Sallyacious

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August 31, 2008

Horrifyingly Familiar

It's ironic that the mandatory summer reading for this year's freshmen at the university was One Dead in Attic.

Almost three years to the day, and here we are again, holding our breath and wondering whether the city will survive this time. At least almost everyone has left New Orleans this time around. Still, though,...

I've always wanted to visit the Big Easy. I wonder whether I'll actually get to see it, or if it will get pounded into oblivion before I have an opportunity to go. I hope it continues to survive. It's not like anyplace else in the world, from what I understand, and we need it. Places like that should exist. For the sake of our psyches, I think.

For comparison purposes:

Gustav

Katrina

(Both photos courtesy of www.noaa.gov.)

I realize that the photos aren't the same scale, but I assume you can figure out their relative sizes for yourselves. Awful, isn't it? Though Gustav appears to be smaller and not as precisely and tightly wound as Katrina was. Still, my thoughts are with the people of New Orleans and the surrounding environs.

Posted by sally at 01:18 PM | Comments (2)

Unconscious Mutterings Week 292

She says ___, and I think ___.

1. Groceries :: Bags, cats (Because they get into the empty bags. At least, that's part of the process at my house. Bring in groceries, put them away, wait until the cats are done in the bags, put the bags away.)
2. Deodorant :: Necessary
3. Psychic :: Hotline
4. Cherries :: Bing, Rainier
5. Spooky :: Ghosts
6. Yogurt :: Forbidden, yeast infections
7. Kitchen :: Towels
8. Nothing personal :: Asshole (Because as Meg Ryan says in You’ve Got Mail*, “Why do people say, it’s not personal, it’s business? It was personal to me.”)
9. Be nice :: Good rule
10. Delivery :: Birth, Special, Mr. McFeely

Okay. I have a short story to refamiliarize myself with before leading a discussion on it on Tuesday. Then I have a house to clean, since the cast of Flea is coming over tomorrow to watch bits of Dr. Who to get a better sense of their dialects. (Also, it's an excuse to feed my Christopher Eccleston jones. Damn, that man is sexxxy.)

*Not my favorite movie, by the way, for so many reasons, but a good "I'm sick and don't want to think" flick and a valid observation.

Posted by sally at 09:43 AM | Comments (1)

It Must Be Fall in Northern Idaho

From an IM conversation with David that began last night and continued through this morning.

Last night:

David says:
     Idaho is losing 49 to 0
David says:
     at...
David says:
     halftime
Sally says:
     yay
Sally says:
     the school year has begun in earnest, then
David says:
     yes.
Sally says:
     We're having our asses handed to us on a fancy plate. Must be fall in N. Idaho.

Time passed...

People slept...

This morning:

David says:
     seventy to nothing
Sally says:
     go team
David says:
     The statistics are even more embarrassing

He's right. They are. The highlights:
• We didn't even manage 1/5 of their passing yards (48/256). Thanks to our running game, we did manage to get slightly more than 1/5 of their total yardage (112/521).
• We had seven first downs. Seven. To put that into perspective? They had ten touchdowns.
• We had five turnovers. One fumble, four interceptions. Those four interceptions? Caught by three different people.

Seriously. This is our football team. And though this defeat is bigger than most from a "Wow, we totally scewed the pooch this game" standpoint, it's pretty much par for the course. It's nice to know some things don't change. I guess.

Posted by sally at 08:47 AM

August 30, 2008

PhotoHunt: Beautiful

Looks like a postcard, doesn't it? That was about a three minute walk from our room. It's right on the other side of the pools. Right outside our hotel. I cannot believe I was surrounded by so much beauty.

We got into Spokane about this time last week. If someone had told me that seven days later, Hawaii would feel like it happened a hundred years before rather than a week ago, I would have laughed at them. Hard. But it does. I actually forgot I had pictures to edit and post. I remembered when I saw the PhotoHunt theme for this week.

At some point, I will have time to post the pictures. At some point, I will have time to create the book I want to make about the trip. At some point, I will have time to actually make dinner with the veggies I purchase which keep spoiling on the counter because I don't have time to even slice them up and stick them in the fridge.

When did my life get so crazy? I want to rewind a week and spend a little more time in the pool.

Posted by sally at 12:03 AM | Comments (17)

August 29, 2008

Lazy Morning

Stayed in bed until 9:30, mostly because I had this lovely orange cat draped over me. He was sleeping really soundly and never snuggles with me, so I didn't want to disturb him. Then I got up, and even though I have this nagging feeling that I should be working, I sat around and did next to nothing. No, nothing, actually. No "next to" about it. I did nothing.

I wish I could not feel guilty when I just hang out.

But I have things to do. Exercises to write up so my teaching partner can post them on the class website for next week. Lines to learn. Dialect stuff to work up so the actors in Flea can continue working. Art pieces to finish (and start) so I can sell some stuff at the show in November. A gym to visit. Shitloads of stuff to do, actually. And I want to do exactly NONE of it.

That's not true. I want to do all of it. Just not right now.

Okay. I'll get off my ass, make myself some lunch and walk to campus. That takes care of the gym part, and I'm much better at working while I'm in my office at school. Not nearly as many interruptions there as there are here. What with cats and internet access and all...

Posted by sally at 11:23 AM | Comments (2)

August 28, 2008

A Long Three Days

Dayum. I feel like I was run over by a truck. What a week it's been so far.

There are so many things I should be doing right now. Notice I'm not doing any of them. Why? Because my day began at 9am and ended at 7:30pm and I am done with the doing anything productive jazz for a while because that's 10.5 hours of not stopping. Following yesterday's 10 hours of not stopping, which happened just after Tuesday's 12+ hours of not stopping. Two nights in a row, I passed out on the couch and woke up after midnight with contact lenses suctioned onto my eyeballs. I'd like to give that a miss this evening.

The horrible pinching feeling I had in my neck and shoulder two weeks ago is back. It went away while I was in Hawaii. I'm not sure what banished it. The hot stone massage? The hotel bed? All of the Mai Tais? The fact that I was on vacation in Hawaii and not here running around like a crazed person? I don't know why it left and I don't know why it came back again, but I'm willing to return to Hawaii to see if that makes a difference...

My classes are both lovely. The students seem to be interested in the topics and excited about them. Many of them have already done work that is above and beyond expectations. I'm hoping that continues. I'm also hoping that being as organized and on top of things as I am right now continues.

And the pace of this week assures me that limiting myself to two classes this semester was one of the smarter choices I've made recently. I need a four day weekend after a week like this, and fortunately I will get them all semester, thanks to my teaching schedule. As I said to my teaching partner today, I suddenly realize why I spend the first week of any semester break sitting around staring at things. Because the pace of my semesters demands it. Really, I should just sleep for that entire week and wake up when I've replenished all of my reserves.

I'm yawning. It's not even 10pm. As I said before, Dayum.

Posted by sally at 09:09 PM

August 27, 2008

Not What I Meant to Be Doing *UPDATED*

I got a lot done today, organizational things that will make later bits of the semester much more simple and easy. But I didn't get to the one thing I needed to do more than any of the stuff I did do. I didn't get the basic information together for the various dialects the actors will be using in One Flea Spare. Why? Because the book I need to do it has vanished. My hope is that it's in David's office at school. Otherwise, I have to order another copy, and I really need to get the basic dialect information to the cast today. I left Dave a panicky voicemail this morning, and an even more panicky IM about an hour ago. I haven't heard back from him about either one, and rehearsal starts in less than 90 minutes.

DAAAAAAVE. Check your voooooicemaaaaaiiiiiil.

**Update**

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. Shit. Dave doesn't have it either. I wonder where the hell I lost it.

And now I can't get it before Friday. Fuck. Well, I guess I'll be getting on with some other things so that the cast doesn't have to wait on those. THIS IS NOT THE WAY i WANTED MY SEMESTER TO START.

Posted by sally at 04:31 PM

August 26, 2008

Whhhhoooooooosssssssshhhhhhhhh

What a day I've had.

It began at 9:30 with two 75 minute classes back to back where I met 67 new freshmen. I say 67 because I knew three of the students already. That was followed by a quick lunch (a croissant and a plum) and a hike all the way across campus to initial the cast list and pick up my script. Then I had an impromptu meeting with a director who has asked me to do dialect work with her cast.

From there, I hiked all the way back across campus to my office (uphill the entire way, I might add), where I made some notes re: that show. Then I worked on prepping my Tartuffe script for serious study: highlighting lines, marking entrances and exits, initial notes, that kind of thing. After that, I hung a couple of paintings on one office wall and two masks on another (this involved fishing line, picture rail hooks and some precarious perches on sofa backs and desks).

Next, I drove home. I watered my tomato plants, got my gym gear together and collected the mail. Then it was back in the car just in time to meet Dave for dinner. Which was eaten quickly because we had to be at rehearsal by 6pm. I was there for two hours for the initial dialect stuff and then I headed to the gym, where I did a serious hour on the stationary bike.

Now I am home, showered and giving myself the equivalent of a hot oil treatment for my feet, and it's after 10:30pm. I thought my life was going to be more simple because I was only teaching two classes. This does not feel more simple.

Posted by sally at 10:27 PM

August 25, 2008

Well Slap Me Silly and Call Me Nancy

I'm playing Dorine in Tartuffe. I really didn't think I'd get such a plum role because I'm not a student, but I am NOT going to complain. Because, dude. Dorine. Snotty maid, BIG line load, the only person who actually figures out what's going on. Awesomeness.

Performance dates (mark your calendars now!) are:
October 30, 31, November 1, 6-8 at 7:30 pm
November 2 & 9 at 2:00 pm

OOOH! This may mean I can be at my nephew's birthday party! Even bettah.

And it means I can go to the gym tonight. EXcellent. I haven't been able to go since the yoga I did in Tacoma. I should clarify. Not due to injury, due to the gym being closed for the week after that for the annual refurbishment and updating, and me being in Hawaii the week after that. (Not complaining about that either, it turns out.)

Also? David will be playing Mr. Snelgrave in One Flea Spare. Another plum role.

Performance dates for him?
September 25-27, October 2-4 at 7:30 pm
September 28 & October 5 at 2:00 pm

This means Dave has to jump into rehearsals RIGHT AWAY. As in tonight. Like he's going to complain. He's been lusting after that role since he first read the play.

And off we go. Another busy fall.

Posted by sally at 05:29 PM | Comments (3)

August 23, 2008

Called Back

I have been called back for three of the four shows this semester. Tomorrow is going to be a loooong and enjoyable day. Must remember to take snacks. And water.

Posted by sally at 08:07 PM | Comments (1)

Well, Maybe Just One...

Taken on Wednesday morning on a walk around the bay. All of the elements were there when I arrived. I was just lucky enough to notice them.

Posted by sally at 04:31 PM | Comments (1)

ALOHA!

By the way, we went to Hawaii last week.

We flew home yesterday, got in late last night (as in, they were closing the airport for the night as we walked out with our bags) and spent the night in Spokane.

Then we drove back here this morning, unpacked and reassured the cats that they won't die alone and abandonded, and then we auditioned for the fall season at the university.

Then I ran some errands.

Now I'm transferring pix from the two cameras I took (big one for pretty pictures, small one for carrying all the time so that I wouldn't miss anything). I also have a roll of film (how archaic) developing at the one-hour photo place because I forgot to take my camera with me when I went to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park because I am an idiot. Thank god they had disposable cameras there.

So anyway, I should have some pictures for you this evening, including the volcano stuff because you can now get a photo cd with your developed pictures purchase. (Who knew?)

Yes, there are bikini pictures, and yes, I will post them, as soon as the friends who took them send them to me. (Because I? Look pretty damn cute in a bikini, it turns out. Again, who knew?) Also, I need to get the shots from Dave's camera. Because we took three cameras, two cell phones, two laptops, two Kindles and a PSP with us. You know, we're pretty geeky. That list is kind of embarrassing.

Anyway, it was a fantastic week and I have many stories to tell.

But first, I must get my stuff together.

Because classes start Monday.

Posted by sally at 03:44 PM

August 16, 2008

PhotoHunt: Colorful

I wasn't going to participate today, too much to do, but then I realized I didn't do PhotoHunt last week because I was in Tacoma doing yoga and getting a facial and buying adorable inexpensive dresses, and now I feel I must play, if only to keep my hand in. So here's a shot from London, cropped to fit in this awesome frame I bought that originally housed a mirror but really needed to have a photograph in it instead.

The frame's not included in the photo, obviously, but it's kind of Italian-looking, and I felt it needed a colorful, non-American street scene to really set it off properly. In the end, I went with a different crop of the same image, highlighting the passageway to the street rather than the artwork. I'm not including it here, it's just more of the same, really.

Just looking at that image again, I'm reminded of how much I miss England. Isn't it amazing how someplace you spent six months of your life can become so deeply embedded in your self/soul/essence/personhood that you'll always be homesick for it? I lived there twenty years ago this last spring, and visiting in December brought it all back. It's the city of my dreams, really.

Posted by sally at 09:50 AM | Comments (13)

August 15, 2008

Feline Carnival

We have the normal beastie activities and amusements in the house: tummy tanning, aka Dead Cat Syndrome, where they melt into little furry puddles in a sunbeam; Rocket Cat, generally performed after using the litter box; stair running (because their food is at the bottom); various callings, leapings and stretchings; and of course the Catnip Follies. But we also have a sport that is most likely unique to our household. I've never experienced it anywhere else, and I've never heard of it happening before: Laundry Basket Rides.

Our washer and dryer are in a part of the basement we call Paradise. It's unfinished, and God alone knows what kinds of chemicals the last owners used in that space, so we won't let the cats go in there. Hence the name. Because if we won't let them in, there must be something awfully special and interesting behind that door. So the cats (especially Polyphemos) try to get in on a regular basis, which is so much fun for us, I cannot even begin to find the words for it. Anyway, when I come out of Paradise, there is often a cat waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. If I have the laundry basket with me and I set it on the floor, it soon has a passenger who will ride it all the way up the stairs and through the house into the bedroom.

I can't tell you for sure how long Laundry Basket Rides have been going on. I may have initiated the activity by putting her in the basket, but I really don't remember. I only know that Quickly has been riding in the laundry basket off and on for the past several years. She prefers it full of (hopefully warm) clothes. She snuggles down in them and settles herself in for the trip up. It is apparently a treat, because she doesn't like to get out when we get to the bed. She likes to hang out in the clean laundry for a while.

Polyphemos is the other practitioner. Unlike Quickly, he likes to ride in the empty laundry basket, which means he really only gets to play every once in a while, because I don't bring it upstairs empty that often. That game started sometime this year, when I put the basket down and he sniffed at it, I tipped it on its side for him and he stepped in. On a whim, I gently turned it back upright. He adjusted. And he stayed in, albeit somewhat nervously, for the entire trip. I was watching to make sure he didn't try to jump out because I was afraid he'd hurt himself, but he rode the entire way. And now I don't even have to tip it for him. I just put in on the floor.

They don't try to ride it in the other direction, though Poly does like to hang out in it when it's sitting empty in the bedroom. As I said, I've never seen or heard of this anywhere else. Is it really something only my cats do?

Posted by sally at 02:42 PM | Comments (1)

Three's About Me

I got this from a friend via email. It seemed like a potentially interesting way to share a little more of myself with the world. Warning: I don't always answer the questions in the expected way. My blog. My rules.

Three jobs I have had in my life:

1. Actor


2. Secretary


3. Adjunct college faculty

Three movies I would watch over and over:

1. Gosford Park


2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall


3. Shirley Valentine

(How's that for an eclectic set of films?)

Three Places I have lived:

1. London, England


2. Portland, OR


3. Tacoma, WA

Three TV shows that I watch:

1. Dr. Who


2. Slings & Arrows


3. Dead Like Me

(This one was tough. I don't watch much tv. I tend to forget it exists, despite the very large one sitting in the corner of the living room. We end up watching series on DVD.)

Three places I have been (my faves):

1. London


2. Victoria, BC


3. Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico

Three people who email me regularly:

1. Dad


2. My teaching partner


3. Dave (I know we live in the same house. We also instant message each other from our home offices.)

Three of my favorite foods:

1. Lebanese


2. Thai


3. A good salad

(I know that these are all types of food rather than specific food items. But you have no idea how I struggled with this issue. I couldn't think of a single food I loved more than another, much less three.)

Three of my least favorite foods:

1. Pears


2. Squash


3. Pumpkin anything (Yes, I know it's a squash. I want to make my extreme dislike of this specific squash clear. Don't serve it to me in cheesecake, in pie, as its own dish or in a--bleahg--latte. Pumpkins are only good as decorations and sources of seeds.)

Three places I'd rather be right now:

1. On stage


2. At the beach


3. London

Three friends I think will respond:

1. I only returned


2. This to you. And then,


3. I posted it on my blog.

Three things I am looking forward to this year:

1. Hawaii (Oh. Didn't I mention that? It's the reason for the bikinis.)


2. A new bathroom and a new gas insert in the living room.


3. Selling the house.

Not what you expected? Exactly what you expected? Feel free to respond on your own piece of internet real estate or in the comments.

Posted by sally at 08:40 AM | Comments (1)

August 14, 2008

Work. Space.

This is our dining room/kitchen nook. Due to a lack of room for a space specifically set aside for messy art making, it is also my workshop. Which means that when company comes or when we need to use the table for other things, I have to put all of my art supplies away. And then I have to get them all out again to work. Which means that I have to gear myself up for working because it requires pulling supplies from my art closet(s) and getting everything all organized before I can start.

Frankly, it's easier either keeping things out or keeping them put away. Though I try to actually stash the stuff I know I'm done with for a while. So the glue(s) stay out, for instance, as do the brushes and exacto knives and measuring tools. But my fabric scissors and new rotary cutter and the sewing machine are tucked away in my office, as are all of the papers and chipboard pieces and thread and paints and media I don't need right now. There are even some pieces of projects I'm currently working on that are put away, simply because they'll only be in the way and possibly get damaged if I have them out right now.

Also, notice my helpful assistant. He thinks the table is his table, and though he leaves when I am working, I try to have it cleaned up enough once I finish so there's room for him because it's his favorite place to sleep.

I should point out that we don't actually ever eat at this table. We eat at the coffee table in the living room. It's much nicer than the dining room table (i.e., in better condition and prettier, probably because I don't do art on it), and frequently cleaner, so it's just easier to eat in the living room.

The point here is that when I really think about it, I'm pretty impressed that I get anything artistic done at all, given the constraints of my workspace situation. My dream is to have a studio space with a sink and lots of natural light and windows that open and a floor it doesn't matter if I occasionally spill on and lots of storage and counter/work space. Also lots of floor space. So I can have a spot for projects I've begun but am currently just thinking about because I got stuck somewhere, a space for projects that are drying/curing, a space for actually working on wet things and a space for actually working on dry things.

Also no assistants.

As an example of how I have to work right now, there are two separate projects visible on the table in the picture above. Two boxes that I am making so much better than they were when I found them in the clearance section at Ross. In the last two days, I have decoupaged most of the darker one and polyurethaned the lid and created fabric covered panels for the interior of the lavender one and applied a layer of felt to the bottom. Some of that I did on the back porch (the polyurethane). I also used the porch as my workshop when I sanded and painted the lavender box (it got primed with Kilz 2 first and then painted two coats of a light green before the two coats of lavender--and I sanded after every coat--then I distressed it and then polyurethaned the whole thing), or when I stripped the ghastly orange paint and removed the crookedly applied spray of resin roses from the top of the now green box. (I'll show you before and after photos once they're done, I promise.)

It has taken me most of the summer to get those projects to the stage they are now, which is almost finished for the lavender box and about halfway done for the green one. Part of the trouble was the traveling. It takes me a while to prepare for a trip and then to shift gears when I get home, so that time isn't available for artwork. I was also stumped on how to do a few of the things I wanted to do for these boxes, so I had to figure that out, and that took time. (I just figured out the panels two days ago.) But there's also all of the time I spent not working on them because I completely forgot about them. Because they were put away. I could have been working, but I forgot they existed, and so I sat on my ass and surfed the internet instead.

In her book Art Is a Way of Knowing, Pat Allen recommends creating an art space for yourself where you can leave unfinished work out so that you can think about it whenever you walk past or just sit down to work on it when you feel like it. Ms. Allen would agree that my situation right now is not remotely close to ideal because I don't have a space I can dedicate solely to art. It's frustrating. And it's one of the reasons I want to leave.

I do want to mention that this wasn't an issue when we bought the house. I've only become a hands-on kind of artist in the past two or so years, and we bought the house five years ago. We bought for what we planned then--a place for the cats and me to live and Dave to visit for the two years I was in graduate school--little thinking that our stay would be extended an additional four years and that I'd be dabbling in art and then getting more serious about it as a way to fill all the time I suddenly found hanging heavy on my hands. It's another indication that this place no longer fits. Our lives have changed and expanded so much that there just isn't room for them here anymore, and this house was a tight fit from the beginning.

I am not, by the way, the only member of the family feeling cramped. Dave has less and less room in his office thanks to the musical and recording equipment he keeps adding to it. In an ideal world, the next house we buy will have five bedrooms. One for us and one for guests and one for my office and one for Dave's and one for my studio and one for Dave's music room. It will also have a woodshop space for Dave to play in. And room for all of our books (2/3 of which are in storage) and our big dining room table (in storage) and a shadier yard. And nice neighbors. And be in an area with a low crime rate but excellent public transit to the nearest (fabulous) major metropolitan area. And have lots of cool places within walking distance.

Yeeeeah. I suspect I won't get everything I've listed here. But I can tell you, the studio space is a top priority.

Posted by sally at 04:30 PM | Comments (1)

August 13, 2008

I Should Probably Also Mention...

...that ten years ago last week, the goofiest, screamiest, sweetest little black cat in the world came to live with us.

Quickly, you make me laugh multiple times every day with your antics, and you showed me what unconditional love really is. You have no shame, and you experience every emotion to the hilt. Never do you hold back, whether it's with snuggles, demands or lectures. You have shoved your way into a very special place in my heart. Where would I be without you, my sweetestlittlebabygirl?

Posted by sally at 10:39 PM

Four Years Ago Today

Somebody came to live with us. And things haven't slowed down since.

Thanks, Polyphemos, for the ride so far. I agree. Some days, it's been exhausting.

Posted by sally at 08:26 AM

August 12, 2008

Doing the Math

So I finally figured out why this summer has whooshed past. Why I haven't been able to do all of the things I wanted/planned/intended to before school starts again the week after next. Why it seems I haven't really settled in for a good rest.

Because this summer I have been out of town for 31 days, beginning with my trip to the coast the day after my last final. That's the equivalent of being gone for the entire month of July. Only I wasn't. I was gone three days here, four days there, ten days at the longest stretch. And each of those trips meant a day or more of preparation and a day or more of unwinding and returning to the routine. No wonder I'm tired. No wonder I feel like I haven't had time to get anything done. I haven't. At this pace, I'll have to wait for classes to start to get some rest. If only it would happen then...

But as I said to Dave last night when I told him about a gig I'd just said yes to, "I'm overcommitting myself again, aren't I?" I really, really hope not.

Posted by sally at 06:27 PM

August 11, 2008

The $15 Dress And Other Stories

Remember how I said I would be shopping for a tank suit because I basically wouldn't be caught dead in a bikini? Guess what I bought today.

(Go ahead. Guess.)

If you guessed a bikini, you'd be wrong.

Because I bought three bikinis.

Yes, I, the woman with body issues so great that she hasn't worn a swimsuit of any kind in fourteen years, bought three bikinis today for my trip. Three. Three itty bitty (more or less) string tie tops and three not remotely itty bitty bottoms of various bikini styles.

In my defense I would like to point out that I have only in my life ever had one one-piece suit that fit properly, and with bikinis you can sort of mix and match to get the right sizes. I am not, it turns out, the only person who has opted for the bikini solution based on this issue. I'm surprised more swimsuit manufacturers aren't adjusting their one-piece sizing options based on the sales possibilities.

Also, my teaching partner said this morning, "There's something really powerful about wearing the swimsuit of your choice on the beach and not giving a damn what anybody else thinks." I'm trying to make that my inner monologue right now instead of, "Oh, god, I look so fat." And when I waver, I think about this post, which really captures the situation well for me, I think. Puts things in perspective. (Though she probably looks a damn sight better in a bikini than I do.* ) Plus, the clerk at the store where I bought the suits was even "curvier" than I am, and when I mentioned that I was a little nervous about wearing them in public, said, "Why?" like it had never occurred to her before. "Old lady body," I said. "Bah," she said as if that was irrelevant. "Bodies are beautiful. All of them."

Additionally, tan fat somehow looks more appealing/attractive than white fat. Even cellulite looks a bit better brown, so the tanning is helping. (However minimally my skin tone is changing, for me, it's enough.) I had session two today, and I honestly can't see the slightest bit of difference. Maybe in the morning it will be more obvious.

But the number one reason I bought not one, not two, but three bikinins this afternoon? They were 75% off. Which means that where each individual piece was originally $20, I bought three full suits (well, sort of, I mixed and matched like you wouldn't believe because I was working with the leftovers) for $30. That's right. I got $120 worth of swimwear for thirty bucks. Oh. Yeah. This is a good time of year to go bikini shopping.

I figured this out as I was dithering over two options and suddenly realized that they were $5 per piece. Which meant that I could get the two suits I couldn't choose between for $20. Total. And that meant that I could get my favorite top of the bunch that not much matched for another $5 and maybe something that kind of worked with it for another $5.

Which brings us to the $15 dress.

I was in Tacoma this weekend, being treated to Bikram yoga, a high-end facial and all kinds of pampering by some lovely, lovely friends. They had a couple of gift baskets waiting for me when I arrived, along with champagne and hors d'oeuvres. And after dinner that first night we watched Finding Nemo because I hadn't seen it yet.

The whole weekend was a wonderful combination of fun, relaxation and great conversations. Except for the part where I accidentally drank Witch Hazel in the middle of the night and called poison control on my cell phone to find out whether or not I needed to panic. I didn't. "You know," said the woman on the hotline, "every night of the week I get a call like this from an adult who woke up from a sound sleep and drank something they at first thought was water. Usually, though, it's hydrogen peroxide. Nope. There's nothing in it that could hurt you. Some alcohol, which isn't good for your stomach, so you might want to dilute it with milk or fruit juice. You'll be fine."

Anyway, after yoga, breakfast, facial and lunch, we went shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding vow renewal ceremony I'll be attending next week for the friends in question. Unfortunately, there's not much available this time of year for what is still summer-type weather. Which I have never understood. Just like when I walked into a store on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend one year and found out that they had pulled all of their sunscreen because, "Summer's over." Yeeeeeah. Because the weather abides by the calendar.

We looked and looked and loooooooooked. Through rack after rack and store after store. Nothing. Finally, I got a cute dress that I think is too casual for the ceremony in question, even though the once and future bride thought it was great. It was on sale for $35. As we walked out of the store, she pointed at this boutique-y place across the way and said, "I've always wanted to go in there." There was a precious dress in the window, so we ducked inside just in case they both had one in my size and it looked good on me (which is, with today's fashions, asking a lot of a dress).

We wandered from rack to rack, and then came across a couple of racks in the back of the store that had these cute satin party dresses. I started to look for something in my size, read the price on the tag, blinked, blinked harder, and then read it again. $14.99. I started hunting for my size a little more urgently, and the upshot is that I now have a cute little black satin party dress for $15. It has a fitted top, with a princess neckline and a flared skirt. Very 1950's. In fact, I need to get a pair of black elbow length gloves. And a pearl bracelet. And a black velvet hair band.

When I showed my friend the price tag, she squealed, "That's just like MY dress!" What she meant by that is that she found a dress a couple of weeks ago--a cute little black party dress--that she would have worn for the vow renewal ceremony had it not been black. And it was also $15. She bought it then and there, despite having no place to wear it. (As did I with my $15 dress, thankyouverymuch; who can pass up a deal like that?)

By the time we got back to her car, it was decided. We will be having a $15 dress party. And our husbands will be required to attend in appropriately attractive and yet purchased at an unbelievable bargain price attire. I keep asking Dave whether he's found his $15 dress yet.

If you'd like to attend, I'm pretty sure there's still room on the guest list.

* Obviously, my attitude still needs some work.

Posted by sally at 09:04 PM | Comments (5)

August 08, 2008

Leaving: Reprise

In a short while (after I gesso these canvases and pack and clean up the living room), I will be leaving for another weekend away. This one will be more fun (I hope) than the last. Since it's to celebrate my birthday* rather than to mourn someone's passing, it bloody well better be.

Anyway, this means I won't have internet, since I plan on spending all my free time with the lovely people who are throwing this mini-spa weekend for me. I'll be back late Sunday night**. So if you post comments, they won't be approved until the weekend is over. Sorry about that.

* My birthday is actually next month. I'm about as Virgo as they come. Except for the Scorpio bits. This just worked better for all of us, timing-wise, given the whole teaching college thing.

**Special Note to Burglars: Dave is not going with me. Don't try any funny stuff.

Posted by sally at 09:10 AM

August 07, 2008

A Really Long Post to Make Up for Not Having Anything to Say

I keep having these great ideas for blog posts.

In the car. Or while walking. Or in yoga class. Or when I'm lying on the couch in my office at school and there's not a computer available for miles. Never do these things seem to hit me while I'm in the same building as my laptop or, Heaven forfend, while I'm actually using it. At those moments, I open the program, stare at a blank page, sigh at the lovely idea I had while I was waiting for a meeting to begin downtown that I don't have the emotional connection to (or complete memory of) any more, check for new comments to approve and then close everything back up again.

Then there are the really, truly TMI posts. Do you want, for instance, to hear about the neurotic imaginings and ridiculous spousal conversations surrounding the recent shaving of my betty in preparation for an upcoming trip? When I will be wearing a swimsuit for the first time in fourteen years? Though, that part might be pretty interesting, the emotional upheaval around having to find a decent swimsuit for a body much older and thirty pounds heavier than it was when last I climbed into a tank suit. (Forget about bikinis, just forget about them. Not a chance in Hell.)

You know, actually, it turns out I would rather be naked in public, looking like I do now, than wear a damn bathing suit. Because the suckers just don't seem to fit right. That, coupled with the above mentioned body hair and the also referenced avoirdupois, when added to the panic I experience when I get into water that hits higher than my waist, is the reason for the 14 year swimwear drought in my life. Not that I've missed the swimming, for the most part, given the aquaphobia.

But still, swimsuits have never fit me right. They always leave too much room in the bust. Or not enough room for my ass. And they always, always, dig into the flesh of my legs. Even when I was packing freight for shipment in a warehouse, doing ballet and running daily--i.e. rock solid and tiny--that was a problem. And I refuse to believe that it's only my problem. I cannot be the only person in the world who would rather be naked in front of complete strangers that parade about in swimwear. Or maybe I am. Who knows? I've always had odd ideas about nudity anyway. Mine, I mean. I get uncomfortable with my own personal public nakedness only because I worry that it will upset other people. It actually has nothing to do with how I feel about the whole thing.

Which makes it sound like I run around naked in public all the time. When actually, to my knowledge, I've been naked in public exactly once. And that was an accident. Sixteen, seventeen years ago. I've appeared in my underwear onstage, and I've danced around at parties in same (What? It was hot. I wasn't the only person wearing just a bra up top), but I'm pretty sure I was only ever publicly naked that once.

And speaking of naked, today I busted up a big, old personal taboo. I went tanning. For the very first time in my life, ever. Yes, I used to lay out in the yard when I was a teenager, but until today, I had never set foot in a tanning salon. But I will be spending time in a very sunny place soon, and I wanted as much of a base tan as I could manage to work up on my fish belly pale body before I went, in order to avoid the trip becoming all about Sally's sunburn. So I got a recommendation from a friend and I went ahead and did it. It was painless. And I am convinced that the only reason I look any darker at all is the teeny bit of self-tanner in the lotion I used. But I'll do a couple more sessions or so before we leave, and then maybe I'll not have to worry quite so much about the sunscreen as I usually do.

I have to say, I can see why people do it, but I can also say with a decent amount of assurance that it's not going to become a habit. I don't need to be tan to feel attractive. I just need to be tan to avoid the 2nd degree sunburns that I get when walking from the house to the car. Okay, it's not really that bad. But they did only put me in the bed for five minutes. Which will most likely be my upper limit for the rest of the visits.

Plus, there's something very, well, vulnerable about lying greased and nekkid in a light-filled tube, wearing only a pair of purple glasses. I imagine it's pretty similar to how hamburger feels when it's being irradiated before going on sale at the supermarket.

For those of you who are about to lecture me on the dangers of tanning, I get it. You don't need to tell me how it ages you, how a tan is really your body's way of indicating sun damage, how pale people are at a greater risk for skin cancer, blah blah blah. I know all that already. That's why I haven't done this before.

But.

I did the math, and I looked at it this way. I'll be on vacation. It will be at the beach. I would like to not have to worry about greasing up every 15 minutes. If I could extend that to every half hour while I'm there, that would be nice. And I figure deliberate exposure to rays in a tanning bed could create the base that will prevent the nasty, aging sunburn I would most likely get from prancing about the beaches of the Pacific in my normal ghostly shade. Also? If I'm due for skin cancer, that damage has already been done by the numerous bad burns I got as a child of Northern European heritage (English, Scots and Swedish, thank you very much) in the days before sunscreen. Four or five minimal tanning sessions are barely going to register against that history. So get off my back, because I want the color to be even.

(See what I did there? Yeah. I thought you might.)

And now that it's late and I'm all cranky, I just realized that I need to be sure I have enough yoga gear to survive the weekend of Bikram and get my shit packed so I can set off for Tacomatose nice and early in the morning. A lovely family is taking me in for the weekend, treating me to yoga, a facial and some quality time watching Finding Nemo as a birthday treat, and I don't want to delay my departure by not having my shit together. Though, knowing me, I won't have my shit together enough and will still be late getting on the road. So. Gotta get packin'.

Posted by sally at 10:36 PM

August 05, 2008

An Office of Her Own

This is where I spent most of my "downtime" last year. I love the space, but I'd like to not live in it again like I did then. It's a lot like a garret. From the front door, it's one flight down. But my window is in the second story because the building is built into a hill. So I don't see parking lot or family housing. I see trees and hills and sky. And I can feel like Sara Crewe as I huddle in my warm little sanctuary during the bleak winter months.

From the Hallway

I spent most of the summer ignoring my office on campus. Hell, I spent most of the summer pretending the campus (aside from the Rec Center, where I work out) didn't exist. I shoved a bunch of stuff in the door the day of my last final and only opened it once to shove some more stuff in.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my office to get a book. And spent three hours cleaning, sorting, organizing. I even rearranged large portions of the bookshelves. Then I put a bunch of stuff in the art closet next door to my office. This past Sunday, I took two vacuum cleaners in (one HEPA filtered, the other a small canister type) and vacuumed not only the floor, but the upper corners (no more cobwebs, yay!) and behind the radiator. It looked (and felt) so. much. better.

From the Window

Today, on my way to a meeting, I stopped in to drop some stuff off and pick some other stuff up and got an eyeful of my fresh, clean office. It was so nice that not only did I take a couple of pictures of it (I thought you might be curious), I was sorely tempted to snuggle down on the couch and get some reading done. You know, the stuff I have to do to be ready for my classes before school starts in two and a half weeks.

And then I decided I'd much rather come home and write about my office than spend any time in it today. Though I really do have stuff to do. The next couple of weeks are going to be insane.

Posted by sally at 02:35 PM | Comments (1)

August 04, 2008

Comfortable? Really? Revisited

Same question, different cat.

I mean, really. Look at that leg. How is that comfortable?

Posted by sally at 04:04 PM

August 03, 2008

Comfortable? Really?

Can he really be comfortable in this position?

Yep. I guess so.

Posted by sally at 08:28 PM | Comments (2)

Unconscious Mutterings Week 288

She says...

and I think...

1. Crankiness :: Dave! And Imogen. Also Polyphemos.Oh. Plus Katala. Really, the only non-cranky housemate of mine is Quickly. And she's neurotic. Very neurotic.
2. Backpack :: Hostel
3. Clone :: Gattaca (Not sure why, is it even about cloning?), Asimov
4. High ground :: Morality, flooding
5. Dreams :: “To sleep, perchance to…,” woolgathering , aspirations
6. Lovingly :: feelingly, considerately, generously
7. Mistake :: oops
8. Carson :: Daly, City, Kit
9. Errand :: Boy, Girl Friday
10. Dozen :: Cheaper by the…, eggs, baker’s

And that's all I have right now. I'm so tired I'm having trouble thinking. You know, the putting words together in a coherent and meaningful way kind of thing. I did not sleep for nearly long enough last night.

Posted by sally at 10:28 AM

August 02, 2008

Pictures of Today

Well, by the time you read this, yesterday.

I got so much done, and yet it felt like a lazy summer afternoon. I don't know how I fit all of my jobs into the day. But those aren't important. What's important is the mood, relaxed yet alive. But I can show you better than I can tell you.

Eggplant Blossom

Along with my other tasks (laundry, shopping, cleaning), I made an eggplant spread today, with my very first ever homegrown eggplant. The fruit was a little on the small side, so the spread ended up tasting more of onion and lemon than it did eggplant, but it's tasty nonetheless. And there are lots more little purple eggplants that I'm just itchin' to use, so they'd better hurry up and grow. Given the amount of fertilizer the plants are getting this year, I'm surprised the fruits aren't already watermelon sized.

I also made tabouli, and for BOTH dishes I used parsley from my garden. I can't do an entire meal from the yard, but I can do bits of one. And at some point, I'll have tomatoes.

Nasturtium Fire

I also made another book today. Small like the one I bound on Thursday, but this time the cover paper is on right side up. Unfortunately, I forgot to trim the thread from the binding, and it ended up getting glued under the cloth on the back cover, so there's a little lump there. Honestly, will I ever stop making stupid mistakes? I mean, I know that's what practicing is for, but I'd prefer to be catching on by now.

Sunflower & Company

Wow. I'm yawning so hard I'm afraid the top of my head will unhinge and fall off backwards. I'd better get to bed. Can't imagine why I'm tired.

Posted by sally at 11:45 PM

PhotoHunt: Cloud(s)

One of the things I love about living here is the sky. There's so much of it. And so many different moods/looks/views. So much drama over our heads here. Because of that, I couldn't pick just one shot. So this week, a PhotoHunt extravaganza of Idaho skies.

Black Butte Panorama

The Drive Home - Shoshone to Boise

Lone Shed

March Sky from My Office

Sundog

Mid-June

Snake River Canyon - Looking East

Posted by sally at 12:01 AM | Comments (23) | TrackBack

August 01, 2008

Brain? Dead.

Why, oh why, can I not think anymore? I swear, it's like my neurons are swathed in cotton and the resulting thought processes are all fuzzy. Given that this happens to me at this time every year (every year since we moved here, at least), all I can figure is that there must be something in the air. Wouldn't allergies make a person's brain slow down? Or maybe just mine?

After getting so much done at Idyllwild, I've sort of hit a wall. Part of it, I know, had to do with the distruption of the past weekend and the roiling emotions associated with it all. Those can be exhausting. But seriously. I've had trouble getting motivated to do anything, and when I do, I make stupid mistakes.

Yesterday, I finally got around to making a book. I'd been putting off the binding stuff mostly because I didn't have everything I needed. The PVA finally arrived just before I left for Boise, and it was the missing ingredient in the whole book binding process. (Four yards of book cloth came yesterday, and I can't WAIT to start playing with it, but I had some snippets from the workshop that I could use until it came, so I wasn't waiting on that, just the glue.)

Anyway. I was working from notes to do the cloth bound single signature book, since I only made the one at Idyllwild and I wanted to practice it before I tried anything more ambitious. To make sure I knew what I was doing. I made one mistake that was an "Eh, I'll do it right the next time, it wasn't in my notes and now I know/remember" kind of thing. No big deal. The book's not destroyed by it. And besides, this is practice. No. The ANNOYING bit was when I very carefully thought out how to do the cover, knowing exactly what I wanted and how to make it look fabulous and perfect and professional and then, in a moment of not thinking at all, DID IT EXACTLY BACKWARDS, so now it looks stupid. Sigh.

You think I'm being overly picky? Bewitness this:

See the problem?

On the other hand, it is a sweet little book. Nice size (2 3/4" x 5"). 24 pages. It fits in your hand. Or mine, at least. However, in taking the pictures, I realized I really need to clean the house. There's not a single area in the entire place that could serve as a background for photography. Not. One.

Which didn't stop me from taking this picture of four Sweet! yards of book cloth:

Let's just all agree to pretend to not see the dirt on the floor. 'k?

Posted by sally at 10:11 AM | Comments (2)

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