Sunday, April 30, 2006
general updates
Unca Dave was released from the hospital on Thursday! Yay! Physical therapy 3x/week for a period of time unknown by me.
Only slightly related: t.’s response to my telling him about Dave was, um, brief? I don’t know how to describe it. A mutual friend, reading over my shoulder, commented aloud that it was “weird.” And there has been no contact from him since. I guess he figures that if Dave’s situation had progressed poorly, he would have heard from me. Which is true.
I’m getting much better about the breakup, though. I can now go for stretches of whole minutes at a time when I don’t think of him. :) (Adrian is now rolling his eyes and if within reach, would throttle me. I will have to assure him off-blog that I am kidding about the minutes.)
Dad is in town! Oh so briefly, though. He leaves for home in an hour-ish. Upon his arrival on Friday, we dined with Amy at Bang! on 32nd. Dad and I fully intended to go to the Edward Weston show that night, but it was getting late and we were both so tired. We went yesterday instead, and avoided the previous night’s crowd. Lunch at Wynkoop, a trip to the DAM to see the progress of the expansion, a trip to Suavecito’s down on Santa Fe, dinner at Jewel. Lots of loafing and reading in between. I’ve been so busy for so long, I have no idea what I’ll do with an empty house. Probably go out and price laminate flooring…
8:33 AM
Thursday, April 27, 2006
I’m home!
and it feels so good!
Megan had called ahead to Joe to let him know that she’d offered to drop me off at the Park N Ride on their way home, saving me the bus trip. Not only did Joe meet us INside the airport, but he brought flowers (and candy bars) for BOTH of us! What a total sweetheart.
anyway, with Megan in charge of the day, we finally had some good grub (and excellent service) at Beans & Barley in downtown Milwaukee. We got to the art museum at just the right time to see the “wings” open, and buzzed through the good stuff in about three hours. The current special exhibit is comic book art, but it doesn’t open to the general public until Saturday. It’s museum members only right now. :( I’ll be sure to go if I have another trip before it closes.
tired. going to bed.
9:52 PM
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
it’s been three days, sir
MySpace lost my whole f***ing blog entry! f***ers.
okay, in summary:
1. Python reference in title
2. way past original schedule. to be expected.
3. planned fine dining did not occur. local food blows.
4. M’s parents are cool
5. Culver’s custard is yummy
6. M is a terrific asset to this trip, and will be sorely missed when I’m on my own
7. tired; up since 5; hours to go
8. tomorrow’s plans include art museum, riverwalk
9. should i buy Wisconsin or Milwaukee t-shirt at airport shop?
8:36 PM
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
I forgot about the lap dance
“I’m naked, I’m on your lap, and I’m singing…”
…shoot, it was something by Blondie. Nice choice, Pat. It was like you knew me!
I was told I turned a new shade of red.
6:36 PM
Sunday, April 23, 2006
sunday’s activites
Hmmm, it would seem that Milwaukee is plagued with the same generic boxes that Westminster is filled with. That being said, tonight Megan took me to Club Paragon, a smoky, divey, beer-swilling, dart-throwing venue at which to see Pat McCurdy who puts on one hell of a show. Butcher, you should try to see him when you’re next in town. Sit back, have a Leinie, and enjoy yourself.
Oh, ya, and we had fried cheese curds. I kept my promise to Deven. :)
Currently listening :
The Big, Bright Beautiful World of Pat McCurdy
By Pat McCurdy
10:28 PM
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Who’da thunk?
Who would have thought that changing my profile photo to one of me hacking away at leftover ham would have spurred the bizarre influx of messages (read: come-ons) that I’ve been receiving from bodybuilding halfwits? Sorry, that’s mean. They’re probably fully-witted but simply didn’t take advantage of the public education that was offered them.
Request to my male friends out there: am I missing something?
2:52 PM
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Little Muskrat Place
Although the exact etymology of the name is uncertain, “Wisconsin” is thought to be an English version of a French adaptation of an Indian word. It may come from the Ojibwe word Miskwasiniing, meaning “Red-stone place,” which was probably the name given to the Wisconsin River, and was recorded as Ouisconsin by the French and changed to its current form by the English. The modern Ojibwe name, however, is Wiishkoonsing or Wazhashkoonsing, meaning “muskrat-lodge place” or “little muskrat place.” Other theories are that the name comes from words meaning “Gathering of the Waters” or “Great Rock.”Ya, sure. Lead me to them there, ah, cheese curds don’tcha know.
I should soooo be asleep right now. I’ve got an early morning ahead.
10:04 PM
Monday, April 17, 2006
Whee!
Mandy is in town, which is absolutely fabulous. I picked her up at the airport Thursday night, and we went with Amy to dinner at The Coral Room. I’ve taken the time off from work, so Friday was a little shopping, a little Feaster prep, the botanic gardens (lovely), all followed by dinner on Amy’s deck.
Saturday was a lazy morning leading up to dim sum with the regulars and some possible soon-to-be regulars? And a serendipitous run-in with an acquaintance whom I haven’t seen in years. Fun times. Mandy and I originally planned to dine on sushi, followed by a performance at The Arvada Center but we “settled” for sushi alone. Namiko’s for those of you (Deven) who are interested. Best tuna nigiri I’ve had in a loooong time.
Sunday was prep prep prep for Feaster al fresco. It was lovely to see everyone. I really do have nice friends. I could have made better introductions among them, though. “Deb, this is Skane. Skane has thru-hiked the AT. Skane, Deb is an engineer from MIT.” “Paul, this is Connie. Connie considered living in Bali. Connie, Paul works for NREL.” Oh, well. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves.
Today was BodyWorlds 2. At least, it was supposed to be. After making three attempts to buy tix online before finding an open slot, we finally trekked down with confirmation letter in hand. However, the power had just gone out in that section of town and no-one was being admitted to the museum. We hit an architectural salvage warehouse instead, but the second warehouse of its type (and the one officially on our itinerary today) was closed. Lunch at Tamayo and some tasty gelato from Gelazzi gave us the energy to carry on. A long, luxurious trip to Meininger’s and a little mid-century shopping along Broadway was just the thing to fill out the day before heading home.
Tomorrow is scheduled for NCAR and some Boulder-ness. Whee!
6:08 PM
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Unca Dave, pt. II
After enough “no news,” I called my dad this morning. Dave is improving, and is expected to be out of the hospital in three days or so. They then expect anywhere from six weeks to six months of recovery time. When he’s healthy enough, they’ll start looking into what’s up with his heart.
There was a misunderstanding somewhere along the way; his heart attack actually predated the meningitis. He just didn’t realize he’d had one (or perhaps a few).
So right now he’s on an IV for hydration and antibiotics, he’s tired, and he’s in pain from the meningitis. And of course there’s the whole heart issue. Other than that, he’s fine. :)
Whew.
8:16 AM
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Unca Dave
That’s “Unca,” not “Uncle.” My sister and I are long past old enough to just call him Dave, but it sort of flows as all one word after all this time. Uncadave. Besides, I think he likes it.
Unca Dave is my dad’s younger brother. He’s the quintessential blonde surfer with a closet full of guitars. I still can’t think of him as being a day over 26. My grandparents’ house had the perfect rehearsal space for a garage band, so he was always in one. I still have a couple of their posters. And he had a pachinko machine in his room when he was a teenager, he would sometimes let me in to play. When he could be bothered with his brother’s little kid. :)
Unca Dave is in the hospital. He came down with some freak case of meningitis, and while in the hospital having a spinal tap, he had a heart attack. The doctors say the heart attack is unrelated, but that doesn’t ease my concern in any way. He’s relatively young and healthy; what the hell is he having a heart attack for?
My dad has assured me that Dave will be okay. Michelle, Dave’s wife, says he’s been moved from the ICU to the “heart unit” and has developed pneumonia, which they tell me is pretty normal in a hospital. Dad flew out earlier today. I’m waiting for a phone call or email with an update. I guess no news is good news.
10:26 PM
Monday, April 10, 2006
dammit dammit dammit
The largest needle I could find, from the damn KNITTING section of the craft supply store, isn’t large enough to handle the cording I’m determined to work into this painting. I’ve tried splitting the cord, but it tears when unspun. This derails me for another day.
grumble.
9:52 PM
the view from inside my comfortable box
I have been making a concerted effort recently to Get Out. So far, I’m enjoying myself. Shhh, don’t tell anyone.
While I’m still not a big fan of large groups, I did almost attend a dinner opportunity with a pile of strangers on Friday. I was waylaid by a very welcome houseguest, so the dinner didn’t happen for me. I am scheduled to attend a birthday party that will be chock-full of strangers during an upcoming weekend. It remains to be seen if my head will explode. Exploding head syndrome may also be a result of said birthday party being held at The Reef, a dueling piano bar for those not in the know.
If, perchance, Someone Who Stares Danger In The Face To Prove Himself Invincible is reading this, I don’t actually condone riding lidless. In sandals, no less. Signed, She Who Takes No Risks. :)
Really must paint now…
8:17 PM
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Off The Radar
I feel a little out of touch this week, as I spend every free moment catching up on two years of a webcomic that I only just stumbled across on Monday.
Right now, drop everything and visit both Questionable Content and IndieTits. What are you still doing here? Go!
Also note: mousing over IndieTits comics will bring up bonus author commentary! Whee!
8:33 AM
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Ode to -my- G
My G is the hard-hitting G
of Graphics Goddess
and Google Guru,
not some J
with an identity crisis,
no squishy gelatine
or servile genuflecting
for my G.
8:19 AM
Sunday, April 02, 2006
gifts
I’m determined to begin this week on a spiritual high, which is in stark contrast to the deep funk I was in yesterday. As a result, this blog entry guarantees to be somewhat disordered.
I have been blessed with many gifts during the last few days, and dammit, I’d better cherish them:
I sold a necklace on my etsy site before it had even been posted for 24 hours. After the shipping fees (I’m offering free shipping through April 12) and listing fees and PayPal Premiere fees, I don’t think I made any profit. But it feels good that something went so quickly. And if anyone is interested, there are two more very similar items available… :)
I had an impromptu grilled dinner with Skane on Tuesday. The weather, the food, and the company were all a pleasant and unexpected experience.
I was given a promotion on Thursday, one that I’d been fighting for for quite some time. Not only did they give me everything I had asked for, but the final decision was preceded by my “boss” telling me how much my work is valued. And that really does count for a lot – when it’s backed up. :)
I finally met, in person, someone whom I’ve come to trust and respect via our online conversations. And Deven is just as he represents himself; smart, funny, engaging. It was a pleasure.
timber and I had a talk yesterday that I hope is the catalyst for a clean slate. If only we didn’t get along so well, this might be easier for both of us. But then, it would be hard in different ways. There are no shortcuts. I’ll choose to be glad that we’re working through sorrow rather than anger.
From Ursa: You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.
I was so close to backing out of attending my friend’s gallery opening (plug for Doja here), but decided to “force” myself. And I had a great time. It was so good to see Jonathan, and I met some people who seem fun and interesting.
I came across a themed Call for Entries, and it just so happens that I have two paintings that have been looking for precisely this particular inspiration before completion. I’m excited to get back to it and enter them.
10:10 AM
shoes and pie 