So hungry…

We were snowed out of our Frisbee game in Ellensburg this afternoon after about three inches of snow fell throughout the morning here in town. I know three inches doesn’t sound like a lot, especially to anyone used to slogging through feet of slush and ice in Michigan, but the trip would’ve crossed two mountain passes on the way. So, no thanks to that icy fun.

This has been the nicest winter I can remember in a long time though. It’s nice to feel the winter season but not be bombarded by it. Snow falls and sticks for a week or two, slowly dissolving during the sunny days. I’ve only seen salt on the road a couple times, and usually just near an intersection or a sharp bend in the road. Gravel seems to be the most popular method for dealing with slick conditions. The environmentalist in me likes this method for keeping our groundwater clean. And the aestheticist in me likes the way the roads end up looking like cookies and cream ice cream. Chocolate pebbles on great sheets of vanilla.

I’m excited for the spring thaw though and can feel that warm weather active itch growing day by day. I’ve got a gym membership that I’ve been very diligent about using (at least five days a week for the past four months) to lift and cross train, but, and I was telling Mary the same thing this afternoon, I’m pretty sick of the routine. Cranking away on an elliptical just doesn’t have quite the same pizazz as tromping up a mountain. I suppose skiing would probably fill that void. One of these years.

Cooped up, cooped up, cooped up. I am desperately sick of sitting in an office all day. I spend the day spinning in my chair and counting down the minutes until lunch or quitting time. I can say with 100 percent certainty that by this time next year I will not be sitting in an office. But this a rant (and this rant has been building steam for quite some time now) that will have to wait for another day. I’ll just say that real life is far too much like Office Space and I share much in common with Peter Gibbons.

It’s not just about me and my dream of doing nothing. It’s about all of us. I don’t know what happened to me at that hypnotherapist and, I don’t know, maybe it was just shock and it’s wearing off now, but when I saw that fat man keel over and die – Michael, we don’t have a lot of time on this earth! We weren’t meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

Mary scored a pair of free tickets from a friend to the Blue Man Group at the Yakima Sun Dome last night. So we went. And it was amazingly cool. More so than I thought it would be and I had reasonable expectations to begin with. Interactive, bizarre, funny, and frequently mesmerizing. Lots of pvc piping was beat upon, airpoles were flapped around, marshmellows were tossed and caught at crazy distances, paint was splattered, and trippy lighting galore. I took a few pictures, but couldn’t figure out how to adjust the shutter speed on my camera so they’re all good and blurry. I’m sure there are plenty of videos on YouTube though if you want to enjoy more clarity (and sound).

Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.

Lao-tzu

One sure-fire way to embrace simplicity and not get caught up in the nostalgic things you own is to keep three large energetic dogs roaming in the same space as your stuff. With post-sunset temps in the single digits we haven’t run the dogs much this week. They are retaliating by pulling things from closets and off of tables. So long Outward Bound mug. A few minutes ago Taylor just walked out of the bathroom with a magazine in her mouth (a sight that amused me plenty) and proceeded to begin shredding.

Over the last few years I’ve kind of learned to not freak out at the loss of things I previously couldn’t part with. On the first go-round when the dogs obliterated my high school wrestling headgear and shoes, favorite books, or over-sized Detroit Tigers pillows I was mildly distraught. But now I’m a little better about laughing these off (usually). Today for example I walked in the front door after work to find the below-pictured mug and chunks of plastic on the living room floor. I like that mug. I drink hot chocolate out of it a couple times per week. But what are you going to do? Getting mad/sad doesn’t bring it back. Makes for less stuff to haul around next time we move I suppose.

Starting to shake off the winter doldrums a bit. Yesterday morning we played a reasonably fun couple hours of full court basketball at a nearby Mormon church. Took me a while to find my stroke, but Mary was hitting right off the bat. And this afternoon we took a mini road trip up to Ellensburg (about forty miles north of here) to scrimmage with Central Washington University’s club Ultimate Frisbee team. We played five on five in their gym and it felt quite nice to sprint around again. Also fun to huck around with no crazy cross breezes. Later we stopped at The Tav in Ellensburg for burgers and beer and caught the end of the Packers-Giants game. Hopefully that’s the not the lame duck note that Favre’s career ends on.