Book, Undamaged

Sexpot Tones?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/19/mona_lisa_voice/

Never Mix Up Thy Personas

Who is Rian? School is out the 16th and life might look normal again. Keep me posted if something comes up sooner. R

-----Original Message-----

From: [@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 1:44 PM
To: RLindekugel; KFarrington; MBauer; MShauer; SRegalado
Subject: Re: Ladies' Night

Hey, chickens.

Rian needs a Ladies' Night. So, my house some evening soon. When? Any suggestions, thoughts, desires?

Keppet as Brownie Faerie

Notice the Bowl o' Wine.

A "Suitably Embarrassing" Picture

Notice the demonic red eyes.

The Girl in the PlayPlace

Every once in a while, as a special treat, Rian takes little people to MacDonald's for dinner and a romp about the forest of sticky tunnels and crumb ridden slides the restaurant calls a 'PlayPlace.' I have seen SUPERSIZE THAT, so Rian knows such an outing is not exaclty healthy, but as an Unusual Occurance, Rian allows it.

We went last week, for a late dinner.

The restaurant was fairly crowded, and the PlayPlace full of children and adults of various sizes, ages, and states of mind.

We ate. Little people ran stripped off shoes and dashed off to play. Rian opened a book.

There was a child running about, a curly haired, dark complected girl of six or seven, accompanied by a grey haired man who looked to be perhaps her grandfather. They sat next to Rian and Rian's book.

The Grandfather grumbled. He grumbled about the little girl's manners (which were, Rian admits, sorely lacking), he grumbled about the child's energy (which was boundless), and he grumbled about the food.

"Where's my drink?" The girl demanded.

"Go and get your own!" Grandfather growled. "How should I know what you wanted?"

Rian thought this was a rather odd and rude remark for a parent or caretaker, but then, Rian is over sensitive. The child went and got her drink. She came back. She grabbed her Happy Meal(tm) and started to take it up into the tunnels.

"Rebecca!" Grandfather screamed. "NO food in the playground. Get back here." And when she ignored him: "REBECCA!"

He was loud. He got some looks, including one from Rian. Rebecca took the food up the slide. Grandfather sat and ate and loudly mumbled about the child's bad behavior.

Time passed. Rian's book got interesting. Rebecca appeared from nowhere, and grabbed her drink from Grandfather's table. She ran off with it. Grandfather swore. Predictably, she spilled the drink all over the floor and, predictably, she slipped and went down hard.

Rebecca did not cry. Grandfather stood up, walked over, and bellowed in her face. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I told you that would happen!"

"Enough," Rian said as Rebecca slipped her grandfather's hold and dashed off, leaving wet footprints behind on the floor.

Grandfather shot Rian a look and went back to his dinner. Rian lowered book and watched Rebecca. She was obviously a...Task...and it appeared her dinner companion was either too lazy or too helpless to handle her energy. But I did not like how he yelled at her.

More time passed. Rian read with occasional breaks for Aidan smiles. Aidan took to Rebecca, and so did several other children. They ran in a pack, up and down, tussling and then making up again.

Perhaps an hour later Grandfather decided it was time to go home.

"Rebecca! Now!"

Rebecca, of course, ignored the command. So did most of the other parents. One call very rarely bring a child from Fun.

The next time Rian looked up from George R.R. Martin, Grandfather had Rebecca grasped about her upper arms and was pounding her against the bars of the PlayFort.

"Now! Now! Now!" He screamed. Rebecca still did not cry.

Rian got up. So did several other parents. One woman grabbed her mobile.

"Let go of her now," the woman said, "or I'm calling CPS."

"You bitch!" Grandfather yelled, and THEN Rebecca started to cry.

The woman started dialing. Rian went to the restaurant door to grab Management.

Grandfather picked up Rebecca and dragged her from the restaurant, leaving behind not only their food, but Rebecca's pink purse and her shoes.

"I never should have brought you here!"

We let them go. What else does one do? The plate number was written down, and given to CPS. The other children in the room were massed in a confused huddle.

Aidan clung to Rian's hand and asked, "Bad man, mama?"

The pink purse still sat on the table when we left.

Rian felt frightened for the child. But why did I have such dangerously mixed feelings where Grandfather was concerned?

Possible Truths

"This is our new terrier. He's black and tan so I named him Guiness."

- Monica Hoffman

Tacoma Rhododendrons (Dr. Lorimer's Camera)

Tacoma Tree Canopy (Dr. Lorimer's Camera)

Tree People (Dr. Lorimer's Camera)

Ferns (Dr. Lorimer's Camera)

Divided Path (Dr. Lorimer's Camera)

Tiny Narrisch/Big Bed (Dr. Lorimer's Camera)

Reasons Why

Why

Rian Needs

A See Through Gate

Possible Flagstones (For Narrisch)

Wounded, Again

Apparently the White Knight has an Achilles Armpit.

Nightmare in the Toilets

So. After dropping Narrisch and Dr. Lorimer at the Seattle Union Station, Rian started to walk back across the city streets to Uwajimaya, where Rian had left the car parked. I stopped, however, along the way, deciding that before the long non stop Speed over the mountains, Rian needed A) a large glug of Chai and B) the loo.

There was a Tulley's Coffee just between the train tracks and the asian market. Rian asked to use their loo. The young man behind the counter offered Rian a large plastic coffee mug attached to a Swiper Key.

"Go into the building and take a right at the first hall."

So Rian did, exiting Tulley's through a back door and wandering into what was apparently a joing office building. There was a nicely marked bathroom door with a nicely flashing swiper. Rian swiped. The door popped open. Rian wandered in, past a sink and a urinal and two stalls.

The door closed behind Rian with an electronic thump.

The first stall was occupied. Rian took the next. The pair of shoes on the floor next door were black and shiny and very very flat on the ground and still.

And quiet. Veeeery quiet.

Until Rian locked the stall door and the Gentleman started gasping and moaning.

Rian froze. As I told Dr. Lorimer and Narrisch earlier, Rian does not SPEAK to people in public loos. Rian does Business politely and elegantly and exits. Some things are not for Sharing.

The Gentleman next door was definetly Sharing. Loudly. With great huffings and puffings and sounds that truly did not belong amongst the echoing toilet walls.

"Do I call 911?" Rian wondered silently, still frozen in place. "Ask gently if he needs aid? Offer a handkerchief and a new porno magazine?"

And then Rian remembered that the only way to get INTO the loo was with a Swiper, and the Swiper was IN amongst the toilets with Rian and the Grunting Gentleman.

Rian is not terribly brave. Rian fled, un...eh...unrelieved. Rian returned the swiper. Ordered a chai. And drove 300 plus miles home in four hours to the comfort and safety of Mine Own Toilet.

Possible Truths

"Happy is the hearing man; unhappy the speaking man."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Weary Hobblings At Chinook's

Hobblings and Han

What Television?

Pay attention to the TULIPS.

Half Dome

http://www.oceanlight.com/html/half_dome.html

UV Tattoos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_tattoo

Symphony

http://www.fivebydesign.com/

THIS is the group that entertained Rian along with the symphony last night. They were not so bad. The elder generation enjoyed them thoroughly. And Rian is still singing "In the jungle, the miiighty jungle, the Liiiion sleeps tonight..."

http://drinkoftheweek.com/archive/e/electriclemonade.htm

THIS is the drink that murdered Rian last night. Or perhaps twas the Odd Meatballs offered by the 'Meet Ekhart' pre Symphony dingaling. Either way, Rian is still paying the piper. Although Ekhart was surely beautiful.

http://www.spokanesymphony.org/ind.php

THERE is Ekhart...whose name I fear I am spelling incorrectly, but Rian is too fuzzy to search through. He has a German accent. He smiled at Rian...just like that...Shall I swoon?

Ah! THERE it is. Eckart, dear Eckart!

Beauty

Dr. Lorimer sent Rian this. I do not know who the photographer is, but it is credit the New York Times. And, oh! It makes Rian long.

Reasons Why

Paneling going up. Do not mind the seams, Forthcoming Trim (vertical and horizontal) will (should) cover each, yes?

Painless

Rian dreampt last night that I was being slowly flayed alive. There was not pain, but a simple stretching and pulling sensation as skin parted from bone and muscle. I remember being alarmed. And knowing that this was not a Good Thing.

Rian blames George R. R. Martin entirely.

Possible Truths

"The knowledge one gains in undertaking a major home improvement project is inevitably the knowledge one ought to have had before attempting it in the first place."

- David Owen

Monkish

Rian today purchase two old rosearies in an antique store. I fear it was the Monkism out of conrtol. Rian is not Catholic. Rian has no need for one roseary, let alone two. What will Rian do with them?

But when the light beads slid over Rian's palm, I could not help but wonder about their previous owners. Good Catholics? Lapsed Church goers? A boy who wanted to be a priest and is now a banker struggling with spiritualism? What stories go with the tiny crosses? Faith or lost Hope?

So now they are hanging on the doorknob of Rian's bedroom door. One bakelite black and the other worn wooden elegance. I fear it may soon become a collection.

The List for 2006

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=rianseeking

Possible Truths

"People who have made peace with themselves are the people I most admire in the world."

- Harper Lee