catheroominations

This week, Kristine‘s fiance Shaun took over assigning our SPF, while his soon-to-be better half spent some time preparing for their wedding. Originally, he requested a photo of the front and back of our charge card with the most available credit. Funny, Shaun. You’re funny.

1. Something with a story behind it.
This is me, taking pole dancing lessons at Rachel’s bachelorette party. If you told me three years ago that I’d be doing this, I would have sent you to narcotics anonymous because clearly you would have been smoking crack. Not that I was a pole-a-phobe, but back then Rachel and I were as far from being friends as two people could be. From tragic and heart-breaking circumstances, we formed a close friendship. And both of us still think it’s weird.

2. A Random and Odd photo.
I took this in New York, on the street where Sex and the City filmed Carrie Bradshaw’s stoop outside her apartment. Yeah, yeah, I went on the Sex and the City tour. Shut up. I’m a TV junkie and pop culture freak, so how could I help myself? I think this photo is odd because obviously it is meant to keep dogs from ruining this little garden, but dogs can’t read, duh. Except maybe Eddie, from Frasier. I’ll bet he could read. RIP, little dude.

3. In keeping with the recurring wedding theme, a photo of something borrowed.
Recently while Luce was on tour in Philadelphia, their van, trailer, instruments and gear were stolen from their hotel parking lot. This forced the band to cancel some of their dates and suffer great financial hardship. Money can buy another guitar, but it’s not going to replace the one your wife gave you. Dylan, the band’s guitarist received a call from a friend who had heard about the robbery. He offered to send Dylan his Telecaster, asking him to take it around the country on tour and play the sh!t out of it. Dylan asked me to take a picture of him with the guitar so he could send it to his friend and during the show, I captured the “something borrowed” in action.

So, did you accept Shaun’s challenge? Didja play? Didja?

No. Way.

I just checked to see if my photography class final project had been graded yet. The portfolio I obsessed over, by spending oodles of money on FedExed prints and driving 100 miles round-trip twice to get nice mats.

I got 100%. One hundred. Percent. Ouch. I think I pulled something patting myself on the back.

I am so giving all 8 matted prints to my mom so she can put them on her fridge.

On Monday I start my new job. This has a been a week filled with cleaning, shopping, completing my photography class portfolio, shopping, cooking, and shopping. I thought I’d play all week, have lunches with friends, hang out at the pool and finish the book I’m reading. But there was no time. And today, the Summer of Catheroo ends.

Right now the washing machine is spinning my sheets, and I just ironed my duvet cover. Yes, I ironed it. No, I am not a crazy neat freak. I just want the purple and grey duvet cover to look its best so that when Matte sees that I replaced his blue one, he’ll be so astounded at the Martha Stewart-esque presentation, he won’t mind the switch.

I am baking chocolate chip cookies for our open house Sunday because we ate the batch I made a couple of days ago. Yes, they are that good. Even before they hit the oven.

And I am drinking sangria. I have to practice Ali’s recipe before I offer the nectar of the gods it to Sunday’s guests, don’t I?

Yesterday in the mail, I received a card from someone I knew long ago. Oh my gosh, was he adorable back then, and he was quite enamored of me as well. In fact, he asked me to marry him on more than one occasion. He wasn’t working at the time, and was still tyring to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He had very high aspirations. He was considering becoming a firefighter or perhaps a scientist or doctor, I can’t really remember. Looking back, it was best for both of us not to jump into marriage and although I was flattered to be asked, I just couldn’t accept.

Over time I became very close to his family, and with my family out in California, his family quickly “adopted” me, and I become part of their large brood. His mother even got me a job at the University of Kentucky.

Although many miles separate us today, I look back on that time with fondness and cherish the memories we created. I’ve visited Lexington since moving back to California, but the last time I was there, I didn’t get a chance to meet up with him or his family. My visit was too short.

The card he sent was to thank me for the gift I sent him last week. He graduated from high school in May.

Holy crap, do I feel old.

Kristine is getting closer and closer to her wedding day, so she continues with the wedding theme this week:

1. Your Drinking Glasses.
2. Your Address book/Stationary (remember that stuff we used BEFORE email?)
3. SOMETHING NEW

My drinking glasses are from Sur la Table. I discovered them while writing a column for a local lifestyle magazine. My headline for my write-up of these was “Bottoms up!” and they edited it to read “Hello, Kitty!” Apparently they weren’t much for the off-color puns. Or freedom of expression.

I don’t really have stationery, but I do have lots and lots of unwritten cards. These are Thank You cards that I will probably use very soon, after I get some presents. Want a card? Send me a present!

My something new is this “gift certificate” from Tiffany & Co. My sister received it after the restaurant she works at received 3 1/2 stars (out of 4) when reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle. She owes me some dough, so I told her I’d take $100 off her bill if she wanted to unload her unwanted Tiffany money. See? Everybody’s happy. What should I buy? What can I buy for $100?

Happy SPF everyone! Did you play?

Seems fair, doesn’t it?

While waiting for the traffic light to change, I looked over at the car dealership on the corner. There was a convertible MINI Cooper on the lot for sale. I love MINI Coopers. They’re so cute and small and zippy. I would look so good driving around in one of those.

A used MINI on a non-MINI car lot doesn’t seem so out of the ordinary, I know. But it was parked next to a HUMMER, as this was a HUMMER dealership. You could practically drive the MINI up a ramp and into the back of the obnoxiously huge and outrageously overpriced gas guzzler. You could transport your little car around for those times when you feel the urge to zoom around with the wind blowing through your hair. The MINI would also be handy when you dont’t have the $100 required to fill your HUMMER tank, acting as a reserve tank.

I wondered what kind of person makes such a drastic change in their preferred method of transportation. Who trades in a MINI Cooper to purchase a HUMONGOUS HUMMER?

Well duh.

Goldilocks, of course!