Love

the world is open - the world is ours. I'm happy. Beyond words. Beyond wine. I am happy.

I am a Horrible American

PBS is showing a documentary of the early American Years - focusing on Dolly Madison ...

mmmmmm - cake!

ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peeps! Sugar Free! Diabetic Friendly! oh how I love you!

something smells

It's 7:00pm and I'm sitting on my little personal slab of concrete patio, a glass of really, really delicious and cheap (inexpensive) red Spanish screw top wine from Trader Joes, listening to the sounds of the birds in their nesting mode, "whit-a-whit".

The breeze wafts my way, and I smell citrus blossoms, so sweet, so incredibly sweet! I love this seasonal scent - I just want to bottle it for the rest of the year (oh wait, the internet says it's already been done.)

The sprinklers on the green belt start up. At first it's so annoying, the constant spray, the noise non-stop ... then the scent hits me...the grass, the green, fresh mowed grass scent. Now I find myself disappointed when they finish their cycle.

Ooh - new scent - what? mmmmmmm chinese food!

(no need to bottle - time for dinner!)

oh...and one more thing

Do you know about the cool top site dashboard feature on Safari that lets you see all your favorite, most visited sites in one place and lets you know at a glance when they update? Do you also know that every time to you log on to that page, it hits every one of those sites.

So that being said, if I have you bookmarked and your stats show that I'm hitting your page every few minutes in the evening... I'm not stalking you. I'm stalking Monkey Muck ... no, no, wait - I mean, I'm checking CNN, Huffpost,MSNBC, Arizona news, Oklahoma news . Your site just happens to be next to my other favorites. Yes, if you update, I'll peek.

so there. nghhh.

ewww...

Good grief - I need to snap out of this sappy writing and get back to my smart-assiness. It doesn't mean I'm not happy, I am so very happy. But no one - even me- wants to read this crap.

Time for a visit to my smartass daughter in Knoxville for a few beers and cuss words to regain my edginess and sharpen my wit.

Thank goodness for ill-mannered children.

One Year Ago

One year ago, the movers pulled away from my Tennessee apartment with my belongings, and my Jetta was packed to the gills (and I do mean to the gills) At 2:00 pm Mojo and I started our trek back to Arizona. Pulling out of Goodlettsville, the weather was rainy and spitting a bit of snow. A few hours later, as I crossed the bridge over the Mississippi from Tennessee to Arkansas, the sun broke out from behind the clouds. My mood - thrilled. I was going home. Arizona. Stardude.

And a year later - I know it was the best decision I've ever made.

so...

I'm not so lost any more. Arizona is where I belong. Phoenix is ok, but Tucson is my true destination. The Stardude awaits.

Life has been good (great) since coming back. It's like I haven't missed a beat. Of course, the work has been tough. Lots of late hours, some financial concerns. But life otherwise has been great. I'm spoiled beyond spoiled. It's been many a year since that's happened...if ever. nice. so very nice.

But tonight, it's been me. And Mojo. wii'ing it, pinot noir'ing it. decompressing from an incredibly intense week. Tomorrow, it will be time with the Stardude, wandering, laughing, other random activities, maybe a bit of wine mixed in.

And life is good.

Happy. so very Happy. (Thanks, Stardude)

time flies

The weekend went too fast. But, the good thing is, we get to do it all again next weekend. Not next month. Not in two months. Next weekend.

Whether we're traveling together somewhere, or just sitting side by side on the couch.

We'll be together again next weekend.

smiling

My Misadventure to Tennessee

whew - glad that's over.

So now - on to bigger better things. Most importantly...getting back into the groove with the Stardude. Weekends of exploring - and weekends of just being plain lazy. yay!

Arizona is amazing this time of year!

counting down

to warm.
to the beautiful desert.
to a creative, like-minded, collaborative work environment.

to my Star dude.

most importantly, my Star dude.

too quick

The weekend we have been waiting for 2 months for has come and gone. In a blink of an eye.

One moment we're holding hands, laughing, being silly, kissing, etc. etc.

The next, I'm driving him to the airport. Tracking his flight back home.

Wishing I were going back with him.

or he were staying with me.

It's official...

This is NOT an adventure.


I am lost.

totally.
fucking.
lost.

Acting my age

Just 2 more days in my 40's. 2 more days to be middle age.

Then ... I'm old.

AARP is already hawking their services. I'm wondering when I'll start heading to Hometown Buffet at 4:30. Wonder when I'll start driving slow. Wonder when I'll go to bed before 9:00.

(never, damn it!)

Cuteness

quiet

I've allowed myself peace and quiet this weekend. A non-stress, non-guilt weekend. No fretting or second guessing decisions, no overwhelming financial worries, no depressed covers over the head feeling.

Saturday, I opened the windows and doors and let the cool front that was blowing through blow right through my apartment. I read, slept, watched a couple of chick flicks, and read some more. It almost felt like an Oklahoma college football fall day.

Sunday I walked in the woods, smelled the leaves, listened to the birds, the hooting of an owl hiding somewhere in the canopy. Looked at the beautiful swirl patterns in the duckweed floating on the lake just off shore.

Spied a fawn just a few feet off the trail, nibbling leaves, not one bit afraid of the people walking by. As I stood watching, I was aware of the others passing me, deep in their conversations, not seeing this creature, engrossed in their own lives.

Eh, I'm that way too. But the Stardude has a way about observing the smallest of things that has rubbed off on me. Now I take the time to look at the small, unsuspecting, seemingly insignificant, beautiful things around me.

Tomorrow is Monday - just 4 days until my trip back to Tucson, and a ride up the ski lift :)

and the winner is...

I'm sitting in my car at the convenience store after my hike, having a snack of beef jerky and coffee. (I know! Right?)

Out of the corner of my eye I see a flash of white approaching the door of the store. When I look up, I can't believe what I see! I grab my camera and wait.
Wait for it... wait for it...wait...

And there she is! Dressed in full-on beauty pageant regalia! Crown, sash and all!

All hail Miss Big Gulp!

Move over Kelly Clarkson

Today I finished up the pre-press work on a magazine we've been putting together at my company. There is a section of photos of scholarship recipients, six pages of postage size, carelessly scanned photos, some that look like they had been carried around in a 3-year old's chocolate covered fist before being turned in for submission.

So needless to say, I've spent a lot of time photoshopping out creases, dust specs, fingerprints on these 18 year olds' fresh faces, getting close and personal with each grad, pores and all.

It is so tempting to touch up the bushy brows, erase the random pimple. Or go even further and whiten teeth, or center that slightly crossed eye. There's also the dilemma - is that a mole or a dust spec from the scanner.

But I do the minimum needed to make them printable and move on. Sorry kids. I have a deadline.

mourning a loss

I had to let go. Without a final goodbye. All I have to remember you by is this one blurry photo. Now, there such an empty spot and the replacement is just not the same.

goodbye favorite painting... Haley, please take very good care of it.)

"no speaka the english"

I get a written note from the receptionist that a "Wanda" from a software company called. When I was asking her about it, she kept saying "he" was hard to understand. Finally I realized his name is Juan. (diversity is fairly new here in these parts.)