meet: my brudder

My brother David is awesome. But really, what else could you expect from someone who spent so much time with me in his formative years? Besides the mental and physical (no joke) scars?

Thus, I give you my brudder (he's the one on the left, eligible ladies):

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H: Well hey Dave, thanks for stopping by and talking to us at A Bird in the Heather. Let's get on to the meat of the issue. What's your favorite food?

D: Pizza reigns supreme over any other food ever invented. I can eat more than anyone I know, despite claims to the contrary.

H: What would you say your favorite color is?

D: It used to be green when I was a kid, but I'd say it's more along the lines of blue.

H: I believe it. Next question...what do you want to do when you grow up?

D: Something in the field of medicine, or involving medicine and athletics.

H: Right...I remember you mentioning something about liking sports a few years ago. If my memory serves me correctly, you played football for a while. What would you consider your favorite football moment?

D: I have hella. I used to play fullback in 7th grade and my first game I broke like, a 60 yard run but then got taken down from behind by a kid who weighed half my size...and then I didn't even get to score the touchdown later on in the drive! In high school. beating Auburn who was top 10 in the state in OT, and coming from behind against Marysville-Pilchuck and also winning in OT to go on to State. But my most favorite moment was just the experience of playing with good friends for 6 years and having awesome coaches in high school.

H: Wow...long winded answer. Following the sports theme, what is your favorite Seattle sports team moment?

D: Tough question. I'd have to say the early Apple Cups in the 2000s and in '06. Going to my first Supersonics game with Dad when I was in 3rd grade was awesome, as was seeing Nate Robinson dunk on the Arizona Wildcats in 2004. Then having the Dawgs being to win in basketball. On a not-really-Seattle moment, winning 3rd place in the Renton softball league during my first year playing with the MVPC team was pretty great too.

H: Hmm...interesting. On to indoor activities. What would you say your favorite video game is?

D: Rock Band 1 & 2, NCAA Football.

H: Wow. Didn't see the football game coming. We just went to a wedding last weekend...what would you say is your most embarrassing wedding introduction?

D: Well Heath, that would be when Tru (our godmother) introduced me to her single niece by saying "So, David's here alone too!" It was pretty much all over after that. You can't recover from that type of a first impression any time soon. Also, I had like 4 beers in half an hour, so I didn't really care at that point.

H: That sounds rough. Oh wait, I was there, and it was HI-larious. Eva looked pretty cute though. Is she your favorite niece?

D: She's my favorite niece until you have a boy.

H: Jerk.

D: You asked.

H: Whatev. Moving on. What's your favorite way to spend an evening, since you are so hot-to-trot on meeting the ladies?

D: Depends on my mood. Watching TV, playing video games, or going out with friends.

H: The first two will totally get you in with the ladies. Rock on. Now, why do you always wear shorts? To show off those great gams to the eligible women in the audience? (Editor's note: David wears pants less than 10 times a year. Except when work demands it.)

D: Pants are too restricting, and get me too hot (Editor's note: That's what she said! Zing!). Shorts are usually stretchy and keep me cool--just like my personality.

H. Riiiight. To end this interview on a high note, what would you say your favorite Heather/David moment is?

D: Going to Minnesota during the summer of 2000, and the past -4-5 years becoming better brother and sister!

H: I liked that roadtrip too! Remember the crazy AM radio? And Glacier National Park? And mom breaking the lock on my door? And her being convinced bears would eat us? And that crappy Potholes place in Moses Lake? And how we could put up and take down the tent trailer like pros?

D: Uh, yes. I was there too.

H: Whatev.

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I hope you enjoyed this edition of Meet:. I'll be scouting the peeps I know for forthcoming installments.

a love affair

I'm looking at houses, and for no particular reason. When browsing a local real estate site, I found this gem. I love it. It makes me feel like Anne of Green Gables and Laura Ingalls all at once.

It's...um...a little out of the way, but I mean...it's got CHARacter! We tried finding it on the way to my parent's house last weekend, but turned down the wrong road. My brother David was with us, and I wanted to show him what I had found.

I sent him the above link.

His reply?

"that shit has to be haunted."

you know what i hate?

Real Simple magazine. No joke.

Everything within their pages looks so clean and easy to take care of. Unlike my home, which looks like a tasmanian devil just passed through.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Please notice the picture in Exhibit B has a "before" label. If my kitchen looked like that, I wouldn't be redoing it.

The root of my household issues are fourfold:

1. Eva. That fricken kid makes a huge mess and doesn't help clean up.

2. Eva. Taking care of her and making sure she doesn't kill herself takes up time I could be cleaning.

3. Time management. Brandon and I need a better system for who is watching Eva and who is cleaning.

4. I'm not good at cleaning. I'm good at it for a couple days, and then the wheels fall off the wagon and I think spending the evening watching TV on my butt is a better use of my time. That throws the whole system off.

I've been halfway okay at the hour of cleaning a night thing, but I could be better. Plus, there's the issue that I live in university housing. You can only get things so clean. I've learned to let go of that, but it still can be depressing. Also, you can only fit so many things into our apartment. Those that have witnessed the amount of stuff in our little space are constantly amazed. My mother is one of those people.

love love lost

Who's a Lost fan? Anyone out there?

I got hooked when Brandon and Ben and I spent Christmas at my parent's house two years ago. There was a huge storm that knocked out power in the region for over a week.

Lemme tell ya somthin': there isn't much to do in winter when the power is out and you live in the north part of the northern hemisphere. That means short days. Long nights. And a generator that can power the basics plus a TV and DVD player.

We chose Lost because it was the most entertainment for our buck, so to speak. Movies only last so long, but Lost's episodes are an hour long each. That gives you 20+ hours of chilly distraction.

And I love love it so. Lost. Sigh. Sawyer. You know you like him. It's silly to deny it. Really, stop embarrassing yourself.

I found this to tide you over until "early 2009" when the best show on TV comes back for another season of no repeats. If you are curious, I'm Prince Charles. I'm sure he has his reasons. And if you are curious as to the location of the island and other mappy information? This site is for you.

An aside: "No repeats" was awesome when it was just me and Brandon and I wasn't too busy. Now, with no repeats, I have to be committed to the relationship my butt has with our couch each week for Lost. Oh, we don't have DVR or TIVO (are they the same thing? I have no idea), so there's no watching at our convenience.

halloween part uno

happy halloween!

I love Halloween. For realsies.

People at work dress up, and we have a witch, a spiderweb, a jedi, and a cook. At Student Accounts they have a jailbird, a witch, a John McCain and a Sarah Palin.

And Birdy? I'll give you a hint:

earworms

and one more thing

It's outrageous that people feel they have to make others live in fear because of the people they love, or the thoughts they have, or the choices they make.

I hate that I live in a society dominated and governed by fear.

pardon me while i dust off my soapbox

We've had some attacks recently on gay men at Rural State U. Yesterday, a rally was held on campus to raise awareness and show solidarity for the victims. I think it's great that people are organizing and taking action for the prejudices that led to the attacks. Moreover, I think it's even better that a community is showing support for a group of people who, just even 10 years ago, wouldn't be given support. It makes me glad for the time I am living in.

Ahem. This is where the soapbox comes in.

Safety precautions are something all people should be taught, regardless of their gender. Unfortunately, ours is a society of (white) male dominance, and males (especially white ones) rarely fear for their safety if they are walking after dark.

Women are raised and taught to fear for their safety more than (white) men. Women are taught to walk in well-lit areas, walk in groups, and if not with a person, walk while on your cell phone so people know where you are. Women, in theory, "know better."

(white) Men are not taught these things, as they are rarely the ones attacked.

Expecting to be in a completely safe environment all the time is ludicrous and something that we come to expect should be given to us with little or no effort on our own. No where is completely safe. You need to take precautions to ensure your safety. You also need to understand that no matter what you do to keep yourself protected and safe, that isn't a guarantee either.

Again, this is coming from the point of view of me, a woman, who's mother made her watch the Oprah shows on kidnapping and keeping yourself safe. I hated it then, but it's made me more aware when I'm out and about. This is coming from the woman who leaves her door locked at home and at work at all times. This is coming from the woman who has been chased across RSU's campus as an undergraduate the one time I chose to walk by myself late at night.

The point: take care of yourself. Realize that all you do isn't going to make sure something doesn't happen to you.

The last point: thank you, RSU community, for supporting the victims. Thank you for recognizing the fear members of the GLBTQ community face everyday simply for the people they love. Thank you for striving to make the world safer for all of us.

oh, ikea!

Longtime readers of this blog (ha) might remember a post from May about my love of Ikea.

This blog might triple that love.