HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  

This is an old post that I'm just now getting around to publish. (2 Nov 2008)

Friday evening, we stood in the middle of Main Street NLR and tolerated the Democratic lovefest (I love you/No, I love you more/Aw, shucks!) for two and a half hours. The highlight, in my opinion, was seeing old skool friends on our way home. We saw Louisa Rook-Teague, Jon Teague, Jerry Colburn, Mitchell Powers + his son (!) @ Starving Artist Cafe.

Running into (g)old pals coupled with the fact that I got myself amped up for the rally listening to Fugazi made me feel kinda nostalgic. Not the annoying kind; I promise not to tell any bories (boring stories). I'm just feelin' very very.

Anyway, photo:

The whole gang is up there -- Vic Snyder, Pat Hays, Bill Halter, Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, Mark Pryor, Mike Beebe, Tracy Steele, Corliss Williamson, Mary Steenburgen & of course Bill Clinton.  HUGS ON MAIN STREET!

How can I compliment ATM w/o sounding too girlfriend about it? He did a fantastic job DJing COOL SHOES. Let me testify: I danced his entire muhfuh set! Really, there was no way I could've left the dance floor; there were great tunes, perfectly executed. Can I get an AMEN?! It was one of those events where I was one of the four people over the age of 25. Guh. I had a good time, though. It was one of those nights that we got home @ 3 a.m. (!) We got in, kicked off our shoes, ate pizza & watched a few eps of Roseanne before turning in. These days, it hurts to stay up that late.

Because I stayed up so late, I didn't get too much done on Saturday. We got the hay bales for the party, so I guess that's some sort of an achievement. Oh! We went to Collin's house & he made us BBQ seitan sloppy joes, salad & fried pototoes. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM! We also sat around the fire pit & laughed about stuff. Got to see the Broadstone Bros., which was a long time comin'. It was a good evening.

Man, Sunday. I got up early & made a lot of food: vegetable soup, banana bread & shepherd's pie - I needed to use a lot of ingredients before they went bad AND I wanted to cook things we could eat after kickboxing, because I'm usually too wiped out to do any cooking after practice. I like this making a bunch of food at one time for future consumption, I should do it more often.

Sometime in the evening, I stepped on a hammer and cut my foot. There's a flap (GAG) and bruising and I can't walk on it. I mean, I motor & get around, but slowly. I went to kickboxing on Monday and the instructors couldn't believe I even showed, but I wanted to make an appearance because I was sick all last week and missed too much class, I wanted to let them know I am a serious student.  Well, I am!

I must confess my love for talking lady Rachel Maddow.  She's so smart and OTM, I wish we could be real-life pals.  I'm all Keith Olbermann who?

Pres. Clinton will be here this eve in MY neighborhood to rally for Obama. I wonder if it'll be more stimulating than the last rally I went to? I mean, he's pretty much preaching to the choir, so this should serve as a revival! Well, I'll be there to find out. I'm stoked that it's just a few blocks from the house!

Busy evening:

There's NO SMOKING @ Downtown Music Hall, so I'll be able to make ATM's set. My allergies are so out of line, I can't even think about being around smokers. GAG. I'm a true nerd, I've got the Vick's Vapor Inhaler for the congestion. The only other people I know who use this is Grandpas and rave kids on E. I haven't taken to using it in front of other people yet, but it's only a matter of time. Maybe I'll bust it out on the dance floor tonight.

I'm working a half-day today. I've worked up an ambitious "things to do" list. I think I can manage it if I can avoid post-lunch napdom. Must. Avoid.

Record numbers reported for early voting in Pulaski County! I didn't get to cast my vote on Monday like I wanted to, we were really busy, but I took care of it yesterday morning. That "I VOTED" sticker is like a badge of honor, it makes me stand tall w/ my chin up. I feel very citizenly!

I hope you don't think I'm crazy, I wasn't gonna confess this here, but ATM talked me into it. Yesterday, on my way to work, I experienced a split-second glimpse into the future. It was dimly lit, I smelled cigarette smoke, people were cheering, and I was crying with joy. An Obama victory! It was real! I now feel a confidence.

I am going nuts with excitement for the upcoming birthday party -- I mean, look:


These skulls aren't even finished, but they are already looking good! I'm going to make one for my grandmother & for ATM's grandfather. KMHD (and Zach?) have been working on lovely full-size skeleton paintings & I just got my papel picado in the mail. It's gonna be festive! There'll be nachos! Cervezas! Fire pit! Friends! Enemies! Fantastic!

Sometimes I get a little ahead of myself and think of future party themes. How about "Awkward Office Party" or "Hee Haw"? With the office party, we can have copy paper boxes piled everywhere, a water cooler, and regrettable co-worker sex. Wait. Maybe not. With Hee Haw, well, any excuse to be Minnie Pearl, amirite?! Aw, shucks.

On Monday, Judge called me into his chambers. He sat me down & asked me about my career @ ACORN. Yes, that ACORN. When I was 18-19, I was in their employ. I did voter registration. I got paid per LEGITIMATE form I turned in. So, at the end of the day, I'd turn in my stack of filled out forms & ACORN would screen them and go through each and every one to see if they were filled out correctly. If a person didn't sign it, it couldn't be processed. If a person listed a P.O. BOX instead of a real address, it couldn't be processed. If there were obvious fake names, it couldn't be processed. All of these things are reported to the election commission, so they can screen them, too. Of course Judge knew that all of the negative news you hear about ACORN on the news is the work of Republicans, but he seemed genuinely amused that one of his own employees used to work for a now infamous organization. I jokingly told him that I probably should've disclosed this information to him in my resume.  

Man, FEAR ANTS could really use an intern!  I wish I could hire someone to help me organize & manage my photos. All one trillion of them.  And O.P.P.  I'm behind!  All of my projects are starting to catch up with me!  Need.  More.  Time.  In.  Day.  

BIG NEWS:  ATM is an uncle!  Karla, his sis-in-law gave birth this morning!  His name is Daniel Cade Morgan, Jr., but will be called Cade, the surname of ATM's late grandfather.  That's some circle of life stuff right there!

The past several days have been a blur!  I don't know if I can even recount all of the things that happened around me, but I'll try.  (I've been sick in bed!)

ATMs grandfather passed away Friday afternoon.  It was only this past Thursday that ATM rushed to Jackson, MS to visit him.  He went back early this morning and will stay until Tuesday for visitation & funeral.  Safe travels & beaming heart rays to him & his family.  I will not be able to accompany him, I've missed a lot of work last week.

On his way back from M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, ATM bought me a Kitchen Aid stand mixer - -  FOR NO SPECIAL REASON!  

This is tantamount to buying me a car or something!  What a thoughtful fella, I'm so lucky. In less than 24 hours that I've possessed the mixer, I've made royal icing for the sugar skulls and chocolate chip cookies.  It just makes things so much easier!  I love it! 

Undecorated sugar skulls:

 

Yesterday, we went camping, but had to cut it short.  We totally unpacked and set up the tent, built a fire -- then his mum called & told him the 'schedule' for visitation/funeral.  We ate lunch, packed it all back up & went home.  

Re-packing:

I totally poked it with a stick:

ATM set up a fire in the backyard, so we could day-camp & ensure we got that smoky smell embedded into our clothes & hair.  The nice thing about day-camping at home is that SOLO can hang out with us, too.  


We finally stenciled our camping seal on our gear boxes.  

After ATM left this morning, KMHD came over & we walked the Junction Bridge into downtown LR.  We happened across a sculpture display/show/contest in the Rivermarket.

I was looking at a sculpture when some miss from Channel 4 news approached & asked if she could ask me some questions about early voting.  I agreed & nervously answered her questions & gave her my take about it.  I was (AM) such a nerd, I was so nervous!  And didn't get to tell her all that I felt about it.  I wish I could have a do-over.  I would've at least put some lip balm on, yikes, I think I was rockin' some chapped lips.  Anyway, will I be on the news tonight?

After our walk, me & KMHD did a little shopping - - you know, light bulbs, prescription pills, acrylic paint for projects.  When we got back to the house, we practiced our kickboxing form, we're getting tested tomorrow!  We could be getting our senior white belt tomorrow!  

Ah!  I almost forgot, I got a very pleasant surprise in the mail on Friday.  THANK YOU, Jhnmrk!!!

I know Drew Daniel from a message board that I frequent, I'm looking forward to reading his effort.  You always send the best books.  ATM just started the last book in the Bonfiglioli series that you sent me.  He'll stay up late reading - - as I fall asleep, I can hear him chuckling.  SO GOOD.  Thank you!  I've been trying to think of a nice way to return the favor.  Is there anything from LR/AR you want?  I need to order a few 33 1/3 -- can I order it from Continuum Book website?   If you'll let me know in the comments, should anyone else want to order, too.  

LAST PHOTO.  Someone has graffiti'ed the little rock, LR's namesake.  As viewed from the LR side of the Junction Bridge:

IT'S TIME!

I lazily glanced at my calendar and realized that EARLY VOTING BEGINS NEXT MONDAY! It's the beginning of the end of this insane campaign cycle!


Happy Birthday to the very awesome Pharoah Sanders!

We are going to the Arkansas State Fair on Wednesday! Ferris wheels & fried food! It'll be Keiko's first time, so it makes it that much more exciting & cute! (I would otherwise never use the word "cute" to describe the state fair.)

Speaking of Keiko, ATM asked her to knit a little monkey for his soon-to-be-born nephew. ATM asked her like last Friday - - she brought it over last night, wtf! She's so fast! And so so good. See for yourself:

Oh, Monday.

I made two meals & baked banana bread today, wtf!  I MISS COOKING!  

The drawback of kickboxing is that I'm very tired when class is done, so I really do not even want to think about cooking when I get home.  So, it's either take-out or asking ATM to cook more than usual, which he is very cool about.  I've managed to work the crock pot in the schedule, too, but I do not get to cook as often as I'd like.  Well, I made up for it today!

Eggs benedict (my first time making them) for breakfast:

Pumpkin soup for supper:

Banana bread:

Rett & Keiko will be having supper with us & then we're going to sit around the fire pit, drink some beers.  We are so lucky!

Tomorrow is for rest, some chores & a hair cut.  

Eclipse Glasses is not performing this weekend due to a family emergency, so we're not going to Fayetteville this weekend.  We decided to not make the trip in order to save a little gas & money.  

So, me & ATM went to the rally for Sen. Obama this evening down @ the State Capitol.  We needed to be around some like-minded folks what with all of the detestable & terrifying GOP rally coverage we've been watching on the television.  Mary Steenburgen & Ted Danson (Becker!) spoke.  Sens. Tracy Steele, Marion Barry & Blanche Lincoln spoke.  AR Dem Party Chairman David Pryor spoke.  Gov. Mike Beebe spoke.  Sen. Hillary Clinton, guest of honor, spoke.  I guess I wanted/expected fireworks.  To me, the rally was really uninspiring.  We left before Hillary was even done!  I didn't want the gang to be rude & crude, but I did want the McCain-Palin campaign to be called out for all of their fear-mongering & their lies.  I wanted to hear from the people I helped get elected to remind us that racism is alive & well and that it is unacceptable and has no place in politics & beyond.  They did not.  It's time like this when I take a look at both parties and realize that even though I have Democratic tendencies, they sometimes lack the bravado that I desire.  And the Republicans, well, pardon my French, but are you fuxxing kidding me?  They will never ever have my interests at heart.  Ever.  

The good news is that there were A LOT of people at this rally!  And I got great vibes from the crowd, more than the speakers.  Everyone was all smiles, enjoying the weather & totally stoked that we're about to elect Barack Obama as President, ya'll!  
A truism:

Tomorrow is Race for the Cure.  I'm all for it, but I do have to tolerate being shut in my neighborhood with no hope of escape for a few hours because the race route actually encircles the few blocks that I live in.  I also have to tolerate lots of trash in the neighborhood.  Why don't planners ever factor in clean-up, post-race?  Anyway, I'm gonna go to the grocery store sometime tonight to get a few things to make eggs benedict for brunch.  Might as well enjoy captivity with a really nice meal.  I've never made eggs benedict and a part of me says I should leave it to the pros, but I'm up for the challenge.  

Ugh, the woodlock I've been using for my sore knee is giving me a headache AND I smell like Ba Noi (my grandmother).  A message to my body:  Get well sooner!

It's late & I'm writing up a post because I cannot wait until tomorrow to tell you guys that I am not just a white belt in kickboxing!  No no, I got a blue band for my form & am qualified to test for a senior white belt!

I honestly didn't know that we'd move up the belt color ladder because we aren't at the competitive level, so this is really exciting for me!  I hope I pass my test!  

Tonite, class was really tough.  While we were doing these insane leg lifts, I started man-yelling.  I looked over to my left @ a lady (there are three women in this school) who laughed so hard that she accidentally kicked an instructor in the balls!  Oops!  I couldn't help but laugh because, you know, nice chain of events there!  Anyway, my right knee is begging me to take it easy, it's a little swollen.  Me & KMHD don't know about attending class tomorrow, we're at "wait & see".  

So, Master Lee, he's a character.  He asked me why people couldn't pay a lump sum for 3 years in advance, it's a total of $5,000.  I told him that we are having an economic crises to which he replied, "Oh, I heard about that."  Seriously, this guy.

Pumpkin time!

You should see our pumpkins, they're HUGE.  They're nuclear!  I can't wait to roast some seeds!  Om nom!  Too, it's about that time to bust out the pumpkin soup!  

Bedtime.

Pre-

Here I am, pre-kickboxing, pre-debate, NERVOUS because of both.  

We haven't gone to kickboxing for a week and I feel totally gnarly because of it.  This particular class will sucketh.  And then there's the debate.  I'm not scared, but I get anxious because of Brokaw & Walnuts.  

I just read this off a messageboard, it made me laugh!
"I just hope mccain tries the palin wink and is unable to reopen his eye."

At lunch, I'm gonna drag out the crock pot & get some beans started for supper. I hope that my first time back to kickboxing in a week doesn't just KILL me because then I can make some cornbread after class. Still trying to decide if I'm going to watch the Presidential debates this evening. Eh.

Got two packages in the mail yesterday, my replacement Obama yard sign and my Mexican Sugar Skull-making kit. According to the little brochure that came with the kit, sugar skull-making is a dying art. WHY?! Anyway, I think I'm going to call on my neighbor to help me start making these things -- it looks simple enough, which means I'll need help. They'll look so good @ the loosely themed Dias de Los Muertos party, awww. Right next to the nacho bar, heh.

So, word on the street is that AC/DC will be returning to North Little Rock @ Alltel Arena in January! I've seen AC/DC, best concert ever! I had to go purchase some Aspercreme the next morning for my very sore neck, too much headbangin'.

Bits & pieces:
1. I heard that Ab Fab is going to be remade. WHY?!
2. I'm gonna join this Electoral College pool that my pal Seth is doing.

RIP Weekend

Immediately after work on Friday, we went to Za Za's to get some supper.  We got a hyper-elite prosciutto & arugula pizza & a Caesar salad, but the best part was the pumpkin pie gelato!  Mmmmm.  Beachboard made me try the bananas foster flavor, too, but I recommend sticking with the pumpkin pie bit.

Saturday, I got up early with good intentions of doing some serious yard work, but two things happened:  rain & a severe allergy attack.  I tried making a crazy spicy curry to clear the head & it did exactly that.  But, once I got my sense of smell & taste back, I realized that the curry was disgusting.  I had to plead with ATM, who is a good sport, to please stop eating it.  I spent the rest of the day & evening trying to recover from the allergies so I could go to ATM's set @ WWT that night.  I made it!  He did so well!

Empty stage:

ATM <3:

I'm gonna hold off on my crazy-lady rant about how I despise "DJs" that use laptops.  I think I can sum it up in a few words:  Kids these days!  Grrrr.

Anyway, I didn't stay out too late, but we can thank crap "DJs" for that - - I practically ran for my life outta that joint!  I went home, purged myself of cigarette stank & PASSED OUT.  I vaguely remember ATM & SOLO joining me a bit later.

Sunday, I woke up at a decent hour & made coffee.  I really struggled to stay awake, so instead of fighting it, I went back to sleep.  It was decided before I dozed off that we would go flea marketin' in Pickles Gap Village when I woke up.  And that we did!  We scored little things (mostly kitchen & entertainment things for me), but mostly browsed.  Um.  Pickles Gap Village was fine, but anything past that was very very weird.  We were getting the very unfriendly vibe from locals, so we kinda got the hell out of there.  Here is a very scary photo that I took whilst @ P.G.V.  I do not think it's appropriate for children.  Or some adults!  There's a lurker in the bushes - - SICKO!

We went home & walked General Chang, who, up until a couple of hours ago, has been in our care, since his mum went to Chicago for a few days.  Anyway, we were hell of lazy until dinner.  We went to Saddle Creek for steaks.  We're kinda awful in that we totally love steak.  S.C. has THE BEST steak that wasn't prepared by my hand & THE BEST lump crab cakes known.  They use panko!  I am so pleased that panko is being used more commonly, it is way superior to bread crumbs.  

That's it!  Easy-lee weekend, the best kind.  Next weekend, we are going to Fayetteville, ATM's band got a show.  I wonder if the leaves have started turning yet?  I'll bring my camera!  Too, I may get to meet new friends & love on the old ones.  

General Chang, taking a nap:

Flyer:

Darn right!

I figured that Palin would work hard so that she would be able to form complete sentences for the debate, but she's still a lying liar! It's obvious that she did some major cramming & her handlers trained her well to give non-answers. I just can't bring myself to take her seriously. Well, obviously I can't, I played Palin bingo while she was speaking.

Anyway, these debates, they're not for us anymore, they are for the benefit of undecideds & Independents. I really hope they can sort & sift through the untruths and deceptions fabricated by the McCain/Palin ticket.

Re: Clean coal, there is no such thing. I do wish that Barack & Joe would just go ahead & forget about that ridiculousness.
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Just bought some art:

The other evening, I was queuing at a check-out line in Kroger. There was an elderly man in front of me - - he was about $4 short of being able to pay for all of his groceries. You guys, I'm the biggest softie, I got a little teary-eyed. The cashier, she was like, "You don't have enough money. Here, let's take some things out of your bag." She thoughtlessly grabbed a bag of baby carrots and a pack of hot dogs. She was about to grab another item when I decided to just foot the bill. It was no big deal, o.k., I just couldn't take watching this cashier acting all inconvienienced by this man. I mean, that could've been a member of my family! Too, I hated that the clerk was just pulling items out of the bag, making him choose what to leave behind. The poor man, he was so confused. Her fast-talkin' and pulling out items at random left him standing there embarrassed and ashamed. Well, that's what I perceived, anyway.

I don't know what the gentleman's situation is, but I really hope I didn't witness the norm for him. You know, I hope I didn't witness a person struggling to pay for groceries. I know people are hurtin', but now I get it.  Seeing it first hand really got the message into my thick skull.

We are so lucky. And I want to help. As the late great Paul Newman said, "If you can help out, do."  Thanks to Rett, I've been directed to Potluck, an organization that rescues high-quality food from places like restaurants & hotels and distributes them to the hungry.  If we aren't already upon hard times, we will be.  Organizations like Food Not Bombs & Potluck make more sense every day.  They need our support!  

Is it me?

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...

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I've been dealing with the neighbors. Me & ATM, we live in Argenta. It's great, as long as you don't have to interact with the folks there! Sad, I know. There's a blog (run by a painful know-it-all asshat) that provides a wealth of valuable information (good!) & a wealth of utter crap (bad!). If you clicked on the above link, you'll be directed to a post that appears innocent, but then you get to the last line. Spelling/grammar errors aside, it's distasteful & gross. To follow it with a smiley face emoticon is an admission of guilt, in my opinion. The writer, Scott Miller, knew exactly what he was writing & he tried to pass it off as humor.

This Scott Miller, he has tried running for alderman. For a while, he quit his blog, so there wouldn't be a conflict of interest. Then he dropped out of the race for personal reasons. Now he's back to blogging. What scares me is that this guy almost had my vote! FAIL.

I'm not faux offended & I don't think I overreacted. We're past apologies. All I'm saying is STAY OFF MY LAWN, YOU FILTHY PUNKS! :)