Mobash

Yesterday marked the official opening of Mobash, Missoula's new skatepark. Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, Mike Vallely, and others were on hand as a part of Tony Hawk's Secret Skatepark Tour 3. Eight thousand skateboarding fans turned out for the festivities.
I didn't go to the opening (I had planned on it, but forgot all about it until it was too late), but this afternoon I went to the park to check it out. There were some good skateboarders there, so I sat back and enjoyed the show. I'm really too old for this stuff, but I took an interest when my little brother started skateboarding. I have no desire to do it myself, but I love to watch.
The park was designed by Grindline Skateparks and is located in McCormack Park, just off the Orange Street bridge. 15,000 square feet of concrete bowls, ramps and ledges, and all free to the public. I think it's a great addition to the city.

For more information on the park, here are some links.

Missoula Skatepark Association
article in the Missoulian about the skatepark opening
my photos from this afternoon at the park (on Flickr)

WHY am I the last to find out about awesome things?

Boy, when they say "one-button publishing," they mean it! I typed my title with a little too much flourish and out of habit clicked enter, only to have the screen reply, "Files published...50%....100%" It was funny to see my blog yelling WHY am I the last to find out about awesome things? with no further explanation... I spent a few minutes enjoying a good laugh before finishing this post.

The awesome thing I didn't know until minutes ago is that today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! I forgot all about it! Dang, and I would have made good use of it, too. Well, in honor of the day, here is an english-to-pirate translation of an excerpt of my entry from last night:

Today be a beautiful autumn tide. I love th' fall. I think 'tis me favorite season. That may be from a lifetime o' bein' a student - fall brings new classes an' textbooks, football games an' marchin' bands. I love 't all. Sweaters an' crisp sunny days, an' fallen leaves t' kick up as I keel haul.

Western Montana got 'tis first dustin' o' snow on Saturday - all th' mountaintops be shimmerin' white again.

Fer some reason fall always brings ou' me domestic side. (Luis may duel that I dasn't be havin' a domestic side, but ye`ll be havin' t' ignore th' lad's. I cook more than he does, e'en if that t'ain't sayin' a whole lot...) Last high tide' I made a big pot o' chili, an' I`ve got some super-ripe bananas ready t' go into a loaf o' banana nut bread next high tide'. I hate t' brag, but I make amazin' banana bread. An' snickerdoodles. An'... that`s about th' extent o' me expertise. I be passable at everythin' else, 'ceptin' whole poultry. They fstarboarden me. I`ve made turkey twice. Th' second time be good - th' first time be a fiasco I`d rather forget.

Here be some more links fer yer pleasure:

talklikeapirate.com
a good english-to-pirate translator
talklikeapirateday.com
flickr's talklikeapirateday group photo pool
a great how to talk like a pirate video

Autumn.

Today was a beautiful autumn day.
I love the fall. I think it's my favorite season. That may be from a lifetime of being a student - fall brings new classes and textbooks, football games and marching bands. I love it all. Sweaters and crisp sunny days, and fallen leaves to kick up as I walk.

Western Montana got it's first dusting of snow on Saturday - all the mountaintops are shimmering white again.

For some reason fall always brings out my domestic side. (Luis may argue that I don't have a domestic side, but you'll have to ignore him. I cook more than he does, even if that isn't saying a whole lot...) Yesterday I made a big pot of chili, and I've got some super-ripe bananas ready to go into a loaf of banana nut bread tomorrow. I hate to brag, but I make amazing banana bread. And snickerdoodles. And... that's about the extent of my expertise. I'm passable at everything else, except whole poultry. They frighten me. I've made turkey twice. The second time was good - the first time was a fiasco I'd rather forget.

Speaking of food and fall - one of my favorite snacks is a microwave apple crisp. (Thanks to Patt for getting me started on this - she made it for breakfast while Luis and I were visiting!) Here's the original recipe I downloaded:

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp quick-cooking oats
1 Tbsp flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 apple, peeled and sliced

Place butter in microwave safe container and heat until softened. Stir in sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon; set aside. Place apple slices in small microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle oat mixture over apple. Microwave, uncovered, on 2-3 minutes or until apple is tender.

I make a few adjustments for calorie content - I use light margarine, and a teaspoon of brown sugar combined with a packet of Splenda. I use maybe a teaspoon of flour, and two to three tablespoons of oats. Perfect for a rainy day snack!

I could never be Miss America...

Why, you ask? Well, aside from my short stature, age, and distaste for all things pageant, it's mostly because I could never wish for peace on earth.

Wow, sounds evil... but it's not. Really.

Think for a minute about our world, and the wonderful myriad of viewpoints held by different people. Some of their ideals you embrace, and others you undoubtedly reject. Say, for example, that you hold a strong opinion about the war in Iraq, or on abortion, or on one of any number of hot topics. You believe firmly in your side of the issue and would argue in defense of your belief until your last breath. There are probably many people who hold an opinion similar to yours on the topic. However, for every person who agrees with you, there is one who would disagree with you, adamantly arguing that his side is right. With this comes contention and conflict, which is the opposite of peace.

So how would we achieve peace in this instance?

It seems to me that we would have to somehow silence an entire group of people. I can't figure any other way - it's highly unlikely that anyone could genuinely convince half of everyone that they are wrong, and even were the issue to become obsolete, people would still have opinions about it.

That's not peace. It's oppression. Cessation of variation can't be a good thing.

Perhaps we could strive for this instead:

coexist (v) - to exist separately or independently
but peaceably, often while remaining rivals or adversaries.

Maybe we could spend less time trying to conform everyone to our own personal ideals and just live by our own ideals.

And now, some food for thought:

• It's important to stand up for what we, as individuals, groups or societies, believe in. But to what end? Are the beliefs of any one group more important than the liberties or beliefs of another?
• Think about the most important opinion you hold regarding some issue of social debate. How committed are you to your belief? If mine is the opposite of yours, and I try to convince you I'm right, will you change sides? Now, apply that the other way around. As committed as you are to your belief, the person on the other side is probably equally committed to his.

If I could have a wish, it would be that people take more time to understand one another. Not agree with, necessarily, but at least learn more about each other. Walk a mile in my shoes, and I will in yours. Perhaps we could all benefit from taking some time to find out why other people believe what they do. A little understanding goes a long way.

(I'm done. I'll get off my soapbox now.)

If I could have your attention, please...

for a few quick announcements:

Luis is giving a recital tomorrow night, 7:30 at the Music Recital Hall, U of M campus. It'll be good, you should be there.

Today in my health assessment class we learned how to give proper eye and ear exams. Turns out I have lovely, easily viewable tympanic membranes. I guess we all have special gifts.

If you happen to live next door to me, I should apologize for the singing. I downloaded a bunch of cheesy 80's hair metal a few days ago, and I've been screaming along to this as I clean the kitchen...

Lastly, I'd like to call your attention to the right side of your screen. If you'll scroll down a little, you'll see the parade of photos marching down the sidebar. It's always been there, yes, but today on a whim I changed it to show a random selection of photos from my flickr account, instead of just the most recent ones. So refresh a few times, see what shows up! Could be fun...

Now I must return to my regularly scheduled homework assignment...

Breaking up is hard to do.

Two friends of mine who have been dating for a while broke it off yesterday. The event got me to thinking about the dynamics of a breakup, and how utterly strange it is. I can't think of any other interpersonal relationships that include this peculiar ritual. Other relationships end, sure, but usually without the bang. Friendships wax and wane, but rarely do they end with a sudden declaration of, "I don't want to be involved with you anymore." More often they just fade subtly, being quietly replaced with different ones. And with family, even if you choose to end an association with one of them, there's still that business of being related - tough to escape.

I don't suppose there is any way of ending a partnership other than just calling it off, but it's amazing how drastically it can change your life overnight. The sudden change of living situation, the keeping of different company - it's a surreal experience. It's difficult to pick apart the threads that have been twined together for so long.

My mom always said she didn't understand why young people leaped straight into big heavy relationships in their late teens and early twenties. She thought they should be dating and having fun, not tying themselves down. I get it now. Stop trying to grow up so fast, and actually spend some time growing. I finally know what she means, but of course, hindsight is always 20/20. Yet I don't think I'd trade my past, because it's shaped who I am now, and I like who I am. Strong, independent, confident - everything I wasn't at twenty.

I've been through two big breakups along with heaping handfuls of little ones, and from that a couple things have become important to me. The first is that I can handle it. None of them have killed me yet, so if I ever have to go through it again, I know I can. The second is an idea that may sound terrible at first, but hear me out - I don't 'need someone'. I know that we all need people to lean on, and I certainly need my family and friends as much as anyone else. I just like the idea of being okay sans relationship, and I know I could be. That's empowering. I know too many people who need a relationship, and I think that too often that keeps them in the wrong relationship, out of fear of not having one at all. They stay with 'someone', even if it's not the right one, because it seems better than no one.
I prefer the idea of wanting to be with someone, rather than needing. The two words' definitions are intertwined in the dictionary, but to me it's about attitude. It's a lot like the difference between having to do something and getting to do something. Now that I can bring to a relationship a whole, self-sufficient person, I can give so much more. And over time, in a committed relationship, I may grow to need that individual, but it's because of who he is and what we have, rather than just because he is 'someone'. And if I can keep a little want in there too, I think maybe that's the trick.

**Disclaimer: This is a reflection on past experiences, not some sort of foreshadowing of things to come. Luis and I are quite well. :) I don't want any freaked out phone calls... We're great, no worries.**

Lists.

(Nicked the idea from Mer and Neena's blogs...)

Things to do while I'm alive:
• learn a foreign language
• visit Italy, England, and Spain... and maybe Africa
• graduate from college
• live in a big city
• take martial arts
• read the other 91 books on my "top 100 books you should have already read" list
• never settle
• take a drawing class
• learn a new instrument
• live more
• regret less
• get good at the tango
• stop trying to fix people
• learn to ski
• buy a pair of Jimmy Choos (or other ridiculously extravagant shoes)
• tell my family more often how much I love them

More things I love: (I did this one recently - fortunately, lots of things make me happy...)
• shoes
• the fact that I have friends who know everything about me and like me anyway
• cheese
• Luis (who is reading over my shoulder, and is sad that he came after both cheese and shoes... rest assured, these are not in any type of order)
• sleeping bags
• pulling out splinters
• people who are willing to go out of their way to help someone else, especially when the someone is a stranger
• sassy old ladies
• bare feet in cool grass
• writing
• sangria

Things which irk me:
• rude people
• hangnails
• drivers who don't know the rules at a four-way stop
• "reality" television
• misspelled signs, flyers or any type of published text
• people who make everything about them
• wasps
• people who don't think for themselves

Holy holiday weekend, Batman!

First of all, let me encourage you to see a concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington, if ever you have the opportunity. Beautiful scenery, perfect climate, and not a bad seat in the house.

The Gorge has an adjoining campground, which can house close to half of the concert goers. It's like an after party with 10,000 of your friends.

I won't recount my weekend in detail, partly because I don't want to bore you with a long narrative, and partly because I'm lazy. I will tell you that it was awesome. We camped two nights and saw two concerts. If I can swing it next year, I will happily go all three nights. I've seen something like eight of their shows, and as long as they keep touring, I'm there.

As cheesy as it sounds, the Dave Matthews Band has been a huge part of the soundtrack of my life for nearly a decade. I love their music. It makes me happy.

Come and relax now
Put your troubles down
No need to bear the weight of your worries
You let them all fall away...

This weekend:

The Gorge. The Dave Matthews Band. Two shows. Camping.

Friends. Drinks. Sunshine.

(Photo bummed from the official Gorge website.)

The perfect end to a great summer.