A Bit 'O Luck

This is a good day. I am, as Melissa Kenney would say, lucky like a cricket.
Heck, it's been a lucky week. Overcast NM is so beautiful! To all you people in Seattle, sunshine is overrated, I promise. I live for this kind of weather here. Everything feels magical and possible. Grey skies are sexy. The colors pop around me. I'm living the life of a Goonie. Los Lunas isn't Astoria, but at least the trees are green right now and the Rio Grande is surging.
You know how I know the day is perfect so far? More than the shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather, I went to the Motor Vehicle Division this morning, and didn't even have a bad experience. Sure, the line was longer than I'd like, but the MVD just moved to a new location and now you don't feel like you're taking your life in your hands walking in for a new license. And speaking of my new license, I'm happy to report that the picture is good. I'm a little annoyed that they wouldn't let me wear my scarf (kind of makes me look a little less Bohemian without one, and did you know they won't let you wear glasses-- even if you wear them for real and you're not like me with the fakes to give you an air of mystery?!?!!?), but seriously, I'm happy about the picture. I can live with it for the next four years, no problem. Not like my last license. I got that while visiting home in NM several years back. I'd thrown my back out a few days before (this is an embarrassing story: wanna know how it happened? Someone on Oprah was demonstrating how to do a sexy walk during a piece on aerobic strip tease. I tried the walk, where you really thrust your hips out and move slowly. I felt like it was ok in the privacy of my own home. But the next day, I could barely roll out of bed, and I had to catch a flight to NM. It was so bad, I had to ride in a wheelchair in the airport! It was sooo embarrassing, but I couldn't tell people it was because I'd tried to do the sexy walk. I just let my family think I'd hurt myself while heaving the inevitably heavy suitcases around). Anyway, the last time I made it to the MVD for a license renewal, I'd just gone to the chiropractor-- my first visit ever, and I wasn't too impressed with poor Dr. Bender (his real name, thank you very much). I felt so bad that it was a miracle I was wearing makeup, and I'd just let my hair dry naturally, so it was doing that half curly, half straight thing. Today, however, I at least look like a human. Not as boho as I'd like, but attractive enough that when I get stopped at yet ANOTHER security or DUI checkpoint, I won't be embarrassed to hand over the ID.
Also, this time at the MVD was a vast improvement over the last time I was there. Remember how about a year ago I discovered I'd been driving on a suspended license because of a clerical error in Santa Fe? I remember sobbing and yelling, "This is why people join the NRA!" right in the middle of the office. So another bit of luck was not getting the clerk who'd "helped" me before. Instead, I got a very pleasant girl who was competent and helpful. And she didn't even get mad at me when I kept accidentally turning my head a bit in my picture. I'm sure I did it out of habit-- you know how full face in a picture is rarely super flattering. But again, every time I take out the temp license, I'm pleased.
Also, the addition of the Organ Donor heart is really nice. I've been listed as an organ donor for a while, but I think the heart is new. I reminded my mother this morning that were I to get in an accident, she is responsible to please see that my innards are used for good. I don't really understand why she isn't super down with this idea. But when I explained that such a donation might go to helping someone like our little Lydia someday (my cousin's 16-month-old daughter who just had open-heart surgery yesterday), she better understood. Give it all away, if you can, people. My kidneys are great. My liver? Amazing! My eyes are wonderful, though I wish sometimes I could wear my glasses for real and not have to wait till I'm 40. The heart is strong, and I'm sure they could harvest a lot of other tissue. Everything gets put back together in the Resurrection anyway, right?
So yes, things are lucky. Lucky I'm in love with my best friend. Oh, wait. That's not me. That's Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait. I did have a nice 2 1/2 hour chat with one of my best male friends last night who might accidentally fall in love with me legit-style, but we're just gonna keep that on the back burner for a while. But I'm also lucky that we are all for exploring our options-- read: seeing other people. I am NOT in a relationship. I'm not really sure I want to be. Sabbaticals are so much easier, and you don't have to worry about if your kids would stack up in the cuteness factor against their Sego cousins. And yes, that's cousins, plural, because Ben and Skye found out yesterday that Zoey's having a little sister. Our little fetal bean is a girl! I suggested they name her Rachel. She'll probably end up named Glorieta or something, but with a strange spelling. Ben and Skye are all about the unique spellings. They have to be. Their newest nephew is named Que (pronounced Q) and his older brother is Jhett (what would have been so wrong with spelling it just J-E-T?).
I'm also lucky that I get to spend the weekend with Little Bean #1, aka Zoey-face. And the rest of the family, including cousin Jordan. They will certainly wear me out, but I'm ok with this. I'm (luckily) prepared to have a mostly relaxing weekend-- hiking, reading, finally opening that blasted computer and writing, writing, writing, plus creating more interesting things for the October holiday boutique I'm participating in. I'm lucky because I tend to sleep well at the cabin, and of course, we eat well there too. I'm lucky I can watch hummingbirds from just a foot or two away on the porch, and relive the traditions of my childhood as my father will certainly employ his sound system to wake us up with something interesting. When we were little, it was the theme to Disney's "Main St. Electrical Parade." I'm guessing this weekend it will be The Lettermen. I'm lucky also that I'm packing the iPod to listen to while I create my artistic masterpieces so I can tune out "Big Joe's Polka Show." And I know I'll be super lucky when I get back to have a nice text message from Jacob saying, "Dear Rachel. I love your blog, you little genius." And another one from Lou saying, "I can't wait for Le Chat Lunatique on Thursday!" And one from Pamsicle saying, "I miss you more than everything in Anthropologie combined!" (By the way, did I mention how lucky I was to have two birthday gift cards from Anthro THE VERY WEEK of their Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Sale?) And possibly one from Nashty, which will read, "Sego! You are the bomb-diggity!" And one from my bestie Sokphal telling me about her latest flag football game. And any number of other surprises. And why shouldn't these things come to pass? If I were a gambling woman, I'd buy a lottery ticket. Everything's goin' my way. Beautiful mornin' to ya.