The Myth & The Majesty

I am in St. Louis. I live in Wisconsin. My phone is in Colorado. This is a problem. Oops.

Hiking in the mountains -- mild altitude exhaustion (not really sickness, just tired ) -- rock concerts -- really, really good sushi -- lots of time listening to The Boys / The Old Married Couple bicker. And so much more. But I'm running low on allotted computer time and my wine is beckoning. Have a good weekend!

24 hours and I'll be in the Oklahoma City airport. Not for long, mind you. I have a short layover there on my circuitous route to Colorado. Why? Because I don't like to pay full price for plane tickets, especially when I have more than sufficient miles to cover one. Although this is quickly turning into a "Today I went to JCPenney" post, I'd also like to add that I got a fantastic new hair cut yesterday that's going to take some adjusting. My hair is officially the shortest it's been in 22 years. No joke -- that's when I started growing it out. While it's been getting steadily shorter for the last two years ["I can extrude hair, but I can't retract it." ... Name that reference's reference.] it's still been two decades since the back of my neck has routinely seen sunlight. Which it will now because I usually tie my hair back when I'm outside and then -- tada -- it's too short to cover. Hopefully I remember

It's been an interesting month. So far, May has included a fundraising brew fest, a trip to South Dakota, an early-morning breakfast with a conference room full of mostly strangers, an evening of planting flowers with a handful of the same people (no longer strangers), a couple hours of kayaking, and a wedding. Oh, and my birthday. This [long] weekend will provide two days of airports, hiking in the Rockies, a day of concerts, and quality time with friends I haven't seen in ... wow, a long time. Eight months at the shortest. Sometimes I have to take a step back to see just how interesting life can be. This month? Downright decadent.

Note: Google is single-handedly destroying productivity today. You can play Pac-Man right on their homepage.

This weekend includes a morning of kayaking, the temporary return of the Admiral, and a wedding that promises to be very, very interesting (at least as far as the crowd is concerned). Oh, and it's over 80 outside. Is it really any wonder that I can't concentrate on instrument data sheets?

1. Last week was truly nutty, as has been most of May. This week? Still nutty. 2. Andyman happened to be in Sioux Falls this past weekend as well, which was totally awesome and completely unexpected. 3. I love it when the things I buy normally come with a "buy x number, get a $5 gift card" at Target. 4. I also love it when I miss the signs that say this but the person at the checkout points it out anyway. 5. The weather right now completely rocks. 6. It's hard to not be excited about the next few weekends. A wedding this weekend, Denver next, a big trail-installing project the weekend after that ... A day of concerts in Minneapolis and a massive road trip not long after ... I love summer. 7. It feels strange to not be playing volleyball this summer. 8. It's not supposed to be a challenge to wear matching socks but I continue to fail in that task. 9. "The Rocky Road To Dublin." The end.

Today's noise replacement therapy: the "Sherlock Holmes" soundtrack There's distraction -- and then there's a Friday afternoon before a road trip. My attention span is about as short as it gets and I'm finding myself incredibly grateful that I don't have to accomplish much today. So... Well, let's see here. Happy anniversary to my parents -- 33 years and counting. Impressive. And happy Friday to the rest of you. Hope you have good weather to enjoy -- and the time to do so -- and are nice and relaxed in time for Monday morning. I'm certainly going to give it my best shot just as soon as I can. Catch y'all later.

While I am a planner, it bugs me to have every minute of my day scheduled. However, it appears I am entirely out of free time between now and ... Oh, mid-June. And that's something I find just a little unsettling. With the exception of tonight. Tonight, I need to get some work done and -- with any luck -- eat a decent meal for once. (It's been a weird couple of weeks as far as food's concerned.) But that's tonight. Today, it rains. Not a drizzle, not a downpour ... Just rain. The kind of rain that sounds soothing until you step outside. The kind of rain that doesn't drench you but it does make you uncomfortably damp for fifteen minutes after you get inside. That kind of rain. I'm not complaining. There are certainly worse days to be stuck inside at a desk.

Arthur looked up. "Ford!" he said, "there's an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they've worked out." - From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy So I'm 26 today ... Like I said a couple weeks ago, it's not exactly a milestone birthday. Woo, 26. But I can mark a few random things in my own life. For instance, I've had my driver's license for almost twelve years now. (Yep -- that's South Dakota for you.) Ten years ago I somehow managed to get tricked into a surprise party shortly before the spring band concert. Eight years ago I was in Kansas City, riding roller coasters. I moved away from home, officially and permanently, six years ago. And five years ago it snowed a lot in Rapid City. I share this birthday with Salvador Dali, Natasha Richardson, Tim Blake Nelson, and Jonathan Jackson (who I wouldn't expect you to recognize unless you were a teenage girl preci

At least three times yesterday I was wished a happy Mother's Day. That in itself is a little confusing, but what really got me was when I told someone I wasn't a mom. She chuckled and said something like, "Oh, well, just in case -- I didn't want to offend you by forgetting." Didn't want to offend me?! I didn't have small children running circles around me and I wasn't wearing a wedding ring. I'm fairly young (I'm assuming that since I still get carded I don't look old enough to imply that I "should" have kids) and while I may have a few extra pounds on me I don't look pregnant. Assuming I do have kids just because I could theoretically have them is a bit offensive by itself. Tell me, moms -- if you were out and about without your kids and someone didn't wish you a happy Mother's Day, were you offended? Because I had no idea how to react to that.

Mom, you rock. I'm pretty sure you know this already. In fact, I'm positive you know. I think you told me as much last week. However, at the risk of being sappy and sentimental, I think you should know exactly why you rock. You rock for putting up with my father -- and outright loving him -- for the last 33+ years, even when he's a total butthead. (Yes, Dad, you're a butthead sometimes. And I feel quite comfortable saying that because I'm more like you than either of us wants to admit.) You've given the three of us a fantastic example of the kind of relationship that can last for decades -- one where each person makes it work, regardless of day-to-day irritation. One where the two people involved are on surprisingly equal footing most of the time. And yes, one where the people involved occasionally make out in the kitchen to embarrass their children. You rock for raising three independently-minded kids and, what's more, for letting us continue to be in

It's snowing outside. I mean really snowing. As though to make up for the two months of winter when it didn't snow all in one night. It's one of those nights that make a person want to bundle up and watch a movie. Or warm themselves over a hot toddy with friends. Or stay home and do other indoor things that I won't mention on a family-friendly blog. In any case, this is how it looks out there. Now, note something -- I took this picture in Rapid City five years ago in mid-May. I'm not sure what all this tells you. Maybe it says something about climate change or the screwiness of the seasons in the Midwest. I am sure that it implies something about me and my life choices, namely my chosen climate. And perhaps it suggests that I should reevaluate such choices. Naaaahh. I think I'm going to bundle up and watch a movie or two. That'll make me feel better. Stay warm, folks.

Have you ever stopped to think about the habits you develop in order to avoid developing other habits? For instance, I chew gum to avoid cracking open a can of Pepsi. (Pepsi + mint = disgusting.) I also drink tea at work because I know that if I start drinking coffee I'll very quickly pick up my dad's two-pots-a-day habit. One of those has historically been far more effective than the other. Some of them are purely practical -- I prefer to carry cash when I go out on the weekends so that I have a firm spending limit. But others seem to be just for kicks -- I never buy a partial tank of gas because it's much easier to mentally calculate mileage if I have "real" numbers. Okay, that last one is a terrible example. And really nerdy. But you get the idea. I have a strange problem this particular Friday afternoon. It's an unfamiliar problem -- I am entirely caught up, even ahead on my work ... and I have very little to do. Which means I'm wr

A Taste of Home show A kayak in my yard Power lines and semi-trucks And a cheesy birthday card Mexican food, margaritas Relief valves for coolers Oil spills in the Gulf And chatting with middle schoolers Leftovers in the fridge And cheap plane tickets bought Cameras drastically on sale And car racks drastically not Three upcoming trips out west Must call home on Mother's Day Comfy summer dresses Fundraiser on Saturday Endless lines of documents Things still stay on schedule Dinner with friends a couple times Yeah ... Not making THIS line rhyme. Getting back to being social Holidays and the bridesmaid thing Everyday stresses, bills to pay And all the fun of spring Random sports and dance lessons Graduations and cards to send Just enough on the mind To send you 'round the bend.

You know those days when you're absolutely certain you're supposed to remember something? And it's something important. Your mom's birthday. Something like that. As in, someone will be offended by you forgetting. A crucial deadline will be missed. An extra payment will have to be made. Maybe something will expire. Days like that. I'm having one of those and it's starting to concern me. What is it about May 4th?

Westward bound in a few weeks. Really, really can't wait ... I've missed certain things. And people, I suppose. (Breckenridge - July 4th, 2008)