Reconciling Saints

I'm shedding my old skin. I don't know what made me say this but it's been rolling around in my head for a while now, and it feels true.

First of all, they say that getting sick is your body's way of telling you to STOP! Unfortunately, I did not heed the warnings. I'm a lot better now, but still not at 100%, so I'm trying to take it as easy as possible so that I can enjoy my weekend with Amanda.

AH! It starts. The traveling. The friends from everywhere.

I've always wanted a big family, but not in the sense of relatives. Well, I wasn't going to limit it to that, shall I say. I like the idea of people that I connect with that I get to see from time to time. I like that my friends, my family are without boundaries. No matter where in the world they are, I'm still connected to them. I like that we can gather at odd times in different cities and countries and connect... reconnect... strengthen our connection.

This is family. This is what makes my heart swell when I think of my friends.

Last night I got a phone call from my dear friend, Stephen, and we were on forever, even when I knew that I should be in bed. We talked about everything... he made me cry, he made me wonder, he made me defensive. I love it! Stephen is in Kentucky. We adore each other and each others' spouses and friends. I love this connection.

It's odd, after all this talk about being childfree and all the nonsensical stereotypes that go with it, I start to reconnect with my family. I'll have visitors in March (through Stephen, the Kentucky contingency) and in April from the old Long Beach neighborhood. I'll be in Connecticut this weekend for Amanda and in Europe in March/ April to see Maile, David, Liad, Rain, Ami (I hope), Tim, Anthony, Nassrin and anyone else that I might meet. It's time to appreciate what I do have and what I have created, even if it's not the traditional sense of family.

I leave you with some pics of Stephen and me from my wedding last year. *sigh* I heart that boy, he always reminds me of who I am.

First morning in PDX. The Governor Hotel. I'm pretty sure we'd been drinking lots already.

The rehearsal dinner. Can you feel the love? I'd also like to mention that people came from all over. That was pretty awesome too. My parents thought no one would go.

Stephen was my handler before the wedding. I was a wreck and had been drinking for 3 days. I was nervous about all those people watching! It shows! The makeup artist had to earn her keep.

... and I have YET to post something?!

It's 'cause I'm sick and I am ache-y and stuffy and cranky and other things that end with a 'y.'

I miss the gym.
I miss breathing.

I miss YOU!

Oh and Eddie the Shipboard computer was off being repaired, but the Apple store just called me and he's good to go! WEE HEE! (another reason I haven't been posting, since Ed was sickies)

*cough*

I often wish that my posts could be as funny as my chats with Jane. We're silly on our chats and pretty darn funny! If you read our chats you would think, "Now that's some funny shit! I wish I could be friends with them!"

You can't read our chats, though, because, aside from being damn funny, they're also full of LOTS of secret information about the world, the universe and everything. Things you can't know... things that men dressed in black wearing sunglasses would whisk you away into their black sedans never to be seen again FOREVER!... for.

Where was I ??

Only the boyo gets access to some of the funniest shit said on our chats... and only some!

Anyway, my talks with Jane are very important and today they have been doubly so because my head is so full of fluff and snot... that I really can barely do anything else. As someone at lunch pointed out today (Paige? I think,)it's the kind of sick where one feels guilty staying home because the cold is not that bad, but at work it's VERY annoying. That's me. I'm annoying... I mean, the cold's annoying.

She's currently keeping me from just staring at the stuff I'm updating for our website. Instead, I change a little something and then run back to our chat... then make another change... and run to the chat... and make a change... and... well, you get the picture.

My throat currently feels like I've licked the entire road from LA to Vegas, missed Vegas, ended up in SLC and had to lick my way back. NO WATER! It also sort of pinches at the very back, and longs for water... which, when given, it makes my sphincter pucker from the pain. That's right! I can feel my sore throat in my ass! This bites, yo!

It is important that Jane entertain me to keep me working(of sorts) because if I'm too sick to work, then I'm too sick to go out and there's no WHEY that I'm missing out on tonight.

With that being said, I will be at Ignite Portland 5 tonight, probably feeling a little shitty, but with the help of my friend, Wine-ona, I'll be DANDY!

What's Ignite, you ask? It's only the BEST, MOST FUN and ENTERTAINING evening of your life (right after Backfence, of course!) People give presentations on all sorts of things. All kinds of people. Rabbis, students, famous people... You know, like the infamous(so famous she's IN famous) Melissa Lion. See? I know people... or at least I follow them around for their events.

It ends up being a fun and drunk time with all sorts of information being presented to you in 5 minute(that's 20 slides, so 15 seconds per slide) intervals. It's just... I don't know how else to explain it. Head + Cold = Duh!, remember?

Go here to find out more:



Ok, ok... nothing more to see here. Shoo!
Go find your own Ignite!

Remember in school they used to have the morning announcements read over the P.A. (later going on to TV once I was in high school... ugh! Channel One... )???

This is kinda like that...

First of all, if you've yet to see Coraline in 3D, you have until the 26th before the Jonas Bros. *makes a face* take over the 3D screens.

Don't get me started on the Jonas Bros.

I'm sick again. I woke up yesterday with A NEW SORE THROAT! (not a new wardrobe or anything that you'd shout like that... but I'm trying to put a positive spin to it.) Allergies? Possibly. All I know is that being sick SUCKS!

If you're wondering WHY I have a blacked-out picture, it's 'cause I'm copying Stephen Fry taking part in the New Zealand blackout protest against insane copyright law. Go here to read about it: http://tinyurl.com/cejcb8

I'm sick.

Wasn't I just sick? I blame Lillie. :P

That's why I haven't updated. I've felt like CRAP!

I leave you with this hopefully only until tomorrow:

I'm getting a WEEE bit better. I'm hoping that working from home again today will allow me the rest I need to be, well at least 90%... Hell, I'll settle for 85%, better by tomorrow!

So the holidays are upon us and I'm sorter Eh about them. Don't get me wrong, kids, I love this time of year 'cause things slow down and, aside from the shopping bit (which I've had NONE of thank you very much!), people are generally pretty nice. There's also a kind of magic in the air. Maybe it's the colder weather... who knows!?

It's just gonna be WEIRD! I'm used to a BIG Mexican Christmas and a big Friends gathering for New Year's Eve. This year... well all the Mexicans save this one are in So Cal and the friends I usually see for the holidays will be mostly in So Cal too, but a few are scattered around the globe.

I'm not depressed about this, although it sounds like it, doesn't it? It's just, different and I don't have that usual giddy excitement about going to my tia's (that's "aunt's" in Spanish) and sitting around the table being catty with them and drinking or about what we'll be doing for New Year's; generally impromptu, always fun.

No, instead I think I'm just sort of... quietly excited? happy? about the unknown of what I'll do this year for the holidays. Maybe start a new tradition, maybe a new party. Any thing is possible!

Still, I can't help but think ahead to next New Year's Eve, for which I'm already giddy over. The Clan (which means the friends...mostly Irvine and some from other contingencies) will be gathering for one of our usual trips to Europe, this time for Asef's wedding AND Hogmanay 2009/2010 (The Revenge, Part Deux)!

The giddy part has not only to do with Scotland and another Hogmanay (although that is pretty exciting in itself), but has to do with a gathering of ALLLLL our friends for another one of those inconceivably great gatherings that we are so known for. The last major one was my wedding and looked like this (with some people missing 'cause they passed out or had to go put passed out people down):


I know, I know... I post this pic a lot (and if you click on it you can see a bigger version)...but I LOVE IT, kids, I love it!
Do you see those people!?? Can you imagine them (well, some of them...and some not pictured... and some who couldn't make it) gathered in Scotland for a wedding right before Hogmanay!? Oh the insanity!

*wipes a tear *
Yeah yeah yeah! I miss my friends... and I know we'll always gather no matter where we are or what we'll be doing

...bunch of drunks!

...'cause "and tired" always went with "Sick."

I surrender, cold. You can have me. Please, by the grace of this surrender... go easy on me.

Just please, be gentle.

© Natalie Dee