Dagny Taggart

It is no wonder I fell in love with Dagny Taggart.

Other people are human. They're sensitive. They can't devote their whole life to metals and engines. You're lucky - you've never had any feelings. You've never felt anything at all.

Potholes

I haven't written consistently in so long, I feel like I'm driving down a road filled with potholes. The ride is jerky, and slow, and despite my best efforts things come out rough and bouncy.
I know if I stick with it things will smooth out.

I should be asleep right now, but I couldn't sleep. I've been exhausted lately: partially due to over socializing, partially due to just not sleeping well. I've been having nightmares pretty frequently lately. I've also not been remembering my non-nightmare dreams, which is odd for me.  I'm usually a very vivid dreamer, with really fun and awesome dreams. Unfortunately the nightmares are also very vivid, usually leaving me waking up in absolute panic.  The theme is generally the same: someone(s) coming after me with some sort of weapon.  I've usually interacted with my pursuer - had a conversation with them, directly before they pursue me. Never fun.

My head is filled with EPFH. Not good thoughts. Feelings of being used and hurt, and not understanding why.
Also thoughts of P. Which isn't a good road to go down, for any number of reasons.
And thoughts of one other...that I am too tired to come up with a code name for. But also not a good road to head down at the moment either...

My head should be filled with thoughts of: my meeting on Thursday, getting more training at work, finalizing details for this coming weekend, where I'm going to live and when I'm going to move, the gym, what I'm putting in my body, what I'm not putting in my body... all sorts of things, none of which are boys.

Somehow I've got to refocus myself and stop worrying about shit that doesn't matter. So much that does matter, matters A LOT right now (sense! I have it!) and is quite deserving of my attention. Lists. Maybe it's time for more.

heh.
xo
MK

Newton could explain this in a lot fewer words. [Part 1]

If you asked me why I wanted a motorcycle, I would have a hard time giving you a concrete answer.  If you know my history, you'll know that there are a few strong arguments as to why I shouldn't get one, or shouldn't want to get one.
I don't know if it was an easy decision or a hard one, and that feels like a strange statement to make.  But it was a decision that had to be made, and the decision had to be "get one", and I cannot explain why.

Of the few reasons why I shouldn't have wanted to get a motorcycle, the most obvious being the 800lb gorilla that likes to hang out in the room whenever I bring up motorcycles. Christiana.  A little over 3 years ago, I watched as one of my best friends was buried into cold Long Island ground.   Losing her, not having her around to share life with, is one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with. I still cry, and still yell at the universe for the unfairness of it all, that she is not still here to share this earth with me, with us.
She died while on her motorcycle.   I think about her every day, and you can bet I thought about her a lot in the weeks leading up to my buying a motorcycle.

But, this post isn't about her (although there will be more on her, I'm sure), or why I shouldn't have a motorcycle. It's about why I do have a motorcycle.

I think it comes down to this:
I do not like to be still. I do not like to stop moving. I have an inner voice that tells me, constantly, to 'just keep moving'. Bad things happen when you stop.
I think this is why I like running, and flying, and jumping out of airplanes. Forward motion. Constant motion. Stillness can bring stagnation. Complacency. Mediocrity.
My fears.
I know. Stillness can also bring knowledge, and calmness, and peace.
I've learned I can find those same things in running. and flying. and jumping out of airplanes. and wrapped around 650cc's of internal combustion . It's when I stop doing these things that my mind gets cluttered and cramped and too full, and I can't think straight and get overwhelmed.
To think straight, to calm down, to forget. I have to move. Maybe it's the wind, maybe it's the motion. To clear my head, I have to move. Maybe it's my subconscious moving away from all the bad thoughts.
I don't see it as dangerous. Yes, there is risk. There is risk in everything we do. It's a risk I accept.

I bought, and I ride a motorcycle to calm me. To clear my head. To find happiness.  To move. To find another place. To occupy my mind.

If only I could be more like the Amish.

8.14.2010
I wonder if I made the right choice. 

If I should have fought harder. Pushed back. Stood my ground and said no, I, we are doing this.  

But I did what I thought was right, whether easy or hard, it was the right thing to do, in my mind. 

But if it was hard then, and hard now, was it still the right decision?  I don't know. Some things are just hard, right as they may be. 

Decisions made with an open, loving heart tend to work out the best I've found. Those decisions that feel right, without thought or logic or reason - they just feel right, they line the path I should be on. 

Trying to find patience, and float along with the universe, at the pace the universe has deemed appropriate -it's hard. 

So many questions. If I did the right thing with Larry. With moving here. With EPFH. My heart still says yes, they were the right choice, hard though they may be. It's just hard to hurt for so long, and continue to believe it's right. 

An eternal optimist, I know things will get better. I will keep making choices until it does. Maybe I will learn to be patient along the way.

A promise to promise

I fear looking back for my last post. Well, my last published post.
It's been awhile.
I've been writing, and writing and writing. But not finishing anything. At least not to the point where it's suitable for interwebz consumption (which should tell you something about the sorry state of those entries).
But there are things I want/need to write about.

In no particular order, they are (rather, will be, as I'm not going to get into them in this post):

Daisy (a motorcycle)
Current musings on life, in terms of geographical location
Current musings on life, in terms of psychological location
EPFH (a boy...who is in need of a shorter acronym)
28 Things
Where my home is, and where it is not

It makes me sad when I don't write. Not just here, but on paper as well.  I always forget to, and I always feel guilty about it. Maybe I should feel less guilty.
Anyway.
More soon. I promise.

xo
MK

ooohhhh we're half way there. (maybe 2/3...or 3/4...but I know we're headed in the right direction)

I think if I could tie every situation back to a cheesy 80's metal lyric, I would...maybe I can...if I can, I think I'd have C to thank for that :)

Despite my best efforts (full time job, part time school, 5-6 days/week workout routine, and volunteer work), I seem to have a bit too much free time on my hands.  Free time that I tend to spend thinking about my life. On the one hand, this is a good thing, I moved because I needed to change my life, so it's good I'm keeping that it my thoughts. On the other hand...it's a great opportunity to remind myself how less-than-happy I currently am.

However! Today, I took that thinking a little bit further. I left NYC because I didn't like what my life was there, and it's future wasn't too bright either (at least, in my mind). I knew I needed to make a change, one that couldn't happen while I lived there - so, I moved. *high five* self. Right? Well, sort of. That is only part (2/3? 1/2? 5/2?) of the work.
Am I happy now? Silly question.
Am I better off now? You betcha. My life much more resembles what I would like it to be than it did a year ago. It's future is looking, while rather unsure, still much brighter than it did before I left NYC.
Okay, so, progress. Progress is good.
Am I where I want to be? No.
Okay, keep working.

I know this thinking might seem pretty logical to some (like my "you know this is only temporary, you'll move soon" mother). I never moved to the TC thinking I would be here permanently, or even semi-permanently. I moved here because it's where my parents are, the job market is rather resilient compared to the rest of the country, and my ultimate goal is the west coast, so I'm generally in the right area. It provided a safe, stable staging ground to figure out where to go and what to do next.

Sometimes, it's hard to remember, and to believe, that I am in the process of something. That this is purposeful and that there is and end goal. This is just one ingredient in the recipe for MK's Life Change.
I need to remember what I wrote up there: that I am better off now than I was a year ago. My life more resembles what I want it to be, and is headed in the direction that I want it to go.  Where I'll end up is a totally different batch of cookies (I made brownies today, baking analogies abound) that I'll sort out later...I hope.

xoox
MK

Get Out of My Head.

I am really, really, hand-to-god-hallelujah-singing SICK of missing V.


For fucks sake. Not worth the mental anguish at this point.

That's all! Happy Wednesday. I'm off to run.

xo
MK

Why oh why don't I wear my super hero outfit every single day?

Today went from a happy, sunny, iced coffee, dance-off type of day to a bite-my-tongue, scream into a pillow, lock myself in my room type of day faster than you can say tuna & salmon sushi.
If that doesn't make sense to you, it's okay. Just know that my day went  :) ----> :/ damn ass fast.

I really should have spent my day with my Economics text book, reading the last 3 chapters that are part of the test next weekend, but it seems I was not meant to study today. Or, working on Earth Month... the first newsletter goes out this week, I should maybe finish writing it.  Or, researching professors I can stalk err contact about graduate programs. Or, looking for a job in Seattle. Pretty much anything besides dickin' around on the interwebs.

Horchata Noir is all sorts of clean and shiny though. She looks so happy. That's one productive thing that's come out of today.

Okay, really, going to make friends with Economics.
oxox
MK

Cue Journey.

I felt really, really guilty leaving work Thursday night. Honestly truly bad for what I was feeling.
I hate it here. There is no question I am not a small town girl (living in a lonely world? perhaps not.).  I don't think I've ever been, and this experiment only amplifies that fact.
While living in NYC, so many out of towners would ask "how do you live here? I couldn't do it, how do you do it?" I can't remember what my response was - but I'm sure it was along the lines of "it's easy, it's amazing here"etc.  NYC is both a very, very hard place to live and very easy-  if you like big cities. You work your ass off, you competecompetecompete, you sacrifice countless parts of your life and you are rewarded with having endless and indescribable experiences and opportunities available to you. So that's how I lived there, the cost of living there was well, well worth it.  But, things change, I got older, priorities and values got a bit of a shift and the price became too high. So I moved.
I now understand that "how do you live here? I couldn't do it, how do you do it?" question. I want to ask it of every person I meet here. People were born and raised here. Some left for college, AND CAME BACK. That just blows my mind.  But, this place works for some people, it's home.  Just like NYC works for some people and is their home. It just so happens that this place doesn't work for me. Fair enough, right?
But back to my feeling super guilty. On any given day, I harbor some pretty seriously negative feelings towards this place. I could list them, but there is no real point - the issue lies with me, not this place. This place works for some people, and they've chosen to make it their home - I moved here, and it doesn't work for me - that's my problem and I've got to deal with it. Cue the guilt. There are some really great people here, there are some crazy, freakishly smart people living here (hello rocket scientists!) that have found that this place works for their life. All those negative feelings? I feel horrible thinking them because of those people. No, I don't express my deep, deep loathing of their town to them - that would be totally insensitive and rude of  me - and like I said, it's my problem, not theirs.  I feel like an impostor. I feel like I don't fit (although they would welcome me into their church STAT if I wanted to be a member!) I'm not one of them, and I need to get out of their way.
I'm not sure where this was headed. Just ramble. And maybe spawned because yesterday afternoon I couldn't get into a parking spot at work because a truck that was 2.5 times the size of my car, driven by a guy in full-camo (including camo-trucker hat...) was trying to park, failing and took up two spaces, causing a stream of inappropriate thoughts to swim through my head about the appropriateness of wearing camo to work and the point of having a truck that large (is there one? do you work on a ranch? didn't think so! err...see? so easy to digress...).
Anyway.
I think it's safe to say that the sooner I can move, the better. For everyone.

Me gusto.

This keeps taking different forms.  I'm not sure where it will go, I've yet to figure out what I want it to be, but I suppose I can just keep trying until I like what it becomes.

Life is strange these days. I'm not sure if it's just SAD, but it feels nightmarish most of the time.  If I sit back and look at life logically, I see that no one thing, or even a combination of things is really all that bad - but the second I lose that focus and let go of that string of logic, I feel trapped in the nightmare again.  I'm working through it by trying to keep myself busy, eating healthy, keeping active, and doing things I enjoy.  I honestly feel like I'm piecing myself and my life together every second of the day to keep from falling apart. It's very tiring. I feel like if I stop for even a second I will lose it. So I just keep moving.

I'm working on moving to Seattle.  I think being closer to friends, back in a city, and having space of my own are very necessary.  I'm hoping I can find a job in the next few months, and I'll work everything else out from there.

V. Things have crumbled with him. It's a stressor I don't want right now, but I don't know how to fix.  In a perfect world, we'd still be dating, and I'd still have him as my friend.

I've started going to Zumba classes. They are fun. It's an hour where I feel really happy and forget about EVERYTHING. I love dancing. I love it.  I'm going twice a week right now, but I think I'll start going three times. It's one of the few things here that I really, really enjoy.

I'm toying with the idea of giving up drinking for awhile. For health reasons, and to really focus on other things in my life.  I know it will help me quit smoking, which I really want to 'succeed' at. I still miss smoking, which is not good.  More on this soon.

I think that is all for now.

xoxo
MK

Again with catching up! I was in Seattle Friday and Saturday, with not much down time.  So, I will catch up now.  I suppose I should give myself some flexibility, updating is hard when I'm running all over the place. Seattle was good, very quick, saw a lot of people, and was undoubtedly emotionally draining (social meeting with V maybe played a part in that).  It was also a productive trip, so for that I am thankful. Now! Onto bidness:

Friday:  Friday I was meeting with advisors at UW to learn about their programs, and what I should be doing to be able to go back to school as a post baccalaureate student.  It was super interesting, left me with a ton of questions that I will need to research the answers for, and was a great big step in the right direction of me getting back to school.  I'm thankful that I'm finally able to start down the road of actually being able to go back to school.  I have no idea when I'll be able to apply to an actual University and enroll full time (vs going to a community college part time, which I'm starting in Jan), but - baby steps.

Saturday: Saturday I woke up at my friend, T's, house, in a comfy warm bed.  T lives south of seattle, and a block off the sound.  Her house is gorgeous, her mom (who she lives with) is a doll, and I'm thankful that we are friends.  I've known her for 11 years, we lost touch for awhile, but reconnected when we realized we both were living in WA.  I'm glad for her friendship, and her and her mom's hospitality!

Bonus: I am thankful I made it home safe last night! about 15 miles from home I ran into bad weather, it had been snowing for awhile, and freezing cold.  In a one mile stretch I saw four bad accidents, at least 2 were flip-overs.  It was slow going those last 15 miles, but my lil subaru was great!

Today: I finished my christmas shopping! At least, the store-buying portion of it.  I totally slacked this year, and waited far too long - but everything that requires actually entering a store, is done! I still need to do some online shopping, but maybe I can get that  taken care of tonight.

Night.
xo
MK

Graphically adhesive tartufo memories.

My god it's been cold this week. Most days when I've left for work it's been right about 10 degrees. NOT OK. I'm more of a 70+ degree weather type of girl.  Anyhoo, that is no excuse for me slacking the past few days on posting...oops.  It's barely a week into this project and I'm already slacking - not good! It seems hard to focus myself to do this every day, but I think I've mentioned before that's the point.  I need to focus on this stuff everyday, and this blog is supposed to be the tool to make that happen. So, let's work on catching up!

Mmm...I can still taste tonight's Otsu.

I'm not sure if it's winter, stress, normal wear and tear or a combination of all of those things, but I've been exhausted lately. I came home tonight with the full intention of making dinner and then heading to the gym, but instead have been camped out on my bed since I finished dinner. Just exhausted and having no desire to go to the gym. Oof. Whatever this malaise is, I hope it passes soon. At least the Winter Solstice is only 2 weeks away! I can't wait for more daylight and moving toward warmer months.

Tonight I am thankful for having others to cook for. I love cooking, I love cooking from scratch, and I love sharing the product(s) with other people. Cooking for one is okay - but so many recipes aren't meant to halve, or you just make make a-little-enough for one person (even with leftovers for lunch!). Plus, it is so much more enjoyable to share a meal you've spent time and energy on with others, rather than eating it all alone. I enjoy being able to cook for my parents, they both work very hard all day and neither is much in the mood to cook when they get home, so I'm glad that, for at least a few nights a week, I can take care of that task for them. I enjoy introducing them to new foods (my dad is eating, and enjoying tofu!), recipes and styles of cooking. I think they enjoy it too.

Night.

xo

MK

Have you ever felt incredibly selfish?

I know it's a cliche, but I really can't believe how fast the weekend goes by. This one was rather productive for me though, I finally tackled a few chores that I've been meaning to tackle since I moved here (6+ months ago). Namely, I started sorting through boxes in the garage, boxes of toys, knickknacks, photos, "stuff" and other paraphernalia from the first 18+/- years of my life. Lots of work and lots of memories.

Tonight I am thankful for the opportunity to reflect and think about my life so far. Things I'd forgotten about, or had distorted memories of, came back all too clear today. I think, I have a lot to think about. So for tonight, I will be thankful for the chance to sort through these portions of my life, and reflect on them and how they've impacted me, and my family.

night.

xo

MK

RWF -1, NYSC -0

This project of mine is a bit harder than I thought it would be.

I figured "oh hey! It can't be that hard to find something in each day that I'm thankful for, it'll just take a moment to sit and reflect on the day"

LIES.

Keeping in mind that I'm trying not to use the frequently thanked: health, family, friends, etc, etc, etc. Those things that we should be thankful for everyday, no matter where we are. I'm trying to find things that are unique to my life right now. Granted, I said my cat in the first posting, but really, he is AWESOME and truly wonderful in my life. That's the point of this project though, I know there are great things about my life right now, and I need to focus on them.

SO.

Today I am thankful for my gym. Yeah, I know, I will probably have some form of a gym membership wherever I am living throughout the rest of my life. HOWEVER, there are a few things about this gym that make me truly happy and thankful. Let's list them, shall we? I do love lists.

1. $20/month membership, no contract. OH YES. Coming from an average of a $100/month membership, PLUS the joining fee, PLUS a contract in NYC, $20 a month is a bargain. Especially on MK's current budget.
2. It's open 24 hours. NOTHING in this town is open 24 hours (save the grocery store!), so there is always something for me to do.
3. I am usually the only person there. No kidding, that place is always empty. No waiting for machines, no fighting over weights, no shoving for stretching space. I think the most crowded it's been anytime I've been there is 6 others plus myself. Even my anti-social self can deal with that.
4. I love working out. I never, never thought I'd be the kind of person who enjoyed cardio or lifting heavy objects, repeatedly, but I do. Quite a bit actually. There are days that the only reason I stop running is because I know a) I'll hurt myself if I keep going and b) I won't be able to work out the next day. Give me my ipod and the elliptical and I'm a happy girl. It clears my head, destresses me, and makes me smile. Sometimes those 35-50 minutes of running is the only time my brain will shut up long enough for me to enjoy my day. I cherish it.
5. It's maybe a 3-minute drive from my house. So convenient.

There's more in my head that I want to write, but I'm exhausted and there are cookies to be baked-off and put away.

Night.

xo

MK

Horchata Noir

It's Friday, and I am so thankful for that fact alone. I haven't slept well the past few nights, and I am looking forwarding to swallowing a couple Advil PM and passing out until my body wakes me. (hopefully later than 4am tomorrow...). But it being Friday can't be my reason, it's too easy.

Coming up with something to be thankful for today was kind of hard. While there is plenty I'm thankful for in my everyday life: friends, family, health, job, etc. I also think those are too easy. Perhaps they'll make an appearance at some point, but I'd rather look for something less obvious.

After work today, I picked up my car, Horchata Noir, from the auto body shop. Her hatchback was dented and scratched a few weeks ago while in Seattle. That guy I was dating? We'll call him V. Well, the car was parked outside his apartment building, his motorcycles parked behind the car. Somehow, one of the motorcycles FELL into the back of HN, denting and scratching her hatchback. V was very apologetic, felt awful and offered to pay for it. Frankly, if my car was a bit older than 2 months, I probably wouldn't have cared and would have passed on his offer. But HN is just a sweet young thing, and too young to be zipping around all banged up. V broke up with me four days later. OUCH. Perhaps I'll talk more of V later, but for the purposes of this post, know that I really like(d) him and was not happy when things took the turn that they did. He was my closest friend out here, the person I spent the most time with, talked with the most and felt the closest to. Losing that friendship at this fragile point of life was painful, and I still miss it and him. Adding insult to injury was that my brand spankin' ass new car was fucked up.

ANYWAY. I finally took HN to the shop this past Monday to be prettied up. The shop did a great job (sans missing one of the back emblems, which they destroyed while removing it to paint the back, but promise to replace it, it's on order), and there is no evidence a motorcycle, V, or any reminder of that crappy week left on my pretty, pretty HN. $527.40 isn't so high a price to have that reminder erased, and have HN sparkle and shimmer like she should.

Where am I going with this? I'm not thankful for spending $527.40 that I decidedly do NOT have* to fix my car that was fucked up through no fault of my own, I am also not thankful for being without a car for 4 days. I am thankful I have Horchata Noir at all, and all that she allows me to do. It seems silly to be thankful for something so materialistic, but she is so much more than a material good to me.

My living situation doesn't offer much privacy, or much in the way of alone time, which is something I greatly desire, and need to keep myself happy. Horchata Noir can provide this for me. I can plug my ipod into her and create my own little world while I just drive and drive. She brings me a sense of freedom; an ability to escape the town I'm in and explore anywhere I chose at the drop of a hat and $40 on a tank of gas. She is always ready to take me wherever I go, and I am so, so thankful I have that freedom.

I am also very thankful for Advil PM, but to use that as my reason, would also be cheating.

Night.

xo

MK

*V crashed his other motorcycle into an SUV about 2 weeks after the HN incident. Most importantly, V is okay. I've dropped the issue about my car, assuming if he wants to own up to it, he will. I am broke and don't have the extra $527.40 lying around, but I'll manage, HN needed to be fixed.

Day: Not Sure. Try: Let's not keep count.

I started this Blog six months ago when I moved from Brooklyn, NY to Richland, WA. By “started” I mean I set it up and then promptly did nothing with it. I thought it would be an entertaining way to fill my ample free time, a good way to remember this transitional portion of my life, and possibly even funny to record and share the many culture shocks borne of moving from a metropolitan epicenter of 9 million people, to a sprawling cultural and culinary wasteland town of 150K people. While it would have been all those things, I didn’t do it. I can’t tell you why, exactly – I thought about it a lot. But I was also travelling a lot (Portland, Seattle, Hawaii, Denver), consumed with family weddings, friends birthdays, unpacking, repacking, unpacking again, and then I started dating someone, and then I got a job and all that ample free time was gone. I still thought about it every once in awhile, but not too deeply. I was consumed with new-relationship giddiness and stupidity, and new job stress and brain-deadedness at the end of the day. It seemed any free time I did have was better spent preparing for one of the aforementioned activities, not musing on my new small-town life. Now, I’ve stopped dating someone, still have a job, but the stress and brain-deadedness has fizzled out (mostly), but once again I have too much free time on my hands. The free time isn’t what is motivating me to try this out again, the free time has given me the opportunity to realize how completely miserable and unhappy I am in this sprawling cultural wasteland town. I’ve swallowed the bitter, bitter pill of realizing I’m going to be here another 6 months (at least), and I’ve got to get through them without being a miserable bitch. I mean, I could go through them being a miserable bitch, but I live with myself everyday and that’s no fun to live with, and less selfishly, my family and friends don’t deserve to (and flat out won’t) deal with that version of me for a week, let alone 6 months. SO, that (along with a string of other unrelated but equally motivating events) brought me back to my blog. I know I don't have the time/patience right now to regularly update with tales of small town life, but I do have the time to record some of what my life is right now.

Every day, I will write about something I am thankful for that day. I’m hoping this will keep me in a better headspace for the next few months by focusing on the positive aspects of my life right now. It’s super easy to focus on what sucks (oh, everything?), or how great my life will be once I leave (I can hear the universe mocking me now), but not so easy to see what’s great about life, today. Enter: the power of the internets and Blogger. A nice public forum for me to spew my thoughts and force myself to be honest and accountable. So that’s what this is.

I’ll kick off today with two things, just because.

1. Pilates. I have an awesome Pilates instructor that kicks my ass and makes me laugh while my abs burn, all at 5am, pre-caffeine for either of us. He shares my distaste for Christmas music and will indulge my requests of “anything metal” when asked what kind of music I’d like to listen to while pushing and pulling a variety of cables and springs. And it costs less than half of what it would have cost me in NYC. After pilates I always feel refreshed, and limber, and worked out, if not a bit sore. It’s a good feeling and I do love it so.

2. My cat. I’m sure he’ll make an appearance or two on this list, but deservingly. I can’t look at my furry little friend without feeling happy and thankful he’s with me. He’s awesome. And you know who doesn’t give a rats ass if you’re grumpy if he wants attention? A cat. And it’s REAL (impossibly) hard to ignore 10lbs of purring fur and claws when they want to be loved on.

It's amazing how busy the unemployed are.

I've been meaning to write about my move since...well, before I actually left Brooklyn. But that didn't happen. It appears moving cross country takes up a lot of ones time, and being unemployed leaves lots of room for hobbies you never knew you had (umm magnet making anyone?), which then leaves very little room for things like writing a blog or calling your friends who've you've left 3,000 miles away (hi guys, I miss you, I haven't married a farmer yet, don't worry).

Anyway.

I'm motivated (and honestly, bored on a Friday night here in the big TC) to try to keep up on this, because the adjustment from 9 million people to 150,000 is both easier and harder than one would think, and entertaining, at least to me.

Because I'm already a little over 2 months (shudder) into this here journey, I think it might be smart if I introduce some characters that I foresee showing up repeatedly in this blog.

The Big TC - The Tri-Cities aka Pasco, Richland & Kennewick. The geographic area in eastern washington from which I experience all new exciting things. Specifically, I live in Richland. Look it up on a map, there is NOTHING else near here. Except Idaho.

Axis - my cat. Full name: The Axis of Evil. He's the sweetest cuddliest cat on the planet and I like talking about him. Consider it prep work for becoming the crazy cat lady.

The parentals: My lovely parents that have been so kind to let their youngest (and favorite!) child back into their home. I admit that as far as the parent lottery goes, I won. They walk the line of friend/parent pretty damn well. They entertain my crazy ideas while still keeping their 'parent' hat on, reminding me that reality is a nice place to visit every once in awhile. They've warmly welcomed all the strange characters I'm friends with into their home, which probably wasn't always so easy for them to do . That said, no matter how cool your parents are, moving back in with them when you're 27 and haven't lived at home in 12 years is A BIT ROUGH. If I thought those awful teen years were over. I was wrong.

Tallulah - my bicycle. My flat-black piece of sanity. I love her.

That's pretty much it. A town, a cat, my parents & my bike.