hi there, summer. i've been waiting for you.

I love Texas, don't get me wrong. The hospitality, the thunderstorms, the national beer. But it's hard to miss Austin and not adore the great state of Washington at times like these. Sure, summer took a while to get here, and I'm still getting used to wearing cardigans on cool June evenings (sweaters!! in the summertime! that shit's crazy!!!). But while my Texan friends and folks are sweating their tails off in 90-degree weather over the next couple of weeks, I'm enjoying some partly-cloudy, partly-sunny, temperate 60-to-70-something degree loveliness. And, along with it...

a gay pride parade

a block party

some rooftop BBQ's (wherein crowds can enjoy the sun instead of melting under it)

many hikes both in and out of the city

movies in parks

...and, I expect, so much more. And, what's this? It's JULY already! Oh, my. I must have been having fun lately.

monday night summary

[Lauri returns from work.]
Gail: I'm not wearing any pants!
Lauri: Where do you want to eat?
G: I'm planning my first tattoo!
L: Let's get food!
G: Oh shit, I lost my barnacle!
L: I'm so excited to get another tattoo with you! (When are we eating?)
G: I'm so nervous! What if the tattoo artist is mean to me?
L: Then I will punch him for you.
G: OMG, I love this backpack!
[They meet with Emily.]
G: Um, are you sure you can have a drink before getting a tattoo? [x7]
[One drink later:]
G: Shit, the tattoo place is closed.
L: Let's leave and get ice cream.
[Two blocks away:]
G: Oh no, where's my barnacle? I left it by the tattoo place!
L: Where's Emily's digital camera? [Gail smiles sheepishly.]
[Two scoops of salted caramel ice cream, and nine drinks later:]
Gail/Emily/Lauri: What's up with boys? They're stupid.
[Nine more drinks later, everyone heads home.]
L: I know it's already almost 3am, but we should put on Boyz II Men and sing along.
G: Great idea!
[They sing, then pass out.]

[scene]

good save

I purposely did not write anything about my Memorial Day weekend, due to the overall shittiness of the whole thing. May was mostly excellent, but I give its ending two big fat thumbs (way) down.

However, I can safely talk about life again, because of the incredibly amazing awesomeness that this past weekend has brought. I have friends visiting me from Chicago who in and of themselves make me happy. Compound their presence with a wildly entertaining karaoke session, a delightfully sunny day, a charming night of jazz bands, (slightly) drunken Scrabble, and speakeasies, and then a day spent in nature with friends: a hike on the Olympic peninsula, ending with a picnic in a big old steamy hot spring. I can't express how wonderful it is to live in the Pacific Northwest. The raw beauty is really more impressive than I could even try and articulate. The weekend thus ended rendering me a very exhausted and happy girl.

So if I thought May was going to be a magnificent month, I'm almost scared for how great June will be. With a beginning like this, there's no telling. Summer is here. Excellence continues. (And we'll just forget about that little blip on Memorial Day.)

finally

Thanks to one of these, some of these, and a kitty who managed to stay quiet throughout the morning, I was able to get 9 hours of sleep for the first time in months.

So, summertime morning light in Seattle, with your obnoxious eagerness to show your face before 6 am, you are no longer a threat to me. Hah (and, strrrrreeetchh)!

lessons

This song taught me something about my life, which songs are wont to do sometimes. Incidentally, it should be titled "May".

And just for kicks, go on and appreciate these next two gems. (Go on, I say.)

rescued

exploding chest cavity + bad hair/face/confidence day + twisted up insides + horrendous to-do list at work = miserable Monday

...and the above plus....

lovely friends named Ann and Abby and Dad + a big ol' bowl of Russo marinara sauce (accompanied by a large glass o' wine) + gloriously hot bath PLUS the promise of a Broken Bells show tomorrow

... all equals ...

potential heart attack averted, and I just may heart life again. (or at least not be cursing at it. for the time being.)

implode, explode

I really love the She & Him station on pandora these days.

chuckling

Thanks, Boyz II Men, for making my day.

Throw your clothes on the floor
I'm gonna take my clothes off too

...they just don't make love songs like they used to.

useful

"there'll be love, love, love, wherever you go."
-Noah & the Whale

"a lie may take care of the present, but it has no future."
-unknown

"we tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. but every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger."
-Tad Williams

"everything's ok in the end; if it's not ok, it's not the end."
-wordboner.com

holy effing gorgeous day

After a tres fulfilling week last week (Jonathan Richman at the Tractor Tavern, impromptu drinks with international friends, Pioneer Square art walk) and a kick-ass weekend, complete with dancing, sunshine, and Sedaris, I am suffuciently re-toxified and couldn't be happier.

The weather's been downright glorious. So much so that I got a bit overzealous today and decided to wear a skirt. What I knew before I left the house: it was in the 60s, and the sun was out. What I did not know: it was a bit windy, and if I was to try walking uphill in a short sundress, inevitably it would at some point get blown up, catch on my underwear, and remain there for a minute until I realized it. So, a few cars traveling toward Capitol Hill on the Denny bridge today around 10:30, if they were looking in the right direction, saw some unexpected skivvies, with a little bit of tush atop some very white legs. I was slightly embarrassed for about five minutes, laughing and rolling my eyes at my wardrobe faux-pas, but certainly didn't let it ruin my day. I continued on my way, skirt pulled a bit tighter, gathered in my hand the rest of the walk to the post office. I feel like at least once every other week since I've been here, a walk outside or a drive home or a great night out prompts me to fall in love with the city all over again. It's quite refreshing, those revelations. (Also refreshing: cool breezy drafts up your dress on a day like today.)

And so. It's lovely outside. Work is happily busy. I'm purchasing a tent soon (my first!) in preparation for what will surely be the greatest music festival of all time, ever. And I'm starting to think about planning weekend trips to places like the San Juans and Ocean Shores and the Olympic Peninsula. Siiigh.

I KNEW this month was gonna be a-may-zing. Totally called it.

saturday night haikus

Musical genius.
Making friends on the dance floor.
High five for Soul Night.

Killer jams all night.
Crowded club, dancing barefoot.
Home: wash the black feet.

springtime fever

Dear May,

I know we just met, but I'm already totally in love with you. Let's make out.

Love,
Lauri

contentment

If you could bottle days, this would be one to cork and keep. Not even for an exciting event or special purpose. Just for being so... nice.

It was a leisurely morning, with a walk through downtown to Elliott Bay. I did some cafe-lounging with a good book. I had my lunch paid for. I got lost in Chinatown. I caught up with an old friend over the phone. What started out as a mostly cloudy morning turned into a gloriously beautiful day, with big fat fluffy cumulus clouds scattered across an impossibly blue sky. Work was a fast half-day, and was fun and relaxed. I had dinner with a girlfriend, where we talked careers and boys and Seattle.

As Kurt Vonnegut would urge me to announce in contented moments like these: if this isn't nice, I don't know what is.