A Tiger's Stripes

Do you remember Little Black Sambo? Of course it was highly un-PC, but as a kid I loved the story of how he ran and ran and ran the tigers around the tree until they turned into butter to put on my pancakes. Did you know that if you shave off a tiger's hair, his stripes appear on his skin--but if you shave a zebra, he's all black? Friday is a good day for random thoughts.

Separating Wheat from Chaff

Ever have I felt the preciousness of time. Sounds like an old-fashioned way to say it, but it's the only way for me to communicate the intensity I feel about the passage of my life. I remember once, when I was a child, someone telling me that time went by faster as you got older. I cried, because I already felt that time passed too quickly. When I catch myself wishing away time, say, to arrive at the day of a vacation, or to pass through some unpleasant task faster, I feel accompanying guilt, careful of what I'm wishing for. Now, the value of time translates most acutely in how I want to spend it. Doing what I most want to do. Spending as much of it with family and friends, the most precious use of all. Perhaps this lies at the root of why I never tolerated a corporate job for long. So much wasted time!

Remember when I crashed my car in February? Last week I returned to the scene. Here is a photo essay of the experience. The story is told in the captions.

And, more pics from my Spokane trip.

A Quick Shout Out From Spokane

Doing the guidebook thing. Went whitewater rafting for the first time in my life. Class III rapids on the Spokane River (yes, the Spokane River). You'll have to wait for the waterproof camera photos to be developed to see the rafting pics. Let these tide you over until then. These were shot as the evening progressed on Solstice, the longest day of the year. The last photo was shot at night without a tripod, at a high ISO, so there's a tremendous amount of what is called "digital noise." However, I think it gives it an almost portrait-like quality. Kewl.

Why They Call it the Blues

PMS. Husband gone. Apathy. Inertia. Paralyzing moments of self-doubt. Being at the beginning (again) of an overwhelming project. Tight funds. Sugar addiction. Being overweight and out of shape. Puppy dogs with tummy troubles. Feelings of loneliness and disconnection. A tendency toward depression in the best of circumstances. A broken dryer. Difficulty separating myself from all the sorrow and evil in the world.

Advice for how to combat my depression most welcome.

Who Let My Muse Out?

Going back to hot yoga, a good dinner with friends, a playdate with Ping the pug for the puppies, deep red wine, my husby's permagrin when describing his upcoming moto trip, and Turkish coffee with sweetened condensed milk. That's who. Or what. These lovies were the result. And Janeen, who loves flowers and coffee and other good things, and whose Mom Blog onnected me to another Mom who advocates overriding the autoflash on your camera whenever possible.

Ramblings

We've passed 100,000 miles on the Prius! I feel so very progressive. Hubby leaves this weekend for a two-week moto road trip. I'm so happy for him, but I'll be lonely for sure. I'm deeply dependent on his mere presence. Sunbathed naked in the back yard today. The sun felt good on my nethers. This afternoon is one of those fleeting moments of contentment. Ahhhh.