Amber & Fleeting Glimpse

I was watching this because Castle only lasts about 44 minutes and, as I have professed, I love Jimmy Fallon's singing skits.

And then lo!

I swear to you, in the looped footage at the beginning, Kevin rides by on his bike.

Come on! That is Kevin!  I am like 99.8% positive.

See?

Now, he's gotten a new helmet.  And he's wearing khakis in the video.  And I think either that blue pullover or maybe even his puff coat?

But that is so totally him!

Amber & Even Bigger Birthday Booty

Last night, in addition to a quieterly breathing Woody, I got this novelty t as a present from Nick.

See?  There's a doggie riding a bike with a kitty in the basket.  And, under my pointing hand, there is a birdie flying along with them and some trees.  (It's like this shirt and this one got together and had a green baby.)  Nick pointed out the doggie can't really reach the pedals, but we know they must be coasting because there is a little motion cloud coming out of the back tire.  Cute, and dynamic.  (Also note I am wearing the Alison hedgie today to mix it up, cutie-animal-style.)

Also, I got Thai food and this book from CRD.  It has that poem in it that makes me cry.



But really, everything makes me cry this week.

Amber & Turning and Facing the Strange (Changes)

When you are enmeshed in your own drama, you seldom think that the rest of the world is undergoing its own changes and challenges. But then, your own controversy subsides, or your flank feels a little less ouchy, and you venture out into the world and discover that the universe waits for no Amber.

Imagine my surprise when I came into the office today to discover we had a bike rack!

That's my bike, the second one in from the right, suspended there.  Some of those other bikes belong to Hope, our former officemate, and I have no idea whose the fourth one is.  How organized and space-saving.  Why, I can actually get to the window now without playing one of those parking puzzle games.

Much of the box clutter has disappeared from the corners as well.  The coat rack has been moved to a new convenient location near the door.  I'm not sure who is responsible for this flurry of restructuring and organizing, but I bet it was Kevin.  But maybe with help from Emma the Architect, seen here with her world-rocking graph paper.

One thing that has not gone away, though is this fascinating and mysterious handbag.

The handle is made from pink ribbon, but the bag itself is made of-- brace yourself-- white, uninflated balloons.  For a long time, when it was hanging from the coat rack, I thought it was a bathing cap.  But now that I know it's a handbag, I am kind of in love with it.  But maybe that's just the flank pain clouding my fashion judgment.

Amber & The Perfect Blendship

Hippo:Monkey::CRD:Amber

This work of Paul Frank fine art is so perfect and fitting for my friendship with CRD-- not only because he loves hippos (alot) like I love primates, or because we both blog about and know how to ride bikes. It also sums up our friendship, if smiling and riding a bike can be read as an allegory for sitting on the couch watching programs. It's also symbolic of how two seemingly different things can have so much in common: I am a monkey, CRD is big and red, but we both pedal along. The one unrealistic thing about this portrait of our friendship is that I, the monkey, am not wearing a helmet. Everyone knows I always wear a helmet, and even sometimes wear specialty headwear around the office.

You know what other two things have a special bond where each is made better by their friendship? Pickles and fleece blankets.

He's not hiding from the vacuum. I was resting, trying to horizontal off my horrible headache, and he nuzzled and suckled his way into the middle of the blankets. You can't tell from this photo, but he is purring so loudly that you can feel his purrs vibrating in the bed frame.

OMG. I love that buddy.

Amber & Signage of Mysterious Meaning

Not to totally JD CRD's excellent coverage of Signage of Bafflement, but WTF, management company?

So, let's parse these instructions. If we're being told to either walk our bikes inside or lock them outside, something other than those two options must be happening to necessitate the sign. Are people riding their bikes inside? Or maybe locking their bikes inside? Walking your bike outside seems acceptable, so that's not the instigating issue. Given how narrow the hallway is, I am guessing that people couldn't really ride their bikes into the elevator. But, I'm one those people who can't even ride with no hands.

Then, the addendum to the instructions makes it even more cryptic. Did the courier service in the building get upset, thinking they were falsely accused? Or, are they above the rules? Maybe they can ride their bikes inside? Or lock them inside? And "as per management" refers to what? Is that the signature to let us know who left the sign? Or, maybe they are above the rules as per management?

What a baffling start to my work day.

Amber & Woody, I Love You

Sometime after CRD gave me that friendship shirt with the hippo and the monkey riding the bicycle built for two. If Woody's legs were jointed differently, I would totally ride a bicycle built for two with him.

Amber & Contingency Plans

I love having two plus two cats. Yes, the kittens are a little nutty, and, yes, they have chewed through many wires causing my personal electronic devices much trouble, and, yes, they did bring ailments into the house that resulted in Woody having Schaubhut-deemed-unnecessary dental surgery, but have you heard about all of the boys snuggling on the couch together?

There's one catch I have to deal with right away: What do we do when the Cloverfield Monster comes?In the old plan, I loaded Tiggy and Woody into the larger Sherpa and jumped on my bike and head for the GWB. Having seen the movie, I know he'll spend a fair amount of time making his way up here from lower Manhattan, so I have a pretty good chance... if I can find my tire pump.

But with two plus two, do I cram all of the buddies into one bag? Or can I pedal with two bags?

Maybe I need to get a sidecar?
That's sure going to be a pain getting up and down the stairs.

Amber & Serendipitous Wallets

Amy Bee gave me a super cutie wallet with an orange bicycle on it as a present for my birthday when I saw her on Sunday at the place of plant growth which I dare not mention by name lest it show up on the RSS feeds of the Commander of Conifers. Little did she know that it would match my handbag that I got at the Outlet Mall with CRD!


How serendipitous! That is, while searching for a present for me, Amy happened upon a matching friend for my handbag. Or, as I went about my business having been borned, I happened to meet Amy who happened to give me a wallet that matches my handbag perfectly! And, remember that I started working at National Show Tunes Inc. and met Hillary who introduced me to Jeff and that's how I serentipitously met Amy!

P.S. I totally do know what serendipity means, even if it's not apparent from this post.