===Sliding into my brain... Kiss the Rain: Billie Meyers===

Well, good evening friends and loved ones. I"m starting this quite late. But, that's okay. I"m sure you'll forgive me. Perhaps you won't, but I'm happy living in my little fantasy world. It works for me.

I'm feeling a bit on the slow, mellow, not-quite-depressed-but-could-be side tonight. Most of that is due to the fact that I'm missing what I don't have. *chuckles*

I've been speaking to more and more people who seem to either detest or hate the rain. I could understand people who have to work outside in it, that's rarely fun or energizing. But, I get such a ..... a sense of cleansing from the rain.

I'm one of those people who don't believe in umbrellas unless it's an absolute "tub-rain".

===Sliding into my brain... Like the Rain: Clint Black===

That's my own description. And by that, I mean, it's like someone just scoopped up a bathtub full of water and dumped it over me. I don't like that kind. And, I don't like being out in the rain when it's that nasty, cold, biting rain. But, up here in Western Washington, where it rains quite often, there are so many different kinds of rain...

There's that slow, misting rain where it feels like you're walking through a cool garden on a warm day, light and refreshing, as if someone had sprayed the hose and the little bits of misty moisture drifted over you.

There's the gentle, light rain, mostly found in late Spring. It settles from the sky down like warm, liquid snow. It's beautiful and light... and you can see rainbows in the air, all over the place. It's an incredible feeling.

===Sliding into my brain... I Wish It Would Rain Down: Genesis===

There's that heavy, dark, dreary downpour, previous to thunder storms. It's magnificent and powerful in it's glory. Best to see as you're sitting inside, watching from a huge, bay window, mug of coffee or tea or hot chocolate in your hand. The fat drops of water splatting against the window, the sky so heavy and ominous. It's incredible. And then the thunder and lightning set in and the rain turns more fierce. It's like a symphony... like Mozart's Requiem. Absolutely stunning in its power.

Then, there's that cold, bitter ice-rain. Not sleet, for that's more a slush-rain. But ice rain. Where each drop that hits is frozen before it actually hits. To be out in that is like someone pelting you with a handful of miniscule gravel on a cold, winter's day. I don't advise being out in that. But, it's still cool to watch, cause it makes patterns on the windows when it hits. The patterns are really cool to watch.

I love hail too. Tiny, ultra-frozen snow balls pelting the ground. It usually only hits a few times a year, and rarely for more than three minutes at a stretch. But for the 10 or 15 minutes that it doesn't melt, it looks like the entire area is covered in snow. Snow is an extreme rarity here. We don't get much, and it almost never lasts long.

===Sliding into my brain... River of Tears: Eric Clapton===

But then, there's my favorite kind of rain. Late summer, early fall. The leaves are just getting ready to turn color. Some of them have started, one or two of the previous green, turning a gold, sometimes brown, sometimes copper. It looks like little bits of polished metal and stone, flickering and waving on the trees... And the sun begins to set, slowly, so everything is beginning to glow just a bit. And the rain starts... a soft, warm, full-of-promise kind of rain.

It's fat and light, like whipped cream on hot chocolate, or like marshmallows, only not quite so dense. Very airy... like if you put a marshmallow in the microwave (those of you who haven't done that... do it. It's cool.)

Just to stand outside, eyes closed, mouth open, face turned to the sky, feeling those warm, gentle drops of water gently caressing the skin. It's like a warm shower, but without the humidity. No humidity and softer water. Not the harsh stinging bits of water from some showers.

It feels like the water you would get if you had the kitchen faucet on fairly low, but warm, and then had that little moble hose thing.

And, as you're standing out in that rain, feeling the warmth, feeling the warmth of the setting sun at the same time, and then look to the leaves that are just barely beginning to turn, you can see the leaves coming alive with the droplets of water. They summon me. Little tiny beads of water, tiny copper and gold gems hanging suspended in their animation at the tips of leaves.

Yeah, I like the rain.

A lot.

===Sliding into my brain... You Still Move Me: Dan Seals===

I remember when I was in Tobago (in the Caribean) when I was 13. It was the first time I'd seen the sky open and rain just poured out. Like someone had set up a tarp or something to catch the rain and suddenly they'd just ripped a huge slash in it and all the water fell to the ground in a sudden rush. Mom and Dad and I were just standing on the covered balcony, watching this absolute sheet of rain. It was like standing behind a waterfall. Literally.

It never rains like that up here.

But it was incredible to see. It only lasted about five minutes. But I had expected to see the trees dented. I expected to see a trench in the ground. It was so totally amazing to me.

I suppose I'm still quite child-like in that regard. I still get amazed by the rain. I still love to sit and watch the rain sometimes. I love the storm rain, when the drops are coming so hard and fast it's like machine-gun fire. And the window is a solid sheet of water.

===Sliding into my brain... Little Hands: Duncan Sheik===

You probably think I'm foolish or something. *shrugs* Sorry folks, I really enjoy the rain. I don't like all kinds, and I don't like being out in all kinds of rain. But, there are many, many kinds that I really want to play in. There are many kinds that I love to sit and watch.

I was talking with a friend of mine a while back, talking about what kind of things impressed me and such. There are a lot of women out there who are only impressed by diamonds and jewels and riches and such. There are many women out there who are only impressed with extravigant things... by things of extreme beauty and rarity.

I am impressed with things of beauty, but those things that the seeming majority consider beautiful are rather plain to me.

Many women (men too) need extravigant measures in order to be impressed. Many need outrageous acts, gifts, comments. Some are impressed by compliments or flattery. I am impressed by simple things.

Perhaps I am a part of the majority, but since we don't need flashy things to impress us, we are considered the minority. Whichever the case...

===Sliding into my brain... Wishful Thinking: Duncan Sheik===

Well, I suppose what I really want to say is this...

Were someone to try and impress me, they could give me an expensive gift. I would be impressed, but I would be more inclined to think that the gift obligated me to some specific course of action. For instance... there aren't many people out there who want to give you a car just because they want to spend 30,000 bucks and you seem like a good thing to spend it on. *chuckles*

I'm far more impressed when someone, like Sympatico did a little bit ago, out of the blue sends me two CDs that they took their time and effort to make. Specifically the Andrea Bocelli CD (Which my Mother STILL hasn't given back to me. *grins*)

That impresses me because...

Sympatico took time out of his day to do something nice for me.
He remembered something that was important to me (Bocelli)
It came out of no where (A Surprise)
And, he doesn't expect me to reciprocate in any way.

===Sliding into my brain... She Runs Away: Duncan Sheik===

Other things that impress me...

An Email out of the blue with the simple words, "I was just thinking about you and I smiled." *chuckles softly* One of my greatest desires for the longest time has been to be someone people think of with a smile. I don't want people thinking of me with irritation and hatred. I like it when a smile crosses someone's lips because of a stray thought of me. *smiles softly*

Once in a great, great, great while I am impressed when someone writes poetry for me. But that's rare. And, I don't like poetry that's just formula. I don't like it when someone just spits out some "roses are red, violets are blue" crap. I like original poetry. I don't mind the words from that particular poem, but it's just.... totally bland and requires no thought whatsoever.

===Sliding into my brain... Wildfire: Michael Martin Murphy===

I am impressed when someone pops up on my pager or something and simply says hello. BUT, I'm more impressed when they DON'T pop up and expect to talk if I"m double screening it with 8 private messages during a battle scene. *chuckles* It would impress me even more if the person who was messaging me asked if I was busy and had time to talk. *chuckles quietly*

(RP stuff... Double Screening it means that I'm playing two different characters at the same time, using two different browsers, or as I was doing last night, three different characters at the same time. Plus I had people who were trying to pick up on me (!?!?!?!) as I was doing this. *rolls her eyes* It gets irritating. I can multi-task but come on, folks. Splitting my attention 11 different ways and THEN to have my Mother come in and try to converse with me.... *shakes her head*)

===Sliding into my brain... If I Only Had One Friend Left: Dan Seals===

Other things that impress me... Maturity. Honestly. When I watch someone, to see them make decisions that depict character is impressive. To see a person choose to put themselves through hell in the "now" in order to have what they want in the "future" is very impressive.

And, for someone else to make a personal sacrifice, not a great one, but some simple personal sacrifice.... whether it be time, effort, thought, whatever... that is impressive to me as well.

*smiles softly*

===Sliding into my brain... Hold On My Heart: Genesis===

I wonder if I am impressive to anyone. I mean... Do I put forth my effort for anyone else, or am I really as selfish as I feel inside? Am I the kind and tender-hearted woman I so desperately want to be, or have I simply been fooling myself?

Sometimes I think that I'm more selfish and mean than anyone has a right to be. For instance... I told my sister that I wasn't going to take the kids today because Damien had a cold and I didn't want Mom getting sick. On top of the fact that I couldn't handle being sick myself. I"m already feeling it. Hell, I've got a head ache. My nose is stuffy and I just don't feel "right".

But, I think about my decision to not take the kids and I feel all... guilty for not watching them. I know that Yvonne just wants the family help. And really, we're the only family she's got that treats her warmly. Tho her mother and sister are up here now.... *shakes her head*

I don't know, folks. I just..... I feel so.... selfish for not wanting to take care of the kids.

===Sliding into my brain... In The Air Tonight: Genesis===

Hell, I feel guilty and selfish for turning this entry back around to focus so completely on me. *chuckles* Now, that feeling is definately an over-reaction. And I don't cotton to the over-reactions much anymore. I'm really trying to weed them out of my life.

I'll tell ya what does NOT impress me. In fact, it turns me off. Quoting Shakespear. I don't like Shakespear. In fact, I have an accquaintence, whose nickname is Shakespear. We call him "Shake" for short. Every time someone quotes Shakespear... if I recognize the passage (which would be doubtful) I think of Shake. *chuckles* And it's really something you don't want me to associate with you. *smirks*

Shake's a nice guy and all, but he's just..... He's never going to be more than an accquaintance. AND, he broke my friend's heart. That bugs me about him. So, I suppose the association is the thing I don't like.

*thinks about that for a moment*

No, I just don't like Shakespear. And yes, Preston, I know that's sacrilidge... but you're still the best ameture guitar player I"ve yet heard. So that ought to make up for some of my dislike of all things Shakespear.

===Sliding into my brain... Best I Ever Had: Verticle Horizon===

I saw Romeo And Juliet once. It was performed by one of the acting groups at Cornish. It was a good production, but it was slightly adapted. And, the thing I liked most about it, was hearing "Juliet" talk about how her parents were coming and she didn't want them to see a specific scene.

(the play was altered just a little in a few places... the director had her sit up in bed when Romeo either entered her room, or left it or something... there was the undertone of recently completed sex somewhere in there. Forgive me, but my memory is a little rusty on the details. Hell, it was 11 years ago and I only saw it once.... regardless... the scene required her to sit up in bed, all sudden like, and she was bare, thus, her breasts were in clear view. *chuckles* She was nervous about her folks seeing that in her college acting debut. *smirks*)

Okay, I just remembered.... I don't hate ALL Shakespear. I like "Much Ado About Nothing". But I like the movie version, with Kenneth Branagh (sp), Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton et al. I've seen that one probably 18 times. I just really enjoy it. A lot. *chuckles* And, I like the story of "The Taming Of The Shrew", but I liked the "broadway" version "Kiss Me Kate" far more.

However, I don't like Romeo and Juliet. I don't like the sonnets and such. And I really, really don't like the Hamlet stuff. I'm so NOT impressed by that stuff.

===Sliding into my brain... Everything You Want: Verticle Horizon===

*chuckles to herself, thinking for a few moments*

I am not impressed by fancy dinners and such. Of course, I've never been on a date where someone took me to a fancy restaurant, so I can't really say that doesn't impress me if I"ve never experienced it. I'm not impressed by the idea tho.

I tell you what would impress me, tho... Being asked out by a man with maturity and intelligence. Taken to a nice restaurant (NOT a fast food joint), having incredible conversation over a light meal, then going to the Imax show or something.

Of course, that's in Seattle, and I"m not all that keen on the city, but if the man knows his way around and walks with me, protectively, I like that and can deal with the city.

===Sliding into my brain... Shackled: Verticle Horizon===

I would love to go to the Pacific Science Center on a date. That place is so damned cool. Of course, it's been more than 13 years since I"ve been, but it's incredible. There's so much to see and do. That, in my opinion, would be a great place for a first date, or a blind date. If any of you folks live in Seattle, or close to it, or if you've got friends pestering you for dating advice... tell them to set up a date at Pacific Science Center at the Seattle Center. It's incredible. They can park in one of the parking garages (an all day ticket) and make a day of it. Go to the Seattle Center and play around in the fountain. Run through the stores at the food court. Take the tram through Seattle.

That would be way cool. I'd love to do that too, but only if I was with someone, or with a group.

I'd suggest...

===Sliding into my brain... Finding Me: Verticle Horizon===

I'd suggest driving to Bremerton and parking there (from where I am or from Tacoma... whatever) taking the ferry across the Sound to Seattle. Take the bus up to Pike Place Market. Well, hell, that's gonna take a weekend or two. *chuckles* But, planning a few different "dates" in Seattle. Get a place in Bremerton for three days and ferry across to Seattle a few days. Take in Pike Place Market on one day... take in the Seattle Center on another. And go up to Capitol Hill, to Volunteer park. Play in the park for a while, then go to Cornish and stop off at the Scottish Rite just to look at the roses along the South side.

Go to Kerry Hall (Cornish South) and pick out one of the K. Kawaii grand pianoes and simply play it with your eyes closed. *grins*

Yeah. That would definately impress me. A great deal. it would be an awesome few days and there would be so many sights and sounds that you would be bubbling over about the trip for a good long time. *grins*

And, if you ever do go to Kerry Hall, say hello to David DeMoss. He's the head of security, among other things, and he was my boss for a while when I was attending there. He's a great guy. Tall and skinny with tight, curly brown hair. *grins* He's cool. Tell him I said hey... He won't remember me, but tell him I said hey anyway. *smirks*

It's time for me to get going. I need to post this before too much later or y'all will be calling out the internet Search and Rescue teams to figure out what happened to me. I'll be appearing on cyber milk cartons everywhere.

I'm okay, folks, I really am. I"m here. I'm alive.

*smirks*

Love ya, mine dahlinks.