Middle of Vacation

Is there anything better than a week long vacation that loses you no money on your paycheck, uses no vacation time, and is happening right now? I don't think so! However, I am out of books to read. Need suggestions. So far this week I finished the Dragonriders of Pern set I was reading earlier as well as starting and finishing Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11). It was entertaining. Pretty much that's all i can ask of any of my "summer" reading. But I'm looking for something a little more fulfilling now.

I'm watching my man try to wrap up L.A. Noire before the weekend is up. A fantastic game, for sure. I almost think I would have enjoyed playing it, but by this point I've seen the whole story, so there wouldn't be much challenge there. I spent a good portion of yesterday on Torchlight, which I adore. I hope they put the 2nd one on XBLA, but if not, I'll still get it for my laptop. It gives me something to do while I wait impatiently for Diablo 3 to come out. And it's a nice break from the 3 Lego games I'm grinding through. I think today is a LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 kind of day. 

Got ribs out of the freezer for dinner. Probably should have done that last night, but oh well. It'll be nice to get the grill up and running for the first time this year. Have some baked beans and corn on the cob to go with it. Nice, easy, and delicious. And well within my diet. In fact, I've discovered that everything is within my diet. I'm down 12 pounds in 3 weeks! And I've only barely changed my eating habits. I knew that all I had to do was get off my lazy ass, I'm just glad I finally did it. Still have 20 pounds to go for goal, but that means I'm a third of the way there.

Tomorrow we're going to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean at the Galaxy theater in Monroe. D-Box and 3D? Count me in! I always think it's funny that I go to most movies on Tuesday at Cinebarre for $5, but then I have no problem spending $19 a ticket for a matinée if it's at a D-Box theater. Oh well, as far as an immersive experience goes, it can't be beat. I remember the first time I saw Inception at home and I thought it just wasn't the same. It wasn't that the screen was smaller or that we don't have surround sound. It was that the oh-so-subtle movement of the seat when I saw it in the theater made it feel so very different. I'm glad I got to experience that.

Well, off to clean out the fridge, empty the garbage, put away the dishes, etc. Doesn't that sound like a great vacation to you?

Working on a Tuesday?!

What I should be doing right now: packing up the computer and heading into work. What I'm actually doing: why, writing this blog post, of course. The idea of going into work on a Tuesday is nearly unbearable for me. This is my weekend, dammit! I should be enjoying my days off. But instead I'm headed to the clinic because there's Anniversary stuff to do and because I have time off this weekend instead. Ugh, I have to go. More later.

Rainy Days in Seattle

So, it's a day that ends in 'y' and to no surprise the water is falling from the sky. People always get mad about the rain here in Seattle, which is funny. Why would you live in a place that is known for it's grey skies and then complain about the grey skies? We don't even get that much rain, usually. Less than Chicago for example. But it is grey all the time. Personally, I love it.

There is nothing better than curling up on the couch with a snack and a good book (currently reading The Dragonriders of Pern). The rain is also doing lovely things for my EarthBox garden. The lettuce and peas are growing like mad and trying to take over everything else. It's finally warm enough for my tomato to go outside, so that's going to happen tomorrow.

I have Memorial Day weekend off from the clinic and I actually hope that it rains the whole time. If it's sunny I'll want to go out all the time. If it's raining, though, perhaps I can get that apartment cleaned up finally. It looks like something exploded in there and that makes me sad. I just have trouble working a long day, and then coming home and still working! I know people do it every day and I should get over myself, but the job is draining.

Tomorrow I'm going to Williams-Sonoma to buy a Breville Pie Maker. This is my kitchen implement of the month. Last month I got the Cuisinart Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, Red and now I have to try out a recipe for avocado gelato, which sounds delightful. Next month, we're going for the Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor. I can't be bothered to grate cheese all the time.

For now, off to continue the job hunt. It's a little disheartening, but I just have to keep at it. Something will come through.

The Sound of Drums

The universe ends like a raindrop into a puddle.

It empties slowly as the storm rages.

The pounding of the drums is incessant and

in my attempts to escape I grow numb.

The skies are made of blinding diamonds.

Fear and electricity burn at my nose as

I taste, at last, a bitter hope.

The ticking of my watch, golden and forgotten,

feels like the caress of silk.

The echos of Captain Jack Harkess’s words woke

something in my memory that was so much more

than Utopia could ever offer.

To me. To anyone.

I never truly forgot the watch.

An old man has so much in his past that he often forgets

how much can be in his future,

where life could take him if he focused.

And suddenly the Tardis was real for me.

I was young again because I looked at the face of time.

Chan, And who are you, Doe? Were her last words that never mattered.

The ethereal police box of rebirth wrote

the first new pages of my tale.

My sanity was as stalwart as a leak in a dam.

I danced across time and skipped through the annals of history

to bring nightmares for Christmas.

The Master asks for nothing, but always takes,

for in the months ahead

spheres will rain from the skies

and all hope will shrink to nothingness.

The watery song of the Doctor washes over all.

They’ll always forget him if he saves humanity.

Allons-y!

Time kicks off its shoes and falls, delighted, into a recliner

Even as it comes to an end under a sky made of diamonds.

Ten Minute Spill - "Sunday"

A semi-automatic espresso machine whirs away,

The needle of the temperature gauge creeping higher and higher.

Caramel swirls through clouds of creamy foam.

A sip. Another. A drink. Licking lips.

She takes a taste and lets the blackberry slump

Bite at her tongue. A smile spreads across her face.

The rain splatters outside the window and she gazes

Out at the grey. Spring mornings have always been her favorite.

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow…

We go back to work.

Potential

I remember a time when potential wasn't a dirty word,
when it meant all the things that you could do,
all the things you were going to do,
rather than all the things you ought to have done.

I've gotten to old for potential. Now what do I have?
Ambition sounds too young, too hollow, too cold.
Drive is no better - callous and empty.
No, now I have... egotism and pride.

The negative have become the positive.
I can do anything I want and who are you to tell me
that I "lack experience". You wouldn't believe
the experiences that I have had.

Give me a shot. I'll show you where you can stick your
potential. I don't need to show off all my skills
because I know how good I am.
And I know how much you need me.