KMHD, Mayumi:

The flash trip to Ft. Smith wasn't too bad, it went by w/o incident. Highlights include Dad making scrambled eggs for KMHD (Which is a BFD, he hasn't cooked for us in 10+ years!) and inheriting an 8-track player + numerous 8-track cassettes. I've always respected and admired the novelty of 8-tracks, but never saw myself as an owner of one. Thx to my dad, I am now!

Just a sample:

Me & KMHD, we got out of Ft. Smith pretty quickly, there's nothing for us there. I need to note the immense feeling of relief and happiness arriving back home. Euh, huh? We weren't even gone 24 hours.

Me & ATM made good on what was left of our weekend, we went to the flea market in search of "new" 8-track cassettes (No dice), Supermercado Fresca (Home of 88 cent t-shirts and glass bottle colas), and we tried to go to Jam Rock, a newish Caribbean grocery store, but they were closed. According to my co-worker, they have lots of tonics and potions for vitality & long-lasting boners. Naturally, I'm intrigued. I don't even know what I'd pick up there! Probably not tonics and potions, though.

3-day weekend bliss and it's all for Independence Day. We are going to have a thing @ our home. I've already drawn up a menu & ideas of water sprinklers and shady spots in the yard. I really hope people bring chairs! And libations. And maybe a little food. I'm inviting the usual suspects, all of the precious (& photogenic) folks that I run with. They will make my 4th so attractive!

My favorite glass:

I did myself a huge favor and ordered Kids In the Hall Seasons 1 & 2. Both offa the internets for less than 20$! I really envy you guys -- you'll soon get to hear me dropping KITH quotes all over the place! So's you know, I ain't gonna spread for no roses.

ECLIPSE GLASSES

Eclipse Glasses tonite @ AR Flag & Banner / 800 W. 9th St. $5 + ca$h bar. 8 p.m. -11p.m.

Re: The Seattle post. It won't be ready for awhile, but for very good reason: it's not being thrown together. I've got to do a little recollecting & remembering. I've got to upload photos & try to condense condense condense, even though there's no avoiding lengthiness. I'm still waiting for ATM's bit on our night out in Fremont. I've been too busy @ work to really work on it, but in the end I think it might prove useful to anyone who goes to Seattle & surrounding areas. Well, ha, maybe.

Me & KMHD are working on 'cheat sheets' to take to Spanish-speaking establishments, especially restaurants. It's difficult to tell someone "I am vegetarian" and get desired results unless you speak their language. So, we Babelfished some terms and translated from English to Spanish in hopes of being able to ask for a salsa verde refill and NOT getting any meat in KMHD's burrito. I'd like to learn more than how to order a taco though! I know the Latino community is steadily growing in Arkansas, but it doesn't mean I encounter Spanish-speakers all of the time. In fact, we get the occasional Spanish-speaking person here @ the courthouse or when I go to Las Delicias, but I don't encounter them otherwise. So, an effort does have to be made to learn the language, which I am happy to do. I guess I wonder what all the fuss is over some alien invasion? Amirite? Some people just act crazy/silly when they get the fear.

So, maybe this trip to Ft. Smith won't be so awful. We won't be there long, I'll be with KMHD & we won't be there that long. I'm hoping to do some fine dining.

ATM's band Eclipse Glasses will be playing their first show tomorrow night @ AR Flag & Banner! I think it'll be a good show, I'm looking forward to it. He's so cute, that ATM.

It's Wednesdate & I think we're keeping it simple w/ dinner & DVDs.

Allow me to copy/paste from my AR Rockers profile:

I had such a blast camping w/ Keiko & Rett!  You would think that boating out to an island to camp can't outdo itself, but things HAPPENED, man.  At night, we sat at the very edge of the water and stargazed.  What did we see?  Everything.  We saw more stars that I've seen in a long time.  We saw orbiting satellites.  We saw shooting stars.  At one point, we asked the Greater Powers to show us something amazing, so amazing that it scares us a little.  It totally happened:

This photo does no justice, natch.  The moon came out of nowhere, rising so fast, so bright, so orange.  I couldn't get my camera fast enough!  It had completely risen past the horizon before I couldn run 30 feet to get my camera!  We had gone most of the night w/o the moon, so it was just shocking.  It was beautiful, it was awesome, I'll never forget it.  I wish I could write better to convey how rad it was.

Less talk, more...photos?



This photo is great. There's our firepit, made of crystal. On the cooler, a bottle of Patron. Cute people!:


The boat, the view, the AMD floating on a thingy, and our Captain:


ATM, smoke, moon, moon reflection:

After camping, we all rode into town and ate lunch @ Rolando's.  A note to get the tortilla soup & enchiladas again.

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So, today, MONDAY, passed w/o too much incident, although I did have a wardrobe malfunction.  The zipper on my beautiful pencil skirt gave out on me, but no one witnessed it, thankfully.  I was on my way out to lunch when I noticed it and I was able to change when I got home.  

Me & KMHD are going to Ft. Smith this weekend to visit Mayumi before she goes off to Japan and to visit Dad, help him with the yard work.  It's a one-night stay, so there's no fucking around.  We're going to stay w/ Mayumi.  I doubt we'll go out and experience "the night life", as there really isn't one.  Well, one we can tolerate.  I am totally treating this trip as a dreadful chore, which is, well, I don't know.  All I know is that you shouldn't drink the water.

Got off work a little early with the intent of doing some internets housekeeping -- updating profiles, blogs, uploading photos.  Then I'd do some work work.  Yes, I brought some home!  It's mostly just organizing letters, but it's still work work.  I've accomplished half of what I hoped for, but I'm satisfied.

I guess I'll spend the rest of the evening preparing my bento (leftover shrimp!), showering, tending to my goddamn sunburn, and charging my AiPod for the walk to work!  There's a possibility of a Farmer's Market visit tomorrow.  I've got blueberries, dry-aged beef, and okra on the brain.  We'll see!

Molasses.  It's been quiet around here w/o ATM.  

I'm still w/o le automobile, but I've managed to get out of the house w/ no problems. Yesterday evening, Micah & Donna came over & we walked to Dickey-Stephens to join Matika & Angie & their (cute) babies to watch a baseball game.  (7-6, Travs)  Anne loaned me her car this evening so I could get groceries.  What a rad co-worker, yes?  

Gosh, I am so tired.

$$$600$$$

I laughed when I opened my mailbox and found my government check inside. You know, the $600. Is this for fuxxing real?!!! I wasn't going to believe it until I had the thing in my hand, you know? Anyway, there's something weird, something not quite right about this money. I decided long ago, when the news first broke out that these checks were en route to the people, that if A) It was real and I actually got one that B) I'd be a "patriot" and go on a shopping spree. Fug it, you know? I've been saving and saving and paying off my debts, I need to get more camping gear and some comics, man! Oh, and some clothes for work. And a steak. I need some spoils!

My problem right now is that I've been thinking so frugal, so little, that I'm having a difficult time thinking BIG. Should I get a new computer? I DON'T KNOW! It may just have to sit in savings, accruing interest, until I figure it out.

So, hot shots, what did you spend yr $600? Or did you just put it towards bills, debts, school loans? SISSY!

I'm preparing myself to being alone most of this week. I feel a little sad about it, there's a silver lining in there somewhere, right? O.K., so I'll have a little more bed space to myself. But then what? It's impossible cooking for one! Maybe I'll just go watch a load of awful movies. And I'll go visit KMHD, Zach & General Chang.


FYI: I'm still trying to upload SY footage from the Fville show. Fuxxing Y0u Tu83 is being such a hassle.

I get it.

I'm a slow person. In more than ways than one, I'm a tortoise.

When we returned from Seattle, I realized that I had fallen into the "Arkansas Vortex". It's easy to fall in to and remain forever.  And I don't mean to say it like it's a bad thing -- I know some folks who could happily live in the vortex, no problem. But, there's THE void. In exchange for a low cost of living and parking spaces and awesome camping, we suffer not having bubble tea shops, affordable/delicious coffee [Sorry, Boulevard -- you're not very accessible!], Ethiopian cuisine, and proper music venues -- to name a few. Little Rock/N. Little Rock really tries, and that's why I'm so forgiving, but sometimes I wish we didn't have to work so hard for it. One thing I can say about this town(s) is that we do not take any offerings for granted.  Having proper venues or restaurants or shops are a victory for us, even if it doesn't seem like a big deal to anyone anywhere else.  They're a big deal!

That said, when I post things, it's really a report of things I did or will do or have done.  Big deal or no, it's mostly to share with my little circle of friends, my posse. And it's for posterity.  It's wild to go back on things I've written in the past, I've changed so much!  The blog also serves to keep memories fresh as my memory fails me more & more as the time passes.  I sometimes feel sorry for the random buddy that clicks on the link to this blog. This blog is not the peak of excitement, it's slow. I'm slow! Molasses.  I love it!  It affords me the pleasure of being able to travel and still be impressed & fascinated by very little things.  

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The night before last, me & ATM drove up to Fort Roots (NLR) to get a better view of an electrical storm:

The lightning was non-stop & silent. It felt like a live being, so strange.

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Yesterday, I bought some bento "supplies".  Now I can tote around sides of mayonnaise or dressing or soy sauce or hot sauce or whatever in a cute leakproof bottle or container.  I'm really enjoying Ms. Bento, my latest obsession.  

Me & ATM went back to JTDesigns where I totally scored some new skewers!  Now, there's a little background story to this.  On Friday, we watched an ep of Good Eats, kabobs being the theme.  A. Brown said that the best skewers were nice & pointy, but most importantly, flat.  He flouted what looked like my Xmas present that I rec'd from KMHD a couple of years ago.  Up until Friday, I always thought that she got me a fancy letter opener, which I hung in my bedroom for decoration.  As we watched the t.v. show, I said to ATM, "I think I've got a skewer hanging in the bedroom!"  Totally.  Anyway, we thought it a VERY good sign to find some of similar design @ JTD, so I bought four to join the one at home.  I wrote down A. Brown's recipe for spicy kabobs, so I'm very excited to give them a try soon!  Especially if we're going to make them in the fire pit!

The one KMHD got me is on the far right.
 

We got some past-due yard work done, the exterior looks great!  You know what's missing?  A bird bath & a bird feeder.  I'd like to get those things, this neighborhood has A LOT of birds and I'd like to see them playing & eating in my backyard.  You know what's not missing?  FERNS.  We got two of them for the front porch and they look fantastic.  They really tie the house together.

So, we're going to the lake next week w/ Rett & Keiko & TBA?  I'm very excited about it, I ordered a new swimsuit.  I need a big floppy hat to go with my ensemble, mostly for sun-blocking and then for style.  Too, I need to go through our gear and see what needs to be refilled or replaced.  

I find myself wanting to have some event in our backyard.  I'm tempted to buy a kiddie pool & get a keg & just call people to come over, bring food.  And a chair.  

I found this gem @ The Fresh Market:

Friend or foe? I'm intrigued. I'm taking it to work to try w/ CK, a fellow chocolate-liker. KMHD once linked me to a photo of choco-dipped bacon. I am not afraid. Maybe one day. I guess this candy bar will serve as a primer.

Happy Father's Day, ATM!

I'm watching what has been a disappointing soccer game between Germany & Croatia -- hopefully, things will turn around quickly!  As of now, 2-0 Croatia.

I've spent some time today working on a post about our recent trip to Seattle.  I'd like to document it properly for posterity, but I don't want it to be so long and drawn out.  Oh, but it will be long, that part can't be helped.

UPDATE:  Goal!  Germany!

I got to use Ms. Bento for the first time today!  There's something satisfying about taking a proper lunch to work.  It was leftovers today, no big deal.  I had chicken enchiladas w/ salsa, cantaloupe, & fig newtons.  This evening, when I got home from work, the first thing I did was drain a block of tofu & squeezed out it's water.  Made up a simple marinade and pan fried them.  OM NOM.  They are going to lay on a bed of plain steamed rice.  A side of cantaloupe and a salad and there is lunch for tomorrow!  

I walked to work, too, and I say what took me so long?  I know people who have to walk further than I have to to get to their bus/subway stop.  It's a bit embarrassing that I haven't made this a habit sooner.  We're a car short these days, the OVLOV has been acting strange.  It gives me the fear to think of breaking down on the Broadway bridge in the middle of p.m. traffic.  Anyway, walking is fine, it's a nice route.  I mean, I get to walk over the river both ways!  I brought an umbrella to use as a parasol, but I didn't use it - - I will tomorrow!  I got a tan, but on one side.

UPDATE:  Red card, Germany.  #7 Schweinsteiger.  It doesn't look good.  

UPDATE UPDATE:  Croatia wins.  They are the better team, I saw it.  It should've been 3-1, really.

So, I'm going through a thing right now.  I can't seem to get to it!  I've got things I need to do, you know, some housekeeping, some involved cooking.  I don't know what it is, I mean, I don't feel awful, I am LAZY.  Maybe it's the summerness that's going on outside.  I don't know, maybe I'm just being a knucklehead.  There's nothing wrong, I'm just being lazy.

I want my $600!  It's my money and I want it now!  Amirite?  I'm going to be a patriot and spend the shit out of that government check.  My short list of things I'd like to purchase:  Clothes (mostly for work) & Love/Rockets comics.  Oh, and a fan for the tent.  I guess if there's anything left, I'll put it in savings.  

I'm trying to work up some motivation to run to the grocery store real quick -- I'd like to make some furikake for future lunches.  And a cucumber-tomato salad.  My aunt gave me some beautiful tomatoes in Seattle and I managed to get them home unbruised and they are ripening with a quickness, so it's time.   

Ugh, stifling laziness.

  

Summer summer summertime!

Well, I've got some post-vacation activities lined up for us:

Bodied

The Mid-America Science Museum, in Hot Springs, will host "Our Body: The Universe Within" from June 14-Sept. 28.

This is a take-off on the Body World exhibit that's been such a worldwide phenomenon and source of scandal. The cadavers on display are preserved by a process called polymer impregnation, where tissue is permanently preserved using liquid silicone. Sounds like plastination.

Thousands will flock.

(C/P'ed from ARTimes)

That and camping. Summer!

U-Dub, I-Dub, we all dub for U-Dub!

I've been working up a little list of what I'd like to do whilst in the great Northwest.

• Uwajimaya (Bento box)
  
• Pike Place Market (Piroshky-Piroshky, Beecher's Handmade Cheese, coffee)
• Bauhaus Books/Coffee
• Experience Music Project (The dub room, duh. And architecture.)
• Koolhaas Library (Architecture)
• Flea Market? Thrift stores?
  
• Stanley Park (There are totem poles there!)
• Chinatown Night Market
• Eat
• Regional Assembly of Text
• Punjabi Market (Kim, textiles!)
• Native Indian Art

We've got at least one solid plan -- Quiet Village @ Nectar on the 4th of June. There will be ILXers there, so it's an inadvertent FAP. There's talk of a dinner before, too.

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Well, I've gone and booked a one-night stay in downtown Vancouver, BC! Spending two whole days & one night will hardly be sufficient, but since we're having to divide our time between Seattle & Vancouver, it'll do. From what I've read, Vancouver is naturally, breathtakingly beautiful. And that the sushi from there will ruin sushi from here forever. And the train ride is incredible. Oh, and it's CANADA. The next Winter Olympics will be held there, so there may be some municipal weirdness. Not too bad, I hope.

I said to ATM earlier that we'll need to remember to relax. I mean, I don't want to come home from vacation exhausted. Or maybe I do. Fug.

I've spent so many hours today & this evening researching the two cities. I've sifted through the Internets, looked at maps, gone through travel guides. I'm taking notes on napkins and little notebooks and post-its. I tried to look up things that may interest ATM & KMHD, but hopefully they both have an idea of things they'd like to do or accomplish. It'll be great and I'm certain that I'll gain an even twenty pounds, there's so much good food apparently.

It's been a long time since I've been that area, but I remember the trees, always. Big, beautiful, I always want to lug one home.

What is the first thing, besides Frasier, do you think of when you think of Seattle? The Space Needle? The Seattle Super Sonics? MotherLoveBone? Starbucks? You tell me! WOT IS QUINTESSENTIAL SEATTLE?

Victoria after midnight.

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Me & KMHD went out for dinner and a movie last night. Monday nights are good for this sort of thing -- it being Monday, it's likely that we had a weird/bad/crazy/ day. Too, we aren't really prepared for the weekend to just end like that.

We ate @ La Hacienda & watched Smart People starring SJP & Dennis Quaid. It was...meh. I mean, I'll have to think on it, let it soak in. It wasn't awful, though.

After the movie, we went to KMHD's home and had an unplanned pow-wow/therapy sesh regarding our father. All I can say at this point is, "Good grief". When it comes to Dad, I just don't know. Really.

Me & KMHD had a really lovely time & I think we're going to try to make it a semi-regular thing.  Going to dinner & a movie, that is.

Anyway...

ASIMO

I've wanted an ASIMO ever since I've heard of him. Today's article in the Dem-o-zette (In the Business & Technology section, of course.) only compounded these wants. Last week, ASIMO led the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a performance of "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. Watch ASIMO at work here. I found it to be moving & amazing. Kwanis said that it was the devil -- I can understand that, I mean, we've all watched A.I., but, we're eons away from that era! I need to petition Honda to let me have one for research purposes! I can give it simple tasks like cat-sitting, carrying groceries inside, and just hanging out with me. Awwwww, my heart melts, I <>

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

& Dots & Loops. Stereolab. Perfect for this Sunday.

1. We went to the Grand Opening of the Junction Bridge yesterday -- it was fine. I mean, it's a lovely addition to the cities, but I guess I was really put off by all of the cyclists. I stand behind their cause and, you know, GOOD FOR THEM, but is it necessary to ride out there on opening day? They were in the way! There wasn't enough room to accommodate them and the pedal-people.  Maybe if a few showed to rep the group?  It seems that cyclists are the new road/sidewalk bullies. Argh. Redeeming quality about the opening? I really liked watching the drummers from Park View High. I should've brought water and wore a hat because I think being there in the raw sun contributed to my heat exhaustion.







2. From the Junction Bridge, we went to Levy to hit up the butcher for steaks and to get lunch @ Las Delicias, my reigning favorite Mexican restaurant. This place is a true hole-in-the-wall. The food is perfect. Are we new regulars? Yes. We've become more comfortable there, getting our own drinks, looking at the groceries while we wait for our food. I was bummed that they didn't have churros that day, maybe next time.

3. After lunch, ATM worked on the Volvo and I washed the other car. We both washed the Volvo. By the time we were finished, I felt AWFUL. A little bit of heat exhaustion, I had to sleep away most of the Saturday afternoon. When I finally got out of bed, ATM had started a beautiful steak dinner. It helped me get on the path to recovery, for sure. We had perfectly grilled rib eyes! And corn! And portabella mushrooms! And ATM's world famous mashed pots! It's no secret, we live wonderfully and it's appreciated.

4. Today @ noon, we went to the annual Greek Food Fest. This year, we had calamari, falafel, & loukanika. As usual, the food was really delicious. We didn't stay long, eating being the primary objective. Too, I didn't want to overdo being out-of-doors, contributing to my existing ailments. I bought two packages of baklava to take home, half of which is already gone. Maybe I'll share w/ ATM, we'll see.

5. On the way home, we stopped by JTDesigns whose slogan is "Yesterday's styles...Today's interiors." I really enjoyed it, it's like you've stumbled across a super-duper garage sale. They've got fabrics, old dish sets, cute coffee cups, vintage tables & chairs. I ended up buying a cake holder, which was great because I was going to bake a cake anyway. JTDesigns is where ye olde speedometer shop used to be on 2223 W. Markham. I recommend using your lunch break to go peruse the goods!



6. So, I tried baking a cake yesterday. FAIL. Maybe it was me, but I'd like to think that I had a dud box of cake mix. I tossed the failed cake and thought that maybe I could make one from scratch? I referenced the Joy of Cooking -- I didn't have cake flour, so it was a bust. No cake. I'll try again later this week.

Ready for trip to Seattle! Can I call it a vacation?

Just give me weekend!

I feel so damned...annoyed that an annual Greek Food Fest is kicking off right now & I am stuck here @ work. I am working myself up into a om-nom-nom-nom-nom frenzy! Baklava! Sausage & feta! Falafel! WANT! We are going to go on Sunday, but I am wondering if I can hold out that long? This is a divine test of the will.

Ahhhh, here she is, the weekend.  What are we going to do?  Wash the cars?  Weed the flower beds?  Go garage salein'?  We should grill something.  I should bake something.  I'll do a little cleaning up and organizing, I mean, we're still settling in around here.  The first thing I'm going to do is streeeeeetch.   

ATM will be practicing this evening, so I'm going to watch a movie.  I borrowed Stephen King's THE MIST from Kwanis.  Look at me upping my scary movie tolerance!  

Get Bent(o)!

This post is inspired by last night's meal. ATM treated me to Mt. Fuji and it was most excellent -- we both tried new things. For an appetizer, I ordered agedofu, which is fried tofu that sits in a sauce topped with green onions and what I hope was dried shredded ginger -- the ginger was a bit off-setting because it moved. It just curled and uncurled and never stopped! Creepy garnish aside, it was so delicious and fragrant, I'll be getting it again. ATM got octopus sushi and ate it before I even noticed, so he must've enjoyed it. I don't know, if I got octopus, I would've demanded all eyes on me, a bit of fanfare and a parade.

I liked the agedofu so much that I searched the internet for recipes. I didn't find a one, but I did find blogs that piqued my interest. They are about Japanese "cuisine" or Japanese-inspired foods. Apparently, a good way to spice up plain steamed rice is by using furikake. I found a recipe that would probably be appreciated by me and mines. I mean, why not? It looks good, it's made up of ingredients that I like and use frequently. Also, it's a good alternative to fried rice, which I love, but need to eat less of. Then there's this blog. I'd post photos of her dishes, but you should just go look for yourself, there are A LOT and I don't want to borrow photos w/o asking. Please note the pumpkin pie muffins, the Bollywood curry, minestrone with pesto, dahl-ling! (get it?), and the spicy carrot soup. Good lord, I want to cook cook cook! I'm always happy to try new (and good for you) foods. Om nom nom nom nom!


Spicy curry furikake:


Agedofu:




Last night, I started researching restaurants that I want to eat at in Seattle. I started with Korean because ATM has never had Korean BBQ. We need to remedy that! All night, I dream't of Korean food. All night. It was wonderful! The Stranger, Seattle's free weekly, has the best restaurant guide. KMHD is looking at it now, scoping out Ethiopian restaurants. We're off to a good start: Korean & Ethiopian.

Tonite: spa-gheddi. And LOST.

Yr Really Hot! (NO CLASS)

Here's a rarity -- going out on a Monday night! I couldn't resist, Stacy Mackey, the Crisco Kids, and the Buttons were playing a Thick Syrup gig @ Sticky Fingerz.


My best shot of the eve:


Stacy:


Stacy:


And introducing Little Rock's very own...BUTTONS! I'm a fan.






Here's a crowd shot. I need to do that thing that they do like on the back of the Do They Know It's Christmas?'s single where they label who is who. Those I know: ATM, TJ, Collins, Big C, Malik/Peter Pan, James, Weasle, Stacy Broadstone, Rett, Antoine (singing), TC, & Kyle (partial), and Zuko. There was a Matt Riley look-alike, too.



Tonite, we're going to this. I've got some gifts for Suzi that I think she'll like. I'm giving her one of my handcrafted crane-shaped soaps and some Topps brand Duran Duran trading cards. From the 80's!!!

I was really amused watching those my age (or a smidgen older) go wild over the Buttons last night. Well, why wouldn't we? As Gabe Sanchez's dad says, "EXCELLENTE!" The second drummer was doing stuff that should be classified as obscene. As in obscenely awesome! And his guitar work (he did double duty -- guitar and drums) was sublime in some parts, too. They had a laughable song title -- Statutory -- but it was my favorite tune. Antoine is a good front man, kinda just wandering/pogoing into the crowd, all over the stage, working his best snarl. Strong work, dudes!

Apologies to the Crisco Kids (who released their album on 8-track!) for being old and needing to go home and go to bed and missing their set. I'm sure it was legendary.

T-2 sweded

Just fucking watch it. It's funny! The guy who plays Sarah Conner is totally hilare!

Three Tents For Every Pad! (In the tune of Jan & Dean's 'Two Girls For Every Boy')

Let's get the business part out of the way: There's a show tonite @ Sticky Fingerz featuring Stacy Mackey, The Crisco Kids & the much anticipated Buttons. Starts at the usual show time and costs $4.
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The camping trip was a success! Roll call: AiLien, Andrew, Rett, Keiko, Collin & Delores. It was a well-blended mesh o' folks. Basically, it was a group of old friends who need to hang out together more.

Highlights include: Laughing, eating (natch), seeing a fox, deer, baby ducks, a pelican-thingy, and a luna moth, and riding around the back of Collin's pick-up truck. The kayaking was fun, but it only made me want to swim, which I was not prepared for.

Lowlights include: The others having to leave after one night. And then me & Andrew having to leave two hours after they all take off because of scary, bad weather.

We made tentative plans to take Rett's parent's boat out to an island on Lake Quachita to camp. WANT! Sounds like big fun! Call us, Rett! I'll bring a wine bottle opener!

Collin pulling his "Dad" face:


Keiko, Collin & Rett. Rett's being corny! Wokka Wokka Wokka!


Andrew, gathering:


Andrew, Collin & Keiko:


An amazing photo of Keiko & Delores:


Just a swangin':


Cute couple photo op:


Delores, Collin & Keiko:


Andrew, Rett:


Keiko, Rett:


Keiko, Rett:


What we came home to:



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I'm still settling into our new arrangement. There are still things everywhere needing to be tossed out or given a place to sit and collect dust. I think I need to go back and purge more more more. I want to simplify, but it's hard to do. Especially when you tack on a special memory to every little thing you own, clutching on to the past with one firm grip. Why do we do this? For the past couple of years, I've been documenting, on camera, my mundane and special moments. For the most part, a photograph helps me remember things I've done with a bit more clarity. Too, photographs are easier to keep up with. I'm willing to care for an archive of photographs than lug around junk that I have no use for. Too, after Victor left this realm, I realized that I didn't have enough photos of our time together. I mean, you'd think five million photos of a friend is enough, but it really isn't. Awwwww, Victor.

I'm trying to keep my "stuff" limited to things I actually use. CK has a "perishables as gifts only" policy. It makes sense! You aren't left with JUNK. Especially if it's a nice cheese or a nice bottle of Champagne!

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Big ups to Mayumi, our stepmother. She really stepped up when our parents stepped down. Because of her, I say things like "Please" and "Thank you" and "Yes ma'am". Dad being a total figurehead, she ruled behind the scenes. Well, she's been exposed! We know who truly reared us and I'm thankful for it! <3>