I, for one, welcome our August overlords

Well hello, August! A month ago at the start of July I was wishing and hoping for some fun and I am pleased to report that it totally worked! My July was full of fun. Don't get me wrong -- there were challenges; some ongoing, some taking the express elevator from Fresh Hell, but you know, c'est la vie. They were tolerable, especially when cushioned by fun. I'm so lucky! Consider this list of fun events: contest-won Chris Isaak tickets, free Roller Derby VIP seats (truly, the only way to go), free Blues Festival passes courtesy of someone I don't know very well, Pink Martini tickets (also free because they were a birthday present.), ETC. And that's just Event Fun! So for August I'd like to continue the fun and add a serving of forward motion on things that have been idling for the past many months.

I've decided that any incremental improvements are to be celebrated -- it's either that or go completely insane. I had a small but salient realization today: I might as well be optimistic because I'm always secretly hoping for the best anyway. So why not enjoy thinking IT COULD HAPPEN instead of preemptively torturing myself with all the reasons it might not? (preemptive self-torture is a particular specialty of mine. A wise friend once told me "your protective coating has spikes on the inside!" which I thought was ridiculous until I realized it was true.) I mean, I'll be disappointed if what I'm hoping for doesn't happen in any event -- preparing myself for the worst only makes me think about The Worst that much more. (The Worst is never far from my mind, for despite being an optimist I have an overactive, often alarmist imagination.) Nothing ever goes as fast as I think it should, which is weird because I always think of myself as inherently cautious. Anyway, I'm ever endeavoring to enjoy the right now of it all. I'm not saying I will be successful, I'm just saying I will try.

One of the most exciting things I'm practicing my new philosophy on is a job I applied for about six weeks ago. It's a county position, so the bureaucracy involved is 1000x our normal earth bureaucracy -- but it ties in directly with some of my longer term goals so it seems worth it. And I am making incremental progress! 2 weeks after initially applying I got an email telling me that I "Meet Minimum Requirements." (effusive with praise, these govt. types. ) Just yesterday, the last day of wonderful July, I got a letter in the mail saying I had successfully passed through one more flaming hoop: I meet minimum requirements AND was selected in a random lottery to progress to the next level of the application process. Woo Hoo! Next step: stick my head in a lion's mouth. Updates as warranted.

And now, some links for the start of August:

Something to look at: If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger is an outstanding photo blog. I just came across it a couple of weeks ago and have quite enjoyed poking around and discovering amazing images of things I didn't even know I wanted to see! (film stills, ephemera, culture)

Good Songs For Summer: It's tricky business recommending anything because god knows everyone will insist on having their own opinion (even when they are WRONG!) but... where was I? Oh, right. I have been listening to (among other things) The Man Who Invented Soul box set by Sam Cooke and M. Ward's Transistor Radio. I know they sound good other times of the year, but they sound REALLY good when it's hot outside and I have a cold drink in my hand. Bonus: they somehow magically drain away the urge to beat wrongheaded people over the head with a flip-flop. If the random urge to beat people with flip-flops is a problem in your life, I recommend that you give these records a try.

Change Is a Blessing Dept.: This post by Jennifer Crusie really resonated with me. Her life is changing in big and exciting ways, and she articulates that wonderful feeling when you realize not only is everything going to be different, but everything is going to be fine. (even if it is a chaotic mess -- it will be fine!) For someone (like me) who desires but fears change, it was reassuring.


(lovely lazy susan quilted wheel of fortune image from : Turtle Moon.)