Girl Power!

I've been a wee bit sensitive lately, and finally came to realize the origins of "why" last night. It appears that I miss my 'girlfriends'. I fully acknowledge that I have not been the model friend over these past few years. It has been tough with my traveling and a career that attempted to suck dry every last ounce of time, energy and creativity. Most times I would get back home to LA and just want to do the mundane...clean my house, walk Iona, make dinner with Michael and go to Target. Then I'd get back to Manila and get so overwhelmed with everyone needing and wanting my time, that I'd hole up in the condo on the weekends. There was never a balance, or even a hint of one. I was on, on, on or off, off, off. And as much as I loved my job, it was very unfair to everyone that lived with me, around me or wanted to be in my life.

So now I have the equilibrium in my life, but am not near most of the people that I adore. My support system is spread across LA, the Philippines and Wisconsin and apparently I was needing some time with the girls. Thanks to my new friends Tami and Amber for providing that. While it wasn't a random dinner and bottles of champagne with Amy on a Tuesday, or breakfast with Tim and gossip at Apartment 1B, or brunch and serenity and tea with Anne, or drinks and "I'll have the filet" with Brandi, or sightseeing with Toni, or lots of bottles of wine and sanity with Rain, or delightful drama with Ken, or laughter until I cry with Elizabeth, or just hanging with my Mom and sisters...it was fabulous.

The martinis were strong, the food was great, and the company was fabulous. Sometimes a girl just needs to vent about all the nonsense and giggle until she can't breathe. It was exactly what I needed and I felt right with the world.

Buddy double

The Iona Pig is not only our Bad Idea Bear, she doubles as her own. Typically she just tells herself to wake me up a few minutes earlier in the morning, steal a drink of wine from my glass at night, or to bite me if I just don't obey. Sunday morning though, her bad ideas sprang to a whole new height. It was around 6am and I just opened the back door of the fake house as usual and instructed her to "go pee". She typically saunters across the patio, does her thing in the grass and then runs back into the house so that she can eat breakfast. The girl has priorities and food almost always wins.

She doesn't like to stray too far into the fake yard because the grass is spongy and she sinks. Just outside the mowed portion, is a decent length of tall grass that ends at a tree line. Beyond the trees is a swampy pond. I mention all this because these are all things that the Princess Pig dislikes. When your legs are like an inch long there are quite a few things that seem unnecessary, particularly if they block your path to the food dish.

On this particular morning she began the saunter while I hung lazily out in the doorway thinking about coffee. Suddenly she escalated into a full on sprint and was bolting across the yard, through the grass and beyond. I looked up in shock and saw a buck standing just at the edge of the trees. I can only imagine what this deer was thinking as this orange bullet of stuffed-animalness came charging at him through grass that is higher than she is. He literally stared for a few seconds and then calmly turned and ran into the woods. All this time I am trying to scream "IONA" as quietly as possible, (it WAS 6-AM ON SUNDAY MORNING), while running through the grass in bare feet and pajamas. She finally stopped at the trees and only turned to look at me as I scooped her up into my arms and carried her back to the house. (At this time I am now realizing that I am bare foot and probably seconds from stepping on a snake.)

Her little heart was just pounding. I know that the Iona Pig side was saying, "Thank you for coming to get me. Thank you for loving me enough to chase me and save me from the giant deer. I know not what I was doing". The Bad Idea Bear side was less forgiving. "I almost had it you bitch! All I needed to do was herd it towards the house and we could have gnawed on it for days!" I gotta say, to deer or not to deer was never a consideration in LA.

Earth Day

As we were driving home last night, I mentioned to Michael that I needed to call my Mom and wish her a Happy Birthday.

Michael: Wish her a Happy Earth Day from me too.

Me: Did you just say Earth Day?

Michael: Uhhhhhhh...I guess I did. Your Mom is as old as the Earth. So please wish her a Happy Earth Day.

Me: (In between laughter) I promise not to tell her you just said that.

We know you aren't as old as the Earth, Mom. And yes, I punched your darling son-in-law for you!