girl at large

Still My Fondest Dreams

A co-worker asked me what I had wanted to be when I grew up, when I was little:

"A textile designer".
"And one of the people who does the tiny little line drawings and doodles in the New Yorker."

(pause)

"Oh, and a war-zone photojournalist".

"A what?" (shocked expression).

"Yeah, why not? I have one of the coats even."

I wonder if Tom still wants to be a racecar driver.

Party Girls

The gang all together for Miss Meg's birthday.

me talk funny.

I've been the point of amusement, and frequent outright laughter, for my verbal use of language. Distict speech patterns and local colloquisms from the varied places I've lived have randomly taken hold in my daily spoken word bank. I can't help it, I just pick these things up.

A few minutes on the phone with a friend from the homestate, and I'm channeling characters from Fargo. An evening of a PBS travel show and my laugh is frenchie-nasal for a day. Never mind the six months I spent with an affected British sing-song tone--Mom and Peg had a riot with that. I can't help it, it just happens!

Yesterday, on the radio, I heard a distinguished classical actress say "and I gave him the what-for"! You hear that? Giving someone "what for" is a commonly, if not frequently, used phrase! I'm not a weirdo. Ok, I am a weirdo but not for this. Take note snickering co-workers, because the next time you snicker, you're getting the What For!

You want I should post more?

Is there such a thing as a Home Town?

I was asked an interesting, and bothersome, question today: "What is your hometown?". Huh. I'm not sure how to answer that.

Born in San Francisco, but only there for one year.
Then lived in Columbia, Missouri but gone by the age of 3 or 4.
Raised, as it were, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. But we spent many weekends in 'the city': Chicago, Illinois. (I'm clinging hard to the fact that Mom and Dad did technically own a co-op there).
Then, Chicago proper in my late teens and early twenties. (And don't forget a year in boarding school in Lake Forest, IL, but then I'd also have to count that boarding school year in Beaver Dam, Wi too.)
And as an adult, it's back to Wisconsin, Madison this time (but it's an island unto itself, does that count?).
Then off to Savannah, Georgia for nearly five years.
Two years in Antibes, France and now I find myself in Portland, Oregon.

Did I miss anywhere?

I considered this hometown question very carefully because the reply is going to be IN PRINT. The pressure.

I settled on Chicago, because that's were I feel most at home. I gave my sister a hard time once for listing Chicago (instead of Fond du Lac) on her college graduation program, but now I think I understand---do you really want the world to think of you as hailing from a place where the local paper has a Big Buck Club photo feature??

Berfday

It was my birthday yesterday, and it went well. After recovering from the previous night out (work holiday party at Hubers, Spanish Coffees=very bad things), I managed to get myself together for a great dinner out with friends at Paley's Place, someplace I hadn't been before. It was the perfect pick, fabulous food and fun friends, and we were the third birthday group there last night---seems it's a popular place for elegant celebrations. My tummy is still recovering from all the rich food, but I'll take that over a Spanish Coffee hangover any day!

Despite myself.

Damn it, I'm happy. Portland, more clearly than ever after some time in Smogville, is becoming a very liveable, enjoyable city with lots to offer. My job is good, I like what I do and I seem to not suck at it. I've had the chance to travel to see beloved family recently. Friends have journeyed here to see me. My dog still greets me with enthusiasm. I'm not painting, but I'm ok with that--it will come back, when I have the time and inspiration in the future-and I like that, I like that it's my little thing to pull out when it pleases me and me only. I have friends all over the world, most of whom keep in touch regularly with stories of adventures great and small. My little apartment is looking like a proper home, only a few projects remain and who wants to be short of home improvement projects anyway? My health is good; a good friend just the other day said I look great, that despite what I say about living here, it must work because it looks good on me. Ha ha. I think I finally let the boy go, so I'm ready for the next new boyfriend (that was only five years in the making). With the good job and new wheels, I have new freedoms to enjoy and adventures to plan. I was even recently paid to write about my crocheting hobby (and the resulting bersitus). So, I'm good, I'm ready..bring on the next big thing!

Ok, so it's good here. I'm happy. Damn it.

recent chat, topic of nesting; specifically Ikea

Katemikkelsen: oh, when you go to Ikea, do NOT buy a Letten rolly-bathroom-cart-thingy
taaterdog: why is that
Katemikkelsen: because you might not be able to get it together after a really long day of putting things together
Katemikkelsen: and then you might freak out, stomp on it
Katemikkelsen: breaking it into tiny plastic pieces
Katemikkelsen: flying one into your dog's eye
Katemikkelsen: requiring a vet visit and an explanation
taaterdog: oh god, who could have predicted a trip to ikea would turn so tragic for poor Ruby

hello world

Dan and Angel's lovely baby girl, Alyssa Marie, born the Friday before last.

Left Behind

This photo broke my heart tonight.

So many resources denied to the people who needed them most, and the suffering continues. We should be ashamed. And angry. And we should do something.

Please donate to the Red Cross.

Congratulations!

Dan and Angel had their baby girl on Friday, yippee!

storm of the century?

The South will always have a part of my heart---I have found memories of New Orleans, I hope that Hurricane Katrina spares that great old town.

meanings

I dreamt last night that I had a second, previously undiscovered bathroom.

Interpretation #1 (inspired by star-gazing, horoscope-reading friend): I have an unknown, previously undiscovered opportunity coming up.

Interpretation #2 (inspired by blessing-notebook keeping, fuzzy-light friend): I already have more than I am appreciative of.

Interpretation #3 (my own more cynical first thought): I had to pee.

Everything In Its Place

Last week, I got a little surprise in the mail, and boy, did it ever make my day! When I first got the delivery notice, I was puzzled--what had I ordered? Did I order something online and forget about it again? When the box arrived, I was even more puzzled..Pottery Barn Kids?

No mistaking it when I opened the package----divided trays! RED divided trays! Only one person knows me that well and would get such a kick ---Miss Dawn!!

I think I'm the only person I know who loved 'hot lunch' in grade school. Or built paper napkin 'dams' at dinner time. I remember my divided plate with great fondness (Mom finally gave in and got me one, having grown disgusted with soppy napkin bits on my plate). I love flying, mostly for the nifty dinner service.

Nothing like having friends who embrace your neurosis. :)

Congratulations Sony, the graduate!!!

once a Cheesehead, always a Cheesehead

Todays funny e-mail forwarding:

"More Wisconsin Humor - these are so true!

It is common for the wedding party to go home and do chores between the
wedding service and the reception.
The town you grew up in had a bar called Ma's Place.
Your best shirt has a big letter G on it.
You know how to polka, but never tried it sober.
FFA was the most popular club in high school.
You've seen a Hodag, or, at least you think that's what it was.
You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July.
You know it's traditional for the bride and groom to go bar hopping
between
ceremony and the reception.
You know that there is no 'r' in Wausau.
You were delighted to get a miniature snow shovel for your 3rd
birthday.
You can recognize someone from Illinois by their driving.
You buy your Christmas presents at Fleet Farm.
You are a connoisseur of cheese curds, and find anyone unfamiliar with
them
to be frighteningly foreign.
You get irritated at sports announcers that pronounce it
"Wes-con-sin".
You own at least one cheese head.
You immediately think of fishing when you hear the name
"Shakespeare."
You spent more on beer than you did on food at your wedding.
You know that Kaukauna is NOT a Hawaiian Island.
You hear someone use the word "oof-dah" and you don't
immediately break into
uncontrollable laughter.
You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65 mph.
You or someone you know was a "Dairy Princess" at a county
fair.
You know that "combine" is a noun.
You know what a FIB is.
You know that a pastie is not an article of clothing.
You let your older siblings talk you into putting your tongue on a
steel
post.
You think Lutheran and Catholic are THE major religions.
You can tell the difference between "real Wisconsin cheese" and
that
"Illinois stuff."
You know that creek rhymes with pick.
Your class took a field trip to a brewery. . in second grade.
Football schedules are checked before wedding dates are set.
You can visit Luxemburg, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Berlin, and Poland
all
in one afternoon.
A Friday night date is taking your girlfriend shining for deer.
There was at least one kid in your class who had to help milk cows in
the
morning. ...phew!
You have driven your car on a lake.
You can make sense out of the words "upnort" and
"batree."
The Packers will always be better than the Vikings, no matter what the
standings are.
You know that De Pere is not a wooden structure extending into "Da
Lake."
You can leave your ice cream in the car while you go into Fleet Farm! ,
and
it won't melt.
You always believed that vacation meant "going up north."
You have more fishing poles than teeth.
At every wedding you have been to you have had to dance the hoky poky
& the
chicken dance.
You know what a bubbler is.
Your definition of a small town is one that only has one bar.
The local gas station sells live bait.
At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.
You laugh out loud every time you see a news report about a blizzard
shutting down the entire east coast.
Your mom asks, "Were you born in a barn?" and you know exactly
what she
means.
You include beer as one of the major food groups.
You know which leaves make good toilet paper.
Your sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.
You are a member of the Polar Bear Club and proud of it.
You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.
You learned to drive a tractor before the training wheels were off your
bike.
Your bank has the name of your town included in its name.
You actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your
Wisconsin
friends."

...and of course, I did. My favorite part---the original sender was from the UW Ag department! Spending that week with Angel and Dan, (Dan being from Stoughton, Wisconsin) brought back good memories---though next time I'll insist they arrive bearing cheese curds and Kringle.

little worlds

apartment therapy's smallest, coolest apartment contest ....never, ever complain about just 500 sq. ft.--some of these folks have made do with half that!

woo-hoo!

Company's coming! Company's coming!

blondes (and alligators) do have more fun...

Happy Birthday Balls!

small, complicated world

Dad and technology are having a rough time this week. He says it's easier to take out a gallbladder than it is to send photos online. And now, his tractor won't shut off. It's been running for 12 hours straight now, is almost out of fuel. The tractor guy is coming to pick it up for repairs.

'The Tractor Guy'. Who is the tractor guy? Does every town have one?

Funny, related story:

I have a customer, very friendly and chatty, who happens to be from Wisconsin. Turns out, when he was a med student, the school farmed them out to spend a few days working with 'country doctors' in small towns and rural areas. He got sent to.....wait for it........Fond du Lac!!!!

As the world thinks about the passing of the Pope, I can't help but recall how important his foreign travels and visits were to our 5th and 6th grade Current Events classes. Challenger, Mt.St. Helens, Beirut, Geraldine Ferraro, Chernobyl, and the Pope---grade school in the eighties.

We're no longer a religious family, but I'm sure my Grandma Mickey has some thoughts on John Paul II this week. Once Catholic, you're kinda always Catholic.

achieving

It's getting the recognition and celebration it deserves, the movie Uncle Bert calls: "the best movie ever, man".

This years fest was held a block away from my brother Thomas' house. A BLOCK AWAY. And he didn't go.

so sad.

Especially for Martine...

all the American euphamisms I can come up with for a certain part of the female anatomy:

Rack
Melons
Hooters
Set or Pair
Hoo-ha's
Peaches
Knockers
Cha-cha's
Tits (though I prefer the more informal "Titties")

Am I forgetting any?

Happy Easter!

It's not Easter without Peeps! Or homemade matching dresses, white knee highs and little boy bowties.

I suspect that first picture isn't actually Easter--it's far too green--note the interior shots of the other two, and the just barely visible snowy scene out the window. Peg, Tom--do you remember? And Tom--in that last shot, how did you get such a raw deal with that teeny weeny basket??

Of course, now, my holiday treat comes in a bottle, not a basket. I wonder which color Peeps go best with red wine? Blue? Yellow? Pink?

Oh Canada!

It's alot easier than you'd think to emigrate to Canada.

eats on wheels

The Custard heard a little story on NPR today about Superfast Pizza, a delivery company that bakes the pizza in the truck on the way to your house. It's in Fond du Lac.

But is order-in better than a good ol' sit down at Schreiner's?

home sick for the southland

Browsing a copy of "1001 Places to See Before You Die" while waiting at the checkout counter; it fell open to "Savannah's Historic District".

Hm. Message in a point-of-purchase display?

Feeling Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now that I don't live there and am spared the smell of public pee the next morning, I'm a bit nostalgic for the big celebration in Savannah.

found

I'm finally, at long last, set up online at home. wee-hee! I feel like a real person!

And, what better timing for an old friend to look me up online? Good to have you back Amy!

Happy Birthday a moi, et H.

The 5am birthday (international) phone call. Gee, thanks for thinking of me---but maybe next time, think of the time zones???? ha ha.

Oh well, it's my birthday! Woo-hoo! (and H.'s too, woo-hoo!)

woo hoo!

Each year around this time, I start to think of my new motto for the next year. (Thanks, Aunt Maria--still a great idea 15 years later).

I got by with the same one for the last two years: "It's all a blank canvas" (runner up: 'Doin' it frenchie style').

This topic comes to mind because of the following, sent by a friend:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
 safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used
up and totally worn out, screaming "WOO HOO! What a ride!"

Love that. "Woo Hoo!" might just make a perfect motto for 2005.
     

Thanksgiving

I had a great Thanksgiving with the Mysterious H. ---shared the cooking a bit (I was assigned stuffing, cranberries and white-trash style sweet potatoes--no sweat)and had a perfect day. You know, for spending it in a strange town, with strangers (well, not really) and feeling entirely discumbobulated (sp?).

We found a complete butterball turkey, still in its wrapper, on a lawn down the street. Grandma woulda freaked--what a waste.

some things never change, they aren't supposed to

Life in Savannah remains about the same---warm, muggy, relaxed and friendly---even as the storefronts on Broughton Street continue their revolving-business roller-coaster. The squares are lovely, the moss is hanging and cocktails flowing---and I can't help feeling that it's time for me to get going.

Savannah was good for me, it was the first big change that allowed me to make all the later changes, some smaller, a few much bigger. It was the first big adventure, the first new place, new culture, new fears, going out there without a rope----I will miss it: that moody, rough-around-the-edges spirit that welcomes kooks and eclectics and makes miracles of crab cakes.

I leave on Friday morning. I'll be back, but no, it won't ever really be the same.

The Big Day

remember to vote! vote, vote, vote!

Waiting for Guffmann meets The Office meets Homeland Security meets Wisconsin

This I just have to share. Wait for the download, it's worth it. Thanks H.

p.s. It's not Wahkeeesha, it's Waukesha---"Walk-a-shaw", but we'll just have to forgive them that.

spell check

Merriam-Webster has come out with it's newest dictionary, including some interesting new additions. My favorite new 'official' word: pleather.

oh yeah, i'm gonna be a great auntie

Gracie got a little gift at the pharmacie the other day--a keychain with a stuffed raccoon attached---rather cute. My reply when she showed it to me:

"Oh, look! A raccoon! How cute! They eat garbage and carry rabies!"

oops.

bon anniversare!

Today was Grace's birthday party---she's two years old! After Grace realized that I wasn't there because her mom and dad were leaving (I watch her so regularly, she always associates me with mom and dad leaving), she enjoyed her party and all the presents. The sweater Mom made her for her first birthday is still too big (!) but the poncho I made her this year---the perfect wieght for the area's mild winters--was a hit, she found it particularly fun to swing it around and wap things with it. Thatta girl.

visit revisited

Gordon, Mom's gentleman friend, sent these pictures that he snapped during our dinner party when Mike and Matt were visiting last month. Check out that last one---Mom and Mike, all that love! Pity Gordon was too busy taking pictures to be in one!

is it just another day?

this is the day, three years ago, that i learned of the insignificance of refrigerators. all my loving thoughts to those who know what i'm talking about, and a few more loving thoughts to those who don't.

oh, the things people say

--"Miami's airport was crowded with tourists whose vacations were ruined or interrupted by Frances. "I think it's a big fuss over nothing," said 35-year-old Geraldine Lamb, who was visiting from London."--
Right-o sweetheart.

"Nothing" being Hurricane Francis, just on the heels of last month's deadly Hurricane Charley.

where's Kevin Bacon in all this?

Bjorn, a retired chief of police from Norway, currently working part-time for a publishing company specializing in true crime stories, has a brother whose son is attending university, studying music, in Lincoln, Nebraska, where my father attended college not too far from his own home town of Edgar, Nebraska. Bjorn's favorite true crime story of the evening involved a Danish airstewardess who was murdered and then dismembered in a wood chipper by her American husband, much the same as the victim in the movie Fargo from the Coen brothers, originally from Minnesota, my home state's northwesterly neighbor, and home of the camp where I first learned French. Bjorn's best friend's wife is an artist, a painter. Bjorn's friend looks just like my father, though my dad never sported quite that elegant a moustache. My father's side of the family is Danish (hence Mikkelsen and not Mickelson, which would make us Swedish, possibly German or just poor spellers). Bjorn, here on vacation every August for the past four years, works with a Danish man who has also brought his family on vacation here in Antibes this week. Bjorn and his wife spent a three week vacation in the States, visiting places such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and of course, Fargo, where they were greeted like family when every third person they met shared their last name. They also went to....Portland.

Did I mention Bjorn and his wife bought one of my paintings last night?

the more you know, the more you wonder

The City of Roses, City of bridges, whatever you call it, Portland, beyond the outdoor beauty and organic produce, has a wacky side:
Admire chess sets and mannequins at the Maryhill Museum (or get a used mannequin of your own, or rent Mannequin, the greatest movie ever!). A writer's hotel. Everyone, even marauding Santas and paranormal investigators, needs an island getaway.

I'm loving this book, Fugitives and Refugees, A Walk in Portland, Oregon by Chuck Palahniuk. As well as a weekly dose of these Portland stories.

Thanks again to H for the suggestion.

Oh!Photo!

Voila! Here's Mike and Matt's complete online photo album of their visit to Paris and Antibes---some great shots, those boys are so damn cute. Has it been nearly a week since they left already? Miss 'em so.

blank

I've been trying to paint this week....emphasis on trying....Don't know what it is; summer lethargy or perhaps the stress of attempting to arrange this big move back to the States, but everything is turning out crap. I think my life is too disorganized and uncertain at the moment to allow my mind to make confidant decisions with a brush or pencil. It's hard to face a blank canvas when your entire LIFE is blank at the moment!

I did manage to get some creativity going in the house though, little Miss Grace joined me for a morning of painting---she loved it. She has a technique of mashing the brush with such force and concentration that she vibrates bodily. Admirable dedication to the work little girl!

Bon Voyage!

Seeing Mike and Matt off on the train this morning.

Sante!

The only image I have of every evening's routine---wine, wine and more wine. And those funny, funny boys.

two friends, three days, a tower, three trains, one bus, a boat, a dozen cafes and goodness knows how many bottles of wine....

taking a tour of the harbor on Tishie Mae (that counts as 'sailing', right?), doing time in the cattle car, taking in the view, tripping down pictureseque lanes and having a hellava good time!

old habits die hard

Mike is here all of two hours, and what happens? I fall! Ankle kaput, Kate down. This only happens, ONLY, when Mike is around!!!!!! ouch. It's all purple and swollen, usually that's a good thing.....

follow the little birdie

I had no idea. Watching the Olympic Games from a euro/brit point of view is enlightening. Did you know there was Olympic badminton? I played once, as a girl, at French camp in Hackensack, MN (yes, even I hate myself). But any Olympic dreams were dashed by an overwhelming fear of small, fast-moving objects.

We fenced too. That ended in disaster when two older girls in my cabin used the foils to intimidate me into giving up my beloved Esprit shirt. Pre-teen tragedy.

the Portland binder continues to grow fat and happy

Humorous print:The Portland Mercury, a celebration of the pint:Oregon Brewers Festival, living on the cheap:PDX DirtCheap, living to eat: The Bite of Portland, where to drink:Bar Fly, where to get vegan doughnuts:Voodoo Doughnuts, a little jazz:Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, some big sausages:Otto's Sausage Kitchen, something to watch:Cinema 21, another something to read:Willamette Week and lots more, some better, some Best of Portland.

Thanks H.

Yeah!

Savannah, 1999/ New York City, 2002......coming soon to this space, "Antibes, 2004"....

Mike is coming! Mike is coming! I'm so thrilled--- gorgeous, funny, lovely-in-everyway Mike is coming for a visit in mid-August--just in the nick of time while I'm still here! I better catch up on my sleep...Mike likes to have a good time. (and no, not what you're thinking.)

more to like everyday

My file folders for Portland are getting full---

Life will be made easier for Miss Ruby with resources, leash-free parks and services found at DogNose News and Portland Pooch. It's a very dog-friendly area, by comparison to most mid-sized American cities. Probably no brioche treats from the baker, but we can't have everything!

Getting around should be easy: if I can't take the streetcar, light rail or bus, I can always use FlexCar, just the answer for a car-free gal. Check out this virtual streetcar tour. For getting away, Amtrak Cascades offers scenic trips to Seattle, Tacoma, etc. And for good old-fashioned foot-power, walking Portland is rumoured to be easy (only 1 mile for every 20 blocks) and pleasant on your own or with a guide, ranking as one of the best walking cities year after year (interestingly; Chicago, Madison and Savannah all also make the list regularly).

Live weather camera feeds show that it's not all rain, all the time---there is some sunshine. And the climate makes for lots and lots of greenery---the town is fairly bursting with parks and public gardens.

Just as I narrow down a neighborhood to live in, with the help of Portland Maps (a little creepy, but amazing information:enter an address or intersection and have instant access to maps of all kinds, census information and even aerial photographs!), I find another one just as interesting...there's popular and yuppy NorthWest, nearby overpriced but good for shopping Pearl District, hippy-dippy Hawthorne, the eclectic Alberta Arts District, casual St. John's and more. I'm spoiled for choice, that's why I've chosen a much larger city.

bringing up baby: it's not so much "-sitting" as it is "-enabling"...

I've been taking care of Grace three nights a week, we have a good time together and I enjoy teaching her all the things a kid should know, especially if she ever intends to visit the States. She's mastered the Hi-Five; we're still working on the Lo-Five but she'll get there. Jumping-on-the-Bed 101 is going swimmingly and she now knows without a doubt where her "butt" is and how to "shake it". Who says I'm not good with kids? This kid loves me! She can't get enough of "Sharp Stick" and "Fresh-Fruit Tennis"!. I'm gonna be the best Auntie ever!

how to fill the day...

I am begining to relate to Odd Todd.

open the shop and she will come

Portland Modern (real estate, back in favor and rapidly rising in price), including plenty of Rummers, the original Eichler copycat (so they say), new and vintage furnishings at Splinter, catalog come to life at Design Within Reach, modern accessories and giving-goodies at Relish, scandinativan modular basics at Hip, high-end and contract furnishings from id collection and Hive, vintage scrounging (at not-so-vintage prices anymore) at Era and Hawthorne Vintage, clean and classic and undeniably Danish at Dania, everything in it's place with Portland Closet Company, a place setting for every meal from Sur la Table, my beloved sea salt and cooking classes at In Good Taste, fresh eats from Eastbank Farmers' Market (there's more than one!), wash it down at Hip Chicks Do Wine, something authentic for the wall from Twist, another something for the coffee table (at my house also the bookshelves, the nightstand and the john) from Powell's Books, and a touch of France for the face and body from L'Occitane.

how could i not love Portland?

oh, and there's nightlife too. and over 150 coffee houses including one that will wash your dog while you enjoy your espresso! how great is that?

and there's outdoorsy stuff too...

Oregon has lots of green leafy and granola daytrips and weekend excursions, including Mt. St.Helens, the Columbia River Gorge, and Crater Lake (at right, i LOVED the area when i saw it on vacation with The Custard a few years ago). you can explore by the gorge by paddle boat, the foothills of Mt. Hood by rail or drive to Cannon Beach.

on the map

now that Savannah has rated a Starbucks, it's got a Summit and some real excitement. be sure to view the photo gallery, very amusing.

missing all the excitement

the G8 Summit is coming to Sea Island, Georgia. nearest city? Savannah! oh my, Bush being well, Bush, increased security, news media, rallies and protestors....is sleepy Savannah really ready for this?

can't keep up with it all

first camera phones, now mobile blogging (here's Tom's)....pretty soon we'll all have hat-coptors like Inspector Gadget....

it's starting to make me feel old, not being able to keep up with the technology. there was no doubt i was feeling my age the other day when i found a group of loitering french teenagers intimidating---i think i may even have said "Packs of teenagers are scary". now, i know i thought the same thing when i actually was one myself, but still.....