Its On! Kumoricon!

I'm feathered with wisps of acrylic wig. I'm using the lint roller to un-itch myself. Robert's watching Jaws I upstairs. The 'Great Food Experiment Part III' is over ice. Pinky's dish is a towering mass of cat chow. The yard is a swamp prepared for the weekend heatwave. We are off! Five Anime Freaks in a Buick launch at 6am tomorrow! (And the chicas begged for Starbucks in the AM....ah! I must be holy!)

Spareroom

If you read C.S. Lewis while growing up you will understand how to pronounce Spareroom. If you didn't- well you just pronouce it like normal, and I may mercilessly judge you.
My sister, Jennifer, posted this today on her Facebook, and I laughed for a good two minutes, but more importantly I lost the game. The game where you sing a song and see if you can get whomever around you to sing it. I was noisily inflecting 'Rainier Beer' all day.
When I was younger I had the privilege of living with my Sister, Mom and Dad- all in the same house! I've been trying to replicate that experience in my own home. It was that awesome.
We moved twice when I was young, and I thought it was the coolest and most exciting thing ever. I loved it. We moved into a rental house- and not your typical rental house. It was replete with a hot tub, neighbors who took you on sleigh rides!, a horse corral, a chimney that kindly delivered our cat back to us on Christmas Eve covered in soot, and a kitchen island. I thought it was pretty sweet.
It also had a spare room that had a poster of the Rainier Beer ad. The infamous Rainier Beer Ad! We were told that the woman who lived there, her daughter created the campaign. Who knows if this is myth or fact.... but I'm sure it was much to my parent's chagrine that Jennifer and I marched around the house for longer than a week chanting, 'RAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNEEEEERRR BEEEEEEERRRRR'. It was intoxicating.
I slept in the room with the poster. Jennifer will tell you it was because I pinned her down and drooled on her face. But the truth is that it was fairly negotiated-with a little pancake and a bite plate.
Thanks Jennifer for posting!

'Its Dark Now You Should Head Home....'

The future is sitting right now in your living room. And its good to see him again. He's on your couch, talking to you, waiting for you to finish his sentences and fill in the capitol of North Dakota. He wants you to ride your bike, eat some homemade meals, laugh at night time television (aka Wipeout!), and hear his pain. These are all noble pursuits. I'm planning on being the noblest.

Hayley saunters on to High School through this fence tomorrow. I wish it were a vignette from High School Musical (FAME!), and we will dance and sing our way to graduation. Instead I'm worrying if juice boxes are 'cool'.

I'm daydreaming about 'driving all night to hit LA in the morning light', waking up on the tundra in nowhere Alaska, setting my cruise control at 90 mph meditating while S. Idaho passes by and pumping my fist in the air to anyone that wants to sing in my face. My restlessness of Indian Summer is blooming.

Fruit Basket

Fruit Basket
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

I don't think I've ever needed coffee more in my life than I need coffee right now. Maybe that's a gross overstatement. I'm off to finish out the last 12 of 72 hours of a weekend gone awry. My delegation skills are in a ditch somewhere around last week. Its been fun, its been busy, and full of exhaustive conversation!

Talkin' Poop

talkin' poop
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

Ingrid's stopping in town tonight with her husband Joe, and I am just taking a moment to reminisce. I also don't want to burden you with the slim contents of my brain; which happens to be: GO! STOP! WHAT?! FAKE SMILE! Ingrid knows me too well, and she knows that mostly I walk around saying, 'F%&#! What was I thinking?' and singing 'The Final Countdown'.

Ingrid's done umpteen billion things for me without any kind of reward- I'm ashamed to say- not even a thank you card. And for some reason she still talks to me.
So- I'm off for cocktails, dinner, some good bye tears, and THEN... a reunion with Ingrid and Joe. Yahoo! I think I'll bring puke-a-choo!

Stuntmaster

the runt.
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

An unbalanced cat-brain.

Narcissism

Narcissist.
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

If you could play this entry backwards on your turntable it would say, 'There are other more important things you should, could and would be doing right now'.... ad nauseaum. I've too often found myself here in front of this screen reminiscing through photos. Its completely addictive. I'm lucky that I don't have a documentary film on the illustrious me, because I have a sinking feeling that I'd be watching it in my basement over and over again.
I've always been leery of hobbies. I'm confirming my fears.
I heart conquering fears.
We are finally shifting into lower gears, and the race called 'Summer' is coming into the final stretch. I'm ready for more summer, but instead of the marathon could we finish this out with a lazy float trip?? Dinner is on the table most nights by 7- thanks to our in house chef, Roberre. The weeds are waiting to be pulled, and the bills are still there on billpay. Robert and I were playing cribbage in the kitchen after dinner (delicious baby bok choy, flat noodles, and cherry tomatoes in a captivatingly fresh summer sauce!- you can catch a foodie photo in my flickr), and enjoying each other's company (Mostly arguing about who likes John McCain more, haha) and watching our cat-brained pet, Pinky, cleaning herself in the window. She's a loud licker. She fell out of the window. She fell out of the window!!! The lillies below cushioned her cat-footed landing. The rustle when she landed sent Robert and me into hysterics, and she slunk back into the house under a chorus of smacktalk. Ah, homestyle entertainment. I think warp speed has just graduated to slo-mo.

Big Red Sun

N&K chillaxing.
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

It was a wild three days of go! stop! relax! go! stop! relax! go! I've realized this is my life in a nutshell- with an exclamation point. We had a great three days with Nina,Randy and Katya at Nina's family yurt in the San Juans.
We pumped water, composted our human waste, lit candles, and snored in circle. The Buick was vertically challenged, but Hayley was too tired to get out and walk. It was blistering hot! even in the San Juans. We hiked, peed by the full moon, played ace-hole and drank lukewarm wine. Hayley sewed the last bit of bling onto her costume. The attractions were furthest by walking- so we decided to walk to them. The blackberries were ripe, and some were delicious. The baby whales made a guest appearance in our absence- but you can see them in the weekend edition of the Seattle P.I. We ate dinner by lamp light, created sundials out of giant sticks, and smiled at each other the few times Katya cried. Hayley endured the natural attrocities only for a bite of Sushi in Seattle. She was such a good sport its on the calendar for next year.

Kumoricon '07

Kumoricon '07
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

Its that time of summer when I can sing most Europe-ishly....'Its the Final Countdown'. (insert air guitar RIGHT HERE.)

Fourteen days until High School! (Does anyone have all seasons of 'Square Pegs??') Thirty five days until I can whoop up some My Morning Jacket high kicks. In just 56 days, the most fantastical Mariachi event since 1000 A.D. .... and certainly not least-
SEVENTEEN DAYS until Kumoricon 2008. Hayley's bringing the troops. Kenzie and Shannon are trying on costumes, whining for their parents to sign their permission slips and Hayley's sewing the final touch of 'bling' on to her costume.
In a final twist of fate, I'll be able to attend after all! I skipped out on all of my midriff strengthening exercises in favor of mint ice cream sandwiches, and will be wearing a potato sack. Sorry dudes, I'll spare you Team Rocket's saggy gut.
In just 24 hours we'll arrive at our final summer vacation destination: A yurt on an island. Three cheers for Texas Hold'em, moonlight hikes, and campfires- its the last leg of the dog days of summer. Smoke'em if you got'em.

Turkish Delight

mariachi loco
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

I'll make this short and sweet: All you Turkish Delight eaters can take a hike.

When you sweat long enough you'll smile, and when you smile you'll enjoy the righteousness of Mariachi! LONG LIVE MARIACHI LOCO..... and its on for 2008! Save the Date. I'm sweating for it right now.

FLUTE 7.5

Camp Entertainer
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

Band Camp was not at all what it was fabled to be. At the pre-funk a roomful of pessimists prepared me for the worst, and I was pleasantly surprised by the time Wednesday rolled around. Six days were full of prying liplocked teenagers apart, chasing girls back into their beds at 11:30pm and laughing at youthful attempts at witticism. I was soaking up every second of tomfoolery, ingenious excuses and the gregarious energy we call teenage-hood. The days were relaxingly packed with shower schedules, picking up trash, delivering SNACK!!, chaperoning to the beach, playing cribbage with my camp pals, using my 'Dad' voice A LOT, proportionate servings of easily identifiable food, saying 'breaker breaker 1-9...could someone please pick up the margaritas in the mess hall' into the walkie talkies, and washing dishes. It was as if M*A*S*H and High School Musical had cosmically collided. At the dance a giant conga line with teenagers grinning from ear to ear snaked around the building connected through both doors! And they only had water and orange drink! Its inspiring to know we each have a huge capacity to act young. It was chaotic hilarity from start to finish. Thanks Lynn for inviting me, and..... yes, its true; I'll see you again next year.

funny stuff

funny stuff
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

Me: post-bandcamp. I'll see you on the other side... Life is amazing, and I'm ready to put the proof in the pudding. Ciao-I'm on the bus! I'll see you in seven days.

Relaxing...

hammocks
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

Please forgive me for the photo from my last vacation. Possibly once you've heard the contents of my impending vacation you will understand the euphemism. Robert and Hayley both crash land tonight at the house. Its a short and sweet reunion before Hayley and I jet off in our School Bus to BAND CAMP! I'm a counselor at Band Camp. I think it will be fun- I'm positively visualizing tons'o'fun. I hope that prayer and visualization is enough. Because other than that all I have is some rubber gloves to search for 'rule-breaking' items in teenager's bags, and a daft smile. Think of this picture as.... well, just a joke. The last time I was a camp counselor I had the witlessness to name myself something very unfortunate, but I was blonde. It hasn't dawned on me until lately how hilarious it was for every of-age counselor around me. I was only 14, and pretty sheltered- so give me a break. I named myself.......Pooh. As in WINNIE THE POOH you sillies!!! It was an interesting two weeks, and I don't think any 3rd of 4th grader- unless they were a boy- really caught on. HAHA. So maybe a good name for me this year, Pooh Head?? That's cute, right?

And then we pray...

funny faces.
Originally uploaded by wendysteere

One of the great things about your husband leaving town is that you remember that he is not the only one that should be talking to your family. Robert works in the same building as my parents.... and if you lived in our town of 2 degrees of separation you would understand what I mean. This week I've gone out to a meal with my mother TWICE!! And that is a miracle. So- she's easily indulged me in my quest of all things carnivorous. I've been reading Anne Lamott's 'Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith', and its really bridged the gap for me between my Mom's Christianity, and my own (until recently) non-existent spirituality. I just love how down to earth Anne Lamott is, how she has dropped the f-bomb a couple of times and she reminds me of Erma Bombeck- but with a little more Jesus. To bring it all home; My mom reminds me most of Erma Bombeck than anyone I know AND if Jesus was running for President, he would pick my Mom as a running mate. She's definitely cool enough to hang with Jesus while figuring out how to win in the polls. I told my mom a praying story of mine earlier in the week, and she had enough self control to NOT send me every prayer and bible study book she had collected in the last ten years. My mother is a saint! Sitting down to dinner with her tonight, I saw how she tells stories just like my Grandma (her mother), and I just thought, AMAZING! And then I prayed.... that I would tell them just the same.