Sleepin' In { and When I Look at You }

Wow, i've been sleeping in super late as of late.  Late late!  I woke up at 8:30 today.  If you know me, you know i'm an unwilling early riser.   It's the norm for my eyes to pop open at 5 a.m. as if an alarm had gone off.  I dunno what it is lately...winter?  Stress?  Carb bingeing?  Being exposed to unpleasant vibes?  Meh, no matter.  I'm too busy to worry about it and it will all work itself out anyway. 

Until then, i'm going to edit 75 photos (today!), post them in a gallery, deliver an order, fill a couple last-minute orders and close my doors for the holidays. 

{ P.S.  Chris, i will answer your email after i close my doors for the holidays...i haven't heard of your electronica peeps, but i love electronica.  I'm rather into dubstep right now...Oscillator Z, Inspector Dubplate, Vaski, Rusko...let's chat it up for sure! }

Nose Piercing - Then Vs. Now

Then:

It was 1992.  I had just returned to the States from 2 years in Japan.  Body piercing was just getting popular but there were no dedicated body piercing parlors around (in central VA, that is).  So, i talked the terrified girl at Piercing Pagoda to just go for it with her piercing gun.  I don't recommend this method, really, i don't.  The swelling immediately afterward was quite noticeable.  It was pretty hurty, but not intolerable.  I can't remember how long it took to heal.  I just remember that by the time my leave (from the USAF) ended and i had to put a clear plastic holder in, it had healed enough that i could easily do that (and i'm thinking i took a month's leave). 

Now:

After letting my nose piercing close somewhere around 1994 or '95 (or 96 or 7...damn the senility), and really missing it, i decided to have it redone.  So, a few days ago, we went to Club Tattoo in Mesa and Mercedes skillfully repierced my nose.  I was scared, but she was awesome!  Her personality and the way she handles petrified customers is really top-notch.  She has a gift.  The pain was nothing...it was over in half a second.  I like this method much more than the previous one i used.  haha.  Allie got her belly button pierced that day, too.  Very cute.  I highly recommend Mercedes! 

Owning the Corner Market on Kindness { Retrieving My Goats }

Bloody hell!  It's almost New Year's and i still have a few goats out wandering in the wrong pasture.  I don't like it when my goats are out wandering where they shouldn't be.  I really want to have them all in by end of year...and that is

SOON!

So, let's start with something that has my biggest goat right now:  groups who think they have the corner market on kindness.  You know, the ones who think they're the ONLY people in the world who take dinner to sick people, or have compassion for mankind (or animals, or each other), etc. etc.  You know what i mean.  And if someone outside their fold performs a kind act, they say things like, "They're REALLY one of US...they just don't KNOW it yet." One of them recently tried to convince me that because i had done something kind for someone, it meant i was one of "them." 

I just threw up in my mouth.

I am sooooo not one of "them."  I am one of ME and ME happens to be a kind and caring person.  Errr...I happen to be....

Case in point:

I was raised in an atheist household.  I wasn't indoctrinated with the dogma of any religion.  The neighborhood where i grew up consisted of middle-class suburbanites who commuted to D.C. to work all week, then drank on the weekends, had parties and enjoyed life. They shopped on Sundays or took their kids to the movies.  They were also there for each other in times of need.  They weren't wallowing in religion.  They were simply good people.  { Side note: I can remember only one church-goer from my childhood, a Baptist named Libby.  I had no interest in learning of her beliefs, nor did my parents.  (Thank kitty, because i was horrified when the Baptists boycotted Disney over gay people having benefits for thier partners and if i had become affiliated with that hateful group, i would've shat myself, like i did when the Mormon church funded Prop 8).  }

So anyway, despite my godless upbringing, i was always a caring individual.  As a child, if i found a sick or injured bird, i would nurse it back to health.  When i got older, i got involved in school and community organizations.  I was the secretary and then the president of SADD.  After high school, i served in the Air Force where i also volunteered in many ways.  After that, i volunteered with CAP (Child Assault Prevention) and with other non-profits.  Even now, i still volunteer (for JDRF's ODST--Online Diabetes Support Team) and try to be there for people, in general. 

And guess what? 

My caring nature has NOTHING to do with religion.  It has everything to do with being HUMAN and, more importantly, an individual capable of having my own interests, beliefs, and concerns. 

So, to those of you who have my goat because you believe people are only good because of religion, i hereby reclaim my goat.  Next time you throw your cookie-cutter beliefs at me, i will have only this to say to you:

MAAAAAAAAAA!

Should I Change?

I dig the enneagram.  It's a personality typing thingamabob.  I'm a Seven (the Enthusiast).   My enneagram message for today is this:

"Today, reflect on your important relationships. What patterns do you see? As a Seven, you would probably take the role of the "ebullient entertainer" of your partner. Is this true? If so, see how it plays out and what the consequences are." (Wisdom of the Enneagram, 271)

I'm pondering this.  Is it good to be an ebullient entertainer?  Is it bad to be an ebullient entertainer?  Should i be a dull entertainer, or just plain dull?  Is being entertaining bad?  Does it cause trouble?  Should i be more like this:
_   _
.  .
 .
__


When i'm not sure about the answer to a question, i consult music (or Winnie the Pooh, but he was not on the telly at the time).  As i watched Adventureland tonight, this song answered for me:




I realize i'm not for everyone.  I can be a bit...much.  But that's just...me.  Take it or leave it.  Just know that i wish you only the best, no matter who you are, or how you feel about me. 

Cheers.

Being Human

I have a love/hate relationship with being human.  Right now, both are happening simultaneously.  I love the rich field of emotions we humans get to wade through.  Or frolick through, depending on the day.  I'm both wading and frolicking today. 

I don't love it when people play the whole "pointing the finger" thing, but i do like it when one of them steps up and tries to be decent and make things right (or at least better).  Maybe there IS a Santa Claus! (Maybe.)  Thanks, Todd, for taking care of that.  I know some of it was disappointing, but some was good, too.

I don't love having to tell people things that are difficult for them to hear, but it is sometimes necessary.  Otherwise, they might go on believing falsehoods about us.  And they may choose to anyway; they may need to in order to maintain their belief systems.  I will not be offended by it.

What i do love is seeing people grow and evolve.  I love seeing people happy.  I love seeing people enjoy the small things.  When a simple box full of coffee can make a bunch of people happy, that is awesome.  Simplicity.  It is good.

The Birthday Celebration - Yes, I Owned It.

1.  Lo Lo's Chicken and Waffles with some of my favorite people on this here planet.  Mish, Swan, John, Todd...thank you.  Swan, thank you extra for being you.  You are my favorite!  (Sorry, guys).  Your commentary on Scottsdale Snookie will go down in the halls of greatness.

2.  Olive & Ivy...beautiful bar.  Stunning, really.  The dj played MGMT Kids for me.  And totally surprised us with Tegan and Sara.

3.  Martini Ranch.  I owned it.  Both dance floors, the band, the go-go dancer.  (Todd, nice job with the 5-spot!  Watching that belt hit the floor was definitely one of my favorite moments; and John, you definitely owned your 5'er too!  And you both danced!  I'm so proud!  Then again, good luck NOT dancing when i'm in the mix.  WHAT!)

4.  Undeniable sadness.  Something was missing.  But that's okay.  Life is beautiful that way.  It really is.

Tips for a Great Holiday

http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Festivus

I'm really looking forward to the feats of strength this year.  You're all invited!

Happy Birthday to Me! I Live in a...Tree! (I'm Using the F Word Here, in Case You Need to Shield Your Clean Brain from It)

Or, i might as well.  But anyway...i just wanted to share this awesome card from my friend Chris: (click it if you can't see it all in my tiny blog space)

Yeah, baby!

So, yeah, happy birthday to me.  I see more piercings and ink in my very near future.  Rock on, mother fuckers!