medi/to the/ocre

Grumble, grumble, YELP, grumble

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:02:15 -0600

That, my friends, is what my stomach has been saying for the last five hours. The “yelps” recently faded to mere groans, thanks to some drugs and peppermint tea (thank you, Walgreens and Celestial Seasonings).

I shouldn’t be bitching about having a mild bout of food poisoning on a Friday night. It was my choice to observe that the sour cream on my barbecue chicken topped baked potato looked curdled, yet still inhale its overstuffed deliciousness.

At least the grumbling is turning into intermittent whining. I may sleep tonight after all.

polaroidgirl: (via (KatieMadeline))

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:41:21 -0600

polaroidgirl:

(via (KatieMadeline))

I love this image. Jeff and I were walking through a vineyard...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:01:00 -0600

I love this image. Jeff and I were walking through a vineyard during a family vacation in Napa and my mom snapped us unawares.

I’ve posted here before about the difficulty I have relaxing when my folks are around, but the wine country vacation was smooth as can be, as was the local Chardonnay (and I usually *hate* Chardonnay).

We stayed in a hillside cottage just through the woods from the winery in this picture, grilled dinners on the deck at night and just chilled.

There also was an epic wine-tasting trek to local vineyards in which my family rented a limo driven by a dude who reminded me of Steve Zahn’s character in “Happy, Texas.” Don’t hold me to it, though. My memory of that day is a little hazy.

After thinking about it for ages, I finally got this picture framed. I think I’ll hang it in the bedroom, so I can have my moment of zen (or moment of zinfandel, as the case may be) every night before bedtime.

I’m back there again. Lonely. Moving to a new city always does this to me eventually. I go...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:19:06 -0600

I’m back there again. Lonely. Moving to a new city always does this to me eventually. I go through a cycle:

Adrenaline rush of new place, which will be better than old place because it has more/better x, y or z.
“Oh shit!” realization that new apt/house will require all sorts of new purchases (this is followed by happy shopping dance and much later by sad credit-card-balance shuffle).
Decorate, explore new neighborhood and generally do nesting activities.
Get house in good enough shape to entertain.
Realize I don’t know enough people to host a coffee klatch, let alone a cocktail party. Too bad, since I’ve turned the front room into a lounge/bar area.
Pout about not knowing anyone.(I’m currently in this stage. Can ya tell?)
Call/DM/text/e-mail friends in other cities to assure myself that I am not a total reject.
Wait for calls/DMs/texts/e-mails to be returned.
Get over my self pity, go out and meet people.

Maybe I can skip ahead a few paces this time. Nothing personal, Lonely. I just don’t want to share the road with you for very long.

Image: “Lonely” by Crystyl

Why hello, down comforter. Haven’t see you in months. You look good. … Really good....

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:23:57 -0500

Why hello, down comforter. Haven’t see you in months. You look good. … Really good. Have you been going to the dry cleaners?

What’s that? You want to envelop me in warm, soft, gauzy goodness? I guess that would be OK … just don’t tell my husband.

Otherwise known as “lunch.”

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:09:54 -0500

Otherwise known as “lunch.”

Losing it ... or not

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:17:37 -0500

College BFF: Last time I lost weight but didn't tone. The middle NEEDS the toning.

Me: "Yoga for Abs" will be perfect for you. The instructor looks like a surfer dude and you do bridges and stuff that really works the middle. It's only mildly painful :)

College BFF: Pain might be good. Last time I was careful with myself forever and only realized later that that doesn't make you feel better.

Me: Isn't it funny how we so easily push our brains, but have trouble remembering the body lessons? Every time I go off the wagon, I feel like (**bleep**). And then I start again and the endorphins are amazing.

College BFF: I just ate pastry while watching "The Biggest Loser." And it wasn't even good pastry.

Possibly the cutest Halloween treat. Ever. mashimaro: Ghost...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:59:56 -0500

Possibly the cutest Halloween treat. Ever.

mashimaro:

Ghost Cupcakes (via daveknapik)

Bought catnip-filled mice and a new scratching pad today. Miles is tearing around the house like a...

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:53:53 -0500

Bought catnip-filled mice and a new scratching pad today. Miles is tearing around the house like a kitten. I love it.

My husband is in this book!*

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0500

*I’m proud, proud, proud. But you should know his story isn’t published. It’s mentioned under “notable” pieces that the editors would’ve liked to include and didn’t have room.

Here’s the credit page:

And here’s the close-up:

Jeff’s listed right next to his KC Star colleague Bill Reiter, but most of the notables are from magazines. Out of 80 stories, 20 are from daily newspapers. And Jeff was the only beat writer included.

Like I said, I’m proud. And now he has a goal for next year…

iblameitonchurchypeople: hunsonisgroovy: (via pyrosarco)

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:28:16 -0500

iblameitonchurchypeople:

hunsonisgroovy:

(via pyrosarco)

Just in time for #FF, @dlmccartney joins us in the Twitterverse! Follow her; she’s one of the...

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:57:16 -0500

Just in time for #FF, @dlmccartney joins us in the Twitterverse! Follow her; she’s one of the coolest ladies I know.

Friday night w/ out @jaymart somewhat improved by my new Tumblr theme and my Google Wave invite. I...

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:57:16 -0500

Friday night w/ out @jaymart somewhat improved by my new Tumblr theme and my Google Wave invite. I feel very last week.

Why yes, thank you. I would love to spend my Friday night...

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:02:21 -0500

Why yes, thank you. I would love to spend my Friday night getting to know you.

It’s an Erykah kind of day. Hoping some of her...

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:03:40 -0500

It’s an Erykah kind of day. Hoping some of her fabulousness rubs off.

Note to self:

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:46:44 -0500

adelamaide:

It doesn’t have to be good.

It just has to be done.

WRITE.

Amen, Amy. We’ve all been there.

sheasylvia: The season 4 premier of Dexter is this Sunday...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:59:08 -0500

sheasylvia:

The season 4 premier of Dexter is this Sunday night!

I. Cannot. Wait.

On our last night in Wichita, Jeff and I joined some friends for...

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:50:00 -0500

On our last night in Wichita, Jeff and I joined some friends for an enchilada-making party (delish, delish, delish!). It was low key and I tried not to get sad about leaving. Held it together pretty well until Tony pulled out his guitar and told me he’d started learning a new song when he heard we were moving away. His voice almost always raises tears anyway (He’s got that soulful thing that Mary J. and Anthony Hamilton do so well — raw edges that show you they’ve felt pain, y’all, and they’re gonna sing it away). But this song, it was something else. Take a listen.

Amos Lee, “Arms Of A Woman”

I am at ease in the arms of a woman.
Although now,
most of my days i spend alone.
A thousand miles,
from the place i was born.
But when she wakes me,
she takes me back home.

Well, we’re at it again. Packing up and movin’ on....

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:56:00 -0500

Well, we’re at it again. Packing up and movin’ on. These years in Wichita have been pretty damn good, in spite of some tough times and tears. I’ve made lifelong friends, learned so much about myself professionally and moved into new realms of adulthood in my personal life.

Can’t sum it all up in one post, but it seems fitting to be leaving four years and one month to the day from when I arrived in this great big landlocked state. Everywhere I turn, there are reminders of my first days in Kansas:

- Cheesy rock acts at the Kansas State Fair. ZZ Top was one of my first assignments. Heart played the grandstand last night.

- Campers filled with fans headed to Winfield. At Walnut Valley I first heard the hybrid of bluegrass and speed metal that defines much of Wichita’s live music scene.

- Signs announcing the Junior League’s Holiday Galleria. I’m not a social-events-calendar gal, but my new friend Josh had a booth at the Galleria for his furniture store, so Jeff and I went. We met Josh’s parents, sister and brother-in-law, who became our surrogate family out here.

- The almost-complete Intrust Bank Arena. When I arrived in 2005, The Eagle was full of stories about plans for the downtown arena, to open in 2010. I swore I would be long gone from Kansas before its ribbon-cutting. Who knew?

- BFF Shea’s newest blog. One of my first features included a profile of her as part of a story about local bloggers. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

- The wind rustling, rustling, rustling the trees. In spite of “a twister, a twister!” being an iconic movie line, I never really processed the idea that Kansas has breezes, not just gale-force winds. I’ll never give up being a mountain girl, but I’ve come to love the sound and motion the wind brings to the plains.

Image: “Moving Boxes” by Robert S. Donovan

Of all the punctuation options available, you chose quotation...

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:05:12 -0500

Of all the punctuation options available, you chose quotation marks? Bold move, I must say.