Blogstardom

Sooo I just got to meet the creator of dooce.com at her book signing. It rocked. We got there early and it was a good thing cause apparently the Pacific Northwest loves some dooce. She read some passages from her book and then did q & a. We decided we would leaving towards the end of the q & a so we could be towards the start of the book signing line. Well sis's boyfriend decides to go up and ask her a question. Or rather make a statement. He said basically, No offense but before now I had never heard of you. I'm here with my girlfriend who is 5 months pregnant and her sister from Alaska who wanted to come. But you just scared the shit out of me. (She had read a passage about it taking her 7 months to get back in the saddle after having her baby.) Which got a huge laugh out of the crowd and made J and I thoroughly embarrassed. And then we couldn't make our sneak away plan because people looked at us when he sat back down.

We did manage to leave when the questions turned creepy, ie someone giving her a handmade vajayjay coin purse and some lady hawking a board game she invented. So I went out to smoke and J saved me a place in line. We didn't have to wait too long but it was long enough for me to pick out a book by Augustine Burroughs. Then she was done and the line moved and she signed my book. And I got a pic with her, extra bonus. I said, I'm the sister from Alaska. And she laughed and then the book store handler nazi cattle prodded me and I was swept out the door. Very much like in A Christmas Story when he visits Santa and asks for a football. Football? Football? I don't even play football. But I didn't climb back up the slide as I didn't have anything profound to say. But I did get my book autographed and that was darn good enough for me.

Then we went to Babies R Us. Amazingly enough, no babies for sale. Fucking liars. But they did get a diaper bag and some other baby stuff. You know what they sell there? Other than baby stuff you goob. Nintendo DS. And apparently iPod's, but those I didn't see. I guess it would be intended for moms on bed rest. Or something. Anyway, I found it kind of funny. But not as funny as filtered water in those little cardboard juice containers. Mmm waxy cardboard flavored tepid water. Adios Dasani! And then I was over babied and started feeling weird. Luckily we were done. And here I am in a baby free zone.

Oh on the subject of babies. I did finish my picture for "Jackson", apparently that is the name they're going with. I like it, the name. And the picture. I added a little dude next to a tree and a quote that says something about remember the earth longs to feel you feet and the wind to blow through your hair. Something like that by some guy whose name I can't remember. And I added stars and glittery nail polish to the twilight area. It looks cooler than that sounds I swear.

Seattle Trip Part the deux the 3rd & the IV

So Saturday I didn't wake up with a hangover, I think I just woke up drunk. Awesome. But I never blacked out, so that's a high point. We went to IHOP for brekkie and commented on all the hidious plants and pictures. Turns out they were for sale. Had I been a little drunker when we got there I totally would have bought a huge fake plant to bring to my sister. Lucky for her I wasn't.

After our marginal but fun breakfast we went to Fred's for some pain medicine. The first day out of Juneau and I get to go to one of the only stores we have. Really? But it was fun because there was this super weird lady in the easter section that made it all worth while. I got easter baskets for the kids since I don't have a lot of chances to be the spoiling aunt. Then it was back to my coworker's apartment to wait for my boss' boyfriend. He was way the hell down in Tacoma and the traffic was bad. So we hung out until 2 or so. Then we hit the road and drove up to Bothell. When we were about ten minutes away I started getting all excited because I recognized stuff. I know that coffee hut! I know that burger place, I know that weird casino in the strip mall! She's right around the corner!

Got to J's house, the kids were all playing it cool. Like oh hey, auntie Marguerite, yeah it's cool to see you again. Until I pulled out the baskets and pumped them full of sugar. The best candy was this sucker that had a bunny nose on it. Basically a candy pacifier. So once they opened those they were quiet for like two hours. And ridiculously adorable. Then they started getting more amped up. So I taught them some dance moves every 5 or 7 year old should know. The cabbage patch, the sprinkler, and that one where you put one hand behind your back and one holds up your leg. My nephew rocks socks at doing that one. It was so awesome. They are like little coiled springs.

We went to Target that night because TSA apparently doesn't like electric toothbrushes in luggage. I know I packed it. I think. On the way back I got Taco Bell! Wooo. It was as crappy and delish as I remember.


Sunday the kids went to their dad's so J and I got to go shopping. Well she had to deal with me wanting to look at everything would be more accurate. I may have gone slightly crazy in Seph.ora. Juuuust slightly. We were checking out and the lady signed me up for the beauty points thing and says ok you have 250 points. J says how much is a point? And I say probably a dollar. And yep it was! Holy hell. But I have tons of awesome makeup that will last me forever. Especially because I will keep using my cheap stuff mostly. I'm weird.
We were shopping at the sale section of a store and I saw a striped shirt for ten bucks. And it looked like it could actually fit my fat ass. Good enough for me, I got it. It had small snaps on the shoulder on one side but I didn't think much of it. Well we get home and try on our clothes. I pull the "shirt" out of the bag upside down. And see a crotch. I BOUGHT A JUMPER! So of course I go try it on anyway. Holy hell hilarious. It fits, most of my ass is covered. I just don't see how they marketed it in the first place. We were joking that the check out guy was probably laughing to himself that someone actually bought it. But it's really thin material and I can cut off the crotch and around the lower hem and it will be a cool shirt. But I'm going to wait till I get home so everyone can revel in it's douchebaggery.

Monday was super exciting, what will me being stuck in the suburbs all day. I got to watch several episodes of my favorite Law & Or, SVU. And some show about "make me a supermodel" or some shit like that. But there were naked chicks covered in glitter when I turned it on, so no complaints from me! I also started painting a picture for my unborn unnamed nephew. It's pretty cool, sort of the horizon edge of earth with the sun coming up with twilight above it. I need to add stars and stuff. I'm thinking I will use a glitter pen for that. I think the effect would be cool. But we'll see. I'm not so good at the details. When J came home we got to go to my favorite food store. I could literally live there. The produce is amazing, they have everything on earth. The deli is huge, the cheese selection. It's sort of a health store, but they have regular products there too. And it's huuuuge. I ended up getting the salad bar for dinner. But I couldn't resist some avocados and fresh basil. I just want to wear the basil it smells so good. I think I need to go back for some mozzarella and tomatoes. mmmm. That sounds so good my mouth is watering.

Today I am listening to huge branches fall on the roof. It's super windy but sunny out. I love it. Kind of creepy though when you're in the bathroom and a branch falls on the skylight. Please don't crush me while I'm peeing!
I think I will work on baby's picture for a while. And when J gets of work we get to go to Heather Armstrong's book signing. How awesome is that. I happen to take a random trip to Seattle and this woman who's blog I read is on a book tour and happens to stop in Seattle while I'm here. Rad. I'm way excited.

And that's my trip up to date. Well, I've been getting super strange dreams every night. Like extra weird. I know dreams are always weird, but these take the cake. J says it's her house, she dreamt I was going through all this and was coming to visit a week before I told her, so it could be the house. But I think it's her preggo-ness that makes her psychic. I think the lack of drinking is literally what's doing it. They keep being partially really good and then really bad. And have some repeat characters in them. Weird weird weird, I need a drink :)

Dreams and Schemes

I had a lame dream last night. It was basically a manifestation of my fears, played out in front of me like real life. I had another one a couple of weeks ago. Usually my dreams are as unintelligible as a psychopath's secret diary, tiny fragments of my day with lots of crazy added in. But I hate it when I have dreams that just seem real. And I'm helpless to fix things in them. I would have to assume it's my subconscious fears being brought up to the forefront. I know I'm afraid of what happened in the dream. I know I'm afraid I can't fix anything. But in the dream and definitely in real life, I want to. All I want to is fix things. But then my brain has always been good at offering up "I can't" at most signs of difficulty. It would surprise me to have a clear as day positive dream. It'd be nice, but unlikely.

The worst part of the dream, or one of them, was when I was trying to fix things, it just made it worse or it was too late. I had made them push away by trying to fix it. Talk about a fucking pickle. But obviously that's a dream, it doesn't really work that way. I need to try and fix things, it would be worse not to, right?

The other terrible part was the look of hate or even lack of emotions towards me. Like I had become so much of a stranger that even hate was too personal of an emotion to be used on me. That's what's sticking with me.

And when I say the dream was my fears, it's not like it's always on my mind. It's a fear that is occasionally brought to light, but I don't obsess over it. I would like that to be known. I'm afraid even explaining the dream will make things worse. But I already did. If I can't talk to them, who can I talk to?

Arg. What I really wanted to post about was a book I read last night. Creepers by David Morrell. I was loaned this book oh probably two years ago and never picked it up. He's the author of First Blood, the book Rambo is based on. I'm not a huge fan of Rambo, so maybe that's why I never started reading it. But this book is completely different. It's about a group of urban explorers getting ready to break into an incredibly well preserved hotel. The hotel was build at the turn of the century, and as the years progressed, the owner never updated the styles of anything. And there is a reporter along for the expedition. That's all I will tell you other than I was hooked in the first couple of pages. And nothing amazing happened on them, he's just a great writing at getting you engaged in the story.

I started reading it because we had to go the laundromat, yuck. I ended up staying up till 12:30 and finishing the book. I so very highly recommend it.

Now to walk the whiney puppy who was JUST outside.