Smelleaux.

Oh. What a nice night. My friend came over and we made an exquisite dinner of honey garlic chicken, Costa Rican rice and vegetables, laughed until our sides hurt, had brownies, then took pictures of fireworks outside. No, I don't know what they were for.

Pictures!!

Chemise nouvelle

I bought a new shirt. It was $5. I didn't need this new shirt but it was such a great deal (cheap and weird) that I HAD to have it. It's quirky. I like quirky.

What do you think?

Canadian Candy.

I sent some candy to my friend in Canada six weeks ago.

It was returned to me today.

Nobody has a clue as to why or what went wrong.

Isn't that lovely?

Dammit.

New Stuff.

Okay it's time for something happy here. Irma would be pissed. :-P

So...yesterday was AWESOME for me. Did you have a nice yesterday?

I did.

My friend and I went to the mall, bought stuff, had lunch, went to a COOL store with new age metaphysical doodads the size of a warehouse, bought some more stuff (JADE!!!), went to a funky coffee shop and watched people, then went to her deliciously appointed townhouse with suede wall treatments and Scandinavian furniture for a delectable dinner of lemon chicken, sugarsnap peas, basmati rice, HOMEMADE HUMMUS, AND dessert of strawberries with freshly made whipped cream drizzled with Grand Marnier.

Holy SHIT what a nice day. :-)

So now I am waiting for the laundry to be done and then I'm going to the supermarket for some food.

Yes I am getting Basmati rice.

Yes I will remember the strawberries.

No you can't have some.

Just kidding.

OOH! I remembered something (AMAZINGLY).

While we were at the funky coffee shop (in Sugarhouse) a woman was outside on the patio having a drink. She finished, gathered up her garbage, and promptly threw away her car keys.

Shiiiiiiit.

My friend and I watched through the window as she laughed and walked around the garbage can looking from every angle. The coffee shop is on a busy street so people were walking by and several stopped to help. Soon there was a crowd of people helping her lift and turn the can (one of those city ones with the pebbles on the sides) to get the keys. Finally she got them and everyone cheered. She came running in and said to one of the baristas "Hey Ken!! Guess what?? I threw away my keys! Woohoo!" as she bolted to the restroom (hopefully to wash the keys and her hands).

What really made it perfect was that we didn't hear anything but the soft, friendly music (some introspective local musician) playing in the background as we watched. It was too perfect and renewed my faith in humankind.

Don't you love it when that happens?

So anyway I have to get my laundry. Bye!

Irma Alicia Garcia, 1984-2006

I don't want to do this. But I will.

While I was working as a reading tutor in an elementary school I met her. She was one of those people who seem to have known you in a previous life or something like that. Talking openly and honestly about everything in my life was not a big deal with her and she felt the same way. After a few conversations we decided to hang out. We drank the night away at her friend's place playing goofed up Uno and I couldn't remember having more fun any other time in my life. It just clicked.

Later, through her, I would not only discover new and wonderful people from many diverse backgrounds but also develop a Latino identity that was there all along - it just didn't have someone to coax it out. She was the one who took me to a club for the first time, and who taught me how to salsa dance. When I seemed to catch on (for a little bit) she told me "It's in your blood!" as the music blared around us. I believed her.

She was like a sister. In the short time I knew her we acquired so many inside jokes and references it was like speaking another language when anyone else was around. We had a favorite song. There was even a long and complicated story as to why that song (Choke Me, Spank Me (Pull My Hair) by Xzibit) was our favorite song as we both found it atrocious.

Around her and the friends she introduced me to, I felt so safe and comfortable in my own skin. She was comfortable in her skin too. That's why it worked so well. She was never, ever afraid to look at something from a different angle. She was never afraid to consider what the other side had to say in any issue - which is why she would have made one hell of an attorney. Her dream was to become a Civil Rights attorney and fight for equality and freedom. That was so important to her.

Irma died last week in a car accident in Mexico. I don't really know much else at this point but a memorial service will be held Friday for her in Missouri. I wish I could go but I know she would understand why I couldn't right now. Due to her ROTC obligations she had to put law school on hold for another few years. I just wish she could have made it. There are so many people who could have used her help.

If anyone who knew her is reading this, will you contact me? We need to have a memorial service for her here too.

Besitos, Irmy. Te amo mucho mi vida.

Slammo!!

My friend Rebecca and I had brunch last weekend at Eggs in the City. It was so good! Since I hadn't seen her in so long, I decided to take photographic evidence...I don't know when we'll see each other again...she's a little nuts but was very willing to allow it just this once.

After brunchie munchies I took pictures of the neighborhood. If you're local you'll know it well. Enjoy!

Whooooo??

Okay.

There are some serious problems with Blogger. Posts aren't posting and pictures disappear and reappear and all that crazy crap. I'm not even sure if you can read this BUT IF YOU CAN...here's what's going on.

Mah Dream

So a couple nights ago I had a dream I was laying in bed in my apartment. It was MUCH more snazzier than usual with huge windows, recessed planters, aqua colored carpet and multi-level floors a la the Space Age 1960's. It was rad.

Well as I was staring at the ceiling in bed these people trounced through the door and started looking around. Being in my pajamas I freaked out and asked why they were there. It appeared as though the apartment building owner had decided to sell off the units individually and these were potential buyers with a real estate agent. I had to get out as soon as possible because my unit was now "Active" and for sale.

Before anything else happened I woke up. The first thing I noticed was the boring normal window on the wall above me (in the dream my bedroom window was a long "L" shape taking up both walls with plants on the sill). The second thing I noticed was that it was not for sale and I could chill a minute in bed if I wanted to.

What a relief!

But it got me to thinking. My lease ends in August. My job also ends in August. I have applied for other jobs here but nothing has worked out yet...though it's likely it could. Or is it?

What if...what if...what if...stuff??

You know how my life is. Expect some earth-shattering update in a few weeks. It's just the way I roll. :-P

Peace out.

Yippity Doo!

Today was a good day.

My friend John and I went grocery shopping where we found some delightful Kosher cereal bars on clearance in the Hebrew food section (SCOOOOORE!), then we made delicious foodmeals, then we laid around in a post-meal stupor watching South Park.

IT

WAS

AWESOME.

I can't wait for the next time. :-)

(No I'm not Jewish and neither is John).

Tuesmon.

You know that feeling one gets when returning to work on Tuesday after a long, fun-filled weekend?

No?

Well it feels a little something like this.



HAPPY TUESMON EVERYONE!!

WOW!

Sorry I have been gone so long.

Two reasons atrribute to my absence.

1. My overall outlook on life and living has changed radically during the past couple weeks in a positive way. It's a good change, but it does cut into Blogging Time...which is fine by me because this is awesome. :-)

2. My friend is visiting from Dallas and we are having a HELL OF A TIME!! WOOOOOO!!

That is all. No further information is available. Yes I will post pictures of our funtimez.

Floopypants

So it appears as though my “problem” has vanished.

You have no idea how relieved I am. Besides the obvious, I have an interview at 1:00 p.m. today for a new position, my friend will be visiting this weekend AND I MISS FOOD.

None of those situations will allow for extra poopiness.

None.

Now I am going to (gasp!) eat something. It’s time. Yes it is.

Bye!

Dietary flexibility

I have "You Know What."

I don't know what I ate, but it was something bad because there it is. I've had it since yesterday morning. I haven't eaten anything for a long time in hopes it will get better.

Blah.

Can you tell I'm trying to find something to write about? Send Pepto if you have some.

Sincerely,

Pjamms McPoopypants

Hiking and stuff

Hi.

Finally an update! Hot damn!

I went hiking on Saturday with a good friend and we took these lovely pictures. His turned out better than mine. The weather was incredible. Good times were had by all. :-)

Isn't it funnay?

Isn't it funny how things will suddenly change the moment you think they never will?

Just asking. ;-)

LOOKY!

It's CRAZY PICTURE TIME!! YAH!!



No, this wasn't supposed to make sense.

Mail, You've Got

I got a piece of mail yesterday that had never been sealed.

Has that ever happened to you? Somehow when they were sealing up the envelopes that one was missed. It makes it all the way to your mailbox completely fine and completely open. That's always fascinated me. At any moment someone, anyone, could have grabbed what was inside. In this case it was a letter with some financial info on it and everything was left untouched.

Kinda renews your faith in mankind, doesn't it?

What is amazing is that this letter came halfway across the country like that. It came through who knows how many post offices and never even got unfolded (I checked the creases).

(Psst...hey...there is an explanation. Post Offices are automated now so probably nobody saw it and if they did they didn't give a damn because it was flat on a belt anyway. Also how do you know someone didn't pull out the info and copy it down? Creases can be re-creased. You don't know.)

Did you hear something?

I was too busy lounging in the sunlight of humanity and eating frozen peaches. Have you tried frozen peaches? They are so good! I'll write more about that after I call my credit card company to ask about this $47,000 charge made in Colombia on my statement.

Aww shit.

Dinner!

I had such a great night! My friend Jackie came by and we had a delicious dinner. It was awesome. We had chicken marinated in merlot with basil and tarragon, orzo cooked in chicken broth and green onions, standard fare vegetables with a spicy seasoning kick. We also had pineapple salsa with chunks of soft swiss in it with baked Doritos as an apertif. Mmm.

Then we blended yogurt with rum and got smashed. Hooray!!

At press time...

Okay.

So I went back to my old job. I can't say a whole bunch as my co-workers read this from time to time (HI!), but basically I went away from my job and realized that what I thought I wanted wasn't what I wanted at all.

So I went back.

It happens all the time, I'm told. Remember that post where I said I had no commitments? Yeah. I was totally mulling about returning to my old job like you wouldn't believe. This experience has taught me a truckload and things will only get better from here. Better because I have more knowledge than before.

This is good. Real good.

Let's continue where we left off.

YAY! :-D

AGAIN??!!

Things are changing again. I will fill you in when I have more information.

Stuff.

Good.

Interesting...

So today at work I went for a walk during lunch. It was gorgeous and got me thinking...I am completely free. Let me explain:

1. I have no partner.
2. I have no children (thank GOD).
3. I do not own property.

Beside some student loans and a small car payment, I have no other obligations whatsoever. None. Free as a bird. Many of you out there might be thinking I'm missing out by not having some of these things, but I like it this way. I could pick up and leave TOMORROW for Egypt if I wanted to! This, of course, leads me to the next question:

Why haven't I picked up and left for Egypt?

Well, money is an issue as it is expensive to go to Egypt (I priced it) and it will take a little saving on my part...which would mean giving up certain ludicrously overpriced coffee drinks and that is tantamount to only breathing every other day in my book. BUT...my POINT is I could DO IT if I WANTED TO.

Don't worry. I'm not going to Egypt. When I vacation in another country, it will be somewhere a bit less...terse. But I do plan on going somewhere later in the year. I have a flight credit that must be used before January. I may go to New York to see my friend or use the credit to go somewhere else - I haven't decided. But that's neither here nor there. The fact is I have chosen a life without much structure and the need to depend upon others and be depended upon. At times it can be a little too unstructured but it works well. Whether it stays this way or it changes, for now I highly recommend it.

This is good.

I am happy.

Yes.

Now, what should I do for a permanent career...???