rats are little people too

according to all the news that's fit to print, rats are ticklish and giggle like human babies. which makes me think of mimi, pet rat of my friend lisa haas (playwright and performer extraordinaire), who was very cuddly and intuitive and totally lisa's familiar. and also about pulling my sandal-clad feet up onto the bench when making out in central park on a summer's night because, personally, having those little critters scurry over my feet does not encourage sexy feelings. thank you, rats, for such varied emotions and experiences.

we're gonna be priced out

i'm seeing all this stuff in the media about how the presence of gays and artists positively impacts the economy of a city. (here's one for example) well, duh...we're fabulash. all the media attention this is getting is a) good news and b) bad news. people are saying positive things about gays and artists -- yeah! we're gonna get priced out of the neighborhood we made desirable even more quickly now -- boo! *sigh* i'm so conflicted.

star anise

i had a lovely day despite the drizzle. (i've been sore about the grey and rain lately because it is the promise of a sunny july & august that keeps me going through the rainy winter.) i picked up the final installment harry potter, did a little joy riding (gosh i love to drive) and spent an hour in sephora (girly girl heaven -- i swoon). not a bad start.

then came the real fun -- hanging with my elizaebeth. we saw 'hairspray', which is a thoroughly awesome flick. bouncy music, positive social/political messages, fantastically campy choreography and john waters in what is one of my favorite movie cameos. we followed the movie with dinner at pho van -- not my introduction to vietnamese food, but my first time with the pho family of restaurants. tres yummy!

we topped the evening off with another portland-area first pour moi -- a trip to uwajimaya. i picked up glass noodles (who knew they were made with sweet potatoes?), my favorite japanese roasted mixed nuts ("a happy present from the earth" the package reads, and i concur), banana tapioca and myriad other goodies. (okay, maybe not ten thousand other goodies, but quite a few nonetheless.)

while in the spice aisle at uwajimaya, i spotted dried star anise. i've seen many pictures of star anise and knew exactly what i was looking at, but as i picked up the package i realized that i had never physically seen star anise before -- just photos of it. it seemed a strangely momentous occasion -- a reminder that even after nearly thirty years, there remain plenty of simple experiences yet to be had for the first time. it's nice to know that there are new things small as well as big to look forward to. (i know, i know, one doesn't end a sentence with a preposition, but "to which to look forward" seems awkward. hmm, awkward doen't look like it's spelled correctly, but yeah, i guess that's how it goes. it's fitting that the word looks its meaning, non?)

rascal scooter

the past two months have been a test in stamina under stress exacerbated by sleep deprivation. death, wedding, reunion, performance and work have taken their toll (as has the chronic dehydration of five cross-country flights in six week's time). my body has become exhausted to the point of mindless submission, which bizarrely has lead to very good voice lessons. (is the mind too tired to get in the way of the body or the body too tired to listen to the mind?)

i've taken sizable joys in the study of the species this exorbitant travelling has afforded. however, it was upon homecoming that i stumbled on a true treasure of people watching pleasuredom. (keep portland weird, right?)

apparently today is creative use of rascal scooter day among the frosties of gateway. there was the old lady on the red rascal scooter in the drive thru line at burgerville, sandwiched between the black mid-sized SUV and the silver 4-door sedan. no less than an hour later i saw yet another red rascal scooter in automotive territory (although admittedly in the crosswalk and making its way towards the sidewalk). captained by a time-compacted grey-haired male, there was a rope tied to the back of the scooter, and in tow was a wheelchair bearing a round, beret clad old dame. she held the thin rope with both frail hands while her swollen, house-slippered feet shuffled against the ground (as her wheelchair was lacking in footrests and her legs lacking in musculature).

perhaps only a wheelchair towing scooter could top a drive thru scooter.

why this, of all life events, seemed a worthy impetus to commence el bloggo, je ne sais pas. it was simply too preciously strange a sight not to share.