Backtracking.. Life's Repair

The weekend is coming up, and my weekends have been full of awesomeness, that I'm completely behind on capturing.  My best friend came out to visit (for the second time ever) from Chicago, on March 17th.  (THAT is how far behind I am on awesomeness).

I think this about captures it all:

Laguna Beach.  Sun.  Taking a Friday off.  My best friend of, like, 15 years, ever since I asked her if I could copy her math homework in high school.  

She has an awesome camera, that I now want.  DS..something.  Nikon.  Last week I wanted Droid, but I'm over it.  I totally want a cool camera again.  (You know, the one that has potential for really awesome pictures, if you know how to use it, which I won't, but I want it anyway).  So we took pictures.  Frolicked in the water.  Did it again Saturday.  

 I forgot to take a picture of our totally awesome matching tatoos.  H + J, forever, with a Cricky and Igget.  She's Cricky.  I'm Igget.  One is an iguana (an obsession of mine) and the other is a cricket (an obsession of her, if you will..)

I wanted an iguana, so bad, my whole life.  And, once, in Petsmart, they had them, just beautiful, with these little tiny green claws, and perfect little pointy nails, and beady little eyes and snouts.  I was in love. 

My mom wasn't having any of it, none at all, so I was on the phone, just crying my eyes out about unfairness of life, when Heidi promised that she would get me an iguana, for my 20th birthday.  (Which seemed like AGES away).  20 years came along, and we were rooming together at college, and didn't really have enough money to feed ourselves, let alone lizards, so, the pact was amended - I was really looking fwd to this, after all - 25th birthday.  This is like, 11-12 years of patient waiting. 

On my 25th birthday, I get a call..  Did I know iguana's grow to be, like a junior dinosaur size?  No, sure didn't.. 
Did I know they tend to me mean for life?  Kinda.  I heard this, but figured mine would be different, even though a friend had one that bit him all the time. 
Not so much said the shop guy.  I guess, they get so many iguanas back, that he was reluctant to sell them, to anyone but the most avid lizard afficionados.  Which, I am.  But, I consider my specialty the little 10cm lizards.  Anything over this size, I start to doubt my abilities.  And the idea of watching TV next to a 100 lb lizard cooled me off significantly.  So, may be when I'm 35.  I'm hoping a friendly iguana strain is bred in time for my birthday.

She took my car and went to San Diego, and took pictures of things I haven't even seen, having lived in SoCal for 5 years now.  Oops.  Like the lizard sculpture above. 

I wish my camera took pictures like this.  Sigh. 

But, mostly, we did a lot of beach strolling, in Laguna.  Jesse and I 'found' this little beach when we were reception beach house hunting.  We almost decided on this cliff house:

It was pretty cool.  And, cheaper than a state beach affair.  It's perched on this cool rock, and below it is the 'secret' little beach. Well, we thought it was secret, cause it looked that way in February.  But, come March adn the sun, turns out a lot of people found their way to it, as well. 

The water at this beach was super rough. 

And, despite my best college efforts, Heidi, apparently STILL can't swim.  I really, can't imagine.  I tried so hard.  I mean.  She grew up in Philippines.  It's, like, all island-y.   Way to not plan for apocalypse.  So, she's not actually happy in any of the photos I took, but I'm not picky about the subject's moods.  Color photoshop work is all her. 

Meanwhile, I tried my best, Victoria Secret Beach Shoot pose ..

I don't look nearly as playboy bunny-ish as I'd hoped.  I also had to keep my bandaged, blender-accident-mutilated middle finger up and above the water, so that was part of the problem.   I really hope she has a better one in the batch that she's saving and framing for a surprise birthday gift.  Meanwhile, more lizards, or close up of the above lizards, in case you didn't consider them enough: 

I miss her..  Stupid Chicago.  Sigh.  She named the Spring Break photo album on Facebook "Life's Repair".  I hope she got well rested and recharged before going back to the cold, the ick, and the med school madness. 

I can't live there, but I love Chicago

This was our 5th! trip to Chicago this year. I think that's a record for me since I've moved away. Luckily, Jesse likes to make the trip too, despite sweating like feverish frog all thoughout the flight. He shakes it off sometime after the landing.

Halloween was a perfect time to be in Chicago, all the fall colours and overcast weather. I want to paint every picture that wee took. (Reality - I will probably paint one, in a couple years.)
In an unrelated topic - I wonder if I could paint and open a shop on Etsy. Etsy is pretty new to me; it seems a lot of bloggers I like have a shop on there. I haven't been on there long enough to figure out exactly what it's about, or how it's done (i.e - how is it different from Ebay) but that might be an awesome hobby. I'll log it on the List. I like an opportunity to play with colours, and soon I will run out of wall space. Between awesome finds and my own (or, my own shamelessly copying somebody else) we are quickly running out of blank wall space. Or bright yellow wall space, depending on the location.


On Saturday, the guys were supposed to rake leaves. It looked fun enough.
I'd totally jump in some leaves, but it occurred to me, in order for my giant ass not to bottom out and straight tailbone it into asphalt, the pile would have to be much bigger than I care to rake, and forklift and whatnot.



I napped, during this time. The one thing about perpetually overcast weather, is it's conducive to napping. Perfect for bears, and whoever else sleeps away 4 months, not so much for people who are trying, TRYING to lose and get under 135 lbs. Unlike a bear I'd have to get up and snack. Fat reserves are cool, but sometime during day 3 I would need some pancakes and meat.


It was also my grandmother's 74th birthday. I love that she's here. She's so warm, and seems to know everything about everything. And her cooking is magical. That, and I am her favorite grandaughter. Well, favorite grand child, really. I know, it's a terrible thing to say with 5 grandchildren, but it's true. I'm oldest and spoil-est.


She is pretty disappointed with the state of most fruits and vegetables here (she grows her own in Ukraine), but she made some Pumpkin "Kasha", or Mush, loosely translated. It's pumpkin cooked with milk and rice. To my surprise, Jesse took a liking to it.
Either that or he was desperate for something to eat that wasn't "Fish Eyes", which is what he calls a Russian Meat-Jello type dish. I guess it's redeeming enough that I've got him on my 28 tea-times-a-day scedule, so I'm not too butthurt. Russian Meat Jello (Kholodets) involves boiling hooves, or some other bones, for hours on end, then taking hooves/bones/cartilage out, adding meat bits, and some herbs. After it sets in refrigerator it's just like Jello with Gummy Worms, but not sweet, and meaty. Unfortunately, no pictures of my grandma's, but Google turns up enough disturbing images.

On Sunday, I took Jesse to a fancy Russian restaurant, LaMirage. I hear they had ice in the urinals. I wonder if this is a fancy thing very common in elite circles, but compltely foreign to me, like 20 carat diamonds, bidets, and eating small meals. Either way, Jesse thought it was cool.

We waited for his favorite wrestler, but dude got sick, so instead we got trainers and other people of no interest to me, but, Jesse seemed to make most of it. I made the most out of 3 hot courses (Hello, duck!!), vodka, and desert platter. If I have to wake up at 6 the next morning for a flight, I may as well be bloated, hung over, and severely underslept. Makes it easier to deal with TSA - who, on a super bright note, let all my bags through, the one with toiletries INSIDE, and 10 bags of pastries (Prianiki- Jesse's crack), AND the one with a grapefruit, a pomegranate, a 3 day old banana (I don't know why, and yes, I'm ashamed), more toiletries, all liquid, and extra pointy sharp tweezers. Couple years ago I almost got tossed out of O'Hare for throwing a fit when they "confiscated" the make-up they deemed too "liquidy".. (Chanel foundation) and few mascaras. I think they've been making it up to me, ever since. As well they ought.