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Tag: adventure

Birthday Adventures

February is my birthday month. As a child I loved my birthday, but as I got older, it came to mean less. Lately, though, I’ve come back around. Who cares if anyone else is celebrating? My birthday is for me. My birthday, however, falls in the week Tucson celebrates the yearly Fiesta de los Vaqueros–aka Rodeo Break. Schools are closed Thursday and Friday. So instead of taking my birthday off, I’ve been taking the Friday of Rodeo Break, and going camping. Last year was the second time we went to Roper Lake during Rodeo, and friends, it was blinking cold. This year, I decided, we would go somewhere else. A little south of here! A new park, a new adventure, not so cold! I reserved a cabin at Kartchner Caverns State Park, back in August (you have to reserve way ahead.) Then my work adopted a new policy as of January 1st–everyone gets their birthday as a paid holiday, but you have to take it that day. Use it or lose it. You are darn tootin’ I am not going to lose out on getting paid to celebrate my birthday. I went to the desert museum for the Avian Adventure, and met this charming fellow. It was a great time! I will be showing off that picture for a while, let me tell you. Then Friday, I went camping. Poor me, already paid for it, can’t get out of it, sorry to take two days off in a week but…

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I’m Going on an Adventure!

I, KD Sarge, seriously lucky duck, am going to Australia at the end of the week. Australia, then New Zealand. I’ll be gone for a whole month. Did I mention I am soooooo lucky? For reals. The plan was to go last October, but it wasn’t deemed safe enough yet by my traveling companions (those doing the planning!) I was afraid it might be that way, so I didn’t think about it. And then this year it was on, but another COVID wave could still cancel everything. Stuff could go wrong. I wasn’t the one planning, so I didn’t think about it. If it happened YAY!! If it didn’t–well, if I didn’t think about it, I would be a lot less disappointed if it didn’t happen, right? So here we are. I barely got my passport in time because I was working very hard at Not Thinking About It, but I did. I have it. I have all the other paperwork required. I’ve made my packing list, and done a practice pack to make sure I can take what I need within the weight and space limits. I have people set up to drop in on my kid. I have to-do lists written up, and rewards for doing the to-dos, and I am as sanguine as I can be about leaving her alone here for a month. Zoe: You sanguine about the kind of reception we’re apt to receive on an Alliance ship, Cap’n? Mal: Absolutely. [pauses] What’s “sanguine” mean?…

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Nasty, Disturbing, Uncomfortable Things

Friends, this is the middle of nowhere. Note the vultures, if you can spot them. I only caught two in this shot, but there were eight of them. They circled for two hours, while friend and I sat with my car, hoping someone would come along with a lugwrench that would work on a damaged lugnut my tire iron couldn’t handle. Why, yes, it was great fun! Why do you ask? Hanging by my bedroom door where I see it every morning, is a sign that says “Every day is a new adventure.” I try to live by it. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes I end up sitting by the side of the road. A couple weeks ago, we went to Sedona. That was awesome. Here is a picture from NOT in the middle of nowhere (because we were enjoying a great meal at a great restaurant–on the open-air balcony, of course–when I took it.) In fact, here’s another gorgeous pic, possibly from the same balcony, because we ate there the whole weekend, it was that good. That adventure went well. We enjoyed pretty much every moment of it. But that’s the nature of adventure—you don’t know what you’re gonna find until you find it. Sort of like a box of chocolates, yeah? Though I do love adventure, I’m currently somewhat unwillingly trying to expand my horizons. I’m very busy right now, and I don’t have a lot of time for it. I’d like to stay closer to home! I love…

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Kitchen Adventures Continued

Last month I talked about another attempt to get organized. Like a wave washing up the shore as the tide comes in, each time I try I get a little better. Unlike the tide, eventually I hope to get there and stay. (although I guess with erosion and rising sea levels, it could–ahem.) Last year (gulp) I talked about learning to cook more. It’s another wave thing, but these waves come slightly more frequently than the get-organized ones. Probably because eating out is expensive and bad for me. (pretty certain it’s the expensive part that keeps me coming back.) Since last year, I’ve given up my Jamie Oliver cookbooks. I still like to watch him cook, but I don’t make the recipes in the cookbooks, and I’ve been watching Marie Kondo, so… Turns out the recipes were a little…odd…for me. Unfamiliar measurements, unfamiliar ingredients, and results that made the whole family go “…umm?” When you’re just not sure if it’s supposed to be like that, it’s hard to figure out if/where you went wrong. Also I’ve discovered that I really enjoy hunting recipes across the internet. So. Meal planning is a major step for me. I’ll do it the way I like best, to encourage further exploration. I’ve found it’s actually easier when there are limitations. Roomie can usually cook two nights a week, but she won’t use the Instant Pot. Kid can cook another night, but it has to be an easy recipe and I have to be available…

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Christmas in the Movies

I’ll admit it–though in my household we celebrate Christmas, I’m not a big fan of a traditional holiday. Two of my favorite Christmas movies are Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. Every year my daughter and I spar over the purchase of a Christmas tree. I don’t bake cookies unless I really get the urge, and I don’t send cards pretty much ever (though I do buy cards on sale after Christmas, for stashing for that day I may somehow decide to send cards again…?) And–well, we live in Southern Arizona. We don’t get snow on Christmas. We don’t get snow pretty much ever. (I’ve lived here 30~ years. We’ve had snow…twice? In January both times.) I’ve never seen Miracle on 34th Street, and I’m pretty blah on White Christmas. But I’ve seen Home Alone 2. And Ghostbusters, and Muppets Take Manhattan, and Godzilla (1998), and Newsies, Sleepless in Seattle, Die Hard 3: With a Vengeance, Rumble in the Bronx, Spiderman, Avengers, Ally McBeal, Night at the Museum–what do all of these have in common? They’re set in New York City. Guess where I get to go for Christmas this year? I am So. Excited. There’s the little kid in me, who remembers watching the Macy’s parade every year. Skaters at Rockefeller Plaza, and there’s an awesome bridge in Central Park I remember from some movie, I don’t even know. There’s the young(ish) lover of every monster movie ever. “Negative impact! That’s the goddamn Chrysler Building!” There’s the writer, just drooling…

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Adventures Come in All Sizes

Do one thing every day that scares you. Have you heard this saying? (Interestingly, although it’s often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, the true author is Mary Schmich.) That’s a bit of a stretch for most people, myself definitely included. But regularly doing things out of my comfort zone? That I can handle. If I remember. Ruts are easy; adventures take work. My most recent adventure: a dramatic haircut. I had my hair all sorts of lengths when I was younger, but it’s been in long layers, between chin length and shoulder length, for many years. But I’ve been thinking for a while about long pixie cuts, and short bobs (and doing enough research to know what to call the haircuts I’m interested in!). I just haven’t dared to do it. This weekend I finally took the plunge. Now I have a very short straight-across bob with bangs — think 1920s flapper hair. It’s cute as all get-out, and very different. I like it. But even more, I’m excited to play with different cuts now that I’ve realized that going short isn’t so scary after all. Other scary and/or new things I’ve done so far this year: Wrote a back-of-the book description with Kit for City of Hope and Ruin (it took a lot of drafts, let me tell you)…not to mention going through all the stages of getting this novel ready for publication Gradually slid into helping to run the social dance series I’ve been attending for years — I’m…

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