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• I resigned from my job of seven years. No more insurance.
• I terminated my lease six months early.
• I sold all but one of my furnishings and most of my books, movies, and music.
• I planned a move from a city I’d spent the past eleven years.
• My guy and I loaded a U-Haul, an SUV, a kitty gym, and Jasper and drove two days.
• We moved two states away to a  new city, which I had been to once (for one week).

Packed, originally uploaded by Brian Auer.

1. No more melted ice cream.
2. Quick trips will truly be quick.
3. Hours will not be wasted waiting for buses and trains.
4. Waiting in the cold, rain, snow, and sleet will be a piece of the past.
5. My arms will not be stretched and sore from hauling groceries home.
6. Dressing cute for an evening out in the winter will be a possibility.
7. I will be designated driver extraordinaire!

Top Ten of Summer –

1. Attended two Midwest burns and am officially captivated by the culture.
2. Learned I really love camping and can in fact put up a tent by myself!
3. Met an incredible person who may be the most positive influence of my entire life.
4. Moved from a studio apartment to a one bedroom in a garden neighborhood.
5. Watched Jasper come back to a happy place when we moved to our new home.
6. Decided to stop drinking and have happily remained sober since.
7. Shot some of the best photographs I have ever taken, one week ago.
8. Modeled for a photographer who took some of the best shots of me ever.
9. Found myself shaking hands with the past and moving on.
10. Learned much about myself.

Amtrak Station Chicago, originally uploaded by aka Kath.

This past weekend I went to Chicago on the Amtrak. I learned a few things.

When you travel via Amtrak, be sure to follow these tips:

1. Pack light – more than one or two small suitcases and you will regret it.
2. Bring a pillow if you can fit it. I guarantee you will sleep at some point and want one.
3. Pack your own drinks and food – especially if you will want alcohol. A can of beer is $4.50.
4. Don’t wear your glasses while napping. My glasses broke on this trip!
5. Bring a book. You will have loads of uninterrupted reading time.

354/365 off the beaten track, originally uploaded by obo-bobolina.

The NaPoBloMo theme this month is Want, so I am going to share my “Bucket List.”:

1. Ride on the back of a Harley motorcycle.
2. Make love in a thunderstorm.
3. Backpack across Europe with a friend or partner.
4. Visit the Tuscany region of Italy (and Florence).
5. Spend some time in Seattle.
6. Visit a nude beach.
7. Attend a bonfire on the beach.
8. Return to the UK.
9. Go to Burning Man.
10. Live somewhere outside of the Midwest.
11. Drink a mint julep in the South.
12. Own a home, with a porch swing and roses (again).
13. Get more tattoos and perhaps another piercing.
14. Photograph models.
15. Find a positive, long-term match for myself.
16. Walk across Abbey Road.
17. Write for a local/familiar publication.
18. Simultaneously own Converse sneakers in multiple colors/designs.
19. Get my freakin’ driver’s license.
20. See more Broadway musicals/plays.
21. Travel to Amsterdam and smoke pot in a marijuana bar.
22. Walk through the Red Light District (before it is gone).
23. Travel through Asia with a friend or partner.
24. Possess a bottle of Chanel No. 5.
25. Learn conversational Spanish well.
26. See the canyons of Utah.
27. Visit San Francisco.
28. Attend a game at Wrigley Field.
29. Ride in a limousine.
30. Take a ride in a helicopter (and not the emergency kind!).
31. Meet Ani DiFranco.
32. Escape from the rat race at an age when I can still enjoy doing so.
33. Finish my family scrapbooks.
34. Own a pickup truck.
35. Drink Guinness in an Irish pub.

Curiosity did not in fact kill the cat, originally uploaded by gina.banina.

I apparently took an unplanned hiatus from my blog. Winter has left me a wee bit uninspired and wiped out, I’m afraid. To kick off my attempt at a return to blogging, a bullet post:

• Appetite. One of the ways I know when some part of my life is askew is via my appetite. Suddenly I am eating less, hungry less, and determined sometimes too to choose to eat less. Anxiety, emotions, and relationship muck have all resulted in this at one point or another. Tonight I realized I hadn’t eaten since 2. It is ten-thirty. Huh.
• Cold, so cold. This morning it was zero degrees out when I left for work. I wore: a sweater set, a hoodie, a winter coat, a scarf, gloves, a ear warmer, cap, and two pairs of socks. When I got to work, my fingers and toes still hurt from the cold. When I returned from work this evening it was thirteen degrees. I waited for the bus for 20 minutes. Seriously? Winter: suck it.
• Friendship. I am in the midst of one relatively new but incredible friendship right now, one for which I am absolutely grateful. Another friendship is strained and both of us feel helpless to fix it. Other friendships seem to be disappearing and appearing at various speeds. And still other people in my life leave my head spinning and grasping for a wall to hang onto for a minute.
• Literature. I finally finished “Mockingbird,” a biography of Harper Lee author of my favorite book of all kind: “To Kill a Mockingbird.” A review will be up soon, I promise. In the meantime: go, buy it or check it out, and give me your thoughts on it!
• Train Travel. I took the train back and forth to/from Kansas City last weekend. I loved train travel! I had five hours alone to think, nap, and read. I can’t imagine a better mini vacation for me. I can’t wait for another opportunity to use the train to travel solo. Or with a partner in crime, that too could be pretty awesome.

Top 7 of St. Louis

1. B.B.’s Jazz, Blues & Soups – Incredible blues musicians have come from all parts to play here.  Some musicians have included Billy Peek Band, Henry Townsend, Magic Slim, and Marquise Knox.  B.B.’s has a great selection of beers for those beer lovers out there and delicious food too – the sweet potato fries are a big hit.
2. City Garden – This is the newest feature of St. Louis city and I absolutely love it.  Located downtown, numerous sculptures are found throughout; twisting paths snake around the trees and sculptures; water features add a whimsical touch, and a flat screen displays unique imagery.
3. City Museum – Exceptionally unique and artistic, the City Museum is an experience no other city can offer.  This year the City Museum opened its rooftop theme park.  Several multiple floor slides, recycled items adorn the walls and floors, and a quaint bar called the Cabin Inn is attached and is in fact the relocated cabin of Daniel Boone’s son.
4. Fabulous Fox Theatre – The theatre is a gorgeous, remarkable space and a fantastic venue.  Some outstanding Broadway shows come to this theatre.  Well-known comedians and musicians perform here.
5. Missouri Botanical Gardens – This is a very picturesque setting and is often a peaceful place for reading, thinking, or writing.  Several times a year festivals are held that offer incredible culture and variety to patrons.  Also held here is the Whitaker Music Festival, with local favorites performing here for free concerts every Wednesday throughout the summer months.
6. The Sheldon – This is a perfect, very intimate setting for a great concert.  The modest size allows for up-close viewing of the musicians and a greater acoustic sound throughout.  Musicians including Cowboy Junkies, Herbie Hancock, Suzanne Vega, Wynton Marsalis, and a slew of others have performed in the space.
7. Tivoli Theater – A beautiful, historic theater space, the Tivoli shows interesting and provocative independent films.  What’s more, every November the St. Louis International Film Festival screens some of its films here.

festivus logo, originally uploaded by Dot D.

In honor of Festivus [for the Rest of Us], I provide you with my list of grievances for 2008:

1. ADHD.
2. Airfares (at present).
3. Bad television.
4. Begging.
5. Being on hold.
6. Bullies.
7. Cabin fever.
8. Celebrity worship.
9. Cold weather.
10. Confusion.
11. Corporate bailouts.
12. Darkness before 5.
13. Disappointment.
14. Dishonesty.
15. Disrespect.
16. Drama.
17. Expectations.
18. Frustration.
19. Fundamentalists.
20. Inauthenticity.
21. Jasper biting.
22. Loud talkers.
23. Low wages. (more…)

I found the Proust Questionnaire through Vanity Fair magazine.  I decided to complete it, just as numerous celebrities have done for Vanity Fair.  I invite you to fill it out and post it to your own blog or you can always just send it to me. :)

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Perfect happiness is love, laughter, friendship, peace, and passion in my life.

2. What is your greatest fear?
Dying alone.

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Desire for approval.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Self-righteousness.

5. Which living person do you most admire?
I admire my mother and grandmother for everything that they have gotten past. I admired my father immensely when he lived.

6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Magazines, I suppose. I pore over them, reading them from cover to cover.

7. What is your current state of mind?
Frustrated and yet contented.

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Purity.

9. On what occasion do you lie?
Unintentionally.

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
The way my chin crinkles, or my teeth not being straight entirely.

11. Which living person do you most despise?
I plead the fifth.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Authenticity.

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Intelligence.

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Awesome.  Amazing.  D’oh.

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Jasper.

16. When and where were you happiest?
A week ago last Sunday.  Contentment and peace collided wonderfully.

17. Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to read people’s minds.

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would be more cerebral.

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Winning an award in a photography exhibition. :)

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A pampered feline.

21. Where would you most like to live?
Somewhere warm year-round, with a beach to sunbathe on nearby.

(more…)

You might not know that I…

… Wake at 3 a.m. nearly every night. Yes it does actually suck.

… Am no longer in the closet with my mother. She calls it my “sexual preference.”

… Say goodbye to Jasper every time I leave the apt and tell him that I love him.

… Hang the toilet paper under, never over.

… Loathe when people are not real with me or others.

… Drank only diet soda (versus regular soda) my entire childhood – OCD, much?

… Admire and am often envious of those who can carry on a truly cerebral conversation.

… Am just finally getting past my fear of slides (going down them) – I know, weird.