peonies and other bits

My mom's peonies are absolutely gorgeous.


Well, my parents' garden in general is beautiful, but right now the peonies are my favorites.


Mom let me cut some to bring home with me and they make me smile every time I walk by the kitchen table.

I suppose you all are tired of nothing but flowers and cats, but some times that is what my life is: flowers and cats. Not so bad, right?

This past Thursday was my parents' 38th anniversary. We went out to dinner with them last night to celebrate. Mom's choice: the Steaksmith. We used to eat there a lot when I was a kid and I remember it as being quite good, but I suppose my criteria has changed since then. Last night I found the meal and the atmosphere mediocre at best; it was a bit disappointing. But it's all part of my Santa Fe restaurant research! The Steaksmith can be crossed off and marked as one that I will not be in a hurry to visit again. Yesterday while I was running, I was trying to remember the restaurants we've dined at since we moved here, because I am serious when I say I want to try them all. Or at least most of them. Here's the list so far:

Rio Chama Steakhouse
Cowgirl Bar (3 times!)
Tomasita's (of course!)
San Francisco Street Bar & Grill
Second Street Brewery
Mucho Gusto
Steaksmith

I think that's it. I'll try to keep a running list...for my memory's sake if nothing else.

A few other bits:

• I went to the dentist a few weeks ago for the first time in...well, in a long, long time, and the dentist told me that I have very nice teeth. The hygienist told me to keep doing what I am doing (except for not going to the dentist). What a relief!


• It's been super crazy windy here the past three days. It kills my eyes and makes me flowers unhappy. So far this morning it is calm and I hope it stays that way. Wind is not my favorite thing.


• We're going to ABQ later today to see a show with my sister and her family. A rock show, that is. Local acts, none that I know. We're mostly going to just to see the family.


• Between the cats rolling in the dirt and the wind blowing dust in the house, all I do is sweep, sweep and sweep. I guess it is good that our apartment is not so big otherwise I would have to spend the entire day sweeping. I am also going to have to keep up with dusting here, one of my least favorite cleaning activities.

I thought I had more for you, but I a blanking now, plus I really need to get going. It's time for my morning run. Hope you all have excellent weekends!

you might be wondering, part two

Sometimes I still can't believe that we really live in Santa Fe, New Mexico now. We have settled into a routine of sorts, but neither of us have regular work and so sometimes it all still feels like a dream. A *good* dream, of course. There's also been a lot passing through my mind, bits and pieces of our journey, of our life here, randomness. So instead of trying to write paragraphs about it all, I am going to make a very, very random list.

• It took us three days to get here. I forgot to record the mileage from my odometer, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1650 miles. It amounted to about 27 hours in the car.


• I saw a lot of hawks flying around throughout the drive. I also saw two dead coyotes and lots of roadkill in general, including a lot of armadillos in Oklahoma and Texas.


• In Texas, I stopped at a rest area that had a "watch out for snakes" sign posted and doubled as a tornado shelter.


• Excluding the first few days that we were here, it has been sunny every single morning. Let me tell you, waking up to sunshine every single day is awesome. We do get rain, but it usually doesn't come until the afternoon, and when the storm clouds roll in, they generally do not stick around for very long.


• There's no need for Demeter here, I smell like dirt most of the time on my own. It's been quite windy here so I guess I get covered in dust. It's not a bad thing, just different. Although today I smell like weeds because I pulled weeds for an hour and an half.


• The Santa Fe Community College offers a class called Introduction to Roller Skating. How awesome is that?!


• Everything takes longer to cook here. It's been so long since I lived here, I still forget to read the high-altitude directions on boxed stuff.


• I've planted quite a few annuals since we've been here and they are doing quite well, but gardening is definitely more challenging for me in this dry climate. Things do not automatically thrive like they did in Pittsburgh.


• One of the things I miss most about Pittsburgh - not including friends and bands - is Groceria Italiana. No Italian store here.


• We hang out with my parents a lot. Almost daily. And I have to say that it is pretty awesome. It's been 18 years, more or less, since I lived in the same town as them and so I guess I'm making up for lost time. Will and I pick their brains all the time about Santa Fe, their childhoods, gardening...life. I'm really enjoying it and I think they are too.


• We've been to the Cowgirl Bar four times since we've been here. They have the best frozen margs I've ever had. (We used to go to the one in NYC a lot too. After last night, I am feeling like the NYC one has better food.) Margs on the rocks are a little weak. One of the last times we were there, we sat at the bar and had a great conversation with the bartender. He and Will have similar stories; it was kind of bizarre. He's one of my favorite people we've met so far.


• We went to Trader Joe's for the first time today. They have a lot of good stuff. I think it is slightly larger than the one in Pittsburgh? Lately we feel like all we do is shop for food.


• We like food, yes. And living in Santa Fe, the small city with a zillion restaurants rules. Since we arrived, my dad is on a mission to try a bunch of places that he's never been before and he wants to take us along for the ride. I am not complaining. Last week we ate at Mucho Gusto and I had the shrimp enchiladas. Delicious.


• Santa Fe real estate is ridiculously expensive. Apparently something like 40% of local Santa Feans have had to move out of the city because of unaffordable housing. This depresses me.


• The crime rate is not great here either, being such a small city. That depresses me as well.


• This past weekend, I ran a race for the first time since the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2000. It was just a 5K, but I hope to do some longer ones down the road. I am not particularly competitive, I just think races are fun. But I ran with my dad and he made me run fast. Here I thought I could run faster than him now, but nope, at age 67, he is still ahead of me. We came in at around 28 minutes. He places third in his age group. I placed sixth in mine which was shocking to me considering that the 30-39 age group for women is FAST. But I think this race was more about community than attracting the super speed competitors.


• I've been taking a lot of Polaroids. Polaroid film is super cheap at Sam's Club and that makes me very, very happy. Not feeling super good about the results though. My photo skills seem askew right now.


• We saw Spiderman 3 a week or so ago. Boo. I didn't like it much at all and it was way too long. Haven't seen the new Pirates movie yet. Summer movie that I am looking forward to the most: Harry Potter!!


• Due to no longer having cable, we finally joined NetFlix. It rules. We watched Fur most recently and it took me awhile to digest. I love Diane Arbus - I know, who doesn't? - but this is not really about her; it is inspired by the biography by Patricia Bosworth and in many ways, has little to do with reality. But it is a beautiful film nonetheless. Worth checking out, I think.


• We've seen quite a few folks here wearing Steelers gear and/or with Steelers stickers on their cars. Have to say, I am already looking forward to football season.


• I've been reading some fluff since we got here. Borrowed some of my dad's Elmore Leonard books. Not bad, but I got burnt after two so we went to Border's the other day as it is just down the street from us at Sanbusco. My main goal was to see if they had a copy of Jami's book, Instant Love, in paperback. They had one copy which I promptly bought even though I already own the hardback. I'm all about supporting the art of my friends and acquaintances. Also ended up buying a book of stories by Manuel Muñoz just because it caught my eye. And I was thrilled to find that they not only have Haruki Murkami's new novel in stock; they have every single thing he has ever written in stock. This blew my mind because before we left Pittsburgh, I was trying to find a copy of Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman and on one had it.


• The cats are going outside now and they LOVE it. They roll in the dirt constantly. And Rocky wanders the perimeters smelling flowers, just like Ferdinand the Bull.


• Our mail never arrives until after six o'clock. Not a big fan of this schedule, but I am getting used to it.


• I had a job interview last week. It went okay, but I am thinking it is not the job for me so I must continue with the search. Job hunting stresses me out.


• Today I took the day off from stressful activities and it felt excellent. I got so many other things done, including the pulling of the weeds that never cease growing in our parking area and yard.

See, quite a bit in my head, wanting to come out. I must stop now though because it is 6:30 and I have to go check the mail, plus, um, are you even still reading this?!

you might be wondering

Well, hello there. I didn't mean to disappear for so long, but between the move across the country and computer problems, I just haven't had time to focus on the blog. To be honest with you, I've been thinking of a post for quite awhile now, but when it comes down to it, I would rather sit on the porch and read my book than sit at my computer. This makes sense, no? Which is not to say that I haven't been reading *your* blogs and looking at *your* pictures, because I have. Just not as obsessively as usual.

What have I been doing? Well...


Hiking with Will and my dad. My dad knows the Santa Fe mountains like the back of his hand which is very lucky for us. We've only just begun our hiking adventures.


On top of Deception Peak with Dad and Katrina. I was dying from hiking straight up the mountain AND through knee deep snow AND at an altitude of over 12,000 feet. Nonetheless, we had a great time.


Building up my house plant collection again since I left most of mine behind in Pittsburgh. I miss my old plants - some of them were over 10 years old - but I also love picking out new ones.


Hanging out with my nieces and nephews. This is one of my main reasons for moving back to New Mexico.


Getting the apartment in order. Things are looking good. We get great light here which makes me very, very happy.


Hanging out with my parents' dog who absolutely loves us. She's a beautiful pup.


Going through the closet full of my stuff at my parents' house. I packed up like 5 or 6 boxes of books for my mom to sell at one of her club's rummage sale. It is painful for me to get rid of books, but I just can't justify keeping them all. I still haven't gone through my stuffed animals, but I can already tell you, I am probably not going to be getting rid of them. They were my best friends when I was a kid! The two pictured here belonged to my dad when he was a boy.


Taking pictures of my mom's garden. Everything is so beautiful. I need to get over there with my camera again to photograph the peonies which are in full bloom right now.

...and that's just some of what's been going on! It's hard to play catch up. I'll have more for you soon. If I keep going now, the post is going to be way too long! Happy Tuesday!

welcome to new mexico

Yes, we are still alive and kicking! It's been awhile, I know, but we just got DSL at our place yesterday. It's nice to be back online, but it is also overwhelming. I have no idea where to start here and so I may skip backtracking altogether and just move forward. We'll see.

I have lots of photos to add to my Flickr, though I have to say none of them are really mind-blowing. Taking photos has not been a priority lately, and while I miss it, my head is a million other places. Uh, we just moved across the country and let me tell you, it's takes some time to get settled in. Our apartment is actually not filled with boxes anymore which is quite nice, but we still have loads to do. We have been quite busy since, well, since before left Pittsburgh.

The trip out here went quite smoothly and despite some of the setbacks we've had since our arrival, we are thrilled to be here. Even the snow we got that first weekend - snow! in May! - did not dampen our spirits. It's absolutely beautiful here and it is exciting to be somewhere new (well, okay, I grew up here, but I haven't lived here in a very, very long time) with so many things to discover. The cats are settling in and seem to like their new pad. There are lots of windows to sit in and that keeps them happy. They are getting quite restless for the outdoors, but we're not ready to go there yet. Maybe next week.

Right now we are awaiting the arrival of my best friend from high school. We're going to dinner and an art opening. It's our first official night out in Santa Fe and I am looking forward to it even though I am exhausted. And then tomorrow we are heading to Albuquerque for the weekend as my eldest niece is graduation from high school. The party is tomorrow and the ceremony is on Monday. I am looking forward to spending the weekend with my sister and her family. They crack me up like no one else.

So that's it for now. I'll be back on Tuesday or so and hopefully I'll have some better pictures for you. Happy weekends to you all!

this is it

Yep, this is it. I'm packing up the computer after I get done here. I shall miss you all, but a break from the computer is always nice.

I have little more to add...stomach is still crazy, but eh, what can I do? We have to get to Santa Fe, upset stomach or no. I am sure that once we get going, my nerves will mellow out.

Have a fabulous weekend and then some! I'll be back here in a week or two.

xo

on driving across the country, part three

When I initially started posting on this topic, I wanted to do a series of posts about some of my travel adventures; but as luck would have it, between preparing for the big move, work, and computer issues, I never got around to it. And I am not going to cover it all now. Suffice it to say that after the Dead summer tour of 1991, I did not travel cross country (by car) again until 1995 when I moved to Pittsburgh.

Which isn't to say I didn't travel. When I was in my 20's, I took a lot of good road trips, some by myself, some with other folks. Two of my favorite road trips were taken with my friend Birdy. On summer I drove her up to Montana where she was going to working for a few months, and then headed back south via Spokane, Portland and California. I drove down the coast from Portland to San Francisco and I remember it as one of the most beautiful drives ever. I really would love to do that again. Then it was San Francisco to San Diego where another friend, Christine, met me and we made our way back to Albuquerque. The second trip with Birdy was my first and only trip to Austin for SXSW. That was an adventure.

There were also smaller trips to Colorado, Arizona, and California, mostly for shows, and well, not love but crushes. I drove to Seattle by myself once and man, I loved that trip. I wanted to move to Seattle so badly and then ended up in Pittsburgh. Go figure. Rains a lot in both places. And I did travel cross country by train once, another awesome experience. Oh yes, those were the days. I may not have been fearless, but I definitely didn't have some of the travel anxiety issues that I have today.

So all this babbling is just leading up to telling you that we are taking the middle route to New Mexico. We could take I-70 West just about the whole way to Colorado and then head south to Santa Fe on I-25. Or we could take a more southern route through Tennessee where we could hit I-40 West and take that all the way to Albuquerque. That's basically the reverse of what I did when I moved out here. We wanted to see Graceland so we drove to Memphis from Albuquerque and then headed north from there. But we're going down the middle. I-70 West to Missouri (I think) and then down into Oklahoma where we'll eventually hit I-40 which was take us through Texas and into New Mexico. This route is the shortest, with a route distance of 1627 miles and driving time of 24:31. If we weren't going to have the cats with us, I would love to meander our way to the southwest, but since we will have the cats with us, I want to get to Santa Fe as quickly as possible.

The cats have both moved before, but neither have been on a car trip that lasts more than a day. I have no idea what to expect, but fingers crossed, all is going to be fine. My guess is that they'll cry for awhile and then settled down for the car ride. I think they'll be way more freaked out by funny smelling motel rooms than the car. Cats don't like change and being in some random room without any of their normal furnishings is not going to be fun. I can't blame them. On the other hand, cats are pretty adaptable and I think they'll make it without being too traumatized. At least they will be with us. Anyone have any cat travel trips?

When I moved out here with my cat Jed, he flew by himself. And that did traumatize him. As well as me. When I got to the airport he wasn't here. No one told me that I had to go to the cargo airport which was an entirely different place. It was awful. And he had taken a mild sedative so he was freaked out and groggy and it broke my heart. He was a bit changed after that. So I have no desire to put Simon and Rocky through that experience.

As for the stress from watching the Today show, they were showing tornado and flood footage from Texas and the Plains area and while it was nowhere that we are driving through, it got me thinking about bad weather. Being that I am prone to high stress, my head whirled right into a near panic attack. I can just see myself in water up to my windows on the interstate with two cats and all my cameras. "Don't save me, take the cats and the cameras!" Oy. I am joking, but man, I have been super anxiety-ridden and unfortunately for me, it all comes out via my stomach. Which makes me more stressed which makes my stomach worse and so on. I stocked up on Tums, Pepto and Maalox so hopefully I don't spend the trip stopping at bathrooms.

That said, I am feeling mostly positive about the trip. I am trying not to focus on my fears but rather on the good stuff. The open road, the wind blowing in my hair, me and the cats rocking out to all the cool music people are burning for us. It'll be good. It'll be fun. It'll be an adventure. For sure.

Okay, well, sorry to ramble on for so long. I'll be online for awhile tomorrow and then that'll be it for awhile. Oh, I did put Twitter back up in the sidebar so I may send a few words from the road. And I may post some pics tomorrow. If not, see you on the flip side. Much love, madorange.

snaps from the weekend

[me-n-bambam. one of my favorite snaps from the weekend.]


[Will in a stare down with a scotch egg.]


[Will rockin' it with SKNKS. I love the graininess.]


[BamBam rockin' it with Anita Fix. I love the green!]


[Hanging in the backyard. We had such a lovely couple of days with Matt & Sylvia. Thanks for the visit!]

the countdown continues

Last year I got a roll of 1600 film for my Pentax K1000 and it took me about a year to shoot the entire roll. Terrible, I know, but it's not a camera I carry around with me. Over the past week or two, I posted most of the shots on Flickr. I am really pleased with the way they came out and inspired to pull out that camera more often.

I had planned on posting about our trip today, but I have been on the computer for so long, backing up all my data, that my eyes feel blurry and my head isn't so focused. Oh, and I have also been studying maps online and searching for pet-friendly motels in various places. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. And about the stress that watching 10 minutes of the Today caused this morning. Travel anxiety, I don't need you!

As for the major back up, I was planning on doing it anyway since I have to pack up my computer soon and well, I generally do back ups before major travel. But today I did it for another reason. I have still been having problems with this brand new machine so after talking with my friend (the computer dealer), he called his company and they want me to send the whole box back. (The motherboard and one memory module has already been replaced.) The CPU overheated the other day, and a new computer should not be having so many issues. They don't really know what's wrong so they want it back. They may fix it and I'll get it back with data intact, or they may just send me a whole new computer in which case I'll need all this backed up data. So there you go. Not so fun on top of the move, but on the other hand, I wasn't going to be using my computer for a few days anyway so I probably won't miss it much.

This evening we are heading to Gooski's for one last burger cooked up by Blazzzer and some drinks with Blood, Chill and Glitter. I guess it will probably be my last trip to Gooski's for awhile. Packing is pretty much down except for the few things I can't do until Friday so tomorrow probably won't be too busy. Okay, so tomorrow will probably be my last post and Friday morning will be my last time with the computer for a week or more so if you need to email me, do it soon! I'm sure I'll post to Flickr via my mobile phone while we are traveling, but I won't have email access until we get to my parents next week. Wow, this is really happening!!

I'll leave you with a picture of Sylvia and me, sitting with Shades the Dog at the cook out on Sunday. Happy days!

one more week

One week from now, we'll be somewhere on I-70 West, probably nearing Effingham, IL where we plan to spend the night. Our entire our house is just about packed up, and still it is hard to believe that we are soon moving across the country.

Last week was all about packing.



Most everything is in boxes at this point. I have some clothes left to pack and the last of the kitchen stuff. We're getting the moving van on Saturday so everything has to be ready to go by then. I don't think it is going to be a problem. And I think we are going to have plenty of space in the truck. I always worry about that, but now that our stuff is packed and stacked, it doesn't look like we have as much as I thought. Of course getting rid of a garage full of crap certainly helped.

This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous. I think much of the Northeast experienced similar weather.



Not a cloud in the sky for three days straight! It was awesome. We had some friends in from New York for most of the weekend and we spent much of it sitting in the backyard, soaking up the sun. It was great to see our friends and to get in some relaxation after such a busy week. We cooked out on Friday evening to kick off a night of rock shows. Oakley Hall played outside at CMU. I missed that portion of the evening, but I heard they were excellent. Later, Anita Fix and Sknks played at Gooski's and it was a fine evening of rock. I stayed up front for most of the night, getting beer poured down my back and watching some of my favorite people make music. As I have said time and time again, one of the things I shall miss most about this city is the music scene. Not sure how I'll get my fix of Pittsburgh bands from so far away.

We were out until the wee hours of the morning so Saturday was all about taking it easy. Brunch at Barb's, natch. More time in the backyard. A nap. And then off to another cook out where we ate so much amazing food. Happy pig. Scotch eggs. Chorizo. Buttery steamed vegetables. Homemade poppers. Shrimp. German potato salad. Blackberry pie. I couldn't stop eating. Seriously. The company was excellent as well.

Our visitors left early on Sunday morning and I spent most of the day packing random things around the house and the crap leftover from the garage sale. I have to admit I was feeling tired and a bit grouchy around the edges.

Today we ran some errands and I got rather distracted at Target. I know, I know, I shouldn't shop there, but I do, though not nearly as often as I used to. Let me tell you, they have some cute dresses right now. Super cute. And none of them fit me, conveniently enough! Alas, but really, it's for the best. I don't really need more clothing right now. (Ahem, or EVER.) I did find a sweet pair of light summer pants that fit though. And new underwear. I resisted the urge to buy the lovely turquoise plastic cups because, um, we're moving. Yeah. I am able to maintain control while shopping, believe it or not. On the way home, we stopped in the Strip and got some beautiful tuna steaks for dinner as well as some steak steaks for later in the week. Yum.

Boy, I could go on and on here, but I won't. Suffice it to say that I am busy and probably won't have the time or focus for updates. I will be posting to Flickr all week, but I may or may not be back here. Maybe one more post before we hit the road. I think I'll probably pack up the computer this weekend so that will be it for awhile.

Thanks for checking in and I hope you'll be back down the rode to hear about life in Santa Fe!! xox

sadie's birthday party

A day or two late, but here are some birthday photos, as promised.


[Me-n-Sadie]


[Make a wish.]


[Dante likes his wings!]


[Lulu, cute as a kitty.]

I didn't get any photos of the littlest one, Liliana. She's just as adorable as the three older kids. I am happy to be going back to my own family (I have seven nieces and nephews), but boy, I am going to miss seeing these kids grow up!

garage sale success!

The garage sale turned out to be quite a success despite the dreary weather. It was cold and gray all day, but it was dry to we managed to get quite a few customers who were out and about and saw the signs that Will put up. Many friends also stopped by to say hi and look things over. I had quite a chill all day, but it was fun nonetheless. As you can see in the above photo, we had A LOT OF STUFF. So much stuff that I was rather disgusted with myself for having so much excess. I knew that I had many bags piled in the basement, but once I set it all out, it looked like the amount had doubled!



I have gotten better at paring down my material possessions, but I am hoping to get even better. It is just not necessary to have so much STUFF, especially since we are going to be living in a much smaller place.

It rained all day yesterday so we were happy that we had the garage sale on Saturday. No one would have come yesterday. After the garage sale, we went to Sadie's two-year old birthday party. I'll share some of the photos later. Yesterday we ran some errands and then spent most of the afternoon hanging out with Blood. It was a nice, relaxing day. But now I have to get back to work around the house. There is still loads to do. Our move is TWO WEEKS away. Two weeks from right now, we'll be heading out of Pittsburgh. Wow.

moving sale!

Yep, we're actually going to do it tomorrow even though the weather is not going to be very cooperative. It's not supposed to rain until later in the day, but with the way things have been lately, who knows what kind of weather we'll find in the morning. We do have a garage though so we don't have to set up anything outside. I have no idea what kind of success we'll have; we have tons of stuff to put out though. Clothes, jackets, bags, shoes, books, games, kitchen wares and small appliances, PlayStation 1 + games, music, bric-a-brac and who knows what else I have stashed in the basement. I suspect that any Pittsburgh folks that read this blog know me and know where I live, but if there is anyone out there who doesn't know the location, drop me a line at madorangefools [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll give you the details. Here's hoping that Will and I don't freeze to death!

flickr faves to save the day!

Hello again. I am currently having a much longer day at work than I anticipated and it is making me tired. I have a large shipment going out today and need to be here until the carrier takes it away. They were supposed to come this morning, but of course they did not and I could very well be sitting here until five o'clock! My patience is wearing thin, but alas, there is little that I can do but wait. I had hoped to get home early this afternoon and work on one last tote that needs to be made. I have been putting this project off for too long and it must get done this week. After it is done, the craft room will be packed up and I don't know when I'll get back to sewing! Perhaps in June...not so far off the way time flies.

On to some flickr faves from the past couple of weeks (since I missed last week).

sunnykat's owen. simply beautiful light.
not the fishes' untitled. an amazing Polaroid multiple exposure.
rebeccamissing's Every part stands still. more beautiful light.
druedrue's untitled. birds. a tree. two of my favorite subjects. lovely black and white photo.
vixgirl's seaside. love the light in this one too, so bright, I can almost feel the sun on my face. love the old-fashioned carousel as well.

That's it for today! Crossing my fingers that I get to head home soon.

three more weeks!

Hello. I have many things to share so this may turn into something of a ramble. First, yes, I have my computer back! Yea! I actually got it back on Saturday which was something of a surprise as I thought it wouldn't be back until later this week. It was only gone for three days, but boy, it was rough! So happy to have the little hum in my office back. We're running at half capacity right now because one of my memory modules was bad, but hey, that we're running at all is awesome.

Second, the photo above is from a week or so ago. I see this tag in the mornings when I run and I love it. Probably because I love birds. I finally went for a walk with my camera so I could get a picture of it. My Lomo LC-A went out with me on the walk as well, but sadly, the roll of film that I took didn't turn out. Actually, it never even was exposed as it wasn't threaded properly. This is the second time it's happened with the Lomo and it sucks. It used to be fine so I don't know if the teeth are messed up or if it is just me. At any rate, I shall never see the other photos that I took on this walk.

And now here we are with three weeks left until we head west to New Mexico! Part of me can't even wrap my head around the fact that we are leaving so soon and part of me is super excited. I've been packing since 11 o'clock this morning and I am tuckered out. We have four floors, basement to attic and so I have been doing a lot of running up and down the stairs. I've already packed a good deal of stuff and so today's packing was frustrating. I have odds and ends that should have gone with other stuff but got overlooked. There is only so much more I can pack at this point as we still need our kitchen stuff and what not. So I guess it is okay to take a breather. But we might go to New York next week so I am trying to stay on top of packing so I am not super stressed in the end. I think it'll be okay.

My bigger worry is the garage sale. We had planned to have it this past weekend, but with the weather taking a turn for the cold, we decided to postpone it. Now we are set on doing it this Sunday, but the weather forecast still isn't great. We don't really have anymore weekends to do it so it has to be done. I think it is going to be more work than all the other packing I have done! I have a mound of stuff in the basement that I need to lug out to the garage and organize in some way. It's going to be a busy week.

I didn't work today, but I do work half days the rest of the week. Initially I was stressed about this turn of events, but at this point, I don't mind. I really like my job and the folks at my company. I'm going to miss the place a lot. It's been a good job for me. But this definitely will be my last week of work!!

We went bowling last Thursday with Blood and Chill and it was so much fun! Chill took some pics with my camera and caught me dropping my bowling ball:



I am not the best bowler, but man, it is so much fun. We were there on 80's night and listening to all the new wave made me so happy. The beer didn't hurt either. It was a great night. I am going to miss those ladies a lot.

Okay, enough with my rambling...I know I am not making a whole lot of sense, but you know what, it's probably going to be this way from here on out. I have a lot on my mind and I'm not writing everyday so when I do it all comes out at once.

A happy week to you all! I'll try to check in tomorrow with some flickr favs.

computer blues

Hello. I am sorry that updates have been so few and far between, but I am pretty busy right now. After all, we are moving across the country in less than a month! I do spend quite a bit of time on my computer, but I guess I've had a hard time focusing on updates here. The words haven't exactly been flowing lately.

And now I have the computer blues. I do not have a computer at home right now. (I am currently at work.) And it's hard. It's only been a little more than a day and it feels so strange not to have my machine humming away in the office. I am definitely attached to my computer. I don't know what is wrong or how long I will be without it, but I am not working for the next four days either so there won't be updates here or on Flickr. Just wanted to let you know!

So if you email me, you might not hear back from me until next week. And if you know me in person and need to contact me, please call or text me.

Stay warm and have a wonderful weekend!

green building

Another one of my favorites from the last Diana-F roll. I love the way this tree looks against this green building. I've taken a few pictures of it.

Happy April Fool's Day!

from my window

Taken sometime over the winter, at sunset, with my Diana-F. It's one of my favorites from the roll. I've taken many pictures of this view. I love that I can see over the row houses and all the way to downtown Pittsburgh from the third floor window. Something else I will miss about life in Pittsburgh.

Happy Friday to you and have a wonderful weekend!

on santa fe

Last night my dad sent me this article from The New Mexican:

Santa Fe No. 2 place for artists

Santa Fe has been named the country’s No. 2 place for artists and creative people, behind only Los Angeles, according to a Top 10 list by Sperling’s Best Places and Businessweek. com.

The publications compiled the list by identifying areas with the highest concentrations of artistic businesses, says a city news release.

Also considered were the percentage of people between the ages of 25 to 34, population diversity and the concentration of museums, orchestras, dance companies, theater troupes, library resources and college arts programs.

Following Los Angeles and Santa Fe are Carson City, Nev.; New York City; Kingston, N.Y.; Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.; Nashville, Tenn.; Boulder, Colo.; San Francisco; and Nassau-Suffolk Counties, N.Y.

[From the Santa Fe New Mexican 03/28/2007, Page C01]

Interesting, right?

Of course one little fact that I forgot to mention in one of my other posts about Santa Fe is that according to the cost of living calculators online, the cost of living in Santa Fe is about 30% higher than it is in Pittsburgh. That's A LOT!

Anyway, I need to get on with my morning. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

on my mind (and flickr faves)

Whoa, I didn't realize that it has been almost a whole week since I last posted! My head is so caught up in work and moving, I have not been keeping up with other things. In fact, my head is a little too caught up because I have done some silly things lately. Like putting a sliced tomato in a sandwich bag in the knife drawer instead of the fridge. And not putting the deli meat and cheese in the fridge but instead putting it away with the bread; thus having to throw it out the next day. (Not so happy about that one.) I am usually not so scatterbrained, but I am moving across the country soon so I am cutting myself some slack. Let's just hope that I don't screw up the important stuff.

Over the weekend, I posted some Polaroid self-portraits to Flickr and then decided to see if there is a group specifically for Polaroid Self-Portraits.



To my great surprise, I could not find such a group! So I started one. I'm usually not good with group stuff, but so far so good. There are already many great self-portraits posted to the group; you should check them out. And if you like Polaroid photography and self-portraits, you should join the group!! I am really excited about it and hope that everyone continues to post to the group.

Also on the Polaroid front, you should check out Pola-Fiction, a Polaroid/writing project by Tod Brilliant. He's chosen 50 of his favorite Polaroid photographs and he is using each one as a starting point for a story. And he is writing the stories on an old typewriter.

I’ve selected fifty of my favorite Polaroid pictures that I’ve taken in the past few years. Using each as a ’seed’ I will pen a small story and post it here. Most likely, this will be at the rate of one story every few days until I’m done. Writing on a typewriter is quite different for me compared to say, using a computer. It’s slower, more methodical and definitely more maddening. No cutting and pasting, no easy spell checking. For these reasons, and perhaps due to the more contemplative nature of sitting outside with a typewriter, I’ve noticed that my Hermes 2000 efforts have a different tone, a different voice. I don’t know it it’s better or worse (yet), but it sure is something new.

Such a fantastic idea! And so far I've quite enjoyed the stories.

Returning to the topic of moving, we have about a month left in Pittsburgh. I am so excited to soon be heading to the sunny southwest, but at the same time, I can't believe I am leaving Pittsburgh! There are so many things I love about this city and I've spent nearly 10 years of my life here. New Mexico is home, but so is Pittsburgh. I know I've touched on this before and it never comes out right...I have such a great love for this place. And in that love there is some bitterness, but eh, life's always got it's thorns. This place and the people here have had a huge impact on my life, positive and negative, and leaving...well, it feels like an end of an era. It makes me feel sad. It makes me feel relieved. It makes me want to hug people and tell them how much they mean to me and say come visit, please. And it makes me scatterbrained.

(See, all over the place.)

Okay, being that's it's Tuesday, I will leave you with my Flickr faves from the past week.

somirasao's untitled. Beautiful.
jonnodotcom's Lola. Cannot resist a great cat portrait. That look!
kat19901991's Self-portrait in red dress. Amazing Polaroid transfer!
full*instrumental's hanging out. Never can resist the bird photos. This one is amazing AND it's in Albuquerque!!
beeb's untitled. Brilliant shot.

Lulu's Birthday Party

We went to Lulu's birthday party this past Saturday afternoon. She's four years old and quite the hostess! She made sure everyone had party hats and/or masks and was willing to share her "treasure", a bag full of Mardi Gras beads. Such a doll! (She always says to Will, "I'm your doll!") It was a fun time and I want to share a few of my favorite photos from the day.


[Lulu awaiting word that it's okay to open presents. That face!]


["Nobody gets between me and my chip!" Sadie is almost two and loves her snacks!]


[Will & CC. I just love this one.]


[Sexy Mama (aka SuperMom). She may have four kids, but she still knows how to throw down!]


[Wishing...]

tuesday favorites (and a wee bit of stress)

Hello! Boy, this day started off quite fantastically but has rapidly turned into yet another Stressful Day At Work. I've really been looking forward to leaving my job at the end of this month and shifting my focus over to preparing for the big move, but now it looks like I am going to continue to work in April. This was not part of my plan. (And I even gave 6 weeks notice to my boss!) But what can I do? I am not so great at saying no in such situations.

Some recent favorites on Flickr...

Girl from Mars' untitled.
Gayla's Flying Dragon (Poncirus trifoliata). I absolutely love this photo.

Bloody P.'s Girls with Cameras. (Photo actually taken by JM with BP's camera since BP was playing the show.) Is it strange to favorite a photo that I am in? Perhaps, but I so rarely see photos of myself that aren't self-portraits; I almost feel like I am spying on myself (if that makes sense). Also, I like this because it is a picture of me taking pictures.

Curious Bird's new wallets. Love the owl!!

And elsewhere...

10 Things I've Learned by Milton Glaser. A must read. I found it yesterday via Keri and it really opened up my mind.

Also from Keri - Wreck This Journal. Nothing but inspiration from Keri, always. She reminds me that perfection is not the ultimate goal. I am a perfectionist and it is a very limiting way to live. It is a constant struggle for me to LET GO.

This post at Sew Green got me excited about gardening in Santa Fe. I know it will be quite different than my gardening here (where it rains a lot during the summer), and I am looking forward to learning about plants native to New Mexico. It also got me thinking about water usage. I know that I need to be more conscious of my own usage, particularly living in a city that often has drought conditions.

And last, but definitely not least (and even though she probably won't see it), a birthday shout out to JChill, one of my very favorite people. Have a fabulous celebration!

Gratuitous Cat Video #5

Simon stars in his first video! We bought him a new toy on Saturday and he loves it.

a brief update

Hello. What a crazy week it has been, and to top it off, I still haven't been sleeping well at night. I fall asleep easily, but then wake up in the wee hours of the morning and can't get back to sleep. It's quite frustrating and leaves me feeling kind of out of it. Tired. And tonight certainly isn't going to help as we are going to the show at Gooski's and will be out late. I normally don't go to late shows on work nights, but with the move coming up, suddenly social activities are "the last time we'll..." I'm not complaining as it is my choice to look at things in this way, but man, it is wearing me out. I told friends yesterday that I should probably just go to bed early tonight and then wake up at midnight for the show since I haven't been sleeping well past midnight anyway. And I just may do that. We'll see.

Last night we had Kid and BamBam over for dinner. We ate tacos, drank beer and had quite a lovely time. Such a treat to see BamBam! It just doesn't happen often enough. And of course it is also a treat to have Kid in town for an extended period of time. Good times.

I missed my usual Flickr Favs post on Tuesday, and I don't really have a list today, but I will share a few things with you.

Bird in the Hand's thick screen door. love the texture and subtle color.

Check out sew green, a new collaborative blog about living a greener life.

Another blog that is new to me and fast becoming a favorite, high up in the trees. I love Gracia's collage work.

And I think that's all I can manage today. I seem to be getting sleepier by the second. Have a good Thursday.

P.S. A big birthday shout out to Lydia!! Can't wait to celebrate on Saturday.

No Cockfighting or Smoking Allowed

The Governor of New Mexico signed a bill outlawing cockfights. Cockfighting was a big part of our decision to move there! I am joking, of course, and have no idea why I find this piece of news amusing as killing animals for fun is not at all amusing. Louisiana is now the only state where cockfighting remains legal.

I was actually looking for news about the statewide smoking ban in New Mexico. The bill passed through the Legislature and Governor Bill Richardson signed the bill today. I'm curious to see the response as I am sure folks are going to be up in arms about it. Will and I lived (and smoked) in New York City when that ban went into effect and it pissed a lot of people off. Ultimately we found it to be less of an inconvenience than expected. In fact, at times it opened up another social realm outside of the bar in the smoking area. We haven't smoked for years, (though a night Gooski's is pretty close to smoking a pack of cigarettes) so I have no complaints about a smoking ban in NM. And don't let it stop you, my dear smoking friends, from coming to visit. Remember, the sun always shines in the southwest so smoking outside won't be so bad.

Speaking of vices, I drank a wee bit too much vino last night and had a rock star photo shoot all by myself. It was rather silly, actually, but I suppose with all the anxiety I've had lately, silly is good. The vino also made me super nostalgic and I dug up some old photos that my friend Birdy took of me on a road trip to Montana.



Such long hair! And so young! I don't think I look particularly old now, but then I see an old photo and realize that I am not quite so fresh-faced anymore. I was 22 in this picture (and I believe we were in Yellowstone). Shortly after this trip, I cut off all my hair. It's never been that long since.

Anyway, I woke up at three o'clock this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so between the vino and lack of sleep, I am feeling rather loopy today. Just itching to get out of the office and into the sunshine!!

light and dark

sewing again, finally

I spent most of the weekend in my craft room and it felt great. I don't know why I got it in my head that I couldn't start any projects because we are moving, but I did, and it was silly. So finally I shrugged off that line of thinking and got back upstairs to my craft room. The warmer weather made me feel like making skirts, so I did. I made yet another "t-skirt" and added a little birdy appliqué to it. Spring! Yea! Making things feels great.

on driving across the country, part two

When I started writing about this the other day, I didn't really know it was going to lead to so many memories...but now that I've started, I'm going to go with it.

So the boyfriend and I stayed in New Jersey with his mother for a few weeks. He worked as a caddy at the local country club and I loafed around. We went up to Westport, CT for a few days to visit his dad and while we were there, his dad bought him a used Subaru station wagon. A red one. Finally we were set for summer tour.

The first shows were at Deer Creek in Indiana so we were headed back the way we had come. Along the way we stopped somewhere - again, my memory is terrible - where there was some kind of Deadhead gathering. (For the record, I didn't party at this time in my life so my memory isn't bad because I was on acid the whole time or anything like that.) At the party, we picked up bags and bags of those colorful woven Guatemalan bracelets that used to be popular. The aforementioned t-shirts and these bracelets were going to pay for our travels.

I'm not going to go into detail about tour; I'll just tell you where we went. From Indiana, we backtracked to Ohio for a show at Buckeye Lake (where the Violent Femmes opened!) and then headed south to Charlotte, NC. That was the most south I had ever been. I remember pulling off the highway and finding a lake so we could cool off with a swim. That was one of the happier moments of the trip. Oh yeah, we were traveling with another car, there were five of us total and I was the only female. After Charlotte, we hit D.C. for a show at RFK Stadium (they played Dark Star) and then we must have taken a few days off because I don't remember going to shows at Giant Stadium which was the next stop on the tour. Then it was on to Michigan for shows at Pine Knob and from there, Chicago. In Chicago, we got to stay at some super fancy hotel courtesy of the boyfriend's mother who worked in that industry. It was sweet. There were two shows at Sandstone in Kansas and tour ended with a show at Mile High Stadium in Denver. I remember feeling like the drive across Kansas took forever. And it was super windy so I couldn't help but think about Dorothy's house flying away in the Wizard of Oz. Definitely could happen in Kansas. From Denver it was an easy shot back to New Mexico, I-25 all the way to Santa Fe and then I-40 to Albuquerque.

So that Dead summer tour was my second journey across the country, albeit in a zig zag sort of way. It was a good time, but I remember many fights with the boyfriend. I was fairly young and it was probably too much time to be spending together. I loved the traveling though. That was the best part. And we did pay for the tour by selling crap in the parking lots before and after shows. I remember being sort of terrified to walk around by myself (shyness), but somehow I managed. In one city, someone actually asked to take my picture because I was a "real Deadhead" which was so not true, and absolutely hilarious. I have loads of my own photos from that summer, but they're all in New Mexico. I'll try to scan some once we're settled in.

And, suffice it to say, a few weeks after we arrived back in Albuquerque, me and the boyfriend broke up.

cc & matty mo @ brillobox

CC is a brilliant songwriter. He played a set at Brillobox last night, with Matty Mo on drums. It was awesome, well-worth sitting through a band I didn't really want to see (not that they were bad, but I was very sleepy and went out to see CC play so I didn't have the energy to focus on another band), and staying up past my bedtime. The set was dreamy and soothing to my soul.

on driving across the country, part one

Since we are soon going to be journeying to New Mexico by car and moving van, I've been thinking about road trips a lot. I haven't ever traveled across the country from coast to coast. (Something I would still like to do!) And I haven't traveled from the southwest to the east since I moved here over a decade ago. All road trips have pretty much led to New York and North Carolina, but for a few to Ohio and one to Chicago. Not that those trips don't count, but in my head, it's not the same as traveling for days to get somewhere.

When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with Beat Generation as well as Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. Jack Kerouac's On the Roadand Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Testwere like bibles to me. I wanted nothing more than to travel across the country, preferably in a VW bus. Somewhere along the line, I stopped fantasizing about the VW bus, but I never lost the desire to travel. As luck would have it, one of my college boyfriends was a Deadhead and drove a VW bus. And one summer, he invited me to go on Dead tour with him. Yes! It was a teenage dream come true.

Before we started tour, we planned to drive to New Jersey (where he lived when he wasn't at school) and hang out there for a few weeks. So my first drive across the country was from New Mexico to New Jersey. We took I-40 West out of Albuquerque and I remember spending the night in Amarillo, Texas. My memory dims after that and I can't remember where else we stopped. I have a vague memory of waking up and seeing the Arch in St. Louis. It's quite possible that we were just sleeping in the bus. And then, outside of Indianapolis, the van broke down. I remember sitting on the side of the highway, wondering what the hell we were going to do; the van full of clothes for the summer, an ice chest, food, Calvin & Hobbes t-shirts that the boyfriend had printed to sell at shows. This was before cell phones and I can't remember how we ended up getting to a motel, but we did. And we stayed there a night or two, searching for a mechanic. Finally found one, some older guy who loved VW vans. He took his to his house and we stayed there at least a night, if not more. In the end, we ended up trading the van to him for a VW Rabbit. It was sad because I loved the bus, but we needed to be on our way and I think the van would have been expensive to fix. Or so he told us. In retrospect, I think the dude just really wanted the van because the body was in such good condition.

So we were back on the road, heading toward Pennsylvania and some place near Pittsburgh, but for the life of me, I don't remember the name of the place. I always want to say Ross, but I don't know if that's right. The boyfriend's family had a very old family house at some sort of private club, I don't know. But that's where we were to meet his brother and hang out for a few days. Of course, by the end of our first day in the Rabbit, the car died. Dead. Stuck on the side of the road with all of our crap yet again. Somehow we reached the brother who came and picked us up. The VW Rabbit eventually got abandoned at a junkyard.

We stayed at this family resort place for a few days, riding around in golf carts and lounging in the grass. The house was stone, I think, beautiful and quite old. It was also filled with antiques and old books. I remember finding a first edition of Paradise Lost and being blown away. But I digress. Back to the road. Being without a car of our own, we ended up piling into the brother's sedan with him and his girlfriend. It was not exactly comfortable, but who were we to complain? Finally we made it to New Jersey, sans vehicle for the upcoming Dead tour. And that was my first journey across the country.

Times like these when I have so many gaps in my memory, I really wish that I still had all my old journals. I'm sure they were filled with a lot of angst, but they probably would also provide a clue to the name of the place near Pittsburgh. And how long we stayed in Indy. Etc. But when I was 24, I burned all my journals. Yep. All of them, ages 9 - 24. Sigh.

yes, it snows in santa fe!

The photos in this post are for all the folks that envision Will and I moving to the desert, surrounded by saguaro cactus and palm trees! There are many people who think that Santa Fe has a hot, dry desert climate all-year round, an easy assumption to make considering the Southwest's reputation of having abundant sunshine. Santa Fe does have approximately 300 days of sunshine per year (a far cry from the 165 that Pittsburgh supposedly averages), but since it is at 7,000 feet above sea level, and nestled in the mountains, Santa Fe sees some snow too. The temperatures are rarely extremely high or low, but this past winter was the worst New Mexico has seen in a very long time.



My Dad took the above photo last December, when they got 3 feet of snow! 3 feet! I don't remember having snow like in Santa Fe since I was a kid. I remember piles and piles of snow in our driveway.



I liked to build families of snow people and go tobogganing down the hills near our house. I had a bright orange toboggan with a seat, a place for my feet and a yellow cord to hang onto. My brother had a similar green one. Such fun! We also used to sled down the road, but that was always a bit risky as there was a curve at the bottom.

Summers usually aren't too bad in Santa Fe. The heat is dry and for me, more tolerable than the humid heat we get here. The sun feels scorching hot, but step into the shade and relief can be found. But because of the infrequent rainfall, Santa Fe experiences drought conditions. I know that when it gets really bad, residents are not allowed to water their yards and get fined if water usage is too high. Pittsburgh has its three rivers; Santa Fe has one. And it rarely has water in it. (So all the snow this winter is actually a really good thing as it means that the water reservoirs wouldn't be totally dry.)

A little bit more about Santa Fe:

Santa Fe has a population around 70,000, about 1/5 the population of the City of Pittsburgh. It's the oldest capital city in America, founded in 1607 by Spanish explorers. It's also home to America's third largest art market (behind New York and Los Angeles). And there are over 200 restaurants in Santa Fe! Quite a few for a small city. There are also a vast amount of hiking opportunities in Santa Fe and the surrounding areas. I cannot wait to hit them all. (Seriously!)

I can't believe that we have less than two months until we move! Ack!

flickr favs tuesday

Lots of good stuff on Flickr this past week.

Gayla's colours. yes, I am ready for Spring!
Curious Bird's tulips. sweet, and I like the depth of field (or lack of it).
johanna's snap. wonderful patterns.
bugheart's feb21. perfect.
Vixgirl's come-in collection. and also steak expert. excellent signs.
Shari's baboon and the ocean. awe-inspiring.
somirasao's first oz sunset with james. stunning.

Also, Armando has a great post today, about Todd Hido and his work. Todd Hido's work is beautiful and amazing. The quote that Armando references, regarding Todd on his work really struck me.

There must be something more, some emotional hook for it to really work for me.

There is a link to the full interview and a video of Todd in action; you should go check it out.

love for the dirty faces

Dirty Faces played Gooski's this past Saturday night and, as always, they delivered a kick ass set. I've been seeing the Dirty Faces, in one form or another, for the past ten years and it's always a somewhat emotional experience. I can't really explain it well because I am never good at explaining such things, but for whatever reason, the music has become a seminal part of my existence. Perhaps it's because they have inspired me to take more photos than any other band (or at least that's my guess). T. Glitter has long been something of a photographic muse for me, and when he performs, I have to take picures. But the band as a whole has so much energy, it is hard not be inspired. Or perhaps it is because I know so much of their history and it is somehow entangled with my own. All I know is that the band and their music means a great deal to me, and on Saturday night, I couldn't help but feel sad that outside of the show on March 15th, I won't be seeing them perform again for a long time. Sure, I've moved away before, but New York City is only a 6 or 7 hour drive and they played somewhat frequent shows there. Santa Fe is a 24 or 25 hour drive and somehow I doubt they'll be playing a show there anytime soon. I hope I am not sounding melodramatic here, because that is not my intention. One of the things that has meant the most to me in Pittsburgh is the music scene and it is hard to imagine leaving it behind.

That said, I made a slideshow of the show on Saturday night for your viewing pleasure. Sometimes I think show pictures look best when viewed somewhat quickly becuase it allows the feeling of continuous action - ROCK - to come across. Just click the button below. Oh, and I recommend listening to a Dirty Faces tune while you watch.

the writing on the wall

Words written on the wall in the ladies room at Gooski's. (Obviously not by me, haha.) I love this shot.

PJ Harvey + Nick Cave - Henry Lee