hopes

I found this community art project. There is a sign with a marker and a container of fabric strips next to it that asks people to write down their hopes dreams, gratitude and wishes onto a strip of fabric, and then tie it to the grate. 

I loved it. 

examples:

"inspiration to be the change."

"Please bless those who are stupid enough to mess things up, and help those smart enough to try and do something about it."

"More fun. No drama. Find a man."

"For those around me to be stronger."

It was great.  And just sitting there, reading all of these people's wishes and dreams I thought "why don't I do this more often? Connect with people on a real level? Talk about things that are really important?" It was so empowering to just read these things.  I remember writing one of my friends on his mission that I don't think we talk about our dreams enough. I still think that's true. 

the best day ever

is when Rachel and Carter came to town. That's right, two of my best friends from BYU came to visit me in Green Bay. I was so pleased.

here are a few photo ops from Subway. Unfortunately I did not get any photos at Bay Beach, but we got some good ones on Rachel's cam, so if you want to see them; ask her. We had lunch at Subway, and then went to Bay beach. Then we got out the train set at home. It was pretty heavenly. It made me wonder why I don't get the train set out more often. Or live closer to my friends.

Rachel and Jamesie-face

She's actually about to laugh, not cry. Check out the cheeto hand. 

I had one of my friends ask me if it was weird to have friends who had kids. I told him that they are still the same people they were before they had kids--meaning that we can still connect. It sort of humanizes parenting to me.

kavarna

good idea.

missing helmet

ironic.

allusions

this was on the front page of the economist website today.

It is an allusion to my favorite poem by Stevie Smith:

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

some days

i wish i were the family cat. 

hugs

(Mom was telling me how I should hug my father more)

B: You know, out at college, I get around 10 hugs a day. 

M: So you're saying you're in deficit? Well you can certainly hug us. Right honey?

(She looks at Dad, who I see is staring at me with narrowed eyes, and a hostile expression. Pause.)

D: boy hugs?

the boy

...moved to utah. For school.

The end (for real).

the accessories of a working mother

one of the ladies in our office had these next to her desk.

a spongebob umbrella.

how could you be sad on a rainy day, touting this? I never could be.

the wisdom of a carabiner

The other day, I noticed these words engraved onto the shaft of my little sister's carabiner:

can you see them? Perhaps not. 

It says: NOT FOR CLIMBING - CHINA.

I went home and told Louisa, that if she ever considered climbing China with this keychain, she should change her plans because it says explicitly "NO!" 

i love you, wisconsin

and this is why. 

dates and slow dances...not a venn diagram...

well...not yet.

tempted to end the post there, I was.

dance on friday:
this one boy who i have known all my life danced with me (slow danced) and since he is my age he knows how to do more than the "deacon shuffle" and we talked for about two and a half minutes before we ran out of things to say and I became aware that his hand was on my waist and  mine was on his shoulder and the fact that this proximity is not something I am used to.
commence blushing and struggle for words as to avoid him realizing that i am unnerved by realizing this new proximity and then i remembered, with vivid clarity, what it felt like to be 14.

date:
dramatis personae
b=boy
m=me

b-what are you doing tonight?
m-nothing...
b-want to go see robin hood?
m-yes!

b lives far away so he asks m to look up times in town.
b's commitments run late, misses movie
b and m drive around trying to find an ice cream shop
(m's recollection of good restaurants in gb is achingly absent)
on the way to somewhere less desirable (sonic?) m sees sweet greasy burger joint dive and instructs b to stop
they stop
enjoyment of delicious greasy burger joint shakes and food with ongoing discussion of lives/art
driving back to m's they decide to see movie after all
waiting in line for movie discussion of favorite novels/movies/genres/artists ensue
m=comedies, pixar, geekery
b=action, classics, geekery
movie=robin hood=less-than desirable
also =much skewering, uncompelling love story, inaccurate portrayal of some real events
post movie discussion both concur it's unsatisfactory level
b drops m off
says he had good time
m agrees (that she had a good time too)

the end (obviously not)