lxforever

“Alexis — / Early this morning, the last of our troops left Iraq.”

—Barack Obama’s automated email…makes me want to cry. THANK YOU.

“Werewolf” “Vampire!” / “You find it in a tree…” “Pickle!” “Yes!” / “Male STD” “…” “It was crab!”

—Taboo, 12/16/11

“. . . Ummmmmm….in conclusion: We never know what the future holds in store for us. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

—Michael J., 4/25/03

time 11:44 AM feeling scattered wearing plaid pajamas reading Cherry music Xmas, esp. the one from the crazy scene in the Office Xmas episode (TSO song) ready for 2012 next swim

You hear all this talk about those three little words, but what about those 6?
“Now let me ask you this”
Or these 6?
“I made the whole thing myself”
Or those 5?
“It Is What It Is”
Or those 9?
“OK so now I’m going to tell you something”

Anyway.

—

EOTY (minus 13 days):
Woke up. It was dark and cold. It was January.

Devastation.

Devastation.

Snow snow snow snow snow record-breaking snow snow snow. Sewing. Tears. Skating. Snow snow snow.

San Francisco. Hope and adoration. Support and surprises. Tackling niece and nephew. Darlings. Family. Love.

Devastation.

Crying in a Noodles. Diana Diana Diana. Attending info sessions. Investigating options. Making phone calls.

And then. It was Spring. There was Hope.

Making plans.

Coloring eggs. Leaning on each other. Hugs. Family. 28-year-old Jenny. Wedding planning. Hanging Out with Jeff…always Jeff. Reliving my youth in Madison with Katy. Workaholic Memorial Day weekend.

June. Reunions. Daniel moves here and in 3 hours, 11 years disappear and we’re friends again. Chloe graduates – she’s too young; I’m too old; youth-beauty-caffeine-money; green gowns, gold rope, bright cheers. Family. Love. Sarah and Trent get married and the True Ten reunites for the first time in 7 years. 10 faces in a circle. Intense incredible amazingness. Happy tears for Sarah. Overwhelming emotion. Smuggling alcohol and dancing like fiends and laughing way into the night, into the drive. Surreal.

July and prosecco and SOCIAL LIFE. 4th and fence dancing and boa-constrictor fireworks with Erik. The DINK life. Technology (“a-yo!”), pop music. Teenage dreams. Up North and riding bikes through the woods. Debt ceiling. Chicago, trawling around with Jenny and Andra, more reunions. Andrea as beautiful and still as ever. Chris and Yuyun’s wedding, cousins I hadn’t seen in decades, dancing the night away in joy. More cousins a week later at Devil’s Lake, swimming with Anna “A-bomb” and talking about how everything dies/fades eventually, Mason with his namesakes. Family. Mortality. Love.

Crazy dizzy wide-awake coldpress-fueled summer. Happy. Happy! HAPPY!! Happier than I’ve felt in years.

August it comes crashing down, along with the stock market. Fight fight fight it off. Always Jeff by my side no matter what I put him through. An Event Apart/1998-dreams-I-didn’t-know-existed and remembering why you came. This Is Where. Nationals and sangria and Diana. Injury and wedding and then a dark dark dark few weeks. Just when you think you’d figured it out… you realize it could be worse. So much worse. Terror. Duathlon. Terror. State Fair in spite of fear.

September, October. BEST DAY EVER! September, you are my friend!!! LUCKY. A beautiful future of Hanging Out with Jeff. THE BEST. Surprises and murder mystery and surprise guests. Jenny!! Perfect 30th. Sneaky Jeff. Happy happy. Off to North Shore. Majestic, mystical. Bikes and sitting on Gooseberry. Love. Books and Wye Oak and EITS concert. Costumes and hot coffee. Creepy surgeon. So running?! Most adorable little parks gym class yet. iPhone app “I made the whole thing myself!” YES.

November. “Happy 3 years. I can’t wait to die in a volcano with you.” Ha! Most Epic Wish Ever. No bullshit party. Eurozone. Out of nowhere dark dark darkness closing in, this time without reason. Trapped by your own self. It is dark and it just keeps getting darker. Who can you trust? Survival mode. Hot HOT yoga. Thanksgiving. Thanks taking. Taking taking taking.

December. 34. Goingsofastgoingsofastsofastsofastsofast. HITF socializing. Hosting birthdays and Xmas get togethers. Jeff Jeff Jeff love love love. Family. Mortality. Christmas. Up and down.

2011.

—

EOT Past Few Days:
Friday. Cannot make myself get out of bed. F these dark Northern days. Fight fight fight. Bargain with myself and say “Self, if you get out of bed, you can put a cute bun in your hair and wear a cute outfit.” This works. Up and at them, albeit a bit late after yoga and bun-making. To the office! The office is cheery and festive. Finish up some work, off to lunch with Tiffany at Moose and Sadie’s. Quesadillas YES! Long chatter and gossip. Back to work, back to work. Participate in speculation/roundtable on local economy and politics. LOVE IT. Day is cut short by good work news and surprises. LOVE IT TOO. I work for wonderful people.

Off to the work Xmas party. Arrive and find there is not enough alcohol. Patti and Joe and Kara and I leave to remedy this. Thank you Surdyk’s! Back with wine and the fun begins. Homemade Korean food, meats, Greek. Chit chat about living situations/Roseville/”Moundsview school district!” Lots of fun. Crowd is slowly getting younger which I appreciate as do the other ‘youngsters’ (note: I am the 2nd youngest). People start to leave, host insists that NO ONE ELSE CAN LEAVE and passionately begins a game of Taboo which turns into the Most Hilarious Evening Ever. Laughing to tears. So many smart nerds. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.

Drive Joe back to his car and talk about our inappropriate workplace jokes and alcohol intake. 30s man. Joe and I would have been friends in HS. Home to Jeff and a Wrapping Party!!! Crack open a beer and make a plate of cheese curds and get to work in the basement. Amazing wrapping party! “We’re a team!” Awesome. Cash in and order pizza after all our Hard Work and watch the railroad show. Awesome hangout night. Asleep.

Saturday: HBD STEPHIE! Delayed start. Good stuff. More wrapping and cleanup. Off to the gym! Super SUPER intense rowing/biking workout. I just can’t stop my body sometimes, it gets addicted. ADDICTED! Peppermint mocha, get ready for Xmas/Bday partying/dinner. Cook cook cook. Hurry hurry hurry. Ready! Jack and Laureen arrive for a very pleasant and wonderful evening of good food, good gifts, and good chatter. I’ve been having a lot of fun with them lately. I NAIL IT with a pretty swell dinner, too. Risotto, lemon-brown sugar chicken, asparagus! Not perfect but hey, I’m only 30 man. Getting good though.

Off to look at lights, find some beautiful ones along Calhoun/Isles/Harriet after trawling along Lake (WTF?). Ooooh fancy. Ooooh snobbery. (Me too, secret Southwest snob.)

Home and it is MOVIE NIGHT!!! Pop some South Dakota popcorn. Make ginger ale-cherry cocktails. Curl up for Movie Night! Feels so decadent and wonderful. Movie was pretty good/cute kids (Super 8) anyway. Watch some Friends (ha ha ha). Pass out.

Sunday today. Gotta get going. Read Trike’s blog. He impresses me every day. His amazing life. He is really NAILING IT. Coffee, cupcake, yogurt. Dozing by the tree. Updating. Off to swim. ADIOS.

HAPPY 39 (a day late) STEPHIE!!!