(SMILE!!)

Oh. My. God!!!

Napa is gorgeous.

So is the Golden Gate Bridge.

(SMILE!!!)

I still can't believe it...

Mrs. Robert Merikle Jr. to be.

REALLY!!

breath in. breath out.

If you Love it so much, why don't you just marry it??

Finally FINALLY got to see the boyfriend again. And yes KA, there were several arrests that went down this weekend...I mean I live in the hood and all (smile).

So let us catch up. I'm so so SOOO sad that Gretch and Ali were not SOYs. I mean, out of 10 folks, to "know" two of them and genuinely be able to say that either of them would have been amazing choices...I loved them both. Here's to so much greater things to come from both of them! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just remember, my scrap blog is on the fritz.

No scrap wise, R got his 40D and sold off the 20D. It was so bittersweet cause that camera went lots of great places with us. Heck, it went to Everest with us! But with a new camera comes new play time so after I got home from work on Saturday (more on that shortly), we went to the zoo. The Seattle zoo sucks. Well...at 3:30 pm on a Saturday it does. Everything is hiding out ready to be done with the crowds already. Of course, Robert's judgement was based on the San Diego Zoo (which I may visit this year when I hit SD) so it was kinda unfair. BUT the day and night exhibit was cool. I've never seen sloths before...those things are much bigger than I thought. And very VERY slow and deliberate (smile).

Backtracking, on Friday night, we went out for sushi. This time, I didn't eat myself into a sushi coma...because I wanted green tea ice cream. Which prompted my better half to proclaim his undying love for rainbow sherbert. I told him if he loved it so much, he should just marry it. he settled for a waffle cone full of it instead.

Sunday, we (well, me) sat around all day. I went shopping for groceries (maybe a bit overkill) and then sat back to watch the Vaqueros trounce on the Osos. Because of the specialness of this month, it took me until the 4th quarter to realize that the score board graphic before each commercial was bilingual. Yeah...observant and all. I LOVE the cowboys right now. Not cause they are winning, but because they are PLAYING LIKE COWBOYS. Essentially...they are cocky, they are sure, and yeah, I missed the first quarter of the game when Romo was actin' a fool (shopping for groceries and all).

I saw that the Cowboys were supposed to lose. I saw that Washington got trounced by Philly (I hate Philly to by the by). So I was reserved to let us drop this game if necessary when I watched most of the first half only to see that it was 3 to 3. When the Boys scored first in the 2nd half, I figured we had it on lock. Then we let them march right back on us. Oy. So when we finally got it together and TO and Romo were grinning actin' like happy little kids on the sideline, I was all over that feel good "yeah...we're actually GOOD" vibe they were lettin' off.

You know it is sad when you wish your team WOULDN'T score or wouldn't have a good record just so that they might get a bit of fight back into their bellies. Don't quit on me now Boys!

Yeehaw!!

You Know You're in a College Town When (Bloomington, IN)

So...after a drive that proved much longer than it should have, I ended up in Bloomington. From the Indy airport to my hotel took 49 minutes. Doing way faster than I should have been because this stupid group of what I thought were other recruiters kept pacing me...doing like 85. In a 60. Anyhow.

I showed up way later than expected here and so didn't go out to dinner with the crew because well, I had a ton of things to do in prep for the email onslaught I was missing. So I hit up McCrappy for the consistent crappiness that is McDonalds (contrary to popular belief, if forced to, I could live off that stuff). Pulled out the LSAT book and scored my old score on a timed practice test. Reviewed what I got wrong and made this oath to myself:

If by the end of October, I am scoring 165 consistently, I'll register for the December LSAT. If I score what I think I'm capable of scoring given practice tests, common sense and a commitment to actually STUDY this time around for the LSAT (well...prepare...since you don't "study" for the LSAT), then I will apply. And that won't happen until half of forever. But, since I need to get back to doing my job at work (chiefly, administering the LSAT), I need to get it taken in December and move on already. So that was my Wednesday night.

Thursday morning, I finally (FINALLY) came to realize that uhhmmm...yeah...Bloomington is EST...not CST. Which means I had a brief moment of panic when I thought that might throw a wrench into my plan to get to the Indy airport in an hour for my flight. Phew...they're both in the same time zone...imagine that.

Anyhow, at IU, met a lot of great kids, saw a Jena 6 protest. Loved that campus. Straight down to the dogs, the trickling stream by the union and getting lost (of course) trying to get off campus and back onto the main road.

Thanks to the great pacing of a limo driver, I made it to Indy in 45 minutes--stopped for gas just outside of the airport (note to self, there IS a gas station on the corner of the rental drop off facility at the airport) and remember how in Chi-town they were telling me I'd be charged extra for taking the car later? I got charged LESS than I contracted with them for having the car for less time. I was heated. And emotional. Cause I missed Renegade in Chicago and hanging with Traci more and meeting more people because of the STUPID (as in ignorant, lazy, "not my problem") customer dis-service rep at Alamo. Nice guys. Really nice.

Anyhow, got into the airport, flight was (of course) delayed and managed to find myself in Chicago at the same Chili's that I talked to my mom from when I went to CHA in Chicago back in Feb. This time, we laughed it up about our people (It must have been my brother in law that turned it back on) and your people (Don't taze me bro!) and in it all, my adorable nephew now has a puppy.

All in all, Bloomington treated me well. Rush hour is when everyone is trying to get onto or off of campus. The hotel signs were tagged with some pretty...ahem...crazy stuff for my poor virginal eyes, and the best places to eat in town as recommended by the staff all had all you can drink specials going on. Or so I was told.

And no, I don't know what kind of dog my nephew has. Evidently, not knowing that is like not knowing the sex of your best friend's new baby. According to the doglover in my house anyhow.

Seriously? 4 hours?! (Urbana/Champaign, IL)

When I print out my trip directions, I highlight how long it will take me to go from point a to point b. Somehow, through all that highlighting and the very obvious message on my notes on how to get to Reminisce in Iowa City that I had to leave by 7 because I had a 4 hour (!!) drive to Urbana, Illinois, I managed to not quite GRASP what 4 hours meant. Let me tell you what 4 hours means.

4 hours means that I'm willing to risk getting tickets for speeding and parking in wrong places. Luckily, late at night, while there are folks out to pull you over, you can usually get away with about 10 over. Or so.

When I finally got to Urbana, of COURSE my key didn't work (I'm starting to think Gold Hilton Honors really means, you don't get into your room on the first try). But at least they had a computer I could get on and check email. All 212 of them. That was from being off my computer for all of like 28 hours. Really now. Only downfall, managed to short out my scrap blogger blog so...that made me feel really good. Not.

On campus, there is this GORGEOUS statue just outside of the union. I finally got a picture of part of it. Didn't get a ticket for parking in the two hour lot. Knew exactly where the mail drop was in the union because I'd been there before. Even knew where to buy a post card. There was a mini protest on campus...of what, I don't know. I got the heck out of dodge as soon as the fair was over.

In getting out of dodge, I came to realize that yet again, Hampton Inns don't care if you have a package waiting. Never mind the fact that they had TONS of them (literally) waiting behind the counter for rightful owners. Go figure. Urbana to Bloomington (Indiana, not Illinois...or Mississippi for that matter) is a "quick" 2.5 hour drive that I've done before so I wasn't too worried about this one. Figured I'd have dinner with the group when I got there.

Now. I, of course, had to stop for a nap about 45 minutes into the drive. Instead of a nap, I opted for a sugar rush--Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen. Yummy! Consider this. The last time (the night before) I stopped for a PBP, I about busted a blood vessel in my brain because:

1. I stopped at the biggest truckstop in Illinois which always freaks me out.
2. I pulled in all ready to go and COULD NOT for the life of me find my wallet. With both credit cards. And my debit card. And all my cash. And how the HELL was I going to check into my hotel. And even moreso, how the HELL could I be so irresponsible.

Clearly, I found it (and got the PBP to boot) but life stopped short for a moment there. Helped me to remember to travel smart...you know...split up the funds so that regardless, either in my laptop case, my purse or in my ample bossom...I will ALWAYS have a way to get back home. Guess I could have used that bossom at Dairy Queen to get me a PBP that would have calmed my nerves, but alas...I wasn't thinkin' straight.

I digress (not digest Family Guy...not digest).

So...the day after that PBP drama, I find myself in a bit more drama. See...I'm driving through one stop light (flashing, of course) small town America down beautifully tree lined streets laced with stop signs strung with signs telling me where to buy worms when I spot it. No...not the gorgeous HUGE Victorian style home that I'm sure would sell for like 95K in those there parts. no. Instead, it was the DQ. Just regular style...but clearly with a PBP just calling my name.

So I turn off the street that is taking me back to the interstate and clearly, I need to make a right turn to get into the DQ. Never mind that this isn't EXACTLY where I make that right turn and I end up hopping over a curb. Also never mind that that curb was there to prevent me from turning into the WRONG WAY, one way opposite direction drive thru of the bank. Never mind that the teller was looking at me like I had lost my mind which is kinda similar to that "What is a black person doing out here" look, but because of the wrong way driving, I took it to be the former. Never mind. I got to the DQ drive thru. I got my PBP. Almost drove off without my 37 cents in change which, evidently, by the dudes willingness to run after me, is clearly a big deal in those parts. I love (and this is with all sincerity...honestly!) small town America. I want to live there.

13 or was that 16? (Iowa City, Iowa)

So by now, you should know that I can't drive more than 45 minutes without having to pull over and take a nap. Or something. Getting to Iowa was no exception. I'm driving along, through lots and lots and lots of corn, when I come across some pretty exciting stuff.

Namely, Belmont, population 871 is kinda eerie. Not in a small town "you're a stranger" kinda way so much as in a I'm sitting here in a park in ride all alone and I need to get to gettin. Saw a beautiful sunset and lots of gorgeous farmland then bam...I hit the Mississippi.

Now. I'm no Miss South Carolina but color me clueless. I was all "wow--the Mississippi runs this far north??" when I crossed it just outside of Dubuque. It is the littlest thing that will fascinate me on a trip. So Dubuque is the farthest north I've crossed it...Memphis the farthest south. Neat.

Iowa City was Iowa City. For this trip, I was looking forward to meeting Angie and stopping by Reminisce and then going to dinner.

So. At the fair, of course I had to buy a post card and get it sent off on campus. But this is plotted BEFORE I know I'm the last rep to leave because all of a sudden everyone wants to go to Seattle University. Kinda neat actually. But when I finally hit the road, I with my no sense of direction and no GPS cannot find this very obvious store on this very obvious strip to save my life. 40 minutes later, patient Angie is STILL waiting for me and I make it to Reminisce.

Which is yet another of those "You have to go to" stores. They had lots of items within brands that I love. I love Heidi Grace stuff and they didn't just have the red and white of anything, they pretty much buy wide and deep. I loved that I could find all of a line there. And they had some GORGEOUS minis ala bind it all spread throughout the store. Lots of really great samples and a great newsletter too.

I spent way too much time here, but picked up the last tidbits for my mini book that I started collecting for way back in Chicago at Windy City. Snapped some pictures with Angie and Cindy (Cindy is the manager) and then we headed across the street for dinner.

Mondo's Tomato Pie (which, evidently, they have a few restaurants in town) has the hands down absolute BEST tortilla soup I have EVER had. I so need them to ship that to me. And that is coming from a Tx-Mx girl out of El Paso who has never said no to trying some tortilla soup. Oh goodness it was good.

Managed somehow (mostly because Angie and Cindy are punctual folks) to get out of there at a respectable hour. Two of the nicest people you will EVER meet in this world. Good luck Angie with your first class!

Pulled up to the gas station next door to gas up. Now. When you see a red circlish thing with white writing...would you not think that that symbolizes "stop"? yeah...not so in Iowa at that gas station. I was scraping the bugs off the windshield when I realized the gas had not started pumping. I can read. But I also take shortcuts (no no on the LSAT). That shortcut had me thinking the red stop sign wouldn't be necessary to START the flow of gas. Got that figured out, printed out a receipt and ended up taking half the paper roll from the receipt printer with me. Right.

When I finally DID hit the road again, guess what I came across? That would be West Branch. You know...Hoover? I stopped (late of course) at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and took a gander at his birthplace. That was really neat. Then I drove some more. And at dark, I managed to find myself in Illinois finally. At a really dark rest stop. But I had to get the picture (and the map) so I stopped. I've never been so scared in my life. No one, nothing was there. Exactly. Finally arrived in Urbana and I'll be DAMNED if at check in, I still couldn't get into my room all over again. At least on this drive, I didn't see like 13 or so pieces of significant roadkill on the way to my hotel.

So where in NM are you from? (Madison, WI)

So Madison. I love college/government towns. This year, because I didn't stay right by the university, I got to see a bit more of Madison. I personally, could so see myself living here. Robert, not so much. He'd suffocate from the size.

So...I finally got to switch back to my Hilton family hotels. It sucked. In hindsight, I can say that. I stayed at the Madison West Towne Mall Area. Which, like I said...different. There was a chinese buffet (wait for it) in the parking lot and a scrap store across the street. Score right? Yeah. No.

So I checked in and God forbid anyone know how to work the key coder. I'm exhausted (not quite a 3 hour drive, but it has been a long day) and I just want to get in my room, check email, go to sleep, adjust to the time change. I go upstairs, key doesn't work. I'm pissed, but remembering Robert's advice that you get more done playing white than playing black. Okay, he doesn't say that exactly...I paraphrase. So I'm nice. I gently tell the nice sweet thang at the desk who managed to get me in EVEN THOUGH my reservation were actually for OCTOBER (yeah...hence why I should always do my own travel arrangements) that my key doesn't work.

"Oh sweety" she says though I've probably got 10 years AT LEAST on her, "Let me get that fixed right up for you."

She swipes it, does her magic, I go upstairs with the lady across the hall from me who ironically enough was also visiting with friends in Chi town who told her the 94 not the 90 was the way to go. I slip my key in the slot. No dice. She's trying to slip her key in her slot. No dice. I start to wonder if this whole upgrade to the top floor was a bad idea. We both head back down the elevator. I'm a bit pissed at this point.

"Really?" asks the sweet little thang who just cannot believe that I would take the time to come all the way back downstairs and play games with her about the key not working. "I guess I'll just have to go up with you" she says with my keys in tow. The sweat beads start to pop out when the second lady says she is having the same issue.

We get upstairs and of COURSE she can open the door in one fell swoop. Whatever. I get in, open the laptop, do my thing. Get up to take a shower. Come back, start typing and the thing shorts out. Just goes blank. Huh. I turn it back on, it starts, shuts down. Black screen of death. I start it again (cause clearly, I KNOW it wants to be on already) and this time I get asked if I want to start in regular Windows mode. Of course I do. It starts, shuts off. Then it won't start at all. I'm remarkably calm given that the business plan I worked on for like 3 weeks is on that damn thing. And all of my fave pics. And I have a project due for a contest.

For once, my mind clicked over to "well, I guess I'll just do x" mode. The plan became to find stuff to do a "real layout", find a walgreens to upload the photos on my camera to disk so that I can use the hotel computer to upload said layout and find some LSAT books and use my time wiseley to study. I go to sleep.

Next morning, I damn near break my neck getting out of the shower again cause the stupid shower curtain is too short and I might well have taken a bath on the puddle next to the shower. But it gets better. I go to the front desk. Check out, am ready to leave when I remember that I should have a package waiting for me. I ask, they claim they don't have it. I assure them they do. They claim they don't. I whip out my cell to make a call for a tracking number and like magic, the package appears. I'm pretty close to livid at this point. I ask where the computer for guests to use is..."Oh...we don't have a business center." Yeah...fine, but there's a computer here for guests to use...says so here on my reservation slip. Yeah, we don't have a business center. I explain the little power surge sitatuation that fried my laptop the night before in the room that I couldn't get into for 30 minutes. She says "oh really" and that's that. I'm done with this place.

Go back to campus, do the fair, get to see Brian. We catch up on such important things as Notre Dame vs Michigan's win percentage records (he's good for random tidbits like that) and then go back to our alphabetically separate but geographically kindred corners of the world to convince the great people of the midwest that the pacific northwest is where it is at. At least most people KNOW where Seattle is (smile).

Finish on campus and after the "3.5" hour drive of last night, convince myself that I have more than enough time to:

1. GET A POSTCARD
2. Buy an lsat prep book
3. stop by the scrap store
4. have dinner

And really, that all worked out just fine. Except that I also needed to find the post office because in the morning, when I stopped by Wal Greens to get my postcard, the woman took half of forever to tell me they didn't have any stamps although they were advertising for them all over the store. Go. Figure.

Get a couple of prep books from Borders, really nice folks tell me that the post office is right across the street, then I head over to the scrap store which shall remain nameless.

Decent selection (it has been close to forever since I've used an LSS as my main source of supplies) but what was more important was the attitude of the workers. I walked in. In a suit. As a black girl (imagine that). In Madison. I didn't look local I'm pretty sure. When I walked in, right past the front desk, right past about 3 employees, no one said hello. No one walked up to me 15 minutes later when I was still walking through the store holding just about everything in my hands because I didn't get a basket (helps me to keep the spending in check) to ask if I needed help or even to promote the use of a basket that probably would have gotten them much bigger sales. I was invisible.

On the positive, I LOVED their wall of alterable wood products and their crop space looked HUGE and very well stocked.

Just when I finished shopping, I walked up to the counter, laid it all down and came the usual "Do you want to be on our mailing list?" I noted that I wasn't local. Didn't say no or yes, just that I wasn't local. So she says "Oh" and then just rings up my purchase. I pay her with cash and as she is handing me back my change, she starts up a conversation with the decidedly local shopper behind me. Not so much as a thanks for coming in, or safe travels...she didn't even ask where I was from or try to sell me on why being on the mailing list would be a good thing for the next time (yep...I do this trip every year) I was in town. Nothing.

I walked out of there feeling like I was unimportant and especially because I wasn't local and wouldn't be back (so they thought) I wasn't worth any of their time. I really believe that the only way Local Scrapbook Stores are to survive is by us shopping in them. I won't be back to that one. I hear there is a great Archivers in Madison...

Anyhow...back to real life. I went across the street to the Chinese Buffet which implored me to vote them one of the top 100 buffets in America. Yeah. No. The food was...deplorable. But then again, who eats "Sushi" in Madison really? Not to be a Seattle snob, but you don't go from the coast to middle America to get sushi. Lesson learned. The rest of the food wasn't "bad" so much as all very similar. The Seafood Delight was kinda scary and the Kung Pao was just...yeah. So no, they will not get a vote for the top 100, BUT I know a place in Olympia and a place in Seattle that will. Thanks for the heads up!

But in closing, Madison was not at all all bad. On the way out of the Buffet, this guy pushing a white Benz rolls his window down and shouts out:

"Where in NM are you from."

blank stare.

"Uhhmmm...your plates??"

"Ohhh...this is a rental. But where in NM are YOU from?"

Turns out, he owns a business in Albuquerque on a street corner I know very well. No...not like that. From my recruiting days at New Mexico State. I told him I wasn't from there, but I used to live in Las Cruces and I lived right across the border in that better state. He got a chuckle out of that. I got to leave Madison feeling like all was not lost.

3 hours to Iowa. This should be fun.

Alamo is the bane of my existence (Chicago 2)

So...my laptop didn't so much like the midwest and decided to crash out on me. So I had lots and LOTS of stuff I wanted to say, but couldn't. Never mind the fact that blogger is playing games and I can't unprivate my other blog (one more try then I'm done with it) so there will be some spill over. And because I hate reading long posts with no pictures, I'll break it down for you.

Chicago, Day 2

So today turned into a hot ass mess. Not a hot mess. Cause that would be funny. But a hot ass mess which is just downright triflin'.

So Traci was Ms. Punctual and arrived just in time for our day. For some reason, the Marriott gift shop was closed this morning so I couldn't get a post card. The trip was off to a bad start already...you couldn't pay me to stay in another Marriott just FYI.

I hop in the mini van and Traci proceeds to tell me about her rummage sale. Now I need to check her spots so you can get the real run down on the situation cause I will not do it justice. But in a nutshell:

Imagine, if you will, a yard sale. You're with a group of your boys (and you're a boy too...just pretend for a moment...) and you walk over to that old vcr over there. You pick it up, turn it over, start prodding it. Traci looks up, sees a glimpse of something, watches as you put it down and pretty much run away. Traci thinks nothing of it. Later (how later is not really relevant) she walks over, picks it up and is fiddling with it when she pulls not one, not two, but SEVERAL maxi pads out of the tape slot. Rewinding her memory, she recalls the dude (that was you...pretending...remember?) having something white in his hand and then turning white himself before taking off like he was being chased. Oh the stuff you find at Rummage sales.

Anyhow, as she is trying to tell me this story, I am trying to give her directions to Windy City Scrapbooking. We did make it there. Even parked on "the street". That will be important momentarily.

So it is like 11ish when we hit this store. We talked, we stalked, we shopped and then there was the annual garage sale so we had to shop that too. We got pictures, I gave her my receipt for their really GENIUS auction concept, we walked out and went back to the car. I got on the directions. We were to circle the block and find the next street. Never mind that the street we were parked on was "the next street" and that we spent like 20 minutes driving around trying to get to it. I warned her I was not observant. She cautioned me that she sees everything. To the point that we get to Lou's for pizza and have to struggle up on some street parking. We find a spot right at the corner, with a hydrant and proceed to try to fit the mini in that spot. In the meantime, not one, but TWO cars round the corner and take the TWO empty spots in clear sight of what we were trying to accomplish. We had a dang good laugh at that. In a moment of "clarity" I decide to call Alamo rental cars to let them know I might be running a bit late (it is like 2:30 at this point--Windy City was the best time suck I've ever been in.).

Drama.

Dude is clicking away on the computer telling me if I don't get there between 3 and 4, they're charging me another $400. I ask why I'm being charged more to NOT have the car. I don't think he got that I wouldn't be keeping the car longer. Or that it just made no damn sense what he was telling me. I was hormonal, I panicked. no. I didn't get black on the man (I was in mixed company...come on now). Instead, I demanded that poor starving Traci get me to Ohare.

So we get to O hare at just about 4 and not only do I manage to find the one car with half a tank of gas that they didn't credit me for, but I almost lost Traci in the lot. I tell ya.

All ended well though. She called up Lou's over by her way and got us in with the BEST pizza I have ever had (remember that cheese distinction--I think that was it) and the Calamari was good too! And even better than all that was the conversation. I told Traci (and meant and still mean this totally) that her kids are totally TOTALLY lucky to have her as a mom. And I'm lucky to know her.

So...no Renegade fair...I'm tempted to look up the Brooklyn event but if I couldn't make the Chicago gig, I've no qualms about giving up on NYC. But Traci did get me to Madison via the 94 instead of the 90. To that, I asked her how long it would take and she told me about 3.5 hours maybe. Given my 90 directions said about 3 hours, I was not sweating that so much as wondering how I would stay awake for 3 hours of driving.

I got to Milwaukee about an hour into the drive and with my no sense of direction/no sense of time self, I kinda freaked out and knew that somewhere I had to have missed a turn. Even with stopping for gas, it took me 1 hour, 50 minutes to get to Madison. I have a bit of a lead foot. I'm praying to GOD I don't have a stupid toll ticket though--who carries that much change on them really??

Chicago...peace out.

Waiting on my girlfriend to come visit me (Chicago)

That was about the saddest thing I heard this weekend.

I'm in Chicago. My boyfriend is in Seattle. I called him last night after he got off from work (which, when he told me on Friday that he had to work on Saturday, that was, at the time, the saddest thing I had heard all weekend) and asked what he was doing. He said (quotes):

"Waiting for the girlfriend to come visit me."

It is that time of year. The time of year where I spend more time away from home sleeping in hotel beds, eating dinner with other guys and girls and talking through a tinny very far sounding device to get my daily fix of him.

And for the record...he also said that everytime he gets out of our Westin Heavenly bed at home, that it feels like he's getting out of a hotel bed. Slowly but surely, I'm transforming our life into a posh hotel environment. I think he's catching on. And yes...the Heavenly Bed even with our older sheets and really needs to be replaced Duvet Cover is a bagillion times more comfy than my Marriott bed. Even on the Magnificent Mile.

So...Chicago. Today blooms bright and lovely. I get to see Traci in about 20 minutes, do some real pizza (hint number one, Giordanos stuffed pizza--perhaps the stuffed CHEESE pizza is all that. My stuffed vegi supreme sucked. And by the looks of all the folks leaving their extra pizza on the table instead of taking it with them...I'm just being observant is all. Verdict: Sucked), hit Windy City Scrapbooking and then off to spend some of the cash burning in my pocket at the Renegade fair. Just got a message from a high school fair that I will be back here (Chicago) in January. Note to self, I will NOT stay at the Marriott Mag Mile. My room...freezing, tv with a static line going through it, finally called them to fix it when it got stuck on tv internet for some reason and the last straw...the bathroom sink leaks. As in from the pipes underneath the counter. Uhhhg.

Gotta go buy a postcard so I can send it on out to the most missed BF in the world.

Until Madison...

Sexy. Back

Cause what goes around comes around and it is t-minus 2 minutes to midnight as I start typing this then it will be Justin Timberlake Day. General Admission. Don't care who's opening. Do care about intermission but mostly care about getting my groove on. And nope...I'm not too old to do that.

And it will cap off three weeks straight of concert going. 7 bands/acts. Love it. Don't really know why I stopped doing this.

Life is good. Got some great pics from my aunt in Texas of my brother and his wife that I need to download to my laptop. Need to create a desktop with lots of my fave photos. Also should get my scanner working.

But for now, I think I'm going to go and have some frozen gogurt and hit the sack. I've got some dancing to do tomorrow. Oh yeah...after the bike ride around the lake. Another great weekend ahead. Oh but before I go.

Last night, we went to the Center for Wooden Boats. A fundraiser with the Classic and Antique Boats Society. Just amazingly PASSIONATE people about a really neat craft. We got out on the water in the Hokey Pokey which is an amazingly GORGEOUS boat (complete with FULL bar...ahem). The ride was so smooth. Big old motor (the owner had done all the restoration of the woodwork and the engine/mechanical all himself) that he gunned us across the lake in inside the speed zone and it was just gorgeous. GORGEOUS. I said that already but this is a not much of a boat girl talking about a gorgeous boat.

The line of the night. well aside from Stephen asking R if he brought any pretty ladies with him tonight (lol) was sitting at a table and being asked..."So Bernadette, are you into boats?" to which I respond "I'm into a guy who is into boats." to which the guy with a thick accent that I managed to miss his name says "So then the answer is yes, you're into boats."

Yes. Yes I am.

Shoot...what a Weekend!

Ahhh...still yet one more day. I LOVE three day weekends.

So briefly.

Sean Paul is so far my fave concert this year. I love his music, love de dancehall style an all. I was booty shaking it the whole time and it felt GOOD! Reminded me of dance team days and dance club days in college. Got one of his old school songs but mostly his newer stuff including a new single coming out.

Loved that he even did two of his appearance songs--you know...the ones where you ain't the main, but you guest verse. He did the Beyonce song which I LOVED (that video was HOT!! and of course you know I love that girl) and it was great.

Course I'm all about crowd watching now. Very different group of folks from Incubus and Modest Mouse. Lots of teeny boppers that were all wanting to be up front for Fergie which, in the end I said "You know...I really don't need to see her perform." Besides the make out sessions of two couples right next to us and the usual contact high of a concert where the number one song is "We Be Burning" (about...well...look it up...)...I'd say it was the best show I've been to yet.

Which is interesting cause my better half is all about "A good concert involves music--like live music." And I'm all about "A good concert involves maybe some live instrumentalists, but also a dj, some dancers and a great stage show." I think we hit it right about on balance with Sean Paul. Course, if you're not into that kind of music, it won't matter much either way.

So Shoot...we've done the Shoot and have one more day--John Legend today at 3ish and then the Wu at 9:30. Maybe some sushi in between. Maybe I'll remember to take my camera. Totally stoked that in a long weekend, I was able to hang with my fave person, drop two pounds, get a bit of scrapping done and get my laptop cleaned up. Still should tackle the desktop but alas...training next week at work so I get out on time and life should be good. Then the road tour. More on that to come!

Life...beyond scrapbooking

Never mind the fact that I actually got what follows off of a fellow scrapbookers blog (hi Chris!...okay I'm messing cause she don't know me - or the fact that I stalk her blog - from Adam. Or Eve for that matter). I digress. But I must stay off her blog because at work, when the music comes on full blast, people look at me like "Why are you not working" and that makes me feel all sad and bad and shameful and stuff.

Because I feel kinda bad that I've been totally neglecting the life blog, I really needed to post a few times here today. So first, a simple "life check" list. To get me thinking of what is important and all.

Yourself: surprisingly in a good mood. Blue skies, nice comments, got to scrap until midnight
Your partner: ironically enough, ALSO slaving away at the bank. Doing his thang.
Your hair: I bought it AND WHAT?!
Your mother: lovely, stressed, just trying to get by
Your father: what's a "father"?
Your favorite item: rockstar gaffers tape. mmmmmm.....
Your dream last night: I woke up vividly remembering it. But then I couldn't remember the date when I had to fill in my parking pass this morning and because I was stressing with all my might to summon that memory, my brain overloaded and alas...I have no idea what I dreamed about last night except to say it was a good dream and I'm pretty sure he was in it (smile).
Your favorite drink: water with lemon...lots of lemon
Your dream car: I used to LOVE Jags...then I saw this hot Mercedes...and I started dating this crazy guy and...so she said.
Your dream home: oh where to start. Lots of space--hardwood floors of course, but some really great plush carpeting as well. Great master bedroom suite with a big enough closet for his stuff. Great first floor extra rooms - office for him, scrapish room for me, open floor plan, lots of nooks and cranies and arch details, great colors, great DETAILS (brushed nickel, CAT4 wiring), big gorgeous pool out back (not just a hole in the ground...but a real great pool), and most of all, not cookie cutter. Which is hard since my better half is all about planned development, but at the very least, my inside won't be your inside and the vacation home (yeah, and she went there) will totally not be cookie cutter.
The room you are in now: the little plastic baggie in the fish bowl while you acclimate the goldfish. I'm in a glass front office with folks staring at me. That glass front office is within another glass front office with people staring at all of us. Note to ya'll: When the lights outside are turned off and the door is locked--even though you can see us siting in the little plastic baggies inside the big fish bowl, PLEASE don't knock on the glass. That scares us.
Your fear: failure of course. Not living up to your expectations. Or my expectations of what your expectations should be.
Where you want to be in 10 yrs: loving up on some kids, married to a great guy, successfully acquiring another storefront or two, or selling off mine. Been there done that, cyclical nature and all.
Who you hung out with last night: the cable lady who try as she might could NOT get the #*$*) HD Tivo to work with the crappy Comcast CableCard (TM). Why? Because they really REALLY want to send a tech out to your house to do it. Yeah, but then you have to be home. I'll be damned already. So now...we can watch tv, we just can't record. So what is the point in a tivo again? Anyhow. We have internet. I was sweating those 23 minutes without. And now instead of hundred bucks a month, we pay half that. Why is it the cable company lets you play these games? Do they not know I date a guy who will jump right in??
You're not: a poser. Really that quiet. Or that obnoxious. Or that good really--I just pretend I am.
Wish list item: today...times about 200.
Last thing you did: check bloglines, added a new blog
What are you wearing: brown slacks and an orange and gold striped shirt
Favorite weather: today--blue skies, about 70ish perfect Seattle weather. no humidity, no sweat beads poppin' up on the forehead, no need for a jacket, but sunglasses are nice.
Favorite book: Anything by David Sedaris. I need to re-read him.
Last thing you ate: Reeses peanut butter cup of course.
Your life: all things considered, pretty darn good. And then some
Your mood:amazingly upbeat today. Scrapping can do a body good.
Your best friend: him of course. Shhh...he probably doesn't really know that.
What are you thinking about right now: (smile)...see above...wonder what he's doing right now.
Your car: Hyundai Sonata
What are you are doing at this moment: duh (smile). Blogging about to go to work
Relationship status: not married but oh so far from single.
What's on TV: probably the Tyra Banks show.
Last time you laughed: hmmm...like a chuckle or a hardy har har? Cause I chuckled a couple of minutes ago at a student who panicked because he was not registered for the fall. He had neglected to check his school email account to receive the 80 notices to do so before we figured on dropping him from the class. In his panic email, he says "if you need to be in touch with me, do so immediately at my blah@hotmail.com addy. I promise I won't miss another blah University email account message again." The irony. Lost on you huh? But that was my last chuckle. Night before last I laughed really hard at Wife Swap. I know it is not polite to laugh at people but the Dog Lady told the Earth Lady "Wake up Biotch" in regards to letting her 15 year old son "sleep outside the house" (he lives in the guest house...get real). I laughed not at this situation because the woman had lost her mind (clearly...watch the episode, it was one of the best) but because when we see stuff like that on tv, we always harken back to the good old days of Super Nanny. Specifically the episode (sad one really) of the mom who's hubby had died and she was raising like 4 or 5 kids on her own. This sweet, adorable little like 3ish year old was a terror. To the point that he says "Mommy...I have something in my pocket for you" and he pulls out a middle finger. Classic. I had to give it to him for the cleverness (is that a word???) BUT that is our high water marker of hillarious laughter. Well, for me. I'm cold. I know this.

Time to work...or at least go and get lunch.

And she travels...

SO let us see.

Chicago and the midwest in September.
Upstate gorgeous NY end of September/start of October.
San Fran for a short trip.
San Diego for a shorter trip.

And that is my travel schedule this fall. I call it "travel light" as it is no where NEAR the craziness I did last year. Which is odd given my boss's maternity leave and desire to stay closer to home. Which, by the by, if I had a daughter HALF as adorable as Natalie, I would so totally stay home all the time too.

Yeah and I said it. Time to check out what specifically I should DO in those places. San Fran is covered (thanks to my better half) but for a hot second we were going to do Disneyland on the San Diego trip. The NERVE of them there folks closing down Alice in Wonderland AND Its a Small World at the same time. Like it would ever be a trip to Disney without a float through Its a Small World...

I am so swamped

Well not really.  But I like to pretend I'm just too busy.  Yeah right.  So I should take some photos, get packed, get to work, go to dinner...all the usual stuff.  But I leave for Chicago in t-minus not enough hours.  I know...get offline and get it all done.  Right.

Tomorrow

I just realized is Friday the 13th. Which is good cause it takes one of those once in a blue moon occurences (evidently) for me to hook up with one of my fave people in the world. World, meet Liisa. And yeah, she spells it like that. Which is why she is totally one of my fave people.

Pizza (on a diet...that will go over swell after what I had today) and a drive in rush hour traffic. She is so totally worth it. And then some.

Cause she does stuff like this:

Person X is not so much. Person X overheard Liisa talking to someone else I really DO like about me. Person X is all "Ohh...you're talking about B? She is cool people and she is one of my fave people in the world." My Liisa senses the disconnect. My Liisa doesn't let it slide. And I think my Liisa would be pissed at me laying claim to her all like this, but my Liisa (not YOUR Lisa) knows me like that. Anyhow...I digress.

I was saying.

My Liisa called her out. straight up. In one of those smart people ways. See...I'm straight hood. So I would have said something like "Girl...you don't know her." Liisa is slick. She's a bit (okay, a LOT) hood too, but she says:

"Ohhhh...so which was your fave picture from her blog??"

[silence]

"You know...pic your fave, win some pics??"

[more silence]

"...from her trip with Robert..."

[some silence, but then...] "Who's Robert?"

"Yeah."

To the person she was originally talking to I imagine something like "The look" whereby they both knew this person didn't know/like/care about me for Adam. How do you love someone like that and not know she went on a trip? Or the name of the man she's been with for 2 years? Really now. Course, I didn't know till yesterday that Liisa had moved to Alaska for a hot month but I'm a hot mess and I roll like that. And she loves me still. And I will always love her. For that alone.

In regular life

Ahhh...Sunday. Yes, I know it is Monday. But Sunday. See, Saturday, I spent most of the day holed up in my scrap hole trying to dig out from under the mess so I could see a table again. Almost. Sunday, I woke up to do much of the same. But my better half was bored. Wanted to know how I would entertain him. Alas, everytime we began to think of a bike ride, the weather went to...well...it went to Typical Seattle. To the point that 5 folks up north were struck by lightening. Talk about an electrical evening.

So instead, I finished up the scrap cleaning and then we made lunch. Burgers (veggie for me, thanks) and tater tots. I love tater tots. That and Kraft Mac and Cheese. I could be a happy girl with just those for a while. And maybe some peanut butter toast. And watermelon. Oh...and frozen gogurt pops. I think that's it. Water. With some lemon on it. Oh and for lunch...pho and mushroom garden rolls. I digress.

So we ate lunch and made a list and checked it twice. Then it was off to free lunch Sunday at Costco (love all the samples!) but we went to shop. We were both way off on the guesstimate at the end, but so it goes. Then, we left there and went to "the regular grocery store" to get the stuff we don't need annual supplies of--you know...hair gel, deodorant, veggies...although we did buy grapes at Costco.

After that, we went home. And though we tried not to, it was nap time. For some of us at least. I did manage to get a digi layout almost done. Was playing with some filters and totally diggin' a new non-scrap site and got some really great stuff done. Then I put it away. And we had dinner. Again, the better half whipped up a wicked great combination. Me, not being a fish gal, LOVED the salmon. I love our GF grill...totally. I like the regular one too, but the GF just keeps everything so moist. I could so become a fish girl. Anyhow, after that, it was time to get the clothes put up (trust, this is an accomplishment in and of itself) and then I hopped into bed and tried to read. Fell asleep. Slept very well. Woke up early enough (today) to get to work at a respectable hour. And my hair is not a wreck today and I managed to decently coordinate an outfit. I think I will return to hanging my clothes up by outfit as opposed to individually (ie, a shirt and slacks together instead of separately)...makes the mornings much easier.

And here we are...Monday morning. Almost 11...almost halfway through the day...and of course blue skies since it isn't the weekend after all.

Here's to a great week!

Seriously, Tibet.

Okay. I'm a bad blogger. I know this. It might have something to do with perfectionism and not doing it until it is complete and done but forgetaboutallthat.

Go. No RUN. To this place here:

Tibet Meanderings.

Meander the site for all the verbage. Seriously. Relive the trip with me.

For those who are visual learners, go here instead:

Tibet Photos.

The photos are mostly from our SLR shots (shared camera...fun...when the P&S batteries die and you can't figure out that you need to leave the key in the slot for the electricity to work to charge it) and a few P&S pics too.

This is fun stuff. Why are you still here??

And Then There was Tank Man

Last night, R and I were sitting around being lazy bums. It is summer and there is only summer tv so we got to watch some crap like American Inventor. No disrespect to the fans but really. Invent something already and stop being a reality tv ho!

Anyhow, I digress. We were futively flipping through the DVR recordings when we came upon a replay of a VERY GOOD Frontline episode. Think 60 minutes but BETTER. This particular one was on The Tank Man. You know...the dude who stopped the tanks in Tiananmen Square? Back in 89? Well, let me tell you more.

So. One of the first notes on this program is about how as they are filming the episode, they are stopped by everyone and their mama in uniform requesting to see papers--what are you doing here? Why are you filming? Never mind the irony of the fact that that place...Tiananmen Square...has more cameras than a slot room in Vegas. Anyhow, they delve into the story which is all about the back story of why most of us Westerner's know Tiananmen Square. I was what...12 years old when I saw on tv the dude standing in front of the tank. It wasn't until last night that I came to understand the back side of what all of that was about.

When we went to China, R was all about "there is no violence here, there are severe consequences for it". Until I watched the Frontline episode, I had no idea. I mean yeah, I was OUTRAGED when I watched the LA Immigration protests that turned into a police state beat down of everyone from the kids to the journalists. I was furious. But they were using rubber bullets and tear gas. Crappy stuff, no doubt. But they were not spraying through the streets with live amunition. They were not crunching over hundreds--check that THOUSANDS--of people with tanks.

I never knew. I would have been a crying wreck while I was there if I had known.

Watching Frontline after coming back from there was just so DIFFERENT. Before, I would have had this detached interest--I always love shows like that which educate and open my eyes to things going on. Most times I say "That's a shame" and move on. But last night, I understood.

When they talked about the 10 minutes of complete darkness when the lights went out the evening of June 4 in Tiananmen Square, I FELT that and understood how scary the dark could be in China.

When they talked about the throngs and throngs of people marching through the streets, I FELT that and understood what an army of 300,000 might look like in context.

When they talked about the injured being carted away on carts attached to the back of bicycles, I FELT that and understood why there was not enough room for cars or much less ambulances.

When they talked about being a journalist and getting "caught" taking pictures and having to hide the film in the toilet and come back for it later, I FELT that and understood why I felt so apprehensive taking pictures in that country.

But most of all, when they talked about the amazing speed of growth in China and the 200 million people who are now middle class, tie wearing, import car driving, children attending Beijing University and not having any IDEA what 1989 Tiananmen was all about, I FELT that and understood why I was so floored by what the Chinese are doing in Tibet.

History repeats itself. Over and over and over again.

The crux of the show was "Where is he now?" Who was the tank man? Why didn't the gov't make a show of executing him? Is he still alive? At first I thought "Surely, they would have made a show out of someone who dissed the government so publicly." But then my super analyst bf (that's why he's so good at what he does) was all "Nope, why make him out to be some superhero who stopped the gov't". And you know what...yeah it's tv and dramatic to the hilt and I'm sure they could have tracked down SOMEONE on that campus who knew what a picture of the dude standing in front of a tank was.

But on the show, not one of those college students knew what it was. Something that happened less than 20 years ago. This is EXACTLY what is happening in Tibet. Take down all the pictures of the Dhali Lama and allow only a fraction of the monks to join monestaries as used to and in 20 years, maybe no one will remember Tibet. I didn't "get' this notion at first. Mostly because I wouldn't have the patience to take on what I thought would be generations of forgetting. One generation folks. Less than 20 years. That's how long it took them to forget Tiananmen Square. How long until they forget Tibet.

You know why they have no clue about Tiananmen? Aside from the obvious "Well, they live in a communist country so the gov't controlls what they know". Guess who is helping their gov't to controll what they know?

We are. Yahoo. Google. Microsoft. We are. Google Tiananmen Square stateside in "images" and this is the first one that pops up. I Googled it while I was there (because I wanted to see kit flying images) and none of this shows up. None of it. Google helps them do that. Anything for money. But it gets better.

Yahoo actually turned over a Chinese journalist who provided a NY journalist with information on how the gov't wanted Chinese journalists to cover the anniversary of TS. They turned him over as in giving not only email and IP addresses, but times it was sent to who from what computer terminal. I loved the line by Congressman So and So (yeah, you like that) that just because it is the right thing to do within the laws of the country, doesn't make it the ethical thing to do. If that were the case, should we have turned over Anne Frank because it was the "legally right thing to do"? No...not so much.

But wait...it still gets BETTER.

Take it full circle. There's this country who doesn't so much as rely on foreign corporations to do their dirty work because instead, they have enacted a law known as the Patriot Act. Within that act, they don't need corporations to do their dirty work because instead, they just go to your local librarian and ask her to dig up your dirt. And they go to your local phone utility and your friendly banker and they even follow you to Vegas and ask the casinos to turn over all your info. I would be disgusted with the Yahoo's and Google's and Cisco's and Microsoft's of the world if I weren't so busy being flabbergasted at how ironic it is that we can be so pissed at them for doing what they do when our own government (our, relative, hi international folks!)--our own country of the free--would do the same to their people. Maybe China ain't so bad after all.

First Janet...then...

OH MY WOW! Ms. Thang is on the Tyra Banks show. Now. I'm usually NOT a big fan of the TB show because she just so very much annoys me. Just a bit too "Girl, I'ma fix this for you."

Anyhow. She has Ms. Janet. Ms. Jackson if ya Nasty herself. On the show today. Now. I cannot BEGIN to tell you how much of a Janet fan I am. I would be a stalker if I were not too lazy to do something like that. So she's on the show today and she gave Tyra permission to ask her 20 questions that no one has ever asked her before.

No biggy--like everyone else, she's gonna lob softballs at her and Ms. Jackson will remain Ms. Innocent but yeah, go listen to some of them interludes on her album. Yeah.

Tyra is off the HOOK. Asking her stuff that most folks didn't have the guts to ask. And the answers? Whoa now! I might have to go out of my way to buy like the video transcript of this show. I love me some Janet. She can sing. She can dance. She is so amazingly wow! I need to go buy 20 YO now.

But here's a contradiction - TB asked J if she'd rather gain a lot of weight and have her talent still or if she'd rather keep thin as she is now and not be able to have her talent. Basically, she chose both cause she said I'd have to keep my talent cause I love to dance and sing and I love what I do. honey. You wouldn't be able to dance like you do if you was thick like I am (or like I supposedly saw you before you dropped all that weight--you know...in the mags...) AND I bet half the world would fall off if you couldn't both dance and sing and get nasty with it like you do. True, there are some boys that like big girls. But they know you're a tiny girl (REALLY--she's like up to Tyra's underboobie AND she's wearing like 8 inch stacked heels...true Tyra is wearing like 4 inches herself, but still) so that big girl thing won't fly.

OH MY...TB just asked about J's worst weave disaster. TB said she loved J in That's the Way Love Goes and she tried to get a weave like that. J turned to look at the photo and said "you're beautiful". And then...she busts out with "Oh, so that's what you were trying to do?"

LMAO. I mean come on...she's just so sweet. She was like "I didn't mean it like that, just that you know..."

If J could do a reality show and had to choose from American Idol, So you Think you can dance or America's Top Model. She chose Idol. Of course (smile). I love how real J is...all out there with the "in my 30's, I hated what I looked like". And now, she finally looks in the mirror and can say "I love the sway of my back and my smile."

Okay.
Too real. I'ma go watch and stop transcribing. I might have to start watching this show all over again. 21 minutes till my next session. Stop the commercials already!

ETA! Oh and yeah...I wish I was on the dance team again. Janet brings back some memories...ohhh man.

Well...what prize??

Well if you are here for scrap prizes...and the lovliness that is ScrapinStyle TV...then you should really instead go and check out my scrap blog which is (of course you knew this already, but just in case)

www.b3designs.blogspot.com

Go quickly. And go forth and comment! You need to comment on my scrap blog for the prizes...I know...being difficult is not cool but neither is trying to figure out who said what so many times. Sorry for the confusion!

It is 3:20 am....Seattle to Tiananmen Square via SFO

And he's brilliant. He says to me "Girlfriend. Trust me this is for your own good. If you stay up all night here, and drop out on the plane, you will be ready for the shift when we hit Beijing."

In case you don't know, I trust Robert completely. Absolutely. So of course I stayed up all night on my little computer. I didn't fall asleep once. The only problem with this little theory is that I'm not yet far enough removed from my college days. Rather than my body falling out at 7:00 am for the flight, I was WIDE AWAKE. My body just figured this was one of those fun all nighters for old time's sake and me being the type not fond of drugging myself up, didn't take any sleeping pills. So I stayed awake. I stayed awake from Seattle to San Franciso. I stayed awake until I could see these really strange "white things" from my plane window.

I'm sure I knew this on some subliminal level, but really, I didn't *know it* really. You don't fly in a straight line from San Francisco to Beijing. Rather, you fly in a bit of an arc. An arc that takes you over the edge of polar ice caps. That was an amazing site. I think I want our next trip to be to Antartica. No, it has nothing to do with the "white things" I saw on this plane window (aside from the fact that there is lots of white in Antartica), but still. I digress.

Perhaps I slept 3-4 hours on the plane. Robert, on the other hand, slipped a sleeping pill and some Airborne almost as soon as we sat down. I turned to him to ask a question about two seconds into the flight and he was knocked out. He missed out on the really good (yeah, not really) Ramen noodles snack and chicken stir fry. I wonder if we were instead going to South Africa we would have been served Boerewors sausage sandwiches. That would have been tasty. The Ramen, not so much.

As we got close to Beijing, I was fascinated. China is roughly the same land mass size as the United States. Just as I am always amazed at how "unpopulated" our (there I go assuming...welcome Canadians and the rare French native on this blog...welcome all) country is from above when you fly across the heartland, I was totally in awe at all the farmland we flew over even on the relative edge of the country. Then we got a little closer and I started to see just why I'm now such an environmentalist.

I had read somewhere--no idea where so there goes that credibility--that with the relatively recent boom in industrialization in China that environmental policies were not keeping up with the pace. As to be expected I suppose. More on Intellectual Property and THOSE policies to come later. Anyhow...we're flying over clearly obvious industrial regions. And just like in the States, when you're looking at the industrial areas, it just doesn't look as clean as the pretty farm land and the gleaming new buildings. I guess I was just thrown for a loop when I saw these canals and ditches just clogged with waste--trash, construction waste, etc. It was likely looking at someone's very recent scar from a tragic accident. I keep trying to just put it in context. The context that this is the second city that I've had the pleasure of traveling to as they were preparing to host the summer Olympics.

Back in 1996, I went to Atlanta as a Coca-Cola scholar and got to walk through lots of the Olympic facilities just as they were being completed. But I digress. Over Beijing, we flew over quite a few construction projects. I have no idea what they were for, but one looked very much like a stadium project. The other was a massive expansion (I think) of the airport.

This was my first real international flight. When the pilot landed the plane, she got a round of applause. Yes--she. Robert was awake by this time and he tuned me in to the traffic control folks and that was interesting to listen to. Evidently, English is pretty universal for flights. The Bejing crew would talk Chinese to each other some, but they communicated with the pilot (and she with them) in English. I did know from Robert's past trips to Asia that most folks would speak English but still, I didn't really "feel like" I was in China just jet. Everything was still so...American.

When we walked into the airport, it was so quiet. And dark. Funny or ignorant thought that first crossed my mind? "Wow...I'm now in a communist country. No such thing as excess here." Anyhow, no matter where you go, no matter what language the people speak, all you have to do is look for the little man running towards a door icon and you're well on your way to the exit. So there we went.

First stop was immigration. I'm a couple generations back American and my people didn't come through immigration stations to get to the U.S. So this was honestly a kinda scary experience for me. I didn't speak the language, didn't know if it would be appropriate for me to walk up to the booth with Robert, didn't know if I would even be able to understand the government worker about to determine if I was worthy of entering his country. Then there were the huge signs with all the instructions in English about how the government essentially retains the right to make your life a living hell for the fun of it under government act 2 gazzilion, BfG subsection 8 established many years ago and updated just yesterday. All in the name of protecting the People's Republic of China. It almost seemed a bit off the edge to me, but then I remembered that I was from the United States and we had a really nice piece of legislation called the Patriot Act that could get me detained on my flight back to the States if I fell asleep with my head in Robert's lap and someone became "uncomfortable" and I was unable to be awakened by the stewardess (or steward---guys can do it too). I'd be disobeying flight crew instructions and in the name of protecting the United States of America, I could be detained and have my life made a living hell for the fun of it under goverment act 2 gazzilion, BfG subsection 8 established not as many years ago and updated yesterday--US version.

I wanted so bad to take pictures. But my gut told me not to. By the end of the trip, I would realize that taking pictures in airports and at immigration check stations--big no-no across the globe. Except in the States. I mean they frown on photos at immigration as well, but you can get cool airport photos like these:

At the visa check station, I was paranoid that maybe I goofed on my visa application and life would begin to get ugly quick. Instead, the guy looks at my passport, stamps it and about a million other little pieces of paper. As he hands it back to me he points to his head, gives me a quick smile and says "Your hair...I like your style." That was about the first and LAST compliment I got on my hair in China. BUT...it was a GOOD intro to a country that quite admittedly, scared the living daylights out of me.

We walked some more and did the celebrity alley. I call it this because it reminds me of like the red carpet walk for the Oscars--sans the red carpet of course. There's a fence keeping the people back who are all pressed up against it with their signs and cell phones (oh my WORD...this is a Seattle dweller telling you that I have NEVER seen so many cell phones in use in all my life!!) looking for someone. We had no one to meet us--we proceeded to the taxi stand.

There we had our first experience with folks who didn't speak English, didn't read English and had no idea what in the world we were trying to say. Thankfully, Robert had the wherewithall to have his co-worker translate about 5 or 6 phrases onto a sheet of paper. We managed to convince them that we were going to the Capital Hotel, Beijing. On Qian Men East Street. Which was about 6 minutes walking from Tiananmen Square. It was actually like forever a day from the airport because, evidently, having airports clear outside of the city is the way to do things.

Our forever and a day cab ride cost us $15 US. $15 in the US would have gotten us to the edge of the airport. At least in Houston (depending on which airport you fly into) I know for a FACT that $15 would not even get you to the edge of the airport. That was the $60 no tip because I just ran out of cash and really thought I was going to have to walk cab ride of my life. But I digress yet again.

On our cabride (which, yes, I fell asleep for most of--I mean come on, I don't stay awake on ANY car ride that lasts longer than 15 minutes. 45 minutes if I'm driving), we were just in awe at how many high density housing complexes there were. I've been to NYC. But even that was no preparation for just how closely packed in and DENSE Beijing is. Although, I have to say, it was not nearly as crowded as I thought it would be.

Once we checked in at the hotel and promptly hung up Robert's coat in the closet (this will be an important fact soon enough), we ventured out onto the street. Specifically, we wandered over to Tiananmen Square.

I was absolutely unequivocally overwhelmed. First there was all the staring. Hard core staring. It wasn't rude really. It was just...different. In the States, when you get caught staring at someone for being "different' you feel a sense of shame and guilt. You try to turn away quickly...you want to apologize. So not the case in China. Robert is heart and soul convinced that he tried his best to prep me for this. One of my fave bloggers is a sister living in China and I read her entries about going out to the Forbidden City with her hubby and daughters and people literally walking up to her and asking to take pictures with them and touch her kids' hair. Robert talked about walking into stores and being stared down because he was so tall. I suppose I walked out the door expecting people to walk up to me and ask to take a picture and people to stare at Robert because he was tall. I didn't quite account for the fact that not only am I a sister, I'm a tall sister AND I chose the very wrong moment to go for convenience over style with my hair. I absolutely stood out in a country where it is all about fitting in (well, mostly about) and that was so not good. No one walked up and asked to take my picture. They stared. They whipped out their cell phones. They called people to come and look at me. They stopped in their tracks and told their friends to turn around and look. They snapped photos with their cell phones and even the other TOURISTS would position their cameras so as to get a shot of the neatly pressed guard AND that odd looking black girl.

Overwhelmed really does not begin to describe the all of what I was feeling. I shut down. Literally. I have never been so self-conscious in all my life. Robert asked if I wanted to fly a kite in Tiananmen Square. I told him no. I turned down flying a kite in Tiananmen Square because I was just so scared of everyone looking at me.

We went to the flag pole hoping to watch them retire the flag that evening. Clearly, lots of others were hoping the same (or maybe they were just following the freak show) because lots of us were pressed up against the fence waiting for it to happen. Then it started to rain. So we decided finding cover was a better idea.

We managed to wander our way over to Donghuamen Night Market. I have no sense of direction so at the end of the night, when we were ready to go back to our hotel (with the handy little "take me back here" card the hotel Assistant Manager/Concierge handed to us) I was ready to walk it back when we had a bit of trouble hailing down a cabby on the right side of the street. Yeah, thank GOODNESS, Robert had some sense about him because I would have been hot and livid if I would have trekked all the way back to the hotel from there.

At the night market, there's a whole area of shopping right around there. The first shops we see? McDonald's (which R had to stop at and get a soft serve cone--that boy needs his dairy) and KFC. I shutter at how gross that stuff is. But it is only day one. We wandered into a grocery store that was just ripe for picture taking. So many colors and things I just never seen before in my life. Alas, I am a picture taker, not a photographer, so I was too scared to whip out my camera. Oh to call a do over. I was still a little tender from all of the fascination with "that girl" so it wasn't until we got to the actual night market (found the long way around and even then R was not impressed, he was expecting more variety), that I loosened up a bit. We walked down the aisle once and just went about it pointing.

Robert is a lot more adventurous than me when it comes to trying food. I’m not a vegetarian, but I have serious texture issues. He picked about three things thinking they would be something other than they were. I loved every last one of them. At the end of the aisle, we made the decision to find a restaurant nearby rather than make another pass through the market. We spent like $6 and I was almost full. We roamed, found $1.75 cancer sticks and right next door found a little restaurant. Where of course no one spoke English. I was starting to feel like I was in China. This was a good thing. No one spoke English, but there are plenty of pictures on the wall. Only negative was that those pictures looked all like the exact same dumpling. I didn’t know which would have meat, which would be veggie. I don’t know HOW we managed to convey this, but the girl helping us out, pointed to one dish. We said sure…that and this. Come to find out, we SCORED!

I got a veggie dumpling of some sort (yummy!) and Robert finally got the meat he was looking for. There was some soup thing and some black flakes of something with it. I was full before I got to taste that. Most important though, smoking is allowed EVERYWHERE. The guys at the next table from us ate their dinner and lit right up. Yeah…I can’t blame those barely on the wagon for teetering to the other side.

We finished dinner and roamed some more. We managed to find this side show something or another off of the market with a girl singing (not very well, in any language) and all sorts of folks that had plenty of t-shirts and other touristy stuff to sell us.

It was an interesting side nook, but we were finally starting to wear down. On the way out to the cabs, we walked past a bank that was being restocked. You thought armored cards in the States had security. Again, I had the urge to take a picture, but not the urge to end up detained so I passed.

At the cab line, we tried to find a cab driver that spoke English because the next day, we were going to have a driver take us to the Great Wall and then take us to our contact guy to pick up our train tickets. I saw one driver having an extensive conversation with folks that looked European so I was all on the “He must speak English”. Yeah no not so much. We were so tired by this time that we gave up and figured on letting the hotel figure it out for us. But as I noted earlier, that didn’t end the night. What I DID love about China was the honesty of all the people we ran into. Any one of the cab drivers on the side of the street we were on could have let us hop in back and charged us a ton to drive around the block and get faced in the right direction. But all of them just pointed us to the other side of the street. Which, ironically, when we got around the corner, we ended up back on the other side of the street and someone picked us up and took us where we were going. Go figure.

Back at the hotel, I did some exploring and the theme of the trip became such:

“Oh my goodness! There’s a western toilet and running water!” You know it is a rough trip when that is the highlight to checking into your hotel. It was day one so I didn’t quite grasp the importance that a hot shower would soon have so I clicked on the tv and tried to flop onto the bed. Note to self, you don’t FLOP onto a bed in Beijing. Robert’s cracked tailbone will attest to that. On tv though? Guess?

Deal or No Deal. I knew that it wasn’t a U.S. brain child. But to turn on the tv and see something so familiar was just classic. Classic.

The quote of the day as said by Robert:

This is so great. Now I’m the landmarker instead of the land mark. Instead of “look at that big white boy” people now say “Do you see the big white boy? Right beside him. Look at her!”

Disclaimers: Thank Yous

Okay...you've been patient and kind and I am going to stop neglecting you and using the whole jetlag excuse. But please do note that I am NEVER up at 5 am and so incoherent ramblings aside, I really mean it when I say read the disclaimer and thank you's first.

Disclaimer: I am but only one girl. Not really a world traveler, a bit too conspiracy theorist, a picture taker but not a photographer, a fighter, but not really an all out activist. I see things. You see things. Often times, we don't see the same things. I don't know all Americans nor did I get to meet all Chinese citizens or Tibetans or Nepalese or Indians on this trip. When I make a comment like "Fat lazy American" I of course refer only to myself. When I make a comment like "they are all so nice" I refer only to the 200 or so pilgrims trekking about me. When I say "the Chinese government disgusts me" I mean "the Chinese government disgusts me". But in context of course.

Everything I say here I take credit for. I of course reserve the right to debate the heck out of an issue here on my blog with those that leave comments and if you email me thinking you'll stay annon that way, think again. If you ask to not be identified, I won't post your email addy for people to spam you, but I reserve the right to talk about what you write to me because I am still very much processing this trip and I'll be darned if some good hindsight doesn't do me well in (gasp!!) changing my mind on some issues. Fair warning that you will never change my mind on the Chinese government. Okay, maybe you will. Doubtful, but there is hope yet.

I will try to not make this boring and long, but anyone who knows me at all knows I talk/type a lot. If you don't have the attentiton span for it, might I suggest my www.shotsfired.blogspot.com picture blog where you might even win a prize for leaving a comment? For those who want a more in-depth disucssion and overview of the trip, you're in the right spot.

If you leave a comment with contact information, I'll likely respond directly to you. If you leave no contact info, I'll respond in the comments of the thread. If I feel that it REALLY warrants it, I will edit a post and make it obvious (ie a different color), but generally speaking, if I do more than one post per day to this blog, generally the second post will be marked to note that it is a commentary piece on your comments. I know, I have grande visions of lots of folks making comments which will likely not happen, but I'm the kind of girl that likes to have lots of contingencies. Partial reason why I'm not a fan of the Chinese government. More on that to come.

That all said, some thank you notes are in order. In no particular order of course, I'm thankful to Seattle University--particularly the law school and the law school admission staff--an amazing group of women and students who worked their tails off so that I could even fathom taking a trip like this at a time like this. I'm also thankful to Mike O. and Vicky K. at the Olympian--Mike was patient enough with me on his Diversity Panel and really helped me to grow as a writer--please don't blame him for what transpires on this blog. But more importantly, Mike and Vicky, a year or so ago, were all ready to make me a bonafide correspondent when I was supposed to go on a Rotary Group Study Exchange to Africa. Because way back then they believed I could do that, I figured a journal and a camera would be good to pack for this trip. I thank them for opening my mind to the thought of sharing. And of course, thanks to the Rotary Olympia GSE folks. Last year, I almost went to South Africa. Best laid plans of course BUT, in preparing for that trip, my eyes were opened theoretically to what it meant to not be an American (mostly because in that training I found out that Jesus was born on the same day in Canada as he was in the U.S...) and to not be "lucky". I'd be remiss if I didn't also thank people like the amazing teachers/professors and instructors I have been blessed with throughout my life. From my first fave teacher Mr. Jim Oakes back at PHS to some of my current faves like J. Stringer at Seattle University, the common thread amongst them all is that they all realized that I was just a girl with a tad bit different perspective on things and they never stifled my need to ask "why". I thank the Freedom Writers who beyond keeping me entertained on a way too long flight to Beijing, also opened my eyes to living beyond the context and I also thank John Krakauer for being from Seattle and surviving the beast that is Everest. He kept me entertained for 48 hours of tedious train shuffling, but moreso, he made Everest real for me. I thank Kodak for making great picture print paper because without them, I wouldn't have had Crystal, Quantae, David, Tyshaun, Jarius, mom and granny with me on this trip. But most importantly of all, I thank that crazy, determined, amazing man that 20 someodd years ago first had the notion that while the summit might not be a good idea, Base Camp was really not that far flung. His patience, motivation, selfless nature and amazingly analytical mind knew with an uncanny certainty that if we flipped a coin, Everest would win out and if it didn't, he was more than prepared to make the case for why Everest, why now. I love risk takers and I love that this particular risk taker loves me back.

So there you have it. Please comment often and in detail about any crazy thing (or "no duh") thing that spews from my keyboard. I commit to trying to make this at least a daily entry, but you know me...if I can't say it all, I often wait until I can. That said, the easiest way to keep track of when I have something new to say is to sign up at www.bloglines.com. It is free, it is easy, it will tell you in big bold letters when I have something new to say. Alternatively, if you say pretty please in your email, you can also shoot me a note and I'll put you on a VIP list of folks to get a weekly email from me with a bit of the condensed version of what went down for the week and I might even hyperlink some stuff for you. Wow! Special. That will be three emails tops (I don't anticipate these ramblings to take longer than three weeks) and then I'll likely forget your email address and never talk to you again until I have to email and tell you that it has been 4 years since we last spoke, but I'm ready to talk again. That's how I roll.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and be sure to send lots of others by to leave their two cents as well. Check out the www.shotsfired.blogspot.com blog for lots of pics and thanks for joining me as I relive this journey of a lifetime.

Briefly...

I'm back. and I'll be darned if it doesn't feel like I should be sleeping right now. so I'm going to give in. Tonight, the disclaimer. Maybe even day 1. For the month of May I'll go day by day through the most amazing trip of a lifetime. on the shots fired blog, I'll load three pics per day and let ya'll choose which is your fave for each day. here I'll transcribe my journal (in italics) and then add some after the fact commentary--warning, the entries will be long and many times pictureless but will give you some of my thoughts on everything. My suggestion would be to check out shots fired for the pics and then here for the stories behind it all and then some. Print these entries off...maybe they'll make for good bathroom reading.

Gotta get a list together of folks I've been neglecting for a while so that I can tell them to come and check out why I've been a bad, bad, friend and then hopefully get the life back on track. Oh how I miss my cell phone...

before my head hits the keyboard...until later.

Gulp...

going off the grid. It is 4:21 am my time. In about half an hour, we head off to the airport. Our plane leaves at 7:50. we are checked in, just have to check the tons of luggage we're toting along...much of it photography equipment.

I can't believe we're really doing this. Wow. I feel kind of at a loss for words. I wish I could take my mom and my sister and my brother and my nephew with me...let me grab some pics...done.

Just grabbed breakfast, cab will be here in 30 minutes. Maybe we will have sold the house when we get back--we had our first set of folks come through to look today. It went up with the MLS number yesterday.

I wish I would have put more thought into this trip. Thought of what to bring people instead of all the beautiful pictures I would take from them. I can't believe I'm going to Tibet. I can't believe I might be buying a house. I can't believe my mom might be moving to Seattle with my cutie nephew. Never mind that I'll have someone I can take lots of pictures of (smile). But for him and the upgrade in schools, I almost want to call her up and tell her come tomorrow. But those are thoughts for another time.

I almost didn't have socks for this trip. Wal Mart is evidently not open 24 hours here. Go figure. Three weeks. Here's hoping I can post at least once while on the road.

Till then...

Hot. Mess.

Not the "hillarious" southern kinda mess. But the "girl, you got issues no matter what part the country you in" kinda mess.

It's official. Says me.

I've done some crazy stuff today. No...aside from spend 3.5 hours at a Florida rest stop (so safe...I mean they have armed gaurds because of those people down there that got shot at the rest stop...). Aside from completely rearrange all of my hoards of digi scrap stuff sot aht I could avoid actually scrapping anything because I'm scared to death I'll never measure up to my "Hall of Fame" status. Okay...aside from coming to work on a day when I (clearly) should have just stayed home.

I'm not beneath going the extra mile to get what I want. Especially if you lay it out there clear as day for me about what I'm supposed to do. I am a rule follower after all. Hello! So is it my fault that I read between the lines well? No. Is it my fault that I will "go there" just because I know no better? No. Is it my fault that I might get a ticket if I stay and type this any longer. Probably. So I'ma hop on off and just say that I am officially a hot. mess. I know it, you know it. We all know it. I'm a go home and do absolutely nothing but procrastinate on all the stuff I should be doing. And rub up on my bf. Maybe pluck his arm hairs out. He likes when I do that. Or just sit across from him and stare at him. Or I could be really cruel and make him pick out a picture of us for the CK folks that I have not already used on a layout (uhhhmmm...impossible) with the catch that if he picks three and they are no good, he has to sit for another one with me. That's cruel. And I love him so I won't do that. But I should go and pimp myself out for travel money. No not like that...like THAT! Right...

Uhhhg....Come up Already...

Okay...it's 4 hours before I'll be on a plane. Things I kinda should do first:

Dry the clothes to take with me (done)
Pack the files I have to take with me (done...all 75 of them)
Put some songs on the iPod...or the other thingy. (yeah not so much...just took the laptop)
Figure out if I should pack the laptop charger or not (did, but for what I don't know)
Take a nap (it will be a long night) (was a long night, there was no nap)
Print off some more stuff (done)
Get another layout (or 4) done (well...sorta)
send about 10000000 emails (sent the three most important ones)
get offline (momentarily)
kiss Robert (oh yeah *smile*)
find the camera (where it is supposed to be of course)
take the camera (did...got some good Airport shots!)
update the to do list (I give up)
pack some toiletries...or maybe just some makeup (yeah...and forget the toothbrush...ick...7-11)
take a shower (more like boil myself in a tub of hot water)
eat something (Panda Express...yummy!)
organize something (uhhmmm...that's life...just never something important)
just do something (sigh...)

All that aside, we went out and looked at houses again before coming home to our perfectly lovely home and fixing it up for selling. Thing is...I like our place. And I like the million dollar places we keep looking at too. Problem is, we can't afford a million dollar home. So after we look at those amazing places with great views, great neighbors and great finishes and we walk over to the homes we CAN afford...well, nothing works. This is going to be a struggle. I know it. And then there's my analyst better half who is good about telling me why something will work but won't take a jump if his totally non-analytical (but slightly strategic...another post for another time) "gut-feeling" GF "feels" a house. I wasn't feeling any of them yesterday. Well...I felt the million dollar ones, but as I said, that ain't gonna happen. Sigh...where have I gone? A good ten years ago I would have never dreamed of owning my own place...now perfectly acceptable places are not "good enough". I am definitely an American. Set for a rude wake up call in about a week and a couple of days. Did I mention I hate my typhoid oral? It makes me want to puke. I wish it would just come up already.