5 posts tagged “family”

Opening my first pomegranate of the season.  After a year or two of intensive commodification, it's hard to remember that in addition to being a great source of antioxidants and some extremely stylish produce, the pomegranate was a yearly tradition with my mom and my sister.  I was thrilled when pomegranates finally appeared in the store, even if my mom insisted that we wait until the price was more reasonable.  I remember gathering around the kitchen table or the coffee table, each of us with a bowl and a third of a pomegranate, peeling, eating, picking.  None of this "most efficient way to peel a pomegranate," with its knives and bowls of water and wasted arils.  I prefer stained fingers, juice spraying across the pine table.  In fifth grade, I wrote my first essay on the pomegranate.  I have learned in my adult life that a scattering of arils in a whiskey sour is a perfect winter drink.  I have also learned that no matter how much pomegranate juice (or body wash, or tea) I buy, I am still really far away from my family.  I still peel them by hand, but I have to confess: I don't wait until the price drops.  I buy them as soon as I can and I eat them as long as they are available. 

My parents (mom and dad) are coming to see my show!!

HOORAY!!!

This is extremely exciting, for many reasons:

• I get to introduce them to the wonders of Guitar Hero. 
  
• I also get to introduce Dad to the wonders of Mad King Thomas, LIVE!  (Mom has already seen us.)
  
• Dad gets to try out my bike and see if he likes road bikes.
• Mom gets to see Minneapolis, since the last time she visited was at graduation (gulp--two point five years ago)!
• Caesar will get to jump all over both of them.
• They will both (probably) get to try Surly Darkness, my favorite beer of all time, in case you didn't already know.
• They are my family and I love seeing them.  I looooove it when my family comes to visit me.  It makes me all giddy and ridiculous. 
  
• They have to like my dance, even if they secretly hate my dance.  Yes!
  

IMG_5020

I went home the weekend before last to surprise my wee sibling on her birthday!

This is only a re-enactment of her surprise.

In truth, my dad picked me up at the airport, took me to the Frontier for breakfast, and then we had a dual-cell-phone assault when we arrived at my mom's house.  I called the sister because I "heard she was sick"; my dad called her to have her come see the new car (a shiny new Prius! Silver moon pine mica light heaven colored.)  In her befuddled state (we woke her up), she didn't quite understand what was going on when she heard my voice in stereo and looked totally terrified to see me sitting in the front lawn.  I WIN AT SURPRISING.

Somewhere over the New Mexico.

I took lots of pictures of my handsome pets (click picture to see the rest):

NM Pets--August 2007

National Hispanic Cultural Center Photos

Water

I am reconciling the love of two places.  Going back to New Mexico after realizing that I love Minneapolis felt like seeing an old best friend after making new ones.  I'm learning to thrive with the noise of the city instead of the quiet of a distant horizon. I think other people suffered this early in college, but I'm slow.  I feel a pressing need to spend long stretches of time in New Mexico.  I have never been away from home for so long (eight months), and now that I have a job, every return is too short, too far between, and too expensive.  I want to go home for three months, spend a week in the mountains by myself, take naps with my kitty.  I have to work twice as hard to keep in touch with my family and friends there, but it's not an onerous task.  It's good to have two places.  I just wish there were cheap flights between them.

Gold medal

 

Stonearch

(My) Sandias

Hello!

My name is Tara.  I'm opening the voxgates to people I know in real life, and I want to let everybody know what they are in for.

What am I doing here on Vox? I've always been pretty quiet.  I tend to keep to myself a lot of the time, and even when I'm excitable, I still don't share what's going on in my brain.  But lately I've realized that if strangers care what I have for lunch, then my family and friends are also going to care what I had for lunch.  They'll care to know what it's like to live far away from them.  What it's like to see them every week.  The number of questions I've gotten about whether or not Caesar has eaten more muffins demonstrates that people, inexplicably, want to hear about the cat. 

I am in ur belly scratchin ur itches

For example, I know my mom will humor me by watching the Caesar videos.  Even though it's sort of embarrassing and silly.  

So I'm testing the waters of having my words on the Internet, next to my face and my photos (Hello, world!).  I want to do more than just maintain connections to my family and friends, especially since I live so far away from a lot of you.  I want you to feel like you know what is going on in my life, even if I let three weeks go by before returning your call (I blame rehearsals and shows!).  

I'm in the middle of some crazy changes.  I'm barrelling into a career I never anticipated.  I am also learning the price of hamburger and whether or not craisins are located in the baking aisle (they aren't).  I don't know about you, but those aren't the sort of things I talk about on the phone.  So here they are, tiny details accumulating into a picture of my life now.

Some days, it's a manic dash, head down and legs pumping.  Most of the time, though, I travel at a careful pace, the desire to reach my destination balanced by patience and the knowledge that I want to have health insurance. 

That's me.

There aren't any stories about camel farts or dead people or anything.  This isn't my personal journal, and it won't be a list of links.  I hate the word blog, so I call it my vox (I even use vox as a verb!). It's my vox--my voice.  I talk (a lot) about the collaboration with Mad King Thomas and my frustration with living the dual life of artist/worker bee. I babble about my cat, robots, food, Minneapolis, New Mexico, books, movies and beer.  You don't have to read it, and you don't have to like it.  I'm here if you want to say hello. 

If you know me in real life, especially if I didn't send you the link myself, I'd appreciate it if you'd just drop me a line and say hello!  Join Vox!  Be my friend!  The internet can either be a blackhole, where all extra time and energy disappear, or it can resurrect and reinforce old and new relationships.  I like the second option better (awww, it's so sappy!).

Thanks for stopping by,

Tara