In a Western Place

“Turkey Jackson passed away.”

“Oh no. Did he die peacefully?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Oh, good. Where is he now?”

“In heaven.”

“No, I mean, where is he?”

“… seated at the right hand of the pigeon Father.”

“No, where’s the body?”

“It’s already been taken care of.”

“Really? Just now? That was quick. Did you bury him?”

“It’s been taken care of.”

“Like, how? In the yard? Where is he?”

“I’ve reunited him with mother earth.”

“What? What does that even mean?”

No answer. I’m totally going to find a dead bird in our compost bin. Gross.

Wow, 2009 is half over? Really?

The first half of 2009 has been prosperous for me, and my guess is that the second half will be just as cool, if not cooler. For starters, I’ll be marrying M in October and my name will change… er, become modified, to one that rhymes with: Copacabana.

Sing it with me now:

At the kirsten-kirstenc_____a
the hottest spot north of Havana
at the kirsten-kirstenc_____a
music and passion were always the fashion
at the kirsten they fellin’ love.

Here’s to an even better 2nd half of 2009.

M brought home an orphaned baby pigeon last night. He named it Turkey Jackson and it’s now living in one of the cat carriers out on the back deck. This should be interesting.

We spent a majority of our weekend up in Sacramento to visit our good friends Will and Rachel, and to finally meet their new son, Connor. The temperature was a scorching 106 degrees in Sac town, but that didn’t keep us from celebrating Will’s B-day grill-style. This pic of M and little Connor (not to be confused with our big hairy Conor) cracks me up:

As I was standing in line at a car wash on South Van Ness around 3:00 yesterday afternoon I noticed a man walk toward the register with his two kids, look up at the television screen (airing CNN) after which he yelled: “What happened to Michael Jackson?!”

A few of us mumbled: “He’s dead.”

The man turned to his kids and proclaimed: “See! I told you that you don’t live forever! Now even Michael Jackson is dead!” Then, quietly to himself, asked: “I wonder who will get all of that money?”

All I have to talk about are the cats and the Wedding. Lame, but true. I’ve already touched on on the Wedding, so let’s move on to the cats, shall we?

Holloway is staying. She’s doing much better now that we keep her in the guest bathroom (at night and while we’re out during the day). M put an old sweatshirt in there and she loooooves to lay on top of it beside the toilet (it must be by the toilet — if it’s not there, she’ll move it). And even cuter, I don’t have to put her in there, she knows to go in on her own. Which reminds me, picking up Holloway is like picking up a furry kickball: she’s almost has big as Joey, but rounder and a lot lighter, like she’s made entirely of air. She better keep up the good behavior, or I’ll drop kick her.

The cats do quarrel, but it’s more out of annoyance versus dominance. Anyway, the house is calmer, and so am I. Cats and wedding aside, I really need to find a new hobby. Would driving my car count? It’s fuuuuun.

Oh, and I bought a dress!!! (Thanks for the reminder, Alexa!) M was with his band on a Southern California tour all weekend — so I made an appointment with a Bridal shop on Saturday morning. While I had a general idea of what I was looking for (with sketches to boot), I had no idea that I would find, buy and drive it home that very same day (in less than an hour, I might add)! Phew… I think I’ll take a few days off now.

Somehow, I’ve morphed into some sort of wedding-planning fanatic. After setting a date 2 weeks ago, we: figured out how much we’re willing to shell out for this gig, got a cake and secured band (OK, those were easy), found a location (ceremony AND reception), blocked out lodging, created a guest list, designed invitations, and developed a website (uh, me). I think we’ve accomplished months of work in a matter of daaaaays (screw you knot.com bitches!) And bonus, we did so with the following considerations:

• I’ve been crazy busy at work — Summer semester deadline.
• The landlord forgot to pay the DSL bill. So, uh, no Internet at home.
• M finishing up his last week of school. Seriously, those kids are craaazy.
• Our cats are annoying.

I don’t mean to toot my own horn… but toot toot. We’re going to have an amazing, fun wedding weekend along the rocky shoreline of Sonoma wine country (could we have picked a more perfect location?) If only I could be guaranteed a Whale…

On Sunday, we drove 100 miles North of the city to tour one of our potential ceremony/reception locations. This Thursday, we’ll be making the same trip to tour another one of our potential ceremony/reception locations in the same area. We’re talking lots of winding, cliff driving along the coast on Highway 1! I’m feeling thankful for my peppy little fuel efficient car (and a wee bit car sick, too.)

The Mendo/Sonoma Coastline | June 14, 2009