Summer

I've been missing from the blogosphere for most of this fastly disappearing summer, this is true. I have been doing a mental record of the travels and exploits of Penny, Cappy, and the canine centenarian. Not everything, but a few things thus far...

Russian River:
Who knew water ankle deep in parts could be so much fun? How many women does it take to row a canoe upstream? The answer: 3. Two to paddle/steer, and one to shout out directions--imagine a sundrenched cockswain armed with organic hops and arugula. The Tubular One wasn't too keen on the canoe bit. She was more fascinated by the nearby web footed ones. You could nearly hear the T.O.'s telepathic shouts of glee, "My food source! My food source! Now all I need to do is dig up some sweet potatoes..."

Side note: I really believe that pets should only eat foods that they can feasibly track and kill. I knew a cat who ate a dry mix of lamb and rice. Lamb? This is hilarious to me. Can you imagine a feisty feline attacking a mid-sized lamb for dinner? In my mind, this upsets the natural order of things.

Anyway, at Russian River--snacks, scrabble, and a Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency marathon (!!) guided us through the night before we got back to the river the following day.

We're headed back to Russian River this coming weekend, but with an increase of five more gals. I see more beer, rounds of Texas Hold 'Em, and even more excuses to head to Monte Rio's Sonoma Wine and Cheese shop.

Summer Movies:
Didn't see many this summer. Our best film moments have been courtesy of Netflix. We did see "Scoop" on its opening night. We were the youngest members of the audience. I smirked rather than laughed. All i can say was that the popcorn was really great.

Work:
An upcoming release has taken most of my time. Read: half-eaten lunches at my desk, little time for shoreline walks, and too much time staring at a computer. Apart from the Tahoe retreat, it's been quite engaging. Life fulfilling: low. Career building and good times w/colleagues: high.

Misc:
Fun barbeques and picnics, our Bouillabaisse adventure with Fabrice and Jen, swimming and strawberry/passion fruit tapioca smoothies, great reading, a lot of tennis, and general subdued mayhem.

For those of you know who know and understand my thing with Morten Harket, read on... I've just received the DVD "a-ha Live at Vallhall." The DVD includes footage of the lads hanging out before a concert--being their usual passionate extroverted selves. And the added bonus of a flash created video for "I wish I cared." It has made my top ten list of all-time favorite music videos. Also in my top ten: Duran Duran's "Is there something I should know?" and Madness' "Our House," among others.

I've learned recently about another 4AD darling, "Blonde Redhead." The sound? Kind of like Bjork with a hippie electronic backup band. A vocally careless Japanese singer. The sound is raw and very real. I keep seeing visions of Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer" video whenever I listen to this music. Well, just the song "Elephant Woman." I'm not sure why.

Summer travel will come later for us. We'll be heading out to the E. Coast for real this time. It's high time I visit the tennis courts where Cappy developed her killer backhand, her high school, her childhood home in Long Island, and a NYC hot dog. The last time I was in NY was a very long time ago. At that time, I had this crazy thought that a Smith MSW was something I had to do, and that moving to Seoul w/my French girlfriend was going to keep us together.

This time around I'd like to see what the city (NYC) looks like from a spiritually sober place.

Will it seem as noisy or more so? Will I be able to locate my long lost friend Geno S. in Brooklyn? And where are those big round rocks in Central Park? Is the dim sum in New Jersey as good as Cappy's mom says it is? And lastly, I will finally experience a proper Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich. Is Cheese Wiz really a main ingredient?