tiny bird, mountain clouds

Tonight we found a baby quail. Maybe its mom lost it, or maybe it lost her, but either way, we found it in a cat's mouth, so under a heat lamp in our garage it went.

It was still shivering an hour later, so I held it for a long time, cupped in my hands. The tiny wings, the tiny beak, the tiny down...the thing was perfect. And after thirty minutes it had stopped shaking.

Amazing that something so tiny can be so perfect.

There were big storm clouds tonight too, and the kind of monstrous thunder that rumbles (as opposed to the kind that crashes). We wrapped ourselves in heavy quilts and slept out under the storm clouds, the whole family. When I woke up, the mountains were tiny against the currents of clouds. Parts of the sky looked like paint-by-number.

givin blood like a BOSS

One thing's for dang sure: I will never forget my blood type.

Here's why.  Because every time I get near a needle (either in real life or just in my mind), I pass out.  Not exaggerating, people.  All blood rushes out of my face, I turn green, I go clammy, I think, "Aw crap" and then I'm gone.

Sometimes vomiting accompanies said passing out.

But today, oh no. Today I gave blood like a BOSS.

I had to get my blood typed. (Deep breath.)

So I stopped by Wendy's for a little natural-cut fries with sea salt (really Wendy's? Are all six of those words necessary?) and a frosty to get my blood sugar to a non-fainting level.

Drove myself to the clinic.

Waltzed right past the huge blood-red sign on the wall: BLOOD DRAW STATION.  (Really clinic? And was the red really necessary? How 'bout the all-caps? How bout the words "blood" and "draw" and "station"?? Might as well just write "Bloody Hell" which is what such a station is to me. Surely "A Helpful Place" would suffice. Or maybe "Land of Rainbows" with a metallic, sparkly rainbow background cerca the pencils I had in fourth grade. All of these options would be better than "BLOOD. DRAW. STATION. (OF DEATH.)".)

Looked the nurse squarely in the face and said, "I pass out every time needles go in my body," to which she said, "... Really?  Like...every time?"  "Yes lady.  Every time."

Followed her to a paper-covered cot where I would lie and probably go vagal.

And guess what happened:

I gave that blood like a pro.

Didn't pass out, didn't go clammy, didn't throw up.

Blood Draw Station: 0
Carolyn: 1

rooftop concert: 16 good things

This week's been a bit of a case of the mean reds, I'm afraid. I almost stayed home tonight to get some sleep and some rest and maybe do some laundry or read a book or be responsible like a real-adult is. But then some very influential people called (and by "very influential" I mean they have the power to talk little me into anything, not necessarily "influential" like Mitt Romney or Oprah or Mr. Darcy) and before I knew it, I was driving down to a little thing we call the Rooftop Concert Series.

And boy am I glad I went, because the night bubbled over in benevolence, old friends, new introductions, and lots of good tunes.

The list of good things is as follows:

1. listened to Blessid Union of Souls all the drive down. (They actually have some amazing songs.  Remember this?)
2. found the haircut I've been dreaming of.  I'll explain: there's a haircut that exists in my mind but that I can't find any pictures of or examples of anywhere.  This makes requesting said-haircut difficult and risky. (Not to be confused with "risque," which my nine yr. old sister did this afternoon.) So where's the best place to find awesome haircuts?  The Rooftop Concert Series.  I asked the girl that was sporting it if I could take a picture, and she was so obliging, she even explained to me the ins and outs of the haircut.
3. was introduced to the charming sounds of Book on Tape Worm.
4. saw a whole slew of people I really like. (Can you use the word "slew" when talking about people? I'm not so sure...)
5. met Danielle, a girl with very much kindness and very amazing hair. I think we'll be friends now. Especially because we see each other sometimes at the milkshake place.
6. saw a new side of Brandon tonight--the "fightin' words" side.  this = exciting because it means we've crossed into a new realm of friendship.  which i like a lot.
7. saw Miss Liz (yep, apparently these concerts are the place to go). She is tall and stately and elegant and beautiful and every time I see her I feel better about who I am because that's the effect she has on people. Sigh.
8. stood on an elevated curb, held onto a railing, and swung out so I could see the concert better. I don't know what it is about holding onto railings and swinging out, but I find it particularly wonderful and want to do it all the time. (One time doing so almost got me hit by a bus in Scotland. Sheesh, remember that time?)
9. got to go up close for the last band
10. realized the last band is actually a band that I LOVE. He headlined under the name "Isaac Russell" (which I didn't recognize) but when I knew every single song by heart, I started trying to figure out where I knew the music from. It was like music from a dream. Then on the last song it hit me--RURU, a band I fell in love with years ago when my friend Marci introduced me to them. (At least I think it was Marci...sorry if I'm giving credit to the wrong person.  There is nothing worse than when someone else gets credit for finding a band that you love :)
11. sat on the concrete for a while with my amigos. There is something singularly enjoyable about sitting on concrete with nowhere to go on a summer night.
12. saw Daniel (an old, old friend who I haven't seen in years) and met his wife, who was darling and who I think I want to be friends with because she's starting a publishing company and likes good music and was otherwise just generally really delightful to talk to.
13. saw Joshua James, long-time musician idol. He was wearing reeeeeally short shorts.
14. saw lots of handsomely trimmed beards and shirts buttoned up to the top button--all things I find endearing.
15. drank some dang good grape soda.
16. drove home with the windows rolled down, doing that wavy thing with my arm out the window (you know what i'm talking about), listening to "Time after Time" and I didn't roll them up until I was parked in my driveway. I need more of those summer moments in my life.

dream of summer evening

Late summer evenings,

Rocking chair on the porch, white paint peeling

A sticky neck from the day’s humidity

And storm clouds on the horizon.

The big old maple tree out back

Where we played when we were kids.

Heavy with our secrets

Heavy with our stories,

And our lonely secret summer love.

Rain on the roof above

Beneath the red and navy quilt,

Squares soft like skin

We had a dock.

It was summer.

two ladies

I met two ladies this morning that ride the same bus as me.

One is tall but petite, fragile.  Red matte pumps and a red leather purse, a modest navy pencil skirt with matching sailor striped top and navy blazer.  She has a tight, curly haircut, natural nails, and always wears either red or pink lipstick.  She reads Anna Karenina on the way to Salt Lake.

The other woman is stockier, a shoulder-length blonde haircut.  She wore a blood orange cardigan over a white button-up blouse, with a heavy necklace the color of robin's egg.  Fake nails and dainty pink lipstick.  Her husband died, so she went back to school, got a PR degree and is now working for the firm that made Mitt Romney famous.

The Life Aquatic (with 8 Carters)

So sometimes you just need a little more super-hero in your life.  Like when we all went scuba diving and gave ourselves scuba super-hero names.  (Recommendation: if ever, ever, ever you get the chance to learn how to scuba, DO IT.  It's amazing down there.)

Game-Changers: Adam & Erik

I know some pretty cool people.  Like my long-time friend who learns rare Welsh and Spanish dialects, recites essays by memory, and hikes hidden coastlines.  Or an acquaintance from five years ago who learned the stars, bought a sailboat, and sailed from California to Fiji.  I know an editor of presidential biographies, a squirrel expert in Kazakhstan, women who have started education initiatives in Africa and created websites about healthy body image, and many, many international and local philanthropists.

In other words, I am surrounded by people who are actively bringing goodness into this world.

And then there's these two kids: Adam and Erik.  Adam studies law and is one of those people who is always looking for ways to make people happy. The hardest I've ever laughed was over a cup of hot chocolate at Denny's with him. Adam=interesting conversations, promises of adventure, kindness. Plus he looks like Christian Bale. As for Erik, as far as I've seen, he has every earthly skill known to man. He writes poetry, makes music, does art. I learned how to make cinnamon-sugared almonds from him. Erik makes friends everywhere he goes.

And you'll never guess what these two dynamos are doing. Yep, bicycling across the country for a good cause.  Here's what Erik writes: 

You would never know it just by looking at him, but only a few years ago my 5 year old nephew Jeffery had an open gap where his upper lip should have been. Even with the gap Jeffery was all smiles as a baby. It has taken numerous surgeries including having an artificial palate literally nailed into his mouth. There are still future bone grafts that will be needed to create a permanent palate. It took Jeffery longer than most children to talk because he had to get used to a mouth that changed with each surgery. All the surgeries, speech pathologists, and doctors' visits come at a heavy financial cost. Fortunately for Jeffery, he was born into a family where those costs could be covered. 

Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft. Not all of those children have the same resources as Jeffery. 

So Erik and Adam founded PennyChange International and set out today to bicycle 1,700 miles, from Wyoming to New York, to raise money for kids with cleft lips and palates.

Pretty cool, I'd say.

Anyways, check out their webpage, share this post on facebook, maybe donate a few bucks if you can. (Come on, what's a couple of bucks when there are two guys with beards bicycling across the country for children??  ...Just sayin.)

Meanwhile, I'd love to hear about other people who are doing cool things to bring goodness into the world. If you know about any such things, post about them below so we can all enjoy!