ship collage

ship collage
Originally uploaded by onehalfpint

So in response to my brother, here is a piece of work. A ship. It's a lonely ship, despite the color.

Approach with Caution

Again, the holidays are nipping at my heels and I have not done anything to prepare. I guess I have dreams of making handmade christmas cards and baking cookies, while listening to Bing Crosby. Instead, I know I am going to be running around, totally hassled, trying to do last minute Christmas shopping. I really want to enjoy this holiday. But it can be difficult, what with all the past tensions and stressors. Alas, maybe my new medication will make it easier to handle.

I have been reading a lot. I went on Georgette Heyer bender, where I read The Corinthian, False Colours, The Quiet Gentleman and April Lady. I have read so many of her books, sometimes I forget which ones I have already read. I do then pick up the lingo and start saying things like "havey cavey" and "funning" and "petticoat line". In between this stint, I have also read the Golden Compass and am now reading Caleb Carr's Angel of Darkness.

I just received a new book from Chevy Chase and his wife...as a thank you for all the work I do at FoE. It was a thoughtful gift. Although to be honest, when I saw the gift, I thought, who are the Chases. Do I know any Chases? Thanks to G for filling me in and giving me her email to thank them.

There is so much to do. SO MUCH.

I am intensely proud of my brother for uploading his work on his myspace page. However, I think maybe a flickr account would help him more. More people can gain access to it.

Time to do some work...although with our weeklong holiday approaching, so many people have already left the office. It's crazy. It is so quiet here.

Don't Buy the Big Nuclear Lie

name change

I have been married for approximately four and a half months. I think that Patrick and I are very chill--we still smile when we say things in passing like, "My wife and I..." but other than that, we aren't all married in your face type of people.

The only hellish thing that has occurred since we got married is my attempt at changing my name.

Patrick and I discussed it before we got married. We thought that though it would be possible to have our kids have the last name without me having to change mine, that it would be better to present a united front. Besides, this being the patriarchal society it is, it's not like I am making a statement my keeping my dad's name. I felt that it would also be more proof my love for him.

I did the simple things first: my email. Then I stepped into the legal morass of changing one's identity and it's fucking hell.

I did it backwards--changing my name on my bank accounts. The lady at the bank said that I really should have done my SSN first and then my ID card and THEN my accounts. How are you going to prove who you are when you take out money? Panicking, I filled out my SSN name change form, freaking about whether or not I was going to keep my beloved middle name or change it now to my maiden name. I spent a hellish 20 minutes in the SSA office when their computers went down. Fortunately for me, they could grab my application and proofs of identity and let me leave.

After two weeks, I had received my new social security card. I was now ready to tackle the license. Except, that I wasn't. I left it alone, figuring I needed time to focus on other things, LIKE: credit cards, magazine subscriptions, health and car insurance, savings accounts, registration, title, and god knows what else.

I have made it about halfway through that list. I am about to fly to San Francisco. Patrick made the tickets in our married name and my photo ID still says KIRK.

I decide I would go and get a DC's drivers license, as that's where we live. I show up with all the documents I think I need and am told I need a birth certificate. I cry, curse DC and my own stupidity and say, fine, screw DC. I will just change the name on my MD license as that will be simple AND I could be moving back to MD really soon.

I take my license and a copy of my marriage certificate. I take 2 buses to get to the MVA in Wheaton MD. I wait in line. A nice woman calls me up and asks me what I need to get done. I say change my name. She says, "Great, I just need to see your license and ORIGINAL marriage certificate." I start moaning, I think. She tells me that all I need to do is run home, get the real one and I can come to the front of the line. I run out of the MVA crying into the phone.

I don't know what is with me and crying at registries but it's happened now twice. Patrick had to call the airline and change my name back to the original. The operator said, "She could bring her ID and her marriage certificate and that would work." Patrick opted for a paid change instead, because, as you know, I have TONS of luck with that certificate. All I would need is for the teller to say, OH NO, you need to have the original AND your birth certificate.

I hate this process. I hate the loopholes and the bureaucracy. When I am filling out forms, I don't know whether to use my new name or my old one. It is still just me. Why does it have to be so difficult.

the mobile age

P and I got new phones. And by new phones, I mean, mini-computers I can make a phone call with. It's disturbing and fun. I have also set this up so that I can blog from my phone. I can't ever see myself needing this feature, but why not set it up.

Burgeoning new beginnings. Gym. Good Night Sleeps. A smattering of nice things. Enjoy the fall that's coming to you.

ms .holly

 
Ms Holly passed away earlier this year. I found this photo of her--and I think she looks pretty in this one. She was getting so old and creaky, that she lost some of her perk, but in this picture, I think you can imagine her eyebrows going up and her ears peaking just to hear what we were saying.

This week I am to take care of our remaining childhood pet, Kisa. He is almost 21 years old. I am so afraid he will die in between my visits and I will feel awful because I wasn't with him constantly. He is definitely living on social interactions and food. He eats a lot more than he used to. He yells a lot more than he used to.

All hail childhood pets for putting up with our growing and leaving, for enduring pokings and embarrassing photos, for being able to love us all the same.

birthday

It's Patrick's birthday today. It couldn't be a more beautiful day either. Finally, some low humidity and clear skies and the temperature? In the low 80's. Awesome.

We went to the Red Sox v Orioles last night at Camden Yards. Red Sox LOST in the 9th inning. It was so sad. The whole game happened in the 8th and was lost in the 9th. We got lost again leaving the stadium...and ended up driving onto 695 to 95. Then right when we were supposed to hit 495 west, we heard there was a huge acident on the beltway. We took a different route, that I almost felt was faster. We ended up finishing off our night at the Diner, having grilled cheese and singing along to 80's hits.

Today, I make a carrot cake with frosting. Then, we clean, watch more red sox and then have dinner at Vegetate. Later friends are coming over for cake and beer.

In my brief news reading this morning, I heard that a judge in Illinois ruled that Pharmacists can refuse to sell Plan B. What the fuck?

Sorry, I refuse to get in the bad vibes here. Although my garden is dying and my tummy is too fat. Ok, move on!

me and the album

me and the album
Originally uploaded by onehalfpint

Finally got some of the wedding photos uploaded. There are more to come, but I am slow slow slow with this. This should not be my only creative thing today, but it might be.

Trying to figure out next steps. Reminds me of Strictly Ballroom and "new steps". Perhaps that should be my motto: new steps, new steps! I took Mishka to see that when we graduated. Was I totally lame or what? Now, I don't even know where she is. I think DC is a good place to be, but there are too many reminders, weird things, past peoples here.

Regardless, here are the photos.

I am going to go run off all this angst.

holga fun

beach.jpg
Originally uploaded by onehalfpint

This is two years old...or maybe even three. It's from when David and I went to Sea Colony and I brought the Holga I have. I love that I know the figure to the right is my brother, crashing through the waves.

Yahoo sent Flickr all my photos, so now I have an insane amount of pictures to sort through. I am finding all these treasures. Hopefully, this will inspire more picture taking and art making.

photos soon

One thing I will miss when I have a new job, is this weekday off thing. I do enjoy the solitary slow feeling of a weekday. I can feel productive because I am off the radar. Of course, today's grand projects generally involve waiting for other people. I am waiting for both comcast and crate&barrel. One is to fix something, one is to deliver something.

My tomato plants have blossoms! It's so glorious to see this. I grew them from seed and now they are 2.5 feet tall and blossoming. I am worried about their health, but after lots of reasearch, I have decided to give them some milk. This will be something I do later on this evening, as it's best to feed, water etc in the twilight hours. Today the humidity is low, so HOPEFULLY all my plants will dry out a bit. The heavy rains and humidity have made it jungle out there, and for some of my plants, especially the toms, that's hell.

I also got some houseplant clippings from marion. Today they go into pots. I also have to harvest more basil, so that P and I can make pesto balls. We make pesto and roll them up into little balls, or place in ice cube trays, and freeze them. Then when we want pesto, we just plop one out. Such a pleasant way to store my basil.

I also plan to make popsicles, with the lovely popsicle mold that Drew gave us for our wedding.

I have already scanned the contest listings today for poetry contests, and nothing seemed enticing. This means today is a good day for writing and putting things together. I also have a few other dreams:

put together a book of my zines
buttons buttons buttons
redo my website

These things call for a bit of strategery and a meeting with my cohort, Patrick.

There are also some business things to deal with, involving invoices and phone calls.

I want to do a photo update of my plants and life, so you soon.

identity crises

P had to help me through another bout of depression. This job/career thing is really stressing me out. I need a new job, but I don't want a career in the things that I could get a job in. I don't want to be a communications person in a non profit for the rest of my life, although that would be an interesting and BETTER paying job than I have now. But when I start thinking about what I want to do and all the money and time that will go into getting to any of those things, I start hyperventilating.

I feel like my parents or maybe my mom, see me as a writer or whathaveyou, but won't encourage me to go for it. I don't know. I can't blame her, but I feel, I need, I crave someone telling me I am awesome at this one thing and that I should totally DO something for it.

Anyway, I feel a little ill. Sick, tired. Confused.

I can't wait to get out of this current job.

Tomorrow I can water my plants, get a new social security card and return my car.

frustrating

people. especially people with a need to steal plants or knock them over or maybe place them under a table where they can't get sun JUST for the hell of it. P believes it's our neighborhood--i did find a cigarette butt in my lavender. I guess I don't want to think ill of people--that whomever did this might enjoy turning over a pot. I only hope that the thief is growing my butterfly flower plant for him or herself. I would feel better knowing that.

luckily my tomato plants have been fed worm poo and water and are now standing up and one is really tall and his stem is really thick.

and my peppermint is a green shoot of hope.

and then, really, the flowering catalpa is beginning to show.

they make me feel better in face of dudes calling dudes fucking faggots and people pulling flowers out of flower boxes and people throwing their trash everywhere.

a day in the life

 

I took the camera out to photograph my plants--just so I have a record they were alive before they all die. In the process, I gathered a few more pictures.

Going from the top left and reading like we are supposed to (l-r):
1. My peppermint plant coming back to life. It was knocked over out of its pot by vandals and its roots spent the day drying out. I have cut it done considerably and am now doing daily motivational speeches for it. It's slowly coming back--which makes me very happy.

2. My jade and I have had a long and troubled life together. I am excited to see it growing. The orange dust is cayenne that I sprinkled on it to keep Audrey from snacking.

3. The flowering catalpa that has yet to sprout. It's from our wedding. Ryan's has already sprouted so that made us really excited to try ours out. Hopefully, we'll have a baby tree soon.

4. Aloe. I have almost killed it three times. I don't know why it just doesn't give in. I am horrible to it. I don't mean to be but it just happens. I finally bought the appropriate soil for succulents and mr. aloe is now, oh, cool.

5. The last rose from my bouquet. I had such a hard time getting rid of the bouquet. --it was turning yellow and brown but I wanted it to live forever. Finally, I pulled one rose out of it and Patrick put the rest down the garbage chute. I am trying to dry it out--if Salinger doesn't get to it first.

6.Audrey! Audrey's tongue! I can't believe I got this shot.

7. Petunia drying out from the flood. I love the feeling of petunia petals. I think I really like the word, "petunia".

8. A plant given to me by Marion that is slowly coming to life after living with me for 7 months. I think Audrey gets into it occasionally. I sprinkled it with cayenne too, but perhaps she likes her salads spicy.

9. A baby spider plant. With nibble marks. But it's growing and it makes me happy to see fresh shoots.

10. Patrick's godzilla. Still guarding our window. Now he hangs out with this cool lamp and the chimes we got as a wedding present. It's an eccletic mix. He's all GRRRR and the chimes are chimey.

11. Keeping ties with Boston. Go Sox.

12. Keeping ties with old friends. This was a gift from Wolfson's sister for all the work we did helping him help her for her wedding. I love the mouth. It can hold a lot of bottle tops.

13. Patrick's baseball card. So damn cute. He was a catcher.

14. The cover of one of my favorite books for kids. BOW WOW BUGS A BUG. It's totally trippy and there are no words. The story is told thru pictures--so it's a graphic novel for kids. Ellen in kids thinks it's too old to be downstairs. I think we should bring it upstairs for other adults who love what looks like a drug induced story.

15. Gus gave me a smile. I am using it.

16. Our installation piece. Flowers in our wall.

17. Salinger staying still for .2 seconds.

18. My marigolds and rhododendron. We bought the rhododendron in Chelsea's memory. I thought I killed it, which killed me, thinking it's not good to ruin things that are in memoriam. I talked to Garden District dude and he said, take it outside. It worked. I got green leaves!

19. My citronella geranium. It's supposed to spook mosquitoes. It's not really working because the smell comes when you rub the leaves. Mosquitoes just don't rub the leaves and instead hang out in the soil.

20. Salad! Mesclun from my garden. I am going to eat it in a bit. More of a symbolic salad than a real salad. I hope it's still tasty.

21. My cousin Andrew and me dancing with his daughter. Cuteness incarnate. She had so much energy.

22-25 are repeats.

floods and other metaphors

I had this emotional fallout on Tuesday evening, while I was looking for jobs. I get myself in this cyclical thought process from hell. I can't decide what job I want to apply for because I don't really know what I want to do, but I do know what I want to do--I want to write (or go to school for it). I told myself I could go to library school so that at least I would have a career and some flexibility if we needed to move or something. Then I was like why am I spending money on going to library school when I really want to write, but then I yell at myself for not writing. And then say I should just get a good job. This is hindered by my jumping around and how my face says, I don't really want this as my career in my interviews. Usually this whole process ends up with me in tears, drinking beers and being consoled by P, who must be sick of this whole thing by now.

Yesterday I searched for low-residency programs and more jobs. I felt better. Of course, there is my anger that PP won't look forward and admit that I could be a great asset to their store. I feel like I am getting handed little treats for being good, but that they have no intention of ever promoting me. So I am really forced to look for new jobs, because I can't be acknowledged.

So then, I am thinking that although I love it, why the hell am I doing that web stuff for PP? THey don't acknowledge it or even seem to see its benefits.

Then, yesterday evening, when I was done for work and realizing that I have 2 days off in a row!, we had a severe thunderstorm. The moat that has been dug around our house so that people can re-seal the foundation filled up with a foot of water. Our front entry way filled up with water and leaked into our house, bring silt, gravel, trash and that wonderful moisture smell. I spent a good hour bailing out the entryway while P tried his best to funnel the water out of our backyard. The moat then gave the water a more direct route into our foundation, so our rug is wet in the
bedroom.

This project was only supposed to take three days and now we're heading into the end of the second week of having our foundation exposed. Plus, it has messed up our back "yard" and therefore I can't GARDEN effectively. My plants are traumatized. It's awful.

Within 24 hours many tears and raindrops and bailing out my soul. Then the cover of the Onion: "Writer decides to use water as a metaphor"

b

two rings

 

A white gold wedding band and a googlie eye blue plastic ring. One for eternal love and one for a good game of skeeball.

I don't know when I took off the ring that evan gave me years ago. I have been wearing it on my thumb for ever it feels like...and now it's gone. My skin is beginning to go back to its original shape. I wore it thru my engagement and never felt bad about it. Suddenly, it seemed too crowded on my hands.

married life

has just begun. I like it already though. My mind has totally been given lots of space and freedom now. Like the ability to write in this blog, to dream up new buttons, space out on design, and just think.

Right now, I am making a mental list of the fun things I can do before I go to work tomorrow afternoon:

1. update www.bethesdacares.com
2. transplant some tomatoes
3. operation clean the damn kitchen
4. read more of Kristin Gore's new book, yet to be released, "Sammy's House"
5. think on how to get our wedding website into its next life of being our joint creative website.
6. make some yummy dinner
7. find the person who is using a coach's whistle indiscriminately and loudly and ask him/her to STOP.

advertise?

new topics?

kill the whistle.

get back into the game.

Invite Hell

and if you do, make sure that Kinkos is there to witness it.

P and I are off to fix the mistakes made by one lazy kinkos at another lazy kinkos. We are starting way late in the day and this is only troubling because I am back to work tomorrow.

I need more time off. Work is certainly taking its toll on me, considering we are short-staffed and doubly busy. I want to do my new work, but the old work has to take priority.

I am also in a quandry over a class. I am terribly excited that I got accepted and to work with this person would be so good for me. Yet, it's more money and time that I don't really have. Although, I think we all have more time than we realize. If I put my heart into it, I would have all the time I needed to get the work done for class, the wedding and work.

I feel like I owe P a dinner out or a romantic getaway. I can't afford to do that now, but maybe that really is what the honeymoon is about. Being able to just be around that person again. We've been so busy lately that I wish I could stop the madness for a moment. Anxiety fills all holes. The worry about not getting things done is in the space between getting other things done.

I love listening to P do tech support for my Grandma. "No, no, the mouse, yes, the mouse, put that over the icon that looks like a computer..." I think she really knows what she's doing but loves talking to P.

april first

I left all the other worlds behind, hopefully extricating myself from the old ways.

Several things that I hope to write about in this is: books, bookstore angst, writing, gardening, cooking and homelife with the boy and the cats.

April is National Poetry Month and so we are celebrating with lots of audio books and recordings of poetry. Poetry Speaks has recordings of Tennyson and Whitman and we are ordering Weary Blues, which is Langston Hughes reading to Charles Mingus. I highly recommend it.

Tonight I address invitations, think more on my recommendations and try to get over my frustrating day of work.

Right now, most important, the red sox are playing their first real game of the season. They are losing, which is upsetting, but hey, baseball is upon us and I am drinking beer and relaxing.