The Olden Days...

I finally got my analog digitizer hooked up and have been getting my home movie collection saved on to DVD. I've ran across all kinds of great clips that I want to share, but for now, enjoy this one of Echo, Me and Rachel doing what we do best... trying on disgusting wigs at the thrift store and acting like crazy people.

Overheard in New York | The Voice of the City

Overheard in New York | The Voice of the City

This link is from Gillian and I dedicate it to Echo.... NYC, the center of the universe.

I stole this from Echo...

You Are a Dragon

You are very charismatic and incredibly popular. People are drawn to your energy, but you are a very difficult person to get to know. You are very active - you are usually hard at work or play. You enjoy drama, and you enjoy anything unusual or eccentric.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Does anyone else find this suprising?

Old Friends - New Friends

IMG_0253
Originally uploaded by villanovababy.

We went out last night to have drinks and hang out with a bunch of friends. It was nice to see everyone, and in the last few weeks I've had a chance to reconnect with a lot of my friends who I haven't seen much of lately. The winter time has been a bit of a hibernation for a lot of us... I hope it warms up soon.

Tim has always been really good about keeping his friends. His best friends now, are the same ones he had in the 2nd grade. I think for me, being in the Air Force made it acceptable to lose friends. People came and went, and it was normal to have a dear friend for a few months and then not hear from them again. And over time friendships evolve... sometimes we outgrow each other or move to the other side of town.

People get lazy, people get busy and we lose touch. I try to make an effort to keep up with people, but hopefully everyone knows that if I haven't seen you for a long time... I am still your friend. If I've gotten lazy and haven't called, I'm sorry. If we've been doing different things and we don't have much to talk about right now, just sitting somewhere and hanging out is okay too. I like to keep the circle unbroken and sometimes it gets really big and stretched out with friends all over the world, but I do hope that it will all come together at some point. So, let's keep in touch, call each other, write, visit when we can...make a point to keep our friendship alive.

Happy Valentine's Day!

From Kermit and Me.....

"THE SHOES" - a story of love

"THE SHOES"
Originally uploaded by villanovababy.

As most of you know, I am a designer for a Holiday Decor company. My job involves designing huge decoration installations (i.e. 40' Christmas Trees etc.). Part of my job also includes going to locations around the end of November to manage a crew installing these components. This year, in November, I weant out to an ourdoor mall in Portland, Oregon to manage the installation of a design that I had done.

The trip was a raging disaster. The weather was horrible and most of the things that could go wrong did. It was my first time going on such a trip and at the end, the memory of that place was seared into my brain as misery I hadn't known since, well, Basic Training.

There was a bright spot for me and that was the installation was in a shopping mall. Each day as I trudged to the center court in the pouring rain, I would walk by this shoe store with this pair shoes in the window. The shoes were round toe patent mary-janes with 4 inch heels. They would glow in the store window and wink at me each morning in the carefully crafted accent lighting.

I only looked at them longingly, for I knew that the store was out of my price range by a long shot. The last day that I was there, I decided to pop my head in and see just how far out my range they actually were. I picked them up and looked at the tag. $295.00. Ulp..... So I walked out and headed home.

Upon returning to Denver, I emailed the link to my BFF Gillian to show her how I'd fallen in love and she pointed out that they were on sale for $207.00. Still way too much money.... So she kindly sent me links for similar styles of shoes in affordable prices, but I knew that if I couldn't have those shoes, I didn't want any like them at all.

At the beginning of January, I flew back to the same mall for the installation disassembly. I peeked in the store, and saw them glistening on the shelf. I visited the window every day. When my Mother came to visit me at the mall, I showed them to her. We agreed that they were VERY beautiful, but too expensive.

The last day before I left, I went in to the store to ogle them again and the cashier told me, "you know those are 25% off right?" I broke down and called Gillian. "THE SHOES are 25% off!" I squealed, "and they have one pair left, in my size and I have them on now and they WANT to go home with me. I think it was meant to be." Gillian, ever the voice of reason, pointed out that they were still too expensive and I knew she was right. I sadly took them off and left the store.

I called Tim and told him the tale of my will power. He appreciated that Gillian had talked me out it and reminded me, as she had, that we were saving for our trip to Europe and it wouldn't be smart of us to blow so much money on shoes. As a girl with a serious shoe addiction, it was hard for me to accept that they were right. A few weeks later we realized that if we were going to try to buy a house this year, the Europe thing might have to wait as well. Saving is not in my nature, but I understand that sacrifices must be made.

Yesterday, I was getting ready for a party our friends were having. The dress I had ordered just wasn't fitting right, so I threw on an old skirt and top and was feeling rather down about my outfit. Tim came into my office with a brightly wrapped package and said, "Do you want to open your Valentine's Day present now?"

I tore through the paper and ripped open the box to see the black and white checkered shoe box that I'd seen back in January. I stared at him, "OH NO YOU DID NOT!" I screamed.

There they were, THE SHOES. The very ones I had tried on in the store. My size, the ones that had begged to come home with me. Tim had called Gillian, found the website of the company that I had sent her before, looked up the mall I worked at, found the store, called them and had them grab this pair, ship them to him and had sat on them for the past month.

The man done good people. The man DONE GOOD. And now... My shoes and sit here, enjoying this lovely Sunday together, the way it was meant to be.

Updates....

Barbarella8
Originally uploaded by villanovababy.

1) We got the lease extension we were hoping for, so now we have until July to find/buy a house!

2) My Birthday is just around the corner... Okay, it's still 3 1/2 months away, but you know I like to be prepared. The "OFFICIAL" Theme will be: The Laugh In/Love In - a 60's themed party with both sides of the 60's (The Mod and The Mood). So either Big Hair or Long Hair! Rockers, Hipsters, Hippies, The British Invasion, Beatniks.... Whatever floats your boat. More to come on that...

3) It has come to my attention that the last Harry Potter book, "The Deathly Hallows" will be released on July 21, 2007. I NEARLY PEE'D MAH PAYANTS!


That's all for now....
~e

The silky patterned sky
Clambered through the opening in your window
Firm dark shadows gripped
The space that separated us
From the tomorrow that
Scratched helplessly at the door
The static spark of your
Burnt ambition dragging
Across dry fields of memories
Sad and lost
Floating amongst them
I am washed
And dirtied again
And battered
And bruised
Until I find
Something to grab
I clutch
With pale and trembling fingers
The possibilities
That moments ago
Seemed miles away
And now scratch my knees
And coat my hair
And taste of
sweet sweet sweet
Victory

Monday's New Leaf...

I have been reflecting on this house hunt thing, trying to figure out why it was so awful that first day. I really think it was a combination of things, not the least of which was driving places we had never been before. I hate getting lost, and it felt like we were lost the whole time. But, the biggest problem is that I hate change. I'm excited about a new phase in our lives, but growing pains are really difficult for me. The idea of leaving the life we have now, and the future being unknown....well, it gives me the same feelings I had back when I got out of the Air Force, and we all know what a basket case I was when I was going through that. But then again, that all turned out pretty well in the end. I hope this will too...

I am open to any advice anyone has to offer. Today we're meeting with a woman who might become our real estate agent. We've got a rough estimate of how much we want to spend and what we need, but I have no idea how this is all going to go down. Keep your fingers crossed that it all works out...

~e

for D~

lusting after boys with that Savoir faire
exploring that melancholy scent in their hair
crystal eyes
floating in dunes of creamy skin
deluding all their lovers
about the state their heart is in

dull points leave scars they say
as if messing up their pretty skin
is mattering today

tottering down cracked sidewalks
man made uppers
eye couples through dimly lit windows
at romantic suppers
ghosts haunting corridors
of yuppies, youths and thieves
hoping that the "pretty woman" theory
will grant them some reprieve

Don't expect angels to fly
to close to the ground
they don't see the agony
that's floating all around

tax relief won't minister to demons
with no homes or cars
why don't we fix our own troubles
before we try fixing their's

waltzing through garish lights
that point to no return
believing that the naive world
hasn't begun to learn


Tripping down alleyways
boys and girls swirl truth
beneath the paint and glitter
that belies their soiled youth
perhaps in future nights of stars
the peace for broken eyes
but for now the hurt that buries truth
beside the sewage lies

House Hunting

To be frank, it blows chunks. We spoiled ourselves living in this neighborhood and this house. Anything we find is going to be a huge step down and it sucks. So far, we've found okay houses in crappy neighborhoods and crappy houses in okay neighborhoods. We make decent money, but the only way for us to have a decent house is to move out to the suburbs. We just can't afford to live in the city if we want to live in a decent house.

current mood: exhausted and grumpy