the week in pictures.
in Loved Ones, there are pictures here, Thoughts and Feelings
as bob, Buoyant, few words, friend kevin, friend nick, friendships, gift, girl, half, heart, Jess, life, little apple, lucky girl, mittens, new friend, nothing, puppy, sign, something, Speaking, tonight, water, year
And a few words, too, I guess.
Today, I marveled at life. I’m feeling all whole and full inside lately. Buoyant, even. Like a little apple that continues to happily bob along in the water.
It’s really good. Life is really good. And lately, I’ve been feeling it.
“Nothing cataclysmically amazing has happened,” I told my friend Kevin who called me from LA tonight, “But I’m just feeling so good inside.”
“That’s great, Jess!” he said. “And it’s okay to feel happy just, you know, like normally. Even if there aren’t great events that are making it so.”
This is good to know.
And my mom–she is good to know. 50% Italian and 100% adorable, that one. And since I am half of whatever she is, I suppose that makes me 25% Italian and 50% adorable.
50% is better than nothing!
Oh, and I like to make cards. “I am happiest–absolutely thrilled!–when I am making something,” I told my friend Nick tonight. “Even if it’s just a puppy sign. My heart sings when I am busy creating, is the thing.”
Speaking of making things, these friendships have been years in the making. Decades now, actually. I’m a lucky girl, to have two such as them love me.
And who doesn’t like tiny mittens? They were on the outside of a gift from a new friend this year. And I knew just what to do with them.
conversations and narrative.
in Performance, Thoughts and Feelings
as beautiful people, encouragement, going to boston, good friends, kind, love, love story movie, lunar eclipse, narrative, nosy, o clock, open mic, show, sound man, spending time, story, way, words of encouragement, year, Yesterday
“I just need to be back by one tonight,” my friend Shane said, after deciding we’d go play an open mic to try to wrangle a new gig (which we did, by the way).
“Okay, what do you have to do at one?” I asked, being nosy.
“I have to watch an eclipse with Michael.” he said.
“That vampire love story movie?” I asked.
“Heck no.” he said, “The one in the sky. The lunar eclipse.”
Which is why I am rather cold, having just stolen out of my bed and stood outside on the porch in shorts and a t-shirt, watching it. It’s beautiful. It’s the kind of thing that makes you glad to be here still, despite some other things that would lead you to think otherwise. It’s a picture that I will keep in my mind. Strong and good and pure, like words of encouragement.
Yesterday we played a show at Mojo Main in Newark. The organization of the event was less than perfect. We, however, wanted to play at ten o’clock, though the sound man hadn’t told us definitively when we would play.
“Let me talk to him,” I told Shane, and resolutely walked over there.
“Hi,” I said, smiling at the sound guy.
“Hi. I’m single and a cancer,” he said.
“Okay, I’m single, too…”
When recounting this conversation to Shane, he was like, “You actually TOLD him that?!”
“Yes,” I said, “We wanted to play at ten. And guess what, it worked.”
And it did. The guy also asked me to fly out to San Francisco with him for New Year’s Eve. I told him that was too big of a commitment, because, really, all I wanted to absolutely plan on was playing at ten. Besides, the idea of dating is strange to me. So a multiple hour, cross country date with someone I don’t know sounds completely awful to me.
And I try to steer clear of completely awful, if I can help it.
Just another boundary I like to maintain.
But spending time with fantastically beautiful people is something that I do love to do. Which is why I look forward to going to Boston next week with some good friends.
“Where are you playing in Boston?” Boy Wonder, the host at the World Cafe’s open mic, asked us tonight, when we mentioned we won’t be back for a bit.
“Oh–it’s kind of random, but we’re going there to work at an academic conference.”
Which is what me and some friends will be doing, starting the day after Christmas and ending the day before New Year’s Eve. I will be dressing business casual and helping candidates get placed for their interviews. Which is kind of like auditioning. Meaning that I will be helping people before their audition. And I totally know how that feels. So I am psyched to try my best to put them at ease. And to be on the other side of things, for once.
And, like I said, to spend some time with some good good people.
representing.
in Uncategorized
as Christmas, King, king rat, Latshaws, nobody, nutcracker, Rat, sdfsdfsd, Somebody, year
Two of the three Latshaws who represented in the Nutcracker this year. Nobody got me a King Rat Nutcracker, though (unlike a small somebody I know). There’s always Christmas, I suppose.
bets and co.
in Funny Stuff, Loved Ones, photography, Thoughts and Feelings
as advertisement, background, beautiful bride, bets, bit, brooklyn, brown dress, dress, friend, girls, goal, honor, idea, kind, liking, little bit, look, lovely ladies, maid, maid of honor, New York City, October, short dress, subway, time, today, virgin, way, wedding, wonderful things, year
I got to spend some time with my friend Betsy today. And, among other things, we did some of this. But mostly we walked and talked and blended into Brooklyn quite nicely, I think. I had the honor of being in Betsy’s wedding last October, as the Maid of Honor. And she was nice enough [...]
when possums don’t bite.
in Funny Stuff, Thoughts and Feelings
as ant, arm, choice, conversation, fingers, ground, hand, horror films, itty bitty, joints, leaves, long time, need, possum, possums, sharp teeth, sky, time, twigs, year
I talked to a friend for a long time tonight. We were under a dark and star-studded sky. A September sky, not hot at all; because August and all her summery ways have packed up her things and moved down south, just like she does every year. And at least she does it, you know. [...]
thoughts like rain, just keep falling.
in Funny Stuff, Performance, photography, Thoughts and Feelings
as blah, blah blah, East, East End, end, guitar, guitar shop, I, Japan, raccoon, rare commodity, Shane, toilet paper, tonight, Treewood, year
So many thoughts are happening right now, vying for my attention, that I suppose I will just start with one and go from there. Um, the East End Cafe really needs to put some toilet paper all up in it. Well, for sure in the women’s bathroom, at least. I can’t really speak for the [...]
mugging for the camera.
in Loved Ones, photography
as blue umbrella, Charis, cosette, dress, dress up clothes, Japan, jenna, judah, kid, little creatures, nephew, Selah, wooden stool, year
Yesterday some of my nieces and one nephew came over and I was inspired to find a sheet, pin it to my parents’ wall, and have an impromptu photo shoot. Well, it wasn’t that impromptu, I guess. I texted my brother about a half hour before he dropped off the kids, telling him to tell [...]
blind date and Jesus IS jewish, after all.
in photography, Thoughts and Feelings
as blog, California, Christian, coast, God, little gem, Mandy, meal, Ollie, prayer shawl, prayers, sense of humor, texas, today, twitter, yarmulke, year
Apparently you can be happily married, never having once signed up for a profile on Eharmony.com, and still end up on a blind date. Like today. Mandy, a lovely Texan who found me through this blog offered to take me out for a real meal while here (it seems she had read one too many [...]
last night
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Loved Ones, Thoughts and Feelings
as avocados, drew, fact, family, God, little voice, mexican feast, morning, refried beans, Robin Girl, theater/tour, thoughts/life, time, up for grabs, year
We got up this morning and went, went, went, not stopping until…well, now, I suppose. See Drew has all sorts of ideas. His latest was hosting a Mexican feast for our family tonight. Our family of twenty-one people. Now neither of us are particularly seasoned, so to speak, in the kitchen–but that fact didn’t occur [...]
