Jun22
Category Archives: Family
Jun20
nostalgic
left alone to my own devices i start thinking… mostly about how i used to have friends that i could just call up and drive over … or just drive over… show up in the driveway and thats all i needed to do… If this is what being an adult feels like, can i go back? well not all the way back, but just back to then… with parts of now. I’d bring parts of now with me, hope they could get along. Long “deep and thinky” talks over bonfires. maybe i just have something to prove, that i can be happy. Maybe its to share the happy. maybe its because they signify a time i didn’t have to answer to anyone. Not that i have to now, but I’m so far away that the reckless random takes more effort. Sometimes i wonder how i made it here, nice and stable, but i know if i wanted to walk out to the middle of nowhere and play on a jungle gym drinking gin and Gatorade, most of my life would find that perfectly acceptable. I lack my sanity and balance. My world seems to have been temporarily distorted. just another week and hopefully the normal will return. until then…
I got my septum pierced in califorinia as an ode to tiffany compton. She was my partner in crime far more artsy and deep than i could ever hope to be. One of the few who understood my obsession with piercings and tattoos at 16. Ran through the woods with me in the middle of the night, looking for a swingset. I have sister tattooed on my hip for a few people, its in russian for one, its there for the boys who held my hand. The ones who saw me reckless and mean and I was the first girl they knew to act like one of the guys. Maybe thats my super power, just to be one of the guys. Just girly enough to have the shape and give decent advice, but not so much that I can’t run around in the dark doing stupid shit – or more likely picking up the pieces after they do the stupid shit. I love to lay out at night looking up at the stars, out in the middle of no where. I love to sit on the trunk of my car staring into your eyes. I love waking up to coffee early in the morning. I love having coffee at two am with old friends. my first tattoo was supposed to represent my sisters. My second to represent fate. maybe I’ll never forget you because you were there with me. the third one was all on my own trying not to clench my teeth. The 4th one, my little brothers held my hand and egged me on. The last one, out of spite. To prove my independence and start the beginning of the end. And now, the next one, a celebration.
i think i give up. maybe i’ll be illogical later. maybe i’ve used up all my logical, its on limited supply at the moment. I thought i had more saved up than that, but i guess not.
Jun18
hyphen
I have two last names… depending on where you look it is hyphenated or not. Twice today I had people ask me which one was the correct one and when did i change it. I’ve used both last names since my senior year in high school. I’ve only used both since I moved out of Michigan. Really, it’s you freaks or your crappy computer systems that choose to use one or the other. “when did you change it” is not an appropriate answer when you’re staring at the copy of my DL and insurance card… ITS ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.
Growing up I used Dad’s last name… up until i had to legally do things, like ACT and a driver’s license… In Michigan, you can’t just have two last names, which is how it is on my birth certificate (but not my ss card), so i had to use the hyphen. It stuck because most things will accept a hyphen and not a space… Well in here, there is a space, but since i used the hypen for so long, it is that why on everything else. One sister has a hypen, but only uses Dad’s last name. I think when the littlest sister was born Mom asked whether or not to include the hyphen… I told her to include it because it would be easier to get used to it being there.
Don’t even get me started about people forgetting letters in my last name… yes its a T not a D… yes there is an E at the end of that one… yes there are TWO r’s…
brought to you by: http://blog.jgc.org/2010/06/your-last-name-contains-invalid.html
Jun3
Short Vacation
This past weekend we rented a car, packed up the demons and drove to MI for K’s wedding. Interesting ridiculous that happened along the way. 1) Flat tire the day before the wedding, which had to be taken in to get fixed the day of the wedding. 2) stripper pole on the party bus 3) got flashed by a groom’sman’s wife/girlfriend not sure 4) random hugs and weird handshakes by people i’ll never see again in the receiving line. OK that may not be interesting or ridiculous, but still weird.
Friday: left at 5am, had dinner with parents @ 7pm.
Saturday: Nails at 11:30, rehearsal at 3:30, rehearsal dinner afterward, the top of my dress needs to be sewn closed before Matt’s wedding so my boob will stop falling out.
Sunday: Getting tire fixed, getting ready for wedding, wedding, pictures, more pictures, reception at fancy pants hotel, sleep
Monday: bunny food and beer purchasing, dinner with family, pictures of charlie chaplin building, slurpy stop, looking at old pictures with family
Tuesday: drive home
Wednesday: recovery.
Mar13
stuff my dad sends me
“Keep the faith. faith is good, no matter what you have faith in. I’m praying to the universe. ”
“If there’s no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters … then all that matters is what we do. ‘Cause that’s all there is. What we do. Now. Today. I fought for so long, for redemption, for a reward, and finally just to beat the other guy. Because, if there’s no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world.” — Angel, “Epiphanies”
Dad can always make me smile.
Dec19
Luck
I’m laying here in bed typing this on my phone, which in itself is a big indication of how lucky I am. but I’ve been thinking about how lucky I am lately. I don’t have a want for anything, really. maybe to see family more but nothing else I can think of.
I have a job that I don’t dread waking up for, I can pay my bills, and as of December first I have health insurance. I’ll be able to take time off work in may and June to go to Kris/Trent’s wedding then Matt/Marie’s and spend a little time with family. I live in a nice apartment and have healthy animals. We are comfortable with our lives and even spoiled. 75% of the year we are able to spend our weekends hiking in the mountains and stand 6500 miles above sea level looking out over NC, and parts of TN and VA.
We see things and explore places that few people are able to. Normal every day people don’t get to for various reason. Days where I’m standing in the sun, looking out over the ground thousands to feet below and unless someone is talking louder than is necessary, I feel like we’re the only people on the planet. Being able to sleep in until we really wake up, and then stay in bed just being make me feel the same way. Isolated and comfortable to just… be. Days when I can only feel lucky.
Dec13
Holiday Musings
this revolt the last few years against happy holidays makes me want to punch people. Really? you’re going to get pissy over someone being nice to you? People are jerks the rest of the year and the month where they tone it down and actually try to be nice you’re going yo get cranky over which phrase comes out?
part of me wanted to dress the bunnies up like baby Jesus and an angel and put happy kwanza on ou X-mas cards. I didn’t. mostly because I respect that my religious family does celebrate the Christmas. I on the other hand don’t see much more than a fun family tradition that promotes being good to each other for a whole month. that and the whole giving presents thing gives me a reason to shop all I want without feeling bad cause I’m spending money on other people.
We’re not religious. We just aren’t. But I appreciate family and love when everyone is packed in the house stumbling over each other. I will take whatever happy greeting I can get. I will respect that not everyone under the sun celebrates Xmas – even in my area there are a lot of people who don’t. When I say goodbye on the phone at work the most you’re getting out of me is to have a good day.
I found this link today that seems to be comparable: Christmas
Holiday Cards will be mailed soon.
Xmas tree pictures!
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| Christmas09 |
Nov29
Pictures- Eno
Last weekend:
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| Eno River 11/21/09 |
Nov26
Adventures in Pumpkin Pie
Note to self: When making pie using the recipe off the large 29oz can of Libby’s Pure Pumpkin , it does not make just two pies like the can says… it makes two pies AND whatever you have left to put the rest of the pumpkin pie filling in. In MY case, it makes two pies and a makeshift graham cracker crust in a 7×7 glass baking dish i didnt remember we had.
Maybe i just didnt have the right size pie crusts, the Libby’s can said deep dish. 
In other news…
I woke up too early this morning, told OtherJ that it was in fact too early to be awake on a day when you don’t have any alarms, and rolled over and went back to sleep. When I woke up again… I had coffee and the smell of cinnamon rolls. 
I’m a very lucky girl.
To do list for the remainder of the day:
Turkey Subs, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Eating above pies…. OH and watching Mythbusters’ marathon all day.
Nov23
Addresses
As I’m sure you’ve seen I’m looking for addresses to send various things to… Xmas cards, pictures… it also means i can update my list of addresses so that I don’t have to ask for them again should I need to send something.
Either – facebook or email theadventuresofj@gmail.com or ya know that other email i have
The Adventures of J 