A Good Man

I learned recently that an old childhood friend's father has just passed away. This girl had been my best friend from fourth grade until the end of high school, where we eventually drifted apart during the growing pains of trying to come into our own as young adults.  After many years of separation we are now on good terms again. She has a beautiful family of her own now (we even ended up with the same last name, coincidentally). I was really happy to see she was happy and thriving. Now, my heart hurts for her. I hadn't seen her father in well over a decade, but I knew him pretty well back then.

I went on many a family vacation with them back then and after one of the many times my family uprooted and ended up in Denver, they actually looked me up and came to visit me. We went to Rocky Mountain National Park together and to Never Summer Ranch (which was one of my favorite places when I was a kid). Not many people gave me much thought unless it was to give me their daughter's hand-me-downs, but they made the effort to come see me from out of state. I didn't have any friends at that time, so to have my best friend remember me and come see me when I was twelve was so special to me. Her parents did such a kind thing those couple of days they were in Colorado.

Every year, the family would go to spend a week in Sedona and most years, I came along. I spent lots of time with my friend and her father. I got to learn terrible jokes, eat chili baked potatoes (a vacation favorite) and play pool. There were awesome nature hikes and Northern Arizona became my special place too. We dove off of rock cliffs and into Oak Creek at Grasshopper Point, floated down Oak Creek in a tiny rubber raft, swam in a "secret" swimming hole with a rope swing and walked barefoot on the red clay dirt. At night, I slept so soundly. I got to get away from my terrible home life for a while and just be a kid with my very best friend. I have her parents to thank for that. He was a good man, her father. I am sorry he is gone.

Deadlines

School is about to start and I am feeling restless. I want to go back to school and be productive. I need school right now. My search for employment has so far been both unsuccessful and degrading. Searching for work is the most loathsome of tasks. Seriously. I would rather go in for a pap smear than fill out online applications and take those personality tests. Those and the basic math questions are the worst. Yes, I can add and subtract, folks. The personality tests are so obviously trying to weed out shoplifters and people who suffer from depression (which is messed really messed up). I hate to break it to you, Big Box Stores of America, but working for you is totally depressing in and of itself. The key to taking these tests is to lie. You make yourself sound like Mary Poppins because it's what they want to see. I can understand the whole shoplifting thing though as I think stealing is pretty terrible. I think these tests are trying to weed out dummies as well. I mean, anyone who admits that they steal on a job application test has got to be a complete moron. Sorry, but these companies just aren't going to value your honest and raw opinions of life when you "tell it like it is" or whatever.

It's also a really shitty feeling to be rejected from places that sell toilet paper and Hot Pockets. (There is a definite correlation between those two items that I will not address, especially when using the word 'shitty' in the same sentence). Please, please, hire me to wear a smock/visor/apron/khaki pants/name tag so that I can have a boss nearly half my age for $7.25 an hour. I know I sound bitter and I am. I really really am. I have worked since I was old enough to babysit at twelve (I had to buy my own school clothes in junior high). I will admit though that getting even a not-so-awesome job right now will bring some relief. I need work because I need the money, but I also need to get out of my house and out of my head for a bit. Being unemployed is really not fun after a while. I thought I would make more art, but it didn't happen. I ended up cleaning my house a lot and watching the Cosby Show in its entirety. Productive and fun, right? I have come to the conclusion that I need deadlines or things just won't happen. Which brings me back to school. I need school because I not only need a skill set to hopefully avoid the endless parade of low-level shitty jobs (I'm working on shitty job #20, by the way),  I need some deadlines and structure. So, I am taking ceramics and metal work this semester along with some other courses, thus forcing myself to make art and get off of my sofa.

Speaking of deadlines, my besty has talked me into doing the NaNoWriMo (or the long version National Novel Writing Month) that takes place from November first through the thirtieth. I have some materials that I will get together and I will sign up this week. I am terrified of the challenge, but I think the deadline will put the proverbial fire under my ass which is a good thing because I need the pressure. I am also attempting to draw for the first time since I was fifteen (maybe?) and I don't care if it's good. I just need to be doing it. The same applies to life. I just need to be doing something.

Debut...Sort of, anyway.

Hi, My name is Wendy Lou and this is my blog. I actually had another blog a while back (okay, a year ago) that I stared more as a food/recipe type blog. I gave it a cute name (Stan By Your Yam-it's  pun-y, not funny, I know) and while I was pleased with it I eventually got distracted. I think the reason for this was that is was not as varied in content as my brain. I mean, I get distracted. My brain free associates. For example, if I hear the word 'fame', I immediately have the urge to belt out "I'm gonna live foreeeeeever!" or blurt out "Hammer time!" after someone abruptly says the word 'stop'.  This is both a gift and a curse. It's cool because I just know that my vast potpourri knowledge of pop-culture is totally going to come in handy when I am on some Jeopardy-esque quiz show. "I'll take 1990's rap lyrics for $1,000, Alex!"  *Buzz* "What is Baby Got Back?"  It's not-so-great because only other weirdos like me find it endearing or amusing. Whatevs. My life has spanned three decades thus far and while I know that changing one's brain is possible, I really don't want to change that part of mine. So, all two of you reading my rambly-ramblings,  be prepared for the colossal nerdiness that ensues and relish in my tales of conundrums and shenanigans. (I also love ridiculous multi-syllabic words).  The content will indeed be varied and may get rant-y as I do enjoy going off on a good tangent once in a while. I also like to gush about the neat-o things I find on the interwebs. Onward, ho! Like, as in pirate speak. I wasn't calling anyone a ho, unless of course you like to be called a ho, in which case, later, Ho.