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.