Batter up!

Pitchers and catchers report in about 18 days.* And this year, I'll get to join the preseason frenzy of Spring Training. I've wanted to go for years, and this year, all the stars finally aligned to allow me three games in the Arizona sunshine.

I am beyond excited.

*The countdown is for Kendra. You knew it was coming eventually, right?

Photos? What photos?

I was on the phone with my brother tonight, and the following conversation ensued:

Me: "Hey, I should tell you some of my photos will be in an exhibit next month. The opening is Friday and I'm super excited about it."

Him: "Photos? What photos? When did you take photos? And where?"

Me: "Um, I take photos of everything. All the time and everywhere."

Yeah, we're tight, but maybe not too clued into each others' hobbies. And I guess he doesn't read this blog. This will be my third group show, and the opening is Friday night. I'm stoked, and I'd love it if you joined me for the opening night reception. The other artists are all phenomenal, and there'll be some live painting, as well as music and snacks and lots of other fun. The gallery's in the Mission, so there's lots to do in the neighborhood if you want to make a night of it. Email me for details.

Nine months

I looked at the calendar on Thursday morning and was struck with the realization that my mom's been gone nine months. That seems especially significant since half my girlfriends are either pregnant or have recently had babies. Nine months can be a long time.

And it has been. In most ways, anyway. I've had two jobs in that time. Made four trips to the east coast. And spent a lot of time curled up on my bed, pondering the future. And doing a little bit of cursing the present. But I'm feeling a little better now. Just in the past two weeks, actually, I feel a little less burdened. And a little less depressed.

And I've had four good days in a row. The people at my job like me. The sun is shining. I'm going to see live music tonight for the first time in months. I've spent some good time with friends the past few days, and it's done a lot to lighten my mood.

I fully expect this is temporary, and I've been joking with friends that I'll probably be flattened by a bus on my commute next week, but right now, things are better.

Dusty

This trail is usually almost impassable in the winter - it's too wet and muddy to get down (or back up) the hill that you can't quite see in this photo.

 

Right now, however, it's bone dry. Or at least it was earlier this week. We're finally getting some rain today. Despite my dislike of winter, I really like mud puddles. And I should have my pick of them soon. Yay.

The year of un-commitment. Sorta

In setting my goals for the year, and thinking about some things I'd like to accomplish in 2012, I failed to take into account that I'll have to make several east coast trips between now and September. And the emotional and physical energy those trips will require is intense. And at some point this spring or summer I'll need to find a job that will accommodate my travel schedule.

And then I kind of panicked. And I kissed my training plan, and the hope of a summer half marathon, goodbye. I decided I'd hold off on making any commitments this year until the fall, when I'll hopefully be settled in a job and will no longer lead the jet-setting lifestyle required to do my part in selling my parents' house.


And then I got really angry about putting my life on hold for another year. And then I forked over a really hefty registration fee. I love this race, and though I've scoped out the really flat bike course as part of a relay team, I've never tackled it myself. I'll have a shiny new bike by June (well, by February if all goes as planned), and I'm ready for a new challenge. Or at least I'm hoping I don't come in last. Or fall off my bike.

Things that I enjoy

I cannot tell a lie. Since I got home from vacation, I have been ridiculously depressed. I blame it on my mom, because nothing else makes sense. My trip was awesome. The weather in SF right now is spectacular. I love my job. I've been visiting with friends and trying to have fun. Life is pretty good. Except for the parts that really, really suck. 

So while I sit here wallowing, let's look at some things that made me smile recently. 

My last wave of the day. Dudes, surfing hurts. And I am not so good at it. In fact, I still have a couple of bruises. But it was awesome.

This beach is beautiful.

Sunset was amazing.

My lives just collided on the Internet

Several months ago, I accepted a friend request from my friend's brother. I didn't think twice: I've gotten to know him over the past few years, he's friends with a good friend of mine, and he's the brother of a very dear friend. He doesn't live here, and I love looking at photos of his kids in the snow. He's also got great taste in music, and sometimes he posts awesome links.

Like this one, which he posted earlier this week, of Mavis Staples and Wilco in rehearsal together. It blew my mind. It's long, but it's worth the 4.5 minutes. Go ahead. I'll wait.

As I watched the video he posted, I thought about only guy I've ever dated who shared any of my tastes in music. That relationship was awesome because we almost always agreed on good bands. And we went to lots of concerts together. He loved Wilco, and was thrilled to share their music with me. This boyfriend's brother also loved Wilco, and the three of us often hung out at his house listening to CDs and drinking beer. It was good fun.

Do you see where this is going yet?

So it turns out my friend's brother and my ex-boyfriend's brother went to high school together. And they're Facebook friends. And after I commented on the Wilco video, so did he.

And then he got in touch with me to ask how I knew J., and to see how I was doing. And now we're all friends. The Internet is a very small world.

Blowhole

Yes, I did stand for 10 minutes staring at a hole in some rocks by the ocean.

It was worth the wait.

Bearing gifts, we traverse afar

I first saw this news on Facebook while I was on vacation. I was with friends at their house, and one of them was scrolling through all the Christmas messages in her feed when she came across this:

"I can't believe somebody stole the baby Jesus from the manger at church!"

Our church is in a sometimes-rough neighborhood, and we've had some security issues. The rent-a-cop we hire is clearly not so good at his job. We kind of laughed about it as we read through the responses. Maybe the baby had been taken for a walk. Maybe he'd return wearing a handmade sweater. Maybe somebody needed to put out an Amber Alert. Or wait for a ransom note.

And at the bottom of the list, this post:

"Really? Again?"

It turns out, this isn't the first time the Jesus figurine has been stolen from my church's manger scene. But the first time, it was returned. Wearing a carefully hand-knit cap. And sweater. In a pretty blue.

Yes, seriously.

The church is pretty big and kind of drafty. Most people show up in layers. Maybe somebody thought this inanimate object was cold. At least they were thoughtful enough to return it.

This time, the baby's been gone for a week, with no hint of its whereabouts. Perhaps the Three Kings will bring him back this weekend.

Tan lines

I woke up this morning shivering a little; resentful that I had to put on long pants and socks. And that I wasn't spending another day in my bathing suit. But my people weren't made for sun exposure, so I've taken my (very faint, but absolutely there) tan lines and my sunscreen bottles and my sun hat, and I've come home.

My vacation was awesome. But coming home has made me a little blue. My real life, though nothing to scoff at, really can't compare with 12 days of sun and surf and time with good friends. However, since my friends probably wouldn't house me permanently, and I really like my job, I'll go back to work in the morning. I need to earn some money while I plan my next adventure. I racked up a lot of miles on this trip. My 2012 travel is mostly centered around family stuff, but it looks like 2013 might require renewing my passport.