got Me By the Balls!

So here's a little update about my car...

The car died about a week ago. I bought a new battery, hoping that would solve the problem and sure enough, the car started back up again- hooray! Knowing that my car hates me and wishes nothing but evil into my life, I decide to make an appointment with my mechanic for later in the week so I can get new brakes. My car has been needing new brakes for a while, and with the luck I've been having with it lately, I should just get them done now and not worry about it later.

Thursday afternoon I took my car in for new brakes. One day and 340 dollars later (440 if you count the hundred bucks for my new battery), I welcomed back my lime green crapper on wheels with not so open arms.

I had new brakes, a new battery, and a surge of optimism, but my mechanic quickly crushed the latter. He let me know that I was going to need a lot of work done on my car and it would cost me about 800 dollars! Immediately I thought, "time to trade it in." I figured, I'd trade it in before I'd have to do all that work on my car. It's running great now.

Or so I thought.

A day and a half later, Greg borrowed my car, and on his way home from work my car died. Again. I guess it wasn't the battery.

In other news- I'm going to Mexico in a month! Cancun, Mexico City and Guadalajara. Greg, my brother and my mom are all going, too! Funny story: my mom told us that she going to borrow my cousin's time share in Cancun.....

We're going to be in Cancun, Mexico.
The time share is for Cancun Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mom strikes again! How I love the woman!

I Can't Wait for What Tomorrow Brings!

Half Empty:

After a restless night of tossing and turning, I woke up this morning only to realize that I had overslept by forty minutes. I usually leave for work about thirty minutes after I wake up, so needless to say I was running a bit late.

Off to work!

While rushing to work, I noticed that my car was sounding a bit funny. The engine seemed to be working really hard, and a slight “tick-tick-tick-tick” sound was coming from under my hood. Oh well. Must drive on. As I took a curved off-ramp, my check oil light lit up on my dashboard. Oh well. I’ll just buy some oil on my way home and top off my car.

I was about three miles from work when all of a sudden, my battery light turned on. Then off. Then on. Then off again. On. Off. On. Off-on-off-on-off-on-off. It stayed off.

What the hell was that?!

I arrived at work eight minutes late. If anyone knows me, they know that I HATE to be late. Ever. For anything. Hate it. Oh well. I continued to my desk to trudge through a fairly uneventful day at work. Eight hours later, it was time to go home.

I got into my car, put the key into the ignition, turned the key- nothing. My car wouldn't start. I guess that’s why the battery light went on. A couple of my co-workers were outside by my car, and one of them had jumper cables in their car, so they jumped my car, and voila! We have power! I thanked my hero of the moment and drove off. My original plan for after work was to drive home, pick up my camera, and head over to Brook’s house to work on an art project. I decided to give Greg a call to give him the heads up about my car acting up. He said that my battery may just need to be cleaned and he had the tools in his car, so I could meet him at his work and he could clean up my battery. This sounded like a good idea, so I gave Brook a call to reschedule our art date, and headed downtown to Greg’s work. That turned out to be quite an ordeal.

As I was heading into the tunnel towards downtown, my car decided to act like it was possessed by the devil- which, by the way, I wouldn’t put past the lime green bastard. This car has tried to cut my arm off with it's window, and it’s locks have actually drawn blood from one of my passengers! But I digress…I was heading into the tunnel when my ABS light went on. Then off. Then on. Then my airbag light went on, my screen that shows what gear my car is in turned off, my radio turned off and my speedometer kept jumping from fifty to zero to twenty to five and back to zero mph’s. Now, I don’t know much about cars, but I suspected that this was not good.

I made it to Greg’s work, parked my car and let my husband work his magic. I guess he needed his top hat for his magic to kick in, because after a couple failed attempts to jump my car (again), it started up for a little while, then let all of it’s lights, bells and whistles flare up (again)- and die. Greg let me drive his truck home.

I swear to God my car knows whenever I make a large purchase, because every single time I spend a lot of money (or come into a good amount), no more than three days later does that crappy bug have some kind of problem that puts me deeper into debt! This time the purchase was plane tickets. Ever since I’ve paid off my car (which was in November), I have been looking forward to having one less monthly payment, but I have probably put more money into repairs over these last nine months than monthly payments would have cost me. Stupid bug. I want to keep it until it dies, but that time seems to be creeping closer and closer. Or I just may drive the blasted thing off a cliff- that is if I can start it.


Half Full:

After an active night of finding the perfect sleeping position, I woke up this morning about forty minutes after my alarm was supposed to go off. It was so nice to wake up naturally for once! I got to work a little late, so yay- I got to work eight minutes less today!

On my way to work, my battery light and check oil light went on. It’s so reassuring to know that the safety features in my car still work. Thank you, car, for reminding me it’s close to oil changing time!

Work was fun today! I started making GIANT boards that say CHEESE, MEAT and DELI. They’re going to go above the cheese, meat and deli sections in the store. It’s so wonderful to be able to let my creative juices flow at work and use my imagination!

When I got out of work, I headed towards my car and was greeted by my friendly coworkers. They’re so nice. Then, I tried to turn on my car and wouldn’t you know it- the darn thing wouldn’t start! I guess it was just fate’s way of letting me spend more time with my nice coworkers. Luckily, one of my favorite coworkers had jumper cables in his car, so he gave it a quick jump and voila! We had power! As I made my way home, my dashboard decided to put on a show for me! It flashed all of it’s pretty lights and made it’s fancy speedometer wave hello to me! I thought it would be nice to share this experience with Greg, so I met him at his work and showed him all the lovely tricks my car could do. He thought it was nice, but he had to go back to work, so he jumped my car again and it started up! Then my car decided to do an encore performance and let the lights go off again. Hooray! I guess Greg thought this was a nice show, so he told me he wanted to keep my car, and he’d let me drive his truck home. I love driving his truck- it makes me feel tough!

All in all, it was a wonderful day!

Come Back Soon!

Exploring Ape Caves



A Skylight


CAVE PEOPLE!


We were being attacked by bugs


Riding a bike with tiny wheels at the Tour de Fat Festival


Last weekend my sister visited me. This is a momentous occasion because she finally had an opportunity to go on a trip without her kids. Now don't get me wrong, I love my neice and nephews to death, but it was nice to finally have some long overdue "grown-up" time with Erica. Not that we act like grown-ups, but you understand what I'm saying.





It was a perfect weekend, filled with lots of Portland and Pacific Northwest activities. We hiked a trail near Mt. Hood, attended a fun bike festival, went out clubbing and even explored some lava tubes. All in all it was a memorable weekend, made even more special because I got to share it all with my sister.

visit

Oh what a fun time I had while my sister was in town! I'll share some stories and some pictures, but for now I'll- wait- gonna go- it's my sister!

I love her.

haiku

wasted time online

so now i'll write a haiku

it's about nothing





I've spent most of my afternoon online so my inspiration levels are at a dreary low right now. I feel like I should make sure I keep this thing updated, but I guess I shouldn't force anything out, because I'm sure a forced entry (much like this one) will result in absolute tripe.



Who would want to read tripe? I know I wouldn't.



One interesting discovery was at dictionary.com. The word of the day is "chichi"



From dictionary.com:



chichi, adjective:Affectedly trendy.


"Going in gangs to those chichi clubs at Maidenhead."-- E. Taylor, Game of Hide-&-Seek


"Whether the chichi gender theorists like it or not, sexual duality is a law of nature among all highly evolved life forms."-- Camille Paglia


"The sort of real delicious Italian country cooking that is a revelation after so much chichi Italian food dished up in London."-- Daily Telegraph, January 22, 1969


"[Judith] Hope -- who lives in East Hampton, where the Clintons have a lot of chichi friends -- has been getting ink by the barrelful with her regular interviews quoting conversations with the first lady, on subjects ranging from Senate ambitions to summer and post-White House living arrangements."-- Washington Post, June 4, 1999


From the French word that literally means "curl of false hair"; used figuratively in the phrases faire des chichis, "to have affected manners, to make a fuss"; and gens à chichis, "affected, snobbish people." Sometimes spelled "chi-chi."





Now I know the correct pronunciation is "shee-shee" and not a phonetic "chee-chee". But, having grown up in a half latin family, and since I have the maturity level of a twelve year-old boy, "chee-chee" was always translated to "boobie". Regardless, I kept substituting "boobie" for "chichi". It made me giggle.



Ladies and Gentlemen, you have just been subjected to tripe. Congratulations.

I'm full. I'm loved.

To be fed, is to be loved.

Oh how I am loved.

Let me tell you about my birthday weekend.

Birthday number 27 will definitely be one to remember. I had to work that day, but as a birthday present to myself I decided not to work hard, and it was nice. I got to chat with my mom on the way home (yes, I’m one of those bastards that’s yapping away on their cell phone while they’re driving- sue me). When I arrived home, I walked through the front door only to be welcomed by not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR dozen roses! Greg had bought a shit ton of roses for me! Not only were there roses, but there were also two presents and a card! I am loved. Greg had to work that day, so we had spent all day Friday together for my birthday. When I saw what he had left for me, I was truly surprised.

And now for my evening…

At first I didn’t really want to do anything out of the ordinary for my birthday, but my friends insisted on making dinner for me, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. For anyone who knows me, you’ll know that I love to eat. I love to eat crap. Bacon, hot dogs, crab- you name it. If it’s made with fat or unidentifiable body parts, I’m all over it. Well, my friends really know me. They prepared a glorious feast! Bacon and crab casserole, veggies with bacon blue cheese dip, bacon wrapped dates, chili cheese dogs and chocolate peanut butter brownies. All mine, bitches! But that’s not all! Instead of a birthday cake (I mean, we already have peanut butter brownies, so who needs a cake?) they brought in a whole crab decked out with a birthday message and a candle!

We ended the evening out on Brook’s deck, having deep and philosophical conversations.

Who am I kidding, we talked about pooping and peeing in our pants…..or for some, pooping into paper bags- great story- you should hear it some time.

It was a perfect day. Thank you to Greg. Thank you to all my girls for the gifts and the dinner. And thank you to everyone who called or texted or messaged or thought, “oh, it’s Krisha’s birthday.” It’s nice to be in your minds, even if I don’t know it.

Hello

So....



I've officially joined the bandwagon of bloggers. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but procrastination and self-consciousness were getting the better of me. I have fought through the procrastination, but to fight the self-consciousness, I think stepping into the wonderful world of blog will be part of my plan of attack.



I'm not sure if anything I have to write about is remotely interesting (damn you self-doubt! you're already popping up!), but I'm gonna do it anyway. There really aren't very many people that truly know me, and even though I'm probably not going to divulge every dirty little secret, this open forum will let a lot of people in my life perhaps see a side of me that they never knew about. Maybe not. I'll just start writing and we'll see what happens from there.



Hmmm....I don't really know how to end these.