Stairway to Hell

Up yours, Led Zeppelin. I know you really didn't climb those stairs, because if you had, you would've found out that there is no euphoric state of bliss at the top. No Willy Wonka wonderland, with gummy bear trees... no. Only a heart that is two seconds away from failure and eyes bulging to the edge of their lids.

I have been to Dante's Inferno and lived, my friends.  And at this moment, I am in heaven...sitting on my couch, watching Predator, and eating popcorn. No stairs involved.



Our friends had mentioned a place on the university's campus where people go to run stairs. "It hurts" was what they said.

Okay. I understand not wanting to hype up a movie to your friends before they see it, or rave about a meal you're about to serve, lest the letdown is so huge that it ruins your friendship.

But please. Please give extra emphasis if you're leading me into a near death experience.

We walked up to this hidden stairway amongst jungle-like leaves, wondering if at the top would be some ancient mayan ruin.



I was the first to lead and made it to, oh, about right where you see me before I wanted to call it quits. Call it quits and just head straight to the first buffet we saw. That's how defeated I was.

But I finally made it past the first barrier that I'm sure was in place for the people who climbed to the top and having no energy to walk back down, just heaved themselves down the steps.

No. I will make it.

No ancient mayan ruins. No gummy bear trees.

Just dormroom windows and a large sign "California." For a second, I really thought I had climbed to California and so decided to just lay on the ground until someone made me a casket.  I was born there, so no need to change the headstone. Just put in my epitaph "She died doing what she loved: cursing and fantasizing about chinese food."



In the end, we only managed to do six reps, but in our defense it was 103 degrees out. Ryan thought he had had a stroke and spent most of the time in walmart staring at puzzles in the game dept and swaying from side to side. My legs shook for a good half hour afterwards.

However, I'm ready to do it again.

Bring it, stairway. I will conquer you.

Around the Shack

I've enjoyed exploring our piece of outdoors near The Shack. It can simultaneously calm and reinvigorate me.

Like the semi-canopied dirt roads.



Or the various moths and butterflies that circle me as I walk. (There is one house on the way that I swear keeps a coyote chained up in the front yard. Every time I pass, it groans out of agony for not being able to eat me alive. It would be my absolute last resort, but I'm not taking chances.)



Our small little graveyard.



Which is right next to a tree cemetery. This little grove has confirmed my belief that dead trees are just as beautiful as full, luscious ones. They're like old, wrinkled faces... I wonder what they've seen.



And then scattered throughout are horses of varying colors. The white ones are my favorite.



But most importantly, and probably most simply, open space. I never tire of these views.

I'm Feeling Lighter Today

Hello.

We had an interesting 4th anniversary. First Ryan sent flowers for the second time in all of our relationship. It made me feel shy, I don't know why.

He knows me well, though, because I've been whispering into his ear at night that I'd rather he put money towards a plane ticket to Prague instead of on flowers. Besides, one day we'll have enough rose bushes to have flowers all the time.



But I really enjoyed these. I'm reading a diary of a 15th century woman in Japan of her life as a concubine and then as a nun. Well, isn't that the plight of every woman.

The Confessions of Lady Nijo. Only one copy of it remained until someone found in the 1800s and kept it way until the 1940s.

So R knew of my current obsession and bought accordingly. Loved it, R, thank you.

Later we went out to eat a neat restaurant in Fayetteville. They buy locally, organically, and have their own gardens in front of the restaurant. The inside was simple, making the food the main star. Mushroom fries - Hello! You made my day. We were in heaven.

And then hell.

I'd had a stomach ache since Tuesday and just kind of dealt with it. I don't like taking medicine, even tylenol, so I think it has built up my tolerance to pain. And I really prefer not going to the doctor, because I have a fear of being given too many (unnecessary) medicines. I'm turning into a paranoid freak, I know. But you already knew that.

Long story short, my appendix is now bye-bye. It was in the beginning stages, so I was hoping there might be alternatives.

But I'm glad we went through with the surgery. My great grandpa died of a burst appendix and I thought of him a lot, leaving my grandma in a sad situation growing up.

Fine. Just take the darn thing out, then!



Plus, it meant that R would dote on me. That part has been my favorite.

By the way, how much does an appendix weigh? Maybe I'll win the weigh-in this week with my roommates.