Marilyn Manson?

I got just one pupil dilated to check if something was wrong with my right eye. Turns out that not only is my eye ok, but I got to walk around downtown Palo Alto for four hours looking totally freaky.

Ahoy!

I think my Dad and I made this on the airplane one time. But what one time? Nonetheless, how excellent to stumble upon it in ye olde files.

 

Hawaii Five-O

It is getting to be that time of year when it is impossible to stop thinking about how great Hawaii is. Fall is lovely; the leaves change color, the air gets crisp, the evening gets dusky. Then, BAM! November. It is really dark, it always feels like it is going to rain, and the urge to hibernate sets in. Or to go to Hawaii. Really, it hasn't been so very long since the last time I visited the Aloha state (June 2008...yeah, not long ago at all) but still! So far! So warm! Here's a salute to Honolulu. And a salute to triathlon. See Blog #2 for more details.

Infinity Surprises

I love living in Menlo Park. It has many virtues, quite a few of which are delightful surprises. For example, my new neighbors are wonderful people. My street is quiet. My apartment is cute. There are amenities aplenty withing easy walking distance. The biking is fantastic. But, the J will not be picking me up here any time soon for shopping on Union Square.

*Sigh*

One foot in front of the other, and a good attitude, too.

I told my students I was moving, and, they had the great idea that I make a new photo essay about my bike route to work. Great idea, kiddos! That is why I love you all so much. You are my little rays of sunshine...mostly :0)

Anyway, said photo essay is soon to come.

And, for a little unrelated comic relief, how about a Halloween photo?

Finally!

If the Internet has one good use, in my opinion, it is to reunite us with random things we think we've lost. What DID Donny from New Kids on the Block actually look like? How DO you make vichisoisse, again? What else happened in that episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse where we meet Ricardo, the best soccer player in the world?

I have spent pretty much all of my online time (speaking in the most casual, Internet searching sense of the term only) looking for one specific poem. And I finally found it. When I was a Sophomore in high school, I went to a writing conference (I'll avoid the details, as they involve a particular swanky Connecticut prep school, whose name may rhyme with "Schmingswood Schmoxford") and I encountered two poets I fell in love with for the rest of my life. One, Sue Ellen Thompson, is easy to find online and I love everything she writes. The other, read only one poem, and his poem was lost to me forever...well, forever until now.

Without ever knowing that I, myself, would end up teaching students about my own age when I first heard this poem, I fell in love with a poem about a teacher whose student had a seizure in the classroom while giving a presentation. It is a beautiful poem, and I think it speaks for itself. My apologies for giving so much background already.

We All Fall Down

for Kelly, my student

Her turn had come. She knew
by heart almost
the lines she was to speak
but gave us, God help her,

the truth
beyond the lines,
beyond the book she dropped,
its pages thrashing to the floor
like broken wings—
she beat her head upon,
bit into so hard
I could not pry her jaws,
teeth grinding—
the truth beyond us
she saw as ever,
her risen eyes gone white
as bone.

I did what I could,
I held her and held her, seized
with sudden love and knowing
we all fall down.

In the end
I carried her curled in my arms
across one threshold
and another.

-Rennie McQuilkin

Too Long

It has been too long since I posted. I am in a haze of many things right now, and this post will likely reflect that lack of focus. I still miss Joey, I miss triathlon, and I also miss Nate. I am thankful for many things, too, but I think I will leave it at that.

More Jell-O!

That's right. Who knew asking a bunch of girls to get slippery and fight each other in a crowded bar could be one of the most lucrative ways to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society?

Last night's event was at Kezar pub and Pam and I were back together again. We went dominatrix for this match-up, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. We had a special surprise in a fourth round at the end of our match, which the photos will reveal.

Overall, it was a lot of fun, and a fundraising success. Nate got some good photos on my camera, but Pam's photos are really comprehensive. I'll link to both sets. My set has some bonus photos of Monica's birthday party (from earlier the same day) in it, too.

My Photos

Pam's Photos

No. 1

The original purpose of this blog was going to be a place for posting photos of things I see while riding my bike. And then I got Penny.

My new school year's resolution is to stop saying "I wish I had my camera out!" when I am coasting along, and to start saying "Say cheese!" to the people and things I see.

Here is the first in what I hope will be an infinite number of such photos...

So Cute!

This is the cutest thing I have seen in a long time! Jaden, I miss you so much! I remember when you only knew a couple words :0)

Jaden the Cutie

Hey Nate

Guess what? I thought of another good time we had with Joey. I really miss him a lot.

So, it was New Year's Eve, maybe the third year of college. We were down in LA (remember, we used to spend every New Year's in college there...I would fly into LAX from Hartford. Sometimes we went to see the Rose Parade floats late at night with Spencer. Ah, the days...)

Anyway, this particular year, we told Joey we would spend the holiday with him, and we got invited to a party at your friend from high school's house. It was some big house in some swanky part of LA (and I can't even remember his name...)

We brought Joey along and he brought sake along, and we drank plenty of it. As the night wore on, everybody decided going in the hot tub was a great idea. No one had swimsuits, but fortunately, most of the guests were male, like the host...except for me! But the host had a bratty older sister (who had been sulking around all evening, as I recall) and she loaned me a swimsuit.

Not just any ordinary swimsuit! It was a totally hot Burberry one-piece (I never wear one-pieces, so it was especially novel). It fit so well! Everyone agreed (even Joey, hehehe, which reminds me of the Big Basin hike that ended in a bikini...you know EXACTLY what I am talking about!) that I looked like at LEAST a 9 in it! I kept whispering to you that I wanted to steal it, as in run right out the front door, wearing nothing but the Burberry swimsuit I was stealing, and never look back. And you kept ENCOURAGING me!

But, honest gal that I am, all I did was go in the hot tub in it. Joey and I had both had plenty to drink, and at a certain point in all this hottubbing, we made some very important eye contact with each other. He said "You wanna do it?" And I nodded yes. Then he shouted "CANNONBALL!" and we both leaped up, jumped out of the hot tub, and cannonballed into the pool. It was (obviously) the middle of winter (albeit in LA) and we had a frisky, brisk moment in the pool together. Me, Joey, and the Burberry one-piece.

And, here is that photo of him dressed as Jesus on Halloween. You can see the enormous crucifix, too.

Fall Cleaning

Today I got a shoebox out of the closet (Vans Old Skool Flame print...I remember wearing those!) and decided it was time to go through its contents: what remains of my old cassette tapes. I actually do have a cassette player at work, and those tapes aren't getting any younger. So, I shall present a list. Two lists, actually.

Ahem.

Store-Bought
1. Paula Abdul: Forever Your Girl
2. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here AND The Division Bell
3. Barenaked Ladies: Stunt
4. Sublime: Second Hand Smoke
5. Pachelbel Ocean Sounds (my personal favorite)

Copied
1. Elvis Costello: The Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions
2. Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline
3. DMB: Crash AND Live at Luther College
4. Green Day: Nimrod
5. The Violent Femmes: New Times (definitely NOT their best album)
6. Bob Dylan: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
7. The Pietasters: Strapped Live!
8. The Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty

And, one blank tape. What to copy, what to copy.

I have to admit, I was kind of bummed out that my Debbie Gibsons have vanished, along with a few other gems.

Another Brick in the [Facebook] Wall

At a party recently, I realized that I am the only person in America, no, let's revise that, the only person in the world, never to have typed "www.Facebook.com" onto an Internet browser page. Nate has been needling me to do this for ages. Pam has jumped on the peer pressure bandwagon, and so have a few other so-called "friends," too. I had my reasons for holding out. However, this morning, I not only typed said URL address, I also made a Facebook page of my very own.

How do I feel?

Like a non-profit worker who has gone to the corporate world.
Like John Glenn, landing on the moon.
Like an indie band, finally getting signed to a big label.
Like a normal human being, whose friends will no longer mock her uncoolness in public on purpose. You know who you are.

Now that I have finally given in to the whole Facebook craze, (I guess the "craze" is totally over...now it is just par for the course...way for me to be late) I guess I should also get around to listening to New Kids on the Block, playing Pogs, drinking Crystal Pepsi, and creating a Neopet, too.

I'd better get to it.

Jell-O

As we all know by now (via the other blog) I'll do anything to help cure cancer, especially leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers. Which is why I agreed to Jell-O wrestle for the second time this weekend to raise money for TNT. This post isn't making it onto the other blog for obvious reasons (remember, it has a PG rating...). Anyhoo, here are the links to the most recent set of photos, as well as the photos from the original event. I think they speak for themselves.

Jell-O Wrestling!

More Jell-O Photos

Japan and Vietnam

Oh, Japan and Vietnam, how can I blog thee? Let me count the ways...

There is just too much to say about how much fun our travels were! If I were a more with-it blogsperson, I would have done little updates along the way. But then I would have been sitting in front of a computer instead of out having fun. Alas, I chose the latter.

I will let the photos speak for themselves. Too bad a picture is worth a thousand words and not a thousand dollars. Just kidding. Kind of.

Photos Galore!

Take it

to the top of the key!
We
want
three.

(Some things are definitely taking up space in our brains.)

Or to the top of 22nd street, as Penny and I did in our epic walk last week. We saw the following lovely vistas from atop Potrero Hill...







Penny and I were on an expedition to check out these sweet condos under construction in Dogpatch (http://www.espritpark.com). I didn't put that as a link not because Jessica's instructions about making links weren't excellent (whoa, multiple negatives in that phrase) but so no one will click on it and buy all the condos before I can afford them. *Sigh* it is going to be awhile. Patience is a virtue. And Nate just finished the bar.

One
step
after
the
next.

Anyway, Penny and I had a LOT of girl time while Nate was taking said three-day exam, and she was totally tuckered out by the time we took her to Santa Cruz yesterday morning to her casa-away-from-casa while we travel, my parents' house.





We took her to Santa Cruz a day early just to make sure nothing goes wrong. My mom was very reassuring when we dropped her off, but I am really going to miss her...

One last note: this gave me major cognitive dissonance yesterday.



Ok, well, everything's gonna be rockin' when we hit Japan! *Giggle*

Oh, the Possibilities...

Apples

Fruits of the devil, no?

Too Late

It's just the photo from the LA Times, but it'll have to do.

So Many Sorrows

Found out today that a friend from college died.
Dear old Joey Lutz drowned in Panama.
How unexpected.
He was a strong swimmer.

I myself had just finished 1600 meters
in the pool.
Even with the fog
it was refreshing.
In the locker room
I checked my phone; one missed call from Nate.

“When you get this, give me a call.”

After nearly nine years,
I know that tone of voice.

Remember the time Joey and Tyler
forced you to lick the banana slug?
Or when Joey dressed up as Jesus for Halloween
And dragged that enormous cross all over Santa Cruz?

We were so angry when he bailed
on the Big Sur camping trip.

And that was the last time
we saw him.

Joey was the kind of English teacher
kids really need.
According to the Samo website, grief counseling is available
for those who need it.

This is not the first sorrow
nor will it be
the last.

*****

At night, I snuggle so close to Nate
that I can feel
my heart beating against his back
and I can feel
his heart beating against my arms
tightly encircling his hairy chest.

I exhale
and
he exhales.

Breathing out
to try and release
so many sorrows

locked inside.

Girl's Best Friend(s)

Happy Birthday, America

We took Penny to Sausalito to eat star spangled apple pies this 7/4. She was a good girl. GOOD GIRL!

Name that Vehicle

Answer: It's the street painter!

My First Love

It looked A LOT like this, but with a unicorn on the seat.

Falling

A good place to start this blog is with a story about when I first started commuting by bike in SF. Two years ago, I decided I wanted a road bike. After a little research, I settled on what became my new best friend, the LeMond Versailles.



When I bought this bike, I had never ridden with clipless pedals, but Bobby at Palo Alto Bicycles assured me that I would not regret joining the proud ranks of the clipless crew. So I did. And I fell. At first, a lot.

My most spectacular fall was not my first. However, my first fall was the most terrifying. On the way to CalTrain one morning, I tipped over as I attempted to come to a halt at the intersection of Cesar Chavez and Guerrero. Kersplat! Right into the roadway when the folks on Cesar Chavez had a green light. I did indeed feel my heart stop for a moment.

The second and most spectacular fall took place about a month later in Palo Alto. I was rushing to make the evening train. I could hear it approaching. I still had about one football field to ride. I blasted up onto the sidewalk to save time, just as an elderly man coming toward me did the same thing. I veered to the right to avoid him, and he did the same, but rather slower, so we basically veered right toward each other, me at top speed. The train whistle was blowing, and in my mind's eye, all in consecutive little snapshots, I saw this old man get hit by me, fall, break his collarbone, enter the hospital, catch pneumonia, and die. The final clip was me at his funeral.

Did I hit him and make the train? Certainly not. I laid my own bike and self down, at top speed, on the sidewalk to avoid him. My bike skidded about ten feet and I skidded about five. My helmet broke the fall, but unfortunately, did very little to protect my legs, which I was immediately sure were in bad shape.

I missed the train. I waited for the next one, forty-five minutes later, with blood running down both legs and pooling in my socks and no band-aids with which to stop the flow.

With this initiation, I officially joined the proud ranks of San Francisco bicycle commuters.