The Crystal Ship

Title is a tribute to my favorite song by The Doors.

Favorite Beatles song: Here Comes the Sun. Favorite Stones song: Paint it Black.

Favorite Lady Gaga song: I don't have one. I don't even know one. I'm 50, Ok?

Brissfully Relieved

For some reason the Jewish holidays came up.

Ok, I'll stop being coy. The Jewish holidays came up because I'm the only Jew at work and it makes me feel different. And special! Me Me Me ME ME. Thank you.

I enjoy sharing my heritage with those who know even less about it than I do.

Let me preface this by saying the woman I'm about to mention is a lovely, intelligent person. It's not her fault that rural Louisiana, where she lived until recently, does not have a large Jewish population.

Me: So anyway, a Bar Mitzvah...

Her: I know what a Bar Mitzvah is!

Me: Really?

Her : (nodding head sagely) It's when a 13 year old boy gets circumcized.

Me: Umm...What you're talking about is called a briss and...

Her: Yeah! They remove the foreskin.

Me: Uh, that's right but...

Her (puzzled look on her face): How do they get 13 year old boys to agree to that?

I love my new apartment

Photos soon

Facets

Your Friendly Neighborhood Pharmacy

I love my neighborhood. It borders Commencement Bay and is in walking distance to downtown. It has a village feel to it, with nice locally owned and operated businesses. My neighborhood is not, thank goodness, quaint. Say the word quaint around me and it's possible you'll see me shudder. Say 'quaint little bed and breakfast' and I may run out of the room screaming.

My neighborhood has a pharmacy called Rankos that's been around for many decades. I used to get my prescriptions filled there until 1. The antique pharmacist handed me some guy's Viagra instead of my sinus medicine 2. The same pharmacist again gave me someone else's prescription 3. The pharmacist gave me my correct prescription, with two other prescription-filled plastic bags stuck to it, and 4. The pharmacist looked at me one day when I was deep in thought and said "Are you always happy?"

Huh?

Let's put it this way: When I told this story to friends tonight they burst out laughing.

I'm often silly, entertaining, amused, interested, and various other engaged-by-life descriptors, but I am clearly not a person who is always happy. I walk around very lost in my own head. My expression at such times is more likely to be viewed as intense or even mildly frightning than carefree or happy.

So. No more friendly neighborhood pharmacy.

In news that is actually apropos of something (though I'm not sure what) I'm moving into a different apartment within my same building. I'll explain why and take pics when I move in later this month.

Puzzle Piece

I See in Portals

Interview

Q: When are you going to stop taking pictures of trees and rainbows and start writing again?

A: I don't know. I'm working on other writing projects and not that many people read my blog anyway. And I'm proud of my creative way with trees, rainbows, and abstracts, so I enjoy sharing those.

Q: How's your life?

A: Functional, but I'm having a mid-life breakthrough

Q: When did you start using vomity euphemisms like 'mid-life breakthrough' instead of 'midlife crisis'?

A: Just now. It won't happen again.

Touchdown

Impressionist Driveway

Follow the Light

Easter Schmeaster

Pardon my irreverence, but I really wanted Macy's to be open today.

For the Record

I was using one of the computers in the lobby of the Fredriksburg, Denmark Radisson when I found out my nephew and his wife were pregnant.

Ok, I'm old. Saying a couple is pregnant sounds retarded to me. My nephew's wife is pregnant. Not my nephew.

I was at work today when my mom called to tell me the ultrasound showed it's a boy. It also showed that said boy is swimming, running, and doing gymnastics in utereo. Not surprising considering his parents each have about 4% body fat and run about a hundred miles a day.

I am really excited about this baby.

Because I Like Orange

Fine Lines

Mighty Mountain

My new Nikon has a mighty zoom.

I should have gone to Norway instead of Denmark

On my Iceland trip I also went to Denmark, where I saw my Swedish ex-boyfriend Peter.

See title of this post.

Next Stop

I think I want to go to Greenland.

Glacier Blue

Heart-Shaped Meatloaf! Heart-Shaped Meatloaf!

I'm on the newly-formed 'Fun Committee' at work. I've always kept the birthday list and made sure the birthday person has a card and a cake. Yep, I'm good (you do know I'm kidding) and that's why I'm now listed as 'Birthday Specialist Wendy Gilson'. Can I put that on my resume? Or could you maybe greet me one day with a hearty, military-style 'Good morning Birthday Specialist Gilson!' I'd really like that.

Fun fact: If I had been born in Iceland,I would have been Wendy Albertsdottir (Albert's daughter). Or perhaps Wendy Alsdottir. Very few Icelanders have an official family last name.

In my office this afternoon, there was a meeting of five people gathered in a small room to plan a fun February event (That's right! It was the Fun Committee!) We decided on a Valentines Day potluck. I suggested we go for maximum schmaltz - pink, white and red, too many hearts, gooey sentiments, the whole nine yards. As logic would dictate, this needs to extend to the food, so that's why at about 4:15 PM I was excitedly shouting "Heart-shaped meatloaf! Heart-shaped meatloaf! I'm going to make a heart-shaped meatloaf!

It will be frosted in ketchup (Valentines Day red heart...). Now I just need to go to Michael's to get the appropriately-shaped pan.