Proof that Johnny is always right

Both Johnny and Beth left the comment that Johnny is right when she said I was delightfully and refreshingly mad. I think I might have some proof regarding that.

Tree Hugger Alert!

I have mentioned before that Spring and Fall are my favorite times of year. This is because I am not overly fond of either cold or hot weather and temperatures in Minnesota during these seasons are anywhere from 55 to 75 degrees. I love this. I am usually even okay if it rains during this time because I normally like rain. If it is warm rain, which we have not been having lately. Instead we are being drenched with cold, wet rain that hates me and is driving its icy fingers into my soul.

However, there are some days when we pull out of the parking lot or are on the road and I am overwhelmed with all of the beauty that is Spring. My eyes are constantly drawn to the greenness and the flowering trees and the smell of the newly blooming lilacs. I watch birds fly through the sky or squirrels scamper through the trees (and try very hard to restrain from crying “Bird!” or “Squirrel!” since apparently that’s kind of distracting). My mouth falls open in awe, that’s the only way I can explain it.

Last week, Keem and I were driving what we refer to as the “scenic route” (we avoid 94W or 94E (depending on which way we are going) by taking Mounds Boulevard. We drive by Mounds Park (it may not actually be called Mounds Park. It may be Indian Mound Park) in which there are (you guessed it) Indian Burial Mounds. There are also lots and lots of trees. Keem and I had the following conversation.

DM: Keem! Keem! There is a tree.
Keem (K): Yes, Dana. That is a tree.
DM: Pull over.
K: Why?
DM: The tree wants me to hug it.
K: No. I am not pulling over.
DM: But Keem! The tree is sad and needs me to hug it.
K: The tree is not sad. It is a happy tree.

We drive a little further. I see another tree, one that is small and looks like it has just been planted recently.

DM: Keem! That tree is small! It needs to be hugged. Let me hug the tree.
K: No.
DM: But Keem! Hugging is good for the tree!
K: You are not hugging the tree, Dana.
DM: You never let me do anything fun. Why won’t you let me hug the tree?
K: You are a dork.

Today I said hello to a tree on my way to work. Keem thinks I'm weird. I don't understand why. It's not like I hugged the tree (although I was very tempted because it was beautiful and green and I think it was smiling at me in its tree-like way).

Trying to rationalize this

DeAnn did a post about JournalCon which is taking place in October. I am seriously trying to convince myself not to ask for the time off right now. There is no way I can justify going. I’m down to a whopping 5 days of vacation, I am broke and will be broke for awhile while I try to adjust to a lessened income (long story involving taxes and how I made a slight error in judgement and owed the IRS some money (don’t ask)) and still owe my sister money and she is broke because Eric broke his foot so he will not be working for awhile, I don’t drive and don’t fly very well so I would have to somehow convince Beth to go and I can hear her laughing as I type this.

And then I pulled up the sightseeing link at JournalCon’s website and scared my co-workers with my cries of “They have pandas! They have pandas!” Since JournalCon is taking place in San Diego, they mentioned that the San Diego Zoo is nearby. The San Diego Zoo has pandas. I HEART PANDAS! Even more than I love frogs.

Pandas, Beth! Pandas! Please can we go? Please? And we could maybe meet DeAnn because she might go. The money situation will resolve itself because I will marry someone very rich and indulgent in the next few months. I mean, yeah, my love life is non-existant but now that there are pandas, I am sure that I could just snap my fingers and men will be running to date me because of the Panda Glow I will be emitting.

Okay, that last sentenence was just weird. Please strike that from the record.

Punch Drunk

Last night there was karaoke. And it was good. I love karaoke. I have mentioned this before.

I now know I am completely over my slight obsession for Bobby because, when he provided me with my Diet Coke with slice of lime and there was only one slice of lime, I said “Hey! Only one slice of lime? Do you hate me now?” And he laughed and told me to grab more lime. Bobby is still Bobby and still has great hands but he’s also the father of a small not yet born child that will be here in possibly 10 weeks if I did the calculations correctly. Isn’t that cute? He and his girlfriend are having a little girl. Isn’t that sweet? Awwwwww!

Anyway, Beth and I were kind of giggly last night. It could have been from the Buffalo Wings. I will blame them. I was terribly stuffy last night and thought “Hey, Buffalo wings! That will clean up my sinuses!” And it did! Beth had one wing and her sinuses cleared up and she didn’t even have a stuffy nose! Behold the power of Buffalo wings! I had three or four wings and then had the remaining wings boxed up and I would occasionally sniff the box when my nose started getting stuffy again and it would kind of work. But then the Buffalo wings decided that they hated me and got their revenge in a most disgusting way and I was in the bathroom for awhile (which there will not be any detail about because I am not that kind of girl) and missed part of karaoke. It was sad.

I told Liz that, when Beth had sent the picture of the pork head to Bryan when we were in Portugal (which I am surprised to realize that I don’t think we posted this. What was I thinking?) that we giggled a little because we were so excited that we had her and Bryan’s email. And that we’re not just stalking Bryan, we’re stalking her as well.

And last night, Liz brought me a book! A book to read! One from her personal collection! And she gave us her phone number! And she took Beth and my phone number! So that set off giggles on the way home because Beth and I are so part of the cool crowd now! Barry automatically comes and sits with us now when he gets to karaoke. We don’t even have to ask. And we have more people that sit at our table automatically now! There is Amy and Angie and Katie (who brought in a copy of her wedding album last night so there was karaoke and a scrapbook. Nothing could top that!). Last night, we were Dean and James free, however, so that was sad. But we did survive because Nate was there and I threatened to lick him and offered to pay money to watch him and Big Wayne mud wrestle. Or maybe it was Jello. I don’t remember now.
It was New Song Sunday, which is always both fun and terrifying. It was hard for me to tell how I really did since I couldn’t breathe through my nose and breathing through your mouth and singing at the same time is really, really hard. Beth tried new songs and so did Bryan. He also sang Short People which was hilarious. And Nate tried Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty. Which was really good except he was having problems with the Free part and Beth and I were talking about it on the way back to my place and I started laughing like I was stoned (this is my stoned laugh: heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee (which is really hard to demonstrate in a blog but believe me, it is funny to hear)).

Okay, I am tired and am going out to eat with Keem and Katie (not Katie from karaoke Katie but Katie from work) and possibly Jeff. So I must leave you now. While you wonder if a) could I use anymore exclamation points (of course!!) and b) could I be even bigger of a dork (of course!!).

Good night all. May your days be full of trees and squirrels and beauty everywhere you turn. And may you find something you love as much as I love karaoke! And PANDAS!