Categotry Archives: General

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a day in the life

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Categories: General, Tags: , , ,

unemployment has its perks. the main one being lots of time to do projects around the house. today’s project was intensive (well, intensive for some one whose days generally consist of lying on the couch emailing, watching dvds, and reading)

Step 1: laundry. it piled up as laundry does and i started on the first of four loads this morning (morning being a subjective term much like “intensive” and for me being approximately 1:30pm).

Step 2: piles of books on floor in bedroom. cannot take it anymore. must reorganize and purge bookcases so everything will fit.

Step 3: change over laundry

Step 4: email for a bit with kristen about purging books and libraries of our future selves.

Step 5: change over some more laundry

Step 6: sort piles of books into non-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, romance, and YA.

Step 7: find out jacob and lisa got engaged, have a bout of phone and emailing with friends.

Step 8: more laundry. sigh.

Step 9: begin purging bookcases starting with non-fic, moving thru to fic, have purged enough or become a supremely inventive stacker to have cleared one whole shelf. continue purging and stacking until starvation sets in

Step 10: force mother to order pizza.

Step 11: have reached romance! do i really need to see all the titles? no! stack 2 deep, more delightful kresley cole’s, julia quinn’s, judith mcnaught’s, and jennifer cruisie’s in front.

Step 12: fooooooooood.

Step 13: cursed laundry.

Step 14: hang up all outstanding laundry in preparation for new laundry.

Step 15: reach YA (2 whole bookcases)! still have a whole extra shelf! have masses upon masses of newly read YA to shelve though. inventive stacking takes on whole new proportions. i am a genius. reach end of YA and still have a whole extra shelf.

Step 16: put away all clean laundry.

Step 17: put 8 boxes/bags of books to sell in guest room.

Step 18: celebrate today’s success with mini bottle of 17 year old scotch found on bookcase (purchased when last in scotland–1998). fish styx celebrates success with favorite toy found behind row of books on third shelf up (WTF? how does he do that?)

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Marriage

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I found the handwritten toast I made for Marina’s wedding when I served as Maid of Honor and felt the need to type it up and share due to recent events (Nuala and Garren getting engaged).

I’ve known Marina for 10 years since we went to college together at the University of Puget Sound. Back then we were too young to know what the future might hold, but I always suspected Marina would get married first.

On Marina’s bachelorrette party our friend Kristen made up a rhyming toast which ended, “…and here’s to Marina, the first one to fall.”

We may have been a little bit mocking in our laughter of her pioneer descent into matrimony; but it really all just stems from jealousy. You’re not falling into a trap, you’ve fallen into love.

Back when Mark and Marina first started dating–in November of 2002–Marina sent me an email, which I’m quoting here: “Michele, I am just so happy I really don’t know what to do with myself.”

I hope that you both remain “so happy” in your life together. Here’s to falling in to love and falling in to marriage together.

Please join me in a toast to Marina and Mark. Cheers!

When you get married, Nuala, I’ll say to you, “Second to fall!” but I’ll say it with a smile, love and joy. I’m so happy for both of you finding the best of men to fall in love with and marry. Congratulations again!

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bust

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i have been given a number to call for an interview with the society of experimental test pilots. at 10 am i dial the number. i am greeted with a highly chipper recorded voice.

“congratulations! you have reached the rewards center! chances are you dialed this number by mistake but luckily for you this will be the most exciting and rewarding phone call you make all day! in these tough economic times, we offer significant value in the deals we will make with you today, press one to hear more! and remember, only one deal per household!”

seriously?

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international film festival

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looking for some movies to watch and someone to see them with? look no further! let me know if you want to see any of the following with me.

Bluebeard

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Breillat (the director) brings forward and mingles in a deliberately jarring fashion the palpable sensuousness of two worlds–the fairytale and childhood–to capture provocatively, and with more than a little silent laughter, a seminal moment at work in the terror of children’s stories: enough for a lifetime of fantasies; a lifetime to murder and create.

Fri, Apr 24 / 7:15 / Kabuki

Sat, Apr 25 / 9:30 / Kabuki

Wed, Apr 29 / 4:15 / Kabuki

Hansel and Gretel

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With eye-popping art direction, a trio of terrific child actors and a passel of disquieting moments, Hansel and Gretel is a Grimm delight.

Fri, Apr 24 / 11:15 / Kabuki

Mon, Apr 27 / 3:15 / Kabuki

Thu, Apr 30 / 7:00 / ROXIE

Kimjongilia

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Through a series of extraordinary interviews with North Korean refugees, N.C. Heikin’s stylistically inventive documentary presents a devastating indictment of Kim Jong-Il, one of the world’s most elusive dictators.

Mon, May 4 / 6:30 / PFA

Moon

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A lone astronaut on the moon, only weeks away from returning to earth, is shaken to the core when he regains consciousness after an accident to discover he is no longer alone.

Sun, May 3 / 9:00 / Castro

The Paranoids

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In this wry comedy of errors from Argentina, an unaccomplished screenwriter who works children’s birthday parties for a living tries not to sleep with his best friend’s girlfriend, but fails at that, too.

Sun, May 3 / 12:15 / Kabuki

Small Crime

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An earnest young policeman assigned to a small island is bored until he investigates a suspicious death, gets to know the residents and falls in love. Spectacular Greek island locations and authentic details root this delightful romantic comedy.

Wed, Apr 29 / 9:45 / Kabuki

Tue, May 5 / 3:15 / Kabuki

Still Walking

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The acclaimed director of Nobody Knows and After Life (SFIFF 1998) once again triumphs as a nuanced chronicler of contemporary Japan with this multigenerational portrait in which family ties are tested by loss and strengthened through humor and perfectly prepared tempura.

Sun, May 3 / 8:45 / Kabuki /

NOTE: After Life is a fantastic movie. So good if you’ve never seen it.

Unmistaken Child

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Tenzin Zopa is a 28-year-old Buddhist disciple who journeys through the Tsum Valley of Nepal in order to locate the reincarnation of his recently deceased Tibetan master in this intimate, emotionally enthralling and visually splendid documentary.

Sun, May 3 / 3:15 / Kabuki

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rock city, baby

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last week at rock city with excitable 5 and 2 year olds, i learned many things:

1. if you accidentally give a kid a boost causing him to ram face first into a rock, well, he’s probably OK. i mean. he’s not bleeding or anything. totally fine.

2. if you’re helping a kid get a pretzel and accidentally sweep him off the picnic table bench and face first onto the dirty ground, well, he picks himself back up again. kids! they’re resilient. bounce back like jiggly jell-o. no problem-o.

3. it is amazing the things kids can quote. tyler can do some excellent bolt impressions.

“are you hungry?!” he hollers at me.

and before i can answer he yells “starving!” in a psychotic serial killer hamster in a ball sort of way. then we eat lunch (see #4).

later on he sings ‘iron man’ by black sabbath. have you ever heard a child sing heavy metal? it’s kind of awesomely creepy.

“Nobody wants him

He just stares at the world

Planning his vengeance

That he will soon unfurl

Now the time is here

For Iron Man to spread fear

Vengeance from the grave

Kills the people he once saved”

4. before the trip to rock city i mentioned to ellie how great it was that she was always feeding me. it’s like a complete abdication of responsibility sometimes, being around her and the boys. i can be just the third kid. fed and reprimanded to behave appropriately. i’m pretty sure after the multiple accidents i was directly responsible for my appropriate behavior points had shot way down and yet she still gave me a ham and cheese sandwich. she also offered to burp me. i turned her down.

5. kids are gullible. you tell them the fire ants will eat them and they think every ant is a fire ant capable of devouring them in one bite. tyler was all, “ant! ant!” and i’m like, “dude, it’s black not red. calm down. it won’t eat you.” and then i accidentally tripped him and he fell into a mass of poison oak.

no, not really.

“seriously michele, there’s an ant over there.”

“it’s not going to eat you. i’m sorry i ever lied to you.”

“liars never prosper. ‘I. Am. Iron. Man…do duh do do do do duh duh do.'”

more pictures here.

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Day 6

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In which we drive the relatively short distance between Aberdeen, WA and Cannon Beach, OR even though it takes us almost 7 hours. Many of which were spent in bookstores. Only 2 different bookstores though. Man, that is technically a 3 hour drive (we took an hour detour to see some WA beaches). Bookstores are time sucks. I love them.

See the pictures here.

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