whisper the word

Hello. Here is where I ask the periodic question have you read anything good lately? Or what are you reading now? I'm about 90 pages into The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. I'm not sure where I heard about it - maybe a NPR list? It seems like it was somewhere on the internet... (does that narrow it down?)

I don't quite know what to make of it, yet. It's very strange in that it seems like a clever Edwardian-themed house novel (impending poverty! great house! one swanky dress! overworked household staff and oblivious family!), but then something very weird is at work at the same time - there's a train derailment and currently (page 89) the house has a morning room full of train passengers.  They're just sort of there, like a closet full of complications waiting to be set free. There's also something going on with the youngest sibling, Smudge. I'm not sure where it's all going which is sort of exciting! I've been slow to get into it, but I think that's because I keep trying to read it when I'm too tired.

Here's a quote from page 20 - it doesn't really have much to do with the weirdness, but it does have to do with birthdays. Since mine was Sunday, it struck me with a little thrill all its own. (ha ha! As I write this, Andrew Bird's The Happy Birthday Song  played on my iTunes Genius "Chamber Pop Mix." Well played for once, itunes!)

Emerald ran off to change for riding much cheered: a surprise cake she had not made herself; a childhood friend on a train to visit, and no Step until Sunday . . . she felt the childhood thrill of her (whisper the word) birthday.

happy blonde lady birthday

Today (the 19th) is the birthday of

BUFFY 

and

DOLLY

both of whom you must agree are awesome ladies!  But they've got more than a birthday and hair color in common - both are high achievers despite being underestimated by FOOLS all the damn time; they work really hard in difficult careers, but stay true to themselves and find success. (I now really want to see Dolly show up in an episode of Buffy! I think they could learn a lot from each other and you know there'd be an awesome performance/ fight scene at the end.)

Today the library (in conjunction with Dark Horse and Cosmic Monkey Comics) had a birthday party for Buffy - I couldn't go because I had to work too late, but it made me happy to just know it was happening. (in addition to being Buffy's birthday, today was also the release date for the finale of Season 8!) I wish I could have been there.

(I went to trivia instead, which started later. We won! But I dedicate the victory to the birthday girls.)

Here's a song from each. Buffy and her existential despair/ Disney heroine song: (That "whatever" never makes me not laugh.)



And Dolly being awesome all over the place. (p.s. Porter Wagoner has some CRAZY suits, but he wears them with conviction.)

balloon cure

I am vaguely bummed out and headachy and creatively flat for reasons I do not comprehend. Antsy, too. (Maybe there is no reason! maybe it's just my turn.) Anyway, I thought to counteract that, I would embark upon the balloon cure.


Tonight's balloon cure (for me) consists of posting pictures of balloons. (I'm aware that the balloon cure for others may relate to hot-air balloons, or swimming pools full of balloons, or rubbing balloons on your hair to make them stick to the wall. Ooh, or water balloons. I'm sure there are others, but I've run out of easy ones and I'm ready to start typing under the next picture.)


These pictures are from my sister's birthday. We went to the Pink Martini CD release party at the Crystal Ballroom -Martina came with us (I have typed Pink Martina twice already in this post, only once on purpose), and we ran into some other friends there.

The Ballroom part of the Crystal Ballroom is on the third floor. There's an elevator, but most people take the stairs if they're able. (I should mention that the stairs are moodily lit and decoratively painted. I always feel like I'm climbing to an adventure, and I'm always right.) We tromped up to the second floor and crossed a lobby to get to the final flight of stairs. Stationed at the base of the stairs were people giving away flowers - so charming and unexpected. A woman asked me if I wanted a flower and handed me a beautiful red gerbera daisy. It had a broken stem, which I was fine with because I wasn't expecting a flower in the first place, but the guy on the other side of the stairs saw that it was broken and gave me another flower. Sweet! We walked the final set of stairs and turned the corner only to see thousands of balloons with long mylar streamers glinting in the light of the two fancy chandeliers. Everybody had flowers in their hands. It was so lovely but humble at the same time; it felt like a birthday party or prom, which was just exactly perfect.

Pink Martini always make me think that they should be The Band in one of the big Hollywood musicals from the 30s, particularly one set in South America where there's a big dance scene in a glamorous hotel somewhere with mistaken identity hijinx of one sort or another. "You're heir to an Argentine cattle empire and not a stowaway? That's funny, because I'm not an heiress! I'm a plucky nurse from Kansas taking a fancy vacation on a dare/bequest from an eccentric/rich aunt.") Anyway - Pink Martini would be playing during the big number where Betty Grable and Don Ameche dance the rhumba (the dance of love!) while Carmen Miranda and China Forbes take turns singing and shaking maracas.


The show was fun and laid back. I've only ever seen Pink Martini in big venues or outside (maybe only outside: the biggest venue of all) - this was a very small stage and they have a lot of members, a lot of guests, and a lot of equipment (harp!). At one point it was jokingly said that they had half of the Oregon Symphony with them, except it didn't look like a joke to me - there were lots of bows flying. The performers were having fun, we were having fun and the balloons were hanging in there.

seven fifteen

Sunday was my birthday and such a good day it was! I had a bunch of stuff I thought I'd say about it... a description of the picnic in the park, my Deep Thoughts and ruminations on how laurelhurst park is not unlike a well-written short story, the long list of my many flaws and how I'd like to improve in the coming year, how despite that long list I am optimistic and excited... but when I sat down to write it I realized the most important thing I'd like to say is how incredibly fortunate I am. For all my whining and carrying on, I have Top Shelf friends AND family. Make better friends is never on my list of things to do because the ones I have (old and new) are all so extraordinarily kind, generous and fun to know! So, hooray for birthdays, hooray for new years and extra big hoorays for all you friend and family shaped people out there!

(photo is a detail of the Long-Life fairy that Martina gave to me.)