I wrote this three months ago…..and then promptly forgot about it. My love for my boots, however, has not dwindled in the slightest. Haha. Dwindled.
8/5/09: Ten years ago, if you had asked me to put on a pair of cowboy boots, I would have laughed at you. I am SO not from Texas.
Well. Funny how things change.
Last week, in San Antonio for Tim’s graduation from basic training, we found ourselves in Cavender’s looking at all kinds of cowboy get-up.
Who knew there were so many boot colors?
And….we actually each bought a pair of amazingly sleek (brown) cowboy boots. I love them. Love love love. We also bought cowboy hats (everybody needs a cowboy hat, right?)…and a certain someone also bought jeans and a huge belt buckle (with the image of a steer, no less) and shirt with pearl snaps. Not gonna name any names. But let’s just say I had a pretty hot date to the barbecue that night.
I have to say that one of the best moments of the weekend came one night when, a cab driver took a gander at the name on my credit card and mused “Erin Leigh — my, that’s a pretty name! Sounds like a country singer.”
My giggle of glee was almost drowned out by Tim’s groan. “Arrgh don’t tell her that!” he cried. (Let it be noted that Tim is from New Jersey. We’ll leave it at that.)
Muwaha. I’ve got the boots. I’ve got the hat. I’ve got the guitar. Now I’ve just got to dye my hair blonde and start posting videos of myself on youtube.
even if i don't look like a country singer....tim certainly does 😉
okay, okay. it’s been a while. i am going to venture a guess that there are about two people on the planet who have missed my updates (hi mom. hi kelly).
for the rest of you who may happen to stumble back upon this hodgepodge of words and photos and silliness, thanks for reading. maybe not for caring, because i’m not going to be that presumptuous. but, in the case that you do care, thanks for that as well.
my hiatus stemmed from a couple of realizations:
1) this blog is a bit schizo.
2) i had no way to post photos when my computer broke down (sad face).
3) in the blush of twitterpation all i wanted to do was write about a certain somebody (hi tim) and i didn’t want to subject you (or him) to that. ahem.
4) being a self-bore is pretty terrible when you are trying to entertain others.
so i took a break. but….i do have quite a few stories to tell. so, i’ve decided to come back.
i didn’t think i had much in the way of news, but i was wrong. i do.
1) my mac is broken. i do not think it is because obie ate his zero key, but i’m sure it’s not making it any easier for him to heal (mac. not obie. obie is fine). this wouldn’t seem like too big of a deal except that mac is the guardian and distributor of all of my photos. which means i can no longer share my moments of visual magic with you all. *sniff*
2) i re-signed my lease on my apartment yesterday. this may not seem like news to you, but to me this was pretty momentous. i have moved once a year since i left home at 18. crazy. since moving to seattle, i’ve moved three times – south lake union to magnolia, magnolia to wallingford, wallingford to west seattle….seems like it would have made sense to make a break for it and try out queen anne or something. agh, but moving across town is such a pain….i mean, if i’m going to pack up my stuff again it might as well be to go on a much bigger adventure. hm. only time will tell. i signed a 6 month lease, so west seattle, you are stuck with me until at least february.
3) my blog has received more visitors in the past week than it ever has before, simply because crazy girls like myself keep searching “bradley cooper.” sorry to disappoint, ladies.
4) obie is my new jogging buddy. i wish i could post a photo of how exhausted he was on tuesday night after living through two days in a row of puppy PT. it’s GREAT.
5) in the past two weeks i’ve had a coffee date and two dinners with ladies i either never get to see or whom i’ve never hung out with one-on-one before…and it has been so very lovely! here’s to blossoming friendship.
6) laura and i trekked up to the semiahmoo resort last weekend to attend the wedding of our friends, jenny and micah. it was one of the most gorgeous weddings i’ve been to. plus they served amazing cupcakes. laura and i used to be attached at the hip (being a grown-up unfortunately has a way of severing hip-attachments), so getting the chance to spend 24 hours with her again was super, super fun (you really can’t get any better than making fun of MAD TV while eating pilfered reception cupcakes in pajamas).
oh i could post some photos here. speaking of pilfering….muwah…
wow, is it just me or am i playing the part of friendly giant here? note to self: only wear three-inch heels when there will be tall gentlemen hovering nearby…
7) my family’s visit over the 4th was AWESOME. we had so much fun. here’s why:
the weather was perfect.
my family was happy.
we hung out with our good friends, the gibsons, who really are more like family than friends (although half of the gibson clan was missing and sorely missed at that).
we (thompsons and gibsons) almost died from pepper spray inhalation at the spaghetti factory (okay, we didn’t almost die. but it was pretty exciting. have you inhaled pepper spray before? try it. then you’ll know).
we played apples to apples (and i WON! bah hahaha! aparently my “i don’t care if it makes sense – it’s funny” strategy paid off).
my parents helped me decorate and rearrange my apartment so it looks like a grown-up lives here.
and finally, my brother and i stayed up way too late, chatting and laughing and watching things like this:
update on the big red lorry: the overall-wearing british guys in my head must have figured out how to move the stinkin’ thing, because writer’s block is gone.*
and guess what? nick (my instructor) told me that he really liked my story idea.
AND he said he knows the people at the image journal.
AND he said he has taught at SPU MFA program workshops and can give me some insight into the program.
hallelujah!
okay, so now onto the disclaimer:
friends, family. the spirit of the memoirist is bubbling within me.
*upon picking up my copy of good omens last night i might have come across a very interesting chapter opening….that began with the words…”THE LORRY BLOCKED THE ROAD.” ahem. i really have to stop sleep-reading. but all imagery osmosis aside, i feel like the metaphor is still pretty significant.
tomorrow, i get to see my stinky little brother. i call him pooper. he calls me poop face. i think he is unoriginal in his name-calling.
i don’t see him nearly enough, so when i do see him, i run and attack him: usually brandishing an inane grin, i launch myself into a bear hug, shouting “POOOOOOOOOOPEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”
my precious little pooper butt
as you can see, my little brother isn’t so little anymore. and neither am i so perhaps we should act more like mature adults….
last night i had a dream that there was a lorry stuck in the middle of the road. it was big and red. yes, a lorry. i’m not really sure why i was dreaming in british english, but i was. look at the big red lorry. the big red lorry is blocking the road. no one can pass the big red lorry. apparently i was actually stuck in a reading primer from my childhood.
i think said lorry might have been a metaphor for the ridiculously large and looming writer’s block that i am currently experiencing.
my second writing class is tonight and i have NO IDEA what my writing project for the next 5 weeks is going to be.
1) it’s held in the good shepherd center, a huge historical building hidden away in wallingford:
The Good Shepherd Center
i’m sure you are wondering how a building of this size could be “hidden away.” i am wondering this myself. when i turned the corner on sunnyside avenue (after getting lost because i didn’t trust mapquest — wallingford’s my old ‘hood, after all) and saw it peeking through the trees, i thought i was going to run off the road, i was so enamored. walking along the path to the building i felt a distinct sense of awe — like i was entering hogwarts or something. except rather than wizards on broomsticks, above my head was a kindly statue of jesus. pretty rad.
2) nick, the instructor, is a freelance writer who has published books and numerous articles for magazines and literary journals, and he seems really excited to help us learn not only how to craft a better story, but also how to get published. bonus items: he’s been published in image journal (my dream!) and he has an MFA in creative writing and said he’d be happy to discuss MFA programs. sweet.
3) the other writers in the class seem way cool. such an interesting hodgepodge of people — including a former olympian, a british event-planner who just moved here from london, a swedish teacher here for the summer, a self-described “former-jock-turned-musician-learning-to-use-my-brain-again,” and a recent liberal arts grad with an english degree forced to make pizza for a living. so much to learn from and relate to! i can’t wait to read their stories.
4) halfway through class, nick brought out italian wine, cheese, and chocolate. apparently each week we’ll take a break to enjoy a mini soiree and get to know each other a bit better. lovely.
5) as nick talked, i imagined my brain stretching and growing and opening up. synapses crackled. connections were made. wheels turned. etc.
i’m inspired and a bit overwhelmed. but this is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
follow your feet 
