Hello, Hello...

After a week of feeling very disconnected, due to lack of internetz... I'm back. :)

I finished A Tree Grows In Brooklyn! Loved it. Apparently, I'm on a coming-of-age kick; I read, To Kill A Mockingbird, then Brooklyn and today I checked out The House On Mango Street and The Adventures of Huck Finn. I'm excited about both-- especially reading Huck Finn on the banks of the Mighty Mississip. :)

Right now, the dog is passed out from running in the park with his new friend, Oscar, a seven month old black lab mix. Todd and I are catching up on our online business and watching Mad Hot Ballroom, his first viewing, my second. I love this movie. And I need to learn Spanish. I said that last time I watched it.

Also, Milano cookies... are so... good.

More substance next post, I promise.

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis just came on the stereo at Starbucks. Let me catch you up a bit.

***

I started writing a story a couple years ago. It's set in Philadelphia, in the area surrounding and including Temple University. Featuring an ensemble cast of 9, I loved my story and my characters. One of them was an arrogant, womanizing university soccer stud named Alex.

Last week at the arch, the real, actual Temple basketball team came through to go up to the top. When I saw them, I couldn't stop glancing at them, silently, nonsensically thinking-- "They probably know Alex. And Maddie! (His girlfriend) I bet some of them were there at that party when it all went down."

Story is a haunting, amusing, perspective-altering beast, isn't it?

***

Speaking of that. I miss my story. Stories. I feel guilty that I never finish any of them. I feel like the writer in me has suffered a terrible accident that has left her paralyzed and only able dream and absorb other people's art. She is grateful to be alive, but heartbroken that time and inspiration refuse to converge on her.

***

But maybe I'm just being moody because the past few days have been exhausting. On the employment front, I found a potential new opportunity. In the space of a week, I've been hopeful, then relieved and excited... then promised, shocked, disappointed, frustrated, surprised and grateful. And haven't breathed a word about it to anyone I work with.

On the househunting front, we've found 4 "perfect" houses over the past few weeks. Two were in crappy neighborhoods. The third got snatched up a day before we could draw up a contract. And the fourth, found us sitting in Starbucks across from our realtor last night, signing very important looking papers. One step (read: check) from turning in an offer on our first house, we pulled the plug. It's not time. We're staying in our cute, parade route flat with the busted dishwasher until further notice.

On the everything else front, our dog hasn't eaten anything weird in weeks. He's gotten really good at fetch too. I saw Legally Blonde on stage last week with a new friend, and it was delightful. I saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox on blu-ray and I highly recommend it. After reading one of Katie's lists, I've been reading A Tree Grows In Brooklyn for the first time and I love it. I'm also obsessed with these right now and planning on attempting to make them sometime in the near future.

***

Last week at church, my friend brought her new son, Cannan, to church for the first time. When she brought him into the children's room, five other women and I were there, watching Allie (6 months) and Cash (9 months) play on the puzzle piece floormats. Celeste sat down with Cannan and we all talked and laughed and watched the babies rolling and jabbering and teething and trying to crawl. Looking around at these six other women, so outwardly different, but so alike in heart and love for these little ones, I suddenly felt like we were a pride of lionnesses-- strong, brave, ever-watchful and community-dependent for survival. I loved it. And it took me a week to write it down, but there you have it.

Herein Is Love

Beautiful sentiments written by Missy over at "It's Almost Naptime"... do yourself a favor and read it. I'm gonna go poke around on facebook.

Happy Easter, everyone :)

I'm so behind...

- This reminds me of that Jim Gaffigan bit about people who want to talk about a movie 8 months after it came out because they just saw/loved it... but I just figured out Google Analytics... and I really hope somebody looks at my blog soon because I want to see it in action!

- Gotham watched The Dark Knight for the first time this week. He also threw up another sock. (I'm assuming) He pulled this one out of the hamper while I was in the shower and threw it up after I got out.

- Culinaria is my happy place. Well, one of them. I LOVE grocery shopping there. Everything-- the flowers, the produce, the meats and fish and sandwich shop and olive bar and wine cellar-- is all so fresh and inviting and lovely and city chic. You have to park in a garage and ride an elevator back down to street level to get to the little urban market. Standing in the garage window, looking down at the streets, I feel like I'm in NYC every time. I love it. One day I will shop there all the time.

- Lots is happening. And I'm trying to figure it all out. I'll try to write something of consequence soon... till then, THIS is kinda strange, but pretty cute. And I don't even like teeth.

- How did I not know that my roommate's family makes oatmeal?! How did I miss this?!

Uno Mas...

Dear Imo's,

You need to stop telling people you are "St. Louis Style Pizza". If you don't, when tourists come through, they're going to start nasty rumors that people who live in our fair city believe that cardboard with ketchup and government cheese on it is pizza. Erroneous. If Italy was dead, it would be rolling over in it's grave every time you made a delivery. Get with the program and make us proud.

~juliette

"You're nasty!!!"

This is absolutely one my favorite things right now. Enjoy!

Catching Up with @ladyjuliette...

I don't actually tweet. But. Here are the past few days, in roughly 140 characters or less...

• Schalfly Stout & Oyster Fest: 1 weekend, 12 pro shuckers, 29,000 shells. And a lot of beer. Most relaxed 12 hour shift I've worked in a long time.

• If someone really wanted to punish me, they could lock me inside the walk-in of a commercial kitchen and make me scoop cocktail sauce out of a vat into a hotel pan with a plastic pitcher.

• Still can't believe I had to miss the Horan/Halbert nups in Austin on Saturday... the Gentemans will be making it up to them... within the year, I hope?
  

• There are SO many pregnant people and SO many new babies in my orbit right now. If I could afford to stock up on other liquids, I think I'd stop drinking the water.

• via @toddcontact: On Monday afternoon, on the way to pick up new dog food, Gotham started dry heaving in the front seat. After several seconds, he threw up an entire sock.

• Post Secret @ Maryville U: An excellent date night and a powerful presentation/demonstration on the impact of community.

• In a rush on Tuesday morning, I accidentally locked only one side of Gotham's two-doored kennel before leaving for work. He was alone in the house for 8 hours. You can imagine what I came home to.

• Actually, you don't have to. I'll tell you. I came home to my puppy locked in a dark bathroom pacing a poop-strewn floor. That's right. Be jealous.
  

• Before he locked himself in, he made himself at home. When I walked in, it looked like someone had ransacked our house and squeezed puppy bowels all over it. I bleached everything.
  

• But thank God he didn't hurt any furniture and only relieved himself on hardwood and linoleum. Good boy. Sort of.
  

• I'm allergic to spring in Missouri... at least I am this week. My head feels like a balloon and my nose feels like Santa got stuck trying to come down the chimney.

• Praise the Lord for authentic Mexican food within walking distance from the house.

• Just finished watching Secret Life of Bees. Bawled my eyes out several times. Mostly because I love my family... and I miss my Mudear.

• Hubby's home :) time to catch up on LOST!