some girls wander by mistake.

the temperatures are not dropping (why should they be plural? no idea; too hot to check CMS), and even after a shower i'm too warm to do anything but drink water and wait for it to cool so i can attempt to read/clean/sleep. feigning productivity, i've uploaded a ton of pictures to picasa and flickr.

since july:

bear in heaven | pdx

bear in heaven show at the doug fir. i got in for free because a very nice and lovely pink-haired lady got me in as her +1 as press, and used my photos on her blog.

eugene | or

we went to eugene for one day and saw ringo starr.

oaks park | pdx

i'm never too old to spend my birthday celebrating at "amusement parks" (see also enchanted forest from last year). a bunch of friends and i biked out to sellwood to enjoy oaks park for some skating and rides.

crater lake | or

on friday, i took james to crater lake. it was a surprise road trip and weekend getaway, which i'll hopefully write about more when i have time and am not 10938 degrees. i've also started loading my hipstamatic photos into the picasa albums, and (in some cases) they are my favorite shots.

bend | or

bend (but also crescent, oakridge, sisters, and wherever else we drove through), oregon.

it is monday, july 27.

--

i turned thirty last week, and though it was far less of a bacchanal than i have orchestrated in previous years, it was perfectly suited to both my new decade of life (or: my twenties to a close) and current life-goings-ons. on the day preceding my birthday i took myself out for cajun lunch, spent over $20 without hesitation. the rest of the day i tinkered around my new house, painting things and lining cabinets with wallpaper, tracking the sun and determining where the garden (or at least, the pots) will go for optimal sunshine. at midnight, james and i continued a birthday photobooth tradition with a quick stop-off at the florida room. on the way there, i saw an adorably tiny tail-less mouse crossing the road.

i rewarded myself on my birthday-day to do no (new-house) projects. i worked from home; james took a half day to make my birthday cake (a different long standing tradition): a (from scratch) vanilla sugar/butter old fashioned cake with marshmallow fluff frosting, topped with marshmallows. later james, sara and i had thai dinner at my favorite place off alberta.

birthday "party" was to be a laid back evening of music at TIGA. leaving the house wearing a pretty dress and boots (the first time i've actually put effort into my appearance since the whole house business/summer business began), i spotted a bunny. then another. then...another. apparently a neighbor's bunny farm had gotten loose: they were blissful veggie-loving little fuzzy things, nibbling on leaves and sprawling out on the grass.

TIGA was nice and relaxing, though spatially not the best choice for a birthday gathering. the weather that night was perfectly slightly chilly, which is about the best gift this warm girl could ask for.

--

i have spent almost every day since the 17th painting and doing (moderately) physical labor. i've also skipped yoga classes for just about as long, which doesn't please me. my body aches every evening, and the relentless heat isn't making life any more comfortable.

to combat the discomfort, i've been:
-taking cold-water showers, kneeling down and letting the water cascade over my scalp, shoulders, back
-moving through a series of crocodile twist yoga poses and inversions

--

tomorrow is moving day.
tomorrow's high is supposed to be 101.
if there is time after the move, i'm busing out to some florida-esque shopping plaza and buying an A/C room unit.

(this is, officially, my "birthday party." we're taking over TIGA!)

--
gig-list for july:
9 july, random order 7-10
10 july, fez shutup&dance 11-1
13 july, matador 10-2
16 july, random order 7-10
18 july, fez electric feel 9-2
20 july, matador 10-2
23 july, TIGA 9-1
31 july, ground kontrol 7-1

i just did my profile (sun, moon, rising) for my astrological signage, and i am apparently a leo (obviously, though occasionally this comes up as cancer or, most often, leo/cancer cusp) for the sun sign, cancer for the moon sign, and scorpio for the rising sign.

anyone care to explain the moon/rising signs to me in a way i can understand without research or charts? you know, so i can talk about these things at cocktail parties?

i'm having a leo/cancer party at the fez in july, because we are awesome! no really.

i won a fraxl for the weekend!!!!!!

i've perfected the art of taking a 24-hour holiday and making it...well, a multi-day bacchanal. this year, my birthday paid tribute to my rock n' roll idols. it was eventful, to say the least.

i never lived dangerously enough to be a "27 club" member, so i'm relieved to a little closer to 30, and no longer near my mid-twenties. the birthday celebrating began saturday as we prepared for our glam rock shindig. the house was mostly decorated and ready to go, so saturday was more about recovering from friday exhaustion, eating, and eagerly awaiting the glitter. before i knew it it was time: i rocked my best rainbow oil slick moongear, and painted my face a la ziggy stardust. i'm still processing the party itself, which had a great disparity between high and low points for me; many valuable "party" lessons learned. pictures of course, also, to come. thanks again to all of you who attended!

sunday several of us went out to brunch at fifi's patisserie, a delicious and uncharmingly upscale bistro with a delicious assortment of pastry items (as well as amazing brunch dishes). the evening was pretty laid back, consisting of watching snl commercials and (listening to) breakfast on pluto whilst cleaning the house; went up to stardust for a little while but that was about it.

yesterday, monday, was the official birthday-day; of course, i was "birthday'd out" well before it began. i had to work, which i probably should have requested to have off, and i was too busy and too tired to reconcile these feelings. after work i napped briefly, then met a few friends at kobe for my free birthday dinner. i was disappointed in the food and the service (lots of oil and butter, excessive wait time, mediocre server), though the chef's "entertainment" was enough to get me through. after dinner we went to eola wine co. for a flight of wine ("north by northwest"--again, supporting our future stomping grounds) and one of my favorite desserts. the night was really a nice, laid back way to start my 28th year.

so here we go. like new year's, today feels like a new beginning--a new year full of goals, aspirations and good intentions. let's see how i do.