Why I Love the Northwest

So, right now I'm going to school in Nebraska. The scenery looks much like you might expect it to look.

There's corn.

It's flat.

I drove 420 miles to the other side of the state and still there was corn and still there was flat.

While I do believe that Nebraska is beautiful in its own right (have I shown you the pictures of the fabulous bike trail I like to frequent?), it is not My Northwest.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to Portland for a conference for school and since I had family nearby, my advisor all but twisted my arm to stay a few extra days to visit them. Graciously, I accepted the offer. In that time, I drove around the state of Washington visiting and staying with various members of my family.

In that time I saw mountains,

I saw rolling hills,

I saw valleys,

I saw rocky hillsides,

Desert,
Columnar joints,
I even saw flat. Very flat.

And I didn't even make it over to the coast where I could have seen sandy beaches, rocky beaches, ocean, and rainforest.

All in the same state.

That is what I love, and miss, about My Northwest. Beautiful, stunning variety.

My Subconscious Self Has Left the Building

I know it's the end of the semester. How do I know? For the past few days, I keep dreaming of going on vacation. To exciting places. That are far away from school.

Dream 1. Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords was my personal tour guide on a trip to Australia.

(Jemaine. My tour guide.)

I spent an inordinate amount of time packing in the dream as I was very concerned about having the proper attire, equipment, needs, etc. At one point, no lie, Jemaine turns to me and says, "Oh, Katy, take the sunglasses. You'll definitely want the sunglasses." (On a side note, this is only the third time in my life, that I can recall, that a celebrity has made a cameo in a dream. One time, I rollerbladed with Steve Carrell from The Office in Howard Amon Park in Richland, the whole time I was thinking to myself, "Omigosh! I'm rollerblading with Steve Carrell!"; and another time I dreamt Jim Halpert was my boyfriend and he was declaring his undying love for me in my parents' kitchen. Hmm...). But, back to Australia. I finished packing, we took a bus to the airport and got on the plane. Jemaine made hiLARious comments the whole way and it was just fantastic. And, sadly, just as I looked out the window and saw the Australian landscape, I woke up.

Dream 2. I don't remember much from the dream, EXCEPT that I was going to London. I was leaving notes everywhere letting people know where I was. One in particular I remember is the note I left on my door at school, "Hey hey. I've gone to London. Later!" Someday, I would love to actually leave that note. Again, I woke up before actually landing IN London. Aah!

The exciting thing is that, in the real world, I do get to travel for the next couple of weeks! Not to London or Australia (nor with Jemaine--although I do get to see Jemaine in concert in a couple of weeks!), but travel is travel and it will be fantastic.

Goodbye Spring Semester. Hello Summer!

Reach for the stars

Wherever I go, whatever I do, there are a few goals I always carry around with me. These are seemingly unimportant, nay, trivial ambitions for my personal quality of life but, I assure you, they are crucial.

Goal #1. I have a furtive goal to never be ambiguous. Put another way, I don’t ever want to be the object of a “male or female?” conversation. You know the type. It often involves a mullet, gender-neutral clothing, and overt signs of too much testosterone. If I’m ever encroaching into this territory, please, please slap me upside the head and help me.

Goal #2. I don’t want to be in a place where I have to wear a muumuu, not because I choose to wear a muumuu, but because a muumuu is the only thing I fit into. There is a particular episode of The Simpson’s that haunts me on this point.

If I ever proudly show off my collection of muumuus in every color of the rainbow or try to prove to you that the muumuu is the perfect article of clothing because it doesn't constrict my girth in any way, please, please slap me upside the head and help me.

Goal #3. I want to avoid the flaunting of accomplishments and/or mourning of disappointments greater than 10 years after they've happened. I witnessed a woman in her 40's regularly remind us she was her high school class valedictorian and another woman in her late 30's regularly sob because she didn't go to her high school prom. I remember thinking, "Wow. But, what's happened in the last, oh, twenty or so years since then?" If you ever witness said flaunting and/or mourning emanating from my mouth on any occasion on a regular basis, please, please slap me upside the head and help me.

Goal #4. I want to marry a big, burly man because of my own big, burly stature. When I was in Boston a couple of years ago, I saw this illustration by William Steig in the Boston Public Library

and prayed that I would never be “the potato” in a “string bean and potato” couple. I’m happy being the potato, but just let me be a potato with another potato. Hence, the need for the big, burly man. If I excitedly introduce you to my string bean fiance, well....just congratulate us on our upcoming marriage and move along.