{"id":10735,"date":"2015-12-31T17:15:16","date_gmt":"2016-01-01T01:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michellejolin.com\/wordpress\/?p=10735"},"modified":"2015-12-31T17:14:54","modified_gmt":"2016-01-01T01:14:54","slug":"10735","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=10735","title":{"rendered":"Christmas mermen and another new year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year I was reflecting on what I want in a partner<\/a>. One of the things that was important to me was someone who really gets me and makes me laugh. For Christmas, Vashon demonstrated his profound understanding of my deepest desires and yearnings by giving me this:<\/p>\n

 \"\"<\/a>  <\/p>\n

Yes. It is a completely heterosexual merman with a sequined tail, flannel shirt and large cup of coffee. A Seattle merman. To hang on a Christmas tree. Of course. <\/p>\n

Then he watched me search for  the (delightfully tacky) website of the manufacturer and place other similar mermen on my Amazon wish list. My amusement, enthusiasm and delight made him happy. The gift of a very kitschy merman to go on my very kitschy Christmas tree made ME happy. <\/p>\n

He pretended that I wasn’t insane when I wondered about such important questions as “Why does a merman need a belt? Will his sequined tail fall down and expose his mer-junk without it? Is it just another opportunity to add bling? Is it really all about the bling?”<\/p>\n

(It is possible that I may have been overthinking a bit)<\/p>\n

(Yes, in spite of my best intentions I do still have a penchant for overthinking and using words like penchant)<\/p>\n

Then I returned the favor by showing him  Pixyland.org<\/a> and the circle of amazement was complete. Amazement might not be quite the right word.  Bemusement? Dismay?<\/p>\n

So. This is it, right? The time of year to summarize the past year and make a statement of my desires for the one to come? I did it last year<\/a> so shouldn’t there be something again today of all days? And what do mermen have to do with any of it? <\/p>\n

Quite a lot, actually. <\/p>\n

If last year was a transitional year, and it was, then so was this year. Every year is. Things always change. People moved away who I will miss seeing. People came into my life very unexpectedly and I am embracing our differences and challenges. I have been continuing my journey toward a more emotionally open and accepting life. It has been easier to be more emotionally balanced, but I am still struggling with the physical aspects of a balanced life. In May I had an issue with literal balance on my bicycle. Bicycling may not be for me. <\/p>\n

Work in progress, always. <\/p>\n

What have I learned?<\/p>\n

I learned that if I keep my mind and heart open, amazing people come into my life. <\/p>\n

I learned that it takes about 5 hours to get from NW Portland to the North end of Vashon Island at rush hour on a Friday afternoon. <\/p>\n

I learned that a slow pace is a very good pace. <\/p>\n

I continued to learn that a lot of people love me flaws and all, and I love them right back. 
\nAs I finish writing this, about to arrive at the Tahlequah ferry dock, sun streaming in through my back window, I’m grateful for the life I have. The good stuff and the bad. <\/p>\n

I wouldn’t change a thing. 
\nHappy New Year, everyone!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last year I was reflecting on what I want in a partner. One of the things that was important to me was someone who really gets me and makes me laugh. For Christmas, Vashon demonstrated his profound understanding of my deepest desires and yearnings by giving me this:     Yes. It is a completely heterosexual … Continue reading Christmas mermen and another new year<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-random-thoughts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/img_0027-1.jpeg?fit=2862%2C2164&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s7lr3R-10735","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10769,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=10769","url_meta":{"origin":10735,"position":0},"title":"What’s going on?","author":"Michelle","date":"March 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Indolence.\u00a0 Wrote a song about it.\u00a0 Like to hear it? Here it goes! --with apologies to David Alan Grier What does a person do when they fall off their blog for months at a time? Is there some sort of blogger jail? Well, this blogger has been busy. Trips up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Random thoughts"","block_context":{"text":"Random thoughts","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/image-25.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/image-25.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/image-25.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/image-25.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/image-25.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/image-25.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9208,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=9208","url_meta":{"origin":10735,"position":1},"title":"What if…","author":"Michelle","date":"February 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The girl stood on a rock on the edge of the river and wondered. What if she fell in? What if a fish jumped up, and she caught it with her bare hands? What if someone pushed her in and she drowned? What if she dove in head first and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8547,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=8547","url_meta":{"origin":10735,"position":2},"title":"An imaginary conversation about Christmas","author":"Michelle","date":"December 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"If I never hear another Christmas song it will be too soon. Bing Crosby should be boiled in oil! (Stops humming \"White Christmas\" and tries to look sympathetic) Don't you agree? The stores were all decorated before Halloween was even over! (Hides the box of Christmas lights about to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Imaginary Conversation"","block_context":{"text":"Imaginary Conversation","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_2357.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_2357.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_2357.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_2357.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8770,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=8770","url_meta":{"origin":10735,"position":3},"title":"Christmas, short and sweet","author":"Michelle","date":"December 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This Christmas, my first solo Christmas in this century, I slept in. I got up and had a cup of coffee and opened my remaining present. Nothing says Christmas like the gift of being able to pepper spray a perv. Thanks, Dr. Kyle! I then spent the early part of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8677,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=8677","url_meta":{"origin":10735,"position":4},"title":"Merry Christmas–yes, Christmas","author":"Michelle","date":"December 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on our troubles will be out of sight. --Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas\/H. Martin and R. Blane No, I am not early. In my family, holidays are often celebrated on random days that suit our schedules.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/image.jpg?fit=1136%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/image.jpg?fit=1136%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/image.jpg?fit=1136%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/image.jpg?fit=1136%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/image.jpg?fit=1136%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8756,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=8756","url_meta":{"origin":10735,"position":5},"title":"Let’s just go with the default Merry Christmas, shall we?","author":"Michelle","date":"December 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Through the years We all will be together, If the Fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bough. And have yourself A merry little Christmas now. --R. Blane-H. Martin\/Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas As I get into bed and start writing, it's just before midnight on Christmas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_9159.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_9159.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_9159.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_9159.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}