Holy Crap, is that Paulie Bleeker?!

In your mind’s eye, imagine this:

He’s standing on the corner at the bus depot at the Lakewood mall, completely oblivious to everything and everyone around him. He adjusts his backpack with a shrug of his shoulder but otherwise doesn’t move.

He’s wearing red running shorts and a light colored t-shirt under a somewhat puffy jacket. You also notice that he’s wearing the old-school type of tennis shoes with socks pulled up almost to his knees. His socks are white with red stripes at the top. He has coordinated his color scheme and accented it with… yes, you can’t believe your eyes but its true… red wrist bands and a red headband that doesn’t seem to push back his shaggy hair as much as you’d hope it would.


(He looks a heck of a lot like Paulie Bleeker from the movie Juno, only 15 years older…)

He’s at least 6’2” and sandy blonde with a short but unkempt beard that makes you think he’s roughly in his late-20’s or maybe even his early 30’s. But it’s hard to tell since you are taking in this intensely curious image within the space of less than 5 seconds.

The part that makes this image crystal clear in your mind? He’s got a copy of one of the Series of Unfortunate Events books being held an inch away from his nose with one hand, and his other hand is picking his nose in a more than aggressive fashion.


(I’m pretty sure it was this one in particular.)

Attractive, eh? I swear I saw this exact image—now burned into my brain forever—just yesterday while driving past the Lakewood Town Center bus depot. *snort* You just can’t make this stuff up!

Pic of the Day!

(click on the photo to see the artist’s page)

There is so much I could say about this photo. I think everyone could take a glance and read something into it. But here’s my take:

I think this girl is trying to figure out if she’s really alone or not. At first I thought that she was. But then I took a closer look and noticed that there are two pairs of shoes on the dock next to her. And it made me wonder, where’s the owner of the second pair of shoes? I kept thinking that maybe the other person was submerged and that this girl—the one in the photo—was holding her breath, waiting for him to re-emerge from the dark depths of the watery abyss. She certainly seems focused on the water. Is she watching something just under the surface, or maybe waiting for something to happen? How long has this mysterious second person been out of sight? And how long is she going to wait for him before giving up? The longer I look at this photo, the more questions I ask myself.

Now, if you thought that I was going to compare this photo to myself and my relationship status, well… you’re absolutely right. But I’ll let you come up with the different parts of the analogy yourselves. It could be very simple, but most of the time it turns into something far too complex. At least, too complex for me to sit here and try to explain in a way that would make sense to you, my lovely readers.

But here’s my final question to you:

How long do you think either of them can hold their breath before they realize that everything has changed?

Shots Fired! Well, Sort of.

When my dad knocked on my bedroom door this morning and told me he wanted to speak with me I started getting that feeling. You know, that ominous feeling like, “Oh crap, now what’ve I done?” Which kind of surprised me because it’s not like I’ve ever been in a situation with my dad where he’d be all, “BAD girl! BAD!” to me. Of course, when I thought about it I had to laugh because it came out a-la Cartman from South Park when he shouts at his kitty, “No kitty, this is MY pot pie. BAD KITTY!”


(click on Cartman to listen to what I mean! *giggles*)

Anyway, So about an hour later I finally made it over to talk with Dad. I sat across the room from him sipping on my Crystal Light while he sat in front of his computer. Thankfully, all he wanted was to see how my siblings were doing. He mentioned how bad he felt for not keeping in touch with them as much as he’d like and blah blah blah… you know, the usual good-dad stuff (‘cause he’s rad like that).

It was while we were just chatting about the sibs when we heard the shots. The noise was so loud that I shut up immediately after the first shot and looked out his window towards the noise. We could tell it was close. Then I made some comment like, “that doesn’t sound good.” A few seconds later, after hearing four or five shots in a row my dad jumped out of his chair and said, “That’s gunshot!” and he started hurrying towards the door. I stood and listened a little bit closer, knowing that my dad is also half-deaf (literally) due to his years of firearms experience. “No, that’s FIREWORKS,” I managed to say before he left the room. But he didn’t hesitate and went out onto the front porch to see where the noise was coming from.

Sure enough, across the street and two houses down we could see a plume of smoke rising and a surprising amount of little popping noises (is that called “report?”) accompanying it. At 1pm on a relatively sunny day. “Fireworks,” was all Dad said as he pointed to the plume of smoke rising above the neighbor’s house. He went back in about 30 seconds later, mumbling something about how that was his “Marine friend’s house.” So he got his shoes and socks on and headed on over to check things out.

By this time I was so amused by the whole thing that I was kind of hoping that it was something bad. I know, I’m terrible. But we rarely get any excitement in our neighborhood! My brain kept sifting through the endless possible scenarios of what might’ve really happened. Like, what if the house was on fire and it accidently set off some old fireworks the neighbor had been storing? Or what if someone was trying to cover up the sound of gunshot by setting off the fireworks? Or (*gasp!) what if it was some burglar setting off a booby trap in the Marine’s house?! Ooooh, what if the Marine neighbor (who I’ve never seen before) was like a modern-day urban Rambo/Mr. T and he was teaching some fools a lesson? Dang, that’d be AWESOME!


(Don't mess with Mr. T!)

Aw, but no such luck.

When my dad finally got back he told me that the Marine wasn’t home, but the woman who lives next door to him was. Turns out that it was just some dorks setting off some huge fireworks on the golf course that our neighbors’ houses border on. Why they decided to set off the fireworks directly behind some houses is a mystery to me. And the best part of the story? Apparently when the neighbor lady went out to see what the heck was going on she heard some man eventually say, “Well… I guess we should get a broom.”

Der-Dee-Der.


(This photo can be found on DeviantArt.com. Just click here to see!)

"Police Activity" on the Narrows Bridge

I was a little troubled by my initial reaction as I drove past the Jumper on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge today. Let me explain.

Earlier today (around 11am) I was online at a local news site checking out the latest headlines when I noticed a Traffic Alert bulletin posted at the top of the page. The alert stated that the right lane of The Bridge had been closed due to "police activity." This activity had apparently been going on since before 9am, something that I would learn hours later.


(I took this photo about a year ago. From this vantage point I am standing in GH looking at Tacoma.)


At around 1pm I was heading across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge making my way towards Tacoma when I noticed that the right lane was still closed. Ok. So I moved my butt over and slowed way the heck down along with all the rest of the traffic that was heading the same direction. I admit that I was rather annoyed that so many people were "goosenecking," that is until I started goosenecking myself.

I was amazed to see AT LEAST 12 emergency response vehicles (cop cars, sheriff's, ambulances, fire trucks, Incident Response Vehicles, etc.). It wasn't until I passed the small camper with the phrase "Negotiations Team" painted on the side that I realized what I was seeing. And what's worse? There was some dude in jeans and a t-shirt shimmying down one of the heavy metal suspension wires of the bridge! There was a cluster of about 7 cops surrounding the spot where the dude would eventually land, but they all seemed so casual (except for the one annoyed looking cop that was waving traffic on), that I had to wonder if I was really watching a Jumper being talked out of killing himself.

And what was my immediate response? I muttered in a deeply annoyed voice, "Freakin Jumpers."

Yeah, can you believe it?! I was all miffed that some dude was so down-and-out that he'd attempt to hurl himself to a watery grave. Talk about cold-hearted. Naturally, I immediately felt guilty for being such a wench and thinking such horrible thoughts. But as I pondered my reaction I started realizing a few things:

1. What a sad state of affairs! Not only have I been jaded by years and years of jumpers seeking attention in such a public and horrific way, but the WA state Department of Transportation (WDOT) doesn't even bother closing the bridge anymore when there's a jumper! *shaking my head* Talk about tragic.

2. I've come to believe that people who try (or even succeed) to commit suicide are selfish. They don't take into consideration those around them who might witness it, let alone the family and friends they leave behind who have to deal with such a sudden and brutal turn of events.

3. Don't these people do their research?! I mean, history has shown that jumpers who decide to jump from above the driving platforms on the Narrows Bridge almost always land ON the driving platforms of the bridge. It's due to the high winds that are almost always constant through the Narrows. Not only that, but talk about rude! Not even caring if you land on a car driving past you below, splattering guts in broad daylight and (no doubt) causing a countless number of people to go into counseling for who knows how long. It all just reeks of selfishness.

4. But most importantly, no matter how much life sucks it can *always* get worse. And it's NEVER so bad that you have to end your own life. NEVER. So make due with what you've got and go from there. That's my philosophy.

Anyway, as I was driving back the other way a couple hours later I noticed that there was still loads of "police activity" happening on the east-bound bridge but no sign of the Jumper. My guess is that they whisked him off to the nearest hospital, and then off to the nearest mental hospital. But what a crazy day, eh?

Oh Happy Day!

I can't help it. If I'm glowing it's only because I'm having such a FABULOUS day! If I could have a sound track for the day it would be the following:

1. What You Wish For, by Guster
2. The General Specific, by Band of Horses
3. E-Pro, by Beck
4. Float On, by Modest Mouse
5. Feel Good Inc, by Gorillaz
6. Such Great Heights, by The Postal Service
7. The entire Luna-Penthouse CD.

I know, there are a few songs on there that are so syrupy sweet that you just might get a cavity, but ya know what? Sometimes we have some sugary sweet moments in life and most people are glad of them. I'm certainly not complaining!


(a gratuitous photo for your visual entertainment. You can find this and more of the artists works at http://claudio88.deviantart.com/)


So here's the news that made me so happy: I do NOT, I repeat, do NOT have Gestational Diabetes. Ha! Take that! My mother wasn't thrilled to find out. She'd been all excited when I told her I might have it. So excited, in fact, that she wouldn't stop talking about what SHE has to do to regulate HER diabetes, and how she just *knew* that I also had it. See, you have to understand that with my mother EVERYTHING is about her. Not only that, but she's always assumed that I am her "mini-me," and as a result I go through great pains to prove that I am NOT anything like her. Just the thought sends shivers down my spine. *shudders*

But wait, there's more!

So I just went online and was flipping through the different websites I frequent when I came upon an awesome sight. You can see it for yourselves at http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=93 and scroll down. Trust me, it's mind blowing. Ok, to me it was mind-blowing. ;) Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am FAMOUS! Be jealous.

And even though it's not even 1pm just yet, I'd say this day is off to a good start. Jeez, even my hair looks good today. So I'm going to curl up next to my kitty (who is snoring lightly on the bed) and take a nap now. And if I wake up and find that it's all been a dream I will truly be miffed.

Cheers!

Pic of the Day

Today's Pic of the Day:

(This can be found at http://melizyaa.deviantart.com/art/autumnal-point-109259540)

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Oh. My. Gosh. I FOUND FUZZY WUZZY! And he wasn't a bear. See, here's what happened.

It's been a very long time since I've washed my Jeep. And I mean a *very* long time, like seven months. Now, normally I take pride in having a clean and pristine vehicle, but once I got knocked up my priorities sort of changed. So I sort of "let it go," as some would say.

Anyway, I was at the car wash earlier today and decided to vacuum out the inside of the Jeep, including the very back part. Would that be called the trunk? Meh, whatever. But it needed to be done, especially since there were particles of dried cement back there, but that's a whole other story. And what you have to understand is that in order to do a good job I had to bend way down and lean waaay forward in order to get all the rubble-filled nooks and crannies. It was while I was doing that that I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

Now, some of you are aware that I pride myself on having excellent peripheral vision. And others of you know that I have a rather bionic sense of smell--unusually powerful (what I like to refer to as "the Super Shnoz"). So it came as a HUGE surprise when I discovered this:


(It's FUZZY WUZZY! ewwwwwwwww.)

Naturally my first reaction was "ew!" But immediately afterwards I was struck by an intense sense of amusement. I mean, how the heck had I gone so long without smelling such a horrid thing?! And how the heck did those rice cakes get back there?! I just kept laughing at it, which only intensified when I took pictures of it, causing those around me to pause and stare at the cackling chubby round lady. And their wonder made me laugh even harder. Yeah, it was just one of those moments.

So after I vacuumed out the back I went back and reached in with some old napkins I'd saved from previous meals-while-on-my-wheels and carefully pulled out the foul and decaying evidence.


(I left it just inside the lip of the garbage can so others could admire the beauty of my find.)

Who would've thought that my Super Shnoz was foiled by something so vile? But it did not stink. And even as I carefully placed my prized findings inside the lip of the garbage can I had to step back and admire the fact that not only did it NOT stink, but it was so hairy that the mold was actually stringy, like a spider's web. *sigh* Precious.

So once again my Jeep is clean and pristine as I've always thought it to be. And who knows what my next find will be. A shriveled up old apple core? Hm. Well, anything's possible.

Pic of the Day!

I thought it would be fitting that the first post on this blog would be a Pic of the Day, especially since I can't think of anything insightful or witty to share with you. But since this is the pilot blog on Dreams Are For Free, I thought it was appropriate to share one of my favorite photos I snagged from Deviant Art back in the day. I tried finding it on there again so I could give the artist his or her due credits, but apparently it's no longer displayed on that website. With that said, I give you the Pic of the Day!


(This was originally called "Night Flys," by Bliss87 on www.DeviantArt.com)


I chose this pic not just because it's totally random (like me!), but also because I loved the Alice In Wonderland feel it gives me. It's strange how it seems as though the subject in the photo is actually dreaming away while these amazing things are happening all around her. And it made me wonder if maybe we're all so caught up in living our lives and pursuing our dreams that maybe, just maybe we're missing what amazing things are truly going on around us. Sometimes we need to stop and open our eyes to our surroundings and that's all it takes to realize that things aren't what they seem. Life is complicated and fun and mysterious and crappy and exciting all wrapped in one giant package (with a huuuge bow on top!).But whether or not that package is a good thing is up to us to decide.

As for me? Well, I choose to think this gift of life is good, and I'll keep walking forward with my eyes wide open.