Author: Crystle

Maker, doer, and nomad.

Confronting (Grown Up) Uncertainty

~ Crystle ~ 18 Comments

Hello, Friends!

I know I haven’t been reading or writing much lately, and I really have no good excuse. For me, October has been marked by long naps, Netflix marathons, and mini-feasts of Halloween candy. Shameful, I know, but my mind is heavy with thoughts of the now and the future.

You guys know how prone to hyperbole I am, so let me tell you that bringing a child into the world is the most monumental feat I’ve faced in life. With parenthood comes a ton of responsibility, the mere prospect of which has ushered Isaac and I down the path to confront uncertainty. My lazy and laconic October aside, progress (months in the making) has been made.

Allow me to elaborate:

First and foremost, we found out we’re having a girl. This literally took no skill or effort, but it’s just nice to have that uncertainty behind us. I was reluctant to share the name until she arrived for fear of copycatting, nitpicking or naysaying. I got over that pretty quick. Critics, and copycats: in March of 2013, baby Margot Bryn will be joining us. We like the name, and hope she does too, and that’s all that truly matters.

Hopefully she settles into our new house near Olympia, Washington nicely. We’re in the process of moving now, which prompts frustration when something you need is already packed up. Where is my hot glue gun?! 

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention we are now homeowners! Gone are the days of wasting money on rent, and upon us is a future of equity building. For months we’ve been searching high and low in a variety of neighborhoods and towns for the right home. Ultimately, we decided upon a two-story, new construction in the suburbs of Olympia.

I know what you’re thinking: the suburbs? Crystle, why are you eating all the words from your twenty-something lifestyle-manifesto? Do they even taste good? The answer is yes. They taste rich, like a European candy you need only try once, which is exactly how I now regard my idealist ‘me-against-the-world-Neon Bible‘ days. I’m trading that up for a more analytical and inquisitive ‘Helplessness Blues‘ era. For the sake of this post, I hope you’re familiar with those albums.

“Early Onset Parenthood” (as I refer to it) is bringing on a renewed perception of the world. It’s great.

So a final thought on the suburbs: I just wanted a crime-free neighborhood for our new addition, which was hard to come by in Tacoma Proper. We also need to be able to rent the place out when the Army whisks away to the next duty station. Moving from place to place in the US and around the world will be a certainty for us.

As evidence of our nomadic lifestyle, in a year’s time we’ll be residents of Fairbanks, Alaska! Be excited for us, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Most people never even visit the Last Frontier, let alone live there for an extended period of time. Six months of bitter winter weather (think -60°F on a bad night) giving way to warm summer hikes in Denali and brilliant shows of Aurora Borealis is a dream for a Bakersfield girl like me. I cannot wait to experience the extreme weather and immense beauty in our nation’s largest state.

Color me happy.

A Halloween Movie Playlist

~ Crystle ~ 4 Comments

Fall is finally here! Here in the Evergreen State we don’t much evidence of that except for the early morning fog and tilted sunlight. What excites me most about this time of year is the Halloween Flicks that go largely unwatched during the rest of the year.

This year, I’m posting on my favorite Halloween-spirited Films. Nearly all of these selections are incredibly dated, and kind of terrible to watch if you weren’t exposed to them around their release, or you’re not a firm believer in the existence of ghosts or Killer Klowns from Outer Space (guilty plea here).  They really do vary from warm and enjoyable, to campy and occasionally creepy.

Enjoy!

1. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) – Available on Netflix instant watch

Tagline: In Space, No One Can Eat Ice Cream

Follow a couple of teenage (or college-age, it’s hard to tell) kids as they chase after a meteor and stumble upon a circus tent in the middle of the woods in this true cult classic. Spoiler alert: these Klowns will shoot you with their ray guns, wrap you in a cotton candy cocoon and suck your blood out of a crazy straw.

2. Child’s Play and it’s sequels (1988)

Tagline: You’ll Wish it was Only Make-Believe

This is one of many flicks I should not have seen before age 12, or possibly ever. The terror I felt after watching this movie and it’s sequels lasted for years. The long-ago habit of me leaping from the doorway to my bunk bed was a direct result of this flick. Chucky was under the bed slicing ankles, and I was going to have none of that, friends. No way.

Really, though. The soul of a murderer possessing your ‘best friend’ doll? A total terror for kids, and for the adults–enjoy murderous doll catchphrases and silly special effects.

3. Candyman (1992) – Available on Netflix Instant Watch

Tagline: We Dare You To Say His Name Five Times

Any of you ladies suffering from a childhood of younger sister syndrome may know what it’s like to watch a scary movie with your older brother. In this film, if you recite ‘Candyman’ in the mirror, you will summon a hook-handed serial killer hell-bent on revenge for his own unjust execution many years prior. It was so scary I couldn’t even cope. It may have left psychological scars when my older brother locked me in the bathroom after ‘summoning’ the Candyman in the bathroom. I don’t ever remember screaming that loud.

After watching this as an adult, it’s far less terrifying and a bit dated. It’s still a decent story and a creepy film if you dim the lights and buy into the legend.

4. A Haunting Seasons 1-4  (2005)

Tagline: In This World There Are Doors, and When They Are Opened, Nightmares Become Reality.

Each of my endlessly patient ex-boyfriends and closest friends will confirm that I absolutely love this TV series from Discovery. They know, because I’ve subjected each of them to it on many a lazy Sunday. I have owned all of these DVDs for many years and I’ve watched them repeatedly. I repeat, I’ve watched them repeatedly. They don’t even have a spot in the DVD cabinet, they just stay out in the open, loose from their tattered box on the top of my bedroom dresser. I have zero shame about it because some of these stories are seriously compelling.

The home I grew up in was pretty scary at times, and I do believe it was haunted to some degree. I’d be happy to share those experiences on another post around Halloween if any of you are interested.

Anyways, the re-enactments are pretty over-the-top at times, and a few stories I flat out don’t believe. There are plenty of really great stories in this series to keep me watching both the good and the bad.

5. Hocus Pocus (1993)

Tagline: It’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!

Who could forget this classic made-for-TV movie? Three witches are resurrected to 1990s New England where they continue their reign of terror. It’s up to our friends, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, and Omri Katz Dani, Allison and Max to save the day with their immortal cat Binx. I love every bit of this film, which is why you’ll see me running to the mailbox everyday anticipating it’s arrival. C’mon postman, bring me my order!

Yes, I ate all the French Bread

~ Crystle ~ 7 Comments

Things are on the up around here — well, mainly the number on the scale. My growing belly and newly fierce appetite is bringing back those 10 lbs I lost during the first trimester when irascible spells of nausea and vomiting had me camping out around the porcelain. Those episodes still creep up once in awhile, but they are certainly less frequent. My husband was lucky he spent the month of September out in field training, or he would have been subject to my whining and pity parties. It wasn’t easy going through that alone, so single preggy ladies, I salute you.

I’m happy to report that I have returned to the kitchen, cooking and eating healthier dishes like the olden days. That doesn’t mean I haven’t given into cravings of the occasional Yoo Hoo and ahem, entire loaf of French Bread. It was over the course of two days, and it came hot from the bakery! It was like, the only thing I ate. OK, it wasn’t but whatever, throw it in the bucket of pregnancy excuses (which is heaping, my friends). It was delicious.

Before long, I’ll have a ton of news to share. Until then, try not to shame me too badly for my lap full of bread crumbs and messy hair . Growing a human is hard work.