ground score

eight of clubs: seventh and e burnside parking lot (7.23.11)

corn!! jack of diamonds gifted from mount shasta

Vroom, vrroooom

highly recommend allure of the automobile currently showing at the portland art museum.

 this car literally was steve mcqueen's car!

 nice grill (not steve mcqeens car.. a different car now) 

i loved this car. the grey on grey is beautiful... to bad i was too short to really see the interior.

this grill is like a building.

ostrich skin leather interior... 

oooo... ooo...mister kotter

i got sucked in..

i got sucked into looking at other people's blogs... granted it's only been like a half hour since i got home but you can still cover a lot of "ground" in a short amount of time.

i've been thinking about quilting. 
again!

toying with the idea of taking a quick little class with the pdx seamsters. they certainly don't seem as uptight as some people, er the modern domestic ladies.. 
by that i specifically mean, it looks like i could in fact sign up for a quilting class without having a lot of sewing machine knowledge. 
i mean it says "fun and simple intro: quilt as you go" see they aren't telling me that quilting is out of my league. or that i have to accomplish all these other little projects before moving forward. 

i'm i nuts in thinking and believing that i can make a quilt rather "easily"? 


i know it's not super easy but ...


then i was thinking about the up coming ladies "tea" party i'm having. 
i should set up my sewing macine outside and give everyone a few pieces of fabric where we can all design individual blocks that eventually could be sewn together. 
                                    hmm. am i onto something


or is this a ridiculous idea 

high in the sky

sweeeet-tart!

i don't really crave a lot of sweets. mc61 can snack on chocolate. snack on frozen yogurt or ice cream but i can bypass it.


lately i've been wanting to do something with the puff pastry in our freezer. 
i mean, what do you do with it besides my spinach / feta triangles?! 

look at all those vibrant colors! 

after getting one puff pastry sheet to room temperature, you mush it into a pie dish, bake it at 400 degrees for about fiftteen minutes 
then take it out throw some strawberries and peaches on top... think it might be too sweet 
                    then add a nice artisan cheese on top. bake for a few more minutes. 


then of course you just want to cram the whole friggin' think in your mouth because it IS that good! god damn i love puff pastry.


side note: in making this "dish" i remarked that i can't make pretty dough. and think that more bakeries should put the "looking perfect" aside. show me uneven crusts, uneven everything and i will be so excited. didn't someone say there is perfection in the imperfection?!
well, there is a proverb a beautiful thing is never perfect. 

champagne kissses...

this past fourth of july we drove north to attend a wedding.
it provided an opportunity to see old friends and acquaintances. even though many destinations aren't too far, we still fall into routines and never pass "go".    

it felt great to get away. i actually like part of the drive north on i-five. you can still catch glimpses of old barns from the highway.  i'm reminded of places where i grew up. not to mention i really like being on the open rode. i like driving and seeing the land.




                                           


       YES i'm sure it's better when you're on a bike with no vehicle obstructing you... sheesh!




this wedding felt different. i felt more apart of it. we went stopped into the pre-gathering the night before which sort of gives you a leg up... you've met people. you also get to see the bride and groom at a time when not everyone will be vying for their time. we are glad we went.

there were nine of us, five of which were representing the groom's special messenger community. and honestly, i hope that the nine of us plus said bride and groom can get together again sometime. our evening was filled with laughter and ease. as was our impromptu lunch with mc61`s cousin and family. they just happened to be catching a cruise from seattle the same weekend.  


laughter and ease are wonderful things. picking up where one has left things as if no actual time has passed... ahh refreshing.

i don't want to give the impression that we dislike the folks we know in seattle, or that there's bad blood. i think for me i'm searching for "family", for meaningful relationships. i care deeply about the people in my life, i want the best for them, even if i may not "get" some decisions..i can always learn to understand and support them. i would hope that the same could be said about the people i know towards me. 
sometimes it's hard to see or feel the return. i think i'm a giver and there are times when i'm not very good at asking.. at clearing my throat and speaking up. yeah, i'm sure that sounds funny if you know me... i can be quite opinionated however, that's not what i'm getting at..
i don't like feeling like i'm always complaining about the same thing and not doing anything about it. some times things, changes, decisions are complex and take time to be resolved. the past month has been difficult in terms of my magical work life. however, my life life has started to have some calmness? certainly not clarity because then i'd be posting about moving forward or something... i think i'm digressing....

as corny as it sounds i just felt like there was a lot of love, respect, and support happening at that wedding. it made me feel good. it was certainly good to feel re-connected with people we haven't seen in a while. 


maybe in the day to day grind there isn't much room in terms of letting people know they're special. they are meaningful. 
i try but know i fall short. i have expressed to a few people how much i've appreciated their support in certain aspects of my life. shit i wouldn't be going to pilates if it weren't for a friend not pushing me too hard, but not giving up on my motivation either. now, two months later i'm completely addicted. 


also, i think part of that weekend reminded me that i don't have to be so hard. it's okay to lighten up and let people in a little bit more. build the family i want. be more of the person i want or that i envision myself to be. 

chocolate flavored kisses...

waking up to the sun makes me wish i didn't have a job. 
i probably shouldn't say that but i only mean that summer makes me want to take a vacation. to get out and enjoy the sun instead of being in an office looking at the sunny day. 

although with the sun comes the blooms. with the blooms comes the allergy bullshit. the side of my head that runs above the ear all the way to the back of my neck has been feeling super sensitive lately. we have an old vent in the front room of our house that connects to the inner workings that leads to the basement. i can smell it, the dusty, muskiness. we have a flowering tree in the backyard that's fragrance is so strong, you can smell it in the front of the driveway. all i want to do is grab the sheers and hack the crap out of it. 
oh pretty, pretty tree with blooming white flowers. hack. hack. hack.
 i can even smell the weird particle cedar flooring in my office. my nose is on high alert.

i feel a little like julianne moore in safe, maybe not to that extreme though.
oh don't know that movie... suburb housewife starts feeling sick due to all the chemicals in her life. what's a gal to do? move to a safe, serene desert get-away.... it's actually a great movie.