Tuesday, August 26

brooding spanish poetry moment..


Romance Sonámbulo
Federico García Lorca


Verde que te quiero verde.
Verde viento. Verdes ramas.
El barco sobre la mar
y el caballo en la montaña.
Con la sombra en la cintura
ella sueña en sus baranda,
verde carne, pelo verde,
con ojos de fría plata.
Verde que te quiero verde.
Bajo la luna gitana,
las cosas la están mirando
y ella no puede mirarlas.

Verde que te quiero verde.
Grandes estrellas de escarcha,
vienen con el pez de sombra
que abre el camino del alba.
La higuera frota su viento
con la lija de sus ramas,
y el monte, gato garduño,
eriza sus pitas agrias.
¿Pero quién vendrá? ¿Y por dónde...?
Ella sigue en su baranda,
verde carne, pelo verde,
soñando en la mar amarga.

Compadre, quiero cambiar
mi caballo por su casa,
mi montura por su espejo,
mi cuchillo por su manta.
Compadre, vengo sangrando,
desde los puertos de Cabra.
Si yo pudiera, mocito,
este trato se cerraba.
Pero yo ya no soy yo,
Ni mi casa es ya mi casa.
Compadre, quiero morir
decentemente en mi cama.
De acero, si puede ser,
con las sábanas de holanda.
¿No ves la herida que tengo
desde el pecho a la garganta?
Trescientas rosas morenas
lleva tu pechera blanca.
Tu sangre rezuma y huele
alrededor de tu faja.
Pero yo ya no soy yo.
Ni mi casa es ya mi casa.
Dejadme subir al menos
hasta las altas barandas,
¡dejadme subir!, dejadme
hasta las verdes barandas.
Barandales de la luna
por donde retumba el agua.

Ya suben los dos compadres
hacia las altas barandas.
Dejando un rastro de sangre.
Dejando un rastro de lágrimas.
Temblaban en los tejados
farolillos de hojalata.
Mil panderos de cristal,
herían la madrugada.

Verde que te quiero verde,
verde viento, verdes ramas.
Los dos compadres subieron.
El largo viento, dejaba
en la boca un raro gusto
de hiel, de menta y de albahaca.
¡Compadre! ¿Dónde está, dime?
¿Dónde está tu niña amarga?
¡Cuántas veces te esperó!
¡Cuántas veces te esperara,
cara fresca, negro pelo,
en esta verde baranda!

Sobre el rostro del aljibe
se mecía la gitana.
Verde carne, pelo verde,
con ojos de fría plata.
Un carábano de luna
la sostiene sobre el agua.
La noche se puso íntima
como una pequeña plaza.
Guardias civiles borrachos
en la puerta golpeaban.

Thursday, August 21

when a man takes a message

little sock thief

I have a sock thief in my house, and it's not the dryer!!

Every day I come home from work, Bear has managed to open my closet door and pull another pair, or two or three, of socks from my closet and scatter them around the apartment. This is the latest pile from last night's lost & found hunt...

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Wednesday, August 20

child of the 80s...

Don't ask why, but I'm totally on an 80s soft rock kick right now....Genesis, Journey, Chicago, Heart, Phil Collins, Chris de Burgh. LOL

Tuesday, August 19

they know better...

...well, and so do I. But I couldn't help but let them lay on the counter while I took a picture of them. And yes, that is a Costco-sized container of sani-wipes. LOL
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lounge cat

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crickets

I actually hear them chirping outside my door!! I'm sure they must have been there another night this summer before now, but for some reason I notice them tonight.

I close my eyes and can almost believe I'm back home...

I miss the countryside and the sound of nothing but crickets and maybe the occasional coyote or owl.

...oh yeah, and there's the sound of another foreign-made car starting up as well.

Almost home. Almost...
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Saturday, August 16

tea, bran muffin, & pres forum

Are you watching the Saddleback Presidential forum too? Weird to think all these folks are sitting there talking just a few minutes away from me, as I sit here in my neighborhood coffee shop watching/listening to them by internet, live!
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Friday, August 15

flora & fauna


a canal runs between my office and my apartment complex, and occasionally there will be some interesting wildlife down there that has trickled in from the nearby nature preserve. while on my way to lunch the other day I saw this stork, as well as a turtle, fish, and some ducks. a nice reprieve from the animals I work with!! ;)

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officialness

So it's pretty close to official these days... I'm a Californian now (or as close as I'd prefer to come).

My Washington vehicle tabs expired on the 8th, so I had to make an oh-so-fun trip down to the local DMV office to get my plates changed out and my mug shot taken for a new California driver's license. Oh the joys of waiting in line at the DMV!!!

Of course, the online checklist of information I needed to bring with me was insufficeint...and of course the gal behind the counter moved as slow as molasses and treated me like a dipstick for not KNOWING I needed a power of attorney letter from my bank and their tax id info. What the...???

I get the joys of returning for my plates when they are ready, as well as taking the written driving exam in order to get my official CA driver's license.

wooohoooo.

You can take the girl out of the countryside, but you can never take country out of the girl. PacNW or bust!!! One day I'll be back...even if I have to take the long way home.

Wednesday, August 13

you tell me....

"Sorry I haven't called. My parents' dog is dying...it's been really difficult..."

Lamest dud date excuse of the century? Or legit reason not to call a first date back until almost two weeks later?

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this one's for you, SM...

Important Things

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes. "The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. "Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

different breed

They've got shiny cars and polished nails
Yeah, those girls they've got everything right
They've got fancy clothes, perfect hair, steady lives
But I don't

They're the first to send out thank you notes
They've got well kept homes to entertain
They'll do anything just to please you
But I won't

If these are the girls that you choose
What make you think I'd be good for you

Chorus:
Can you tell me baby
What do you see in me
I'm a FAST RIDE I'm a crashing tide and
I'm crazy
Can you tell me baby
What do you see in me
You've loved a long line of consistency
I'm a different breed

Every time you take me out boy
We see another girl whose held your hand
And she acts like she doesn't care with me
But I know..
She don't like the way I look on you
I make her nervous 'cause I don't fit in
With my deep brown eyes, cigarette, cowboy boots
I stand alone (alone-whoa)
Baby I wonder if you know what
You're getting yourself into

Repeat Chorus:
Can you tell me baby
What do you see in me
I'm a FAST RIDE I'm a crashing tide and
I'm crazy
Can you tell me baby
What do you see in me
You've loved a long line of consistency
I'm a different breed

{guitar solo}

Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa. whoa, whoa

Repeat Chorus:
Can you tell me baby
What do you see in me
I'm a fast ride I'm a crashing tide and
I'm crazy
Can you tell me baby
What do you see in me
You've loved a long line of consistency
I'm a different breed

Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa. whoa, whoa

definition of a d@mn dud...

Dud
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


A dud is an ammunition round or explosive that fails to fire or detonate, respectively, on time or on command. Duds are still dangerous and have to be de-activated and disposed of carefully. Poorly designed devices (for example, IEDs), and small devices, have higher chances of being duds.

The variation absolute dud describes a
nuclear weapon that fails to explode.

Although dud rounds have failed to function as designed, they are still dangerous, and can explode if handled. In war-torn areas, many curious children have been injured or killed from tampering with such devices. Dud fireworks should be destroyed by soaking in water. No attempts to re-light them should be made. People should keep away from dud ammunition and should call proper authorities who can safely handle and remove it.

By extension, "dud" has become a
slang word for anything that doesn't work or is defective. There is also a candy called Milk Duds, named for the fact that it was impossible to get them perfectly round.

Tuesday, August 12

Monday, August 11

my new NON-favorites...

I'm apartment hunting.
I hate it.

Yea, I know...it's a pretty foul mood to have over things, but good grief...stuff that I paid a 1/3 the price for back home was 300% safer and nicer than what I'm finding down here! There's gotta be SOMETHING affordable worth living in down here, without resorting to cost-sharing with a complete and utter stranger.

[blech]

There goes making breakfast in my underwear while singing country music at the top of my lungs...

I value my privacy way too much (and something tells me they probably would too!).

I don't think it helps my mood any that I've got massive amounts of quarter-end $h1t to do for work, the d*mn dud date I went out with last weekend never called again, every morning I wake up with five new zits, I have writer's block for my latest artistic outlet, I need a personal assistant / cook / maid for the stuff I can't get to because I work 8am to 7pm, dishes & laundry pile up until the weekend, and Bear's voice sounds like a squeaky toy stuck in the "on" position.

Can I renew my lease on a new life, please?

Monday, August 4

apartment hunting...

I want this house! http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/apa/745609552.html

He has a casita / mother-in-law unit attached to the back of his house that he'd be willing to rent, right in my ideal price range! However, I'm up against someone who wants to rent out his whole house, which is his preference. :( Be praying that I get it, or don't, whatever is God's will!