My last attempt to write was in October. Nothing came. I don't consider myself a writer per se but I suppose writer's block can attack anyone.
Sometimes getting everything one wants from life in one realm can still leave a hole somewhere else. Since starting my new job in August, I have grown an incredible amount and learned more than I thought possible in the shortest amount of time. For the first two months, this lead me to feel as if my head was going to explode from the sheer amount of STUFF I felt I needed to understand. Sometimes the "I can't do this" hallucination would appear but luckily, I never felt so unsure of my actual ability to do what I have been working towards my whole life that I had to speak such negative words out loud.
Since my last post in July, aside from keeping busy with work, I have flown to Texas in September, driven to Montreal for a lone birthday celebration, flown to Colorado to commune with Magpies before a memorial service, and driven to Quebec City for Thanksgiving dinner of rabbit poutine (all three in November). Since July, I've eaten pounds upon pounds of delicious foods near and far from Portland. I've seen externally beautiful things and internally ugly people. I've lost one of the most awe-inspiring people to her long fight with cancer. She read this blog. Maybe that's why I haven't written in so long.
Life is long. We lose people, places and things to death, decay or disregard. We go from year to year, making resolutions for a better tomorrow. Will I be more successful in my endevors in 2017? I hope so...
One New Year's resolution was to get back into triathalons this summer. There, I said it, I'm now held accountable by the internet. Keep me honest kids. Plantar fasciitis, ankle tendonitis and an emotional aversion to water will no longer keep me down! Now all I have to do is start liking to run again, get up wicked early to swim and cycle on the trainer more. At least one of those things will be a piece of cake! Mmm cake.
But let us talk about more tangable things. I have just returned from the land down under...Oklahoma. An eleven-day stint was just spent with Austin, Texas family. I arrived Dec 23 to a clear and warm day. The whole time was, on the whole, warm and clear. Bike rides with my favorite cyclist happened most days, as did nephew time and dog walks. On the walks and rides, deer and falcons were spotted. A kestral flew over my head and in front of our bikes. A buck stared at me from 10 feet away. I don't see that much wildlife in Maine. Maybe I should get out more...
As for food, one of my favorite subjects!, I succeeded to extract multiple hot pink prickly pear margaritas from Matt's El Rancho as well as copious amounts of giant crunchy chips and spicy salsa. I took my mom and sister to Barlata, a place my godmother and I went on a date in September. Happy hour there is incredibly happy as the food is cheap and the drinks are fruity. We ordered fire-roasted shishito peppers, fried potatoes with aioli and salsa brava, serrano and manchego hot sandwich, fried calamari with lemon aioli and pork ribs in sweet and sour sauce. All repeatable for sure. As for now, off to find dinner in the present.
"...but if you try sometimes, you'll find, you get what you need."
Aunt Sue's milk punch
1 pint Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup light rum
3 tablespoons brandy
ground nutmeg plus a dash on top of each
Blend it up and drink it up.
Sometimes getting everything one wants from life in one realm can still leave a hole somewhere else. Since starting my new job in August, I have grown an incredible amount and learned more than I thought possible in the shortest amount of time. For the first two months, this lead me to feel as if my head was going to explode from the sheer amount of STUFF I felt I needed to understand. Sometimes the "I can't do this" hallucination would appear but luckily, I never felt so unsure of my actual ability to do what I have been working towards my whole life that I had to speak such negative words out loud.
Since my last post in July, aside from keeping busy with work, I have flown to Texas in September, driven to Montreal for a lone birthday celebration, flown to Colorado to commune with Magpies before a memorial service, and driven to Quebec City for Thanksgiving dinner of rabbit poutine (all three in November). Since July, I've eaten pounds upon pounds of delicious foods near and far from Portland. I've seen externally beautiful things and internally ugly people. I've lost one of the most awe-inspiring people to her long fight with cancer. She read this blog. Maybe that's why I haven't written in so long.
Life is long. We lose people, places and things to death, decay or disregard. We go from year to year, making resolutions for a better tomorrow. Will I be more successful in my endevors in 2017? I hope so...
One New Year's resolution was to get back into triathalons this summer. There, I said it, I'm now held accountable by the internet. Keep me honest kids. Plantar fasciitis, ankle tendonitis and an emotional aversion to water will no longer keep me down! Now all I have to do is start liking to run again, get up wicked early to swim and cycle on the trainer more. At least one of those things will be a piece of cake! Mmm cake.
But let us talk about more tangable things. I have just returned from the land down under...Oklahoma. An eleven-day stint was just spent with Austin, Texas family. I arrived Dec 23 to a clear and warm day. The whole time was, on the whole, warm and clear. Bike rides with my favorite cyclist happened most days, as did nephew time and dog walks. On the walks and rides, deer and falcons were spotted. A kestral flew over my head and in front of our bikes. A buck stared at me from 10 feet away. I don't see that much wildlife in Maine. Maybe I should get out more...
As for food, one of my favorite subjects!, I succeeded to extract multiple hot pink prickly pear margaritas from Matt's El Rancho as well as copious amounts of giant crunchy chips and spicy salsa. I took my mom and sister to Barlata, a place my godmother and I went on a date in September. Happy hour there is incredibly happy as the food is cheap and the drinks are fruity. We ordered fire-roasted shishito peppers, fried potatoes with aioli and salsa brava, serrano and manchego hot sandwich, fried calamari with lemon aioli and pork ribs in sweet and sour sauce. All repeatable for sure. As for now, off to find dinner in the present.
"...but if you try sometimes, you'll find, you get what you need."
Aunt Sue's milk punch
1 pint Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup light rum
3 tablespoons brandy
ground nutmeg plus a dash on top of each
Blend it up and drink it up.