things that make me happy:
pittsburgh
portland
this american life
packing
translating the npr webpage with tha snoop dog shizzolator
here in katie's head
sun on my face
fleece booties
dirt
guess the dictator and/or television sit-com character
surprises
mail

some days are just too good to capture. up early, driving l'il bro to the airport. getting lost on the way back. running errands (buying grease for l'il dude (aka, the bike), vince's for lunch, post office, notarize, hardware store (hmmm...hardware store...i could live there) and then coming home to clean my bike. hours and hours of fun: removing rust (i neglected to take care of the bike while in portland), degreasing, regreasing, getting rid of dirt, trying to tune it up without ruining it [i'm so excited to learn more about bike maintenance.] and now i get to do nitty gritty organizing. all the little things i've collected in the past 5+ months are now going to be sorted into ziploc bags (wahooo!). stuff i don't need to keep: pins, flags, maps, directions, pens galore, notes, bolts, stuff...and some stuff i need to keep: bills, insurance papers, doctor's bills, keep-in-touch information.

but what this really all boils down to is that tomorrow is my last day here. here [pasadena, the homeland, the comfort zone] is like a little nest i can just fall into entirely each time i come here, and now it's time to leave. leaving isn't hard, it's just that i don't exactly know where i am headed next. ok, so that's a bit overdramatic and untrue...i know i am headed to new haven for the vanessa jean holiday rush (which is more of a trickle right now), then to charlotte for the holidays...then...well, that's where i don't know what comes next.

i have the amazing opportunity to settle where ever i want, or not settle for that matter. but after 162 days on the road i'm finally starting to feel an inkling to settle somewhere. to set up a studio, to have a home, a bed to curl up in every night. space that is mine, private, personal. but the question is where? what will i be doing? and i have to make some decisions about how to balance my 2 main desires to create and to organize. i'm deciding if i can balance to two, or if it's time to make a sacrifice in favor of one or the other. hmmm, i guess i have a lot of things to think about, good thing i'll have some time in the car.

the hardware store visit made me long for creating things. tools, ladders, tile spacers, turning the every day into something new and neat. it's a funny place for inspiration, but i could stay there all day. ok, time to get back to putting things where they belong...enough daydreaming for now.

a few of my new favorite websites, and some notes
(i still don't know why i do this, as no one ready the blog)
miele fresca
i just met brook, who is one of the fab women behind this site and i'm suggesting it for everyone's christmas shopping list.
eHarmony.com
a few things... #1 after some discussion with my brother, who goes to the same doctor who recommended eHarmony to me (see here), along with a woman i met at a get together tonight who also goes to same doctor as i do and recieved same eHarmony pitch...we discovered said doctor is friends with founder-doctor-scientist-matchmaker who founded eHarmony, hence all the plugging of said website. ick. for some reason that makes me want to vomit (even more than i have been lately). #2 there is no #2. sorry.
vanessajean.com
shameless plug for self...now's the time to order for christmas
bridget jones: the edge of reason
other than having the longest url ever, the movie was just plain flat (other than mr. firth's adorable smile smirks). don't bother to see it unless you can rent it for free and need something to watch while doing laundry or paying bills.

hmmm, i guess my list was a bit shorter than i thought.
cheers

this is quick, i'm running out to watch my future husband in bridget jones' diary II, i'm talking about mr. firth. what a charmer. i'm also watching football with my family. i haven't done much except be thankful for flushing toilets and running water after some fine turkeyday food poisoning. i had it lucky compared to my brother who had to go to the er. poor baby. now he brags about it alot. ok.

um, i had a gazillion things to say, but now i can't remember them. my parents are leaving pasadena tomorrow, and i won't see them till christmas. i got used to being around them, i think i might miss them! i'm excited to pack and start heading east, but i'm now terribly afraid (paranoid, anxious?) of hitting bad weather, with much thanks to my family and certain people who have been mentioning that alot. thanks.

hmmm, i think it's time to see colin. just kidding, he's not my future husband. that's ridiculous. geez, i'd really like to be able to eat normally again.

today i discovered eharmony.com, and how it will change my life. ok, well, not entirely. but today my doctor told me that i needed two things in order to feel better. 1) a mate, which he suggested i find through eharmony.com. well, there are a couple probelms with that. 2) that i needed to calm down and reorganize my life a bit, and that might make some of my other problems go away. it was an interesting use of an hour and a visit to the doctor.

and the mommykins and i went to yoga, which was much needed, and quite a treat. it's been a while since i've had the joy of being in a yoga class...and it was so so so nice. really nice.

i'm having a delicious run-in with saved!, which is hilarious, to the max. i highly suggest watching it.

i'm doing a great job of being relaxed, especially now that vanessa jean is up to day and running smoothly again.

odd things can make a day stressful. or maybe that's just part of life on the road (and worrying about settling down, hmmm). today i made a renewed committment to jeepie. we are now going to be together for a very long time. but at least now i can feel confident that it will run smoothly for the ride back to the east coast (it's almost a brand new car). then i went to the dentist and i have no cavities, which is a really big deal after the dental debacle i had last may. yet another reason why insurance is important. i also decided that i would buy an electric toothbrush, which i did. i just used it for the first time, and it's quite a brilliant device (and it's blue). then i went to the eye doctor, and he told me what i know, that i can still see, which was reassuring since it came from a paid professional. preventative care is great, really. (ahem). then to whittier for some chinese buffett with the g-parents, and now here. i think it's time to start meditating again. i've found myself to be even more wound up and anxious than usual these past few days. it could be any factor of things, but i think it might help if i take some time to put everything in perspective. and then i will ride my bike.
if your soul is hurting a bit (or you have bad pms), check out these soul filling and spilling sites by sabrina ward harrison and SARK. these beautiful, artistic, expressive souls have inspired me through good times and bad. please take two doses and call me in the morning. what else...the peacocks are still here. they make me laugh. i'm watching the dvd from the indigo girls latest album all that we let in. it's a live recording from their show last december at the bottom line in ny. my roommate and i went, and we think we've spotted ourselves in the small audience. that was such an intimate show, and a really nice treat for a busy december. ahhh, indigo girls.
sweet dreams.

tonight i got attacked (post japanese cuisine) by a cat named hurley. this cat is clearly suffering from gender identity problems, and hence (because it can't speak, well, except to me as i speak fluent cat, the south west dialect of course, i'm working on my north west and north east, phwaw) likes to attack human beings, especially those that attempt ridiculous flea removal procedures. don't ask. anyhow, i know this de-clawed cat has a disposition for using vicious cat teeth to attack, but tonight's mangle went too far...and i have blood to prove it. darn, beat again by the feline. i should really be learning my lesson by now, but i guess not.

ahh, family dinners out in public. i wonder sometimes. but the little one is back in town, which is a nice treat, and i'll have to really store up on his visit, because he undoubtely won't call me for the next month, until we visit at home in charlotte for the day of santa clause and gifts.

turkey day countdown: 3 days (rough estimate)
i want my contribution to turkey day to be cabbage soup and presents. my uncle makes a joke about how our families always exchange gifts everytime we get together, so we like to tease him by making sure we always have gifts...so i'll have to bring something wrapped.

anyone notice i like to ramble? no, good. ok, time for round number 2 of the cat fighting, maybe a little corrections, and then to bed to dream about picking up jeepie tomorrow in glowing, wonderful condition (as if a fuel system flush and new filter make a car sparkle fresh - hey, a girl can dream). and dream i will, about ice skates. hmmm....

howdy champs...
i like calling people "champ"
i also like having a jeepie that works, and soon it will (enter evil laugh here).
i also like japanese food, which i will eat tonight (yum).
today was a masterful accomplishment of minor, tedious tasks...
(notarize, mail, money order, deposits, photocopies, phone calls, blech)
but i guess it's these small things that keep the world moving

today my little bro comes home from college for the turkey vacation. i haven't seen him since the btv kick-off june 20. hmmm, that's a long time. we are going to eat japanese food. i sound like i'm in first grade.

the highlight of the day was visiting with my high school carpool buddy! she's great, and it was nice to catch up on the west coast. she also has a cute cat named dot.

ok, back to 'work' (ie drafting e-mails that might help me find future employment, while dreaming about riding my bike.)

speaking of bikes...one of the leaders of the mountain bike trip i chaperoned for my high school in october put some pics and stuff online. see them here. (wow, if you clicked on that you must be really bored).

it's late, and this little bunny-pumpkin is tired...but i have so much to say!
i was mia from the real world last week, as i was lucky to spend time with my very good friend yarrow (aka sara) in the gulch, really beautiful redwood lands in pescadero, north of santa cruz. a great week in the forest and nature, and a nice week of napping on yet another sofa. it was great to see sara, and to watch her in action as an awesome teacher of outdoor education. go sara! it was also a treat to meet all the other awesome people she works with, one huge naturalist team that does an amazing job of teaching kids how important mother earth is, the wonders of lichen and that certain sea creatures will stick to your nose...all very important things to know. thursday was a wonderful day! it involved 50 some miles of coastal riding that was gorgeous, and sun, and a nasty headwind (which i secretly love), followed by a dusk dip in the ocean and a friendly seal.
i'm one lucky girl.
friday i drove south, and was very lucky to spend some quality time with my godfather and his family, what a treat. then to the homeland (no longer home exactly, so the homeland will have to suffice!) and a nice reunion with the parents and various other people here who i am quite happy to see.
this morning started with an early morning (old people) walk, which included breakfast and some browsing at the pasadena art fair. it's funny to think that two years ago vanessa jean had a booth at that fair! ahhh, fairs...such mixed emotion. regardless...i came home (aka the home i'm lucky enough to be staying at) to laundry (making anything clean is good!) and removing all contents from jeepie (see previous parenthesis), and then organizing everything that came from the car. i'm in organizational exctasy! tomorrow i get to continue to vacuum the car (i ran the dustbuser battery out today) and clean the windows from the inside out. these things thrill me (yes, this is an ok time to suggest that i get a life).
then (after jumping the jeepie battery...it gets worn out when the doors are open so long) the fam headed to whittier and i got to see the rest of the fam, including the grandpa who is looking like a champ, and eating well too. ahhh, family times are good times. we can surely entertain ourselves anywhere, and pull anyone into the fun with us (including the restraunt owner).
so much more to the night, but i'm too tired to keep going. abbrev: saw la based friends from portland and it was swell.
other things: my bikes breaks will be squeaky tomorrow because it's raining here and li'l dude is getting wet as we speak. there are two huge, amazing peacocks roaming the neighborhood and house grounds where i am staying. i've learned i collect all the little things because i'm afraid of forgetting the marvelous, minute details* that make life so rich. i need a haircut. rainy days are good for crawling under the covers and reading a book (ie napping). laughing feels good. the familiar sounds of saturday npr can comfort me anywhere. congrats to yale womens volleyball, ivy league champs and one game away from ncaa, mad props. i miss climbing on ladders and playing with tools. i'm terribly afraid of having to "settle down" somewhere, can't i just keep vagabonding forever? time for sleeping...followed by bike riding to breakfast with brian in the morning.
sweet dreams.

*i plan to talk about this a lot more sometime soon. you'll want to vomit, but i'm excited to ramble a lot!

midday naps are fun.
i fell asleep reading around 3.30, and woke up to a clock that read 6.47, and the fog and dim light outside couldn't help me determine if it was am or pm. it's pm, and it was nice to hang out on the couch for half an hour just relaxing, and thinking about what comes next (ahh, the big question. i came to some wonderful conclusions, which included getting off the sofa, eating a brownie and then getting back on the sofa. i'm so proud of myself. i think it might be time to make some more brownies. it was a rainy day today, perfect day for napping.

life is good...
i woke up pre-noon today, which felt great.
then i organized stuff, and sorted out names and addresses of doctors to get this summer's health care debacle finally under control.
then i are some brownies
and packed a bag and headed out on my bike
i don't really know how i went so long without loving bikes, but life is so much better now
and i bikes all over san fran, going down hills is fun, but going up hill reminded me how long it's been since i've really been on a bike
but it was fun, and then i stopped inside a shop to buy new tires, which i am so excited to put on tomorrow (along with a new tube since i have busted a valve) and clean li'l dude. yay.

meri and i are talking, and it's fun, so i'm going back to that.

it's been a while & blogger looks different, and i have to adjust

if you've wondering where i've been for the past six months, you can check out bike the vote for a full recap of the cross-country voter registration by bike project that consumed my life for a while. the site has basic info, blog and photo, and will soon have info about the documentary in the works about the trip. la la la.

that landed me in portland, which is a wonderful city. i started working with the no on 36 campaign, working to defeat oregon's proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. it's hard to believe that we live in a country where 11 states will easily vote to pass constitutional amendments that treat gay and lesbians unequally, but i guess that just means there is a lot of work needed to make our world a fair place.

portland is great. it's hard for me to believe that i could like a city more than new haven, but i guess it's true. portland is like a larger version of new haven, and it's pretty neat. the people there are pretty darn great too. maybe i'll end up there, but i'm not quite sure yet. i've been on the road for 134 days now, and i have to say it hasn't gotten old yet. i really, really, really like being without a home base, being on the road, depending on the hospitality of others, making new friends, seeing everything new! i don't know if i'm ready to give it up yet, and i'm going to make it last as long as possible. then comes the big question: settle down to a real life with a real job (gasp) or somehow figure out how to maintain some sort of mobile life,

last thursday i left portland for san francisco, en route to new york, new haven, providence, boston, and all the wonderful people there i haven't seen in so long. i don't think i've ever travelled so much in my life, but it's so much fun (and i feel so lucky to be having these experiences). new haven is fantastic, and i miss the psych student posse, lanna, ally, steve, east rock, 785, peek peek, lulu's, amd all the things i didn't get to see. providence is as great as ever, caroline, bethany, merk, sandy, laws, becca, indigo girls, devilles, and franklin the turtle. so much joy all in one place. then a hitched ride up to boston for some great time with darcyface, and dinner with old friends. then monday morning with ant at boston common, watching pigeons and playing with sticks and leaves. then back to san fran. and loving every minute of it. got to my new temporary home with md, which is a really nice treat since we haven't seen each other in a good set of months, and catching up is nice, as is going for late night frozen yogurt turned pita runs. and who knew that my new blog template would be the same as hers, oh well. it'll be san fran for a week, the redwoods for a week and then back to the old home base in the la area, which will be a nice homecoming.

i'm considering myself to officially be on vacation, and it feels real nice. i slept in until 4.30 in the afternoon today, which might be more sleep than i have collectively had in the last six months. i'm so excited to lounge and relax and explore sf by bike. ahh bikes, i love bikes, why are they so great, and why did i go so long without enjoying their beauty. it's nice to have time to re-claim my computer nerd title (possibly could i rival the old guy for screen time 'surfing the web'? and i actually have time to get stuff done (blah blah blah). ok, it might be time to sleep, but i think my sleeping schedule might be a bit off. but it's vacation, so who cares! hmmm, time to go.

hello!!!
i'm so excited to be back to the world of blogging.
my all-lowercase-self is so ready to be back.
i'm on a mac and can't figure out/remember how to do anything
but i'm sure there will be prolific and worthless posts about the last 6 months
as soon as i get back to my computer
(which i successfully left in portland, ha!)
anyhow, if you're wondering where vj has been the last 6 months, check out the bike the vote blog (www.bikethevote.org), and you can read and see lots and lots of boring pictures.
and it also looks like teh duct tape line might be taking a break for a while, so keep posted.

cheers
(and i'm so excited to blog to my not-so-loyal-audience of 1 again!)