The Winged Seeds of the Tumbleweed

I'm sitting in a cafe in Portland, Oregon, waiting for Simone to finish her choir rehearsal so we can grab a drink. We have so much to catch up on; it's been too long! It was surprisingly hard to find an open cafe at 8pm. I have a lot to learn about Portland. I'm looking forward to exploring in the next few days. Also looking forward to the arrival of Kathy Rose! Chris Maher! And possibly Marissa and Joe! My roadtrip families!

My favorite Beachboys song just came on (the second time I've heard it since being on the road-- the first time being in a giftshop in Albuquerque.) Sometimes the universe just knows which songs to put in the background. Explain to me how my first night in Seattle I was greeted with the "Milkshake" song in a bar, and on my last night, in a different bar, "Folsom Prison" came on. Joe, our mash-up was made in the stars.

The nature of the healthy tumbleweed is that it is always moving. It becomes detached from its roots, and then is driven about by the wind. Apparently they are considered to be "troublesome" in Central and Western America. I think they're the best thing Texas has to offer. They're adorable, especially when they roll about all family-style. When in texas last year I literally saw a mom-dad-brother-sister-baby group of rolling tumbleweeds. When I was in Texas this year the only tumbleweeds I saw were broken in half and frozen to death; they were not healthy tumblweeds. (I don't read into the differences in tumbleweeds from last year to this year. Because clearly 2007 is going to be a spectacular year. I just compare them because it's interesting. And it is yet another piece of evidence that global warming is dangerous.)

I bring up tumbleweeds because I feel like one now, and so does Marissa. And though one can feel lonely or lost whilst doing so much rolling, one should also recognize the benefits of such a state. All the sights you see! That you wouldn't have otherwise seen if you hadn't let the wind take you!

I'd like to finish up with a quotation that I think sums up the themes of this post concisely:
"Me and my baby and my Cadillac. Fifth wheel on the back, yeah! Rolling! Rolling!"