Sticky situations. They some how sneak up behind you and beat you down to the ground just like lions on a camera man (reference to a youtube video called "FOOTAGE OF MAN EATEN ALIVE BY LIONS!!!". Look it up, but prepare yourself...It's horrible). Sometimes you're able to sense them, feel them in the air. Like lighting. But unable to discern if the feeling is excitement or terror. Thus, the situation is left to unfold itself. Then, BAM! Your knee deep in stickiness and have no idea how to abate the coming storm.
Example:
1. Frosted mini wheats and two cups of coffee- most likely not good fuel for a long, hot ride.
2. One water bottle in 90 degree heat- questionable dehydration? Not really.
3. Buying tickets to Europe, changing other peoples plans and then getting called for an interview- typical.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Love.
I'm upside down. Everything is silent but for the muted clinking of river stones. I should be thinking about how to get above the water. I need to remember how to move my hips. But all I can think about is this peaceful serenity. Nothing else matters under here, the cool fresh water washes away my guilt, my fear and my thoughts. Clink. Clink. Clink. Russshh. My lungs start to burn. I open my eyes. The fuzzy scene in front of me is unrecognizable and for a moment, the burning stops. Russsshh. All I want is to stay in this moment forever. The burning returns and my head feels light. I flick my hips and move my paddle. Nothing happens. I flick my hips harder and my body remembers what to do next. My arms raise up, paddle brushes across the water, and my body moves to lay flat against the boat. I open my eyes and the bright light burns. The river pushes and tugs me. I'm upside down....
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Huckleberry Vs. White Mint Oreo
I usually get huckleberry. Huckleberry ice cream on a warm Missoula evening is, obviously, the best choice. But tonight, I chose white mint oreo. And when the lady asked my what I wanted I verbalized the first thing I saw on the chalk board list of flavors: white mint oreo. As I sat there, on the picnic table bench watching the people line up and the sun go down over Mount 
Sentinel, I couldn't help but think that this choice was, quite plainly, the worst ice cream choice possible. Yes, I know what you're thinking, oreo mint is usually pretty delicious. Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie is my favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor. But tonight, at the infamous Big Dipper, I wasn't feeling it. And against my true and passionate love for ice cream, I didn't even finish my kids scoop.
Life is full of so many choices, small and big. And that night, my poor decision to get white mint oreo sparked another, much bigger (and hopefully better) decision. That night, against my desire, I feel under societal pressure to be different... and it failed. I though about my other choices and desires in life. My choice to start building my career and my desire to play instead of work. I love being free to do what I want (huckleberry). But I feel the need to succeed in a career (white mint oreo). Well I don't like white mint oreo. And thats it. I don't want to go to work. And thats it. So here is the new game plan: I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and not feel bad about being unemployed. If something comes up that I'm super excited about it, I will take it. If I'm not 100% passionate about an opportunity presented to me, then it will be turned down. Because really, what's the point in dedicating your time to something that doesn't even rial you up a bit? In the mean time, I'm going to ride my bike and float the river everyday. Because that's what makes me happy and that is what gets me excited. Until I find something that I love more than being free, I'll be playing everyday.
Right now, there something in Spain that seems to be enticing me. So I think I might go check out what exactly that is...
(photo: Western Montana In Business)
Sentinel, I couldn't help but think that this choice was, quite plainly, the worst ice cream choice possible. Yes, I know what you're thinking, oreo mint is usually pretty delicious. Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie is my favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor. But tonight, at the infamous Big Dipper, I wasn't feeling it. And against my true and passionate love for ice cream, I didn't even finish my kids scoop. Life is full of so many choices, small and big. And that night, my poor decision to get white mint oreo sparked another, much bigger (and hopefully better) decision. That night, against my desire, I feel under societal pressure to be different... and it failed. I though about my other choices and desires in life. My choice to start building my career and my desire to play instead of work. I love being free to do what I want (huckleberry). But I feel the need to succeed in a career (white mint oreo). Well I don't like white mint oreo. And thats it. I don't want to go to work. And thats it. So here is the new game plan: I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and not feel bad about being unemployed. If something comes up that I'm super excited about it, I will take it. If I'm not 100% passionate about an opportunity presented to me, then it will be turned down. Because really, what's the point in dedicating your time to something that doesn't even rial you up a bit? In the mean time, I'm going to ride my bike and float the river everyday. Because that's what makes me happy and that is what gets me excited. Until I find something that I love more than being free, I'll be playing everyday.
Right now, there something in Spain that seems to be enticing me. So I think I might go check out what exactly that is...
(photo: Western Montana In Business)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Chain Stays, Poison Ivy and being a Montana girl.
I bought a new bike. It was quite an impulsive decision but I'm happy about it nonetheless. Its funny how emotionally connected I've become with it. He needs a name. I can't think of a good one.
In other news, I've been attacked by poison ivy and/or oak 3 times in the past 3 days. And only this morning I woke up to find that my legs are covered with a nasty, relentlessly itchy rash. Really, it was unavoidable. The poison ivy that is, not the rash. Obviously the rash is unavoidable after contact (side note: 30% of people are immune to the effects of poison ivy. I, however, am not apart of that 30%). It was not asif I wanted to frolic in fields of it, that's just how it had to be, being a Montana girl and all... Allow me to recount the past 3 day's worth of my poison ivy adventures:
Day 1: Hike up the Missions: Along with being one of the main corridors for Western Montana's Grizzly population, it alsohouses the highest population density of poison ivy (that's not a fact, just an exaggerated assumption). And while I was too busy checking my back to make sure I wasn't going to get mauled, I failed to notice the bushes and bushes of poisonous plants all around me. Only at the very end of the hike did I realize the situation. I turned around and pointed this out to my brother, who said "oh yeah, I know, but I'm immuuuune." And when I woke up the next morning in the clear, I thought I was "immuuuuune" too. Oh, how very wrong I was.
Day 2: After a lovely day of sailing, swimming, boating and water skiing, I joined my brother on his evening fly fishing
adventure. After making far too many verysharp turns on a "road" which was really just a field of napweed and cheat grass, we arrived at the Flathead River. A beautifully, big, slow flowing river that's lined with fields of golden wheat and tall corn. But the r
>iver is about 100 feet down this gnarly cliff and as I look down, I see, scattered just below the ledge, bones. Yes, bones. And to the right I see a pile of what looks the remains of some sort of medium sized animal. A coyote maybe? Regardless of what is, I'm scared that a) I too, will end up like this poor creature and b) there are more of this creatures and they're going to eat me. And when I finally get down to the bottom of this cliff (I made it without any real injury) we find a huge pile of bear poop, and its still warm. But since it is made up mostly of berries, we figure its a black bear and not super dangerous. We continue along a small path that parallels the river, looking for a bank where we can set up our stuff. We find a bank and Brother trudges through a thick covering of, yes you guessedit, poison ivy. He says "you're just going to have to tough it out Kristine, this is what makes you a Montana girl." Thinking in my head "Yeah! I'm a Montana girl!" I skip across the ivy and jump in the river hoping that the water will wash it away before those chemicals have time to bond to my skin. The river was beautiful, and fly fishing was great. And when I woke up the next morning, my legs were fine! The water really did get rid of the ivy's poison! Oh, how very wrong I was....
Day 3: I took my sweet new bike up for a ride last night. It was incredible, as per usual. I did the wallman loop up the rattlesnake, which kicked my butt. I ate it hard on the descent (also as per usual) and landed in a thicket of...yes! Poison Ivy! WTF? I seems as though I am attracted to this stuff. And I woke up this morning, legs itching like crazy. So, I am that 70% of the population that does, in fact, react to poison ivy.
I can't stop itching.
In other news, I've been attacked by poison ivy and/or oak 3 times in the past 3 days. And only this morning I woke up to find that my legs are covered with a nasty, relentlessly itchy rash. Really, it was unavoidable. The poison ivy that is, not the rash. Obviously the rash is unavoidable after contact (side note: 30% of people are immune to the effects of poison ivy. I, however, am not apart of that 30%). It was not asif I wanted to frolic in fields of it, that's just how it had to be, being a Montana girl and all... Allow me to recount the past 3 day's worth of my poison ivy adventures:
Day 1: Hike up the Missions: Along with being one of the main corridors for Western Montana's Grizzly population, it alsohouses the highest population density of poison ivy (that's not a fact, just an exaggerated assumption). And while I was too busy checking my back to make sure I wasn't going to get mauled, I failed to notice the bushes and bushes of poisonous plants all around me. Only at the very end of the hike did I realize the situation. I turned around and pointed this out to my brother, who said "oh yeah, I know, but I'm immuuuune." And when I woke up the next morning in the clear, I thought I was "immuuuuune" too. Oh, how very wrong I was.Day 2: After a lovely day of sailing, swimming, boating and water skiing, I joined my brother on his evening fly fishing
adventure. After making far too many verysharp turns on a "road" which was really just a field of napweed and cheat grass, we arrived at the Flathead River. A beautifully, big, slow flowing river that's lined with fields of golden wheat and tall corn. But the r>iver is about 100 feet down this gnarly cliff and as I look down, I see, scattered just below the ledge, bones. Yes, bones. And to the right I see a pile of what looks the remains of some sort of medium sized animal. A coyote maybe? Regardless of what is, I'm scared that a) I too, will end up like this poor creature and b) there are more of this creatures and they're going to eat me. And when I finally get down to the bottom of this cliff (I made it without any real injury) we find a huge pile of bear poop, and its still warm. But since it is made up mostly of berries, we figure its a black bear and not super dangerous. We continue along a small path that parallels the river, looking for a bank where we can set up our stuff. We find a bank and Brother trudges through a thick covering of, yes you guessedit, poison ivy. He says "you're just going to have to tough it out Kristine, this is what makes you a Montana girl." Thinking in my head "Yeah! I'm a Montana girl!" I skip across the ivy and jump in the river hoping that the water will wash it away before those chemicals have time to bond to my skin. The river was beautiful, and fly fishing was great. And when I woke up the next morning, my legs were fine! The water really did get rid of the ivy's poison! Oh, how very wrong I was....
Day 3: I took my sweet new bike up for a ride last night. It was incredible, as per usual. I did the wallman loop up the rattlesnake, which kicked my butt. I ate it hard on the descent (also as per usual) and landed in a thicket of...yes! Poison Ivy! WTF? I seems as though I am attracted to this stuff. And I woke up this morning, legs itching like crazy. So, I am that 70% of the population that does, in fact, react to poison ivy.
I can't stop itching.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Parts of the whole.
Have you ever written an email only to realize that it way too long to be appropriate? And the things that you are saying don't really flow and have no real significance? But there is no way you want to delete it because you just spent almost 2 hours writing it? Yes, well I did that today. Thankfully, I have a blog to dump my word vomit on and you can choose to read it or not. There is no pressure here.
Oh man, I remember that heat. One summer I did a exchange type thing in Spain in high school. It was that summer that huge heat wave swept across southern europe and people were dying, mostly old and homeless people, but still, it was so terribly hot. The butter on the table would melt into a pool by the end of dinner. Ew, I hated those dinners. I stayed with a "family" but it really wasn't a family, it was an elderly couple. The women, Carmen, had bright orange hair that stood up on end (the sad result of a bad perm and color) her head was reminiscent of a jack-o-lantern. She was a terrible cook. Actually, she didn't even cook, she would fry. Sadly, I though all Spanish food was like for a while. The man, whom I dubbed " Pimp Daddy" was just ridic. He would wear all white, from his hat to his shoes, and would dec himself out with gold jewelry. He was full to the brim with gold necklaces, rings bracelets, etc. And every night (after the fried dinner) we would have to watch old videos of him as a matador. So I would go to bed in my sauna of a room, nearly naked but still sweating like crazy, belly full of fried things and images of Pimp Daddy in his white and gold holding a red sheet yelling "ole!" Oh Boy, it was terrible. I was miserable for about 3 weeks until I decided to stop eating at carmen and pimp daddy's house and started eating tapas and drinking Sidra (you should try it). Life got much better. Although, it was still hot and sleeping was near impossible, but I got through it.
I'm am pretty ok. I'm hanging out, not working and riding my bike a lot, so I cant really complain. I just feel very hesitant about getting a job right now. The closer and closer I get to finding one, the less and less I feel like I should take one. Really, all I want to do is play right now. But I feel like I need to start working because I've played for the past year and should get my butt into gear.
What's it like being me? It's for the most part, pretty awesome. I have parents that are supportive with everything I choose to do. Seriously, everything. I think if i told them that I was going bum around for another year or so, they would be totally ok with that too. I've had this really big urge to road trip up Highway 1 with an airstream and bikes. But I need a partner, because doing that by myself wouldn't be nearly as fun as. But who has the time/money to do that with me? If you know of anybody, just send them my way. I wish that that I could just have a life free of pressures to get a job and make a family, get an education and contribute to society. I know this is selfish, but I want to be selfish right now. I don't want to worry about helping the poor fisherman in Florida struggling to make end's meet because the oil spill has turned that state into a wasteland. Don't get me wrong here. My heart hurts for that situation and I wan't to do everything I can to help. But I wish that I didn't want to and I wish that I could peacefully be selfish. Naive and unaware. I just want to have fun for the rest of my life. I've got to figure out a productive way of doing that.... I've been playing a lot of guitar with my brother lately. I just learned an O.A.R song, I feel home. Its pretty fun. I feel productive when I play music.
I want to go to Spain.
Oh man, I remember that heat. One summer I did a exchange type thing in Spain in high school. It was that summer that huge heat wave swept across southern europe and people were dying, mostly old and homeless people, but still, it was so terribly hot. The butter on the table would melt into a pool by the end of dinner. Ew, I hated those dinners. I stayed with a "family" but it really wasn't a family, it was an elderly couple. The women, Carmen, had bright orange hair that stood up on end (the sad result of a bad perm and color) her head was reminiscent of a jack-o-lantern. She was a terrible cook. Actually, she didn't even cook, she would fry. Sadly, I though all Spanish food was like for a while. The man, whom I dubbed " Pimp Daddy" was just ridic. He would wear all white, from his hat to his shoes, and would dec himself out with gold jewelry. He was full to the brim with gold necklaces, rings bracelets, etc. And every night (after the fried dinner) we would have to watch old videos of him as a matador. So I would go to bed in my sauna of a room, nearly naked but still sweating like crazy, belly full of fried things and images of Pimp Daddy in his white and gold holding a red sheet yelling "ole!" Oh Boy, it was terrible. I was miserable for about 3 weeks until I decided to stop eating at carmen and pimp daddy's house and started eating tapas and drinking Sidra (you should try it). Life got much better. Although, it was still hot and sleeping was near impossible, but I got through it.
I'm am pretty ok. I'm hanging out, not working and riding my bike a lot, so I cant really complain. I just feel very hesitant about getting a job right now. The closer and closer I get to finding one, the less and less I feel like I should take one. Really, all I want to do is play right now. But I feel like I need to start working because I've played for the past year and should get my butt into gear.
What's it like being me? It's for the most part, pretty awesome. I have parents that are supportive with everything I choose to do. Seriously, everything. I think if i told them that I was going bum around for another year or so, they would be totally ok with that too. I've had this really big urge to road trip up Highway 1 with an airstream and bikes. But I need a partner, because doing that by myself wouldn't be nearly as fun as. But who has the time/money to do that with me? If you know of anybody, just send them my way. I wish that that I could just have a life free of pressures to get a job and make a family, get an education and contribute to society. I know this is selfish, but I want to be selfish right now. I don't want to worry about helping the poor fisherman in Florida struggling to make end's meet because the oil spill has turned that state into a wasteland. Don't get me wrong here. My heart hurts for that situation and I wan't to do everything I can to help. But I wish that I didn't want to and I wish that I could peacefully be selfish. Naive and unaware. I just want to have fun for the rest of my life. I've got to figure out a productive way of doing that.... I've been playing a lot of guitar with my brother lately. I just learned an O.A.R song, I feel home. Its pretty fun. I feel productive when I play music.
I want to go to Spain.
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