'spearmintin

bear with me as I attempt to figure out this mobile blogging thing. yes, that's right! it's not enough that I neglect writing from the comfort of my own home. I want to compound the guilt I feel about not keeping up with the blog by enabling myself to blog from *anywhere*! :)

the photo of Bucket was supposed to have a line of text, which I do not see, so apparently there are kinks to work out. If things look a little whacky today and in the coming week, you now know why.

Witness: Clouds of DOOM

I don't recall which day this was, but here is my Cloudy Sky shot taken on the way to work recently. It's so rare to see a single cloud in the sky here, much less this leaden blanket...it was an absolute joy to witness. A bit bass ackwards, I know, but such is life.

And yeah, I got my email and phone linked up, so I should be able to post a few photos from the road to keep ya'll interested. And then of course there will hopefully be an album of sorts when I get back.

Hooray Vacation!

gear head

so, what does it mean that the first things I made sure were absolutely ready to go for my trip were my iPhone, the digital camera, and my DSlite? I've thought about what clothes to take, and even what book(s) to take, and tonight I bought some airport/plane snacks...but the first things actually packed up and fully ready to go with no tweaking were the electronics.

I'm not the hippie chick you used to know...but then again a lot of me still is. It's an odd amalgam I've turned out to be. Gimme my organic foods and none of that earth-killin beef, but I'll be damned if a day passes by that I don't engage in horrific abuses of electricity and airwave pollution. I'll happily soak in a patchouli scented bubble bath whilst I toil at the remaining unsolved Sudoku puzzles on my portable game system.

yeah, I said whilst. omghax! :P

Surprise!

You thought since I took two days off that I was gone for good, eh? Oh ye of little faith! I'm back with not much to say, except that I leave for Kansas City in less than 3 days and I'm SO excited. Thinking about all of the places I want to visit....La Familia, Papa Keno's, KCRF, Bloom Bath and Body (try as I might, I couldn't find a link!)...
And of course I'm excited about visiting my best friend and her hubby and Sweet V, and my folks. It will be lovely to be out in the sticks again, although I'll almost certainly be put to some sort of strenuous work by my father, whose sole delight in my visits is handing over a giant To Do list. I've tried to explain that these visits are my vacation time, but that doesn't seem to carry much weight. And besides, there is a sick sick part of me that actually likes those projects. I'm a tasker, so seeing something get crossed off a list really soothes a part of my soul that gets no relief in a life of retail. Also, my dad's not the mushy sort, so these projects are really the only quality father/daughter time we have. And, I usually learn something useful while doing them. So I'll whine and complain, and end up with blisters and a giant backache, but ultimately I'll look back and love the fact that I picked up 30 pounds of walnuts from the back yard, or flushed the gutters or helped patch a hole in one of the boats. Or something.
With any luck all that backbreaking labour will be offset with some time in the kitchen with my mom (and no, I don't mean cleaning out the pantry, mom!). We both love to cook/bake, so maybe we can whip up some goodies while I'm there. And of course, shopping. There are always fun little odd shops out in the middle of nowhere. I don't know how they stay in business, but I'm glad they do. And I'm glad my mom knows where they all are. And even though we've tried--and failed-- everytime I've seen her for the past three years, maybe *this* time, the knitting lessons will stick. :)

OMG 3 Days in Row!

Another lovely shot of yet more cacti, clouds and mountains. From the same jaunt as yesterday's photo--heck from the same perspective, almost identically. I really liked the way the clouds shaded some of the mountains. I like the way the clouds shade *anything* here, if you want to know the truth. A few weeks ago there was an absolutely glorious dark, rainy, cloudy day (I have a photo on my phone to prove it, but haven't managed to get my email set up and working on it yet), which I much bemoaned missing out on as I was headed into work. Far cry from the days when it only seemed to rain on--and ruin--my weekends. It's a topsy turvey world.

That's all I've really got to say for now. I've just dyed my hair, and I'm anxious to go look at it. Again. And in true Shanny fashion, I want to go start planning what I'm going to take/wear to KANSAS CITY! The land of GREEN. And TREES. With LEAVES! H'ray!

So I went for a drive last week on my day off. I had originally intended to actually *leave* the car and go for at least a short walk, but when I arrived at Lake Pleasant (roughly a 30 minute drive from the house--not really all that bad when I had always assumed a general dearth of water in the entire state), I realised that I didn't have the $5 required to actually enter the park. So I drove. And drove. It was an atypically cloudy day, and as I popped over one hill Iwas startled enough at the view to stop and snap a photo. The Lake, hidden by such hills (mts?), is to my right. I was able to sneak a tiny peek at one point in my drive, but it didn't really translate on the camera to much more than a streak of shiny blue, so I didn't take the photo. I'll go back sometime, cash inhand, and manage to take that walk by the water. And I'll bring you photo documentation lest you continue to believe, as I did, that there is no water in Arizona.

twig?

Since my writing has been less than regular, perhaps I should invent a term for those like me..the sporadic bloggers. No longer writing Web Logs, we now can only manage Web Twigs. Or Web Detritus.

My humour. Obtuse, I know.

So it's a (relatively) new month and it's nearly fall, so I'm going to give this being a regular blogger thing another go.

I've been in a fairly decent mood lately, what with all the bike riding and the looking forward to my fast approaching trip back to Kansas City and the 'rents. They go together, you see. Because although it's still hitting 90-100 degrees by 10am, I've been riding my bike again--all with the aim of getting a little shape back before my trip. My best friend and my parents love me, but I don't need them worrying about whether I'm going to singlehandedly put the all-you-can-eat food bars out of business when I come to town.

Besides, bike shorts tan lines rule and let me know where to put the tattoo.

Scraping and Rasping

Not home improvement, no. Teeth cleaning. They actually used a device today that looked VERY like a rasp. A very small, very thin (such that it could slide between teeth) thing, but a rasp nonetheless. And my teeth, they do feel very clean. Bit nekkid, but clean.

First thing I did when I got home? Finished off the last 3 bites of Cinnamon Bun ice cream in the freezer.

I really don't have any other tales to tell. Tonight will be the last night of the overnights, apparently, so I have no clue what I'll be working for the next week. Everyday is an adventure!

I do know I'm off for the next two days. Friday is a payday and I have some stuff callin my name at REI, so there you go.

I got my face drilled today.

It sounds so dramatic, doesn't it? To have one's face drilled. And no, I didn't take a soccer ball to the face. There was a time in my life when such a phrase would have meant precisely that, but this is not that time.

No, I had to have a filling replaced. Seems I clench my teeth (no, really? stress? me?), and I had cracked a rather old metal filling. So today I got a snazzy new amalgam, and a half frozen face. All in less than an hour. The anaesthetic is starting to wear off, so I have that lovely tingly feeling, in addition to the lingering pain of the injections and the several times that I've bitten my cheek in the interim.

My dentist has tvs hovering over the exam chairs though, so I got to watch US v Haiti soccer match. (Hey. Soccer again. Twice in one post. Totally unintentional. What's that mean?). We were up 2-0 when she finished, but honestly I think the Haitians were playing better. I'm a dentist's chair expert on these things, you know.

So here's the story

I've been 37 for just over a month now, and while the prospect of being even *nearer* 40 causes me much chagrin, it hasn't sucked entirely.

We went to Charleston, SC towards the end of May, for another gathering of WoW friends, and it was soooo awesome. Check it out. There aren't a lot of notes to lead you through the madness, but I think you can see easily enough what a great time everyone had.

It's summer here now, which means 100+ temperatures on any given day, so we're spending a lot more time inside, listening to the dogs whine. I was cycling and even walking the dogs with a moderate amount of regularity until the heat came. Now I will be a hermit. Lots of movie watching, I guess.

Or, I can just do stuff outside when I get off work at THREE A.M. for the next week or two or three. Yeah. I said it. I'm working 7pm to 3am for the next little while. Should be good times. We're resetting part of the store, and lucky me--I get to head up the overnight team doing it. Oh no, it's not because the boss thinks I have a particular talent for leading such a crew...it's because I'm the only one of us keyholders with no children to share with my "spouse". I was the easy choice. Don't get me wrong, I'll thoroughly enjoy being in the store without having to deal with all those pesky customers, but still...it burns!

And that's what I know for now. Happy June! (I'll try to get back, really I will!)

I wear one, do you?

linky goodness
(check out the entry from May 25th if you're coming to this late in the game)


I've worn a band for a couple years now. I'm glad to see it's not just a rubbery yellow fashion statement after all. . .

Rock the Pink!

So I'm a blog addict. You've heard me mention Fatty before. Well his wife is climbing a mountain of her own right now, and in her honour, the good folks at Twin Six have created a Pink version of the Fat Cyclist jersey. If you bike, know anyone who does, or just want to help a great family and a great cause, please check it out. Please support Twin Six as well, since they came up with the idea. Pass it on.

This is oddly right on the money...sorry Shanny!

You Are the Thumb

You're unique and flexible. And you defy any category. Mentally strong and agile, you do things your own way. And you do them well. You are a natural leader... but also truly a loner. You inspire many but connect with few. You get along well with: The Middle Finger Stay away from: The Pinky

What Finger Are You?

Travel Humor

1. Go to google.com.

2. Click on Maps.

3. Click on Get Directions.

4. Enter in “From” box: New York, New York.

5. Enter in “To” box: Paris, France.

6. Then, read line #23 of directions.

7. Laugh.

Thanks to my best friend in the Entire World, even England (and France), for sending this my way. :D

Mourning

Days and days of things to write have slipped by, but now I'm struck with this bit of sadness.

I accidentally started reading Kurt Vonnegut one summer in college. We were allowed to check out books for the summer, and I randomly roamed through the basement stacks and grabbed titles I thought looked interesting. One of them was Cat's Cradle. I think the writing on the spine was some sort of crazy orange 70's looking lettering and it caught my eye. I read the synopsis on the back and it sounded like an interesting read, so I added it to my pile.

I was instantly hooked on the zaniness of the characters and the not-so-subtle social commentary/political satire. I'm fairly certain that I had read his entire bibliography by the time I graduated, and I had the great pleasure of seeing him speak at the Lied Center in Lawrence, Kansas when I lived there.

It's been ages since I've read his books; perhaps it's time for a refresher. I recommend that you do the same, or try one for the first time if you've not yet discovered the wonder of Vonnegut.

Aspirations (!)

So I read The Fat Cyclist regularly. Recently he lost the Bloggies to Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. There were links, and much fun made (in a "damn, she's really good" kinda way), so of course I had to check out the site. I'm hooked. Check it out. It's the rustic version of Dooce!
If I ever make it to "kept woman" status, I'm going to have a cool blog too, with photos and contests and cooking class too! Thing is, these women (Ree and Dooce) are kept by their blogs, not just their men. Dooce's blog makes enough revenue in ads to pay the bills for her family (she and her husband both work at home now, on design projects and. . . blogs!) and I imagine Ree's pulls in a fair chunk as well, although I'm newer to her blog and don't know the entire story. . . At any rate, it's a brave new world out there, and while I don't believe that it's easy work by any stretch of the imagination, I bet it beats the hell out of retail.

Failing in my duties as a blogger

I get kind of antsy when my friend Shannon doesn't update her blog for a couple of days, and that got me thinking about this thing. And I *still* didn't write. Sometimes there is nothing to say, and other times there is just too much.

Here's what's goin on:

I'm still riding, only a couple times a week, though, as my work schedule has gone back to being completely erratic and stoopid and Phoenix is starting to go back to being completely unlivable and oven-like. Right now I have a mysteriously flat tire--I rode about 7.5 miles last week with no problems at all, and a day or two later I came home to find that my front tire was completely wasted. I haven't investigated, but I probably caught a thorn or something. I've got gel tubes though, so it's gotta be a fairly good sized hole. And I don't have any spares. Alas...time to go shopping at the bike shop!

I took the dogs in last week for their yearly shots and whatnot, and got the doc's opinion on Delilah's lame back leg. "You're not going to like what I have to say about her leg," the doc said. "Do you have pet insurance?" Eep. Apparently our little devildog has a torn CCL, which is the doggy equivalent of an ACL. Surgery! Whee! So of course we panicked and started looking into insurance--nearly every policy of which states that you cannot be treated for a CCL injury less than 12 months after opening a policy.

So we also did a lot of reading on the injury and the surgery themselves, and found out that dogs that *have* the surgery almost always end up with at least some arthritis in the joint, and will be somewhat lame on the leg. The surgery is very invasive and requires an extremely rigorous recovery period. Dogs that don't have the surgery, but are limited to less strenuous activity over several months, develop scar tissue around the injury that will stabilise it anyway. They will be slightly more prone to arthritis, but still completely able to get around.

Delilah is now taking lil baby aspirins on days when her leg seems to bother her, and she and I are sharing a brand new bottle of Glucosamine/Chondroitin (both suggestions of the vet). She's taking little 10-15 minute walks with me and *not* roughhousing with Bucket like she used to.

In other news, it rained for an ENTIRE DAY a few days ago. I was so happy. And then my allergies brought out the big stick of pain and itchy and beat me about the face with it. I was not feeling groovy. The cool thing is, it's going to be even worse in a couple of weeks when everything that got a good drink starts to bloom! A friend of mine at work suggested Bee Pollen, so I'm going to give that a try.

I'll...uh....keep you posted....

Confessions of a Hater

I hate peas. The little green monstrosities have haunted my entire career as a food-eating human. From the time I was a child and would eat peas by the spoonful only because I could swallow them whole with a mouthful of milk (Oh! The horror of actually biting into and "popping" a pea!), to recent years when I would go to great lengths to pick peas out of soups, salads, fried rice or any other pea-riddled abomination, peas have been my food nemesis.

But then. One day. . . Last Sunday, to be exact. . . I dragged R out to a new place called Sweet Tomatoes. They have a mile long salad bar with every imaginable salad related food (including my new favourite...Warm Bacon Salad Dressing--it's LIQUID BACON! What could be better? Seriously.) . . . even peas.

Knowing my sheer abhorrence for them, and always looking to get a rise out of me, R hastily spooned A LOT of peas onto his salad. Peas were rolling down the side of the spinach mountain, and threatened to fall onto my plate. I accommodated him by shrieking in (not mock) horror, and we moved on to the soups and breads and suitably yummy distractions. I forgot all about the peas.

And then, in the midst of eating, R attempted to sneak peas onto my salad. There were only a few of them--3 or 4 at most--but my reaction was swift and exclamatory; I attempted to throw them back at him. He's quick though, and knows me well enough to have expected such a reaction, and my throw was blocked, sending all the peas but one back onto my salad. The one pea? Landed in my drink.

One lonely pea, covered in a protective layer of ranch dressing, bobbing around in my Dr. Pepper. I fished it out and then, for some reason--perhaps it was an act of defiance of some sort, cos I'm all about the defiant acts--I ate it. I didn't try to swallow it either. I bit into it. And it wasn't nasty and mushy and gross at all. It was kind of snappy and green tasting, and...kind of good. I was shocked and excited all at once. Sure, my taste buds had betrayed a long standing and well defined intolerance of mine, but now. . .NOW. . .peas! It's a whole new world!

old new addictions

There is a recreation area called Reach 11 here in Phoenix. Recently, they completed a sports complex very close to our house that includes access to about 18 miles of trails. What they lack in personality they make up for in proximity and ease of use.
Even after going through my four months of physical therapy last summer, I still have fairly constant back pain, and my knees still make a gawdawful cruchy racket every time I go up or down the stairs, so I have been reluctant to get back out on a bona-fide mountain bike trail. It just causes too much stress and strain. However, these Reach 11 trails are moderate to say the least. Straight, flat, not terribly bumpy. . . Benign. A few years ago I might have dismissed them as beyond boring, but now they are reminding me of my love of speed and the wind in my face.
I went out for the first time this past Sunday and road a little over 7 miles. The trails run adjacent, under, parallel, and perpendicular to a couple of major interstates, so the sounds of traffic were an ever-present buzz in my ear, but after a while I could tune it out and just enjoy the spinning of the cogs and the crunching of the dirt beneath my tires. I saw other riders, a few runners, and a rabbit. And I completely left behind everything else in the world.
I took a day off on Monday, mainly to give my butt a rest (of all things, riding will most make your butt sore if you're not used to it), and partially to keep myself from overdoing it, as I am wont to do. But I couldn't wait to ride again. There was this longing to be out in the fresh air and away from...just about everything. The solitude of riding is a great thing, especially when I have to deal with people all day long. I used to ride every day after work...2-3 hours at a time, depending on how long the light lasted. It became such a part of my routine that I didn't feel quite right when I didn't get a chance to ride. I craved it. It was probably my first real addiction, besides music and chocolate.
When I ride I think about a million things, but nothing really bogs me down. I can kind of zone out and let thoughts and ideas just sort of float around effortlessly. It's a bit like dreaming, I think. Daydreaming, perhaps. I just peddle and peddle and peddle and love the burning in my legs and the wind in my ears.
When I'm done I am completely exhausted, but it's exhaustion laced with this weird euphoria, because riding just makes me feel *that* good. I can't really say why, I just really enjoy it. I rode again on Tuesday--another 7.5 miles or so. I skipped the last two days for various reasons (it's cold! and I worked late today to be specific), so I'm hoping for a beautiful sunny day on my day off tomorrow so I can take an extended jaunt into the desert. I'll let you know how it goes.