conversation of the day.

CW: “I don’t ask people to help me move because I hate it. So I shouldn’t have to help other people move, right? Even for a friend who needs help because she’s leaving her husband…?”
Me: …
CW: “Clearly you don’t agree with me so just tell me why I’m being a [jerk].”
Me: “I mean, maybe because it’s a friend in need. So, there’s that.”
CW: “I feel like you’re going to quote me a Bible passage right now.”
Me: “Well, I’m sure I could come up with something if you really wanted.”
Me: “And I’d post it on your FB wall, you know, if we were FB friends.”

Just imagine these conversations all day, every day and you'll then know what work is like for me.
It's entertaining, if nothing else.

makes music. and sandwiches.

she's adorable.
and i kind of want to be her.

conversation of the day

Nothing is striking my fancy, so this is the best I can come up with.

AB: There just isn’t enough parking.
Me: Is there a lot?
AB: No. [Said in a tone that led me to believe what he really wanted to say was "duh".]
Me: No, I mean a parking lot.
AB: Oh, yes.
Me: This is my favorite conversation.

PS - "striking my fancy" seemed fine in my brain, but weird when I typed it out.

imported from detroit.

Although I was parked in front of a TV on Superbowl Sunday, I was under a deadline at work and basically saw none of it. I had heard a lot of buzz about the Chrysler ad, but had never taken the time to actually watch it.

Today I was reading an AdAge article about the Chrysler f-bomb tweet and they referenced the company's new tagline, "Imported From Detroit." So I decided to see what all the hype was about.



I kind of loved it.
Even though Eminem is currently the biggest claim to fame.
Maybe Madonna was busy. Material Girl probably wouldn't have been a good fit for the soundtrack anyway.

conversation of the (thurs)day.

gChatting at work.

Me: I'll have to tell you how it went later. So many meetings.
SS: I'll call you when I get back to ATL...I land at midnight.
Me: Ok.
SS: booty call!!
Me: hey-o!

[And at this precise moment a co-worker walks up to my desk. I close the IM window while we're talking but this pops up on my screen just as she's about to walk away.]

SS: I wouldn't mind a more physical booty call.

I read it and start to laugh and the following conversation takes place:
Me: Oh, just ignore that. He's not talking about with me.
CW: Wow. Booty call. I'm shocked.
[Another co-worker overhears and yells]
CW2: Who's getting a booty call? Steph?

Wow, everyone. Just wow.

Let this be a lesson to you:
Don't believe everything you read.
Or sign out of IM when someone is at your desk.
Either way.

conversation of the day

CK: Oh yeah, Steph loves songs that include claps.
JR: Sure. That's how I feel about space sounds.

i believe.

I've had an "off" week. Let's just start there.
I've felt incredibly bored. With everything.
I've intentionally disconnected from some things. (Or people.)
There's been a lot of thinking.
And I make no claims that any of this thought has been rational. You've been warned.

I had a business lunch this week with a man I'd never met before. Nearly from the moment we sat down his topics of conversation were inappropriate. He told us how he had met a model on the plane on the way into town, had convinced her to move into his row and shared many of the inappropriate things he said to her, and even included the fact that he had removed his wedding ring.

Uhhh...nice to meet you, I guess.

I will admit that I'm not easily offended when it comes to these types of things, but as the day went on and I thought about it, the more disgusted I became. I began to wonder if this is really how people are and whether I've just been naive in genuinely believing that people are better than that. And then I started feeling sorry for myself thinking that might be all that I have to look forward to in my own life.

I was talking with a co-worker today who happens to be male and also Mormon (and married, btw) and he was asking for an update on my gentlemen relationships (sounds weird but I'm going with it). Of course those conversations always come with advice and, inevitably, a pep talk that includes some variation of "You are so great. You deserve to be treated better than that. You shouldn't accept any less."
Appreciated? Yes.
Taken to heart? Not usually.

Tonight I walked into the Seattle Art Museum and was greeted by an older gentleman, let's call him Lloyd for funsies. Lloyd directed me upstairs to the ticketing desk and I kindly informed him that I wasn't heading up yet as I was waiting for someone.

"Oh! What a lucky guy! It IS a gentleman you're waiting for, isn't it?" was his reply.

"Yes, it is.", I said. Leaving it at that was easier than explaining how, while it was a gentleman I was waiting for, it wasn't what he was thinking.

My museum partner in crime was running late and soon Lloyd headed my direction and said, "You know, he really should not keep you waiting like this." and directed me to a place to sit.

Lloyd

As I continued to wait Lloyd approached me several more times, each time telling me that I deserved not to be kept waiting or that I should get a really expensive dinner out of this or how happy I seemed despite having to wait or that I shouldn't stand for it.

Now, keep in mind I was not at all upset about having to wait. But, despite the fact that he had the wrong idea about my situation, the things my new friend Lloyd was saying started to resonate with me.

Maybe I do deserve whatever this "better" is that everyone keeps talking about.

Maybe there is at least one more man in the world that will keep his wedding ring on while on a business trip and not say inappropriate things to models he meets on planes.

I think it's worth believing.

cayamo 2011.

Did you hear? I went on vacation.
To the Caribbean.

Sidenote: I said "cuh-ribbean" and the IT lady at work corrected me and said it's "care-ibee-an". 

And then she tried to give me a history lesson about it, but I tuned out.

Am I right? Or is she?

Because she wears purple velour pants.

This recap is only going to happen if it can come in the form of a list with no rhyme or reason.

Get some snacks because it's a long one.

• Possibly my favorite photo of the week happened right after stepping on the ship.

• John Prine. He's an adorable, adorable man. And he plays with an Apolo Ohno look-alike. Hey, remember when I loved Apolo Ohno during the 2002 Olympics? Yeah, me too.

• Brandi Carlile. We got in to all three of her shows. I never get tired of it. AND she played two new songs. If I start telling you that "you rattle my bones", it's because of her new song.

• Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We took a water taxi to Virgin Gorda and then a "bus" to The Baths, which we walked/climbed/ducked through and ended on a beautiful beach. It ranks high up there for my favorite activity of the trip.

• I also danced a jig in The Baths  (not unlike this one). When that penny whistle starts, I have to dance. 

• Another favorite moment of the trip was when we found Mike & Dwayne on the beach in Virgin Gorda. They were walking with great purpose (they were late), I called out to them, Mike looked up and saw us, pointed and just said, "AWESOME", and kept walking. Writing it doesn't do it justice, but it was often quoted throughout the rest of the week.

• "Did you know that Dwayne hates big sunglasses? He thinks we all look stupid right now. Except for Em." -Unck

 The bigger, the better, I say.

• I think I'm allergic to Caribbean sand. The CANKLES! tried to overtake me, but I was ready for them this year. Well, once I turned over my life savings to the ship store for Benadryl I was ready. Two little pink pills were my nightly cocktail.
• Ice cream cones. Self-serve was back!

• I learned that I laugh out loud in my sleep nearly every night. One night I woke myself up with my giggling, immediately rolled over and looked at Lindsay (who was still awake reading) and without me even asking if I had just been laughing in my sleep she looked up and me and said, "Yup". 

• Speaking of sleeping, I didn't have the top bunk this year. Stacey rocked that.

• We were lucky enough to have Valentine's Day dinner with Mike & Dwayne. Apparently they had questioned "who's going to get who?" without coming to any conclusion. When Mike, Em and I got up to go to the bathroom all at the same time, the decision was made. I guess our bladders were made for each other.

•  Let's talk about Shawn Mullins for a bullet (or three). His voice pierces my musical soul. Make fun of me all you want, but every time I see him live my mind is blown by how much I love him.
• My #1 musical moment of the week was when the Indigo Girls were singing "Kid Fears" and he came out in the middle and started singing Are you on fire? I can't even describe it. Shawn sang the part that Brandi sings in the video below (around 2:20).

• It's possible that I have a soft spot in my heart for Shawn because he was the soundtrack to some teenage drama. Shawn has a little song called "Lullaby", maybe you've heard of it? The song's not great. However, when I was 16 I found myself with a broken heart. And for a week or two the last song I heard on the radio every night and the first song that came on the radio every morning was that one. Everything's gonna be alright.
• St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. We thought we were walking 1/4 mile to the beach, but we ended up walking 1 mile through the ghetto to the beach.

•  That island provided a very hot sun and cell phone service. Perhaps you saw my tweet?

•  Patty Griffin. She won a Grammy on Sunday for her Downtown Church album and then joined us on the boat on Thursday. She's adorable. And she makes what comes out of her mouth seem effortless.

•  I can't tell you how much I love Mike & Dwayne. They are weird and normal at the same time. So kind. So, so funny. It was basically like we were on a six-person vacation. Cayamo's best decision was seating us next to them in 2009.

 

• Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. This was the day I entrusted my life with Captain Meeko and Big Daddy Tunes. After years and years of trying to convince someone to parasail with me, I finally did it. It was super peaceful (minus the part where I started to freak out a little about getting dipped in the water).

•  This is also the place where I fake snorkeled. The water was shallow for a long way so I just walked out and stuck my face in the water. Not satisfying, for the record.

•  I spent some time alone on the deck at night, watching the waves and the moon. It's hard to put into words the way it makes me feel. So I wont even try.

•  There was a bowling alley on the ship. Finally, on the last night, we bowled some balls. And by "we" I mean "everyone but me". I just wasn't feeling it, but Mike wins the award for most creative bowling. Loved it.

•  Virgin Gorda (Tortola) had chickens. And they kept coming after me. As it turns out, I'm not a fan.

•  Lindsay put a spin move on a hammer head shark. Yes, you read that correctly. Every time we got off the boat there was someone dressed in costume waiting to pose with you for a picture. The shark really wanted Lindsay to pose. Lindsay really did not want to.
• Dar Williams sang "The Babysitter's Here" during one of her sets and her friend's daughter danced on stage. That little girl just meant it. And it made me cry.

• I read 1 1/3 books on this trip. That's 1 1/3 more than last year.
• I got a little worried when it was cold in Miami. But I was pleased to find that the weather every other day couldn't have been better.

•  There was still no Diet Coke, just Diet Pepsi. We made the most of it.

• Stacey rocked an open mic. I wish I would have been brave enough to sing one of her songs with her. One day.

• Speaking of Stacey, she kept falling up the stairs. And I kept missing it. But the third time's the charm and I finally witnessed it. Man, I love people falling down.
• Colin Hay. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed him. His wife was...interesting. I wish I had captured Em's reenactment of her interpretive dancing. Priceless.

•  Dan Wilson. Remember the band, Semisonic? Yeah, him. Another top musical moment was Dan Wilson singing his song "All Kinds" and the audience joining in. I'm a sucker for that crap.

• All in all, it was not a waste of time.