Speaking of vicious animals..

A few weeks ago I got home and was sort of wandering around doing random chores in the house when I saw this round spot in the middle of my bed about 8 inches across.

What the..

Nothing on the ceiling so I know the roof's not leaking. I don't think I spilled anything there.. I bend down to smell in and it doesn't really smell like anything. I pull back the down comforter, bled through. Blanket, sheet, mattress pad, all the same. But the mattress wasn't wet.

Damn dog!!!!

I don't have a dog. But my next door neighbor does. Remember feroucious? I was furious. Not at anyone, but my bed was peed on!!!! Not like a little. The dog let it all go right in the middle of my nice white bed!

I immediately pulled all of the blankets off and went into my neighbor's house to ask Anna butt-head if she did it. Her cowering confirmed my suspicians. No big deal, I washed out all the blankets and febreezed everything. Good as new. But still! My neighbor said they had been in the house for about a minute while she got ice out of my freezer. That dog was on a MISSION.

The thing that gets me though is I'm super nice to this animal. I mean I hold her all the time and love her and feed her and walk her. WTF?! Sigh..

S'okay, tomorrow's a new day.

Then, last week my neighbor got a kitty. She's this really sweet little thing that they found near the healthfood store with six kittens. My neighbor being all big-hearted and stuff knew the mama would need a home so she adopter her after the kittens were all claimed. Now she lives next door with Anna butt-head. Which is good because the dog gets bored and now she has a buddy.

H'enyway. Last week my neighbor wasn't going to be home until late so I let the animals out and fed them and all that jazz. A couple hours later I was doing things around the house and let the animals run around inside. Let me clarify, I am the super-intelligent human who let the animals run around in my house. This becomes important later.

But this time, I was smart. Ha! I closed my bedroom door so no little animals could soil my bed. Anna butt-head was running laps around the living room and the cat was just poking around checking things out. But then, I heard the kitty getting into things. Something in the closet of the spare room fell over. I walked in and she's just climbing around on my outdoor gear, no big deal. Then she hops up on the futon, which is my spare bed, and pees. Right there in front of me. Empties her little bladder on the bed while I watch in horror.

WHAT?!

I picked her up by the scruff of her neck and slapped her across the butt, proceeded to carry her outside and tossed her into my neighbors house. Grabbed the dog and put her back in her house as well. Then rushed to get a towel to mop up whatever I could that didn't soak into the brand new down comforter I just bought for the bed.

AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Btw, cat urine smells really, really bad. Nothing like puppies who don't seem to smell at all. And this cat must have been plotting this all day because there is no way she had any less than half a liter of liquid in her bladder. But it was nobody's fault but my own. I'm the one that let her wander around my house.

Fortunately I got everything washed and all is well. But now I have to wonder WTF is going on in animal world that me and/or my house make animals want to pee in my bed! I feel like it's some bad karma coming around to bite me in the butt. But I am really nice to these animals. Obviously not nice enough.

New rule, no animals in the house.

Weather and Memories

It's hard to imagine anything being out of place when you get to see things like this. Somewhere above the continental U.S. a thunderstorm was forming at 30,000 feet while I flew back from Boston last month. I couldn't catch the lightening on film, but the clouds building into a fervor were simply breathtaking. I love weather. Clouds, rain, storms, snow, wind, waves.

I have this vivid memory of sitting outside on the back porch of my house with my baby sitter and little sister, I must have been about 8. We were watching the rain pour down in buckets and the thunder and lightening threaten to shake the house free of the ground. The strange thing is I remember that we were eating green olives out of the jar. To this day I love green olives.

Those are the kinds of memories that will never disappear. I hope.

Transitions

It's definitely not summer anymore, and not quite winter. I love fall but it's definitely one of those in-between phases as far as activities go. And here it's a little less exciting because there is a shortage of deciduous trees that make fall so amazingly beautiful. I'm sort of at a loss. Sailing is pretty much over for the season. It's a bit cold to climb. And snowboarding is not for a solid two months. So what do I do? I mean there are activities, mountain biking, hiking, and so-fourth, but it's not quite the same.

I could take up solitaire. Or knitting! Yay! Oh wait.. I do have a lot of winter projects though. Like the thousands of photos that need to go in albums. Curtains need to be made for the still bare windows in my house. I mean I work, and go to the gym. But then what? I feel completely unfulfilled. I'm thinking therapy. Learn how to feel more fulfilled? Sounds expensive.

By the way, my heat is not working. FUN. It's supposed to be 29 degrees tonight. So that's pretty awesome. I didn't need it all summer. I go to turn it on a few days ago and nothing. Can't light the pilot light. The valve's on. I have a functioning gas stove so I know there's gas coming into the house somewhere. I hope the repair people come soon. I literally am wearing a hat to bed.

Also, I think I'm going to search for a roommate. My house feels awful empty and it could be good to have someone to split the gas bill with. Assuming someone comes to fix the stove / furnace / thing-that-looks-like-a-wood-stove-but-isn't at some point. Not to mention the possibility of a snowboarding buddy. I have a bed for my roommate to be. I got a kitchen table the other day. That's helpful if you don't want to eat sitting on the floor every night. I'm still kind of searching for a dresser for the second bedroom. But otherwise I think I'm pretty much set. I sort of dread having a roommate because there's always something bizarre about them. (Or me.) But I think it would be good for me.

So I'm looking forward, or at least trying to, hoping for positive change.

'Bout that time eh chap?

Half-hearted defenders of the Universe?

Huh-uh, I don't buy it. Wouldn't work. I mean, there would be some crisis like aliens coming to annihilate the planet with weapons of unimaginable destructive potential like planetary liquefication or something and these half-hearted defenders would be like 'Uh.. well, we tried a missile, but that didn't really work. Then we asked nicely if they would leave us alone, but they just kept coming. So guess we're screwed. Sorry!'

Nice.

Sometimes I just feel like what's the point if you're not going to put your heart into it? Not anything in particular. Just anything. Everything. Work. Family. Relationships. I know I'm ridiculously type-A and can't take no for an answer. And oh, yeah, I moved to California where "mañana doesn't mean tomorrow, it just means not right now." I just feel like people are okay with mediocrity and that really gets under my skin.

What do you mean "oh well" ?!

Count to ten. Breathe..

Right.

Maybe it's that people don't feel empowered to change their reality. There was this really adorable quote in "The Wedding Date" where the dad says to the daughter who is not getting married that "women have the exact love life they want". He goes on to say that he refuses to believe her current sitch is exactly what she wants... aww.. But I thought, how true. Now I know this is completely oversimplified and doesn't take into account complex things like criminals and families and all that. But I just thought it was worth thinking over.

H'enyway. I just want you to take a second and think about it. Are you giving it your all? I mean it makes me want to say lots of words rhyming with luck and bell when I get roadblocked by people who don't seem to be putting their heart into whatever it is they're doing. But who am I to say? Maybe I'm just a psycho and can't slow the LUCK down for a second and appreciate whatever other perspectives there might be. I don't know. I do know that I'm frustrated as BELL right now though.

Good for my blood pressure I think.

Shoot for the stars

Sometimes I wonder what all the people I went to high school with are doing now. I remember what they wanted to do and where they went to college, but I wonder where they are now and if that's really where they set out to go. It's really sort of only a vague philosphical, did they end up where they wanted to be question, not an actual personal interest in the people themselves. I know that's horrible. But I have zero desire to go to any reunions. Okay, maybe a 5% desire. But it will probably never happen.

I always did a lot of thinking about where I wanted to be "when I grew up". Don't you love that phrase? When I was in high school I used to hate it when the older kids I knew would say "when I was in high school". But then when I could say things like "when I was in college" it didn't have quite the same allure. Last summer this cute little girl sat next to me on a flight from D.C. to Reno. She asked me what grade I was in. Ugh. How do you explain to an eight year old that you're not really an adult like their mom and dad, but you're not in high school or even college anymore.

My Grandma told me this story about my little sister. When she was really little they asked her how old she thought my mom was. She replied "really old, like 30". Which of course produced much laughter from all of my relatives. But 30 doesn't seem quite so old anymore. Actually not old at all...

Sigh.

But I digress. Here I am in Lake Tahoe. I always wanted to live on the West Coast, and this is pretty close. I have this pretty laid back job that pays well and has mostly encouraging promises of a future. So that's good. If the job doesn't work out I'm more than likely going back to school. I just wonder how many people feel as though they took aim and landed more or less in the place they had hoped to. I feel fortunate to be here.

A picture is worth a thousand words

So I got this cute little dragon puppet. (Who doesn't need a dragon puppet, right?) And I'm sitting on the porch with my neighbor's dog who is bouncing off the walls because nobody has been home all day. She's at the pinnacle of her OMG YOU'RE FINALLY HOME! routine when she spots the puppet.

WOW! A TOY, A TOY! THANKS! I LOVE TOYS! (As she proceeds to run around, toy in mouth strutting her proverbial stuff.)

She loves the thing. I think it's mostly because you can put your hand inside and then it much more closely resembles some kind of poor, helpless animal. I mean she's completely vicious right?

So I guess now Anna Claire has a dragon puppet.

Self Portrait

No glam really. But I would say a fairly good depiction of me. I don't know, it just seems like there's always a simple mirror selfy on the big time blogger sites so I thought I'd play along. Not that I'm big time or anything. Whatever... Tada!


I've had my Kodak Digital Rebel for about 2 years now. I really dig the fixed focal length lens and the pictures I've managed to snap here and there. My friends think I'm trying to catch absolutely every moment of their lives on film. But really I'm just trying to become a better photographer. (I know you hate it when I take your picture. But look at all the great pictures!!)

I promised myself I wouldn't get another lens until I got to know this one. SoI think it may be about time. Hooray! I want a zoom next. Just have to find the right one. And there are never a shortage of cool toys competing for my paycheck. Must prioritize...

Snow Cross

It's supposed to snow on Thursday. Probably only a dusting, and probably only in the higher elevations, but I am not going to be picky. Tahoe is absolutely beautiful when it snows. Even just bits of snow on the mountains make it feel so much more welcoming. It took me a long time to get used to the exposed rock all around the basin, and even moreso without the snow, so I'm excited for its return.

This is an image from tahoewindjammers.com that shows Mt. Tallac in the background. Focus on the top of the mast of the boat on the right. Just above and to the left is the snow cross. It leans slightly to the right but you can make it out. The snowfall last winter was so light that the last bit of snow on the "snow cross" on Mt. Tallac melted in late August.


I took this one of Mt. Tallac in February this year. If you compare the two you can almost make out where the cross is. There are years when the snow cross stays throughout the year. The Washoe Indians that originally lived in the Tahoe area have legends that say when the snow cross melts, the tribe would go to war with neighboring tribes. This may or may not be historically accurate but would make sense given the lack of precipitation during those years.

There are many places in Tahoe where you can hike and ski back country but Mt. Tallac is one of the most popular. Only the early bird gets the fresh untracked powder because it's so accessible and not necessarily a brush with death to attempt. There's a North-facing bowl at the top that catches great powder. But the more serious thrill-seakers dive off the cross. Apparently you can ski or ride all the way down to your car. I'm thinking the hike up 4,000 feet would be tough, but that has to be part of the allure.

Let it snow...

Monterey

This April, just after I moved to California, my friend LTall was in Monterey for business. It was about a 4 hour drive so I decided to go visit her. Monterey is way beautiful. And LTall is way cool. We couldn't have had more fun or spent better quality time together. I miss you girl. I hope you're doing well. MUAH!


Remember sitting on the beach watching the boys row and listening to the sea lions bark?

Also, this picture really isn't black and white. It's really just that muted. And the picture I'm not posting? From the happy hour.. do you still have that one?

:)

Ice Cream Makes Everything Better

This week has been the worst week I've had since moving to Tahoe. The worst. Hands down. But stress in this environment is transient and life has a way of smoothing out the bumps. My boss, probably feeling at least as much stress as I am if not more, randomly decided we should get milkshakes and drive up to Emerald Bay, one of the best views on the lake. I didn't really expect it to help but I felt 100% better. Fearing for my life as he kind of absent mindedly swerves around the switchbacks overhanging several hundred feet of cliff while making offhanded comments about getting low on brake fluid kind of puts things in perspective. Just what the doctor ordered. Ice cream makes everything better.

Great Falls

You know how things seem way more romantic in pictures? And somehow you see pictures of places you go all the time and you wonder why you never noticed the beauty before? There’s this climbing area just outside of D.C. at Great Falls on the Virginia side. You can climb all down the river literally hanging above the water.

It’s really nice because it’s usually in the shade and most of the approaches are only about 10 minute walks. Also, if you’re nice to the ranger he’ll let you park in the “climbing lot” which is a lot closer to the climbing areas.

I was looking through my pics the other day and realized that some of the pictures from Great Falls came out really well. Not that I'm the best photographer but it almost seems like it’s not the same place. It’s just interesting to me how it can seem so different.

Kitty!!!

I came out the other morning to a driveway full of garbage. Doh! The neighbor’s garbage had been ransacked too. Don’t you just love it when the asparagus you tossed last week is now a gooey green liquid?! Yeah.. Good times.

I thought maybe it was a bear because my neighbor said she heard grunting one night. The next week we found a different neighbor’s trash all down the road. But then the other morning I saw something wandering around outside. Wow.. that’s a big cat. No, wait.. that’s a raccoon. A big raccoon. I guess you’d be big too if you were as well fed as this guy.

We have lovingly dubbed our trash fiend “Nermal”. The image is a bit fuzzy but you can make him out.

No hats and no cell phones

The first thing I did when I got here was get online and buy season passes to the local ski resorts. The second thing I did was get online and try to find my way on a sailboat for the summer. I signed up on a crew list for the Windjammer Yacht Club. It was local and free so I figured, why not? A couple of weeks later I got an email from the very experienced captain of a 26 foot J-80. (I say experienced because he directed me to read about one of his recent experiences at sea.) Since then, every Wednesday night is the Beer Can race and just about every weekend is some kind of mid or long-distance regatta. This is a picture of us in the Southern Crossing in late June. Yes, that's snow on the mountains in the background. Very cool.

Courtesy of a phone call from the captain of the J-80, this weekend I'm going to San Francisco to be on the Race Committee for the Aldo Alessio. I really don't know much about it except that it's going to increase my chances of getting a berth on the race committee at the Big Boat Series in September. This is important because both races are run out of the St. Francis Yacht Club and I would like nothing more than to secure a crew berth on the foredeck of a boat for the mid-winter races in the bay this year. What better place to meet someone with a boat and in need of crew than the St. Francis Yacht Club?

I am so excited I am shaking and so nervous my heart is very nearly pounding out of my chest. Apparently this Yacht Club fits all the stereotypes. I started to get nervous when the J-80 captain started briefing me on the Yacht Club rules of etiquette. I never really thought of myself as the Yacht Club type, but this could be really f-ing cool. I leave tomorrow morning around 3am to get to the bay in time. I hope to return with many pictures.

Second Hand

I’ve always been a Thrift Store shopper, but lately it’s become an obsession. There are so many thrift stores here. The first time I went a got this cute little wooden bowl for salads and things like that for $5. Then one time I went and found the perfect cowgirl hat for $2. (I wear it a lot.) And I get a lot of clothes there. It’s amazing how much life $10 at the Thrift Store will put back into your wardrobe. Then I found the perfect cupboard for my kitchen, $35. And a really nice mirror for the wall, $35. And then this painting for this other wall for $9. And some tablespoons because all I had were the little teaspoon ones. And this really awesome carafe for water. I mean seriously, the list goes on and on.

Of course my house is now more like a home that someone with half a sense of style might live in and less like the blank-walled, bike in the kitchen, bunk bed (just kidding) house of a post-college pre-adult individual. So that’s a good thing. But now I have to curb my enthusiasm for slightly used items and get down to just enjoying the things I already have. Otherwise before you know it I’ll have to take a bunch of stuff to the thrift store because I bought too many things I didn’t need. I’m all about donating, but I need to stop buying!

My furniture, wardrobe, dishes, and silverware are probably quite honestly 90% second-hand. And when I tell people that they flat out don’t believe me. I think it’s great. The only thing I don’t buy at thrift stores are things like underwear, climbing gear (not like they have any of that stuff), electronics, and usually shoes although I did buy a great pair of Birkenstock’s the other day. There may just be no hope…

Armed and Dangerous

Today my boss asked me how to spell “culprit” for an email he was writing. It kind of makes you wonder what exactly he needs to say that culprit seemed a fitting noun.

I suppose if he didn’t want to say culprit he could have said offender, criminal, guilty party, perpetrator, wrongdoer. See what I mean? Just not your standard business language.

Baby Sisters

My baby sister is on an air craft carrier somewhere between here and the Middle East. This is somewhat distressing because, well, the Middle East is pretty much perpetually in turmoil. It is also somewhat puzzling because my baby sister, who really isn't a baby anymore, was the last person any of us expected to join the military. We are all indescribably proud of her and happy that she's seeing the World and experiencing something so amazing that most of us can't even imagine it. But I am still always reminded that she is still my drama queen baby sister and even though she is very far from home, she is still happy and bubbly and very much herself. I love this about her.

And almost as if I had forgotten how my little sister is, today I got an email from her telling me about all the great places she visits, the crazy things that happen on the ship, and details from home that even I haven't heard yet. And at the end, a post script.

P.S. I could die any day and you NEVER write me!!!!!! :(

You gotta love baby sisters.

It’s funny

the things that have value here. I remember living in D.C. and the things that made me feel like I belonged, as though I had “made it”. A suit, heals, my cell phone, a latte from Starbucks. Here? It’s important to have a good pair of hiking boots, a nice wide-brimmed hat, and four wheel drive. I’ve used my rope and my camelback more often since moving here than my perfume.

Today I was cleaning out my sea bag after a Wednesday night sailboat race and I was putting my sailing shoes under the end of my bed where all my shoes go. I had to shove my “going out heals” aside for about the hundredth time, and it occurred to me how useless heals are here. I doubt I would be gawked at in one of the casinos where every other girl there is wearing a formal gown and stilettos. But I’d fit in just as well in jeans and flip flops and be a damn sight more comfortable.

I just love that the things that have value here are so different. Function over form. I think I just fit in better.

I miss the rain.

I love rain. L-O-V-E. I grew up in upstate New York which apparently has the same number of overcast days as Seattle. If you’ve ever been upstate you know what I mean. Apparently some of the highest college suicide rates. But I think the rain is wonderful. It makes me feel at home.

It’s always sunny here. Always! It’s almost depressing. (I think I’m wired funny or something.) Tahoe is beautiful, I shouldn’t complain. I just wish we could have the occasional rainy day.. I have a raincoat. And boots. I would be all set!

I love waking up to the sound of rain. Napping in the rain. Mountain biking in the rain. (I like mud a lot.) But then maybe the lake wouldn’t be so blue.. hmm..

This is why I can’t live in Tahoe forever. You have to have a goal right?

This is what I miss about D.C.

It's like watching paint dry

So I always said I wanted to be single. Good for my character I thought. With my parents it was almost an unspoken expectation. My Mom worked in Saudi for a year in her twenties. My Dad was drafted and then worked as an iron worker all over the West for a few years. That's a big part of why I moved out here. I wanted to spend a little time on my own. I didn't really anticipate being single. I had visions of nurturing this great relationship I was in. Heh..

But anyway, here I am. And I suppose it's not so bad. But give it time. Maybe it will suck more tomorrow. Maybe it will suck less. YOU NEVER KNOW. I keep myself mostly busy. I found a great mountain biking trail just up the road. Yesterday I rode as hard as I could until I felt like I might puke. Then I'd stop and suck wind for a minute. Then climb back on my bike and do it again. I was actually kind of glad nobody was there to see me in such pitiful shape. I almost got attacked by a dog too. Poor thing had the saddest bark you ever heard. Sounded more like a pitiful moaning. I think he really wanted to come play but felt torn between what he was supposed to do and fun. Poor guy.

I want a dog so bad. But I'd have to move because my apartment doesn't allow pets. I want an adult dog. My theory is if I walk into a shelter or the humane society that my dog will find me. Perfect! Everybody should get to choose their family don't you think?

Oh, my car died. That was fun. Gave me something to dwell on for a few hours. My boss graciously let me borrow a vehicle to get home. My car decided to die in the valley. In all fairness it waited until I had crested the pass. At least I could coast down into the valley. Rates are probably cheaper down there anyway. So now I'm sporting my boss' minivan. (Why do I get the boss with the minivan? Where are all the porche driving boss' whose second vehicle is something sweet like a jeep wrangler?) I shouldn't complain. I am really grateful to have something to drive. Seriously, a rental at $40 a day could get pricey.

I found a new restaurant down next to the expensive laundromat. The best way to describe it is a hippy joint with veggie everything and damn good too! (When you come visit me I'll take you there.) I was waiting for my clothes to wash and decided to wander a bit. Did I mention it's beautiful here?

I think the most depressing part about this single bs is it's after midnight on a Wednesday and I'm still up. I'm tired but not really interested in sleep. The house is fairly picked up. Laundry's done. Heh. Maybe tomorrow I'll clean the bathroom. Wooh! Mostly I'm just bored.

For now my theory is that being single is all about figuring out what to do with your day. Work is a no brainer, so that's 8 hours I don't have to worry about. Then there's about an hour for dinner/cleaning up. Working out is 1-2 hours. That leaves.. oh.. 3 or 4 more in between to figure out what to do with. But then there's the dreaded weekend. (Oh God, Oh God, we're all going to die.) Weekends are the worst. So much time on your hands. I ride my bike. I painted a little last weekend. I make lists of things to do. A feeble attempt to escape the boredom at some future date. I go to the gym which doesn't happen to be very busy at 9pm on a Friday in case you were wondering. And I watch movies. Lots and lots of movies.