So my new iPhone and I are at war or at least engaged in a skirmish. I hurt my back; quite badly this time, and I am under doctor's orders to take a week off work. This would be fine if I could just hang out at home doing nothing, but… Read full post »

We have rats now. I resisted the idea mightly, but it was almost inevitable we would end up with a rodent of some kind. The youngest wanted a gerbil. The oldest wanted a rat. My husband voted on the rat side of the debate. After some reading about same animal pets… Read full post »

I love music. I can't really say I have a favorite kind. I'm as likely to be listening to Iris Dement as ABBA or a techno remix of Phantom of the Opera.

My dad likes music, but he was never one to push his musical tastes on someone else. I… Read full post »

I remember my first kiss, but not the boy's name.  He lived down the road from me and had a younger brother. We would play together and read Elfquest Wolfrider comic books (I know they are graphic novels now, but they were still comic books when I first read them).… Read full post »

I've been busy at work and home and haven't been blogging. I thought I might get a little in today and pulled up Salon (we've been in and out of pet stores and having a very kid-centred day - no TV, radio, etc.). K'pow with the dramatic/tragic news! Arizona, Arizona...I just… Read full post »

I had a friend named Ben when I was 13/14. He had a little brother that everyone referred to as "Baby Bear". Baby Bear was about 2 and Ben was my age. Their mother had issues. I remember my dad going over to help her fix her car or haul some… Read full post »

This is our favorite place to hike in the city. It is one of the hidden urban treasures Portland offers. Admission is free. Stay on the dang trails if you go; like so many places erosion is an issue.

The meadow in Spring.

The view across the top… Read full post »

I have always been an artist. My parents took a very charming photo of me painting a butterfly at about 18 months. I took every art class in school. I won coloring contests at the local store; etc. I was Artist of the Year in 8th grade.

At some point I… Read full post »

My mother is a bad cook. The kind of bad cook that seems comically exaggerated when talking about. My brothers and I are all very good cooks. It was self defense.

After my parents divorced and my father ended up with custody of the three of us ( a whole… Read full post »

I do not tattoo. I used to say it was because of my needle phobia or because I had not seen a tattoo I would permanently want to carry around. But really I just don't want to tattoo.

I think they are beautiful. I love looking at other people's tattoos. I… Read full post »

I like the dark. I was a weird child and had my own night time phobia. I did not like light in my bedroom. I did not have a nightlight or glow-in-the-dark stars, etc. I wanted it totally and completely dark in my room.Sleepovers were frequently marred by the disgreement over… Read full post »

We have the most wonderful cat. She has a few persistent vices, but nothing that can't be managed by lowering our expectations. She is the only cat I have ever had where I knew her actual birthday, not just the day she came to us.

She will be four next… Read full post »

I never dreamed about High School while I was there. I dreamed about people I knew there or things that I had read that day in class, but not about school itself. My nightmares were vivid and persistent, but they were mostly in an outside setting at that point in my… Read full post »

I work at  a wonderful company who core values include happiness. Most of the time this is great. The company truely values it's employees and does it's best to keep us sweet. And we are appreciative and happy and helpful etc.

 But - our clients want to know us. Really, really… Read full post »

When I was very young I didn't understand what cemeteries were. I had never seen a dead person and the very concept of death was hard for me to understand. I used to think that cemeteries, along with golf courses, were a kind of park that did not have a playground.… Read full post »

 On the weekend before I started school as a first grader my mom and her boyfriend took me to the end of our  dirt road (we lived about 3 miles up a very long, unpaved road at the top of a mountain) and showed me where the school bus would be… Read full post »