February 2010

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Gosh, do I ever love this train wreck, though not the actual train wreck part.  I wince whenever I hear her name in the news.  Bless her heart, I sure hope she works out the myriad issues she’s got going on in her very young life because, man, oh man, can she sing!  At once tender and sweet, yet old and wise, too.  I guess that’s what makes it Rhythm & Blues.  Sometimes I play Back to Black on a loop, singing and dancing and dreaming of bouffant hair and thick eyeliner.  As a matter of fact, I think I’ll do that right now.  It’s pretty fine.

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Possession

Believe that you have it, and you have it.

Latin Proverb

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Have I ever told you about how the hubster and I share a preternatural ability for wanting the same thing at the very same time?  And not just once in a blue moon, either.  It is a rather regular occurrence and doesn’t stem from nineteen years of being a couple – it’s happened all along.  The most memorable and thrilling example occurred rather early in our relationship.  We’d been dating for a few months, and I knew, deep in my heart of hearts, that this man was IT, I-T, IT, so, as we were lying in bed one morning, I asked him to marry me.  Never one to lose his temper, and much to my surprise, he slammed his fist on the bedside table and said, “I was just going to ask YOU!”  We laughed, kissed, and hugged, and knew we were off to a great start.  The same goes for moving to Oregon.  I got it in my mind that we should leave Colorado.  Lo and behold, on the very afternoon I decided to tell the hubster, he came into our apartment and said, “I think we should move.”  Magic.

So, it should come as no surprise that we were both itching to go for a drive in the country this past weekend, to do a little something different, decide to eat at one restaurant, hear about another equally enticing one and (without mentioning a word so as not to disappoint the other) want to eat at said establishment rather than the first, only to discover that the first restaurant was closed for a private party, and we both got what we wanted again (insert giggles and smiles here).  Life really is grand, especially when you are on the same wavelength.

McMinnville, our delightful destination, is a neat town or maybe city?  It has a population of 32,762 (I am trusting the sign and my memory of it are both correct), with some great architecture and restaurants.  Being in Oregon wine country, there are lots and lots of places in town to sample the delicious fruits of their labor.  As serendipity would have it, we just so happened to be there on the monthly art walk and wine tasting, buying a bottle of Coelho Pinot Noir and some blackberry honey, too.

A clever and beautiful arrangement of flowers.

I think he liked it.

La Rambla – Tapas for dinner.

Our beautiful dining partner.

I prefer his company.

Time to go!

Hello friends!

I’ve made a few changes around here, as of late, and thought I’d share them with you.  First, and most obvious, the watercolors.  I’ve been wanting to get back to them for quite some time now but always found a reason not to, like sitting around on my duff (as my Grandpa used to tease me), watching senseless television (LOST is on tonight!), or surfing the web, looking at other people’s sketches.  This last one is the most silly, really.  I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent (on my duff) in front of the computer looking at other people’s creations then lost all motivation to make anything of my own.  What kind of sense does that make?  Exactly.  So, here we go.  I thought of making a pledge to post a photo of something I’ve painted at least once a week (even if it is a bit lopsided), but a tight knot of “accountability panic” formed in my belly.  I am not as evolved as I would like to think – so hopefully I will, but maybe I won’t.  Darn Geminis.

As for the other something new, I have taken a job with my naturopath.  I went in for my well woman exam about a month ago, and she asked if I would like to help out a couple days a week.  Not only was I extremely flattered that she asked, but really excited.  How wonderful to have the privilege of working in an environment about which I am very passionate and making a little money, too.  Something I haven’t done for three years!  As well, the hubster is happy that it will get me out of the house a bit more.  This may surprise you, especially since I am such a social gal here on the interwebs, but I am quite the loner, and interacting with others will save me a lot of one-sided conversations and needless worry in my head.  Truth be told, I often prefer being alone to the company of other people.  When I was a kid, I arranged the furniture in my room so I could be in it, with the door open (closed doors meant mischief to my mom – and with good reason – I’ll tell you below), yet hidden from view.  I would lie on the floor, thoroughly engrossed in a book, while eating dry cereal from a brown paper sack (there’s probably a deeper meaning to this last bit).  At those times, I would delight at being in a Little House on the Prairie, a Secret Garden, or with the Girls of Canby Hall for the whole of an afternoon.  I am not exaggerating when I say that was the height of splendor – still is, though I no longer need to hide.

Two stories that lead to no closed doors for Sohn children – my brothers and I, in some wild fit of boredom one summer afternoon after swim lessons, devised a game.  We tightly rolled our beach towels and put rubber bands at the ends, to keep them together.  Then, we blocked out any bit of light in their room, stuffing a pillow in the window and another towel under the crack of the door.  Once we had the desired amount of darkness, we chose one of us to be “it” and then blindfolded and whipped said person (all the while shouting wu-tang!) until they grasped the towel from the offender, and that person was it.  It was all fun and games until we broke the light fixture a second time and could no longer lie and say that we had no idea how it happened.

In another wild fit of boredom, we decided that my brother’s Little Tikes football toy box resembled a space ship.  One of us would get inside and the other two would smack things on the side (asteroids!), rock it violently back and forth (turbulence!), and spin it on the floor (a black hole!).  When we decided that this wasn’t enough, we sneaked a roll of duct tape and sealed the lid shut before pushing our brave astronaut down the stairs (crash landing!).  Here, we were, rather unfortunately, interrupted by my mom hearing the crash (she must have been out back hanging up the laundry?) and the duct tape being hidden somewhere.  Ahh, childhood.  It’s a wonder we made it out alive, being such geniuses and all.

This is the second of the three films I was so giddy to see at the Hollywood Theater.  I went solo on Monday night and was thoroughly enthralled by the picture.  Tom Ford got it right, boy did he ever.

An aside before I write further about the film.  I love Tom Ford.  He is smart, sexy, thoughtful, and has a magnificent eye.  He was born in Texas, but was raised in Santa Fe.  Another aside, here.  Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico, which is one of the fifty states of the U.S. of A, not part of Mexico.  I say this because my Mom, knowing of our fondness for the Land of Enchantment (see posts I, II, III), bought us a subscription to New Mexico magazine.  On the last page of every issue are stories relating how people mistakenly believe New Mexico is not part of the United States and deny citizens and visitors of that fine state insurance coverage and package delivery, among other things, because these services aren’t provided “outside of the country.”  Talk about shock and awe!  Don’t we learn the fifty states in elementary school?  How about taking a glance at a map?  Come on people – get with program.  It’s really not that difficult.   Getting off my soapbox and back to Mr. Ford.  Anyone with his combination of  provenance, fine looks, good humor, and talent  rates pretty highly in my book.

As for the story, it follows George Falconer, played by the dapper and oh so right Colin Firth (those glasses!), as he moves through what he plans to be his final day on earth.  Rocked to the core by the loss of his partner of sixteen years eight months previously, George is unable to cope with life.  The void left with the loss of Jim is insurmountable, rendering the world dull and lifeless.

Ironically, it is his decision to take his own life that brings color back into his world.  George’s senses are heightened, taking in details for what may be the very last time.  The eyes of strangers and colleagues at the college where he teaches, the scent of a woman, the color of her lips, the musculature of a tennis player, the brilliant pink of the sky at dusk.  It is all quite beautiful and new to him.

Then there are the memories of Jim, the harshness of a world unaccepting of gay men, and the desire to connect, with truth and honesty, to another human being.  Lovely.

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