Spoke Too Soon

   Today started out mega-awesome, but started to turn sour when I left work. I had planned to stop by the e-vet to pick up Atom's remains. I allowed almost a month to pass, thinking I was past the raw emotion from grief. I was wrong. The recpetionist was so quiet and kind; she went in the back to retrieve my box, and lovingly placed it in my hands, saying, "I am sincerely sorry for your loss." It was so sweet, but I wasn't ready. I had to put my sunglasses on as I left the building, to conceal the steady stream of tears rolling down my cheeks once again.
    I composed myself in the car and headed home. On Shawnee Mission Parkway, ironically RIGHT in front of the Toyota collision department building, a guy in the pickup in front of me slammed on his brakes and came to an *extremely* abrupt stop. I followed suit, but my brakes didn't get me there fast enough, & I rear-ended him.
    We both got out of our cars, and he greeted me in an understated but very friendly way. I asked him how bad the damage was, bracing for his answer. "My truck is fine," he said. "I've got a hitch on it. Unfortunately your car didn't fare so well."

    Yep, I had a hitch embedded in my front bumper. Groan. We exchanged cars and he told me that he didn't intend to report the accident to the police or the insurance company. " I have no damage to report," he said. Fortunately, me damage was minor—a dimple on the bumper. Although I don't think there was any way I could have avoided this (other than not being there right then!), the rear-ended is always at fault, right?
    He told me he hoped I'd have a better weekend and we left. As I drove home, I thought about how lucky I was for his hitch: although it damaged my car worse than it may have otherwise, at least it protected his car from harm.

   I came home and noticed a slip of paper tucked under the lid of Atom's box. It was a copy of "The Rainbow Bridge." Hello, uncontrollable tears of sadness. I stood in my kitchen bawling again, with my three pets wondering what the hell was wrong with me.
    Well, looking at the bright side, my weekend can only get better, right? :I

Fantasy 4th of July Weekend

My weekend, in a few adjectives:

Fun.

Indulgent.

Sweaty.

Magical.

Creative.

Delicious.

Extraordinary.

   I had an amazingly awesome Fourth of July weekend: charcuterie, wine, cheese and tapas at Extra Virgin. Fireworks on the lawn of Liberty Memorial. A heaping helping of Oklahoma Joe's BBQ. An afternoon at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Dinner at Justus Drugstore and a chat with the chef. I slept in every day. Watched the first seven stunning episodes of Mad Men (finally!), as well as the unapologetically sweet, wonderful and sentimental Cinema Paradiso. Walked at Shawnee Mission Park with the pups (despite the intense heat and humidity). Co-created two delicious homemade amoeba-shaped pizzas and drank too much good wine.

   All in all, it was a fantasy weekend with someone very cool, so I guess I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when I woke up this morning feeling melancholy that it was coming to an end. But I guess I have to return to reality: the cold slap in the face of a lawn to be mowed, house cleaning and a pile of laundry, and a 5:45 am wake up call for work tomorrow.   Can't wait 'til the next time...

   Top that off with Kristin getting engaged yesterday, and an impending visit to see Kelley and her sure-to-be enormous belly in LA, as well as the chance to represent my work at the Gallery 1988. Life is awesome.

Happy.

Sparkly.

Adorable.

Blue blue blue

Photo from femmeonfeast

   This morning I got up early, had coffee and read the paper, then started laundry and washed the car inside and out. Then I left to meet Nicole, Stacy and Abby at Blue Stem for a champagne brunch (bellini = yum). As I walked in, the host directed me toward the table, cautioning me to watch out for the service dog on the way. I assumed it would be a Lab or a Golden. Imagine my surprise when I saw a pretty red Shiba in a blue service jacket sleeping lazily by her owner's side! I didn't get a chance to inquire about the dog or the type of service it provided, but it made me happy to see a Shiba dispelling the stereotype that they're aloof and not fit for service. (And brunch was amazing, too! Yay!)

   Blue was a theme this weekend. Last night I finally tried Blue Grotto in Brookside, a swanky gourmet pizzeria and wine bar, with a terrific antipasti selection. Everything we tried was yum.

Photo from restaurant website

Gorgeous weekend

   My favorite kinds of weekends are those when the weather is beautiful: sunny, warm and breezy; before the bugs are out, so I can open up all the windows in the house and the back door, giving the cats access to countless sunny spots and allowing the dogs to go outside at will. This weekend they've scarcely been inside, returning only to cool off for a moment and grab a drink of water. They like to lie in the grass under the trees and just observe and enjoy. (Makes me think I should make more time for the same!) I've had a lot to do, however, both in the house and yard, and running errands.

Aki keeps an eye on the front door and enjoys the breeze

   This morning I ran Scooter to the vet to have her knee checked, and to meet Jana, another MSIR volunteer who was transporting Akira. On the way home from the vet, I snapped that photo of the clouds. Wish I'd had my real camera instead of the Blackberry, but I think it's spectacular nonetheless. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather holds up for next weekend's Backpackin' 2: Electric Boogaloo!

   Although I had plenty to do, I couldn't resist taking the pups to Antioch Park for a run, especially after I learned of Nike's new challenge, in which they're donating $200,000 to help Japan recover from the earthquake and tsunami. We clocked another 4 miles racing all over the park, enjoying the blooming magnolias, redbuds, Bradford pear, and cherry trees. (How's that for Japanesey?) Hallmark is matching employee donations dollar-for-dollar, which makes me very proud to work for such a caring company.

Memorial Day Celebration, part 2

   I was at Screenland Crown Center this afternoon to see "The Secret of Kells," an Oscar-nominee for best animated picture by the makers of Persepolis. The character design was a dead give-away, and made the film worth seeing. Literally every frame was a work of art, beautifully composed, with rich textures and color palettes. I'll write more later, but for now I'll just say: it should have won the award!

Trailer  /  image downloads  /  Ghibli interview  /  review & poster

   Then I grabbed dinner at Panera & walked over to the lawn between Union Station & Liberty Memorial (WWI museum). Thousands of my closest friends were already there! This was the 8th annual Memorial Day Celebration with the KC symphony. They sounded great... or at least, they would have, if the sound system were more powerful.  It was worth going to see the spectacle, though. When I started seeing lightning, I headed home. They may not have gone ahead with the fireworks anyway. So, a slightly anti-climactic ending for both the movie & the concert!