Hard Ridin'...

At long last the weather has broke!

When I went to the coffee house for lunch, I almost didn't return to work.
On the way home, all of my car windows were rolled down.
And when I got home, scrambled to change from office clothes into shorts, t-shirt, and sneaks.
(Ha! Qortni in sneakers... *Laffs.*)
Yeah...
Anyhow, I grabbed my sunglasses, lipstick, nifty helmet - carried my bike down 2 flights of stairs, and I was off and ridin''! My area's known for the winding streets and high hills - and rather than taking it easy for the first ride since autumn - I headed straight for the steepest hill I could find...

Little-known to many, I love street biking. It's totally underrated and both fun and difficult. On-lookers often cheer you on, drivers beep and wave, motorcyclists give you thumbs-up...
I find it to be the best form of workout because it involves travel, sun, wind, sometimes extreme muscle exertion, great scenery - and it can be very meditative...
On the other hand, you have to deal with the occasional lung full of vehicle exhaust, eye full of dust, bug hitting your face, pothole dodging, and drivers who thinks it's funny to fling trash out their window at you. Yeah, jerks - I know - believe me. But it's all a part of the ride - and of course, some rides are more pleasant than others...

Today it was just so wonderful to get out after being cooped up all winter long. It was still cool, but not too cold. Warm, yet not warm enough to do too much sweating... I want to get an odometer for my bike because I'm usually not too sure exactly how much ground I cover per ride, unless I'm with my mum since she has one on each of her bikes. I probably did about 3 miles today, which is a short ride for me, but half consisted of steep hills, so it was a great start for the season...

I returned home as the sun was setting.
Carried my bike back up the 2 flights of stairs.
Took a long shower.
Fixed dinner.
Mmmmmm...

I can't wait for the weather to improve further. I'll be doing this stuff at least a few times a week. I'm looking forward to throwing my bike in the car and finding new places to ride and mountains to conquer.

Here's to Spring and warmer weather!

It's a Small World After All...

So I get this random IM the other day - some dude wanted to know how to unblock someone from his Yahoo buddy list. No biggie. I explained how, he thanked me and was on his way. Nothing more...

The next day he pops up again, thanking me for helping him out. "No prob." I said - and we started chatting about music and idle things. And then he says, "You know, you look a lot like a student I had a long time ago... She'd be about your age now..."
Uh oh...
"Is your name Qortni?"
BIG UH OH!...
"Yes. I'm Qortni." Unsure if it was a good idea to admit so...
"This is Mr. M!" he exclaims - and I quickly racked my brain for all teachers/professors I'd had in highschool/ college whose name began with M...

After a slight brain-fart, it dawned on me: My psychology teacher from 10th grade.

Of course, this brought on a torrent of laffs and flashbacks to what life was like for me then...
Naturally then we absolutely had to chat and catch up...

Mr. M. was one of my all-time favorite teachers in school. He taught psychology, and I totally loved the class. We had a lot in common in the area of music and poetry and we regularly traded ideas. I got him hooked on Dream Theater. We both played guitar, so at one point he, a couple other students and I threw a band together really quick to play a song for a talent show at the school. We played loud and long - completely disturbing all classrooms surrounding (and above) the auditoruim. Kids would sit in rows of seats to watch us practice. We all had a blast with it...

The pictures above are from the actual show. I was all of 15 years old then...

"I just have to tell you one thing..." he said on the IM.
"What's that?"
"I'm sooooo glad I didn't try to hit on you just now!"
"Yeah... That'd be weird." I laffed.

Qortni: In Divine Proportion...

Do you see it? No, really. Look.

Yeah, yeah - I know... You're wondering what the big deal is. There's architecture on your face. So what.

Well, look closer...

This is a stunning example of The Golden Ratio, The Divine Proportion. Simply: Phi.

For those who are not adepts or mathematicians, I'll try to make this simple...

Phi = 1.6180339887

It is the golden ratio of antiquity - a never-ending number so lauded for its harmonious qualities that it was dubbed "the divine proportion." Though measurable, phi is an irrational number with relationships to the physical structure of things such as the human body, the arrangement of flower petals, the proportions of a chambered nautilus, galaxies and more. Psychological studies suggest phi is the most aesthetically pleasing proportion in existence. The followers of Pythagoras believed that this proportion revealed the hand of God.

Still with me?

Now look again - and you will see architectural and facial proportions matching, demonstrating the ratio of phi...
I was quite pleased to be caught off guard by this exemplary picture.

The architectural photo was taken by Sasha when we visited Cornell. The style is known as High Gothic and was the favored style of Templars and clergy. The other picture is of - well - me... I bite mine thvmb at x'ſ.

Bachelor Party...

I know what you're thinking: "Uh oh."
And you should. It was a strange nite.
It started out at my friend Eric's house - the bachelor party I mean. Just hanging out and the guys were drinking beer. I was the only girl, but they consider me one of the guys...
People I haven't seen in 12 years arrived and it was all big hugs and "Oh my god, how are you?" And we're all hanging out... And Lazlo decided it was time to hit the bars...

Once there, Laz bought the first round of drinks. I, per usual, drinking Merlot - but on an empty stomach... By the end of the second glass, everyone was ready to go to the strip club. I, tipsy, was an inch away from going, but stuck to my morals and declined - so I went to Dillenger's to wait for them while they went. I'll reiterate I hate the bar scene - but I had to pick the lesser of the 2 evils. I can't disassociate strip clubs with creeps. If I wanna see boobs, I'll go home and take my shirt off. And if I want to see a naked girl dance, I'll go home and take my clothes off infront of the mirror and turn some music on... Anyhow, they promised they'd come back for me and they didn't want me to go home yet...

At Dillenger's, I got the typical treatment. They waved my money away and poured a glass of Merlot for me. I didn't even ask for it - the bartender apparently remembered me from weeks ago... The place was packed and I just lounged. Some guy and I talked, but I didn't much care. When he disappeared, some other guy came up and sat himself down across from me - making himself comfortable.
"Qortni, right?! Do you remember me? I'm Mike! Wow, I haven't seen you since summer! How's your music?"
I looked at him thinking, "Who the hell are you?" for a moment. But resigned to my poor memory, and assuming I obviously talked to the dude before, told him things were well and I've joined another band in addition to my solo project and have been doing radio and magazine interviews. Since I didn't remember him, he must not have made a big impression on me the first time I met him. I hate my poor memory. I feel like I'm rude when I don't remember people - but I interact with so many people it's ridiculous. How many times do you run into the same people in a big city anyhow?

Suddenly one of my friends from the bachelor party came thru the door. And another. And another. I put my arms around Jimmy, and into his ear said, "You're here to rescue me, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Let's go..."
I pardoned myself from the stranger who remembered my name and left with my 3 guyfriends. A 4th guyfriend - one whom I haven't seen in 12 years also, asked me if I was ok to drive, and I handed him my car keys. An obvious "No." So he drove the 3 of us back to yet another friend's house I haven't seen in 12 years... It was turning out to be one big huge friend reunion...

Once at my friend's house, he said, "Oh man, they're going to freak..." - and when I walked thru the door, still 2 more people I haven't seen in 12 years were there and absolutely shrieked, "QORTNI! OH MY GGOODD!" and completely pounced on me. It was all hugs and, "So what's been going on..?"

I don't remember everything that happened because I was quite tipsy. We caught up or something like that. Everyone else was drunk... Eric, who's bachelor party it was, Laz, Jimmy, Dom and I ended up in the basement where a bunch of music equipment was set up. I don't even remember going down the stairs, but there I was with a mic in my hand. They were playing a Tool song, and I'm singing and they're grinning...

"Something has to change.
Undeniable dilemma.
Boredom's not a burden anyone should bear.
Constant over stimulation numbs me,
But I would not want you any other way..."

And they're grinning at me...
And then it was Cannibal Corpse they were shredding, and I'm growling the lyrics to "I Cum Blood" - but we were all laffing too hard to finish it...
Laz looks at me: "I didn't know you could do death metal growls."
"Yeah..." I said shyly... He looked at Eric like he was about to cream his pants.

And then they were jammin' out Dream Theater, and I'm singing:
"Lost in the sky
Clouds roll by and I roll with them.
Arrows fly
Seas increase and then fall again.
This world is spinning around me,
This world is spinning without me,
Every day sends future to past -
Every breath leaves one less to my last..."

And we covered Faith No More and I'm singing:
"Give it all to you -
Then I'll be closer...
Smiling with the mouth of the ocean,
And I'll wave to you with the arms of the mountain.
I'll see you...
Give the same to me then I'll be closer, closer..."

And we covered a song Eric and I wrote 7 years ago - then he made me make up and sing an improv song about what happened tonite. I don't remember what I made up - something about drinking and the guys ditching me for tits and coming back to rescue me from some guy whose name I couldn't remember. And I'm trying not to laff the whole time while they were laffing about what I was singing. It was amazingly funny tho, and I somehow managed to make it all rhyme seamlessly.

Eric and Laz broke into another song and I handed Dom the mic so I could dance around. And Dom's singing:

"Can't explain all the feelings that you're making me feel!
My heart's in overdrive and you're behind the steering wheel.
Touching you,
Touching me,
Touching you,
God, you're touching me!"

And I'm swept back to autumn - I'm in some little bar in CT, smiling and watching my boyfriend (at the time) singing at one of his gigs...
And here now, I'm grinning and singing along - dancing around like a silly little goth girl in my platforms and fur coat...

And after that one, I trotted upstairs to see what everyone else was up to while the guys played on...
Jamie-Anne locked herself in the bathroom and passed out. Jackie was explaining her paintings to a drunk someone or other. Jimmy was unlocking the bathroom door with a coat hanger to scoop his wife off the bathroom floor, and I was laffing and telling him things haven't changed since we all went to Ala-Teen together when we were 15 - and we're all laffing...

When I felt sober enough to head home everyone was all hugs with me, trading phone numbers and emails and promising to keep in touch - now that we all know where each other are living we have no excuses not to visit...

On my way home, HIM comes on my MP3 player, and he's singing:

"We are so young
Our lives have just begun,
But already we're considering
Escape from this world.
And we've waited for so long
For this moment to come,
Was so anxious to be together -
Together in death...
This life ain't worth living..."

And I'm thinking about my friend - how her mother found her with her eyes open, hardly breathing. And I thought, what a shame...

*Yawns*
But I must be off to bed for now...
The sun's starting to come up.

Of course,
I'd probably be right in thinking you don't approve...

Me evil.
You good.

Yah?