adjusting

I'm at the library in Saratoga Springs on A's computer. She has gone to refill her water bottle. I have been awake since 4:40, which is 1:40 my time. Whoa Nelly. I guess I'm adjusting.

in New York

I have flown on two planes, the second very small with small seats, so uncomfortable! Even uncomfortable for thin people!

I have seen lakes and creeks. I have enjoyed many hugs and a happy meeting near the baggage claim.

I've been licked by a medium sized black dog named Tjlafi. Probably spelling that wrong.

I've slept in a large soft bed with white sheets and just the right amount of blankets.

Mostly the most important things are eye contact, hugs, and being told I'm loved in person.

maybe bye

I don't know how much blogging I'll do on my trip. So maybe bye for now!

strange

me: What's going on with these frogs?
Erik: I think they're high.
me: The more I look at them, the less I know what's going on.

Backcountry Bear Basics etc

Erik's obsessed with bears lately. Today we went to the Book Den partially to look for bear books. I am looking for a present for the friend I'm visiting in New York. I had a book for her, but I decided I didn't like it enough and changed my mind.

interesting

Erik: If we can talk about it, we don't hate it.

still

Yesterday I finished a long letter to my friend M in Utica. It was the first truly long letter I had written in quite a while. Felt good. She asks lots of excellent questions. So I answered them.

My big trip is coming up. I'll be in New York for 11 days. I have never been to the east coast before. I've never been east of Missouri. It's time for me to start making a packing list and getting more ready psychologically.

I bought a beautiful cauliflower and wanted to make a special sauce to put it in. I used to make this delicious sauce like an enchilada sauce for nopalitos, but I lost the recipe, so I'm trying to find one online and not having luck.

We were up early thanks to Kitty. It was in the low 100s for a while, but now it's back to more reasonable temperatures. Still I want to walk in the morning.

glaciers

[Long conversation about how I think glaciers are scary and how Erik finds this to be ridiculous.]

funniest quote I've read in a long time

"Dance like the photo isn't being tagged, love like you've never been unfriended, and tweet like nobody is following."

--Will Ferrell

(I don't know if it's actually a Will Ferrell quote, but when I read it just now at the bottom of a freecycle email, that's who it was attributed to.)

103

Erik: I have to strike while the iron is hot.
LM: It's not hot yet. You have to wait until about 6.
Erik: I have to strike before the iron is hot.

the difference

LM: The difference between sour and bitter. Expound.
Erik: Bitter is sharp. Sour is spongy.
LM: [laughter]
Erik: Sour is sustained.

books

Erik: The problem is that the library thinks these books are theirs.

happy

Happy summer, northern hemisphere friends!

hattifatteners

Today we were talking about hattifatteners.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattifattener

apology / insight

Erik: I can't think and talk at the same time.

you can't front on that

You know "So Whatcha Want?" by the Beastie Boys? Erik and I have some words about the words. First of all,

You think that you can front when Revelation comes?

is my favorite. Erik says, "There are powers such as God who cannot be deceived by pretenses and facades. Powers of retribution." For me, it means, "You are ridiculous to believe that you could be a poser when end times are here." But I don't believe in end times, so it has a more metaphorical meaning.

Then's the line that really gets us.

I want you off the wall if you're playing the wall.

It's kind of inscrutable. Still, Erik gives it a try. "Don't try to act on behalf of both sides for your own benefit at the expense of the two sides you are pretending to be in league with." Isn't that brilliant?

I would say there are some connotations with "off the wall" as in wacky. Erik's envisioning a wall up between two sides, and there are people on both sides, while I'm envisioning a wall more like a tennis court's practice wall? And for me, playing the wall is more of a solitary thing. I don't know--my reading's falling apart. Erik's is way better.

I would welcome your ideas about these two lines.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah -- Hysterical

One of my very favorite bands is coming out with a new album on my birthday!

http://www.http://www.clapyourhandssayyeah.com/

I'm not thinking clearly because Erik reminded me that hysterical is not a good word and it hadn't even occurred to me.

odd

Someone's giving away a kitchen witch on freecycle.

pretend cream cheese

I bought some pretend cream cheese at Whole Foods. But I tried it on toast and didn't like it. So I'm trying to think of what to do with it. I could add it to something for creaminess, I think. But then what if it ruined whatever I put it in? Maybe I should give up.

artichoke tapenade

I'm pretty ignorant about artichokes. My mom never made them when I was growing up. I had them at a restaurant once and liked them. Then there's artichokes from a jar. I think they're pickled. I don't like that kind.

But there was some artichoke tapenade at the grocery outlet and it looked really good, so I bought some, but I'm out of luck because I just tried it. I tried it with carrots. And it took me a little while to decide that I didn't like it. But I'll see if Erik does.

balloon update

Another balloon down--two to go.

access intimacy

I want to remember this.

http://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/access-intimacy-the-missing-link/

elusive

Finally something happened in my life that felt bloggable, and then before I could blog, I forgot it. Maybe I was going to say something about being unimpressed by my soup? Why did I think corn soup would be good in the first place?

thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird

Erik: I have a silly dilemma.
LM: You don't know which to prefer--the beauty of inflections or the beauty of innuendos?

the moon

Last night we were looking at the moon through binoculars. I have to admit, the binoculars really helped. Erik kept telling me, "Come see the moon!" which is our favorite John Dobson quote.

openoffice

Sometimes my cut and paste stops working.

necklace in situ

Here's me at my brother's wedding two years ago wearing my favorite necklace.

my favorite necklace

One time in a letter my friend SN said she made vegan necklaces, and I was like, what's a vegan necklace? So she said she'd make one for me and send it to me in the mail. But she wanted me to really like it. If I didn't really like it, I was to send it back to her and she would try again.

So she sent me this necklace, and I fell in love with it. I began wearing it almost every day. Nobody else seemed to like it, though. No one ever mentioned it, and I didn't know why.

But then after I had been wearing it for maybe a year, people started saying they liked it. I don't know what changed.

balloons

I wanted to take a picture of the balloons, but Erik's camera needs its batteries charged. Maybe later.

balloons etc

Today I got a fantastic letter from SN, my favorite person in Minnesota. She is coming out with a new zine soon, and I can't wait: Damaged Mentality #4.

We have a new neighbor who's playing loud music, which is bad for us as we score SAT. Erik's pissed.

Guess what? Remember those five mylar balloons outside, tangled up on the telephone wire? Well, they deflated, and now there are only three.

national day of mourning

Today was National Day of Mourning, and we were supposed to Have Fun, but I don't know where the day went. I know I napped in the evening, chatted with A for a long time in the morning, ran errands, bound zines, ate avocado sandwiches, wrote some letters to go with zines. The letters were poor because I was so sleepy.

So today kind of sucked, and tomorrow a new SAT scoring session begins. I mean, by kind of sucked, I am probably hurting this day's feelings. But it was okay, really. Sorry, day.

great mail day

Today we're home from a weekend away. We're having oatmeal for dinner. I got some fantastic mail.

1. Postcard from someone I thought didn't like me anymore--I thought I'd offended her and am completely delighted that I didn't. She says sorry but I can't write back because she doesn't have an address right now.

2. Postcard from someone I thought didn't like me very much, but she's very sweet to have written me from Kansas and wishes me well with a benevolent smiley face.

3. Madmap and letter from one of my favorite people. Hi, A! if you're reading. And thank you.

4. Baby announcement from Erik's best friend T.

A bouquet of five mylar balloons is tangled up in the phone lines near the telephone pole, and Erik's concerned they'll scare away birds.

beach

Yesterday my mom and I went to the beach. First we went to Avila Barn and I got to feed goats, an emu, and some chickens scraps of lettuce. The emu freaked me out a little bit, with the strange look in its eyes and the strange way it pecked. And I was surprised the chickens wanted lettuce.

At the beach, we walked on the pier. We took a medium walk off a medium pier. We were in good moods and visited the seals for Erik. Or maybe they're sea lions. We sat at a bench at the end of the pier and talked about the boats and the wind.

anxious

Rainy here, which I like, but it rained out Pride. Erik's at the REI used gear sale. I'm trying to be self-sufficient. Something's going on at my apartment complex. I think someone's moving into the apartment next door, and the activity makes me edgy. I need a lot of peace and quiet. I wish we lived in a house.

ELM 51: theft, vandalism, and regret

Erik and LM Magazine 51: theft, vandalism, and regret is out and available for trade.

clouds

The clouds are fantastic.