All things go

I've got to be honest, I have had recurring thoughts lately of shutting down this blorg. I'm not sure why, aside from a general feeling that the internets have become something I want to use only in a very methodical, efficient way and then turn my attention away from entirely. And if I come here and post a rabbit each month, methodically? Well, that's pretty boring, number one. I was going to say number two, I'm running out of locations for my monthly rabbit photo shoot, but that's ridiculous. THE WORLD IS MY RABBIT RABBIT OYSTER.

Maybe I'll start a newsletter? is a thought I've had on and off for three or four years. I have actually signed up for and then deleted several different newslettering platforms over the years. 

Maybe Google will eliminate Blogger is a thought I've had on and off for at least 15 years. Also, Why on earth hasn't Google eliminated Blogger, no one but me uses it anymore.

I realized today that I started this thing almost 19 years ago, and so I decided I should keep going at least until my big 20th anniversary, assuming Google doesn't pull the plug in the next 16 months. To wit:

This month in animals:

CROWS. Holly and I made a pledge to become old ladies who are friends with crows, and to that end I am continuing to foster my relationship with the crows in my yard and on my regular dog walking routes. Yesterday in the grocery store parking lot I stuck my hand in my pocket and pulled out peanuts, a penny (lucky: found on the ground), and a couple of rocks. I am a 12-year-old pretending to have a bank account and a driver's license and two grown children.

BEARS.

BEARS. Langlais Sculpture Preserve. 

CLOVER. Clover in boots, Clover in a jacket. Clover in Mark's arms, because we didn't put her boots on and her paws hurt from the salted sidewalks.

I'm Virginia, adoring and worrying over you (you're Pinka, her beloved spaniel).

Come on over

Five

Cranky old cowboys,
A kid, a bear, and JLo:
Hallmark Channel fare.

pursued by a bear

remember this?

okay, now prepare yourself for this:

is that not the most amazingly beautiful artistic representation of me and my bear that you could ever imagine? my sweet friend the checkout girl made it for me!

even though my photos are always crappy phone pictures, i must apologize in this case -- i actually took some with mark's fancy camera that i'll upload soon. just, wow. this is hanging to my left as i type, right here where i can look at it all day.

thoughts on my funeral

caveat: i don't actually care too much about it, since i won't be able to make it myself,* and i should emphasize that i plan to stick around for about fifty more years, but here are my current thoughts on the matter:

+for my gravestone, if i have one, which i probably won't, but if: "exit, pursued by a bear." with an engraved bear, perhaps, like this one.

+play these songs at the service or whatever: heaven, by talking heads, "this must be the place," by talking heads, naked as we came, by iron and wine, maybe "the age of adz" by sufjan stevens, and "my life," by iris dement.

+here's where i start to get bored and think, "oh do whatever you want! cry a lot and have fun too!" but i don't have a special church-type place, and funeral homes are pretty grim. could you do it outside, like a picnic or something?


*i will be indisposed.

exit, pursued by a bear

that quote, above, is from the winter's tale, and it's nothing but an excuse to post this photograph, lifted from tumblr (click on it for all the proper credits,* etc, i'm no thief).

that's me, sleeping over at my mom and dad's in cambridge with my imaginary bear friend. actually, it was a hound dog who shared my comfy bed. mark and i took isaac to boston and put him on a plane sunday so he could join my bruddy and his family who are skiing in tahoe for winter break -- lucky boy! we get him back on sunday, just in time for him to be thrust back into the grind of school and daily non-tahoe winter life. but he's having a wonderful week. mark and minnow left me to return to portland after another day, but i lingered in cambridge, lounging around, working a little, and generally being spoiled and pampered by my parents, until thursday afternoon.

we all went to see the king's speech (which i'd already seen with the checkout girl and emily, but was more than happy to see again), and then mom and i also saw the fighter and blue valentine (both were great).

dad took me out for crepes at canteen one morning, and another time i bought him a coffee at clear conscience cafe. the three of us had lunch one day at flour (YUM), and dinner at one of my favorite spots, veggie planet (i am so excited because they're opening a new restaurant in central square called veggie GALAXY). mom and i had a really tasty lunch at life alive, a new healthy-type spot in central square with an unfortunate font choice but good food. before we put isaac on his plane, mom and dad cooked a zoë and max recipe -- dal and cabbage curry, and they were absolutely delicious. so yes, i guess you could say i ate really really well this week. to top it all off, after he picked me up at the bus station and took me out for a coffee, mark took me to green elephant (okay, we took each other there), where we not only ate amazingly delicious food, but we had a quite cheerful waiter. we picked up some dark chocolate peanut butter cups from trader joe's on the way home and watched 21 grams, which we've both seen before, but is a necessary stop on mark's current personal death trilogy film festival. it's sweet to be home, and i feel incredibly lucky to have my parents for parents.

*but be advised, it will eventually bring you to a vintage pornography tumblr site. it's vintage, and thus kind of adorable, but there's nakedness there. but isn't it cute that this lady and bear photo is considered porn in any sense of the word?