with love

Well, there are only hours left for 2008. The general sentiment of the people I love is relief and high hopes for 2009. There are so many people--and a dog--I love, and I'm praying and wishing 2009 finds them safe, happy, peaceful, healthy, and a part of my life. xoxo

a merry little Christmas

Today was another beautiful Christmas day. I'm in Florida visiting my folks, and the day started with excellent homemade french toast. Then we spent the bulk of the day talking and listening to Christmas music until late afternoon when we went to EPCOT to meet up with their friends Barry and Kristine. We went to the candlelight processional, then had an extraordinary dinner at the Rose & Crown where Barry got us a special table on the lake so we could watch the fireworks while we ate. It was a very special Christmas. Now we're driving home and all is well. :)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

the great summit

I'm in Florida, visiting my folks for Christmas, and it's gorgeous outside--especially after a stressful week of blizzards in Michigan. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch, and when we got back to my parents' place, my mom wanted to show me the azalea bush she got from my grandma's memorial service. It was equally gorgeous. And being Jon, it got me all sentimental thinking about my grandma, hearing Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong's goosebump-inducing version of "Azalea" running through my head. It was a moment.

the first day of winter snow patrol

Along with the snow, came all sorts of loud noises: the falling of ice and snow from the roof, the plows clearing the streets, the scraping of windshields. A certain dachshund's curiosity has been piqued by all constant stimuli of the wintral noises outside. Here he is guarding the house from a snow blower.

excuse me where is the restroom?

We got A LOT of snow yesterday. Today, the sidewalks are hallways, and there aren't many options for what a low-riding dachshund can use as a bathroom. I had to carry Nick out to his clearing beneath the tree in the backyard and he made due with that. What a trooper.

a very dachshund Christmas

Apparently I talk about my dachshund companion quite a bit, because I got my second dachshund-related Christmas gift. One of my coworkers bought me a glass figurine of a dachshund bucking. Reminds me of Nick when he's excited about a walk or car ride. I love it. :)

all i want for Christmas

I tried putting wrapping paper around Nick--like a robe on a boxer--but he wasn't having it. He flopped on his back and refused to get up. I had to settle for laying it on him like a blanket. Still, he's pretty darn cute, isn't he? He's so patient with me.

too busy thinking 'bout my baby ain't got time for nothing else

I've been busy lately, running to and fro and not getting nearly enough laptime with my dearest friend, Nicky. I have plans the next five days/nights, too, and was fearing I would never get any time with my little guy if I didn't take action. So, tonight I decided to put aside an hour just for him. And it was a lovefest. Time well spent.

clocked by a dachshund

Nick's been obsesssed with me since coming home from visiting my folks. Not that it's anything new for him to follow me around, but he's REALLY interested in everything I do and everywhere I go. He's just waiting for a lap to fall asleep in. I love his enthusiasm and sincerity. He's so uninhibited.

the most sincere use of the word blessed

It was a good Thanksgiving. Of course I was my usual sentimental self and missed a lot of people and times, but when I was in the here and now--it was all quite sweet. I ate a lot of my mom's excellent food, watched a parade on TV, watched MSU basketball, and went for a gorgeous 1.7 mile walk around my parents' sub-division. We walked past people playing football, a couple orange groves, a guy walking his dog, and some kids playing really loud Jamaican dancehall from a parked car. It was all so perfect and a nice cap to an excellent week spent with my folks. I have so much thanks to give.

putting the gobble back in thanksgiving

I've been a vegetarian for over ten years now, and every Thanksgiving I have people ask me what I eat, since I don't eat turkey. Well here you go: Tofurky, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, some rice casserole thing, and a salad. All courtesy of my mom. Veggies are easy to please, and I would have been just as happy with only a salad, but she took care of me in a big way. God bless her.

Kalkaska Florida

Twenty years ago, my parents, grandparents, brother and I went to Disney World for one of those big, special, Thanksgiving family vacations. Being Jon, I'm all nostalgic about it this holiday, and as a curiosity, my folks and I went for a walk through the trails at Fort Wilderness to see the campgrounds where we stayed in 1988. It made me even more nostalgic, only for the upper part of Michigan's lower peninsula, thanks to the pines and ferns. I'm thinking it's time to get back to Kalkaska. The walk was beautiful, I got chills seeing things I'd long forgotten, and I'm thankful my folks were up for the adventure.

blue is beautiful

One cannot visit my folks without being taken to Disney World. Or, at least, it's rare. We made a day of it yesterday, then went to a dinosaur-themed restaurant where we ate in an ice cave. It gave everything a beautiful blue tint. Very Disney.

'it's really snowing. wow.'

So, it's winter. I went out for a cup of coffee a few short hours ago and it was slightly chilly, to the degree that I wore a sweater and light jacket. Now there's snow EVERYWHERE and I'm freezing in a sweater and heavy parka. I don't know how much snow we're supposed to get, but it's dumping down with no indication of easing up. Ho hum.

detroit is the new hollywood thanks to granholm

On my way to lunch today, I saw a film crew setting up around the corner from my building. My coworker thought they were just street vendors selling grills, but it turned out she was wrong. I think this is supposed to be a Rob Schneider film set in New Orleans. Greektown, Detroit is not New Orleans. How curious.

woke up to winter

I took Nick outside last night and there was a faint snowfall. I told a bunch of people, as it was the first snow of the year, but I had no proof. Well, this morning it was unavoidable. Snow was all over the ground, windshields had to be cleaned, and there were accidents all over the roads. I went to the river to get coffee on my lunch break, and was trapped in snow and hail on the walk back to my office. Sometime overnight it became winter.

let your love shine down

Yesterday was a really beautiful day. I woke up and got to the polls when they opened, spent two hours between standing in line and voting, came home to a wonderful dachshund and increasingly spring-like sunny weather, got two venti gingersnap soy lattes, went record shopping where I snagged The Jam and Fontella Bass, had lunch with Randy, took Nicky for a car ride to Selby's, went to dinner for beers while watching the exit polls with Nevada and Kelly, and came home to Obama winning the presidential election as well as Peters and Schauer winning their campaigns. Whew! Somewhere after getting lunch with Randy, I was upstairs watching the sun set through the upstairs window, and I got pretentious. The window was filthy, but the sunshine came in anyhow and made the filth look hopeful. It was a beautiful moment. This is the best I could do to capture that. I love the United States of
America, and I love democracy. They're both beautiful things.

yesvember

I took Nicky to the groomer this morning, and when we came out, I noticed this stencil painted on the ground next to my car door. I'm not sure what it's all about, but the fellow in the stencil looks smart. So does Nick, for that matter. And did you see the MSU game-winning 48 yard field goal we kicked with only 17 seconds left on the clock? Nice. That combined with the warm, sunny weather, a trip to the coffee shop with my Fred Perry and MacBook, and a dachshund that smells like vanilla, makes for an excellent first day of November.

nick casts the shadow

And here's a picture of Nick from earlier in the afternoon, just because he's cute. There were some fellows working on the porch all day, which tested Nick's nerves, so we went out to the backyard for him to sunbath a bit.

nick or treating

Nicky isn't too thrilled when he hears a lot of noises outside or when people come to the door, so we decided against staying home to battle the trick-or-treaters. Instead, we went to Huntington Woods, had pizza, and followed a little girl around the block as she got candy. I got to carry her candy bag between houses, but she never offered me any. That's gratitude.

crafty little guy

Today at work, I had to attend a class on being awesome. We started the exercises by creating stuff out of pipe cleaners. I made a fly, a bunny, and this little dachshund. Here he is, pictured with the artist's muse.

stay only means stay when you don't have more pressing matters like giving kisses

So, there's this dachshund I love named Nick, right? Here's a picture from yesterday when I got home from work. He looked so cute sitting at the top of the stairs with the sunlight behind him, that I had to take a picture. This guy is so full of love that he couldn't even sit still long enough for a picture. Here he is slowly coming down the stairs, creeping closer to give me kisses. Bless.

the shadow and his shadow

Nothing calms the soul after a spooky Halloween phone call from Ford Credit like a dachshund named Nick. Here he is being profound and lovable.

waiting to be people moved

Jazzie and I decided to go to lunch today via the People Mover. It was a dollar well spent. Who needs Cedar Point when you got rides like these? The view from our train station is beautiful.

we'll follow the sun

Somebody's always been a fan of sunbathing, and this evening the sun patches were choice. We caught the rays early, and I moved Nick's throne around the room to follow the sun as it set. My guy had a mellow time.

oh september

Saturdays consisting of pumpkin spice soy lattes, longsleeve shirts, and laptime with Nicky while watching MSU football. Welcome back, September!

my dachshund my muse

So, I just returned from Chili's where they were running a fundraiser for St. Jude's. If you make a donation you get to color a chili pepper for them to hang in the restaurant. They didn't have any brown crayons, but I managed to make my pepper look like Nick, anyhow. Here's a picture of my masterpiece.

luck of the draw

I went out to dinner this evening with a young lady named Madeline. Whenever Maddy and I go out, she asks me to draw Nick and whatever other animals she thinks of (and sometimes boats). Tonight she didn't have any requests, so I surprised her. I drew a whale, but apparently it wasn't very good because she thought it was a "fishy." I explained it wasn't a fishy, but rather a mammal. Oh well. She still seemed to like it.

round every corner

This is what it looks like when you live with the sweetest guy in the world and he wants to sit in your lap. I love this guy.

someone to watchdog over me

Today was a noisy day of thunder storms, lawn mowers, classic cars, noisy party people, etc. Thankfully, Nick's here to let me know whenever I'm missing something outside. Here he is protecting me from the phantom window washer.

it's howdy doody time!

I warmed up a thingy of Trader Joe's pad thai and discovered something startling. The image of Howdy Doody materialized on the box flap! Should I eat the food first, or go straight to eBay?

vote baby vote

I voted this morning and got a sticker! I don't know what the deal is, but they never give out stickers in my new precinct. That's ok--it's better for the environment. But still, I'm wearing my voting sticker with pride. Some people at work didn't even know the polls are open today, so I guess the stickers are good things.

the elusive dachshund

Last night when I posted, this was the picture I wanted to use. My phone was doing strange things and this pic vanished from my pictures folder--but it's back this morning! See how cute Nick can get? Even photo Nicky's got jokes.

the best medicine

When I don't feel so great, this little angel helps make everything sunny. There's a lot to be said for the love of a Nick.

the day my team went to the river and hollywood came to my block

We got a nice surprise at work today. Our boss told us we had a meeting this afternoon, but when meeting time came, she took us outside. We walked to Coldstone for free ice cream them walked around Greektown and down to the river where we hung out on the Riverwalk by the fountain behind the Renaissance Building. It was a small team-building outing and it was very nice. Then when I got home I found they're filming an ensemble cast indie film at the house around the corner starring Michael Cera, Ray Liota, Steve Buscemi, Mary Kay Place and that annoying guy from the Apple commercials amongst a zillion others. It's out in January. Maybe you'll see me walking Nick around the block! What a rad day. :D

result of a dachshund participating in a sex & the city marathon

Nick wants to start wearing his ears "up." what do you think?

nicky on canvas

One of the most frustrating things about living with a guy as cute and sweet as Nicky dog is that it's impossible to capture everything cute and sweet about him in a photo. He'll often have these moments where he does something that totally warms my heart, but when I try to capture it on film it looks like a zillion other photos. Last night was one of those moments. I couldn't capture his sweetness, so I tried zooming in.

the first on the block to wake

Nicky woke me up bright and early this morning, as he does every morning. Only today I was quite alert fairly quickly after I got out of bed. When we went outside, he was all business, got his potty out of the way, and then joined me at the porch steps, watching and listening to the neighborhood wake up. It's quite fun sitting on the porch early in the morning. Everything's so still and beautiful. It's energizing. Here's Nicky studying the street for signs of life.

picture from my recent polynesian vacation

We've been making plans for the big divisional luau for weeks now, and tomorrow's the big day. I've been on vacation, and sort of disinterested, but the spirit's finally snagged me, thanks to a conversation I had today with a guy from thw next department over. I gave in and made this poster for my cube. Can you tell what it is? It rhymes with molcano.

spending my day lillies with Nick

After my walk with Nick this morning, I went to throw out his number two, which isn't particularly pleasant, and noticed this day lilly growing right in front of the trash can. It was a nice followup to the unpleasant part of the walk, and reminded me how beautiful the ugly is when it means I get to share my life with Nick. Picking up his poop rarely bothers me, but today it was even cute. I love that guy.

off the road again

Let's hear it for Nicky Dog. This good sport just spent sixteen hours in the backseat of the car, riding from Cape Cod, Mass to Detroit, Mich. There were a few stops along the way but it was tough on me, so I can only imagine how exhausting it must have been for a little guy who didn't understand what was going on or why we kept pulling over and interacting with the toll collectors (which annoyed him, every time). He sure is excited to be home and went straight to bed. He's pictured here at the first rest area once you get on the turnpike in Mass. He's a road warrior--the gentle kind, of course.

the view this am

So, we're back in Michigan. I love the Great Lakes State, and I admit to being excited about being home, but I'm also quite missing New England and Ptown specifically. Here's another picture I took this morning when I ran downtown. It's a view of the bay between Bayside Betsy's and the establishment next door (a B&B?).

oh how i miss thee my love

So, another succesful week of Ptown fun is behind me. I didn't sleep much last night as I was all sentimental about leaving--typical me--and then woke up at five to hit the road. After I showered, I ran downtown to run an errand and say good bye to my third home. It was all bittersweet. The picture turned out all blurry, but it's fitting. (ed. note: the guy on the sidewalk to the left was the last Ptown folk to say kind words to me on this trip--he said good morning and smiled--and the dude on the right works at a kitschy card store that I visit every year.)

aloha provincetown

Thank you for a wonderful, loving week. xoxo

land's end

Today was our last full day in Provincetown; tomorrow morning we get up bright and early and hit the road. As always, we're quite sweet about leaving. There were a bunch of emotional moments: taking Nicky for his last walk around town, saying goodbye to Vanessa at the video store, having one of Ken's special waffles for breakfast, walking down the pier and looking back on the city, and just breathing in the very distinct Ptown air. This place means so much to me and I'm so thankful Sean introduced me to this place and showed me how magical it is. To quote my friend Amy in Providence: Provincetown is ethereal. I hope I come back very soon.

an ethereal skyline

Today was an overcast, sleepy day in Provincetown, Mass. It started out sunny and humid, so the plan was to get Venezualan food for lunch then head for the beach. As soon as we were done eating the skies began to look threatening, so as a spur of the moment change of plans, we ended up heading to the pirate museum instead. It was something that I've been curious about since my first trip to Ptown but never experienced, so now I can say I've done it. It was nice going down to the end of the pier and looking back on Provincetown. My third home.

live in ptown--one week only: Nick!

I love this city. It's so ideal in so many ways. It's the kind of utopia we idealized in my college Feminist Theory classes; so many different kinds of people living in one little peaceful communal world. Everyone's so nice and it's all so heart-warning. And everywhere is Nick friendly. He's joining the ranks of the local drag queens and performance artists as a Ptown celebrity. Bless.

i love you so let me hide

What a day. We spent most of the day eating food at excellent restaurants, shopping for records and other cool stuff, and dodging the rain. This evening, we grabbed some Thai food on the West End and then popped into a little alt boutique called Map. After spending a few minutes looking at a coffee table book about Cali punk, I walked to the back of the store and passed Michael Cunningham--one of my favorite authors--who'd apparently been there the whole time. Unfortunately, I had some drinks at the restaurant and was too drunk and embarrassed to say anything. i just kept sneaking peeks, then fled the West End and took Nick for a walk. This is what the beautiful evening looked like as I walked Nick down Central and felt starstruck. Michael Cunningham!

somewhere between hollywood and bollywood

There's an international film festival in town this week, ending today, and we got tickets to two movies; the directorial debuts of Madonna--it was ok--and Gael Garcia Bernal--it was brilliant. While walking around town between films, I ran into John Waters twice and Gael Garcia Bernal once. What an exciting night! Oh, and I saw this pretty sight while waiting by the bay for the second film to begin.