the waves of 2006

last year I called the year end recap "cheesy". mmmm.....cheese. i'll eat those words, cause apparently i am doing it again. it's a fun thing to look back on a year later, thus, I bring you the thumbs-up and the boos of 2006.

The Crap:

Had to put Milo down. Hands down, this was the saddest, shittiest thing of 2006. I miss him still.

The Car Accident on April 5, 2006 and the resulting loss of my cycling year. Learned how much Allstate sucks, too.

Worked a hell of a lot and didn't have much downtime during the good weather.

Basically shut down the dog biz due to being so busy in advertising.

Didn't make it to Yosemite even once.

No backpacking trips.

Parking in my 'hood.


The Good:

Sold the house right before the market skidded and did well on the sale.

Purging and simplifying during the move. It's nice to have less stuff!

A couple good car camping trips.

Having a solid friendship with my ex-spouse.

Luna staying in good health and getting to see the joy of her having two homes.

The freedom of renting versus owning. Owning isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Being in a really healthy, wonderful relationship with someone I adore.

Hippo the Cat, a fun addition to the fam.

The Longest Night

It is the Winter Solstice. The shortest day. The longest night of the year.

A time of darkness. And the promise of lightness. New life. New beginnings to move forth from the darkness. A time for quiet. Introspection.

Light a candle tonight and sit for a moment in silence. Appreciate what has come to pass and all that there is to come.

Holiday Madness

People are insane right now.

For real. The frenzy of the holidays brings out the worst in people right now. The expectations of the holidays, the shopping in particular, results in people being crazed right now. Hurried. Rude. Inconsiderate. Absent-minded. Must shop. Gotta get everything on the list. People seem quick to cut each other off driving.

What about good cheer? Goodwill towards others? It's gone the wayside due to consuming, and the commercialism of this grouping of holidays.

It sucks. Reason # 613 I ignore the holidays. Perhaps this year, with taking the month off, I am more acutely aware of the madness because I am not moving anywhere near that pace of life.

In other news: I sat for a few more hours of tattoo work on my belt piece. It's nearly done; just have another couple hours of the fine details work, the shading and refining. Marcus layers his colors in like a watercolor, so he likes to see the colors from session to session so he can really work in the details. This sitting was more painful than the last one. I was complain-y and getting electrical current-like radiating sensations far from the actual needlin'.

Advice for the day: If you get tattooed along the beltline the day before, it's a really bad idea to put on spandex shorts and go to a spin class less than 24 hours after a tattoo appointment.

I'm not, honest!

Playful Loon
Originally uploaded by jenworth.

I'm really truly not turning into a crazy cat lady, blogging and flickring all about my cat.

i'm just an all around animal nut, and to prove it, here's a photo of my supercute dog Luna. She took a break in between killing her stuffed toy to post for the camera.

Am I dork? Quite possibly.

Introducing.....Hippo!

Kitten Study #1
Originally uploaded by jenworth.

yep, that's his name.

Powder Days

Caught my first day of snowboarding yesterday. It was awesome! P and I got season passes to Kirkwood and since I'm taking the month off, I wanted to get up there fast. Tahoe got a foot of snow this past weekend. My friend Michelle and I drove up for the day, leaving Oakland in the rain before 6am.

We got in a good five hours of riding. My first run, as usual, left me thinking, "Do I remember how to do this?" and from there on out, it only got better. It's feeling more natural. Pilates seems to be helping my snowboarding, even!

A good good day. Wet heavy snow fell after lunch, but we still rode until the lifts closed.

So much fun. Went back to the car, and the tire chain mishap we had driving in left me with a flat tire. Called Triple-A, waited by the fire, and they came and replaced the tire and followed me up Carson Spur to make sure I could get out of the snow without my broken chains. Even that business didn't put a damper on a really fun day!

I'm already wanting to be back on the slopes!

Kitten needs a name!

Killing the Duck
Originally uploaded by jenworth.

Mr. Kitten just ain't cuttin' it as his name.

No name has really jumped out. I had considered naming him True, since he was found at Truitt and White, the lumber yard, as a stray.
P didn't care for that name.

Help name the cat!

Current names under consideration:
P likes Angus. It makes me think "steak".
Henry. P likes, and I can live with it. A bit of a lackluster name.
Zeppo. I like, P is neutral. Zeppo is random. A bit nuts.

When he's not hiding under the couch, he's zipping all over the place. Kitty freak-outs. Attacking anything not moving. The spazzattack last about 15 minutes, then he's back under the couch for a nap.

We wonder if he needs a sibling. Most of the time he's a lone wolf just chillin'. But maybe he'd do well with a buddy?

Mr. Kitten has landed!

Adding to the family....

No, no, no. I'm not knocked up.

I adopted a kitten. He's being neutered today and I bring him home after his surgery.

The little guy picked ME, I swear. He's an orange tabby. He seems super mellow, at least in the shelter environment.

Kitten!