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I'm back from my marathon road trip vacation.

San Diego, Houston, New Orleans.

The trip was fantastic. New Orleans is amazing. Pictures of the James P. Audubon Memorial Bash, aka our last night in NOLA, are forthcoming, as well as a recap of events at the trombone festival. All was awesome.

But since I'm tired, and lately haven't felt much like blogging lately (can you tell?), here's a recap of the occurences of the past two days:

Monday:
Slept in, after a long shower the night before, was marvelous.
Shopped a little for various items, including groceries.
Found a blue budgie, tame and lost, near the steps up to my apartment. Captured him and are currently trying to find his owner.
Acquired our two permanent cats, Horatio and Gatsby (formerly Ebenezer, and better picture of beautiful green eyes soon to come), as well as the terrible three from before (still on foster leave). That brings the current population of my 500 square foot, two room apartment to two humans, five cats, and one very frightened, very confused parakeet.
Tuesday:
Was stuck in traffic today on the way to the pool. Not five seconds after having made my own phone call stating current state of tardiness, I was struck from behind by an older woman doing the same thing. She cracked my bumper open a little bit, but nothing serious. We weren't going very fast. In fact, I wasn't going anywhere at all. She was extremely apologetic, obviously, especially because of my Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker. "And you're a Kerry fan, too!" she exclaimed, giving me a hug. Car repairs on the docket. Le sigh.
Have just paid almost $700 in bills, included the speeding ticket and rent, and part of my credit card bill.
Am planning on working quite often at the pool this summer.

So that brings you up to date on the happenings of the last two days. Tomorrow I have to do about 8 million more things, plus pay some more bills, and also schedule all my students for next week's lessons.

Taking a two week break from reality is nice and all, but man, coming back isn't fun at all.

what the fuck, texas? #6


It was unanimously agreed between three non-Texans and one native that this sums up, in a nutshell, the majority of Texas drivers. Please notice the bag of trash right of the front wheel. Classic. 

My friend Jennii married her sweetheart and totally all around awesome guy, Matthew, last night. It was a beautiful ceremony and an especially fun reception. Best wishes, Jennii and Matthew! I love you Jennii-cakes! 

Cuteness 

Chuck and I 

confusion

Arrived safely in San Diego, minus the speeding ticket I got in Weatherford, Texas, for trying to pass a truck that was trying to pass another truck and narrowly avoiding being smashed by both of the trucks in question. Hello, $125 fine and a warning to get my driver's license changed over to Texas OR ELSE.

Yesterday was power sightseeing day as I showed Chuck around the Zoo, Gaslamp, and Balboa Park. Even managed to get over to Coronado to walk in the sand. Today we went to La Jolla for beach happiness but didn't stay long. The water was cold, but gorgeous, teal blue, and I was just settling into one of my favorite things in the world, a beach nap, when Chuck complained of back trouble and we made our way home so he'd be more comfortable. Le sigh.

San Diego makes me think. It makes me wonder who I am and what I'm supposed to be doing and where I'm supposed to be. It reminds me that as much as I love this place the time I spent here last year was hellish and lonely. Memories of Madison are conjured up. Feeling divided between two places but stuck in a third. Why does so much of my self-identification rest on where I am? Not that I want to settle for Texas, but can't I just find a place I can stay, and enjoy my time there? Why do I have to be so damn melodramatic about these kinds of things?

It might be this house, this place. I don't think you really can ever go home again. Not as the person you were, and there's no room for who you are now.

But I sure as hell don't want to go back to Texas.

bring on the summer

For me, officially, summer has begun.

I love summer.

I taught my last students yesterday, and have today and Friday off. A day off...strike that, a day of sleeping in, hasn't happened for me in quite a while. I have two weeks off from teaching, and then I start up a summer schedule with the kids that are taking lessons.

Chuck moved in with me for the summer. It's been fun and sometimes stressful, because this place was my space first, and it's not very big. So trying to fit more stuff into it and get organized has been a bit of a challenge. But still it's nice to wake up to a friendly face every morning, and share a meal at home with someone. Especially someone as cool as Chuck. :)

I started lifeguarding at the pool in Plano. It's okay so far; not as disorganized and dramatic as Frog's last summer, which is a definite good thing. But the people are a little unfriendly, in the way of teenagers, and definitely ignorant of any politics but those of their parents. For me, that means I've been doing a lot of baiting, and challenging views. It's going to be an interesting, if not confrontational, summer.

We would be leaving for California tomorrow if I didn't have to go to these stupid job orientation sessions Friday and Saturday. So we're leaving Saturday night and driving as straight through to Arizona as we can...and then saving a leisurely drive through CA for Sunday/Monday.

Summer means also that Tim and Allison are gone. They're coming back in the fall of course, and Chuck and I will see them in Wisconsin in July, but it makes my relief to see summer come bittersweet. I seem to have a problem with goodbyes lately. Some of them have been so painful that now all of them make me tear up. Plus, there go the two people that made this place bearable. Yeah, I still have Chuck, and that's awesome...I dunno. I hate the feeling nonetheless. Jerry, everyone in Madison, my parents, friends from last summer, Chris, and now Tim and Allison...why do I feel like even when I'm the one moving, everyone is leaving me?

On Saturday it's off on the open road and headed west for sweet relief from this shitty state, to see oceans and cliffs and hills and my pretty, pretty city spread out before me.

I think I left three weeks ago.

Here's to the summer I turn 24.

friday cat blogging

This is a blogging tradition amongst the big wigs, and I finally get to join in!


Sergei and Nicolai, modelling good kitten behavior. 

Dmitri wants to watch three seasons of Futurama...I knew I liked this cat.  

"what the fuck, texas?" #5

Two stories today, both related to Texas law.

The first is by far the more infuriating, but perhaps not as WTF as the other: Texas Legislature bans gay couples from adopting.

It was tacked on to another bill because the sponsors feared it would not pass on its own. Oh, I love activist representatives! Text of the bill is here (PDF).

And then, a bill passed in the state House Tuesday proposing that schools be allowed to monitor the "sexiness" of cheerleading routines.

I'm just picturing how this will go down, if it passes through the Senate, which it is not expected to do. Would they have a bunch of old crusty Reps standing on the sideline of the field and mumbling about how those nubile teenage girls doing that particular booty shake gave them a fatty hard-on?

Of course the issue of sexualizing and objectifying women, especially young women, is important and deserving of debate. Oh, maybe we should take the time to discuss elements of media influence and positive body image with our girls instead of telling them to walk around draped in bedspreads with buckets on their heads?

Wait, everyone knows men can't keep their dicks in their pants, so I guess it's the vagina's fault. As per usual.

(Thanks to Chris for the link)

Sergei likes to beat up his brothers, and also, fall off the couch. 

Nikolai is the sweetest, and most curious. He was the first to make friends. 

Dmitri shows the feathers who's boss. 

perhaps you've been wondering where i am

Well, these little guys have been keeping me busy. Meet my foster kitties!

Yep, foster kitties. Chuck and I are helping them get adjusted to people by doing some non-stop playing, feeding, and cleaning up poop with the little monsters, who were found at Six Flags with their feral mother. Two of them, the black and white and the black, are nearly tame, but the tiger is still hissy-face. He'll get used to it.


 
Dmitri Shostakovich (the tabby), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (the black/white), and Sergei Rachmaninov (the black). Yes, I am a music nerd, thanks for noticing!!

Anyway, more updates on various things when I have time, and on Friday...Friday Cat Blogging!