Please Happy

My friend Rachel, the bloggess (a way better dancer than The Bloggess, who owns The Copyright) ordered up some inspiration, now that I’m back from my climbing trip. My neck is burned and splotchy, my finger pads hurt and my tummy is full of cooler cheese and apples. I loved listening to Our President speak thoughtfully on all the shit he’s had to deal with in his first 100 days in office. Flu, War, Depression, Torture, Budget… the inspiration part, besides listening to the speech and follow-up Q & A is The Economist’s take.

100 days — in Seven Haikus!

(Haikus, the best medium ever! Billy Collins usually takes the cake in haikus for me, but today, The Economist gets the spotlight. With Our President. [Sorry, just wanted to write Our President.])

For Rachel. Love, Lauren.

Written by the editor of More Intelligent Life:

In 100 days
A super-majority.
What next? A hushed Rush?

Seventy percent
Of Americans dig him
The dog didn’t hurt.

As long as his foes
Hold lame “tea-party” protests
The force is with him.

A plump government
Is grand if it means cheap meds,
Not water-boarding.

Such ambition! Well,
Roosevelt would be impressed
If not Kim Jong Il.

It is a fine thing
To have a smart president
Whose sentences work.

A fine amuse bouche
For what promises to be
A grand, filling meal.

Beaver, Utah. 20 miles south on I-15 of the 70 junction. AKA where I’m meeting Indian Creek Goddess Anna Davis for a one-night-stand before we head to clip some bolts in Red Rocks, hang out in nature and look at the Vegas skyline.

Arriving first, I was responsible for finding us some digs. Requirements: shower, beds and Wi-Fi. Checked out Best Western. $81 + tax (with the AAA discount). Then saw, around the corner, the Country Inn that shares an office with the Sinclair gas station: $66 total, including breakfast and a place to leave my Suby so Anna and I can carpool in hers to the desert. Sold.

Other awesome things about the Country Inn:

Click pics to enlarge.

Free HBO and Senior rates (I’ll come back in 30 years, def!)!

Nicest owner ever, whose 19-year-old son is marrying his 19-year-old fiancé next week. Mom’s a bit nervous that her baby’s gettin’ hitched so young. But, she does like the girl, so she thinks it’ll work out.

Orange palm tree, with one blinking palm, guarding the For Sale car.

Fun One Yellow T-Bird parked outside Office.

Neon trim – not a sign, just a line – illuminates the twin silver Subarus and buzzes -in tune with the highway – all night long.

And, my fave: a cheesy painting (canvas-printed photograph?) of … The Tetons! In blue hyper-color. Yes, I drove 466 miles away from my beloved mountains only to have them welcome me to the white brick walls of this charming hotel room nestled behind a gas station somewhere in windy Utah.

This is what a night of doing 2008 taxes (got an extension), writing two skiing stories, packing for a climbing/biking trip to the desert and cleaning the house looks like. And, I’m thinking I actually may get out of here by 10 a.m.!

Talked to Grandpa Dwyer today. Thanked him for making the effort to drive two hours to see my while I was home. Talked about my siblings, the prospect of grad school, the economy, our president (he’s not a fan) and real estate. He gave me some suggestions for renting out my condo, should I take a job elsewhere or go to grad school in the fall. He said the most important thing is asking as many questions as I can.

Seems like great advice. For life. Here’s the quote:

“Ask any dumb question you can,” he said. “I met a guy at a convention several years ago. Afterward, he thanked me for all my questions. ‘It’s easy to come up with answers,’ he told me. ‘Not so easy to come up with questions.’ I had never heard it before nor since. But, you know, Lauren. Questions are the Answer.”

For gorgeous Earth Day honoring photographs, click here.

I wrote a long-winded post for work today, and got a free canvas bag at Food Town. But, the best Earth Day conversation I had was with – as usual – F (whose full name I always omit for privacy’s sake). F is three-years-old, and today at daycare, she made a tree, whose leaves open to reveal drawings and the words, “I care about The Earth.”

Me: This is beautiful, F. Tell me about it.

F: It means I Love The Earth! We made them today.

Me: Oh, that’s awesome!

F: Today is Earth Day! That means I love the earth.

Me: What is the earth?

F: The thing I love.

Me: I know! But, the thing, earth. What is it exactly?

[Thinking...]

F: I don’t know.

I mean, you can’t see his hands. Maybe they’re on a synthesizer. Not to be skeptical or anything. I’m just truly flabbergasted.

We humans can do amazing things. Hope he wins. Or comes to the states to stand outside my bedroom window. No boombox needed.