Fall In The City

I love this photograph. 

Today is full of projects: hanging lights, carving pumpkins, roasting seeds, making cupcakes & brownies, popcorn needs to be popped (in a pot), not in a futuristic steel box that shoots waves at it, spiderwebs need to be hung, candy put into bowls, champagne glasses cleaned, wine mulled, cards & clues printed, music cued, candles lit and costumes gathered. 

Halloween is my favorite holiday and tonight six friends are gathering - or should I say six strangers: Mr. Green (Ross), Miss Scarlet (Amanda), Colonel Mustard (Giovanni), Mrs. White (Deanna), Professor Plum (Sean) and Mrs. Peacock (Jules). Should be a murderous evening.

While I prepare for the festivities, Ghost Busters will be on the tele, like it is every Halloween in my house. I have watched this film every Halloween for twenty-four straight years, yes that's right, crunch those numbers, my parents took their nine month old to see Ghost Busters in the theaters in 1984. I'm told I enjoyed the film, and was pleasant the whole way through. Scandalous parents...well played.

Like A Popsicle In Summer

When Sean and I decide to make a meal together, to cook together - It's good. 

Myself, and a giant empty soup pot: twelve different kinds of beans (dried), garlic, yellow onion, sweet red pepper, hot pepper (unknown type, came from a friend's garden), celery, carrots, tomatoes, ham, salami, homemade chicken stock, salt, pepper. I simply used whatever we had in our fridge, whatever was on hand. Yes, fresh homemade chicken stock was "whatever we had in our fridge".

Sean, apart from making the chicken stock the day before, crafted some hand made bread. I would say "homemade" but that might imply that we own a bread maker, which we don't. Our home has, what do they call those... right, a baker.

We hadn't cooked together in a while. It was redemptive. Our house - the smell alone was enough.

There are always friends we think of when we cook. Good friends. Close friends. Friends who love food, who love to eat, who love to laugh, who desire to live life with dirty hands, and drippy beards. My friends, you were missed, but thought of fondly - as always. 

It's Not That I Forgot About You

Here is a photograph from our walk last weekend. October has been hard. There is something ticking away inside my head, itching to get itself out, but it's waiting for something. Maybe it's waiting for tomorrow. We shall see. 

However, if your curious what I've been doing with all my time, you can consult the list of films on the right. That, and writing a paper every day for the past, what.. twenty-three days straight? I've lost count. I'm starting to feel as if my writing skills are being whored out to the masses. I realize that's some unapologetically horrible thing to say - but it is sucking the soul out of me to write this much. That, combined with October apparently being fart-brain month, has created a real hum-dinger of a hoedown. 

Seasons

I realize it's been a quiet month. It's been quiet in my head as well. There is always hope for tomorrow. Perhaps when tomorrow comes it will bring with it thoughtful insights and creative wording. Or maybe not. Perhaps tomorrow holds more silence also. So I wait. That's how it is sometimes - quiet. 

For Geoff

I would like to mention the fact that this video has 2,192,771 fewer views than a video of my niece. Now who's hot, who's not?

Not Exactly Clutter

The space under the antique couch has become the new resting place for the overflow of books in our home. Perhaps a bit ridiculous, sure - but we both enjoy the fact that you could now actually stick out your little hand and grab a book - from practically anywhere you plant yourself in our home. You'll find them stacked in bookshelves, and on bookshelves, in baskets, and on chairs, piled upon bedside tables, stuffed into kitchen cabinets and under furniture. Little pieces of stories that wander through our minds, and curl themselves up, under our couch. 

October

... apple pie, scarves, chai, movies, slippers, pumpkins, leaves, coats, candy, walks, costumes, ghost stories, fires, autumn, butternut squash, cinnamon and nutmeg, blankets, colors, candied apples, wind, popcorn, candles, pumpkin beer, pink noses and boots. I love October.

Home.

The cookie jar sits between the jars that hold the popping corn, and the breakfast cereal. Three jars away from the flour, and two down from the coffee. It's not the easiest jar to get to on the counter, being too far back, and obstructed by the dish rack, but somehow, everyone manages. The sound of the glass jar getting dragged against the tile counter, the click of the latch and you know, no matter where you are in the apartment, that some one's hand is digging for a cookie. The cookie jar - always kept full. Full cookie jars, that's how life should be. Full, not for a lack of eating, of taking in, of enjoying, but full because it's constantly being refilled. Maybe not always with the same kind of cookie - but how can you fault the chocolate chip? It's simple, and classic, but that's ok. I like predictability and I like cookie jars. That's not so bad is it? Just wanting to take in the sweetness, the joy, the familiar. The cookie jars are for children, for those who used to be children, for those who have children, and great grandchildren. It tells us stories of home, and of love, and of comfort, and of the familiar laughs with friends. The cookie - not pretentious, or pompous, it doesn't seek much attention. It is confidant and knows where it is needed. In beds with big comforters, and couches packed with blankets, and buffeted by pillows. The high heals, and the bow ties, those are for other desserts. It doesn't fault others for being fancy - it lets them take on the frills and the excitement. Sippers, lunch boxes, card games, camping, and movie watching; that's where the cookie is at home. You can dress it up, you can try and show it off - it won't stop you, but simply look at you and ask: "Why make me something I don't need to be?"  

My Niece is Cute.

Meet Lia Charlotte Oldroyd, aka Lala. She's almost a whole year old. She has actual skills now, so I think she's cool. And she makes faces - also cool. Way to go kid. 

Animals me no likey.

At about 6:00a I realized that the sleeping part of my morning was over. Cat spaz = dog spaz = me awake. So, in an attempt to be absurdly productive I made a couple of onesies for the new kid on the block. I still have some stitching to do on them - somehow in the six hours that I've been awake I haven't been able to get this done. I hope that she enjoys them, the whole five seconds she spends in them before she pukes on them. I unabashedly believe that she is going to be my favorite kid, and I've not even met her. 

City life.

I bike now. I know it was some sort of mortal sin that I didn't bike while living in Boulder - but I didn't. Now I do. I've also found a renewed love for my chacos. However, that has very little to do with living in the city, and a lot to do with the fact that all of my flip flops are darn old. They've pasted the old and wonderful stage, and headed right into the old, and old stage. Chacos, meet bike. Bike, meet chacos. Now that they're aquainted I'm sure they'll be lifers.

Thanks Grandma Jean!

Because You Can't Get Enough of this Crap.

Meet Sean. 

Sean created a photo form of himself as well from the oh so-secret-it's-killing-you-why-won't-I-tell-you-where-I-found-this place.

And here's how you play the game: 

(although I played with a bit of calvin ball rules for my own personal reasons.)

Answer the following 12 questions about yourself:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you attend?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One word to describe you?

12. Your Flikr account name?

- Place each of your answers into Flikr's search. 

- Using only the images that appear on the first page only, choose your favorite and copy and paste each of the URL's into the Mosaic Maker (3 columns, 4 rows)

Did I do this because those questions are awesome, and I just couldn't resist answering them? No they're horribly lame. However, the outcome is something I think is actually far more incredible than those horrible questions. I hope you enjoy yourself, and struggle through the decision making process.

Me. In Photo Form.

Thanks Ruby for this charming idea. Typically I cringe and run the other direction from these personality question things. But this one got me - couldn't resist. I have resisted, however, in including the questions that led me to pick these photos. I like it better this way, but by all means you can guess if you would like. I may not reveal the answer, but feel free to take a stab at my inner self persona.   

It's Time.

Probably it's more correctly time for me to write something of significance - but my creativity and original thought have been sufficiently drained out. Sucked dry. Zombie brain is welcoming the arrival of the fall television schedule. Yes that's what it's time for. No, I don't feel that I'm wasting my life away in front of the television. No more than I am wasting it away sitting at my computer for 10 hours a day, everyday, writing papers. I'm a film major for gosh sakes, give me a break. I'm sure in some way it's my d-u-t-y to watch these shows. Don't you want to support my higher education goals? I mean, this is the big social to do right? This is what we're all hoping I achieve. You can't go questioning it now, just because it involves copious amounts of time in front of my television. 

So what am I going to watch? I'm not going to tell you if you're going to judge me. You wouldn't judge someone who went to the theater, as in musicals and plays - not cinema, all the time. It's basically the same - be honest. You would find that person cultured, and sophisticated... Fffiiiiinnnee-uh. I'll tell. It's all the usual suspects. Heroes, Pushing Daisies, My Name Is Earl, 30 Rock, The Office, Scrubs, Amazing Race... And last, but most definitely not least, Desperate Housewives, but you already know of my affinity for the beautiful satire of life. 

So I like television - maybe you like staring into the abyss and thinking deep, cultured, sophisticated, albeit slightly b.s. "what does it all mean," thoughts with your furrowed brow. We've all got our thing. I'm not going to take that away from you. You can live it up with your furrowed brow and your questioning ways. I'll be lowering my blood pressure, and stress levels, and you may be raising yours - but who am I to tell you that one is better than the other? Furrow on I say. But just remember that it might have been your fault that the Arrested Developments of our time were ended long before they should have been. You could furrow over that. 

Pictured: the clock radio in our kitchen, that sits next to our espresso maker. Use: to bring Rockies, Broncos, and CU games to whoever is cooking - or perhaps even a little "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" - that Mo Rocca - so smart and funny, even when he's on iron chef. I mean how many people can pull off VH1, NPR and food network? Only Mo.   

Lord. I need to add an amendment. Please add Mad Men, and Boston Legal to the aboved mentioned list of shows. How I could have forgotten two of my dearest, I don't know.  

He Knows Me Well

Four Years.

Your slippers are my slippers,

your robe, my robe

your coffee, my coffee.

Your laughter, my laughter

your dinner, my dinner

your blankets, my blankets.

Shared post-its,

shared dog,

your cat, my cat.

Shared spaces,

shared songs,

your book, my book. 

Your worries are my worries,

your heartache, my heartache

your smiles, my smiles.

Your love, my love,

your life, my life. 

Downtown

My view as I waited for the bus, after waiting for the bus, and that bus getting hit by a loon.

Genius

How does it know?

Ok. So it isn't always genius, but it has been fairly incredible in my life thus far. It will never fully replace the hand-picked mixed tape effect of decades past, insofar that it lacks the love, but it does do the job swiftly... Which is real helpful when you need to write a paper, or clean the house, or any other similar task and would like a little music to help you in your endeavor, but realize that spending and hour or two putting together a playlist would really undermine what you're trying to accomplish. 

Thanks fruity computer system. You're awesome. 

If I could phrase ideas this well, that would be awesome.

"But M*A*S*H says nothing about war per se except to show that the best way to conduct yourself in any situation, even the direst, and maybe especially the direst, is to know your job without taking yourself or the rules of conduct too seriously."