Anatomy of an Obsession

5:00 am: Take Mia for a run. Notice a little more skip in my step as I anticipate the day ahead.

6:00 am: Shower, eat breakfast, pick out "club appropriate attire" per website instructions, resist putting a flower in my hair.

7:00 am: Pick up three girlfriends along the way to Hollywood.

8:30 am: Enjoy some coffee while waiting in line and sharing the morning paper.

9:00 am: My friend, Liz, meets Phillip's girlfriend and receives a picture souvenir from her.

9:30-12:30: Watch the So You Think You Can Dance contestant rehearse their opening number for that night's show. Talk to Caitlin, Philip, Melissa, and Jason (be still my beating heart!) while other performers are being filmed, lighting gets adjusted, and camera angles get reworked. They're so nice! And have incredible bodies...er...talent. And the number was muy caliente. Like I'm still sweating kind of hot. Then they added water...holy trash I was impressed. The final cut that we saw later didn't do it justice. I've decided I could operate the cameras AND the sound better than those who currently do those jobs. Oh, and also? Pretty sure Jason and Janette are not faking that chemistry. You heard it here first.

1:00-2:00 pm: Enjoy a nice refreshing lunch. Why does standing wear one out so thouroughly?

2:30 pm: Stand in line again.

3:00 pm: Fall into a bush while squatting to give my legs a break; accidentally pull a friend in with me in an attempt to steady myself.

3:30 pm: Find out Michael Jackson died.

4:00 pm: More waiting in line, but now we have benches. Thank the Lord.

5:00 pm: Finally get scooted back into the studio, but do not end up by the stage like we were in the morning. Blast you, you cute little 13 year olds! Sit next to a girl whom I'm sure would meet the criteria for an Axis II disorder. Determine there are at least 10 other people in the audience who would do the same. But then again...they're teenagers...and all teenagers are certifiably insane.

5:30 pm: Find out Farrah Fawcett died. Hear that Jeff Goldblume also passed away. What is going on?!

6:00-7:00 pm: Watch the taping of the results show. Not surprised by the results. Sneak out early to avoid the throng of tweens.

8:30 pm: Finally arrive home after fighting traffic and dropping friends off. Nurse the bush-inflicted wounds on my back.

9:00-10:00 pm: Host a SYTYCD party and retell our adventures to the friends who weren't with us. Find out Jeff Goldblume is alive and kicking still. Good for you, Jeff.

10:30 pm: Pass out.

Ready....set....

...let the wedding season begin! We have a least one wedding a month from June-October, which isn't a huge number, but because most of them are Big Deal Events, it feels like a 5-month-long party with wedding favors.

Starting us in style was my classmate, Tracy. She met her now-husband at Fuller and it was neat to see so many classmates join in on the celebration. I really love my cohort - every one's so supportive of each other. The wedding was held at the church that her husband pastors, followed by a casual church reception. A few hours later, we all reconvened at a nearby restaurant for the TEN COURSE banquet reception (not that I was impressed or anything). Since both Tracy and Cyrus are from China, many guests at the wedding were from there, as well, and the wedding was conducted in both English and Cantonese. They incorporated both Western and Eastern traditions into the ceremony and reception, which was a treat for this small town white girl from the Midwest. Luckily, I had some good friends with me who were much more familiar with the culture than I was, so they explained things to me throughout the festivities and made the whole experience that much richer.

Singing their vows to one another. Yep. Singing. How cool is that?!

Cohort picture after the ceremony. I knew when the picture was being taken that I would look kind of goofy, but who wants to say, "Excuse me, but I don't have a good angle."? Not me.

The new Mr. and Mrs!

Wait...am I in Missouri?

Emily and me. She was my date since Ben pretty much only goes to weddings if he's in them.

Liz and Robert, a fellow Missourian - we bonded over our dislike of seafood, which is unfortunate, since a Chinese banquet is all about seafood.

Cheers from the other cohort table!

So, one interesting thing I learned was that it is common to include the head of whatever animal you are eating on the plate so that you can eat in good confidence, knowing that it is, indeed, lobster that you are ingesting, and not, say, pieces of crawdads molded together to look like lobster. Another thing I learned: I prefer not to stare at an animals' eyeballs when I chew its flesh. And a side note of that, perhaps things are easier to ingest if you don't know what they are...such as braised sea cucumber. I also tried scallops, shark's fin soup, and crab for the first time. And let me tell you, it's not the taste, it's the texture. I admit I'm a wimp, but I still claim victory over the fact that my diet is no longer 75% peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Although, I was really craving one of those when I finished this meal...

Lobster with Supreme Sauce

Empress Roasted Chicken.

And Steamed Fresh Lived Fish. With teeth.

Throughout dinner there were speeches, cake cutting, a first dance, and toasts. Plus wardrobe changes! Dress #2. HOT!

And finally, the receiving line (with dress #3!).

Congratulations, Tracy and Cyrus: beautiful couple, beautiful wedding, and here's to a beautiful life!

Pick up on aisle 4.

As I'm sitting here sorting through coupons and making a list of things I need from the store, I'm wondering what you typically pick up when you go grocery shopping.

Because if it's girls, then you definitely need to become a patron of the Pavilions around the corner from my apartment. Seriously. I've been hit on more in the freezer aisle than any other place on earth.

The first instance was when I was in the dairy section and a guy, who, presumably shopping for similar items and not for a healthy dose of social awkwardness, asked me what my favorite cheese was. "Ummm...," I stalled, scrambling around for a quick response to this decidedly odd attempt at small talk. I glanced down to what I had in my hands, "Cheddar?" He shook his head and tsk-tsked me, indicating his far superior taste buds. "Come on," he chided, "all these cheeses to choose from and you pick cheddar? What about smoked gouda or brie? Or even some feta?" Just as I was about to get annoyed and offended about being judged, he asked, "Can I get your number?" Because he wanted to further educate me about the wide world of cheese? Then I realized, OOOOHHHH. This is SO not about cheese. I smiled sweetly and replied, "I don't think my husband would appreciate that." He looked surprised, as most people do when I mention that I'm married, and then shrugged, "Well, I had to try." Fair enough, I guess. He quickly made his way to the front of the store, all interest in cheese abandoned.

Then, most recently, I was leaving the store when I heard someone exclaim, "YES!" I looked around to see what all the fuss about and made eye contact with a guy making his way toward me. Before I could even attempt to make sense of what was going on, he asked, "Hey, are you single?" I shook my head with what I'm afraid was a horrified expression. "Crap," he muttered, in disappointment. Then he went on into the store. What the....? Really? So, of course my mind starts creating scenarios to explain this short sequence of events. Did he have a bet that he would ask the next woman who walked through those doors out on a date? Did he read his horoscope and learn that today he was going to find his soul mate? Did he forget to take his meds this morning? I will never know...I hope.

But the one that takes the cake, the one that made me giggle for days following the event, was when I was picking out some yogurt and a man approached me.

"Wow! Those are some pants! Red!"

I look over at him, somewhat taken back, "Uh...yeah...they're red."

"Like the wildfires!" he exclaimed, making reference to the latest surge out fire outbreaks in our area.

"Sure," I replied, turning back to the myriad of Yoplait options.

"Hey," he continues, "have you ever considered dating a disheveled Jewish man?"

Hmmm...no, actually, I had not considered that option. "Sorry," I replied, "I'm married." Why did I apologize about that? Regardless, in my experience, that's usually enough to deter further conversation. But no, not for this disheveled Jewish guy.

"Married?! Really?! In this town? You're STILL married?"

Holytrashstoptalkingtome. "Umm..yep...still married."

"Well, that's incredible."

"Mmmm..." I nodd, hoping to indicate that I'm donedonedone with this conversation.

"Well, if that doesn't work out for you..." he trails off.

What? We'll meet back here and give it a go? Give me a break. I give him a neutral smile and walk off. Without my yogurt.

Moral of the story: Pavilions is better than eHarmony. Or, at least your odds are as good. And second moral of the story: I need a bigger ring.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Ben: What's 20% of 60?
Robin: 12...do you want to know a really easy way to determine percentages? Just figure out 10% and take it times two, or whatever number you need.
B: And would that be any faster than asking you?
R: blink.
R: blink.
R: Touche.

Finish What You Start

If you know me, you know I love to read. And if you've seen my apartment, you know that I'm a book hoarder and have more books than space. It's an addiction I fully embrace because there's just something so magical about getting lost in a story. The very act of turning the pages, the coziness of curling up on the couch, the smell of books and all their dwelling places (libraries, bookstores, etc) - I've come to associate peace and happiness with all of these things. Which is why I detest reading things on the computer (I know, I know...I'm a traitor to my generation) and why I feel Kindle should only be used for kindling.

Now, I will also admit to something I'm less proud of: the number of books I've bought that I have yet to read. Because Some Day I'll have time. Some Day I'll get around to them. Considering all the things I have planned for Some Day, I'll be busy well into the the year after Some Day getting them all accomplished. I will also admit to reading more than one book at a time, which feels a little bit like cheating on each book. I never thought I'd be that person, the one who has multiple books going at once, but graduate school is a curious thing that turns you inside out and upside down. Thus, here is what I'm currently reading:

God's Politics
Walking on Water
Altared
A Hidden Wholeness
Why Not Women?
American Wife

Ridiculous, no? But I'm at least half-way through all of them, which, now that I've typed that, doesn't really feel like a positive thing. Ah well. I'll abstain from making a list of the books that are on deck. Here's to enjoying those things that make you happy - even in a scattered, schizophrenic kind of way.

I'll leave you with a passage I came across in American Wife (p. 53) that had a lasting impression on me, probably because I read it right around the time I went home and started swimming through nostalgia:

Admittedly, the area possesses a dowdiness I personally have always found comforting, but to think of Wisconsin specifically or the Midwest as a whole as anything other than beautiful is to ignore the extraordinary power of the land. The lushness of the grass and tress in August, the roll of the hills (far less of the Midwest is flat than outsiders seem to imagine), that rich smell of soil, the evening sunlight over a field of wheat, or the crickets chirping at dusk on a residential street: All of it, it has always made me feel at peace. There is room to breathe, there is a realness of place. The seasons are extreme, but they pass and return, pass and return, and the world seems far steadier than it does from the vantage point of a coastal city.

Certainly picturesque towns can be found in New England or California or the Pacific Northwest, but I can't shake the sense that they're too picturesque. On the East Coast, especially, these places - Princeton, New Jersey, say, or Farmington, Connecticut - seem to me aggressively quaint, unbecomingly smug, and even zenophobic, downright paranoid in their wariness of those who might somehow infringe up on the local charm. I suspect this wariness is tied to the high cost of real estate, the fear that there might not be enough space or money and what there is of both must be clung to and defended. The West Coast, I think, has a similar self-regard - all that talk of proximity to the ocean and the mountains - and a beauty that I can't help seeing as show-offy. But the Midwest: It is quietly lovely, not preening with the need to have its attributes remarked on. It is the place I am calmest and most myself.

May you all feel calm and more yourself today.

*Many thanks to Liz for both book recommendations and list-writing inspiration

Home Sweet Home, Chapter 3

And finally, what you've all been waiting for....the 10 Year High School Reunion! I took the liberty of digging through some old photos to make the trip down memory lane all the more fun. Enjoy!

Class of '99, Sophomore year

Me and Catherine, Basketball Homecoming '97

Me and Catherine, 2009

My birthday party, I think 1990.
Jordan, Candice, Natalie, Jennifer, Bethany, Felicia
Misha, Tiffany, Me, Sonya, Stacy, and Tara

Kim, Jordan, Bethany, and Me: Girl Scout Troop 555 (right?), 2009

Jessica, Me, Ashley, and Sonya, 2009

Kim and Tara, Spanish Class, circa 1998Kim and Tara, circa 2009

1995
Me, Kim
Sonya, Tiffany, Candice
Misha

Freshman year, 1996Sophomore year, 1997
Catherine, Me, Tara
Ashley, Jessica, Jamie

Stacy, Kim, Jordan, Me, Misha
Tara and Catherine
2009
Tara and Richelle, 1998

Richelle and Audrey, 2009
Felicia's baby shower, 2000
Jamie, Kim, Me, Felicia, Bree, Holly, Kristel

Kristel, Brian, Brad, and Bree, 2009
Tara, Kim, and Me, 1996Tara, Catherine, and Me, 1997Tara, Catherine, and Me, 1998

Catherine, Tara, Kim, and Me, 2009

Tara and Catherine, 1998Catherine and Tara, 2009

Felicia, Ashley, Tiffany, Jamie, Candice, Holly, Martha, and Casey, 1998Holly, Candice, Catherine, and Ashley, 2009

Sivad and Tiffany, 2009

Whew! What a trip (in more ways than one)! It was so fun to see all my old friends and catch up with where they are in life. Most of us are no where close to where we thought we'd be, but c'est la vie. About half of our 110-ish graduating class showed up - pretty impressive, I thought. But as one fellow classmate said, "We always were a close class." Here's to maintaining those friendships. Thank God for Facebook! See you all in 10. Or maybe 5? :)

Home Sweet Home, Chapter 2

On Friday of our trip, Paige and I were able to squeeze in some time together before she took off for Texas and before reunion and family festivities swallowed me up whole. We tend to hit our favorite hot spots from the old college days - lunch at either Red Onion or Take Away Cafe, followed by dessert drinks and magazine perusing at Books-A-Million. It's funny how our magazine selection is directly correlated to our stage in life (e.g. gossip magazines and bridal magazines have been traded in for parenting magazines and house plan magazines...okay, we still grab the gossip magazines...). I love old, silly traditions with friends.

Jair, six months.Saturday morning, our dear friends, Christy and Anthony, made us a delicious brunch. We had offered to take care of Jaxon and Vivi for Mike and tif Saturday morning while they did errands, so we took the kids with us. Lesson learned from that morning: kids make you late. And sticky.

Ben let the kids pick out their own outfits, and helped Jaxon accessorize: 4 tattoos and a sweatband.

I did Vivi's hair. That was more challenging than I would have guessed, too. I have a sneaky suspicion that having kids is hard work.

The Geiser's eldest: Tatum

Greta and Jax just a swingin'.

Big sister, baby brother.

AJ's kind of annoyed with the paparazi. Can't I see he's just trying to drive?!

After a delightful morning, I joined some old friends for lunch before the big reunion that night. We caught each other up on our lives and gossiped about what and who the evening would bring.

Bethany, Kim, and Tara

One more chapter to come!

Home Sweet Home, Chapter 1

We had a direct flight into Springfield and I cannot tell you how much no layovers and airports close to home add to my quality of life. Sure, sodas cost $4, the flight attendants played idiotic games, and the seats were the most uncomfortable destinations that I've had the pleasure of parking my caboose, but nonetheless, it's the way to go when traveling to Missouri.

We stayed with my mom and dad the first night, which is always an adventure in a 2 person RV. But they were gracious hosts and it almost felt like home with a little black dog hogging the covers at night. After catching up with Paige and Jair (friend pictures will come in Chapter 2!), Ben and I joined my parents and my brother's family at one of the best restaurants in Joplin for some hibachi action.

We even ate sushi. What? We go to Missouri to eat sushi? Yes.

Followed by dessert and a visit from my other brother and his wife back at the RV.

Bolt Sandwich

We brought Ella her first California souvenir.

The next day, following some more good visits with friends, I went over to Rian and Jennifer's to capture some Ella moments.

Above her crib.

We had a few of these moments...

and some of these, too.

She's going to be a fantastic soccer player and pianist.

...to be continued...