The Myth & The Majesty

I'm not known for bouts of homesickness. When I started college, it took several weeks before it really hit me; when I moved out here, there was more of the same. Occasionally, though, a conversation or news story or random thought will hit me just right and WHAM! Homesickness. As anyone who has met me can likely tell, I love love LOVE my home state. I am more patriotic and loyal toward my birth state than I am toward my home country. It's one of those things -- the place tends to inspire fierce loyalty or fierce loathing, and lucky for me it's the former in my own life. I will take any opportunity I can to talk about the people and places back west, and while I know this can get tiresome it's something I can't always help. I'm not from around here; most of my friends are. Whenever they talk about local things, they are talking about home. But I'm a transplant -- and it takes special occasions and topics in order for me to get to say much about where...

I'm quickly approaching post number 600. It's odd, since #500 happened only about five months ago (this is easily the bloggingest year I've had), but all the same, 600 is coming. I won't be treating that one as a landmark post. Not because it's not a landmark -- it is -- but like so many other things in life, it's overshadowed by the very round-numbered landmark that it follows. Plus odds are good it'll be a random post that I email while at work. It was a fun weekend. I went to Minneapolis to hang out with Mia Sorella, shop, and relax. It's come to the point where relaxation only seems to occur when I leave and intentionally look for it ... Unlike last year at this time, life in Wausau is full of people and things to do. Not a lot I can say about it that would interest the rest of you. Mia Sorella found a winter coat; I found a hat rack. We had some good Indian food. The Mall was overrun with high school girls looking for homecoming dresses. That was a...

I have some stories for you. The first is about some relatives. I have an aunt and uncle and two cousins who live in a suburb of Houston. Two weeks ago when Ike was approaching, they decided to buckle down, boarding up their house and prepping for some very close family time. (From my understanding of family hearsay, they missed the window to leave and decided they should -- and could -- stay put.) The winds blew, the rain fell, and the lights went out. For a couple of days, they stayed huddled in the house. When it passed, they came out to discover that the only real damage they had was a small leak by their chimney, some damaged fence, and a couple of missing shingles. They were very, very lucky. A week later, they still didn't have power, but all was well. Things are mostly back to normal now, aside from some remaining cleanup. I suspect it may be awhile before that's finished. Meanwhile, I had a friend up here who had to oil his hardwood floors. Since this is ...

I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world. - Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself" "Are you going over for the funeral?" Blink. "Um, no ..." "Oh, okay. Thirty-six dollars then. You're taking your car?" "Yeah." I handed the girl my money and asked where to wait in line. She sent me on my way and greeted the car behind me. Saturday had started freakishly early in the morning, at least for someone like me who doesn't hunt or fish. By 5:15 I had showered, dressed, packed a backpack, and was on the road. The sun rose somewhere north of Tomahawk, after US-51 became a two-lane, 55-mile-per-hour highway. I spent the next hour speeding through forests of evergreens intermixed with flaming oaks and maples. Fall was in full swing here and it was perfect, but there were precious few people out yet to enjoy it. The time would come -- it was possibly the last beauti...

Friday. Woot. Some plans for the weekend ... Don't think any of them qualify as "big." Some driving, some sightseeing (fall colors are in full swing!), some geocaching, a wedding reception after-party, and probably some shopping for E-train's wedding in three weeks. But before the shopping, I've gotta enjoy the last Saturday of the summer and get away a bit ... Last night we returned to our Thursday night shenanigans (it'd been Wednesdays over the summer) and it was good. Most of the young'uns were out of town (or headed that way) so we were actually limited to those that have been around for at least a year, including all six that started the madness -- which hasn't happened since April or so. It was a fun change of pace, although probably won't happen again for another five months. And by then the "been here for at least a year" crowd will be much bigger. Hm. The Admiral will be living in his garage for a few days while his ...

This list goes hand-in-hand with the guilty pleasures list, although it's a little different. Slightly. Enough. There are few -- if any -- surprises, however.   ------------------   Twelve Things That Calm Me   1. Dark chocolate. Really, that's all that needs to be said about that one.   2. Wine. Yum.   3. Christmas music. It's odd, but I occasionally pull out Christmas music in random months because yes, it calms me.   4. Almost any bookstore or library. B&N, Borders, used stores -- I love them. My goal: to see the City of Books in Portland, Oregon.   5. Snow. Provided I'm not out driving in it (because sometimes that is the furthest thing from relaxing), I love -- love -- snow. It's beautiful. And silent.   6. Thunderstorms. Rain in almost any form is mesmerizing, as long as it doesn't come with wind. But when it comes with a light show? I can watch for hours.   7. People-watching in ...

... to Darren on his job offer! ... to Bri and Wayne on their engagement! ... to Dan and Patti on their engagement! ... to Becca and Dave on their wedding! ... to Jen and Teal on their baby girl! ... to Erin and Charlie on their baby girl! It's been an exciting couple of weeks. Wow.