Saradactyl.com

Happy Full Moon-Eve

I seriously think the gravitational pull of the impending full moon has sucked every sane fiber out of my brain, through my nose, and sprayed it onto the mirror in which I find myself gazing with an increasingly critical and unforgiving eye. I had a piercing revelation today, and it has rocked me to my core. I feel shaken. Alone. Like the child who has slept under the delusion that her blanket will keep her safe from harm, my soul is kept no more safe by my morbid miscalculation of the level of disdain that people feel when they look at me.

People hate what they fear and judge what they don't understand. But the thing is.... I'm the chief among them. I am the bully in my head.

Dropping a Load

... off of my brain, that is.

This is going to be one of those posts in which I attempt to purge all mental thought without the encumbrances of punctuation or spell check wait I wonder if I spelled that right well not really so much wonder as not care but going forward I would like to say that this has been one mighty mighty heavy week I mean you know it's not a good start to the week when you have to begin it in the wee morning hours of Sunday by apologizing to your friend via email for being such a jerk but you know it all came out okay in the end I just think that we needed some time to breathe but we barely caught our breath before the next wave of INSANITY hit which is what REALLY sucks about being a Mercy you know that not only do you feel your own stuff but that ability to experience some of what the other person is going through too which would be fine if I did the appropriate thing with those feelings like prayerfully and thoughtfully support the other person but all in all I think that I do well most days just to get out of bed and I know that sounds selfish because it is but at least I recognize fault when I see it and am not out to justify my behavior by means of manipulating scripture to sleep better at night man oh man I can't believe it's Friday again I guess that really means I need to like stop avoiding stuff and do it but it's hard to do when every five seconds I'm popping myself in the face with stupid rubber bands that are SUPPOSED to go on my braces and it makes me wonder what it's really accomplishing or am I yet again blindly trusting the  leading of others without merit or cause which leads me to believe that I absolutely one THOUSAND percent believe it is very very very very good that I have remained single for so long although to say Hi I'm twenty-seven years old is very different than seeing the number 27 in the age field I mean it's just so dangerously close to 30 and sad but no offense if you are 30 because I think 30 is a slammin' age as a matter of fact one that I can't wait to reach myself but for today I'm just 27 sittin on the bed now with two minutes into the 30th of May two-thousand and eight and evidently it's the only one we get so let's make the most of it shall we?

Ah, life.

With the strong history of skin cancer that runs in my family, I have become increasingly cognoscente of the state of MY epidermis. Two weeks ago (as many of you who have not been living under a rock already know) I had a very enjoyable holiday on the North Carolina coast. As a result - my surf and turf got a little crispy in the blazing almost-summer sun. So, THIS week I have slathered smothered and covered my skin in aloe and lotions - to prevent the inevitable peeling process that typically begins after you have scorched the first layer of skin.

Today I was examining my chest, and noticed some brownish spots. For a brief moment I panicked. Freckles? Sun spots? Weird melanoma moles? Upon further inspection - the spots began to flake away as I rubbed them. They were merely wee spots of dried-foam from my morning Cafe' Breve.

Heh.

Ohhhh, sure. There are more important things I could have written about. Like our escapades at the beach, or the fact that my baby sister graduated high school, or that I've had to share my birthday month with no less than 3 other greedy Tauruses, or that I got to hang out with all the cool kids last night at a minor league baseball game, or that my new umbrella is the COOLEST EVER, or......

Well the point is - I didn't. I instead chose to write about dried-foam-on-skin. Why? Because strangely amusing, and sticky though it may be - it's quintessential me. And I feel like I walk around most days barely taking notice of the interesting minutia - so, I share what I can here. The other stuff sits in my dusty drafts folder, waiting for its turn to be made public.

It's like a bloody Blogging Triage. 

You Oughta Know

I'm at the beach, playas. Having a marvy time so far, and loving this weather! Y'all know I'm a cool weather kind of girl, and it hasn't even gotten up to 70 degrees yet today. [happy sigh] So, here are some other things you oughta know.

It was my birthday yesterday. And I turned 21(+6). It's weird to think that it was only last year that I was spending my birthday at a show downtown Winston-Salem for Yearling's CD release. THAT seems like only yesterday. Anyway.... I made an observation to Molly that as I get older, my birthdays have become increasingly more expensive. FOR ME. And I'm good with that - I just want to make sure people have a good time! So, have that extra glass of wine and buy the jumbo pack of cookies. It's on me!!!!!!!

I bought a GPS. In celebration of my birthday, of course. And evidently we're supposed to be stimulating the economy. Now, I don't know about the economy - but I certainly feel stimulated. Wow, how did I ever get anywhere without it? I have gone back and forth between dubbing it "Vikki" or naming it "Frankie". Most times I just call it "Frickie". And that works well for us all the way around. She got me here to this wireless hotspot in Southport, VA! Sweet.

I'M AT THE BEACH!!!!! Yup. Did you hear? For the rest of the week.
IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY!!! Did I mention that?
I'M AT THE BEACH FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

We took my Mom out on Sunday for mother's day to a Japanese Food Steakhouse. You know - the kind where they cook in front of you? The next table over there was this couple with a screaming-tantrum-throwing toddler. It was relentless. We're not talking fussy crying. We're talking shrill pissed off screaming FIT. The parents were doing NOTHING to console the child, or deal with the bad behavior - apparently oblivious to everyone else's bleeding ears. My mom looks at me with her crazy eyes, and I know she's on the verge of pulling out her hair. And THEN, we hear this man from across the other table say - "Do you think you can take him away somewhere? We're trying to enjoy a nice meal here, too." Anyway - this whole showdown/fight ensued. He was harsh, and they were pissed. It was very dramatic. But it did the trick because the couple left the table and joined another group across the restaurant. I KINDA felt bad for them. But on the other hand? I didn't. And I love shrimp sauce. Just sayin'.

Shake it like a salt shaker? Also while we were at the restaurant, my Mom made the somewhat fatal decision of telling the chef that it was my birthday. And they come out with this drum, and sing happy birthday, and then he tells me to stand up. So, I stand. And then he says - "Now. SHAKE IT LIKE A SALT SHAKER!" So. I did. Fat white girl got the moves, yo.

Today, if it ever warms up over 70 degrees, I intend to spend the WHOLE day on the beach!!! It's time for my annual BURN, and I just so love spending time on the beach. In the water. Playing Scrabble. Napping. I'm on vacation - so technically I can do whatever I want, right?

Right.

Wish you were here!!!!!! Yup. All of you.

Cool and the gang

The photochicks! Waiting for the wedding party to arrive. Signed, Photodactyl

Its `where are you` wednesday!

Blogging from the toilet. Its practically radioactive up in this piece!! Signed, Stinkydactyl

Happy li'l trees

One of my favorite things to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon is to curl up on the couch, flip on PBS, and watch Bob Ross paint a kitschy mountain scene - complete with azure skies and happy li'l trees. (whispers: just like that.) It used to amuse me that something so simple as oil paint blotches on a canvas could bring Afro Bob so much joy. But now that I'm older I realize that it takes time and effort to extract joy out of life - even if it does involve touches of cadmium yellow mixed in with your timberline green.

So, for today? Here are some of MY happy li'l trees....

• Midol - it's how I spell relief.
• Twitter - all the cool kids are doing it!
• Apples to Apples - it is wrong to have that much fun.
• Salem Chapel - church? community? (whispers: it's both)
• Blog Comments - *eye roll* I'm sorry, but it makes me SO happy. Such a 'ho.
• Speedlight Flash - such a small thing makes SUCH a big difference in a photo.
• A Full Piggybank -  I LOVE SPARE CHANGE!!!!!
• Delicious Bass - and tether ball.
• Leeland - have you met them? NO?! Go introduce yourself.
• Gas for $3.50 a gallon - Whooooops. Wrong list.
• Friends - how cool is it when God brings just the right people into your life?
• The Answer Is - very. Very cool.

"This is your bravery test: Let's go back to the big brush." - Bob Ross