Saturday, go long!

26 Sept. 2009
What a long day.

First, we went to the Arkansas Sustainability Summit & Expo. It was smaller than years past. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see what services they might provide for homeowners. As much as I would love it, I cannot foresee us outfitting our home with solar panels anytime soon, so, I guess I was hoping there'd be workshops on how to weatherize the house & be more energy efficient. All of those little things add up! Maybe next year. Anyway, the highlight was hearing Mayor Bob Dixon of Greensburg, Kansas speak. Greensburg is a town, that, in 2007, got wiped off the map by a tornado. The town decided to rebuild with sustainability & future generations in mind. Admittedly, Mayor Dixon figures it was this disaster that afforded them the opportunity to rebuild green, but it's still pretty amazing to see an entire community, city planners, leaders, builders and contracters act progressively. He said that Greensburg went from "being in the middle of nowhere to being the middle of everywhere", now that leaders worldwide seek his wisdom & guidance. I really appreciated his remarks about how building green shouldn't be political. He did, however, say that it was Gov. Sebelius & FEMA heads who suggested rebuilding this way.




From the summit, we high-tailed it to L1ttle Caesar's to pick up some H0t & Ready for watching the Hogs game @ Heather & Zach's home. After awhile, the game became too miserable to watch, so we went on down to the annual Hlllcrest Harvest Fest. It was so nice to be out of doors, with friends & doggies everywhere! We stuck around for the fashion show -- Korto Momolu was there! She makes such pretty clothes for all kinds of women. And possibly men? There was a guy who walked the cat walk, but he was just rockin' a t-shirt & jeans. ???

Loved this dress:

The designer herself. New hair cut!




We walked into the Peabody LR on the way to the summit to look @ the ducks. Cuet!

Keep calm, carry on.

We have a sign in our yard that says 'ANOTHER HOUSEHOLD FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM'. Whatever one's stance is on the issue, I do believe that everyone agrees that something needs to be done. It's the actual 'how' that is divisive. That said, last night, I got to witness & experience a drunk lady angrily kick my sign. I shouted "HEY!" from my porch just to let her know that she was being observed. I heard one of the fellas that she was with say something like, "That's not like you!". He seemed genuinely taken aback by her gesture. The others were like, "Uh oh, busted!" They walked a little further down the sidewalk and she shouted back at me, "It's B.S.!"

I did not react further for a couple of reasons. One, she was really drunk. And two, even if she wasn't, I don't think there was any chance of engaging in a meaningful conversation about the issue.

It did make me wonder, though, why was she so angry? What did that sign represent to her? That one? Change? Does she feel she will be left behind, that something is being taken away from her?

I've spent the morning discussing it with Alannah & KMHD. It helped me suss out my feelings and solidify my beliefs. I'm not mad anymore. Whatever that lady's anger represents, I resolve to not live in fear, even with the threat of violence, even minor incidents. Also, change is good & sometimes it has to be forced on people. Alannah cited Brown v. Board of Education, hello!

Keep company with like-minded people; they will give you comfort & wisdom.



"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

no no no

I cannot express how disappointed and sore I am at Sen. Blanche Lincoln for voting against the public option in health care reform. Anything less isn't enough!

I have insurance now, but it's only good if I do not get sick. I've been that person who didn't have insurance. I was that person that had to literally crawl to the emergency room for treatment. I'm that person who is STILL paying for past medical bills. I'm near tears here, ya'll! I honestly feel that she did not listen to her constituents. AGAIN!

I really despise the position she's put us in, too. Come voting time, our options are dismal. Like Dark Ages kind of dismal. Arkansas Dems are such a disappointing lot. Grow a spine!

Confession time!

Dear gals:

I'm sorry, I gave it an earnest go. I am not a crocheter. I hope this doesn't change things.

With regrets,
AMD

photo finish

Our first day of autumn started off with a rainbow:



I got more photos of our home-to-be. We will be able to get inside on Wednesday, I think. I'll get more photos in addition to taking measurements, etc.:




I've been sorting, purging & packing again. I still have too much stuff, but am learning to let go. I mean that in so many ways. It feels...better.

If she hears the crinkling wrapper, she will come from afar to get a bite. I can't stop her. But, look at that face! Only a mom can love that face:

♫ yuzza yuzza rent yuzza yuzza already spent!♫

Whoa, what a bad day!

It started off rocky. Tears were shed. Our boss was away last week, so we were/are dealing with a shitstorm of issues & people who have been awaiting his return. Too, I have exactly 5 billion things I have to do, professionally & personally. ATM & I thought we'd take care of a big task over lunch break -- handing in our 30 day notice to vacate to our landlady. You've probably inferred that it did not go over well. It really didn't. She was such a jerkface!



We stopped by her office after lunch to hand deliver the notice. I didn't go in with ATM because I thought that this would be an easy, simple task. Nooooo no no. She immediately became cold & talked to ATM as if we were bad tenants. Then she went on about how we were responsible for rent until the lease expired (in April 2010!). THEN she told us our horrible options. She was really unhelpful and unpleasant.

Is my sense of entitlement way off to A) want her to say something along the lines of, "Oh, dag, you bought a house! That's awesome! I will do everything I can do to help because you've been a great tenant for the past EIGHT years!" and B) want this matter to be treated as business and it not be personal?



Nothing can be easy, I suppose.

What we will end up doing is signing a termination agreement and paying a fee which is equal to one month's rent. Yikes. This might hurt a bit!

Health Care Reform Rally 2009!

Not a teabagger in sight!

BRAVA! to the ones that showed on this grey & rainy day.  I really wish I could thank the gentleman that gave me the plastic sheet to shield myself from the rain.  That little act of sweetness right there is why I even bother caring about stuff, so thanks, guy!


ATM <3:


Man of steel, Somers Mathews (He helped fund this event BIG TIME, so thank him personally!):

Rep. Kathy Webb:



Was she texting whilst singing?

What a pal!





Doesn't the Belvedere look so strange?

THE BIG NEWS

Even though I have reservations, I've been assured by many that it's safe to announce that we bought a home.  Finally, eh?  I didn't want to post about it anywhere on the internet because I was certain that I was jinxing us.  Too, when we made this offer, we worked very hard to "be cool" & not get too emotionally involved, just in case.  The house was foreclosed on, so we would be working through a bank.  That's why it took nearly three weeks to hear back from them.  I remember where I was when we heard the good news.  We were driving back home from Florida.  It was raining.  We were listening to Grizzly Bear feat. (THE) Michael McDonald on S1r1us radio.  [An aside:  ATM read this interview with Michael McDonald who said he was really diggin' what the youngins are playing these days.  He enjoyed working with Grizzly Bear,  said it reminded him of Doobie Bros. days, when they were experimenting with music.  I had to chuckle.] When Suz (our realtor) told us the good news, I totally sobbed.  It made sense at the time.  Do you know how hard it was for me to not get stoked?

3519 N Olive St.

North Little Rock, AR  72116

Here's a funny:  The house that we 'won' is right across the street from our second failed attempt.  I can't wait to wave hello at that guy.  He hasn't sold his house, yet, btw.  Hee.

These photos (from the Cry3 L3ike website) do not do this house justice.  We are going to meet with our realtor soon, so that I can take proper photos. Please note the aluminum awnings & how great they will serve us on rainy days.




Second bedroom:


Part of the backyard is fenced in.


Mud/laundry room:

Dining room. With French doors, oui oui:

Living room:


I took these few. Long drive-way:

You may've noticed that we're going from huge porch to zero porch, but I'm hoping to make up for it in the back. You will love it. Please note the building out back that is roughly half the size of the house itself. Future recording/music studio for ATM plus room for storage, tools, etc.


I'm sorry if I failed to mention to any one of you the good news. Frankly, I don't know who I've told & who I haven't, so let this serve as the announcement. I'll let you know when the housewarming party is. Ice cream & cake!

make time take time

Note: I'm just gonna publish this post. If it seems unfinished, well, it is. But, I gotta make room for new posts. Something happened to me post-vacation. I feel like the Dude. Just puttering along, man. Onward, onward!
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Last week, ATM & I joined his mom & stepfather in Perdido Key, Florida for much needed R & R. Lots of hanging around on the beach, eating, sleeping, eating & sleeping. Beach.

No need to get wordy about this lot of photos:









But, these might need some 'splainin:

Flora-bama. A literal shanty/tent town. Attracts the wooooo! crowd. Smells like Pizza Don'ts. Makes a stiff pina colada.



Ye olde bra toss:





ATM got a little (clay) court time in. It's vacation! And we kept up with the US Open.


On our last full day, we drove into Pensacola & explored their precious downtown. Pensacola totally got the Spanish/French treatment a la New Orleans & Mobile, AL. The next time we are in the area, there are some restaurants & dives I'd like to check out. We went to their art museum that is housed in a building that used to be a jail. It's not a big museum; they only had two exhibits. 1. Passport to Paris with sketches and etches. And 2. Art of Africa, which featured beautiful pieces from some guy's personal collection. I can only imagine what his house looks like. And is it just artifacts from Africa?



This stool could be in the MOMA catalog:

Stairwell in museum:


It's a ten hour drive from NLR to Perdido Key, FL. By the time we rolled into Florida, it was dark & we were a kind of exhausted , tempered with total spaz. We ate, briefly faced the ocean & then went to our room to retire. We needed to decompress, so we turned on the television & immediately caught a second wind. Why? We realized that we were in Mark Ghormley territory! We watched The Unchartered Zone (UZ to REAL fans). It did not fail to entertain. No Mark Ghormley, but they did feature lots and lots of other local "talent". Thank you, Collin, for introducing us to Mr. Ghormley. Keiko made me laugh heartily when she told me that her little bean moved with an intensity while she was watching Brad Pitt on the silver screen. AND MARK GHORMLEY (on the computer screen)! Precious. Too bad they only show it one night a week.

I failed at documenting the foods and meals that we consumed, but I was on vacation from this blog, too, you know? I love this photo:

We were about to dig into our last breakfast before we hit the road home. There sits a tall, cold glass of milk. No one I know drinks milk like that any more. Sign of the times?

Tech-junkies make terrible vacationers. I checked my email & the usual sites nearly everyday. And I'm glad I did! Autumn has an online business called Avante Tarte. She will list what she's b/making, take orders by a certain date/time, and then she will deliver them to you. I love it. And she is some kind of baker! I got my order in before I left Florida. True Blood Season Finale pie: Black cherry rhubarb with blood orange merlot(te) sauce, and pâte brisée crust.



I don't even have to tell you it was good because your heart already knows! If you live in the NLR/LR area, get in on this madness!

Oh, ugh, the vacation totally set back the self-improvement plan. I ate whatever I wanted in FL. I've been back home for 6 days now & I have been good, but only 50% of the time. Pie & making runs with my lady folks to Hot Springs to eat @ Rolando's (with gelato afterwards) is not helping matters. But, I digress. These are the noteworthy, memorable & delicious things, not the vegan boca burger w/ salsa, no cheese that I forced myself to eat for lunch. I get it. You can't self-improve on vacation. I'm still sulking, though. Poo poo.