Reinspired

I've been inspired to get back to blogging. Or just communication, in general. I've been pretty bad about keeping in touch with people through Facebook, etc. For a while the most it's been is a sporadic status update or an occasional Google chat conversation.

Wow....my last post was July! Sheez....

Okay, I guess the key to successfully remaining committed to something like this is to keep it small, manageable.

So today was my friend Helen's 49th birthday. I just baked iced pumpkin cookies (this is a tried and true recipe that I highly recommend. Plus, if you gather all these ingredients, you'll have everything you need for homemade pumpkin pie, too). We're celebrating tonight!

TGIF

I remember watching the Friday night line-up of shows that made up TGIF: Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Boy Meets World, Sister Sister, etc. Boy, those were great shows. I didn't even know about cable television back in the day - and I was content without it.

I'm glad today is Friday. It's time to rest and time to play!

Snowmen melting

Every so often these past couple weeks, I catch myself dreaming about wearing scarves again. I cannot wait for scarf weather to return. Sharp winds catching bright cheeks. Burrowing deeper into a scarf. Hugging the warmth.

It's been over 105 degrees the majority of the last several weeks. I need relief.

In other news, I've found my alternative calling in case this whole journalism thing flops - painting!

Just kidding, but really I've been doing some serious painting lately, of the HGTV sort. Tomorrow, I'll be going down to Apple Valley with a group of folks to paint inside Dariesa's new house. About three weeks ago, a bunch of us got together to paint the outside of Melody's house. According to some observers, I've got a pretty mean rolling technique. I'm working on honing that skill. Perhaps it can earn me a dollar or two one day. Maybe.

What time is it?

Holy shmoly, it's been practically three whole months of solid abandonment. Sorry. Not that you were incessantly checking or anything, but I don't like creating a blog and then being flaky. How about a quick Cliff Notes version of a life update?

1. Gym: I joined this gym that's less than five minutes from where I live and it has suddenly become my second home. If I'm bored, I just go there. I've become one of those people who have "gym friends." It still weirds me out a little. I've gotten hooked on the early morning yoga classes. I'm starting to sound pretty cliche, right? Anyway, I'm loving this new hobby, it's making me feel a lot healthier, and I'm actually committing to it - not just going gung-ho then fizzing out.

2. Home: I went home to Oregon over Memorial weekend, which was strangely not relaxing but a lot of fun. Usually when I go home my parents just want me and my brother to hole up and not go anywhere out of their sight, but they actually planned activities to do (all together, of course), which was cute. We went hiking at a waterfall, BBQed on the back porch, watched Slumdog Millionaire, played lots of ping pong, and rode the new downtown Portland tram (okay, it's not really new, but it's new to me since I hadn't ridden it before). Overall, A+.

3. Work: I'm the most senior reporter now. Not very impressive, really. It just means everybody has left and new people have replaced them. But regardless, I feel like I'm sort of responsible for "stuff" now. Uh-oh, better be careful.

4. Atlanta: I surprised Heej for her 25th birthday and got to catch up with many Atlanta friends. It felt so wonderful to be back there...and to not be in school. I really missed being in a car full of girls, or eating good Asian food, or just talking face to face. Sigh, so good. Overall, A+. The plane ride over there, however, with an early flight out of Vegas was brutal, B-.

5. Hiking boots: I just bought a pair of Timberland hiking boots and plan to wear 'em down this summer. My first excursion is going to be in two weeks. It's just a day trip, but it'll involve multiple water bottles, sunscreen and trail mix, so you better believe it's gonna be intense. And awesome.

That's all for now. I'll be around more often. It's summer time!

One last time

True story.

I once knew a girl from college who was a true Southern bell. She lived next door in my freshman dorm. We became friends sometime mid-year.

She could be jubilant for ordinary reasons, like no one I've ever met. Kindness came easily to her. We were on the crew team together for almost a year. She was everyone's doll.

She had complex issues in her life, that neither you nor I, God forbid, will ever face, but it was quickly apparent that the friendship she offered was uncomplicated.

A little less than a month ago, I found out some heartbreaking news.

The girl had passed away just after fulfilling one of her dreams: meeting actor Chris North (aka Mr. Big from Sex in the City) in, where else, New York City.

And as the realization hit me, my thoughts immediately went to all the times in the past that I had told myself to write, call, send a Facebook message, or even text a "hey." We'd fallen out of touch the last year or so of college. But in my mind, there would always be another time to really catch up with her, to make minor amends for having let our friendship fall by the wayside. I wasn't hurt - I didn't think she was hurt (I hoped, at least). We had just disconnected.

Since hearing of her death, I've had a tugging feeling of regret. I am sorry.

Then last night, I fell asleep. I hadn't been thinking about my friend in a few days, but she appeared in my dream. I was standing in line somewhere - an airport or a department store - when I saw someone coming up to me and realized it was her.

Before I got out a word of apology, she just hugged me.

And then my alarm woke me up.

California, with the Terminator at the helm

I have no idea what could have possessed Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for California governor. But now that our state's dealing with a $41.6 billion budget crisis, everyone hates him and he has to wrangle all the people up in Sacramento to help get the state out of this mess. I don't envy him.

This has been on my mind lately because being that deep in the hole at a state level has deeply affected school districts across California, including in Barstow. Tonight I got back from close to six hours of back-to-back meetings about potentially closing three schools in one of our districts because there simply isn't money to keep the doors open and pay teachers.

Sure, this isn't the first time talk of shutting down schools has cropped up, but there's a palpable desperation in the air when person after person stands before the school board and pleads - all with different causes (teachers, parents, principals) - to spare their school. It's such a cruel situation.

So what can be done? People write letters and send emails to legislators in Sacramento. Sixth graders compile lists of how they think the district can cut the necessary $5 million from next year's budget (their ideas range from changing the cafeteria food to installing energy efficient bulbs, all cute and not nearly enough). Teachers write letters to my editor, parents call me to vent, principals ask me to cover a story about their school, eager to cast any positive light as the inevitable axe gets ready to fall.

But mostly, we wait. The state, and hence the district, is in so deep that not much can be done at this point, besides swallowing hard and waiting for the school board to hand down its decision. I anticipate there'll be a firestorm upon announcing which schools will be shuttered. I already have an inkling which one's they'll be, and I'm already dreading writing that story.

Happy Inauguration Day, folks!