Annual Report to Stakeholders

Gentle readers,

It's been a quiet fourth quarter on this site, with lots happening on the homefront. Recently I have been reflecting on what an amazing year it has been -- one of the best in recent memory and possibly in the last decade. Like a Phoenix who rose from the ashes, set herself on fire, and rose again, 2011 was a defining year. In the coming days, I'd like to share a year in review with you. A lot of what happened was too fresh to write about at the time, but time and space has made it more dear to me, and I'd like to document that.

I hope your year was a banner year, too. And if not, remember that just like you can start your day over at any time, I think you can also start your year over. Like, from today. These things are circular, we might as well take advantage of them.

I hope you will continue to invest in Fruitcake at Rest (get it--we go from Fruitcake Redux to Fruitcake at Rest--Updike reference anyone?) and trust that your attention and time are well spent, and appreciated, and will be returned to you tenfold to the best of my ability even if its just a long overdue post saying hey, thanks for reading, it means a lot to me.

So, thank you.

Love,
Mary

I do not think it is a coincidence

that Continental upgrades me to Elite status and in that same year I develop an inexplicable urge to visit the West Coast more often.

Nosir.

Songs About Rain

I have a lot of songs about rain. Some rain would be nice.

I mean, nicer than everything being on fire...

From my cold, dead paws!

Messing with TX

Me: hey--are you there?

Brother: Yes, I'm here. What's up?

M: I have to share this with someone and it can't be anyone at work
I just had the first treatment to get my TX tattoo removed
and it HURTSSSSSSSSSS

J: Ouch
Did I even know you HAD a TX tattoo?

M: did you?
it was/is on my back
just an outline of the state of TX

J: I see
But you can't tell people at work, because they will find excuses to slap you on the back?

M: I dunno, it's embarrassing

J: To be removing a tattoo?

M: yes, and, to admit that I have one in the first place

J: Just tell them that you didn't want your back associated with Rick Perry.

M: ohhhhh YESSSSSSSSSS
I knew there was a reason I came to you

J: Tell them that your tattoo has decided to secede from your body

M: Bwwwaahhhhhhhhh

Preventative Care

Houston FIT recommends "preventative sports massage."

YES!

An excuse to go get a massage before things get all achy: what a good idea.

The idea being that if you take care that all your joints are well-oiled and loose, you're less likely to get shin splints or later blow a knee out while training for your marathon or half-marathon or whatever.

There are other implications for this idea.

I've been writing elsewhere, privately (part of my preventative self-care regime, I suppose). I might come back here later.

That's all for tonight.

Waiting for the Yap

I've had a difficult time sleeping lately.

This weekend, at least, I blame it on pre-vacation jitters and all the stuff that needs to get done to prepare for that: the work in various states of completion put to hibernation or delegated, the house cleaned, the bags packed, the cat cared for, a key exchanged, the music updated, a book purchased, the (6am) flight caught.

All the various forms of communication yapping at me, or not yapping, and me waiting for the yap.

This might be a good trip to go into airplane mode, and stay there.

(But... but... live-tweeting!!)

To shut it down, for a week, to stop listening to the din, to stop broadcasting, and be present instead to my family and myself in a new place and experience.

(You can take paper notes, and consolidate when you get back.)

I think when you check in to a place, you should really be there.

In 48 hours, I will be in Portland.

CLEAN ALL THE THINGS

My, what a surprise pleasure April and May have turned out to be.

Between vacation, girlfriends, adventures, stuff to do, re-connecting with people I love, meeting new and interesting people, and taking care of the homestead, I'm giving 2011 a thumbs up.

Oh, we have had some lows.

Let's not gloss over the lows; the lows are defining. I have bruises on my knees. I cut my chin and bled all over the white sheets I never wanted. Who in their right mind purchases white sheets? Why would a person want that?

But for now: my house is clean, my work is valued, my bed and my eyes are open. The loops are open or closed or somewhere in-between. I am being honest; I am trusting the process, I am keeping it light.

We scrub the dirty residue of a week, or many weeks, or a year; whatever it is, we bleach it clean, we imagine a new tomorrow, we seek out that new life right around the corner, and try to be present and keen and real. If we fail (and we might fail) we imagine a map--the faint outline of a world map, and follow that, knowing that the outcomes will lead to more questions, and decisions, and possibilities.

Update Your Blog, Mary

OK, here in this moment...

-we are listening to KTRU, in its last week on air
-we are making progress on action items from CALIFORNIA, the vacation that ate all other vacations
-we are practicing California Cool at work, all the while things threaten to implode and eat our 4 day weekends.

That's ok if they do. There will be other, self imposed, four day weekends.

WE HAVE A TRAVEL VOUCHER.

We travel soooooooooooo well. Thanks United (boooooo!)/Continental (I miss/love you).

What is with this month, that has allowed us to eat and drink and see (girl)friends in such luxurious abundance? We can only declare this month, possibly, the Best Month Ever. Pictures are on Facebook, and if you aren't a Facebook friend, perhaps they will be posed to flickr soon.

Or perhaps not.

Ziplining!

We love ziplining.

It is not so much about "Jump Off The Thing," although that is good advice, as it is about what our tour guide suggested: "I am afraid of heights, but I TRUST THE EQUIPMENT."

Trust the equipment.
Invest in the right tools.
More maps!

These are all life lessons we took from California, plus others.

Oh the others!

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed travelling for travelling's sake. In the future, I will invest my relatives in meeting me places, so we can explore together, and experience less stress.

And more journeys.

What is life, but for the journey?

Yours,
Mary

font size and terror alert

me: jesus, I can't even visit the washingtonpost homepage anymore

friend: what happened

me: I keep looking and every headline gets scarier and in bigger font

f: with this meltdown biz?

me: yes
me: we are in a 36 point font situation

f: the houston chronicle is more reasonable, local basketball is the headline
f: if the washington post is at 36 pt, then the huffington post is at 80

me: that's what our government should adopt... screw this red, orange, yellow alert business...
me: how big is the font is what I want to know
me: yes, huffington post is same size, plus ALL CAPS

f: AHHHH
f: DOOOM

me: ohhhh! funny. but so not funny

Dearest Fruitcake Redux:

How are you? I have been pinging words to you more often over the last few months. I hope this is a welcome change, and not a burden. I hope you are not reading into it too much. I might go away again, and get very quiet, and that will be ok too. It doesn't change my feelings of affection towards you.

So let's just go there, shall we?

I have now been living on my own, in my own home, for upwards of three months. I have inherited some good habits from the most recent roommate, and I am also reverting to some bad ones pre-co-habitation. And let's face it: the last time I was not co-habitating, I was a lot younger. It was a different decade.

Speaking of decades, we are 31 today.

Pause for applause.

I was going to wait and paste this video at birthday #32, but who knows what happens between then and now. Maybe I'll need it more; maybe I'll need it less.



Whatever happens, we keep pressing on. We strive for "ah-HAAH" moments and dilated pupils and when presented with a choice to get out there or stay in, we get out. We seek out these opportunities. We do good work. We have our "automatic veto" list and are true to it, and we are also open to new people of different genres. (p.s. How's that genre been working out for you?)

But today is not a day to beat oneself up. Today is a day to breathe deep, enjoy life, be thankful to one's parents, and look forward to pleasures to come.

Happy birthday to me, internets.

The Thing About Starting Over Again Is...

It's not about you, it's about me.

As in:

Who am I when I am with you?
Do I still value the things I think I value, and am I living it?
Are you into other things that maybe I should get into?
Do I have anything interesting to say, when I am with you?
Do you understand me? Are you even trying? Am I comfortable enough to make you understand me?

It brings to mind the motto for 2002-2003, that is, "fake it 'till you make it."

I think.

I don't know.

I think maybe you have to pretend, like, "HEY! I am totally comfortable in this weird-o situation" until you get to a point where, presto, you are.

Maybe I shouldn't take dating tips from the Bachelor/Bachelorette.

I am just going to say it

Putting my books on shelves and alphabetizing them is the best drug out there.

I mean, really, what a high. Especially when they are positioned in the room in a place where I can look at them in all their curated, Dewey decimal glory.

MARY. Become a librarian. What is wrong with you?

I have multiple copies of many, so come take a look and we'll work out a loan system.

TurboTax Passive Aggression

"Your income went down a little this year, but don't fret! We'll keep an eye out for new money-saving write-offs for you next year."

Robyn

Y'all, I am so excited for this show...



But, probably, it won't sound like that. It will sound like this:



And they both sound great, right?? Mark of a great artist.

Who is this newfangled lady, you ask? Actually, you know her, remember? We were 17.



Did you know she is Swedish? Like ABBA!

Anyway, excited.