nothing in particular

it has been cloudy for a few days, putting a damper on my mood. to quote Golriz, she's only happy in the sun. i think the dog agrees too, although hers might be, she's only happy when the lawnmower isn't going. i guess i should have anticipated that the reaction to the riding lawnmower would be proportionately larger than the reaction to the vaccuum, whoops. not to be outdone by the dog, i have found that the viciousness towards things that make noise can be overcome with the proper use of CHEESE. yes, cheese. the magic soundproofer/world righter. seems Adam and the dog have someting in common. plus, i vaccuumed the floor, so poor lawnmower-tized neah had to shift napping spots every 35 seconds in search of somewhere that smells like her bone pile.

yesterday, i whittled away the afternoon by chatting with this guy on skype: (funny enough, three years later we look almost exactly the same as this picture, how'd that happen?

let me tell you a little about how this occurred. i sent him an email that said, "I hate you." Mostly, i was grumpy because of the sheer brilliance of said person (not me) and his first class honors law degree. Secondarily, i was pissed because he was eating yummy food in Vietnam. Truth be told, i am smart enough to know how to get a reaction. hah. He wasn't satisfied with Gchat so to Skype we went. i was worried. Sometimes the internets get jumpy when i am trying to watch Vampire Diaries on Hulu. Would Skype have the same jumpy, lethargic, ire inducing fate??

No dear friends, it didn't. so, let it be known the world over that i am going to hang out on Skype more since my stupid phone has little to no reception inside this apartment. Then i get to see you and not hang up on you. yay. double bonus. let's all put one hand up in a high-five of solidarity for Skype. word.

toe shoes and mosquitoes

It has been making it to 60 on a regular basis. i think this is what the locals call summer. My friend Leili joked that she was wearing a tanktop because it was hot..i'm pretty sure hot was 50 F or so since they are in Ft. Smith in northern Canadia. so, in honor of summer, i am listening to Bachata music, dancing in the livingroom, and continuing the job hunt. There are some great options out there, as always the question is whether they think i am a great option too. In the meantime, sing on Prince Royce.

We've been trying to allow "summer" to usher in new fun things to do. We went hiking again last weekend to some falls just outside of Eagle River. It was a good opportunity to break in the Vibram Five Finger toe shoes. I think there may be a whole series of posts about the adventures of the toe shoes this summer. brace yourselves. The first time i saw a pair of these, Logan had them in Hawaii and i was convinced that this strange shoe fetish must be some crazy hippie stuff. truth be told, the rubberized toe-socks grip better than my hiking boots, are way lighter, and dry out faster.  Back to the hike: the first part of the trail was very wet/muddy. i spent the hike trying not to get my feet muddy, dantilly prancing along the edge of the trail and forging my own way through trees, much to the irritation of the dog who was pissed her herd was not being herded. feel free to mull over the idiocracy of wearing toe shoes and trying to keep them clean and pretty in the mud then sloshing though a stream. the second half, dry and mosquito filled. mosquitoes are the Alaska state bird. they are huge. they swarm. they are out to eat me alive. yes, me personally, no one else.

Back to the picture, yes that is still snow. It is in a shaded area. Also, that's a river (read stream) that comes down from the falls. We had to cross it twice. it was about ankle to calf deep. let me make this clear. THAT ISH WAS COLD. like barely above freezing. but, the shoes were great for getting across because (drum roll please) your feet freeze immediately and once numb you feel nothing. Neah, however, was PISSED that we took her through freezing cold water to see some water thing with a bunch of mosquitoes.

The falls were pretty..mostly it was just nice to get out and moving. And because there must always be a cute picture of the dog:

Time Flies

Let's compare early January with early May:

Wowza. or:

 

current events

last night, while i talked to my parents half a world away, we watched together as President Obama announced that after nearly 10 years bin Laden had finally been killed. while i listened to what seemed a momentous statement--one that hopefully provided some closure for families who have lost those they love to 9/11 and in the aftermath decade long war--i thought about where i was that day, waking up in DC to a changed world, watching the shock on the faces of those around me, understanding that the threat that so many in the world live with every day had finally come to the US.

the scenes from outside the white house make me sad. there is no joy in the murder of others, justified or not. justice does not equate with felicity or exuberant patriotism. too many have had to sacrifice their lives for me to celebrate the death of one. i honor our soldiers and their families. I honor the people of the countries we have invaded and their continued struggle. i think about those who fight against terror in their country every day of the week without hope. and i leave you with this quote from Martin Luther King Jr.:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"