One-Hit Wonders: December 2010

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• famous person,place or thing in the pacific northwest
• lesbian 1 hit wonders
• jdate cheeky soandso
• cook in the kitchen
• i know i can fly landmark forum songs
• skunk smell face
• milla time gangsta
• why can't i party like i used to
• when i was on vacation and my dog was submitted to family at our rv, he nipped my sister and that is something he has never done, what could have caused it
• mary milla on young adults not being prepared for job interviews

Annual

as the saying goes, another day, another dollar, and another year, another broken resolution. still, i keep making them, hoping against hope that i can rid myself of a few pesky bad habits that cling to me like leeches. hopefully i will score points just for trying. as they also say: it’s the thought that counts.

though when i consider last year’s list of resolutions, my track record doesn’t seem that bad. out of the four things i promised to do, i actually did 1) take better care of my health in the form of a meatless month, a semi-regular exercise regiment and the undergoing of many stress-relieving and, of course, medically necessary massages; i also did 2) work as much as possible, and oftentimes too much, which i fear has turned me into a bit of a workaholic.

sadly, i did not 3) spend less time in front of my computer or 4) become a prolific writer. in fact, i became a lazier one, no doubt because of all the time i wasted in front of my computer not writing.

thankfully, i have another year to make things right, to get closer to the person i want to be, as another saying goes. and though that person is much younger, thinner and smarter than i’ll ever be, she’s also someone who keeps her new year’s resolutions. as yet another saying goes (last one, promise): if not now, when? finally, i have an answer — january 1, which is when the following list of healthy new habits will take effect and transform my life into something AMAZING:

• fix the damn house: lots to do on this front. short list includes replacing a few windows, finally adding closet doors to the bedrooms, converting the garage into a rental and a completely remodeling the exterior. as i intend to continue working as much as possible, i hope i can afford to make some of these happen.

• be a better friend: i don’t think i’ve been horrible in this department, but i have been incredibly self-involved all year — even more so than usual. obviously, part of it was me taking time to deal with what i needed to deal with, but i fear that all that time alone has made me terribly insular so much so that i’ve been unavailable to the people i care about. well, no more, cherished friends! next year, i will totally come to your party and reply to your emails and even help you move. (well, some of you.)

• take writing holidays: in my neverending quest to become prolific, or at least semi-regular with my writing, i vow to take a few out-of-town trips that will be solely devoted to writing — not just this blog but something substantial, something book-like. to this end, i shall make sure whatever hotel i stay in does not have internet access to distract me with things like Facebook, which means i’ll end up writing in a Travelodge in Oxnard. but at least i’ll be writing. in an alternate universe, i would be able to write at home, but the dogs, the dishes, the friends, the laundry — i always find a reason not to.

• meditate and shit: i’m nowhere near regular with this either, and i need to get regular. it’s sort of like the gym, where i hate going in, but am so happy i did when i come out. (not that i ever go to the gym, but you know what i mean.) thankfully, i have a meditation center very close to my house to help me with this one. i intend to become a regular there. it will be my gym.

• the usual suspects: as with past years, i will continue to take better care of my health, to work more, to pay down debt and hit my savings goals, to be a good dog mom and a good daughter (in addition to being a better friend), to keep evolving and growing, living and learning, laughing and loving, screaming and shouting, rocking and rolling.

Vacation 2010: Newport, Rhode Island

the life: Newport had never been on my list of cities i really wanted to see and i admit that my first impression of it wasn’t exactly positive. i’m not sure if it was the lack of diversity or the abundance of adirondack chairs, but i felt as though i had entered a country club where everyone but me owned a yacht. it was big pimpin, whereas i was only pimpling, and the first day i spent in town filled me with feelings of inadequacy.



good friends to the rescue! John, Karen and i go way back. eleven years, to be precise, when all of us lived in san francisco during our collective salad years of job jumping, paradigm shifting and partying like rock stars. i know i’ve said it before but i’ll say it again: thank god this blog did not exist back then!



the legendary John John: we were virtually inseparable during those early SF days and at one point even worked for the same company. ours was not a romantic partnership, but we still acted like an old married couple who bickered, explored, whined, dined and watched movies together. Karen entered the picture during my last year in SF to become John John’s proper other half. years later they were married and living in Newport, not far from where Karen grew up.



fast forward to my visit: and we’re all getting hammered together, just like we did in SF as if no time had passed. this time, however, we didn’t need to ditch the bill when the waiter wasn’t looking because we were too broke to pay. we are all growed up now!



the foods: when we weren’t drinking, we were doing a whole lot of eating — with drinks nearby. meals were decadent affairs, usually set in fancy restaurants, where we sampled fine seafood and premium steaks like yuppie assholes. it was awesome.



speaking of shameless: this yacht is named Cocktails and likely belongs to some liquor scion who summers in Newport. did i mention i paid for this trip with my credit card?



trivia: Newport is mighty historical given that Rhode Island — the biggest little state in the union! — was one of the original 13 colonies. signs detailing a building’s history are ubiquitous here, appearing on nearly every block.





more history: Newport is also home to the nation’s first synagogue, Touro Synagogue, founded in 1658. rosh hashanah celebrations coincided with the day of my visit and i tried to take my jewish ass inside to photograph the interior but was shooed away at the door for wearing jeans and a sleeveless shirt. i argued with the doorman, swore to him that i was part of the tribe and even showed him my hamsa but he had none of it. damn nazi.



i want to live here: after the synagogue debacle, i walked around town alone, camera in hand, taking shots of cute colonial buildings until my camera battery died. this is when i really began to understand the charm of Newport — the cuteness, the quaintness, and the familiar and relaxed nature that seems to characterize everything in this sleepy seaside town. life in Newport is good because the people who live here seem to really love it, my friends included. and after spending three days in town, i began to love it, too.







what should i name my yacht? i’m thinking Big Pimpling.



anchors away: it’s no exaggeration to say that my trip to Newport was one of my most favorite vacations EVER, largely in part to my two fantastic hosts, who share my sadistic sense of humor, which meant we spent three days laughing nonstop by one-upping each other with offensive jokes. but alas, i had friends awaiting my arrival in Maine, New Jersey and New York, so i jumped on the Amtrak, gathered my anchor and set sail.