Geese

So for like months I was in hiding, really loving coming straight home from work - sweatz - Making a Murderer - Girls - The People Versus OJ - falling asleep with a glass of unfinished red wine and a half pint of Colbert American Dream ice cream. A close second was stopping off at Goodwill on the way home, but I'd take all these illegal U-turns and feel really cool, and then someone would get too close to my area as I sifted through racks, or someone would start singing along to the overhead, or god forbid, whistle, and I'd brood moodily. So, as is probably obvious, these routes can't be entirely satisfying for long. Like, they were and are insatiable; literal desires & things I look forward to. On a given day I am Buddha in the book aisle and smile at the sugary lips of wailing children, or nod in agreement to the constant marbled mumbles that seem important for me to acknowledge. But, those are like really special days. Mostly I am bee-lining for rest and, what I consider independent mental stimulation. Except I could be better with political stimulus, as is mostly evident in that Red is slightly judging me and I drunk-texted my father asking him, "Are you a Republican?" to which followed an hour-long conversation on if I'd be a good mother...The point is that this information-saturated, separatist angst evolved this week, where I was, in a sudden, hosting and involved with all the great people in my life; life literally asked me to put the American Dream ice cream aside and be a little more involved with my people.

Monday: Red & I took a late ferry to Friday Harbor for a tasting with the owners of Backdoor Kitchen, the incredible trio we had the fortune of experiencing at the Forbidden Island private party last spring. We went through 12 btls of wine and after had their famed noodle bowl with ahi & grilled meats.

Thursday: With cousin fresh back from Mexico and moved into her & her boyfriend's new home, I got a house tour, we spoke renovation, watched an old film I'd put together about our trip to Austin, TX over a bottle of wine, went for a nice long walk to Hops & Headz for sashimi & brews.

Early Saturday: I grabbed Al & Nikki and we crossed the border for the St. Patrick's Day 5k/BC 5k Champs, sponsored by Saucony in Stanley Park. The weather cleared for the race, but was torrential & hailing after. I've been focusing my training back to the 5k - 1/2 pace range, trying to re-engage speed, and though the size & speed variables of the workouts feel really good, I knew the St. Pats race wouldn't be a "goal race" opportunity. The race itself is festive, fun, well-supported, and I am, as always a huge fan of BC Athletics, Maurice, the BC Super Series, etc. Their organization & interest in my team as athletes really inspires me to be better/more competitive. The first mile is downhill, there's prize $ for the first M/F who cross the mile & the last kilometer of the race is uphill. I did as I do - start hard & hold on. 8th place finish with 20 seconds down from last year (17:25), which earned me an awesome growler with sling-koozie from Granville Island Brewing. Got to reunite with the BC Saucony rep, who hooked me up with some gear to wear, and all the while I got these two nuggets: Al (who had just been sky diving days before & suffered vertigo, but the one you gotta call for anything support-team) and Nikki (who was sick, lost her voice & was going through spells of chills in Stanley, just to support); these two incredible beings in my life. We ate salads & hot pressed sandwiches, filled bulk bags of nuts, walked to Robson to shop, then to Granville Island to fill the growlers, then I dispersed them in our home country.

Saturday night: LB & Mck drove up from Seattle; we went to LB's favorite haunt for her hummus platter, greenie panini & carafes of red in celebration of her birth. Then: cocktails with dried flower petals & lounge music, then Ouisces for a live cover band, sharing pretzels & hot mustard around a wooden table, then a Saucony fashion haul in front of the fire and gossip until 3 am.

Sunday: A group of us met for a LR along the water, discussing bodies, aches & pains, the St. Pats race, Saucony, dating. You know, that like chittering. Like, in passing a walker, the walker exclaimed, "I could hear you a mile away - you're like geese!" Like that. Afterwards, over homemade almond poppy-seed muffins (compliments of Nikki for LB's birthday) & coffees, with whisker biscuit circling our feet & this perv dog Sidney we've got & the wind beginning to pick up speed, LB, Mck & I planned a little further into our Oktoberfest trip. They left, and I cleaned the house & bought groceries like a good little housewife & as I'm finishing the momentousness of this week, I'm thinking just how incredible it is to nurture your relationships, how many cool people I get to connect with, and just how manic this all seems! Like, countdown to crashing, 3, 2...