Wednesday, April 29, 2009

wanderlust/homebody

i've been oscillating between these two extremes as i consider life. on one hand, i'm a diehard introvert that hates making small talk... and yet as things don't seem to be happening here i've started wondering what else is out there. a friend pointed out to me that what i view as rootlessness, could also be seen as freedom. it depends on my mood.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

end of an era

tonight was our final trivia night. our faithful host is moving on to greener pastures. i'm not kidding, i think he's going to work for an environmental non-profit. how does that sucker find a job when he already had one? i'm jealous. woe is me.

through the long winter last year, trivia night was undoubtedly my favorite part of the week. friends, cheap beer, laughs and nerdiness abounded. and on the odd night, we won free drinks and once even the cash prize. it was a great way to meet people outside the church bubble. we've actually ended up hanging out more outside of monday nights. good times. i suppose we could try to find another trivia night, but this was just the right combination of being nerdy and having juvenile humor and being raucous all in one.

Monday, April 27, 2009

today's bitterness has been assuaged by the fact that some kind soul found my wallet and turned it in to the cal student store, near where i ate my lunch. the cards and everything in it were intact. amazing.

someone in the store security called me to let me know and i booked it over there. the day has improved a great deal.
can't find my damn wallet. on the bright side, it is a change of pace from applying to jobs that you know that no one is going to get back to you anyway.

today is a bitter day.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

hedging bets

yeah, i was right. after temperatures in the 90s over the past few days, tomorrow it's supposed to drop a whopping 30 degrees for tomorrow. and maybe rain on friday. what in the world? it's actually pretty welcome relief.

oh lord. i'm talking about the weather on the blog. my apologies.

status: holding steady. still no job. i'm hanging in there. considering selling my plasma. i'm not that desperate (yet). besides, i heard it doesn't even really pay that well. i kind of want to do it just so i could write about it. has anyone actually done this? please share.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

driving with the windows down

it's that time of year to throw the frisbee in the trunk of your car, because you don't know when you're going to want to use it.

then again, it's also that time of year the bay area gets hit with an unseasonal heat wave for a week. then it goes back to being early spring chilly weather and overcast for most of may and june. and then the heat wave comes back to kick you in the ass again in late september and october.

then again, it's the bay area, so i really ought not to complain.

Monday, April 20, 2009

poor me

some good friends visited for the weekend. didn't realize how much it would lift my spirits to spend that time with people. still not very good at balancing my introverted lifestyle choice. not that there's anything wrong with that. but the happy social time seems to feed the writing time and vice versa. haven't booked my flight to the van yet, trying to figure out if i should pass through seattle first or go direct. time to dust off the ol' passport.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

walking uphill in the snow both ways

one day i'm going to be this cranky old lady talking about how times were hard in my day. "why back in '08 and '09 i didn't have a job! and that's the way it was!" i'll just leave out the part how i house-sat some super nice houses for nine month.

take the red pill or the blue pill

i put my phone in with my laundry the other day. i tried to dry it off, but i think it is beyond repair. i feel so out of the matrix. as if i am important enough to need to be reachable 24-7. i'm not a doctor or anything.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

good things

since most of my readers are the people i'm about to mention, this won't be much of a surprise to them. however, i feel the need to write about this. it's taken me a little while, as i was largely struck speechless. thanks, friends. of course words fail to convey the depth of feeling on this unexpected surprise.

there were also warm fuzzies, but less in a cutesy sentimental way and more in a sense of deep blessing and care kind of way. friends came together from vancouver, seattle, chinook (MT) and marion (NY) to fund a visit the good ol' pacific northwest with cash to spare for a round (or 3) of pints. your generosity inspires me.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

owned

this morning as i drove up to church, i saw two youths, brothers, standing on the corner. in a jolly mood, i rolled down the window to say hi. they returned the greetings. then the older one gives me a grave look and says, "it makes me sad that you drove to church this morning, audrey. you should have taken the bus." a flip answer failed me, and he had a good point - i was driving alone. he was also so serious about it, i could only say, "i know. i'm sorry, man." and then pull away to park in the garage.

p.s. the tooth pain seems to be shifting daily to different teeth. very odd.
happy easter, friends!
may the wonderful absurdity of this day soak into your heart.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

wha?

during a recent conversation about life, the place where i've been volunteering comes up. i explain is it is franciscan and blablabla serves in the tenderloin, etc. etc.

person's response: "i could see you as a nun."

umm... thanks? but no thanks.
tooth aches. dental insurance, please.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

famous last words

house and pet sitting still.

after scoffing at a friend, "dude. it's a pet tortoise. it's not going to sneak up on you," a few nights ago, said tortoise has startled me no less than three times. it might be a teenage mutant ninja tortoise.

Monday, April 06, 2009

whoops

well... i missed 2 days in a row. my bad. my excuse? i was outside. i live in california, what do you want from me?

i also wanted to post some pictures, but it is hard to keep track of things when my belongings are in three different locations. really, the third location is my parents house, and the extraneous stuff is there. but even in having things in 2 different places is hard enough. so i don't know where the stupid cord is.

attended a hollywood themed volunteer appreciation dinner. when the majority of the volunteers are over 60, that just makes things hilarious to me. as i walked up to the building, i spotted an 80 year old man in a top hat, and tux, with a cane. a lot of them took their costumes seriously. i was not costumed, in case you were wondering. it was cool to see all the volunteers together. the dinner is when they recognize volunteers who have been there for 5, 10, and 25 years. one woman had even been there for 31 years! you know what i've done for about that long? been alive. actually the only other thing i can think of that i have done on a consistent basis for a long time: been a christian (doing a middling to fair job at that. man, i really like grace). a little bit over half the time i've been alive. so i've got that.

anyway, i hope i am a part of things that long. only 9 years and 5 months until i get an apron with my name embroidered on it. the only bummer is then i have to wash the apron myself. the lord giveth, and the lord taketh away.

yesterday was a most triumphant palm sunday. makes the shock of good friday even more stark. i love holy week for all its highs and lows and unbelievable surprises.

Friday, April 03, 2009

diverse interests

hung out with some parents, youth staff and graduating seniors tonight. talked a bit about the transition to college and whatnot with them. good food, good laughs, good people - a recipe for a good evening. topped off with the hot tub of the mansion i'm house-sitting (yes i'm back here for a week) and that's a winner of a friday night.

made me think about my own time in college and what that was like. seriously - i graduated 11 years ago? 11? man, that was a long time ago (interestingly, the recruit is on tv right now while writing this and i can still recognize most of the DC locations where they filmed). most of college was spent thusly: going to crew practice, busting my ass at crew practice, leaving practice, eating, going to extra workout, busting my ass doing extra workout, leaving extra workout, eating more, going to class, picking my callused rowing hands in class, and then sleeping. sometimes i showered. along the way, made some lifelong friends in spite of smelling bad for most of 4 years and really started to be responsible for my own faith.

the end of lent approaches... hopefully i will keep blogging on a regular basis. this has been a fun exercise, and i've noticed that i'm more attentive to the world around me. more appreciative of the details. like when i talked about welding with the guy at the intersection ... i knew i was going to blog about that. this is just something that's good for me, whether or not people are reading this.

so palm sunday approaches... things i'm thinking about doing on sunday, in addition to regularly scheduled church programming ... maybe this, followed by this. reflective of what a well-rounded person i am. anyone want to come along? i mean it'd be fun, but more fun with other people. and i'd be more likely to follow through on this.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

keys

see that? keys to five houses. parents, friend's, and various people that have asked me to take care of their pets. it gives me something to do during the day. these are probably the most keys i have ever had to carry around at once. i feel a little bit like a custodian.

p.s. on further reflection, the case could also be made that i am slowly becoming a crazy cat lady. my dreams are coming true.