Posts from — November 2008

Thanksgiving was awesome! I went to three dinners in my hometown (Grand Jct, CO). I hung out with two of my brothers, visited family I hadn’t seen in a while and enjoyed eating until I wanted to throw up.

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. You get together with family and friends and just eat. Way better than Christmas any day!

Speaking of Christmas, here are the same brothers from above, many, many years ago. :)

You know, I don’t think I have any pictures of me ever sitting on Santa’s lap. I’m going to need to remedy that someday.

Today is Thanksgiving, or it will be by the time I post this. So, I want to take the time to mention a few reasons why I’m thankful.

I am extremely thankful for my family. Over the last few years I have realized how lucky I am to have such fantastic relationships with my three older brothers. We are closer to each other than I could have ever expected.

I am thankful for:
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I want all my friends and family members to know that I love them very much. But, I’m not going to try to show that love this year with gifts. I’m going to enjoy hanging out with you while creating experiences that will stay with me, and hopefully you as well. I’m not going to stress about what to get for who and whether or not I can afford to do so.

In return, I ask that you ignore me on your shopping lists as well. I don’t want or need anything this Christmas, save for visits, phone calls or emails from y’all.

Thanks for being a part of my life,
wayward melissa

Last week, while talking to a co-worker who is lactose intolerant, I said how I was glad I wasn’t allergic to anything. [Enter Murphy and his stupid law here]. BAM.

Saturday morning I woke up thinking a spider must have been stuck in my blanket and bit me all over in anger. I really only had about 7 sporadic itchy bumpy areas. But, by that evening those little “bites” had spread out and shown their true colors. Hives. Itchy, irritating, uncomfortable, dastardly bastards. Ok, no problem, Aveno oatmeal baths and Benadryl and I’m good, right?

Sunday morning I woke with more hives; more huge, red, itchy, exasperating patches of trouble. More Benadryl and Aveno and I was managing ‘ok’.

But, Monday morning was the worst. My whole upper body was inflamed, creeping up my neck where people could see. Then my lips did a Botox injection impression. Can you tell how swollen my lips are here (cell phone pic)?

So yeah, fun stuff. After the lips got swollen, then my hands did and my feet. By nightfall walking was pretty painful. When I got home from my short work shift, I was ready to crash for the night.

But no, my pushy motherly sister-in-law demanded we go to Urgent Care. Which was probably a good thing. My brother took a happy picture of me in the waiting room. Yes, I’m in my Jammies.

The doc gave me a prescription for some steroids and told me to buy Zyrtec. So, I slept good last night. I hadn’t realized how swollen everything was until I woke up this morning and it was pretty much gone. It takes a lot for me to succumb to visiting a doctor, so thanks Marie, I guess. ;)

So, what caused this week of discomfort? Not sure. It started the day after Me Kong. So, was it the new halibut dish I tried? Or was it a delayed reaction to antibiotics from my UTI a few weeks ago? No idea. I do know that I’m sick of being sick, and I’m going to work hard at not tempting Murphy anymore.

I can’t believe I just found this! We (my brothers and I) had this cartoon recorded on an old VHS tape, back in 1987, and watched it constantly. It was on an episode of Amazing Stories, which I always considered the “Twilight Zone” of the 80’s. I believe this cartoon had a crucial impact in my formative years.

Check it out here. 23 minutes of goodness. (It automatically starts.)

I found my camera in my bag today, so I decided to document my Friday a little. Boring? Deal with it dude.

Here is me hanging out at the Jitterbug, earlier in the day. Jbug has a neat retro feel and is replete with Betty Boop figurines and decorations. Yes, Bruce is making faces at me.

All smiles.

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For some really odd reason, it’s always easier for me to doodle/draw in regular notebooks. I have plenty of sketchbooks I should be drawing in but the lined notebooks seem to draw me to them. Get it? Draw me to them…to draw. *slaps knee* Har har.

Anyway, here is a lazy cell phone pic of some doodles for painting ideas.

Hey duders,

While browsing through my computer tonight I came across a few paintings from last year. Some of you may have seen these, (whether in person or on myspace), some may not have. But, I’m trying to stimulate my creativity so I can get some more paintings done, so here you go. I hope you like them.

Here is an oil-sketch of my brother Todd. Pretty rough and fast.

And here is one of my brother Shane, a little more refined.

While I’m delving through old artwork. This one was done in 1987. I totally won second place in our class’s art contest. We were given the theme, “pets, a gift of love” and I went with the idea that they’d love to eat each other. I guess I understood irony pretty young. :)

Also, here are some links to a few of my favorite artists.
- Esao Andrews
- James Jean
- Mark Ryden

Ok Melissa, go paint!

I found this site a few years ago and was intrigued but never got around to it. I think now I’m going to make a list and set about tackling it. Since the site explains it best, here is what the project is:

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Hmm…the old brain is starting to clickity-clack. Let’s see…Europe will be on it for sure, what else?

Anyone else interested in this should post their lists in the comments, or at least a few ideas they’d throw on it! I’ll get back with mine soon enough.

Many people have asked me what the best part of my road trip was. Well, there weren’t any particular spots that beat out all the rest. Although, the Black Hills National Forrest in South Dakota was gorgeous. I loved seeing family members, getting to know some friends better, meeting new people, visiting places I’d only seen in pictures, and seeing states I’ve never been to. All those reasons made the trip [insert another word instead of "awesome"] Awesome! [Oh well.]

But, I think my favorite part of the trip was the randomness. The way I didn’t plan it out too much. I would wake up (stumble out of the car and into the gas station bathroom, half asleep, and then back) and then check out my atlas for somewhere I’d like to go. I’m sure this method caused me to miss many opportunities and tourist spots and cool must-see places. But, it also allowed me to live in the moment and focus on the “now.” I guess I liked the “stop and smell the roses” aspect of the trip. I experienced a lot of neat small town diners, drove down scenic roads through back-county places, stopped in a corn field to watch the sun go down, and in a wheat field to watch the sunrise. I discussed places to see with veteran truck drivers over coffee, visited art museums with strangers from the internet, saw the “bests of Kansas” with an old high school classmate, frequented libraries in several states to capitalize on free wi-fi, snuck into a campground bathroom in the middle of the night to snag a quick shower before continuing down the road, and enjoyed getting reacquainted with myself.

The experience was also pretty humbling. Without the luxuries of kitchens and showers, I learned how to make do and adapt. It made me appreciate what I had, more than before. I’ve always been one to weigh the costs and benefits of my decisions, but while on the trip I kept justifying that another night NOT in a hotel meant another tank of gas, and another experience I could enjoy. (I actually managed to not stay in any hotels on the whole trip. Only camping, car-camping, hostels, friends, family and internet friends.) I believe I spent just about $850 over the course of the month, mostly gas (avg $3.30/gal), and food, souvenirs, park fees, camping fees and entertainment.

Many people expressed concern or astonishment that I went on the trip alone. Quite a few mentioned that I must be really brave. I don’t see it that way. I have many fears, many that seem to cripple me in some ways. But, taking off on my own allowed me to escape a little from my own head, which I tend to get caught up in - thinking too hard about too many things. Traveling took my thoughts outside myself, to think about what I was experiencing rather than feeling. It was wonderful. At no point in the trip was I ever concerned about my safety. When I slept in my car, it was at well-lit truck stops with plenty of witnesses. The strangers from couchsurfing.com, that I stayed with, were super nice and welcoming hosts. I made sure not to put myself in any position to welcome trouble, but I think in general people are good and most places are pretty safe. Although, I did feel more comfortable car-camping in small towns rather than bigger cities.

So, the best part of the journey… was the impulsiveness (or waywardness), the peaceful single-tasking focus on the current moment, and the humility of experiencing each day not knowing where I would be by nightfall or if I’d manage a shower, or a couch to crash on.

I’m totally going to do it again. :)