lost debate

i've been briefly debating about whether to post about my recent birthday or about the weather. interest for my readers, alas, was not taken in to account. i mostly thought about which would be easier for me- time and labor wise.
consider yourself twice blessed. when i debate myself, i usually try to find some sort of middle ground. so, i've decided to do both. of course, doing more than necessary may mean that neither topic gets full justice. but, really, it's mostly just going to be pictures. because i've now decided to post more of my pictures, simply to justify the too many that i take.

my birthday.
came in 2 parts- morning and evening.

morning: my dad took me and yosi out to breakfast. it was punctuated by an encounter with the abominable auto-flush toilets, which terrify my 3 year old, who now can not be convinced to sit on one, even if it means she has to hold it until her bladder explodes. can't we just teach people how to push down those big handles with their knee or elbow?

hammin' for the camera with dad-grandpa

after breakfast, i spent the morning trying to make up for time to be lost. reading yosi stories. making a casserole to donate. packing up the things the bean would need for her sleepover at aunt kari's. washing dishes. reassuring beanikin's that i would miss her. would she miss me?

evening (which technically started in the afternoon):
last minute clothes change and grabbing of makeup bag. dropping off the bean. dropping off the casserole.
finally on the road with my best friend-lover, to the tunes of po'girl and discussion of pre-school. destination: oregon district. a gem that we have too long overlooked. a carefree afternoon, perusing independently owned shops with all kinds of amusing oddities in between watching not one, but two movies at "the neon" (blue valentine and the king's speech) and fine dining at "thai9". it may have been cold, but we scarcely noticed, warmed by happy hearts, busy thoughts, and later, fine beer and full bellies.
i tried to remember land mark things as i went thru that day but already (my age is showing) most of the list has faded except of for a couple of incidents:
early in the evening, we walked past a well-groomed white bearded, long haired older gentleman, walking in the other direction, who appeared to be passing out flyers. he proferred on to us, but i politely refused, and we walked on. several hours later, we came across him again, now standing expectantly by a building, still with "flyers" in hand. He offered one again, as we passed. This time, i my curiosity was piqued and david turned back when i paused. the man briefly clarified that his papers were for sale. and i realized in a moment, what a dunce i am. so naive. i hate it when people have called me that- naive. it has lain on my heart as an accusation, an insult, a condescension upon my intelligence. and, in some senses, i suppose it's true. but, oh, ignorance is bliss. david gave a small penance and we carried away a curvy piece of paper with a couple of poems, my ears echoing with his defenses that "you can ask anyone, i won't use it for alcohol". my heart burns with guilt. for what exactly it's difficult to define briefly.
later, waiting for our second movie to begin, i discovered a stranger i knew. i broke out of my shy comfort-zone and experienced the joy of meeting new and lovely people, all because, she writes a blog and illustrates it with such nice perspective and spirit lightening photographs. so truly nice to meet you katie. :)
it was a golden day. my golden birthday.

ha. brief? not my expertise.

if you are personally experiencing the current weather, you could skip this. but here's my spin.

blurry, cause my camera can't tolerate the cold as well as i.

severe weather is so exhilarating, and in winter, it then results in fatigue. this week's severe weather required me to get up a little earlier than i would, and forfeit a small portion of my day off. but really, i end up grateful, because i was awake and out so i experienced it face to face. we got in touch, instead of just observing. it was a good connection. and you know, if it inspired me to take pictures, it must've been pretty. pretty, i suppose, isn't always what pretty does, afterall.