The calm during the storm

A keen assessment from a KING 5 reporter just now:

"So, how's it going out there?"

"Snowing!"


And so it continues. I'm starting to wonder if I've been transported back to the Frozen Tundra of Wisconsin! We're on snowstorm number 3 for the week. Though right now, there's not much that is stormy about the tiny flakes gently drifting down outside the living room window. If the meteorologists are to be believed, strong winds and 4 to 8 inches of snow are headed our way later tonight. This is on top of the snow left over from last weekend, and the Thursday storm that gave me my first snow day in 5 years. As the owner of a bright blue saturn with a big heart but tiny engine, navigating the hills of West Seattle has been an adventure this week. So as of now, I'm smartly snuggled in my favorite chair, watching the ever dwindling traffic outside. Our house is perched atop one of the main roads in WS, one of the few streets that actually gets plow attention. You can judge the road conditions just by watching the cars out the window. I've spent more time standing in front of our picture windows in the past few days than I have in the previous 3 months we've lived here.

The roomie and I ventured out for coffee and girl talk this morning, Christmas shopping was completed, the aisles of the grocery store braved and raided for "emergency rations". Which in this house means peanut butter, apples, yogurt and bottles of wine. And cat food. Can't forget the boys. Then when my sister got home from work we ventured back out for the other essential to a snowed in day....movies! The poor (but cute) guy working at Hollywood video was rather flustered by all the customers, but took a few minutes to debate the finer points of the X-Files film with us. Seeing it twice this summer was a birthday present to myself, and I enjoyed that he had sat through it as well. (I'm a huge fan. I would watch Mulder and Scully watch paint dry. Which might just be more entertaining than IWTB, but I digress)

Our driving is decidedly done for the night, the three of us are home safe, enjoying the Christmas lights and the joys of online poker. Tonight may be the night I actually learn how play. And the picture? Sunrise before the storm, Friday morning.

Enjoy your weekend!

Update It's now 9:15 and officially snowing like a bat out of hell. The snow penis fairy has been by to visit the neighborhood, and we just saw a man walk by wearing a rain poncho. Wrong kind of precipitation there sir!

4 Things

At this point, this post is ridiculously outdated, but I've decided I MUST finish it! It's become a point of honor!

4 Things I Did Today (or 6 days ago, in this case)

1. I went to the gym and stayed on the bike for over an hour. With my notoriously short attention span, this is very hard for me to do. So how was I successful this time? I was catching up on my New Yorkers and got caught up in the articles. This one actually had me restarting the time on the bike. I'm a bit of a politics junkie and I enjoy reading all kinds of points of view.

2. I spent a good amount of time watching the weather, then laughing gleefully when the low went north and the TV weather woody was proved wrong. We'll see if I'm still laughing when I leave for home in a few minutes.

3. Consumed an obscene amount of coffee. I had a cup of decaf with my breakfast this morning. I stopped for a 4-shot americano at Tully's on my way to work. This accomplished 2 things...caffeine and saying goodbye to my sister who will be in Canada for the weekend. While at work I've had 2 more cups of decaf. One of the perks of my place of employment is free beverages. This can be dangerous, but hey, at least I get exercise walking to the bathroom once an hour.

4. Spent a decent amount of time ranting to my roomie because I'm by myself at work tonight. I'm feeling a little sheepish about that right now, seeing as the work night ended up being no big deal. It was the theoretical screwing over that had me in a tizzy, and now I'm slightly miffed over the fact that I wasted that energy for nothing!

4 Things On My To-Do List:

1. Finish Christmas shopping. I'm fairly close to done, but need a few more things for certain someones on my list

2. learn a language. Ok, this is a long term to-do, obviously. I would love to learn italian, french, and to brush up on my spanish. I used to be fairly fluent, but a re-scheduling in college (stupidly to get more time off with my now ex-fiance, I might add) led me away from taking more classes once I graduated from high school. I can still understand some of it, and could have a halting conversation if needed. But I want more than that!

3. Get back in better shape. I have all these goals and steps I mean to take, I just need to put my money where my mouth is. I used to be a pretty decent dancer, and it's time I get back to that.

4. stop rolling my eyes every time a certain someone opens his mouth. I'm not 12 years old, and really need to stop acting like it. Yet there's just something about this particular guy that gets on my last nerve and makes me want to punch him. Not good.

4 Guilty Pleasures:

1. Peanut butter. Now to most people, this wouldn't be such a bad thing. It's a fairly healthy food item, right? Well, it's not so healthy if you could eat an entire jar over the course of a two-day weekend. Which I have done more than once. It's gotten to the point where I can't keep it in the house very often because I just don't trust myself

2. Dance movies. I was a tap dancer for 13 years, and I still miss it dearly. After the new year, I'm hoping to go back to classes, in addition to the ballet I took up a few months ago. I love Center Stage, Save the Last Dance, Billy Elliot. If they're on TV I will watch them, no matter how cheesy the plot. I still harbor the little girl fantasy of performing on stage with a company on a regular basis. I don't have the talent for such dreams, but I'll settle for a once a year recital. For now though, I'll continue to live vicariously through the dancers on screen

3. Really good coffee. I live in Seattle, that should be explanation enough. I spend 4 bucks a day on coffee and refuse to feel guilty about that!

4. Bad '80's music. If it was popular when I was little, I still love it. I'm convinced I have the musical taste of someone 10 years older than my actual age, but I don't care. I get teased about it by certain individuals, but I will listen to my 'old lady' radio station with pride!

4 Random Facts about Me:

1. My shoulders are double jointed. It's creepy. It kept me from doing backstroke when I was on swimteam because of the way they pop. I used to be able to link my hands behind my back and pull them over my head. I say used to because I've since built up the muscles around the joint enough that I can't do it anymore, but it used to be a great party trick

2. I have the attention span of a gnat. I was actually diagnosed with ADHD a year ago, but other than acknowledging I have it, I've never done anything for it.

3. I harbor fantasies of being a surfer girl someday

4. 99% of the time I have my nails and toenails painted the same color. Even in the winter when no one will see my feet.

In which I rant about the impending weather woody

Seriously weather people, what the hell? Since when did I give you permission to wreck my weekend? From the sounds of one of the local TV broadcasts, impending doom is set to envelop Seattle for the weekend. Wind, rain, bitter cold, and...duhn duhn duhnnn....the dreaded s word. Snow. Are you kidding me? They're predicting anywhere from a trace to 6 inches depending on a low that's still forming off the coast. Now, I grew up in Wisconsin. I know how to drive in the scary white stuff. I don't particularly enjoy it, but I can do it. What I'm dreading is the other drivers who don't know how to deal with this particular precip. Not to mention I live on top of a giant hill and the thought of driving up that thing when it's covered in ice makes Izzie the Ion shiver in her slightly battered hubcaps.

Normally the thought of spending the weekend indoors with my books and bad movies would be welcoming after spending my work week up to my eyeballs in bad news, gloom and doom, and the occasional Santa suit wearing penguin. But this weekend I actually have honest to goodness PLANS for the second week in a row. Saturday I'm planning on getting the last of my holiday goodies, and will be meeting friends for sushi that night. If ice gets in my way, I'm going to be seriously pissed. I don't have a large people network yet, and my closest friends here are even busier than I am, so when we find time to get together it's a big deal from me. Weather gods, I curse you! Not since my wannabe tornado chaser days have I watched a storm system with this kind of interest. Hopefully the low shifts north and we won't have to worry about it. The next few hours will tell. Clouds, I've got my evil eye on you! BEHAVE!!!

And to end the post on a funny note....have you ever seen Good Morning America's "Three Words segment? It's set to music, and people hold up signs describing their week. Jay Leno got a hold of it and his take on things is here. Me like!

My 3 words to describe my week's end? NO FLIPPING SNOW!

Happy Friday to one and all

Wow, what a hole!

Christmas has come once again to the K house. As I write, F1 and F2 are huddled under the branches of the newly acquired Christmas tree. All 6.5 feet of it. And yes, this is a real honest-to-goodness sap dripping needle dropping wonderfully smelly pine tree. The ornaments aren't on it yet, but what IS on it are my collection of light strings, which I managed to untangle without bloodshed, gunshots, and a minimum of cursing, and the best tree topper ever. We're talking a circle covered in green and silver tinsel, outlined with fake plastic poinsettia and snowflake light covers, and green and red lights. And it blinks. We're talking the best that 5 bucks could buy you at ShopKo sometime in 1982. I still have the original box, with price tag. This particular topper is older than my sister. At some point, my grandma decided she didn't want it anymore and presented it to me along with other less memorable items. I would think that someday I'll upgrade to something slightly more classy, but for now, it's perfect. The sibling watched with a grin as I plugged in our ghetto topper and giggled to myself when it made it past it's 30 second warm up and started blinking. The blinking has no set time pattern either, it tends to just spasm whenever it feels like, which ads to it's charm.

This is the first live tree I've had in a few years. The past 2 Christmases I didn't see much of a point. I was living by myself, and in that first apartment in Little Rhody the electrical system was so suspect I was afraid I would burn the house down. And by the time Little Rhody Christmas 2.0 rolled around, I'd decided I wasn't going to be staying and didn't want to buy a tree stand only to pitch it 2 months later when I moved. I did have a foot tall table top number that served more as a feline chew toy than it did holiday cheer, so the real deal is a vast improvement.

I'm really excited for Christmas this year. We're talking little kid jumping up and down watching for reindeer excited. I can't wait to finish my shopping, start some cards, maybe bake some cookies. The sis and I will be going home to spend the holiday with our family, and I'm really looking forward to that. I'm blessed with 2 pretty cool people who also happen to be my parents, and it will be good to see them.

And 5 days off of work won't hurt either. ;) Jolly Chrimble! And in case you're wondering about the title of this post, I'll tell you that it comes from one of my favorite Christmas movies. If you can figure it out, you get a virtual cookie!

6 Ordinary Things

One of my new favorite reads, La Belette Rouge, has tagged her readers with a meme and I'm jumping at the chance to chime in. She asked us to list 6 unimportant things that make you happy. Here goes!

1. Personalized license plates. I love them because they shed a little bit of light on the personality of the otherwise unknown drivers of the cars cruising the highways with me. I saw one last weekend while coming out of the grocery store that launched me into a giggle-fit. The car was a silver jetta with an equality symbol sticker, and a plate that proudly read "Vajetta". Whether the driver (a female, I might add) intended for the plate to sound suspiciously similar to a part of the female anatomy, I'll never know for certain. But that's what it looked like to me and I found it rather awesome.

2. My cell phone. The phone itself has seen better days. It's a Moto Razr that I've dropped so many times the keypad doesn't light up any more. So why does it inspire happiness? Because it's BRIGHT FUCKING PINKKKKKK!!!! I use the profanity because it's particular shade is just that obnoxious. And I love it. :) I bought it specifically for the color and not much else. Usually I'm more rational in my purchases, but I HAD to have the pink phone. It needs to be replaced, but I'm dragging my feet. The newer phone I want only comes in maroon. Sad face.

3. Puppies at work. My office is very dog friendly. Fridays tend to be the best days for at the desk puppy cuddles. I don't have a dog myself yet, but I love them. Since F1 and F2 aren't exactly office friendly, I'll take the lovin' I get from my co-workers' loveable mutts. Nothing makes a crummy workday better than writing with Travel Guy's Monster Dog resting his head on my knee. Seriously, that puppy is huge. I'm 5'7" and when he's standing on all fours, his head is past my waist.

4. Green Orbitz. Green of the spearmint variety, to be exact. I have an addiction to it that rivals my sister's nicotene habit. I would call myself a chain chewer, actually. It's something that started when I quit smoking around 3 years ago, and just won't let up. I have a pack in my purse 90% of the time, and will go buy more if I don't have a piece for my morning workout. It's ridiculous, but something that's a must have.

5. The old woman wearing the leopard print fur coat. At 7:30 a.m., at the grocery store. She was also wearing a ridiculously fabulous pair of bright purple pumps, and had a monster sized pair of sunglasses perched on her head. This is in Seattle. Early monring. The sun is barely UP at that time of day, thus making the sunglasses completely unnecessary. Which is exactly why I loved her entire ensemble. She had to be in her late 70's, maybe even early 80's (she looked about the same age as my own dear Grandma) and I loved that she was dressed so spectacularly so early in the morning. I felt scrubby in my beloved hoodie/jazz pants/hat combo, and thought maybe the next time I need soy milk so early I should at least make the effort to wear something other than a 2 sizes too big sweatshirt. This woman was like a postcard to me of what I want to be many years in the future. Fabulous grocery store gal, I salute you!

6. My flat iron. Now to many people, this may seem a little frivolous. But I have recently fallen in love with this particular appliance all over again. I have monstrously thick hair that's a frustrating combination of wavy and curly. My usual routine is the scrunch the curls and let them air dry. Which then leaves me feeling like the chubby 5th grader with a bad 1980's perm. The other morning I had some extra time on my hands and thought, oh why not. It took most of an hour to do (and my hair doesn't quite hit my shoulders....it's not long, there's just a ton of it) and when I looked in the mirror when the last strand was straight I thought, well welcome back! I felt more like myself than I have in ages. It was sort of shocking, to be honest. I always envied my classmates with their straight "normal" hair. And while 90% of those surveyed say I look better with the curls, I feel so much more put together and, well, prettier, when I spend the morning with the flat iron. Which I've decided I'll be doing on a regular basis again!


So there you have it. 6 ordinary things that maybe insignificant to some, but are a few of the little things that make me happy.

Now it's your turn! Tell me about the little things that make your day.

Where do the days go?

Mine seem to disappear in a whirlwind of coffee, working out, and work. The day to day routine, after a while, leaves something to be desired. I don't know what causes this restlessness, the dissatisfaction with things that have to happen to get through the week. I found myself loading the dishwasher with a sigh last night, thinking 'Is this what my next 10 years is going to look like?'.

I admit, I get bored easily. My mother is going to retire soon, after teaching at the same school for almost 30 years. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but can I picture myself doing the same thing for 30 years? No way. I've been in the same industry for 8 years now, but have changed my roll within 'the biz' many times already. Changing technology will do that. I love my current job, I really do. Yet there's that part of me that can't help but wonder what else is out there. Not that I'm going anywhere anytime soon, but you know what I mean.

The day gets lost in breakfast, a walk or a trip to the gym, the scramble to get ready for work, fix lunch, pack dinner. The 20 minute commute, 8 hours or work, the drive home. Another hour spent reading or surfing, maybe watching TV, and then I crawl into bed exhausted. Lather rinse repeat, 5 days a week.

So it's the little things that make the routine better. Bugging my sister while she's at work is one. The baristas at my favorite coffee shop who know my drink. Knowing the back half of my work night is spent watching one of my favorite shows. That fit of glee I feel when something I created gets picked up. Random unexpected text messages.

I have a short vacation coming up and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be headed home to visit family and some hometown friends. And that, to me, is so much more important than getting annoyed with my dishwasher. Maybe I just need to remember that the next time I'm feeling whiny.

After all, it's Thursday, the sun is out, and the smell of Christmas shopping is in the air. What's not to love? *grin*

Today

My sister flopped out on the couch across from me. The roommate on her way home who wants to go have dinner with me. Coffee this morning. Two cats curled up asleep on my bed. The warm house that smells like fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. A new sugar free cookie recipe that worked out. Fresh bagels and peanut butter. A long walk in crisp weather. Christmas music. Dancing in the living room. Phone calls from home. Text messages from friends all over the country. Wonderful news from a friend. Words. Good books. The beach.

Hope. Love. Laughter.

All things I'm thankful for today.

All the best to you and yours

Morning

So....where do the words come from when you don't have much to write about?? I'm sitting here with my mug of coffee, trying to motivate myself to get to the gym, trying to find something to say, and not having much luck with either! But I keep reading that if you want to be a writer, even a few minutes of 'free association' writing is better than nothing.

So in that spirit, I'm going to tell you about my coffee mug. It's dark blue, marbled through with a bit of white. At the moment, it's half full. Half-full with a mixture of decaf chocolate velvet coffee, light vanilla soy milk, and stevia. Yeah yeah, I know, what self-respecting Seattle-ite drinks decaf? Well I do, if it's brewed at home. For some reason, if I make drip regular coffee here at home, I end up feeling like death from a blood sugar crash 45 minutes after I finish the mug. Why that is, I have no idea. So decaf it is. But back to the mug. This particular ceramic creation is my favorite for totally irrational reasons. I love the dark blue, the weight of it against my palm. And I love it for the ridiculousness that are the call letters scrawled across its front, for a TV station I never worked at. I did spend 5.5 fabulous years slaving away at one of its sister stations, but I never called that little station in Illinois home. You may be wondering how I ended up with said coffee container then. That's easy. It used to belong in the breakroom kitchen of the two-years -ago place of employment. I drank a ton of tea to keep me warm then, and 9 times out of 10 would grab that mug to cart my chai around in. When the time came to move on to greener control rooms, the thought of leaving the mug behind made me a little sad. So I resorted to petty thievery (is that even a word??!) and stashed it in the box 'o stuff from my desk on my way out the door. That silly mug has travelled from Wisconsin, to Providence, and is now in it's second Washington residence. In that respect, the mug has lived more places than my parents have. Then again, so have my cats, but that's beside the point.

Ahh my ridiculous coffee mug trophy. You're always the first one I grab out of the dishwasher. It's an irrational little love, but it makes me happy. Sort of like a security blanket for adults.

There. I've done a little ridiculous writing. I suppose that means I need to motivate myself out the door and down the street to the gym.

I think I'll finish my coffee first.

A few of my favorite things

My favorite way to spend a Sunday. A good book, fantastic coffee, and my other journal.

As yet untitled

How does one describe the weather in the pacific northwest without dipping into the cliche? Mist and clouds really do hang over the trees, drizzle pelts the windshield almost daily on my way to work. The grey surrounds you like a thick blanket. Wether you view that blanket as soothing or oppressing can change from day to day. Today I could feel it tucked in around me, feeling almost as familiar as the scruffy carebear rag I dragged around as a child. Having the right soundtrack always helps. Though the film was terrible, the soundtrack for Twilight seems to capture the range of emotions I've felt since moving to the area. A melancholy lilting piano accompanied by a range of strings set the tone for my commute, the raindrops providing a soft percussion to go along with it. Strangely, on a day full of the weather I used to fear the most, I was filled with an almost content as I made the now-familiar turns along 1-90. I love those moments when I find myself thinking, 'this is so Seattle' and realizing I'm pleased by it.

'Moments which, rushing past, define the path of a life'. A late morning wake-up, coffee with my sister. Familiar streets, beautiful music. Jokes from co-workers, anticipation of the night's stories to come. These simple and routine moments that make up my days, oh so sweet when you stop to savor them.

In which I wander over the weekend

I apologize in advance for any typos. My computer may be a laptop, but Feline #2 has decided the lap belongs to him this morning. As he is 15 pounds of rumbling furry cuteness, I am unable to override his decision at this time, blog or no blog. It was his face in the window this morning that actually prompted this particular writing session. I returned from Uptown, ridiculously large americano in hand, and fumbled with my keys in an attempt to get the door open without dumping coffee all over myself. F2 was on the counter and had pressed his front paws up against the door window and scolded me for leaving the bed. If you can be scolded by a forceful chirp that is. He gets very clingy when I haven't been home much, and while I was in my own bed this weekend, I didn't spend a whole lot of time with my lap accessible for kitten cuddles.

Instead I was spending ridiculous amounts on money all over the city. New winter clothing was sought and purchased at two of my favorite stores downtown. I adore the city of Seattle proper, but I hate trying to find parking. I could have taken the bus, I suppose, but I didn't want to be the asshat with 12 shopping bags taking up 3 seats. As luck would have it, the rain had stopped mid-morning so my curly hair was only mildly enraged instead of it's usual full-on puffball during said trip. Which leads to only mild frowning while in the dressing room, so this is good. Then I picked up my sister and we went to Target for round two. The felines were the recipients of a new scratch pad, complete with catnip. The catnip proved to be our entertainment for the rest of the night. Not for the cats, but for the sis and I, we could barely contain our hysterics as the boys got 'nipped'.

Sunday was more fun in a local kind of way. I've been reading a lot of vegetarian and vegan blogs lately, trying to get more ideas for healthy food that I can take to work. After hitting the gym and savoring my usual americano, I swung by the Farmer's Market in the junction. Bliss. All sorts of fresh fruits and veggies, cheese, fish. Love it. As someone who used to be rather shy, the first time I went to a farmer's market was so hard. I didn't get how it "worked" and was so worried I'd violate some unspoken rules about how things were purchased. I'm old hand at it now though, thank goodness. I came away with enough veggies to feed a small army. I spent the afternoon cooking up a storm, and ended up with an amazing lentil soup, terriyaki baked tofu, and vegan alfredo sauce. None of which, I'm very proud to say, burned, smoked, or started any fires. Remind me to tell you the frozen pizza story at some point.

The best part of the weekend? That's easy. The feeling that came over me more than once, that perhaps I really am home. I'm settling in here. I have routines and places that are starting to feel like 'mine'. Coffee in certain places, the kindness of a random woman who I bumped into both at the bank and the market. The feel of the steering wheel in my hands as I turn on streets that no longer baffle. The view of the Sound as I come over the hill. The relief I feel when the sun peeks out, and the the relief I feel after I realize the rain has returned and it doesn't depress as it had a few weeks ago. The scent of washed out leaves and earth. All the things that are starting to make this new house feel like a home.

Election hangover?

So today I'm pondering this. Is it the weather, or just an election hangover? I admit, the past few days have been a whirlwind of emotion. The night before our big national decision found me sleeping like an eggbeater. Tossing, turning, getting up multiple times. On the last trip back to bed around 5 a.m., I passed my younger sister in the hallway. She was on her way to work, and looked rather shocked to see me lurking at such an early hour. I finally gave up around 6:30. I inhaled my breakfast and treked over to my polling place, cast my ballot and earned my "I voted!" sticker. I hit the coffee shop for a much needed americano and some time with my paper journal. I really wanted to document my thoughts on such an important day. I was on pins and needles waiting for the results to come in. My co-workers and I scrambled to make sure every last important video clip was edited and posted. We had been told to keep our celebrating to a minimum, out of respect for others here that didn't share our views. I'll admit, it was hard to keep my elation under wraps, but I think I did well. We made history that night, and I was happy to share in such a moment with people I truly enjoy working with.

2 days later, I'm still exhausted! Which brings me to the quandry....election hangoveror rainy day blues? I slept almost 10 hours last night, which is very rare for me. And yet that didn't seem to put a dent in the sleepiness I'm feeling today. I have a few errands I need to run on the way home, but I'd really rather just jet there and crawl under the covers again. So I'm thinking that after 2 years of campaigning and wondering, my brain is so exhausted it's spilled over into the rest of my body. If it's the fault of the rain we've had all week, I'm probably screwed.

So here's hoping the tiredness will pass and I'll be bouncing off the walls again shortly. I'm hoping to get a few more days like yesterday before winter gets it's hold on the area. I almost crashed my car into the viaduct TWICE on my way to my morning ballet class. Mount Rainier was showing its majestic face, and it was so clear you could see both mountain ranges and the snow that's starting to perch on them. I was so taken with it I had to keep stretching for one more look....and would glance away to discover Izzie drifting perilously close to concrete. The real rocks were a sight to behold, and one of my favorite things about living in Seattle.

YES WE DID!

I'm proud of my country tonight. Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States. We did it. We made history. I was lucky enough to be in my place of employment as the numbers rolled in, and it was so moving to watch everyone's reactions.

Now lets work on moving forward, TOGETHER!

Time, why are you never on my side?

In typical K fashion, no matter how well I plan my time, it seems to be physically impossible for me to arrive anywhere at the appointed hour. If by some miracle I am there on time, it's because I left ridiculously early and then will have to cool my heels for half an hour. Those occurrences are rather rare. This morning is yet another fine example.

I rush out the door, yoga mat tucked under my arm. Car keys in the right hand, water bottle in the le...water bottle....rats. A quick dash back to the house, blue bottle retrieved, Izzie backed out of the garage and pointed in the direction of my destination. The flier advised to be 5 minutes early. No problem, I'm thinking. A quick stop at the bank, and I can dash right over. I should have seen the flaw in this theory from the start. I arrive at the bank, write my mile long explanation as to why the check I'm trying to cash isn't my given name. (I use a different name professionally, that's the name on the check) Stuff the blasted thing in the ATM and scamper back to the car. Of course, I had left the house 10 minutes later than I meant to in the first place.

I park, run towards the studio, and glance at my phone to silence the ringer before I walk into class. 9:29. Damnit! The class starts at 9:30. I've never been to this studio before, I have no idea what the payment policies are, where I need to go. And I'm practically late. Again.

Why does this always happen to me? Later in the day, I was also 5 minutes late to work. Like all good Seattleites, I needed a monster cup of coffee to sustain me through the first few hours of my work shift. I was trying so hard to leave early enough that it wouldn't be a problem. But somehow those few extra glances at email, or the pause to scratch the chin on my favorite furry boy, added up into 5 minutes late for work. I'm lucky that my boss doesn't seem to mind, but I frustrate myself. I usually leave 5 minutes late to make up for it, though no one is here to see when I head for home.

On the bright side.....the yoga class was wonderful. My classmates were all friendly, and the instructor took the time to explain the school's policies and intentions to me, which was very much appreciated. I think it's a place I will fit well. As I stretched my body into the variety of poses, I really tried to focus good intentions on my muscles, encouraging them to bend, twist a little deeper, release any hiding tension. My brain tends to wander if I don't keep a tight reign on it, so concentration is always a little hard. After this first practice though, I think I may be off to a good start.

A quick trip back home, I need to hop in the shower to get ready for work. But before I step under the needle hot spray, I stop to look at myself in the mirror. I'm trying to look at the bumps and curves with a kinder eye. 'We didn pretty good today, eh body?' My back muscles don't answer back, but I hope the enjoyed the workout.

Time, never on my side, but I'm trying to enjoy it anyway.

Starting anew

It's been a few years since I've blogged with any regularity, and the site that I once called home is long gone. But that's ok. I've moved cross country twice since then, and with a new home comes a new start in so many ways. I've been complaining lately that I don't write as much as I used to, but it's taken months for me to actually DO something about it. So here we are. I've been living in West Seattle for 7 months now, and am still trying to adjust to life as a west coaster. I do like it here, but I've found I'm getting restless again after just a short time. Where that's coming from, I don't know. I know I've barely scratched the surface of all this area has to offer. It was pointed out to me the other day that perhaps I need to take time to be more present, to spend more time living in the now, instead of worrying so much about what's down the road. If your focus is always 3 miles ahead, what are you missing right underneath your feet?

So that's what this blog will hopefully help me to do. Find more joy in the every day, and help me get to know my new home better. And hopefully make some new friends along the way.