A Quick Tour of my Neighborhood

This is right next door to my apartment building. It's part of a convention center. There's a wedding here almost every weekend. I suppose I should show the actual building. Will do in next post.

Mt. Rainier is about 60 miles away, but it's startlingly visible from many places in Tacoma including from my living room window (although this is zoomed in somewhat).
I know not everyone would understand or agree with my logic but I like taking pictures of things that just simply are because they help tell the whole story. This is what Tacoma looks like on my walk to work.
I love this building. I got a deja vu sense the first time I saw it. It looks to me like it should be in a New Hampshire town. It's about two blocks from my apartment.
This is my building. I'm in the "historic" Stadium District of Tacoma. I will provide a more comprehensive view of my surroundings soon; these were just quick pictures I snapped today.

Tofu and Cats

I'm listening to Warren Zevon right now. I love Warren Zevon. About twelve (fourteen? - who knows anymore) years ago I went to a Zevon concert with my then-friend Scott. Scott was one of my best friends for about eight years. Our friendship ended a year or two after that concert. For the most part I was ok with that but every once in a while I'll think of a fun time we shared and I miss him.

I saw Warren Zevon in concert about three times, but the night with Scott was definitely the best. Partly because it was just a silly, happy evening and also because Warren played with gorgeous, passionate intensity (any fellow fans of the late, great might know what I mean).

The opening act was as bad as W.Z. was good. The concert took place in Boulder, Colorado and featured a very Boulder-like husband and wife couple. They were aging hippy types with acoustic guitars and one song was more earthy and smarmy than the next. The worst song, however, was so bad it was almost...no, actually it wasn't almost good. It was unequivocally bad. The bearded guy introduced the song as "One that I wrote for my wife Maggie...who is everything to me". Awww.
Ok, that's sweet, but the lyrics were something like "She's a woman, she's a girl, she's an angel, she's a chiiiiiiild." Oy. Scott and I debated on several names for what their act should have been called before deciding on 'Tofu and Cats'.

After the concert, we walked back from the Boulder Theater to Scott's apartment. For some reason we decided to make up ironic and / or silly pet names. I'm sure there were obvious ones like Hercules for a Chihuhua or Fluffy for a bad-tempered Rottweiler but the one I remember was Scott's contribution of Shar Peis named Scro and Tum. I have no idea why I still think that's funny.

Warren Zevon broke at least three guitar strings that night. He played in such a full-throttle, nothing-between-him-and-the-music manner that his guitar could have blissfully and righteously disintegrated at the end of it all. He was amazing.

There's other concerts I remember with similar reverance: The Who. The Call. The Moody Blues. Even Dan Fogelberg at Red Rocks, if nothing else because the beautiful setting and cool mountain air was such a perfect venue for him. Of course the Beat Farmers, but my obsession with them in the early 90s is a post unto itself. Al Stewart, whose live version of "On the Border" gave me a source of happiness to draw upon for months. That one song still does now, more than 20 years later, especially the intro. Gorgeous.

Ok, back to my school work. Sigh.

Weddings

I have two weddings to attend this summer. The first one is a week from Saturday. The couple is around my age. The second one is in August and is that of a 25 year old coworker and the guy she's already actually married to ("We got married in November, but we're being wedded in August"). It's their story to tell. I'm not telling it here.

Weddings for me are not in the same category as birthday parties or Bar Mitzvahs. They never have been. Although any type of event in which people experience and express emotions makes me do the same, weddings tend to go a step beyond that for me.

In 1979 my best friend Nancy got married. I was a silly, rock concert going little twerp when I was 19, who had no idea what responsibility was. Getting married was something grown ups did. I wasn't ready for my friends to be getting married.

I cried during her wedding. We're not talking dainty, sentimental little tears, we're talking burgundy faced, snot running down the front of my pale peach bridesmaid's dress sobbing. I did this on the stage, during the entire ceremony. Even the part where her dorky now-ex-husband vowed, in his southern drawl, "For sickness and in health". The entire ceremony, I kid you not. I don't think anyone was looking at the bride. They were too distracted by the freak show that was me.

I cheered up a bit at the reception, enough to go after the tossing of the bouqet with great vigor. In the wedding album shot that will exist for all posterity, I am about two feet off the ground, my back arched, arm outstretched, facial features set in a gruesome chariacture of over-eagerness. I think at the time we called it the "Wendy Abdul Jabar shot" I have made her swear that if I ever become famous she will not send that picture into People magazine.

About 13 years later my best friend from Denver, Barbara, got married. She had moved to New York six months earlier. Long story short: I spent the day before the wedding with my ex-boyfriend Stuart and his wife. And then I was literally the only person at the wedding who was single. Bad combination of circumstances. This led to my once again, although for different reasons, being a sobbing mess. I didn't realize this until I was writing this, but that was the first night that I was offically unhappy about being single.

I'm happy to report that I made it through bridesmaid duty at the above wedding ceremony tear free. I think the fact that I was wearing size 8 AA shoes when I'm an 8 B helped (they were really cute shoes, and on sale. I didn't think they would cause the mind-numbing pain that they did all through the 6 1/2 hour or however long it was ceremony). I saved my nervous breakdown for the reception.

"So Wendy" you're thinking "Have you ever been, er, normal at a wedding?" Why yes I have. I have a great time at most weddings. And that's my plan for the two weddings I'm attending this summer. Despite the fact that I am currently not at all happy being single and that a certain nordic someone had told me I'd be getting married around this time.... I will go to these weddings happy for the couples and happy to be part of fun celebrations. That's the plan. And although no one has reason to believe me at this point, I am pretty certain that I'll be getting married within the next few years. At least that too is the plan.

A Royal Mystery

A few weeks ago, my father posed a question which I myself had previously wondered: What does Queen Elizabeth carry in her purse? (or does a queen carry a handbag, pronounced of course with the emphasis on the first syllable, as in hahndbag...hmm, ok, whatever)

No one ever feels like working the last 15 minutes of the day, myself included, so I asked one of my coworkers that question. After a moment of intense concentration she suggested that certainly the queen carries a hanky- probably a lace-edged one. And perhaps a lipstick and a compact. Then she suggested that she might carry a spare tiara. I loved that one. I pointed out that Her Majesty's purses are not that big, so it would have to be a collapsable one. Don't you just love the thought of a dour-faced Q.E. snapping the thing together before plopping it on her head?

I like to think that the queen also carries a tube of Smarties (the British version of M&Ms). If I were the Queen of England, or just me in England, I would carry a tube of Smarties.

I just thought of another thing: She probably carries a spare pair of gloves.

Ok, your turn.

Ridiculously Tardy Last Day in Phoenix Photos

I suspected I would come in on my last day in Phoenix, April 18th, to a decorated cube but I didn't expect this kind of exuberance. It was awesome.
That's me, second to the end in the group of women. Yes, I have gained weight. Thanks for noticing. There's a really cute group shot of about twelve of us but it's a full length shot and I can't stand how I look in it. When I first moved to Phoenix I was relatively thin (the 'About Me' photo to the right on my blog is from that time) Hopefully I'll be there again soon. Anyway, I'm surrounded in this shot by Kendra, Nicole and Meghan, all super-nice women who I miss.
The happy woman in this photo is Kathy, the finance counselor on my team. Her cube was right behind mine, and we had to confer constantly about students,so we got to know each other well. We shared a lot of laughs. She was great; I miss her. The scowling guy in the hawaiian shirt is John. This is not a representative photo, since he is normally a smiling person. His cube was right in front of mine so we got to know each other really well too. He cared about students as much as I did and was a great coworker as well.

Memorial Day Weekend

I took the train from Tacoma to Bellingham right after work on Friday. The train travels so close to the Sound it almost seems like you can reach out and put your hand in the water. This sunset was somewhere around Edmonds.
On Saturday my mom and I took the Plover ferry, which is about 100 years old. It's a 20 minute ride that goes to the other side of Blaine. It circles the harbor on the way to take in the sights.
They kind of look like a bunch of duffel bags just lying there, but these are actually adorable harbor seals. You do know that if you click on any of these pictures, you can enlarge them, right? I suggest you do that with this one so you can see the totally cute puppy-like faces.
I think these birds get paid to pose on this sign.

More Views from my Apartment

When I first saw my apartment, as a prospective renter, it was on an overcast day. After living here a few days the sun came out and I saw that management had thrown in Mt. Rainier at no additional charge.
This is the view from my desk. Having this view brightens my outlook about sitting down to do schoolwork after a long day.
I like this vaugely corny mixed metaphor

Busy

I dearly wish I could take a week off to get fully settled into my new apartment, but no such luxury is forthcoming. I've also, more than a few times in the last two weeks, wished I didn't work in a high-walled, dressing room-like cubicle but there's not much I can do about that either.

The good news is I am indeed happy to be back in the Northwest. It's mid May and still cool and overcast. Love it. I love working in downtown Tacoma. One of my biggest complaints about where I worked in Phoenix was that we were in the middle of an ugly and bad part of town with only a McDonald's and Mobil station store within walking distance. On Thursday, two blocks from my office, there was the first farmers' market of the season. There was not only fresh produce and flowers but all kinds of art , jewelry, and other cool stuff. I'm also surrounded by lots of funky coffee shops, Thai restaurants, art galleries, and several wonderful fountains including quite possibly the coolest one ever which takes up almost an entire block and has all kinds of waterfalls and different effects. As mentioned in a previous post, flowing water has a profoundly beneficial effect on me. So...working in downtown Tacoma is good. The job? Um, well, time will tell. I had my first appointment on Friday (meaning I managed to elbow aside a prospective student's "I'm too busy to go to school now" and persuaded her to come in) and it looks like she is going to sign up, so after much what-else-is-new anxiety I seem to be off to an ok start.

Views from my Tacoma Apartment

I've been in my apartment for a week now. It's on the 14th floor of a 16 story highrise, about a mile from where I'm working in downtown Tacoma.

Take me out to the Lexus Club

I'm not exactly what you'd call a rabid sports fan. Nor am I a loyal one. Perhaps because I've lived in so many places, I have a hard time relating to the concept of a city's team being "my" team. Furthermore, I've always harbored the type B, sappy wish for the winning team to be the one who needs the win the most. All that said, I do enjoy venturing out to the occassional sporting event. I like the festive energy of the crowd, and being Wendy Sue, yes, I like the food. When Dave took me to a Diamondbacks game a couple of Saturdays ago, I got very lucky in that department as he had VIP passes and we had lunch on the patio of the private Lexus Club. We stayed there from before the game started through several innings. It was the perfect way to watch the game.

Afterwards I felt the need to burn off some calories by climbing stairs. I'd love to say I'd climbed all the way from the bottom, but we only climbed from about halfway. The reason there are so many seats is this was a pre-season game (against the Padres).

I don't remember the name of the stadium (some corporate name of course) but it's a beautiful one. It's the only stadium I've ever seen that has a swimming pool.

Photos from Portland / Semiahmoo

I spent the night at my good friend Tracy's condo in Vancouver, WA. After the interview Tracy took me to lunch at McMenamins. This made me deliriously happy, as McMenamins pubs are one of my favorite things about the Portland area. Some of my fondest Portland memories are of being at various McMenamins locations, at windowside tables watching the rain pouring down. This McMenamins on the Columbia river always feels like being on vacation.
McMenamins french fries are the best on the planet- I won't waste calories on fast food fries, but McMenamins fries w/ malt vinegar? Gotta have them.
I walked the mile and an half or so from the interview (the interviewer was nice enough to drive the 20 minutes from Portland to meet me at a Starbuck's in downtown Vancouver, WA) back to Tracy's. I passed these purple flowers, which of course made me happy.
After Portland / Vancouver I took the train to Bellingham (closest stop to my parents' house). Here's my precious puppy in her special TV room chair.



























My parents like to sleep in on Sunday mornings. Brandy Joy does not care for sleeping in. I told my mom the night before to open her and my dad's bedroom door at 8 am and that I'd feed and walk Brandy so they could sleep in a little longer. The plan went fine except by 8:30 Brandy was bored and wanted them to get up. Here she is bascially saying 'C' mon, open the door dammit.' and "Ok, fine, don't open the door. I'll just lie here and pout." She cracks me up.

Portland / Semiahmoo / Seattle Trip

I'm obviously behind in my blogging, as this trip was in March. The purpose of this trip, in addition to visiting my parents and beloved wonder hound, was to interview for a UOP job in Portland. The Portland manager had been kind of vague saying the position wasn't open at the moment, but probably would be soon. I figured it was worth a shot.

About an hour before I left for the Phoenix airport, I was at work scrolling through the new job postings. I was excited to see that an enrollment counselor job had just been posted for Seattle. I quickly sent off my resume and a cover letter saying I'd be in Seattle that Monday and would be available to interview. Again, kind of shaky circumstances but worth a shot. Long story short: I had my first of the three Seattle interviews on Amtrak from Portland to Bellingham. I think Amy the interviewer and I called each other back a total of six or seven times as the connection kept dropping as cell connections on a train are known to do. The 2nd interview that Monday (March 26th) was in Bellevue, where I was told the job was going to be. When I first arrived, I was ushered to a computer to do some sort of personality test I've never heard of (and I've heard of most of them). At the end of the test I was informed that I'm a 'Blue'. Who knew? The interview went fine and was followed several days later by a phone interview in which I was asked to role play several student / counselor scenarios. Now normally I love this kind of thing. I did a lot of these when I worked for Together of Oregon, always delighting in playing the most difficult prospective member possible, and making that character as colorful as possible ("Ok, I'm going to be a tattoo artist named Lacey. I just got out of jail...")
Role playing in an interview was significantly less fun, but I got through it ok.

I'm going to post the photos from the trip separately, as the new Blogger format is driving me crazy by not allowing me to move around text and photos in the manner in which I'm accustomed.

One More of Sedona

When I looked back through my Sedona photos I found this one. I think I like it the best. As mentioned, I'd love to spend some time there. There are places there to stay that are right on the stream that runs through the town. I think sitting out on the patio, overlooking the red rocks and the water would be heavenly. I'd also love to hike around and take a million photos.

Er, Make that "Next Stop: Tacoma"

I sent out an email saying I was going to be working for UOP in Bellevue. Turns out I'm going to be in the Tacoma office instead. I'm excited about this since I haven't spent much time in Tacoma. It's new territory for me to explore, which I love. Also, rents are cheaper in Tacoma, so I'll be able to get a nicer place.

Still leaving Phoenix on the 18th and starting the new job on the 23rd.

I haven't posted any pictures lately, because something happened where I'm not able to upload the photos from my camera. I'll get it resolved. I have some final Phoenix pictures I want to post, and am looking forward to posting lots of pics of Tacoma and surrounding areas.

I Don't Know Anyone Named Peter

I used to, but I don't now.

Sedona and Flagstaff

We were going to go just to Sedona, but Dave knew I wanted to see Flagstaff too- so on the way up we went directly to "Flag" as the locals like to call it. Flagstaff is the home of Northern Arizona University. It's about two hours north of Phoenix, and at an altitude of about 6,000 feet. It is significantly less disgusting than Phoenix (not only is it not disgusting, it is quite nice). Although it was a sunny day, the air was fresh and cool. Ahhhh.
I couldn't begin to capture the beauty of Sedona since we were only able to pull over in a few places. One of the best features of Sedona is that there is a creek that runs through the whole town. I wasn't able to get any pictures of it this time, but I have some from 23 years ago when my friend Karen and I stopped off in Sedona on our way back to Phoenix from the Grand Canyon. I have those pictures in storage, but I can still see the scene perfectly in my mind's eye: We had rented a bright orange car we named 'Orange Crush' and I can see it parked near the creek. We'd been tense on the drive back, but once we got to Sedona, and the creek, everything changed and we were totally relaxed and happy (yes, I do personally believe in vortices, which Sedona is said to have. I felt them again today). In those 23 year old pictures, my shadow is dancing by the creek, reflected on the rocks and shallow water. In the middle of that creek experience a white dog came out of nowhere, like a spirit guide, and bounded over to us. It was close to perfect. Today was definetly another great Sedona experience- I felt really relaxed and happy. Look at this thing. You couldn't make this up. It reminds me a little bit of the Potala Palace in Tibet, or some other dwelling place where people are highly-evolved and don't worry about things like whether it's ok to wear black shoes with navy.

I love these soft, pastel colors especially the taupe mountains in the background.

The lines are because this picture was taken through the windshield. I just thought the round, green, tree thingies were cool.
Dave by his new, gigantic (and very comfortable) vehicle. There's also one of me and Dave that I like but I'm neurotic about posting pictures of myself. I'm hoping to maybe make it up to the Grand Canyon before I leave Phoenix. I don't have an overwhelming desire to go to Tucson and I have this weird 'I feel like I should see Mexico but I really don't want to' thing going on. That said, I doubt I'll go. I think today was the perfect time of year in Arizona for a road trip. In some February or March in the future, I'd love to spend at least a weekend in Sedona.

But Then Again This Country Voted For Bush

Sanjaya stays, Sundance goes? Haley over Sabrina?

Insane.

Where's My Cookie?

I've been working for the University of Phoenix for exactly one year.

Nope

I didn't get the job in Portland. I was told that after my phone interview the interviewer was ready to hire me but then came across someone who had "TES" experience (don't ask), a direction they are heading in.

Oh well.

No really, oh well.

I'm setting my sites on Seattle/Tacoma.

Trying to get a job transfer in another city with UOP is like trying to win American Idol. I'm clinging on tenaciously, but I'm prepared to look beyond my current employer.

I'm Mrs. Cactus Hand, Gimme Some Candy!

Remember how when I first moved here you couldn't shut me up about cacti? My blog featured picture after picture of the thorny little...um...there's probably a scientific word for them somewhere but I'm too lazy to look it up. What I'm getting at is I thought cacti were pretty darn swell. So unique! So...indigenous! So pure of line and form!

My opinion now? Let it suffice to say that I'm ready to rexplore the lush foliage of the Northwest. Why the change of heart (besides the fact that I hate hot, dry, polluted climates and never wanted to live here in the first place)? Two Sundays ago I was out for an early evening walk in the neighborhood. I decided to step up the pace to something resembling power walking- you know the whole swinging of the arms and stupid-looking-but-calorie-burning bit. My hand swung back into a neighbor's decorative multi-tiered cactus plant and took a half-a-cucumber-sized chunk with it. Yep, that's right. Embedded in my hand. Of course right then two little boys, somewhere between the ages of 6 and 8, appeared to serve as a baffled, silently appraising, and utterly worthless audience. I was tempted to say in my best Adam Sandler voice "I'm Mrs. Cactus Hand! Gimme some candy!" but decided to go with my second choice -waiting until they were safely inside and then bursting into tears (you try having somewhere around a dozen hypodermic-needle like thorns stuck in your hand and not being able to pull the thing out, even after wrapping your thick sweater into mulitiple layers then having the rest of the spines poke right through that- almost succeeding in embedding in your other hand thus looking like you are carrying a winter-like cactus muff to keep your hands warm. Ok you get the point).

I walked the remaining four blocks home and for the first time in the past year, was happy that I had a roommate. With one mighty tug of his meaty hands, Bob was able to disengage the spiny *ucker. He was kind enough to quickly pull out the remaining four or five quills while I turned my head.

I had a phone interview with the Hillsboro campus in Portland. I think I've got a good shot at it. If I get the job I'll be moving in about two weeks. I also had a phone interview with Sacramento. They want to interview me in person on Thursday, but I am about 95% certain I'm not going to go. I want to be back near family and friends and while I'll always love exploring new cities, I'm getting kind of tired.
I'm a little bit hesistant to live in the Portland area again since there are a few people there I deeply hate (yes, I know, I am way too intense about everything. I have a Scorpio stellium in my first house. That's not going to go away anytime soon). Those people are connected to the days of my singles business. I do, however, have some very close friends in Portland and it is my favorite city ever...

I'll keep you posted.

FAQs

Not an official return to blogging (that will happen when I'm happier), just answers to a few things you may be wondering:

Q: Are you still in Phoenix?
A: Yep. It will be one year on March 2nd.

Q: Are you still in school?
A: Yes. I started my fifth class in the Master's in Ed. program. I have a
4.0 GPA

Q: What's happening with you and Peter?
A: Nothing. He... well, nothing. In the last few minutes of 2006, in the midst of the revelry of the Tempe Block Party, I was so consumed with bitter and angry thoughts that I thought I was going to combust and burst into flames before a horrified crowd of onlookers. The man....well, ok. Nothing. Let's leave it at that.

Q: Is Brandy with you?
A: No, she's still with my parents who take very good care of her. She's the beagle equivilant of a sumo wrestler, but she's happy.

Q: Read any good books lately?
A: Running with Scissors, and The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Q: Are you still addicted to American Idol?
A: Yes

Thanksgiving

This blog is basically off the air for now, but below are some pictures from an unusually snowy Semiahmoo over Thanksgiving. All of these pictures were taken from my bedroom windows. I'll be posting family pics to Photobucket sometime in the next few weeks.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

There are few things in life better than dogs in Halloween costumes. Brooklyn (Superdog) and Sierra (Guinevere) belong to my nephew and his wife.

Sweden

On October 13th of last year I left for Sweden. With the nine hour time difference, I arrived in Copenhagen on October 14th; then Peter and I crossed over the Baltic Sea on "The Link". It definetly feels like a year has passed. That part doesn't seem surreal. What seems surreal to me is that I spent 10 weeks in a place I thought I could only dream about. Although I'd been to Europe five times previously, EnglandFranceSpainItaly just seemed like your standard American abroad fare, almost Disneyland-ish. Wonderful and enriching to visit those countries, yes, but somehow not exotic.

Scandinavia always seemed like an entirely separate entity to me, as though further north implied being further along to some kind of promised land (my inner compass has always gravitated north rather than south). One of my icebreaker questions when I hosted Dinner with Friends events was "If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?" I remember the first time I put the answer on my own name tag, I had chosen Australia. I remember writing that in with a bit of a shrug like, yeah, sure, I'd like to go there. The next time I used that icebreaker / name tag question I thought about it more carefully and put 'Scandinavia'. It's funny what I pictured when I wrote that. I saw cottages on snowy hillsides and northern lights and tall, beautiful blonde men. I think I pictured Norway first, then Sweden.

Once again Scandinavia seems out of reach. Although I'm thrilled to have seen Sweden and have spent a few hours in Denmark, I never made it to Norway even though it was only a five hour drive away (I remember Peter's friend Kirsten offering to let me drive her car. Always a nervous person I stammered "Oh, thanks, but I've never driven in a foreign country." She shrugged and said "Green you go. Red you stop."

I have no idea when or if I will go back to Sweden. I miss the North Sea and the autumn leaves and the windmills. And of course I miss Peter. We have moments when we talk on the phone or online and seem to remember how strong a connection we have. But there are other times when we don't have any contact at all for up to three weeks at a time. And I never hear the words "Jag alskar dig". Not nearly as pretty as the French "Je t'aime", but hey, I'd love to hear them anyway. I don't know why the Swedes even have such a phrase in their language. Maybe they say it to their children.

If it doesn't work out with Peter, maybe I can meet a Norweigan man online...
I know, I'm crazy.

Bad Hair Day

Portal

Chakra Red

The Farm

Blair and I went to lunch the other day at a place called 'The Farm'. It was suprisingly bucolic for metro Phoenix. Amazingly, it was possible to sit outside and enjoy it (copious over-sized standing umbrellas helped).
We both had sandwiches that featured what the menu should have described as "our homemade razor-crust bread". Crusty was not the word for this baguette.It would have been better suited to species with fangs. It was the kind of bread so heavy and dense you could break a window with it. Other than that the food was great and it was a nice escape from our rather homely and insane work environment.

Said homely and insane working environment features myriad distractions, the two most pervasive being giggle woman : "A-hee-hee-hee a-hee-hee-hee" all day every day. Hyena in a cubicle. Horrible. And then there's basketball boy, 23 going on 9 who dribbles a miniature and surprisingly loud basketball down the aisle before dunking it in the little hoop mounted on his desk. Precious.

So, do I hate my work environment? Surprisingly no. I'd rather have chaos, ridiculous amounts of work and too much noise than a deathly quiet and boring work place. But yes, I could definetly live without giggle woman and basketball boy...

Afternoon Road Trip

My environment for the past seven months has consisted of a cubicle in a big, noisy, open room with windows only in the far distance, and (due to general discomfort with my roommate) being relegated to my small bedroom where the only window faces a wall.
After Dave and I went out to lunch today he asked me what I wanted to do. I thought about it for a minute and said "I think I really need to go out for a drive." Sweet guy that he is, he readily agreed.

He asked where I wanted to go. Unsure, I suggested somewhere with cactus. He pointed at one in the front yard of the house we were passing. I conceded that he had a good point. I'm already surrounded by cacti. So I left it up to him.

We drove west, into downtown Glendale.

Then further west until we were heading out of the suburbs. Dave said he had a destination in mind. Since he had first mentioned driving out to an air force base, I wasn't particularly excited to know what the destination was. All I knew was it felt great to be out of the city.

All of a sudden we came upon fields of tulips in every color of the rainbow (ok, maybe not blue). We were going 60 mph, so what I got when I tried to capture them was this:

Ok, I really like this picture. Those of you with a strongly-expressed 'S' (Sensing) in your Myers Briggs makeup may see only a white blur. But as a laughably strongly-expressed 'N' (Intuitive)it speaks to me of dreams and memories and the motion that accompanies the whirlwind of the pre-conscious mind. Maybe I need to rephrase that, but in any event look to the left and right of the white blur and you will see the color of the flowers.

I was happy to see what our destination was when we reached it...

But Blogspot is not letting me add any more photos to this post, so I will have to create a separate entry.

Afternoon Road Trip Part 2

So here's what our destination turned out to be:

This is not the Phoenix zoo. This is a private one, with white tigers, white alligators and uh, animals with colors. Only one problem: When we got there at 4:00 pm the gate was closed.

To see what we didn't see, go to www.wildlifeworld.com
No worries, it was great just to get out and see the stark beauty of the area.

Still Life with Lemons

I walked into the backyard this morning. I don't go out there that often, except to practice my new favorite hobby which is talking on the phone while sitting on the edge of the pool with my feet in the water. It's the perfect way to cool off without messing up your hair. Or having to get any exercise. Anyway, I walked out there this morning and saw that it had rained lemons. I kid you not, the epitome of lemonyness is a lemon that has fallen slightly green from the tree then ripened in the hot Arizona sun. Slicing one open is to be infused with happiness. If I had to use an amorphous term to describe the scent I'd choose 'optimism'.

Tidbits

Yes, I had a great time in Las Vegas and yes it did breathe new life into me. I don't know what it says about me, but Las Vegas is one of my favorite spots on earth. I always seem to end up with men whose idea of a great vacation is some crappy remote place out in the country. While I definetly need and love a nature fix now and then, given a choice between a cabin in the woods and a room overlooking the Bellagio fountains...well, it's no secret which I'd choose.

Peter and I were talking on Messenger about a work-related boating trip he'd taken recently. He said he "cought ten makrill". Now I'm an admitted spelling and grammar hag, but for some reason Peter's little ESL-isms always strike me as adorable. He once asked me if he was using the correct spelling for "coffy". I told him no, but asked him to keep spelling it that way. He has.

What's happening with me and Peter? (and no, it's not 'Peter and I' dammit)
Let's just say time will tell.

I am applying for a job transfer to Seattle. Between seeing Seattle friends in Las Vegas and talking to some others on the phone recently, I realize I really want to be back 'home'. I also want to live closer to my parents.

There are a few people I will miss here (three guesses who I will NOT miss? Key word: Chili. Nickname...well, you either know who it is at this point or you don't) Anyway, I will miss my best friend at work, Blair. It is a friendship I never would have foreseen. She is literally half my age, but we are both Jewish, dog lovers, and avid readers and for whatever reason (she's mature for her age, I'm immature for mine and we meet half way?) we are just really compatible. I will miss a few of my other coworkers as well. And yes Dave, I will miss you.

I am hoping to see a little more of the southwest before I go. I might go with a coworker to Mexico. I've never been there and I figure it warrants a day trip.

I was going to post a notice that I'm not going to be keeping up the blog for a while. However I think I will keep posting at least erratically for a while. Hopefully once I'm in a better place and better frame of mind I'll start posting on a regular basis again.

It could happen in the Swedish countryside...

Peter may come in for Thanksgiving. If he doesn't it's because his passive-aggressive ex, Elisabeth, has created a new scheme to make the divorce proceedings even more complicated. As Peter was telling me about it, I muttered "I wish she would get run over by a truck" (I don't really wish this, I just wish she would stop making things so difficult). Peter didn't hear what I said and asked me to repeat it. Stammering a bit I said "Um, I wish Elisabeth would...get her head bitten off by a moose."

Actually I do kind of like the thought of that. And from the way Peter laughed I think he was momentarily amused by it too.

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Why have I not been blogging much lately? Because I try to keep this blog lighthearted. Because I endeavor to share with you only the Gee!-rated activities in my life, not the dank underworld of my conscious mind. Because I think "Wendy's Adventures in Phoenix" is a better blog title than "Wendy's Pitifully Futile Quest for Happiness".

I think it's entirely possible that I have a reverse form of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I think too much sun makes me depessed. Or maybe it's that I now realize I will never see Peter again. This is kind of absolutely and completely excruciating because for once I really let my guard down and loved deeply and look where it got me. I know if this were an unusual story the entire country music industry would not exist, but I don't take comfort in this (neither in country music- which by the way is the actual name of a student at the university where I work- or the fact that others have had similar experiences).

I'm hoping my trip to Las Vegas next weekend breathes some new life into me. Las Vegas has three things that I love (four if you include roller coasters): Distractions, convenience, and flow. What I call distractions other may call diversions, but the word distractions suits my purposes right now. I love Vegas' sensory overload, the riot of color, the crowds, the noise. I also love that no matter what you need- whether it is a giant once-a-year-at-most Krispy Kreme chocolate glazed donut at 4 pm or an escape from the 4 am insomnia that ordinarily leaves you feeling like a zombie in a wretched dead underworld- it's available in Las Vegas. I think having a myriad of such conveniences is the ultimate luxury.
As mentioned, I also love the amount of flow in Las Vegas- ongoing movement and life force. Flowing fountains. Chi. Ahh....can't live without it (wait, I'm in Arizona. I am living without it). I love how everything moves in Las Vegas. I despise stillness. I've heard people talk about how the Gulf of Mexico is its most beautiful when it is as "still as glass". That would piss me off. Grrrr! I want pounding waves and crashing surf. I want a big fat reminder that I am alive. Hopefully I'll get it next weekend. It will be great to see my Seattle friends too.

My next blog entry is going to be pictures of some of the soap I've made. In other words, a return to our regularly scheduled programming. Thank you for bearing with me.

Monday Morning Dread

When I was in training for my job, back in March, a group of fellow trainees and I were having lunch when I brought up the concept of Monday morning dread. If you like your job, I explained, Monday morning dread is mild and doesn't occur until about 9 pm Sunday evening. However, if you're like I was the year I taught 5th grade, Monday morning dread occurs around 6 pm Friday evening. Everyone at my table liked the idea of Monday morning dread as a measurement gauge for job satisfaction.

In recent weeks my MMD has started Sunday morning on average. I push it aside the best I can. I spent this morning and part of the afternoon making earrings- really nice ones. The joy of the design process and the at-times maddening process of making tiny perfect loops to finish each one off definetly takes my mind off the mundane.

In other news....there isn't much other news. I'm going to Las Vegas in a few weeks and am excited about that. I've started walking again in the evenings once it's cooled down to about 95. For some reason there's always a breeze "A breeze!" you say "that's nice!" No, it's not. It's like someone is walking backward in front of you holding a blow dryer in your face.

Er...hopefully I'll have a more upbeat blog entry later this week.