Personal

The stuff about me and my life. The “diary” side of blogging.

Then it hit me…

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I was reminded of this poster tonight when I ran across an interview with its creator (Update: the original link seems to have died, here’s the Internet Archive’s cached version).

Then it hit me..., Seattle, WA

When did “it” (the concept for the poster) hit you?

Marilyn: I can remember exactly when “it” hit me. It was late one night after serving tables all afternoon and evening. I got home and I just laid down on the floor. I was exhausted and staring at the ceiling of my room thinking “what the fuck?” knowing that I would have to be back at the restaurant the next day and the day after and the day after…it just starts wearing you out, especially when you’re not interested in the work. […] With a 9-5 your time is completely strangled and sucked up.

[…] You go from pre-school to elementary school to middle school to high school and then off to college. Everyone is telling you how great you are going to be along the way like “Keep up the good work!”

Suddenly college is over and you’re pushed out into the meat-grinder (workforce) with no work experience and often times you just get ground up by employers who aren’t interested in you as a human being. All they care about is that you wear your name tag, smile, and work for next to nothing. It’s tricky.

I go through times like this every so often — generally, right around my birthday, when I roll another year forward without feeling like I’ve actually progressed anywhere of note. It hasn’t been hitting me as strongly this year as it has in the past (something I’m incredibly grateful for), but — without getting into much detail at all — recent frustrations at work (nothing in particular, just the usual day-to-day frustrations that come with any job) have stirred it up a touch.

Knowing myself and the way I work, chances are that it’ll fade away again before too terribly long (not entirely coincidentally, probably about the time things settle down on the work front again). Still…better to recognize that it’s there and work my way through it than just try to shove it onto my mental back burner where it can sit and simmer unattended until it boils over.

Current plans have Prairie and I moving in together in a few months, and as soon as possible afterwards, I’ll be taking a break from the 40-hour, 9-5 work week and putting my skinny butt back in school. Right now, I’m really looking forward to being able to do that, and start finding a way to give my brain something more challenging than glorified trained monkey work.

It won’t happen overnight, of course…but it’s long past time that I finally started down on that path. It’ll be nice when it happens, and it’s getting closer every day….

iTunes “Overture (from West Side Story)” by Green, Johnny/Orchestra from the album Movie Music: The Definitive Performances (1961, 4:40).

Camp Tomato!

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So yesterday was Jason Webley‘s Camp Tomato. Prairie and I weren’t entirely sure just what the day would have in store, but we figured it would be fun, so after waking her up from a nap — she, unfortunately, has been battling off the last stages of the same nasty bug I was fighting last week — we hopped in the car and headed over to Woodland Park.

(This one’s long, folks — around 3200 words, 17 images, and one video — the rest is after the cut….)

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Weekend Plans

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  • Friday: Dinner (Chicken curry, yum!) and probably some birthday cake (homemade carrot cake, also yum!) with Prairie, then the 10pm showing of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy at the Cinerama (I so love going to geek-centric movies on opening night).

  • Saturday: Camp Tomato, followed by Jason Webley‘s spring concert at the Paradox.

  • Sunday: More birthday stuff at home (presents yay!), and probably watching Finding Neverland before Prairie has to head home in the afternoon. Right now, my evening is probably going to be seeing if I can sort/delete/backup enough stuff on my ‘puter to let me do a complete clean install (aka Nuke and Pave) when Tiger arrives.

Not a bad little lineup for the weekend, I’d say.

Rethinking

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In science it often happens that scientists say, “You know that’s a really good argument; my position is mistaken,” and then they actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn’t happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.

— Carl Sagan, 1987 CSICOP keynote address

(via Atomic Playboy)

Lost broach

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Tree broach, Seattle, WA

Walking up Pike St. towards Piecora’s this evening, the glint of the setting sun off of the stones in this broach caught my eye. It was wedged into a knothole in a tree by the side of the street, about a foot above eye level. Missing stones let the gold tones of the metal shine, surrounded by the purples and blues of the remaining gems.

It looked like a child’s plaything, toy jewelry once prized as it adorned the dress of a young girl. Eventually lost as she walked down the street hand-in-hand with her mother, slipping away and bouncing into the gutter, small stones scattering across the sidewalk. Found by some random passerby when the glint of something shiny caught their eye. They picked it up and examined it, decided that it was worthless — an evaluation the little girl would be sure to argue — and, as they continued on their way through Seattle, they reached up and placed it into a convenient resting place on a tree.

There it sits, casting its small colored beams at people as they pass. Some glance up and wonder how it got there, most just walk by, not paying any attention at all.

And one young girl, slightly saddened by the loss of her pretty jewelry, asks her mom as she is tucked in at night if they can go back to the dollar store — where even a child’s allowance can uncover treasures beyond imagining — and find another sparkly for her outfit.

Smiling, her mother assures her that they will. One kiss on the forehead, and the young girl drifts off to sleep, to dance in the golds, blues, and purples of a child’s dreams.

iTunes “Back in My Life” by Alice DeeJay from the album Who Needs Guitars Anyway? (1999, 3:29).

Maybe I won’t end up in hell…

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A guy died and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment.

As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into heaven. Others, though, were led over to Satan who threw them into the burning pit. But every so often, whenever one of the condemned souls showed up wearing a Utilikilt, instead of hurling him into the fire, Satan would march him straight back to Heaven and slip St. Peter five bucks after a short, hushed conversation, whereupon the soul was quickly slipped inside. After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow’s curiosity got the best of him so he asked what was going on.

“Excuse me, Prince of Darkness,” he said. “I’m waiting in line for judgment, but I couldn’t help wondering, why are you bribing St. Peter to admit folks in Utilikilts instead of flinging them into the fires of hell with the others?”

“Oh, them?” Satan said with a groan. “They’re all from Seattle, they’re too wet to burn.”

(via Oakdancer on the Utilikilts Yahoo! group)

Nasty bug

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I’ve spent the majority of the last 31 hours or so either unconscious or in a very woozy half-conscious state, thanks to being hit with a nasty cold bug. Loads of fun, let me tell you. Ugh. Right now, I’m just hoping that since it hit me over the weekend and I could spend that much time resting, I’ve knocked the majority of it out of my system, and making it through the work day won’t be too much of a strain.

Before the bug took me out of commission, though, Prairie and I did spend some time on Saturday afternoon out at the Arboretum, and there’s a bunch of new flower shots added to my Arboretum photoset, starting with this fern.

And now, off to soak in a hot shower and hope that the workday isn’t too crazy. Posting may very well be light for the next few days — I’m thinking early bedtimes are going to be a good idea until I’m sure I’ve got this bug taken care of.

iTunes “Groove Radio pres. House (full mix)” by Various Artists from the album Groove Radio pres. House (full mix) (1997, 1:13:46).

April Seattle Weblogger’s Meetup

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I finally made it out to another Weblogger’s meetup! It was long past time, as the last time I’d made it out was back in November. While I don’t have much basis for comparison, it seemed to be a pretty good turnout again, 20-some people all told, I’d guess. People I know were there and can remember names or websites for include Anita Rowland, Chas, Chris Prillo, TDavid, Jake, Dayment, Jeannie, and Samantha, plus a bunch more people that my brain couldn’t hold onto names or URLs for. I’m sure Anita will have a full attendee list soon.

I’ve tossed some photos up into a photoset, named and tagged as much as possible. Of course, if anyone can identify any of the people I had to leave unnamed, comment and tag away!

(Photo courtesy of Chris Pirillo)

iTunes “Cornflake Girl” by Amos, Tori from the album Under the Pink (1994, 5:07).

Heteroflexible

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One of the mailing lists I belong to (though I don’t chime in terribly often) is that of the Utilikilts Yahoo! Group. For the past few days there’s been an interesting discussion of sexuality. Over the course of the discussion, I just stumbled across a new term that I’d not heard before, but that I like a lot.

My own experience has been a interesting adventure. I had always been devout hetero. I like men. I like the way they feel, the way they smell (most of the time). I like the masculineness (if that’s a word) of a man. I like to feel feminine in his big hands and strong arms. I like sex with a man. That being said, I discovered in the last couple of years that an occational romp with another woman is just plain fun. My husband says “For instant lesbian, just add taquilla”… that’s me, but does that make me gay or just a horny drunk?

yes. although the term i’ve heard bandied about is heteroflexible.

Heteroflexible. What a wonderful word — especially for someone who’s comfortable self-identifying as 85-90% straight. Apparently this isn’t a new word, either, though it’s the first time I’d run across it.

Here’s Word Spy’s definition:

heteroflexible (het.ur.oh.FLEKS.uh.bul) n. A heterosexual person who is open to relationships with people of the same sex. —adj. Also: hetero-flexible, heteroflex.
-—heteroflexibility n.

iTunes “Transitions” by Beastie Boys, The from the album Ill Communication (1994, 2:31).