Casita Klatsch

And we're back...

That's right, folks.  I'll be hanging my hat in Tucson yet again, with the arrival set for early July.  This time, however, I won't be staying in Casita Palomas.  That's unfortunate in some ways, particularly because I'll miss that place and having Homer as a neighbor. 

This time, the hubby and son will be coming with me.  That's the reason we're coming, after all:  Mark's return to graduate school.  It will be a short stay, only about 10 to 11 months, but that's enough time to reconnect with the desert and all of my friends there.  And one of the best things is I'll be there in time to catch some of the Naked Pool Volleyball games.

Stay tuned!

Hop on over

...to The Banal Chew, now that I'm back in Sydney.

Here it is (again)

My final day in Tucson.  What an odd connection I have with this place.  Okay, so I just wrote this long segment on what Tucson means to me on a personal level.  Then I deleted it all.  A bit too Sally Jesse. 

Let's just say that I've grown here.  I've experienced both intense joy and pain.  I've worked my ass off here.  I nurtured a partner through the hell of getting his Ph.D here.  Then I followed up a couple years later by returning to get my own doctorate.  

And, here, along came Mark, wrecking my plans and stealing my heart.  It was here I began my life-changing role of parenting, when Zane arrived from Australia.

Now, here I am.  I was 34 when I first arrived.  Now I am 46.  More than 7 of those intervening years were spent here in the Sonoran Desert.  Most recently, I've just spent 6 of the past 8 months in Tucson, during which time I have realized that a full-time career in music is not worth the sacrifice of being with my partner and watching our son grow up.

As always, I'm a bit heart-heavy leaving Tucson.  Homer has made my temporary residency here a pleasure.  We have become very close, and I'm happy that we place each other on our list of best friends.  Fellas, for the record, here's one worth noting. 

So to Homer, as well as Lani, Forrest, Steve, Brian, Richard, Cobban, Ray, Lyle, Norene and everyone I've met or reconnected with here, thanks for keeping me company.  I'll see you all in July, when we return to Tucson for Mark's doctorate. 

Wait, did I just say that?

Mystery Ticket

A few days ago, a piece of mail arrived informing me that  I had been pegged by a speed camera while driving a a car I had rented in December.  It wasn't the violation notice itself, but an invoice for the $30 admin fee charged by the rental car agency.  The letter gave only the time and date of the offense.  Odd, I thought, when I realized I was in a rehearsal at the time/date listed.  But then I remembered Mark had dropped me off and used the car to do some shopping while I was jamming on some holiday tunes.  I duly paid the $30 fee and informed Mark that it seems he got caught by a speed camera.  I didn't like being the bearer of expensive news, but I have to admit that a little part of me did a happy dance that it wasn't me.  (I had just been pegged in October.)  I told him that I would let him know when I get the actual violation notice in the mail. 

It arrived yesterday.  And there are problems.

The speed camera image, captured at night, is unfocused and unclear.  Having said that, the person the photo is neither Mark nor I.  The rear image of the car is also hard to make out.  One number on the license plate is particularly difficult to see clearly. 

The clincher, however, is that the camera is located on a highway in Phoenix.  How I was able to receive a speeding ticket at a location nearly a hundred miles from where I really was at the time is a mystery. 

I'll call tomorrow.  I hope this isn't a long, protracted battle.

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In other news, Martha got a haircut today.  I'll miss the little beast.

2:30 am

Six days and counting;
Dregs of summer and beaches
Await my return.

White sounds and stillness,
All I hear and all I feel.
Sleeplessness again.

My family there,
The faces of those I've missed
Collage my knowing.

I take a small sip,
Adjust my focus on them,
The ones I will see.

The men of my life,
My partner and son who wait:
Our lives reconnect.

With leaving comes quiet,
Only winter's sigh in reach.
Night tilts her dark head.

Sleep descends at last.
Morpheus, his pigment fresh,
Heals with memory.

LsOTD

It's after 11am, and nothing scratched off.  Oh well.

Dogs, Big and Small

Martha likes her new digs.  Yesterday, we took her over Rob's place, which is where she'll hang her collar for about 4.5 months.  Rob has three dogs.  Charlie and Sassy are fairly big, and Nina is a formerly abandoned Shih-Tsu mix that Rob initially fostered back to health and then adopted into his household. 

People who abuse and abandon animals should be punched in the neck.  And face.  Nina was near death when they found her in Aug of last year.  Ticks covered her body, even working their way into her right eye, destroying it.  She was sick with infection and tick fever.

Rob, who volunteers at the Humane Society and has seen some dire cases, was surprised they even attempted the thousands of dollars of treatment it took to bring her back.  But they did, and look at her now. 

 

Martha was smitten with Charly.  He is the alpha male of the bunch, but he didn't seem to mind an ankle-biter for a couple of hours.  He's a friendly, well-behaved dog.  And he'll also let Martha know when he has had enough.  It will be good for her to have that kind of dog to learn from.  Martha will learn from Sassy & Nina, too, but I think they're a little less thrilled by it all.

Two fun things about today:

1) The toilet-paper-tube frog at the public library check-out terminal

2) Spoonfuls of heaven

Naughty Redux

Martha is naughty. There's no question.

But she's a puppy.  And we were all puppies at one point.

To Martha, everything is new and immediate.  It is exploration and learning, cleverly disguised by Mother Nature's Department of Instinct and Behavior Development, as a playful game.  Oh, they're crafty bureaucrats, with their destroy-the-houseshoe and maybe-I-can-just-eat-my-poo tricks. 

I can't get angry with her.  I can be a stern teacher, but I don't have to be overly annoyed.  Of course, puppies will push the boundaries.  They learn from it.  I don't think there's any species of our kingdom that knows the difference between right and wrong from birth.

Take Zane, for example.  As he has grown and matured over the past 5+ years, I have watched and guided.  Admittedly, I used to get annoyed with him as he learned yes from no, need from want.  It took a while for my Let-Him-Learn epiphany to occur, something which made me realize my annoyance was unnecessary and misguided. 

What I was really angry about was that my carefully ordered notion of parenting and partnership was being tampered with, and  I hadn't put together a Plan B.  Unfortunately, Zane's mum got caught by the gravity of the chaos. 

Lord, the apologies.  All heartfelt, and all very necessary.

Counting Days, Again

Martha and I are feeling restless today.  And I'm vaguely despondent to boot. 

I'm probably just tired.  A lot has happened over the past year..in a number of arenas.  We have a terrific new President and First Family.  I have hopped continents a few times, edging forward in life and reconnecting with friends and family.  I made some decisions regarding my career (or lack thereof).  Our family has grown by one.  I worked hard at the gym to boost my health, fitness and image.  I sang.  I loved.

Now I need to get motivated again.  Brian has put together his new Mondo Beyondo list already.  I need to pull my finger out.

Maybe this mood calls for some facial hair reconfiguration.  Any suggestions?

PS -- Homer's a star.  He made it on Cute With Chris again, this time with Henny.  I'm nowhere near as tall or handsome as Homer, but maybe I'll snap some pics with Martha and send them in.  She is definitely cuter than Ms Hen.  And it is all about the animals, after all.

Pong for the President

You know, you gotta love life sometimes.  I do, anyway.  Especially mine. 

I mean, really.  Should I be exceedingly grateful, or does everyone else out there know some very cool people who lead them into all kinds of colorful experiences?  For example, beer pong.

I'm 46.  I haven't been invited to a drinking game in a couple of decades, give or take a semester.  But in the celebratory spirit of the Inauguration, I gave it a go.

Thanks, F.O. and Homer, for a fun night!  (Word from the wise, however:  don't take on Homer unless you're willing to drink.  He displayed some hidden talents last night, as the following video will attest.)

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And speaking of the Inauguration,

...who'd have thunk it?  It's quite overwhelming, how historic the moment really is.

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After the swearing in, Homer's hen escaped into the neighbor's yard.  Maybe she finally worked out she's living with a bunch of rabid Democrats.  While Martha and I watched, Homer scrambled over the fence, chased her down and brought her back.  

So Long, Sexy Subaru

The downsizing has begun.

Mark's cousin bought our Liberty (Legacy to you Americans).  While I've never been very attached to a car, I think I will miss this one.  Mark always cringed when I called it my first "family car".  But it served this family very well for a few years. 

And it was damn sporty, as seen in this speed camera image, snapped of me just before my most recent return to Tucson.  ($81 and some points against my record.  Nice birthday present.)




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In other news, Martha likes finger food.

Stuff

Okay, I'm man enough to admit it.  I covet Zane's iPod Touch.  Now that I have seen it up close (and used it quite a lot...much to Zane's quiet annoyance), I want one.  I'm actually thinking more about the iPhone, though.  It does everything the iTouch does, and more.

Justifications

• I do have to replace the mobile phone I dropped in the loo last year. 
• It would be nice to have one machine that does everything. 
• I am an internets junkie. 
• I am not too old for games. They stave off dementia, after all.

Disinclinations

• I have an older phone that works fine.
• Do I really have to be cutting edge?
• It's probably a not good idea to be constantly connected.
• I don't like it when people roll their eyes.

Ramifications

• I'll be (even more) broke.
• I'll be mistaken for a material girl.
• Kicked out of the Witness Protection Program.
• Nicknamed "Psycho Sandy".

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I took Martha to PetSmart yesterday.  She's like Roger...loves her some road trips.

Hooray!  I found someone to take care of her for the 4 months I'll be back in Sydney.  I'm grateful to know some really cool people.

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Blueberries are cheap as chips right now.  I bought heaps yesterday and just made blueberry turnovers.  That's not good.  Sydney Mardi Gras in less than two months, and I'm fat from the holidays.  Gold's Gym, here I come. 

Daily.  Starting Monday.

Home-away-from-home, sweet home-away-from-home

Returned to Casita Palomas to find:

• Martha in full-swing of her juvenile naughtiness*;
• A hen in the yard~;
• A handsome latino handyman doing some work next door#;
• The return of a warm winter to Tucson@;

* While Homer was taking care of her, she tormented his cats. This morning she peed on my bed. Typical puppy stuff.

~ Miss Hen appeared in Homer's yard one afternoon a few days ago, and she's here to stay.  She will have a name soon.  Homer has a ballot on  his blog.  Quick, go vote!

# Nothing much to say on this one, except that it's cool to have something to see besides the worn fence and leafless trees as I look out the work window.

@ Sorry, Mark and Zane.  Whatever controls the weather, feeling particularly cruel, must have known you were leaving.

Miss Hen

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What is it about puppies and slippers?  I hear Martha chewing on mine behind me.  I think she has grown a bit over the past week.  She seems bigger.  And she's nearly too big for the winter outerwear we bought for her in Palm Springs. 

Martha sulked a bit after I put the jacket on her.

After some convincing with a chew toy, she finally lightened up and we went outside.

Work it, chica!

 

See You Soon

I am sitting in Doug & Woody's home in Palm Springs, doing some last minute washing and blogging before I hit the road for Tucson.  The warm, unending sunshine; the stoic Italian cypresses and Queen palms against the bluest of clear skies; the giant roses in Doug's garden; the hummingbirds sucking at the window feeders in their frantically peaceful way...all of it is belied by a haze of melancholy descending on me as I wake up.  The house is empty.  Doug and Woody are away on vacation. 

And for the past eight hours, Mark and Zane have been en route back to Sydney. 

Yesterday, the three of us staved off the departure by spending the day in LA.  We took Zane to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where we fought off the many costumed street-hawkers and tragic desperados.  After an amazing lunch at a small Japanese restaurant in West Hollywood, we had a gander at a few of Frank Gehry's buildings: the Walt Disney Music Center, the California Science Center and the SKETCH Foundation Gallery.  Afterward, we drove to Venice Beach and finished the day by watching a spectacular sunset. 

See you in three weeks, fellas.