Speaking of things

When a friend asks you about a stressful situation you had and then listens as you recount and deconstruct it, that's really nice.

When you're done and she says, "thanks for sharing that with me," that's... a breath of fresh air.

Thanks :)

The bells! The bells!

I can't remember the last time I went to sleep without setting an alarm. 

Arg.

Nightminds

You were blessed by 

A different kind of inner view

It's all magnified

The highs would make you fly

But the lows make you want to die

And I was once there

Hanging from that very ledge where you are standing

So I know, I know, I know

It's easier to let go

Missy Higgins

Thinking about this one today. 

I heard it said once that we should strive to be like the moon. I can't relate exactly how they phrased the rationale, but it's something like this: everybody loves a bright moon- it's like a sunny day without the scorching. Personally, I love walking quietly in the dark. It's a little more difficult to do in the city for obvious safety reasons, but I love it. I probably get this from my parents- we used to walk in the woods at night. While sometimes it terrifies me, it also brings me a unique calm and clarity. I'll never claim to be a night person, but I do love taking those quiet walks outside. Whether it's under a dazzling quilt of stars or under a friendly, silver moon, I crave it. Especially tonight.

"Confessions to the Moon" by Andy Everson

Ouch

Last fall I watched Blood Diamond with a friend, and I'm still not over it. I cried and had nightmares about it.

Today I've felt really worn down and exhausted, so I kept it low key and tried to sleep a lot. Then this evening I took Gazza to Barnes & Noble to lose myself for a while. I picked up a couple of books, settled into an overstuffed chair, and absentmindedly fed her some treats until closing. I never made it past the first book- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.

I read the entire thing. I didn't realize my foot was asleep or that I had to go to the bathroom or that they were closing the store. When I stood up, I was dizzy- I'm not entirely sure whether it was from not having looked up from the text in two and a half hours or from the story of horror I had just read. I felt awful. Walking out of the store into U Village, my life felt unreal. Watching the teenage boys kicking around a bottle of pop looked different than it had earlier. I'm exhausted.

I understand the credibility debate going on regarding the veracity of parts of Ishmael's story. I also agree with Neil Boothby when he says, "... The system is set up to reward sensational stories. We all need to look at why does something have to be so horrific before we open our eyes and ears and hearts?" But that's not my point here- my point is that the whole thing is horrific.

Sometimes I pick up a book having some vague idea that I may regret it for one reason or another. This was one of them, but as it usually goes, I'm also thankful (but not glad) for having read it.

Heartbreaking

I don't usually feel too compelled to write much about work here, but this is a topic I am both fascinated and, in a way, horrified by. It's awful for the families. How strangely we can break.

HLHS is a complex cardiac anomaly present at birth and deadly unless treated immediately. Prior to the surgeries now available, it was a death sentence. If you survive a series of three surgeries, you're pretty ok (so they tell me). Really the only "cure" is a heart transplant or successful completion of the three major heart surgeries. I stumbled upon this blog when searching for something else. I just felt like I should share it to give you all a peek into some of what goes on. I don't find work overwhelmingly sad most of the time, but these little guys get me.

Thunderstruck!

So, uh, what happened to Scrabulous? I mean, I know what happened, but really? I see both sides but like KT, I sort of want to root for the underdog. And what does that say about my character?

I knew we were related!

Hi Mom!

Keep it comin'

So we were talking about this video tonight at the game:

KT

I don't know what you'd call that. I mean, it's not a strike or an out.

Wenikio

Fowl ball...

*crickets*

Jason

Ouch.

Party foul.

*snerk*

Much better than Junuary

Since Jason has been out, we've done some touristy things. It's nice to have somebody to wander with :) One of the things we did was play at Discovery park yesterday. It was high tide, so the beach was, well, not really there. The days have been gorgeous, though, and there are plenty of trails and things to do at the park. Like playing with shadows and finding stairways to nowhere!

Tonight we went to the Mariners/Minnesota Twins game at Safeco. Both Jason and KT went to college in Minnesota, so they were pretty ok with either win. Mariners won, though :) It was a beautiful night!

Technology scares me, but it takes cool photographs

The first photograph I took with the phone that Dee got me for free:

And speaking of technology, I now know how to "right click" with my Mac! Hooray! Thanks, Nicholas :) I don't know why your comment didn't make it through, sorry, but I got the voicemail!