In the beginning...

Well, well, well, here it is, FINALLY, nearly thirty years in the form-ing? My spiritual crisis. It's not really a crisis, it's more like an acknowledgment. I'll try to keep it brief, but I must start from the beginning, o.k.?

Me & KMHD, we attended several Christian churches as children. Church of Christ, Baptist, Southern Baptist, and Catholic, to name a few. Our father forced us to go, just to get us out of the house for a few hours every Sunday. Almost annually, he signed us up for Vacation Bible School, I mean, that's a free week of daycare! Brilliant, Dad! Anyway, even as youngsters, me & KMHD understood that we were being treated strangely and we were always separated from the other children. Really. Two chairs on the other side of the room. These were adult Christian instructors doing this. Since we were together, we managed, we endured. Your guess is as good as mine as to why we were herded into the corner like that.

Our parents never really understood our not wanting to go. Maybe they just didn't want to believe us. Or maybe they simply didn't care. But our not wanting to go wasn't a slight to God or Jesus! According to the "Good Book", those guys are our salvation, our ticket to Heaven! It's just his followers, well, they aren't really following the Word, are they? We figured this part out pretty fucking fast -- His followers can fuck right off! (Please note, I believe that there are always exceptions, I know a handful of good Christian people who are spreading the real good word. I'm speaking generally, which, of course, is not that nice.)

We stopped going as soon as we could put a stop to it. I think it's fair to say that I'm still a little bitter. I don't walk around gnashing my teeth, dwelling on it, but I have a reasonable distrust of those who call themselves "Christian".

Let's skip forward to the present. I'm a full-grown! I've made it this far! Haven't been to church since then -- the closest I've been to the Lord is having read the Da Vinci Code! Well, actually, we went to Al Green's church last year, but our intentions weren't so holy and honest. (It was one of the best shows I've ever been to!) Lately, I've been watching Stephen Hawking's Universe & Carl Sagan's Cosmos on DVD. I've been reading some of Carl Sagan's speeches, too. I've come to the very recent realization that there is no God. Yeah, I know, BFD. I am usually in the company of heretics and non-believers., but sometimes these things don't have any real weight to them until you figure it out by yourself. Anyway, it's something that I'm not taking lightly because I still have 'the fear' in me.

I find some comfort in science. Sagan's demeanor is attractive, he is so kind. His words are, don't laugh, like hugs. He elegantly states that we humans, we are made of starstuff. When it's put like that, I'm amazed -- and it makes perfect sense! I can go on and on about it, but I'd run the risk of sounding like a New Age dork. But, I get it.

I'm not quite sure what to do with this realization, but, I feel somewhat liberated. If I only I can shed the fear, pluck out the root that was planted long ago! This knowledge does not really help with my attitude towards religion, but I try to practice tolerance and to exert some restraint when it comes to dealing with folks who just can't be reasoned with. Hurrah for science for helping me feel...o.k.

Island Camping, Pt. II  19-20 July 2008

AMD, ATM, R & K, CM, & D

Boat boys:

Silliness:

Cha cha cha?

Island girls:

Preciousness:


Yucky!

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We went to see the Dark Knight last night.  Oh my.  Really.  Mind, blown.  

Favorite parts/characters:  The Joker, natch!  The Heath Ledger hype is true & real! The faux Commissioner Gordon death, or just Gordan in general.  Or just Gary Oldman in general.  "Debo" the prisoner, tossing the bomb remote-igniter thingy out the window.  Aw.  There's more to be listed, but that movie is LONG and it's a lot to take in & mull over.  Me & KMHD, we've got tentative plans to go get Chinese & then go see it again on Monday.  

By Z.R.:

I've not been walking to work, still, it's too hot.  This is the heat that kills!  I'm a little sad because I really like the benefits of walking, which is immediate.  Extra energy?  Yes, please.  No spending $$$ on gas & simultaneously reducing carbon emissions?  Sign me up, yeah?  Also, I miss bentoing.  Taking a lovingly packed lunch to work is a treat for me!  I heart leftovers, man.

We decided to put off camping for awhile, same reason as above:  too hot.  I hope that means a trip to Memphis soon!

I haven't heard back from I.K.E.  He was lined up to help me haul my Vespa into the dealership for fixin'.  Come on, I.K.E.!  Call meeeeeeeee!

Justify My Love (for the Ciccones)

So, a part of me would like to get Christopher Ciccone's new biography about Madonna. I LOVE her, but I'm no fool to think that she's not batshit crazy and, well, I'd like to see what her bruvvah says about her. Hee.
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We're going to Mom's to pick blueberries after work. And I'd like to make a supper for two, some summer pasta. Easy evening.

Bowling w/ the Peeks:











I've got a design challenge for, well, anyone interested. We've got a third bedroom that I just don't know what to do with. Currently, it holds a nice big table that's supposed to be used as a workspace & I've got project supplies in there, too. It just doesn't inspire me to work on anything AND it's always cluttered because there isn't a proper place for my stuff. If I don't use it, then it's just a sad waste of precious space. So, if anyone has any experience with interior designing or just wants to have a go at making this room better, let me know! I can't offer anything in return unless you take payment in the form of a nice homemade meal (plus dessert!) & your choice of libation. I'll post photos of said room and try to give some dimensions for those interested.

Tomorrow evening, we're going to Burlesque @ the Public Theatre. We might go get ATM a new phone, too, which he really needs.

This weekend, the plan is to go island camping with the crew: Collin, Delores, Keiko & Rett. I can't wait to go swimming! Happiness is me on a float, on a lake, with my mates. I'm trying to come up with a no-cook menu that doesn't leave me wanting. And having to pare down the "gear", always a challenge, but I'll do it! Watch me!

Work has been so dud dud dud dud dud dud. Thankfully, we have nice, fun evening to counter that mess.

So, this is a man's world, huh?

I don't know if I can pull off writing how stupid this day has been so far. It's almost noon, right? I feel like this has been the. longest. day. Shit, I don't want to get into it, I want to get over it! But, I will say this: the man I work for, he is such a spaz! He can make something out of nothing, giving me heart attacks and strokes, all before I even step foot into this building!

3:40 p.m.: I just called ATM & asked how can we make our evening awesome? I mean, what a day! My mind, it's ruined.


In much happier news, congrats to Brian, Pearl & Henry. Adoption is FINAL!

Having An Average Weekend

Friday evening was easy, it had to have been, because I can't remember what happened.  Hang on, let me ask ATM.  - - Oh yeah, we went & had BBQ and had an intention to go see a movie afterward, but that just didn't pan out, neither one of us was feelin' it.  

Saturday, we went to both Farmer Markets - - NLR's is still sparse, but it's the most propah of the two, with focus on selling Arkansas-only fruits, veg & whatnot.  LR's is insufferable what with the crowds & street performers. We managed to pick up veg from both.  Got organic corn on the cob, sunburst tomatoes, okra, and garlic.  Got a coffee from Boulevard --picked up a baguette & Orangina as well.  Decided I was going to make corn chowder for supper.  Stopped by KMHD/ZR/CHANG's pad to pick up the power sander and some Louise Erdrich novels for ATM.  We attempted to sand & re-stain a piece of furniture, but it is turning out to be more work than we want, so it's just sitting on the front porch waiting for us to be non-lazy.  But, this heat doesn't help matters much, yeah?  It is hot.  There's no need to be working out in what feels like 105 degrees.  NO.  After a nice stint of laying in front of a box fan in the middle of the living room floor, we showered and decided to call on Rett & Keiko, to see if they want to have supper with us @ the house.  They said yes!  So, me & ATM, we scramble to make dinner and to set up a nice make-shift supper table in the back room.  Dinner & hanging out was great, I always have a good time with them.  And the food was very tasty!




At the end of the night, it is decided that we are going to Sticky Fingerz (really) to eat chicken strips & then go bowling on Wednesday.  I'm so fucking happy!

After we sent them off, I drunkenly made the best scrambled eggs ever.  Sitting on the floor in front of the telly, watching Kids in the Hall & eating best-known scrambled eggs with my best mate IS the best way to end an already lovely evening.  

Today, wow, the ultimate lazy Sunday.  I wake up at nine, wash all of the dishes, put recycling in it's overfilled bin & make a pot of coffee.  It's raining!  I go outside to make sure it's not a joke and then I wake up ATM.  "Hey, I'm sorry to bother, but it's raining.  We usually have to go to work when it's a rainy day, so if you want to get up and watch it with me, there's coffee."  We sit outside and relax.  It's just perfect, the air is cool and then there's the sound of water flowing over eaves and leaves and the birds are singing super loud and splashing about.

We make a quick run to the hardware store to buy tack cloth. (FYI:  You need it for after sanding!) After that, I develop an immense craving for greasy Chinese food.  We drive over to a restaurant we've never been to, honestly expecting a counter right when you walk in a la New Fun Ree -- NO.  This place is immense, "bigger than a mall's food court", and elaborately decorated.  One word: buffet.  I've never seen one so fancy and full and varied!  There's sushi!  And a guy that will make you a custom grill bowl!  All included as part of the buffet!  As I was peeling my shrimps cocktail, I said to ATM, "This has got to be a $10 per buffet."  "At least!"  Our waitress brings us our ticket...$13 for BOTH of us, wtf!  After we leave there, I declare that I never want to go back.  But, if we do, I will eat my weight in egg drop soup (They let you have as many Chinese fritos as you desire!) and dim sum -- nothing else.  I'm so sorry that I had no camera with me, it is a fantasy land in there.

We come home and nap.  For hours.  Maybe it's because we wake up early to enjoy the rain whilst being a little hung over, maybe it was the Chinese buffet?  I don't know, but we sleep and sleep and sleep.  I'm still tired.  But, I'm about to make a fine supper of zucchini, onion & okra tempura.  And a side of cantaloupe.  And we're gonna watch a movie.  We agreed that our only chores that must be done is to change the sheets on the bed and make sure we have clean clothes for work tomorrow.  What an average weekend. 

90 MINUTES TIME IS ALL I NEED TO MAKE YOU MINE

There's been talk on AR Rockers about making mixes. I've been meaning to do one myself, I want to debut it on our next camping trip. That used to be a tradition of ours, to ask (force) everyone to make a mix to play on the little boombox, but we've succumbed to busyness or laziness, natch. Anyway, I've got a solid 5 songs that I know I want to put on the new mix, so that's a good start, yeah? Maybe I can post the thing here!

There's also been real talk of getting my Vespa back in order, I just can't stand not having her! I called the dealership and asked about what they can/can't fix. It sounds like they can do a lot, but none of the body work, which is expected. I'm hoping that this won't cost me but a few hundred dollars? Am I that fortunate? If all goes well, PP may be up & running in about a month! Meep meep!

Anne asked me to keep the 2nd of August open because we're invited to a Jhortz party! What are "jhortz"?

Yesterday evening, we stopped by Savers to see if we could find the ultimate pair of jeans to transform into the ultimate pair of jhortz. Whoa - ho - ho! I forgot about colored denim or denim with ridiculous embellishments! Apparently, prizes will be awarded at this party. I think that we will definitely play to win. I may make a few pair, so I can do wardrobe changes at this party. Good lord.

Brittany came over last night so ATM could help her edit some Burlesque music stuff -- anyway, we talked & she inspired me to get the Plum Pussy, my once stolen/now recovered, but ruined Vespa, back into working order.  PLEASE, THE POWERS THAT BE, GRANT ME THE POWER TO FOLLOW THRU WITH THIS ONE THING.  And some money, for the costs.  I miss my Vespa!

So, I get an email from the AR Dem Party today - - they're hyped about the upcoming delegates convention coming up and they discuss this n that - - not one word mentioned about Barack Obama in the entire (lengthy) memo.  They mention John McCain, they even mention W, but no acknowledgement of the presumptive Democratic candidate. WHY THE COLD SHOULDER?!!!  They make me want to say rotten things like, "Stop being a pussy & stand up!"  Why-I-oughta...!

I've been driving to work. It's. been. too. hot. Today, there's going to be the heat index factor, fatal humidity. Tomorrow, it's supposed to rain. Oh, summer! Why are you so killer? I honestly can't wait for things to settle down because I'd like to get back to walking to work AND bento-ing.

I have daydreams of swimming in a lake and eating sandwiches.

Here is, ha ha, SOLO & her bday gifts. She's such a ham:

Poor babe, you can see in her eyes that she is getting older. 11!

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What can I complain about today?

Summer is ready when you are.

Happy Birthday, SOLO! What a good little monkey.

Ooof, that was a superb holiday, but I am pretty hungry. That's right, I said hungry. I cooked so much on the 4th, that I really didn't eat proper, you know how it is. And then with camping, you eat a lot of convenient foods that don't require too much prep, you can't really say you ate a meal meal. The big question of the day is, "What's for dinner?" I'm open to suggestion, but two things: 1) No Mexican & 2) If I must cook, let's have an "easy" or "medium" cooking level, I don't really feel like getting into it.
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I started off my holiday on Thursday afternoon by running over to Mom's to pick blueberries. It was pretty awesome, we donned straw hats, dipped ourselves in insect repellent & chatted while picking berries. Here's a truism: My mother grows the best blueberries.

I returned home and quickly made some blueberry muffins for my pal Glen. After that, me & ATM went to his birthday party, which was v. pleasant. I didn't get very many photos, but I did get one of a child with a beer! (Note: She really wasn't drinking it, she was just looking at the art on it.)

After Glen's party, we hung out with I.K.E. a bit, since he wasn't going to be able to make it to our 4th get-together.


Ghost me:


The next morning, the 4th, I woke up early to start the gettin' ready for the thing we were throwin'. I cooked ALL DAY. I/we made homemade vanilla ice cream, a lot of panko fried chicken nuggets, marinated/pan-fried tofu, vegetable tempura, blueberries (doi) & cantaloupe. By the time we started having folks over, I was ready for bed. But, once things got started, I had a really good time. We had good company, I got to debut the 8-track player, and the food was really good. I was pleased with the herbivore/carnivore variety, it was about 50/50! And all very om nom! KMHD made a really bitchin' veggie sloppy joe, which we later dubbed "Faux Joe". Keiko's spring rolls were remarkable!

Heather & Zach, Delores & Jennifer

SOLO hiding under the bed from the fireworks:

ATM, Delores & Collin, Suzi & Glen, oohing & awwing over the fireworks display:


After our last guest left, we ate whatever ice cream that remained & passed out. Face down. Well, I did. But, I woke up early again the next morning, cleaned the house inside & out, and prepared for our camping trip w/ Collin & Delores. We went to our good ol' standby, DeGray Lake/Iron Mountain. Oh my good lord, the campground was filled to capacity. In fact, we're pretty damn lucky to even have gotten a space! And our usual site #35, no less! Anyway, people don't camp like we camp. There were RVs everywhere. It was completely disheartening & I was disappointed.
Thankfully, we had really good company to distract us from the hum of t.v. satellites & generators. And bad country music. If I were an authority, I would've written tickets (w/ incredibly large fees) for:

1. Throwing away too much trash. Folks could've easily sorted their recyclables and reduced how much they were throwing out drastically. It's infuriating to see trash bins overflowing and then several bags piled up around it. Honestly, even if it sounds a little fascist, I wish that this sort of thing is a punishable crime. Hit 'em where it hurts, fine those motherfuckers! If you won't do your part to protect the environment, then we'll make you pay, asshole!

2. For dressing in clothes many sizes too small. I really did not need to see that, ma'am/sir.

3. You do not need that much stuff. Really. You are camping, amirite?

4. Seriously, who the fuck is making the bathrooms completely intolerable? It's disgusting in there! How?!!!

That's my short list. Yikes, people, stop being so disgusting!

I regret that my complaints overshadow the actual good time that I had. For the first time ever, I swam in DeGray Lake! It was great, I floated on my raft for a good while. It was so relaxing and refreshing. I am really looking forward to that again! After we packed up everything, we drove over to Hot Springs and had lunch @ Fisherman's Wharf. Om nom! And then we went home. Long, summer weekend over.

Collin & Delores, inflating:




Well, I look like a goob here, but ATM looks cool:


And last, but not least, a duck family, as seen from the deck of Fisherman's Wharf:


Aww.

I'm planning the 4th from my desk, I've got my grocery lists worked up and my recipes organized. It's certain that I will wear myself out from the cooking and hostessing and making sure the cat is safely tucked under the bed or in the closet when the fireworks start -- can't wait!

So, I live in Argenta, better known as Dogtown or (Downtown) North Little Rock. There's a neighborhood blog run by a "I don't know anything, but I know what's good for you" asshat. Anyway, he informed readers that fireworks are illegal in NLR and that if he catches any of us doing fireworks, he will call the cops. Seriously. What a knob. It's the 4th of July, amirite? Automatically, when someone says "Fourth of July", I think of this:

And then this:

Anyway, I figure that if the police are summoned and they actually do show, they'll either confiscate the fireworks or ask me to stop, which is fine by me. No harm, no foul.

Some people should not blog. Ha, I may be one of those people! This is so boring.