Author Archives: Duende

Society

Oh, it’s a mystery to me We have a greed with which we have agreed And you think you have to want more than you need Until you have it all you won’t be free Society, you’re a crazy breed Hope you’re not lonely without me… When you want more than you have You think

Trapped in a Tiki Bar

Last week a few friends and I decided to go to a coffeehouse in Vancouver. They put on a trivia night once a month, and I, loving trivia, decided to join in. The cafe was cozy if not hipster-like. Mismatched chairs, wooden tables, an old bookshelf in one corner with books to take and leave–including

“And you’re here just to look pretty”

Today I was at work on campus, doing some routine sort of job that needed to get done for an upcoming open house, and during this monotonous routine work one of those awkward memories crept up, from when I was younger. It involved my friend Barb and an entourage of other teenage friends. It was

Familiarity breeds comfort

I believe that as we grow older, our pasts become different worlds. If we could only time-travel, we might get back there, but the only practical way to really get there is to dream or step back with memory. Daniel Faraday, from Lost, when speaking of such old familiarity, used the word “constant”. While he

Remembering Dad

Three years ago today my father passed away after a long, painful struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. Watching our loving, kind, stubborn, athletic, highly intelligent, spiritual, open-minded, sometimes silly, and life-loving father lose nearly all functional parts of his physical and mental self was tough to see.

The old house

We’ll be moving on February 11th over to Coquitlam, just one town away. Our new but older house is situated above the town up from Dawes Hill–not far from the lovely Fraser River, the longest river in British Columbia. The neighborhood is full of unique and rather large houses, with atypical large lots for the

A wonderful holiday

I just got home from traveling to some of Morgan’s relatives for Christmas, and we had a wonderful time. I love his family. I am really happy to have in-laws who are completely wonderful in every way. The fun, good times, love, and laughter reminds me of when my family gets together. How many times

Year-end 2011 survey — 21 questions

The women in my family began doing surveys after the death of my dad in 2009. We all live somewhat apart from each other: southern California; central Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; and the lower mainland in British Columbia, Canada. After a week of bittersweet events comprised of a funeral, a somewhat giddy birthday celebration at a

A rainy but fun Saturday

This morning I went for the first time to volunteer at the Noons Creek Hatchery in Port Moody. Before I found the place, I went past it and ended up on a road bordering the Burrard Inlet, which was lined with misty skies and rain-laden trees. Fog rose off the water, and even now the

Dream home

My dream home is one where I can come home at the end of the day and feel protected, loved, and safe. I have that right now. What more could I possibly desire? I guess most people, me included, would have some material ideas about how their home was constructed, what sort of design their