It occurred to me, while driving, as all the most important and inane things occur to me then, that I've been home roughly eighteen months now.
I wasn't the first of our brave band of Jakarta sisters to go. La Rus went first. She make the jump back to California. I've been down to visit and reminisce. She's one of the few I still talk and text with on a regular basis. Last week she was awed that her daughter is starting eighth grade. I just saw her last year and I swear she wasn't nearly that old then. Guess that means age is probably sneaking up on us too.
I was the next to go, last February, landing more permanently in Seattle in March. Since then I started a new career and worked very successfully in it. I've traveled both for work and fun. I'm in a relationship (gasp!).
I'm not even close to the one with the most news. The kiwi got engaged several months ago. She is posting out save the dates for her wedding in Bali next year. What a great excuse to go back and help her kick off married life right.
There is yet another member of the tribe with even more news. UK, my former sushi companion and life line for many a night in JKT, has not only been engaged, and been married, but she's become an incubator. I'm secretly hoping for baby chicks but I doubt I'll get my wish. She's flown the coop and headed back to England while her hubby sails the seven seas.
That's a year and a half for ya. Who'd have thunk we'd all come so far in such a sort time? And yet, it feels as though my days in Jakarta were ages ago.
In a mere year and a half, I've settled in to coupledom. We prefer to be home, cooking, relaxing. Gone are the clubbing days of staying out until 7am in the most random places in Jakarta. Instead of going to the pubs and clubs, I host beer and cocktail "parties" at my house, party being best described as a simple gathering of people. We enjoy a beerfest on occasion, a backpacking trip, a recent pursuit of vegetable gardening and such. Though I'd hoped for this, even yearned for it, I'd also kibitzed friends who had become "boring" in the coupledom. Who never came out any more. Now, the kidding has come full circle. 25 and I went to a birthday party for his friend. It was in Seattle. She is several years younger than me so the gathering was in Capitol Hill, in a series of bars and clubs. 25 has never been a wild partier and drinker in the time I've known him. After a couple hours of awkward small talk with people we didn't know, and some quality time with his friend and her bf, we hastily make our retreat. We still didn't get home until 1am and we were both knackered. The friend's bf said he knew we'd be the first to go, that it wouldn't be our scene.
I'm happy to admit, both to him and here, that he was right.
Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts
Thursday, September 05, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Not a Myth?
When I lived in Indonesia the locals swore that everyone got sick at change of season. It's because it's (enter adjective here that is a change from what it just was - hotter, drier, wet, cool, etc). I didn't really believe it, just as I didn't believe my Guatemalan house mother when she said I'd get sick because I walked around the house barefoot. Baaah, old wive's tales!
Spring seems to have sprung in the Pacific Northwest and I'm sick. 25 is also sick with a cough, aches and flu like symptoms. Two other trainers I'm working with are both sniffling and sneezing in class and I just found out my sister got sick over the weekend as well.
It could be that my allergies started the same way you start a race -with a bang and all at once- but that seems less likely. I can't seem to draw in oxygen through both nostrils at the same time, and usually only one if I'm lucky. I have sneezed no less than a dozen times. Due to both the previous points, I've been fighting a headache. I can't get my ears to pop and find it difficult to focus.
Maybe there is something to the "change of seasons". The temperature has increased a whopping eight to ten degrees as it is supposed to hit 70 later in the week. It seems early for hayfever but I've read a couple of news stories that report earlier and more severe pollen seasons due to climate change.
It's amazing how I take breathing for granted until I can't. Such a "simple task" when not sick becomes the most strenuous, difficult thing to do in the world. On that note, I'm off to pop a zinc lozenge and find some menthol rub.
Spring seems to have sprung in the Pacific Northwest and I'm sick. 25 is also sick with a cough, aches and flu like symptoms. Two other trainers I'm working with are both sniffling and sneezing in class and I just found out my sister got sick over the weekend as well.
It could be that my allergies started the same way you start a race -with a bang and all at once- but that seems less likely. I can't seem to draw in oxygen through both nostrils at the same time, and usually only one if I'm lucky. I have sneezed no less than a dozen times. Due to both the previous points, I've been fighting a headache. I can't get my ears to pop and find it difficult to focus.
Maybe there is something to the "change of seasons". The temperature has increased a whopping eight to ten degrees as it is supposed to hit 70 later in the week. It seems early for hayfever but I've read a couple of news stories that report earlier and more severe pollen seasons due to climate change.
It's amazing how I take breathing for granted until I can't. Such a "simple task" when not sick becomes the most strenuous, difficult thing to do in the world. On that note, I'm off to pop a zinc lozenge and find some menthol rub.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Negativity
Why is it that one negative remark can outweigh ten compliments? Why is it that a difficult patch in one part of my life bleeds over to everything else?
Humans seem to be programmed to focus on the negative. It's easy to recall the awful thing a kid in your class said to you all the way back in fourth grade. It's much tougher to forget it. Look at the issues we have with anorexia, bulimia, and plastic surgery addiction. We have multiple news channels, many of which run news 24 hours a day and the vast majority of it is horrible. You could fill your days with nothing other than stories of rape, murder, terrorism and political scandal/ineptitude. Sure, there was the two and a half minute story about the dog that rescued a cat but does that make up for the other 1,437.5 minutes for tragedy and mayhem? It extends into Facebook, into our conversations and inevitably into our consciousness.
People are more often negative to each other too. That couples with the long lasting memories of those interactions. I can remember the messages on an online dating site where the guy was clearly being a dick. It ruffles my feathers when someone is obnoxious to me (or someone else) in a store or cuts me off driving. Sure, some of those incidents pass as part of the chaos of living in a heavily populated society. Other incidents mean I stay ruffled for the rest of the day. Even a compliment doesn't sufficiently soothe a hurt.
Granted, life can't be all Mariners wins and cold beers on sunny afternoons. But how often do we identify ourselves by pain, suffering or frustration? Mariners fans, and Seattle sports fans in general, are long suffering and we're usually the first to say so. The best music and art was created from heartbreak and hard times. If things are going well at work and you ask "How's work?" I'll likely say "Fine" but if it's not going well, grab a cup of coffee and I'll give you the whole run down. We perpetually remember tragic events. Year after year the flags are lowered, the world stops to recognize the victims and their families. At the rate we're going, between old incidents and new ones, we'll be lowering the flags daily. My tragedies have all been personal ones. I didn't lose a family member in a bombing or terrorist attack but I'd imagine that at some point I'd want to be known as more than victim number 1857. At what point does remembering prevent moving forward?
I digress. You may have noticed I write more, more passionately and more animatedly when things are going wrong than when they are going right. For several years now I've tried to really note the positives in my life, even when most of it is circling the drain, yet I often find myself incapable of halting the cycle. It seems to have it's own life force. After a couple days, when it's run it's course, then I'm back to normal, but I'll be damned if I can't short circuit it sooner.
On that note, go compliment someone. Make it someone you know and a total stranger. Smile when you greet someone or are greeted. And go forth, for better or worse, because it beats staring at a computer screen alone all day.
Humans seem to be programmed to focus on the negative. It's easy to recall the awful thing a kid in your class said to you all the way back in fourth grade. It's much tougher to forget it. Look at the issues we have with anorexia, bulimia, and plastic surgery addiction. We have multiple news channels, many of which run news 24 hours a day and the vast majority of it is horrible. You could fill your days with nothing other than stories of rape, murder, terrorism and political scandal/ineptitude. Sure, there was the two and a half minute story about the dog that rescued a cat but does that make up for the other 1,437.5 minutes for tragedy and mayhem? It extends into Facebook, into our conversations and inevitably into our consciousness.
People are more often negative to each other too. That couples with the long lasting memories of those interactions. I can remember the messages on an online dating site where the guy was clearly being a dick. It ruffles my feathers when someone is obnoxious to me (or someone else) in a store or cuts me off driving. Sure, some of those incidents pass as part of the chaos of living in a heavily populated society. Other incidents mean I stay ruffled for the rest of the day. Even a compliment doesn't sufficiently soothe a hurt.
Granted, life can't be all Mariners wins and cold beers on sunny afternoons. But how often do we identify ourselves by pain, suffering or frustration? Mariners fans, and Seattle sports fans in general, are long suffering and we're usually the first to say so. The best music and art was created from heartbreak and hard times. If things are going well at work and you ask "How's work?" I'll likely say "Fine" but if it's not going well, grab a cup of coffee and I'll give you the whole run down. We perpetually remember tragic events. Year after year the flags are lowered, the world stops to recognize the victims and their families. At the rate we're going, between old incidents and new ones, we'll be lowering the flags daily. My tragedies have all been personal ones. I didn't lose a family member in a bombing or terrorist attack but I'd imagine that at some point I'd want to be known as more than victim number 1857. At what point does remembering prevent moving forward?
I digress. You may have noticed I write more, more passionately and more animatedly when things are going wrong than when they are going right. For several years now I've tried to really note the positives in my life, even when most of it is circling the drain, yet I often find myself incapable of halting the cycle. It seems to have it's own life force. After a couple days, when it's run it's course, then I'm back to normal, but I'll be damned if I can't short circuit it sooner.
On that note, go compliment someone. Make it someone you know and a total stranger. Smile when you greet someone or are greeted. And go forth, for better or worse, because it beats staring at a computer screen alone all day.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Idle Hands
are the devil's workshop, so the saying goes. I don't know about the devil but I do know that I'm doing lots to keep busy and fight off the crazies.
I borrowed a dehydrator and I'm experimenting with ingredients and recipes for the upcoming backpacking/hiking season. Yesterday I tried batch one with a can each of pinto beans, minestrone soup and beanless chili. Each was a 15oz can and was reduced to between 2.8 to 3.6 oz after dehydrating. I've got to rehydrate and submit them to a taste test. Batch two was fruit: strawberries, mangoes, golden delicious and granny smith apples, comice and anjou pears, bananas, limes and lemons. The results are obviously drastically reduced weight, change in texture. I was surprised that they weren't sweeter than they were. There are ways to sweeten by pre-treating the fruit but I needed a baseline to start from. Right now I'm dehydrating ham, breakfast sausage and some fresh chorizo with steak marinating in the fridge for jerky-fying later.
I'm making things that aren't dehydrated too. A batch of from scratch pasta sauce, vegetable soup with homemade chicken stock, bell pepper and jalapeno hummus, homemade applesauce, and rhubarb sauce within the last five days or so. Luckily, 25 is happy to have leftovers for lunch so I don't have to have soup for seven straight days. The dog even got some of the goods as I made her some peanut butter treats. Oh, and I perfected a sugarfree mojito. Between that and the yard, I'm doing my best to lure the warm weather to Seattle.
But wait . . . There's more! Yesterday I also had a big shop at Winco, a local grocery. I bought all the above fruits plus some big packs of chicken and beef that needed to be repacked in to smaller bags. The weather was good so I headed to the backyard. All the patio furniture (six chairs, two ottomans, a small and large table) are all scrubbed. I cleared the deck but need to scrub it too. I did some light weeding and in concert with the potted flowers, it looks ready for summer. I planted four baskets of fuscias and three mixed baskets of full sun flowers. On the food front, there are two tomato plants (sweet thousands and Viva Italia), spinach, broccoli, green and yellow onions, two types of basil and garlic growing. There are daffodils up and I'm hoping the daliah bulbs will spring up too.
In addition, I vacuumed and walked the dog yesterday. Oh, and I blogged. Hmmm, an excess of anxious energy maybe? I'm off to the craft room now for a sketch pad to draw up some headboard ideas and then the gym after that.
My excess of output may seem a little, I hate to use the word crazy but. . . .
Well, it's either that or I give up, move a mini fridge full of beer next to my bed and never leave the house.
I borrowed a dehydrator and I'm experimenting with ingredients and recipes for the upcoming backpacking/hiking season. Yesterday I tried batch one with a can each of pinto beans, minestrone soup and beanless chili. Each was a 15oz can and was reduced to between 2.8 to 3.6 oz after dehydrating. I've got to rehydrate and submit them to a taste test. Batch two was fruit: strawberries, mangoes, golden delicious and granny smith apples, comice and anjou pears, bananas, limes and lemons. The results are obviously drastically reduced weight, change in texture. I was surprised that they weren't sweeter than they were. There are ways to sweeten by pre-treating the fruit but I needed a baseline to start from. Right now I'm dehydrating ham, breakfast sausage and some fresh chorizo with steak marinating in the fridge for jerky-fying later.
I'm making things that aren't dehydrated too. A batch of from scratch pasta sauce, vegetable soup with homemade chicken stock, bell pepper and jalapeno hummus, homemade applesauce, and rhubarb sauce within the last five days or so. Luckily, 25 is happy to have leftovers for lunch so I don't have to have soup for seven straight days. The dog even got some of the goods as I made her some peanut butter treats. Oh, and I perfected a sugarfree mojito. Between that and the yard, I'm doing my best to lure the warm weather to Seattle.
But wait . . . There's more! Yesterday I also had a big shop at Winco, a local grocery. I bought all the above fruits plus some big packs of chicken and beef that needed to be repacked in to smaller bags. The weather was good so I headed to the backyard. All the patio furniture (six chairs, two ottomans, a small and large table) are all scrubbed. I cleared the deck but need to scrub it too. I did some light weeding and in concert with the potted flowers, it looks ready for summer. I planted four baskets of fuscias and three mixed baskets of full sun flowers. On the food front, there are two tomato plants (sweet thousands and Viva Italia), spinach, broccoli, green and yellow onions, two types of basil and garlic growing. There are daffodils up and I'm hoping the daliah bulbs will spring up too.
In addition, I vacuumed and walked the dog yesterday. Oh, and I blogged. Hmmm, an excess of anxious energy maybe? I'm off to the craft room now for a sketch pad to draw up some headboard ideas and then the gym after that.
My excess of output may seem a little, I hate to use the word crazy but. . . .
Well, it's either that or I give up, move a mini fridge full of beer next to my bed and never leave the house.
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
I Survived!
We both did actually. I didn't kill him nor vice versa, though we all know which was the bigger threat. I made it through my first trip with a someone-I'm-dating. Prior to this, my only trip with a someone was when I came back to Washington to visit family. That doesn't really count because the stress was about a 1.2 on the Richter scale, not a 7.5. There wasn't any flying, setting an agenda, navigating, etc. We had all of that plus he met my mom and step dad.
We flew out at before the crack of dawn on Friday. It was painfully early, and I'm kind of a morning person. The flight to Phoenix was direct and by the time we picked up the rental car it felt like it should have been three in the afternoon when in reality it was 9:30 am. We snagged a quick bite and headed for Flagstaff, where we would stay two nights. He very wisely suggested a nap and we were both semi-conscious at best by then. El Capitan provided a great pre-nap snack complete with high class beer . . . a PBR tall boy in a paperbag.
We went to Lowell Observatory that night and saw Jupiter plus four of it's moons. There is a telescope there that was built about 1906. It was educational and interesting. The area smelled like the world's best campground, wood smoke and piney. The staff were all amazingly friendly and knowledgeable. There is a AAA discount and we spend a whopping three plus hours there. I recommend it.
That night we went to Beaver Street Brewery that wasn't far away. We split a sampler of all eight beers they had on tap, all their own. A couple were very good, like the Red Rock Raspberry. A few were disappointing. My Pesto Cream Cheese bake was stellar though to claim it was unhealthy was an understatement. His chicken soup taste like it had been left out in the woods to get gamey. ick.
Saturday we went to the Grand Canyon. I'd never been and was excited to go. It's a couple hours drive there and we had a stutter start with low tire pressure and snack finding. The weather was good enough but without direct sun the Canyon takes on a strange 2D quality. It looks like all the postcards you've seen. The closer levels of red rock look 3D and have depth and detail. The North Rim (we were standing on the South Rim) looks very flat and the edges are fuzzy. The point of focus in the distance isn't really one point but a line. It's strange but not entirely unappealing. We spent about six hours walking around, taking in the visitors center and geology museum. We walked about five miles, walked, sat, snacked, people-watched and really enjoyed the day there. It was a fantastic day.
I do need to comment on some of the looney toons at national parks. I understand that National Parks are made for the public, but I don't really like the public. If I were ever to be ridiculously wealthy I would pay for the privilege to go to some of these sites alone. sort of a "I'll make a huge donation if you close the park for me for half a day" kind of thing. End of March/early April is spring break for some schools and of course lots of folks take their families to the Grand Canyon, but man, why does everyone have children? UGH!! There seemed to be very few well behaved, quiet children. There were children with whistles, children running around in the walking path of others, etc. We also noted the man who walked out to the edge of the Canyon for photos and the presumed entertainment of his friends. He was dressed head to toe in Columbia/REI gear which was overkill considering the rims of the Canyon have paths and little trekking. There was a family who had a couple of kids. They'd gone to the trouble to bring their kids all the way to the Grand Canyon but were "smart" enough to keep one kid in the stroller staring at an ipad so that he didn't get any exercise or enjoy/see/learn from the experience.
It was nice to see that the US government hasn't caved and put rails and glass on every edge of the Grand Canyon to prevent people from accidentally or intentionally maiming themselves. That said, it did mean that I contemplated throwing a particularly irritating child in to the canyon. I wouldn't but it was a nice thought.
Sunday was Easter. We found a little place called Bellevia for breakfast. It was very busy with a high turnover so we didn't wait long. The Eggs Benedict selection was interesting and different; I had the king crab and jack cheese. If you need a singular reason to go it's the cafe aloha!! Think mocha but with coconut cream instead of chocolate syrup. Afterward was a leisurely stroll around town in the sun and some shopping. Sunset crater was our destination for the day. There were two associated sites there and apparently we missed the third/last/best site. Other than that, the day was kind of a miss for seeing something interesting and amazing. The company and weather were good but I got a bit surly and we gave up on the sites. That evening we headed back in to town to meet up with my mom, stepdad, sister and a couple that are family friends. Dinner at Salsa Brava to wrap up the day before we crashed.
I'll wrap up the trip in Sedona in the next blog post.
We flew out at before the crack of dawn on Friday. It was painfully early, and I'm kind of a morning person. The flight to Phoenix was direct and by the time we picked up the rental car it felt like it should have been three in the afternoon when in reality it was 9:30 am. We snagged a quick bite and headed for Flagstaff, where we would stay two nights. He very wisely suggested a nap and we were both semi-conscious at best by then. El Capitan provided a great pre-nap snack complete with high class beer . . . a PBR tall boy in a paperbag.
We went to Lowell Observatory that night and saw Jupiter plus four of it's moons. There is a telescope there that was built about 1906. It was educational and interesting. The area smelled like the world's best campground, wood smoke and piney. The staff were all amazingly friendly and knowledgeable. There is a AAA discount and we spend a whopping three plus hours there. I recommend it.
That night we went to Beaver Street Brewery that wasn't far away. We split a sampler of all eight beers they had on tap, all their own. A couple were very good, like the Red Rock Raspberry. A few were disappointing. My Pesto Cream Cheese bake was stellar though to claim it was unhealthy was an understatement. His chicken soup taste like it had been left out in the woods to get gamey. ick.
I do need to comment on some of the looney toons at national parks. I understand that National Parks are made for the public, but I don't really like the public. If I were ever to be ridiculously wealthy I would pay for the privilege to go to some of these sites alone. sort of a "I'll make a huge donation if you close the park for me for half a day" kind of thing. End of March/early April is spring break for some schools and of course lots of folks take their families to the Grand Canyon, but man, why does everyone have children? UGH!! There seemed to be very few well behaved, quiet children. There were children with whistles, children running around in the walking path of others, etc. We also noted the man who walked out to the edge of the Canyon for photos and the presumed entertainment of his friends. He was dressed head to toe in Columbia/REI gear which was overkill considering the rims of the Canyon have paths and little trekking. There was a family who had a couple of kids. They'd gone to the trouble to bring their kids all the way to the Grand Canyon but were "smart" enough to keep one kid in the stroller staring at an ipad so that he didn't get any exercise or enjoy/see/learn from the experience.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Happy I-didn't-die-in-the-last-year Day
I had a birthday. Hooray.
I haven't been big into birthdays for quite a few years. I had birthday parties every year as a kid. Some great one like with pinatas or build your own tacos or pizzas. As you get to be an adult though, birthdays change.
Gifts, for example, become sort of superfluous. As an adult, you make your own money. If there is something you really need or want, you'll buy it. Additionally, the items that you want as an adult are vastly more expensive than what kids want. This year I am considering a Mariners six game pack of tickets (roughly $180), a backpacking sleeping bag ($100plus), potentially a new high end rain jacket or television. It's hard to ask anyone to spend that much on you. I don't know about all of you, but I have gotten a little pickier about what I want over the years. I don't want just any old sleeping bag. It needs to be under three pounds, pack size less than 7x16, minimum temperature 30 degrees, ideally with a hood and ability to zip to another bag. That's a lot to ask someone to look for, especially if they aren't at all interested in sleeping bags.
Parties are different as well. As a kid my parents (probably mom) arranged everything. The cake, the food, the gifts, the theme. It feels almost as self-center/egotistical to make my own party as it does to write a blog and assume people read it. The crux of the deal is that I did arrange a get together and was mildly disappointed at the minimal turn out. Out of 17 invites, five people showed up, two leaving after dinner. That being said, those were the folks I am closer to and would want and expect to show up. This year, dinner, drinks and then a variety show was a great way to celebrate.
I may be jaded or snarky, but it does seem sort of silly to celebrate birthdays because everyone has one. We are celebrating the fact that you managed not to die between your last birthday and this one. You didn't bore yourself, your mother gets the credit there. You didn't accomplish anything to earn your birthday, you didn't have to purchase or claim it. Everyone gets one. I can see celebrating birthdays for senior citizens because, as crass as it may be, hey! they didn't die!! Celebrating birthdays for kids could be pertinent too since in the olden days lots of kids did die. In 2013, in a first world country (I'm ignoring the obvious conversation we could have here about how appalling the state of healthcare and how high the infant mortality rate in the US is), it seems less necessary to have birthdays.
That all said, thank you for the birthday wishes. It is nice to know someone stopped and thought of you. I'm not the best about doing the facebook birthday wishes but I do show up for drinks, events, etc.
I haven't been big into birthdays for quite a few years. I had birthday parties every year as a kid. Some great one like with pinatas or build your own tacos or pizzas. As you get to be an adult though, birthdays change.
Gifts, for example, become sort of superfluous. As an adult, you make your own money. If there is something you really need or want, you'll buy it. Additionally, the items that you want as an adult are vastly more expensive than what kids want. This year I am considering a Mariners six game pack of tickets (roughly $180), a backpacking sleeping bag ($100plus), potentially a new high end rain jacket or television. It's hard to ask anyone to spend that much on you. I don't know about all of you, but I have gotten a little pickier about what I want over the years. I don't want just any old sleeping bag. It needs to be under three pounds, pack size less than 7x16, minimum temperature 30 degrees, ideally with a hood and ability to zip to another bag. That's a lot to ask someone to look for, especially if they aren't at all interested in sleeping bags.
Parties are different as well. As a kid my parents (probably mom) arranged everything. The cake, the food, the gifts, the theme. It feels almost as self-center/egotistical to make my own party as it does to write a blog and assume people read it. The crux of the deal is that I did arrange a get together and was mildly disappointed at the minimal turn out. Out of 17 invites, five people showed up, two leaving after dinner. That being said, those were the folks I am closer to and would want and expect to show up. This year, dinner, drinks and then a variety show was a great way to celebrate.
I may be jaded or snarky, but it does seem sort of silly to celebrate birthdays because everyone has one. We are celebrating the fact that you managed not to die between your last birthday and this one. You didn't bore yourself, your mother gets the credit there. You didn't accomplish anything to earn your birthday, you didn't have to purchase or claim it. Everyone gets one. I can see celebrating birthdays for senior citizens because, as crass as it may be, hey! they didn't die!! Celebrating birthdays for kids could be pertinent too since in the olden days lots of kids did die. In 2013, in a first world country (I'm ignoring the obvious conversation we could have here about how appalling the state of healthcare and how high the infant mortality rate in the US is), it seems less necessary to have birthdays.
That all said, thank you for the birthday wishes. It is nice to know someone stopped and thought of you. I'm not the best about doing the facebook birthday wishes but I do show up for drinks, events, etc.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Happy Spring!
To celebrate, the Puget Sound area is having a weather advisory.
"Wind Advisory
...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING...
* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...EVERETT...SEATTLE...BREMERTON...
TACOMA...OLYMPIA...SHELTON...CHEHALIS.
* TIMING...GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY THIS
EVENING...THEN DECREASE.
* WIND...SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50
MPH...DECREASING LATER THIS EVENING.
* IMPACTS...WINDS THIS STRONG CAN BREAK SMALL TREE BRANCHES AND
CAUSE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH OR
GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY.
in effect from Wednesday, March 20, 9:00 AM until Wednesday, March 20, 8:00 PM"
It means that as I look out my window today I've seen serious dark, black clouds, pouring rain, drizzle, no rain but gray clouds, blue sky with puffy white clouds racing across the sky, partial sun, full sun and almost every combination there of. There was talk at the gym of possible snow tonight and mention that the mountains got a foot last night.
I realize The Punxatawny Phil said early spring. I think he's a liar. Easter is coming. While I gave up my celebration of the day when it was ok to eat more than one Cadbury Creme Egg years ago, I don't like the idea of dozens of little toddlers getting rained on while they try to find some "hidden" plastic eggs. March 20th is the Spring Equinox. It's the official start of spring, but anyone in the Puget Sound area knows better than to actually believe it's spring. It will still be a couple months before nice weather is a regular visitor here. Good thing I haven't put away my long underwear for the year. I have however, transitioned from wool pea coats that signal Winter to layering polar fleece with a waterproof shell. Ahh Spring!
"Wind Advisory
in effect from Wednesday, March 20, 9:00 AM until Wednesday, March 20, 8:00 PM
...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING...
* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...EVERETT...SEATTLE...BREMERTON...
TACOMA...OLYMPIA...SHELTON...CHEHALIS.
* TIMING...GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY THIS
EVENING...THEN DECREASE.
* WIND...SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50
MPH...DECREASING LATER THIS EVENING.
* IMPACTS...WINDS THIS STRONG CAN BREAK SMALL TREE BRANCHES AND
CAUSE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH OR
GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY.
It means that as I look out my window today I've seen serious dark, black clouds, pouring rain, drizzle, no rain but gray clouds, blue sky with puffy white clouds racing across the sky, partial sun, full sun and almost every combination there of. There was talk at the gym of possible snow tonight and mention that the mountains got a foot last night.
I realize The Punxatawny Phil said early spring. I think he's a liar. Easter is coming. While I gave up my celebration of the day when it was ok to eat more than one Cadbury Creme Egg years ago, I don't like the idea of dozens of little toddlers getting rained on while they try to find some "hidden" plastic eggs. March 20th is the Spring Equinox. It's the official start of spring, but anyone in the Puget Sound area knows better than to actually believe it's spring. It will still be a couple months before nice weather is a regular visitor here. Good thing I haven't put away my long underwear for the year. I have however, transitioned from wool pea coats that signal Winter to layering polar fleece with a waterproof shell. Ahh Spring!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Thirteen months and Three Days ago
Thirteen months and three days ago, I flew home.
I left Jakarta. Its been an interesting year. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can't complain (not that it does any good anyway). In the last year I:
There are a few things that I miss about Jakarta. Mostly the people. It's very hard to stay in touch with people half the world and fifteen hours time difference away. I occasionally miss having a maid but I've managed to get back in the routine of doing my dishes and vacuuming without any tears. I rarely tire of driving instead of taxiing around. I do hate the cost of the car (insurance, gas, maintenance), but other than after nights of drinking, don't miss taxis much. I definitely don't miss the lack of outdoor opportunities. About once a month I get a real hankering for warung friend rice or satay. Other than missing my friends, I miss how far money goes there including traveling for weeks at a time to amazing places.
As you can tell if you've read many of my blog posts, I'm a list maker. I constantly have to do lists, shopping lists, follow up on lists, etc. I didn't exactly make New Years resolutions but I've got a few lists.
I want to complete:
We (the guy I'm dating and I) also have a to do list. I'm really excited about it to be honest. It includes things that are touristy Seattle things, some more generic/routine things, some specific to us things. Not only have I met someone who indulges my list making, but also wanting to make a list with me. It's maybe the best list yet.
I left Jakarta. Its been an interesting year. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can't complain (not that it does any good anyway). In the last year I:
- made a few great friends and some good ones too,
- completed two mud run, obstacle courses,
- went snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking,
- took over the house after mom moved,
- visited California, Oregon, Montana and Eastern Washington,
- worked the majority of the year in a new field where I learned and excelled,
- went to two music festivals and several other shows
- dated and more specifically, I started dating one particular person,
- started on the path to being a healthier, happier me physically, mentally and emotionally.
There are a few things that I miss about Jakarta. Mostly the people. It's very hard to stay in touch with people half the world and fifteen hours time difference away. I occasionally miss having a maid but I've managed to get back in the routine of doing my dishes and vacuuming without any tears. I rarely tire of driving instead of taxiing around. I do hate the cost of the car (insurance, gas, maintenance), but other than after nights of drinking, don't miss taxis much. I definitely don't miss the lack of outdoor opportunities. About once a month I get a real hankering for warung friend rice or satay. Other than missing my friends, I miss how far money goes there including traveling for weeks at a time to amazing places.
As you can tell if you've read many of my blog posts, I'm a list maker. I constantly have to do lists, shopping lists, follow up on lists, etc. I didn't exactly make New Years resolutions but I've got a few lists.
I want to complete:
- 2 or more scuba trips
- 2 or more camp trips
- 3 or more live music shows
- 3 or more trips to other states (first one at the end of this month!!)
- 4 or more mud runs
- 5 or more kayak outtings
- 8 or more hikes
We (the guy I'm dating and I) also have a to do list. I'm really excited about it to be honest. It includes things that are touristy Seattle things, some more generic/routine things, some specific to us things. Not only have I met someone who indulges my list making, but also wanting to make a list with me. It's maybe the best list yet.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Zen Driving
I am generally a mellow driver. I wasn't always. When I was younger (and arguably dumber) I drove aggressively. I tailgated slow drivers, I swerved around people, I took off from every stop like I was in a race. As I've aged, I've mellowed. I leave enough space while driving on the freeway that I usually get people jumping in front of me, even when I'm in the fast lane. I only jam on my horn when someone is being exceptionally stupid or dangerous. I don't race everywhere. There are worse things in the world than being five or ten minutes late due to traffic.
All that being said, I hate stupid drivers. There are two major classes, excluding the Seattle specific issue of being unable to drive in rain, snow or any other form of precipitation that falls from the sky.
ONE: The dangerous, ridiculous ones. Like the guy who made a U-turn in the mouth of the freeway on ramp. Like the one who made a three point turn in the middle of a two lane road. Like anyone who is oblivious to the fact that there are other people on the road and after making a wrong turn/missing a turn/oopsing, they don't follow through the mistake and get off the road to get turned around. Instead, they insist on bringing everyone else to a halt so they didn't have to go another five minutes out of their way to correct their mistake.
TWO: Speed and speedless demons. Like most people, when someone goes flying by on the freeway at 95, I shake my head and hope I'm far away when they crash, which they inevitably will. I get angry when someone decided to legislate speed. If the sign says 35 MPH on a road in town, that is what everyone expects you to be doing. Not 20, not 25. Driving too slow is just as dangerous as too fast. The speed limits give us all expectations. No one assumes someone to be dragging ass when they time their turns into and out of the road. Additionally, the folks doing 60 on I-5 in the left hand/fast lane. I realize the speed limit is 60MPH but it's a big highway and speed is, for the most part, dictated by the congestion at any given time. If the freeway is packed, the speed limit is about 15MPH. If it's empty, the fast lanes moves about 70 or 75MPH. Don't be an idjit and go 55 in the fast lane. If you want to go 55, FINE! DO IT IN ANY OTHER LANE!!!
Recently, I've had my patience tested by other drivers. In one drive home last week I saw six stalled or broken down cars (both in the lanes of traffic and on the side), plus two accidents. This was a reminder of why I practice zen driving, keep up on my car maintenance and honk at people who are stupid.
Personally, I think we should institute a stupid driver marking program. If you have gone three or more years without a violation you get a paintball gun with two colors of paint. One color for speed/lack of speed issues, one for stupidity/unsafe practices. If a perpetrator is driving too slow, light them up. If they are texting while driving, light em up! and even if it doesn't equate to tickets, at least it lets other drivers know that person is a moron and to be avoided. Of course there will have to be some recourse for those with paintball guns who get lit up themselves. While there is a part of my that understands paintballing moving vehicles isn't a safe practice either, I want there to be a public shaming!
All that being said, I hate stupid drivers. There are two major classes, excluding the Seattle specific issue of being unable to drive in rain, snow or any other form of precipitation that falls from the sky.
ONE: The dangerous, ridiculous ones. Like the guy who made a U-turn in the mouth of the freeway on ramp. Like the one who made a three point turn in the middle of a two lane road. Like anyone who is oblivious to the fact that there are other people on the road and after making a wrong turn/missing a turn/oopsing, they don't follow through the mistake and get off the road to get turned around. Instead, they insist on bringing everyone else to a halt so they didn't have to go another five minutes out of their way to correct their mistake.
TWO: Speed and speedless demons. Like most people, when someone goes flying by on the freeway at 95, I shake my head and hope I'm far away when they crash, which they inevitably will. I get angry when someone decided to legislate speed. If the sign says 35 MPH on a road in town, that is what everyone expects you to be doing. Not 20, not 25. Driving too slow is just as dangerous as too fast. The speed limits give us all expectations. No one assumes someone to be dragging ass when they time their turns into and out of the road. Additionally, the folks doing 60 on I-5 in the left hand/fast lane. I realize the speed limit is 60MPH but it's a big highway and speed is, for the most part, dictated by the congestion at any given time. If the freeway is packed, the speed limit is about 15MPH. If it's empty, the fast lanes moves about 70 or 75MPH. Don't be an idjit and go 55 in the fast lane. If you want to go 55, FINE! DO IT IN ANY OTHER LANE!!!
Recently, I've had my patience tested by other drivers. In one drive home last week I saw six stalled or broken down cars (both in the lanes of traffic and on the side), plus two accidents. This was a reminder of why I practice zen driving, keep up on my car maintenance and honk at people who are stupid.
Personally, I think we should institute a stupid driver marking program. If you have gone three or more years without a violation you get a paintball gun with two colors of paint. One color for speed/lack of speed issues, one for stupidity/unsafe practices. If a perpetrator is driving too slow, light them up. If they are texting while driving, light em up! and even if it doesn't equate to tickets, at least it lets other drivers know that person is a moron and to be avoided. Of course there will have to be some recourse for those with paintball guns who get lit up themselves. While there is a part of my that understands paintballing moving vehicles isn't a safe practice either, I want there to be a public shaming!
Sunday, December 02, 2012
2 months? Holy . .
It's infinitely interesting to me how time is so elastic and infinite and undefinable. Yes, I suppose we as a people have defined it by breaking time as a whole into days and hours and seconds. Yet there are episodes in life when time flies. When a year is gone and you haven't even lifted your head to see it zoom by the window. There are other periods when a day lasts eons and even staring at the clock doesn't mean you can will it to drag by a tiny bit faster.
My life these days is a fairly random mix of these two I suppose. I both knew it had been ages since I blogged and didn't really feel the time sliding by as it went. The last two months have been a bit chaotic, though not in an entirely undesirable way.
Between October 30th and November 24th I spent only four days at home in Seattle. The rest was in Southern California. First, a ten day trip to visit my mom and best friend Ana. That was a chosen, vacation -type trip. I enjoyed my time there and trucked back home with a smile on my face. The day after I arrived home I was contacted by a company, SSI, that I have been working with. They needed someone to rush down to California to help at a clinic. Funny enough, it was the exact area my mom was working and only about 15 minutes from where Ana lives. More rants about this company later. They sent me down to work in Torrance from Nov 11-16th. I asked to have my flight back delayed a week as was able to spend Thanksgiving with my mom, stepdad and about twenty members (no exaggeration) of his family. It was nice to see them for the holiday since I had sworn I would not fly for turkey day. Too many crazies. Since my flight was the 11th, it was actually ok. I'll probably do a separate post about Thanksgiving. At least it gives you a timeline for why I haven't blogged.
I returned home on the 25th and have been cleaning, recovering, shopping and seeing friends since. I know I need to get back to blogging; for my own benefit more than anyone else's. Blog you can expect to see this month:
Awful drivers
DNR
Seasons/daylight
Online dating!!
Crush
Holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas
More dating
Updates
Wintering
My life these days is a fairly random mix of these two I suppose. I both knew it had been ages since I blogged and didn't really feel the time sliding by as it went. The last two months have been a bit chaotic, though not in an entirely undesirable way.
Between October 30th and November 24th I spent only four days at home in Seattle. The rest was in Southern California. First, a ten day trip to visit my mom and best friend Ana. That was a chosen, vacation -type trip. I enjoyed my time there and trucked back home with a smile on my face. The day after I arrived home I was contacted by a company, SSI, that I have been working with. They needed someone to rush down to California to help at a clinic. Funny enough, it was the exact area my mom was working and only about 15 minutes from where Ana lives. More rants about this company later. They sent me down to work in Torrance from Nov 11-16th. I asked to have my flight back delayed a week as was able to spend Thanksgiving with my mom, stepdad and about twenty members (no exaggeration) of his family. It was nice to see them for the holiday since I had sworn I would not fly for turkey day. Too many crazies. Since my flight was the 11th, it was actually ok. I'll probably do a separate post about Thanksgiving. At least it gives you a timeline for why I haven't blogged.
I returned home on the 25th and have been cleaning, recovering, shopping and seeing friends since. I know I need to get back to blogging; for my own benefit more than anyone else's. Blog you can expect to see this month:
Awful drivers
DNR
Seasons/daylight
Online dating!!
Crush
Holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas
More dating
Updates
Wintering
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Dodged a Bullet
Portland is off the table.
. . . . .
That was my sigh of relief you heard. While the option to move somewhere new and different always has an appeal, I'm not sure Portland and I would have been a match made in heaven. More that we would have ended up on Maury Povich arguing about who hated who first and ending with one of use tackled by the security staff. I'm not saying if it would have been PDX or me, but it would have been ugly.
After two days there I looked Danielle in the eye and said "I don't think I can move here". She laughed and I reiterated with "No really. I think it might be too much". I moved to Spain a Catholic country with a pace that's glacial for any meaningful business, i.e. banking, official paperwork processing. I live in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country where I was awakened every day for months by the call to prayer of the mosque. Traffic meant it could take two hours to go four miles and the only beer was Heineken and it's local equivalent Bintang. I've spent weeks in countries where everything bites and the temperature and humidity are the same number. I think I draw the line at Portland.
Here are some snippets of the notes I made on the music agenda. A lot of these seem to be directed at the hipsters, so only take them to heart if you are a hipster. And if you are, message me to seek treatment.
The 80's are gone. Either know that you loved them and let them go or know that you will never get it because you're 15 and your elders are (or should be) wise enough not to allow you to repeat their mistakes.
There is one Zoey Deschanel. You aren't her.
There are lots of guys who look like pictures of my uncle from thirty years ago - a big, bad, dark beard, floppy semi-curly hair, skinny to the point of needing force feeding. He had thick black framed glasses, a strong Jewish nose (hey, I've got it too), and a general air of nerdy/unstylish. It wasn't good then I'd imagine, it was hilarious as kids when we saw the pictures and it's not ideal now. His style has changed, so should yours.
Why do you look so gay but bring your girlfriend to the concert? If I saw you in Seattle, you 5'5" man in tight pink knee length shorts, white ironic/graphic tank, comb over, bracelet, purple raybans, teal keds with ankle socks, I would know you were at home in Seattle, probably Capitol Hill. In PDX, you insist on dragging your beard girlfriend around though neither of you exchange a word or seem attached to each other.
Come to think of it, most of you hipsters don't seem attached to anything. You are decidedly detached from emotional response. I don't know if you're all high or have spent too many years abusing your livers but I swear a smile or facial expression is a normal part of existence.
I realize that burning bras had it's day. As far as I know, bras are plentiful. There are lots of them around in different colors and styles and price ranges. There is no excuse then to go without. Floppy and wiggly is something that should be saved for jello molds. Bright pink bras should go under bright shirts, not flimsy white ones. Bra straps are not a fashion accessory despite what some magazines and manufacturers produce. If you are wearing a tube top, buy a strapless bra. That's a requirement not a suggestion.
Clothes shouldn't be so tight as to appear painted on nor so loose that you could fit your significant other in them as well.
Men - get your hair situation together. Fuzzy chests with deep V's, mustaches of the 70's/porn star variety, facial hair that is patchy and a bit all over, Bieber hair, overcolored/overtreated and there fore thinner than thread. Men in headbands. Not even for Fernando, sorry Meghan. Sort all that out. I'm about this close to putting a no facial hair clause in my online profiles because there are so few who pull it off, but I don't want to open the door for 6'2'', 318lbs guys to have a go at me because I hate their beard. Not that I couldn't take 'em. . . I just don't have the time or interest.
Was there a great flood in Portland in the last two years? Everyone cuffs everything. Jeans, pants, skirts, shorts. I get that when you're on a bike you cuff the right leg so it doesn't get greasy in the chain but I stopped trying to count people walking around with cuffed pants. Either manufacturers need to make a PDX specific cut that is short enough for all the flood-fearers or there need to be group information sessions about the correct pant lengths. Folded up so it's three inches above your ankle (and your legs are the most horrifying white) is not appropriate.
Why can't you afford a shave and a haircut but you can spend thousands of dollars of lots of often lousy tattoos? I have a few tattoos. I have plans for a couple more but being in Portland for long would be enough to put me off tats forever. I don't think I've ever seen so many neck tats. Lots of full sleeves and lots of generally globby tats. I started getting mine when not every person had one, now Portlanders are getting enough for everyone.
Single soul examples of fashion disasters:
Male, 30's, 5'5''-5'6'' pork pie hat, floppy side part ahir, waxed mustache, wife beater tank top in white, nylon baskeball shorts in black past the knee, long, dark argyle socks, leather "dress" shoes like a lot of middle school boys wear when they have to dress up.
Male, 35ish, 5'9'', short sleeve plai button up, beard, BCGs (see previous post), black low top chucks, flatbilled baseball hat, raybans, skinny jean that was too short, black socks.
Female, early 20's, 5'7'', skort dress in bright purple, blue raybans, keds, long stick strait hair with a leatherband with feathers on it tied around her head just above her eyebrows.
Overall I found Portlanders in need of mending, ironing, shaving, trimming, washing and general tidying up. I think I left Portland with a virus, one that has left me with little defense against "the hipster". It may have long lasting effects; we shall have to wait and see.
Last two only vaguely related thoughts:
As I get older, 21 seems to be getting younger. The shows I saw at the Crystal Ballroom had two sections in front of the stage, one of which was a 21 and over bar section. There were folks in there that make me double take. Not just a couple that I could assume had snuck in but heaps. Apparently I'm not old enough to want to question the young whippersnappers about their id.
Drummers are proof that men can multi-task. Based on some of the bands I've seen recently I should expand that to musicians. I saw one performer from Beirut switch from a trombone to a tuba to a guitar. Another in Royal Cannoe played a keyboard, a synthesizer, a guitar and a tambourine. I doff my hat to you all.
. . . . .
That was my sigh of relief you heard. While the option to move somewhere new and different always has an appeal, I'm not sure Portland and I would have been a match made in heaven. More that we would have ended up on Maury Povich arguing about who hated who first and ending with one of use tackled by the security staff. I'm not saying if it would have been PDX or me, but it would have been ugly.
After two days there I looked Danielle in the eye and said "I don't think I can move here". She laughed and I reiterated with "No really. I think it might be too much". I moved to Spain a Catholic country with a pace that's glacial for any meaningful business, i.e. banking, official paperwork processing. I live in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country where I was awakened every day for months by the call to prayer of the mosque. Traffic meant it could take two hours to go four miles and the only beer was Heineken and it's local equivalent Bintang. I've spent weeks in countries where everything bites and the temperature and humidity are the same number. I think I draw the line at Portland.
Here are some snippets of the notes I made on the music agenda. A lot of these seem to be directed at the hipsters, so only take them to heart if you are a hipster. And if you are, message me to seek treatment.
The 80's are gone. Either know that you loved them and let them go or know that you will never get it because you're 15 and your elders are (or should be) wise enough not to allow you to repeat their mistakes.
There is one Zoey Deschanel. You aren't her.
There are lots of guys who look like pictures of my uncle from thirty years ago - a big, bad, dark beard, floppy semi-curly hair, skinny to the point of needing force feeding. He had thick black framed glasses, a strong Jewish nose (hey, I've got it too), and a general air of nerdy/unstylish. It wasn't good then I'd imagine, it was hilarious as kids when we saw the pictures and it's not ideal now. His style has changed, so should yours.
Why do you look so gay but bring your girlfriend to the concert? If I saw you in Seattle, you 5'5" man in tight pink knee length shorts, white ironic/graphic tank, comb over, bracelet, purple raybans, teal keds with ankle socks, I would know you were at home in Seattle, probably Capitol Hill. In PDX, you insist on dragging your beard girlfriend around though neither of you exchange a word or seem attached to each other.
Come to think of it, most of you hipsters don't seem attached to anything. You are decidedly detached from emotional response. I don't know if you're all high or have spent too many years abusing your livers but I swear a smile or facial expression is a normal part of existence.
I realize that burning bras had it's day. As far as I know, bras are plentiful. There are lots of them around in different colors and styles and price ranges. There is no excuse then to go without. Floppy and wiggly is something that should be saved for jello molds. Bright pink bras should go under bright shirts, not flimsy white ones. Bra straps are not a fashion accessory despite what some magazines and manufacturers produce. If you are wearing a tube top, buy a strapless bra. That's a requirement not a suggestion.
Clothes shouldn't be so tight as to appear painted on nor so loose that you could fit your significant other in them as well.
Men - get your hair situation together. Fuzzy chests with deep V's, mustaches of the 70's/porn star variety, facial hair that is patchy and a bit all over, Bieber hair, overcolored/overtreated and there fore thinner than thread. Men in headbands. Not even for Fernando, sorry Meghan. Sort all that out. I'm about this close to putting a no facial hair clause in my online profiles because there are so few who pull it off, but I don't want to open the door for 6'2'', 318lbs guys to have a go at me because I hate their beard. Not that I couldn't take 'em. . . I just don't have the time or interest.
Was there a great flood in Portland in the last two years? Everyone cuffs everything. Jeans, pants, skirts, shorts. I get that when you're on a bike you cuff the right leg so it doesn't get greasy in the chain but I stopped trying to count people walking around with cuffed pants. Either manufacturers need to make a PDX specific cut that is short enough for all the flood-fearers or there need to be group information sessions about the correct pant lengths. Folded up so it's three inches above your ankle (and your legs are the most horrifying white) is not appropriate.
Why can't you afford a shave and a haircut but you can spend thousands of dollars of lots of often lousy tattoos? I have a few tattoos. I have plans for a couple more but being in Portland for long would be enough to put me off tats forever. I don't think I've ever seen so many neck tats. Lots of full sleeves and lots of generally globby tats. I started getting mine when not every person had one, now Portlanders are getting enough for everyone.
Single soul examples of fashion disasters:
Male, 30's, 5'5''-5'6'' pork pie hat, floppy side part ahir, waxed mustache, wife beater tank top in white, nylon baskeball shorts in black past the knee, long, dark argyle socks, leather "dress" shoes like a lot of middle school boys wear when they have to dress up.
Male, 35ish, 5'9'', short sleeve plai button up, beard, BCGs (see previous post), black low top chucks, flatbilled baseball hat, raybans, skinny jean that was too short, black socks.
Female, early 20's, 5'7'', skort dress in bright purple, blue raybans, keds, long stick strait hair with a leatherband with feathers on it tied around her head just above her eyebrows.
Overall I found Portlanders in need of mending, ironing, shaving, trimming, washing and general tidying up. I think I left Portland with a virus, one that has left me with little defense against "the hipster". It may have long lasting effects; we shall have to wait and see.
Last two only vaguely related thoughts:
As I get older, 21 seems to be getting younger. The shows I saw at the Crystal Ballroom had two sections in front of the stage, one of which was a 21 and over bar section. There were folks in there that make me double take. Not just a couple that I could assume had snuck in but heaps. Apparently I'm not old enough to want to question the young whippersnappers about their id.
Drummers are proof that men can multi-task. Based on some of the bands I've seen recently I should expand that to musicians. I saw one performer from Beirut switch from a trombone to a tuba to a guitar. Another in Royal Cannoe played a keyboard, a synthesizer, a guitar and a tambourine. I doff my hat to you all.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sigh, hipsters
This is the blog post that I have been putting off for over a week. Danielle, here it finally is. I was avoiding it because I know it's going to get me all riled up. To be honest, if it didn't, I wouldn't do the post any justice because it made me riled up enough to take notes in Portland so I could rage in blog form.
Hipsters.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ok, now, where to begin. I used to think that Seattle and Portland weren't so very different. I've heard Portland compared to Seattle of twenty years ago, that's PDX is SEA's little brother. It's definitely not the city I remember from a few short trips there over the years. And it's not Seattle.
Immediate reactions: It's white. REALLY white. The official figures say that PDX is about 97% white and that the 3% racial diversity exists in just one or two neighborhoods.
It's a social city. There are probably more bars and restaurants per capita in the city than any I've been to. They are for the most part very new or remodeled, with interesting food but similar style choices.
Seattle is by it's nature a casual city. Polar fleece is an acceptable accessories in all seasons and nearly all venues. REI probably sells as many articles of clothing as JC Penneys. Gortex is a necessity, if not a sleek clothing choice. I usually feel a bit overdressed when I go out, but I'm ok with that. I would rather be the most put together person in the bar than another disastrous hiker/biker/Seattle action figure who forgot to change after the days outing. Portland takes casual and poorly dressed to a new level. They don't make the small but important distinction between functional wear and appropriate wear. Seattleites are guilty of going out in clothing that was meant for a purpose - rock climbing, camping - not for fashion. Portlanders either don't realize there's a difference or scoff at it in wearing clothing who's purpose was to clothe a college student when they couldn't afford anything better or know any better. Oh wait. . . that doesn't quite work since they spent more on their ironic t-shirt and poorly fitting skinny jeans than I did on my work-sleek Calvin Klein dress and heels.
Hipsters all think they are unique and different. What they don't see is that they are all minutely different versions of the same. Is this what the "you can do anything, you are a special flower" parenting books have lead to?
Select any three (I think three is enough, four is a definite minimum though) of the following list and you have a hipster:
For the sake of your sanity and mine, I'll cap today's blog there and allow my rant to spill over to tomorrow. Look for more scathing hipster don't, don't and why do they's tomorrow.
**Do I need to include googled photos of all this stuff? I'd imagine a fair number of you know and can picture exactly what I'm referencing. If photos are requested, I'll add some.
Hipsters.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ok, now, where to begin. I used to think that Seattle and Portland weren't so very different. I've heard Portland compared to Seattle of twenty years ago, that's PDX is SEA's little brother. It's definitely not the city I remember from a few short trips there over the years. And it's not Seattle.
Immediate reactions: It's white. REALLY white. The official figures say that PDX is about 97% white and that the 3% racial diversity exists in just one or two neighborhoods.
It's a social city. There are probably more bars and restaurants per capita in the city than any I've been to. They are for the most part very new or remodeled, with interesting food but similar style choices.
Seattle is by it's nature a casual city. Polar fleece is an acceptable accessories in all seasons and nearly all venues. REI probably sells as many articles of clothing as JC Penneys. Gortex is a necessity, if not a sleek clothing choice. I usually feel a bit overdressed when I go out, but I'm ok with that. I would rather be the most put together person in the bar than another disastrous hiker/biker/Seattle action figure who forgot to change after the days outing. Portland takes casual and poorly dressed to a new level. They don't make the small but important distinction between functional wear and appropriate wear. Seattleites are guilty of going out in clothing that was meant for a purpose - rock climbing, camping - not for fashion. Portlanders either don't realize there's a difference or scoff at it in wearing clothing who's purpose was to clothe a college student when they couldn't afford anything better or know any better. Oh wait. . . that doesn't quite work since they spent more on their ironic t-shirt and poorly fitting skinny jeans than I did on my work-sleek Calvin Klein dress and heels.
Hipsters all think they are unique and different. What they don't see is that they are all minutely different versions of the same. Is this what the "you can do anything, you are a special flower" parenting books have lead to?
Select any three (I think three is enough, four is a definite minimum though) of the following list and you have a hipster:
- Converse
- skinny jeans, double points for skinny colored pants.
- Unnecessary wide belt with big buckle. The pants are already so tight you had to have help getting them on. I know your butt is hanging out but the belt won't help with that.
- An "ironic/funny" t-shirt. They are never either. Double points of it's seriously worn.
- A Jason Mraz hat
- Homeless lumberjack beard. It could be housing a chipmunk (not the Alvin persuasion), last week's pizza leftovers or the axe you'll use to murder me.
- A bad haircut or lack of haircut. I have trouble seeing the difference between the dirty hippie folks who haven't cut their hair because they don't care and the hipsters who spent $65 to look the same way. Triple points for homeless lumberjack beard and long stringy Kurt Cobain-esque hair. Or alternately, Justin Bieber hair on a male over the age of 17.
- Super high waisted colored super short shorts. I've only seen them on females, but who knows what's possibly. Double points if they are short enough her ass is trying to escape out the bottom.
- A long hippie, flowing skirt that you then decide is too long and too flowy so it's tied up at the knee.
- A plaid button up shirt. In a concert sea of bodies, plaid is plaid is all the same plaid.
- BCGs. These are the black, chunky rimmed glasses. A friend from the military told me they call them BCGs - birth control glasses - because they are the only style the military will pay for and you ain't getting laid if you wear em. Now the caveat might be that you'll get laid, but by another hipster. You've been warned.
- Flat billed ballcap. Break that sh*t in. And don't wear it high on your head, like Heather, this girl I went to junior high with. She'd spray her bangs up big, like Kelly Kapowski in SBTB and then put the hat on behind it. (if you do not understand this reference, stop reading now. You can go google it and still not really understand or you are under 25 and will never understand either). As an aside here, also no super flimsy, 80's style, windbreaker material ballcaps.
- Neon anything. Again, I feel like this could easily segue into a Saved by the Bell reference.The brighter the better, especially tops, hats or accessories.
- Keds on men. This isn't Europe and you aren't Swedish.
- Old school raybans. You know the ones I mean that are really in, again. Like they were twenty years ago.
- A mustache. Now this is a tricky one to write. I like a good mustache. Good being the pivotal word in that sentence. This is where my new motto comes in to play. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOESNT MEAN YOU SHOULD*. Sure, you can grow a mustache. It looks ridiculous on you, your face is rejecting it and you haven't realized it. We are all shaking our heads and chuckling. Waxing it out Rolly Fingers style (again, google it) doesn't make it look less ridiculous. Now there are a few folks that can pull it off. There was a fill-in Seattleite guitarist for the band The Heavy at Bumbershoot. He looked fantastic, plaid shirt, waxed mustache and all. *Apply motto to aforementioned beards, skinny jeans and buying a Hummer.
- Tom's. ick.
For the sake of your sanity and mine, I'll cap today's blog there and allow my rant to spill over to tomorrow. Look for more scathing hipster don't, don't and why do they's tomorrow.
**Do I need to include googled photos of all this stuff? I'd imagine a fair number of you know and can picture exactly what I'm referencing. If photos are requested, I'll add some.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
A Jaunt to PDX
After Bumbershoot ended on Monday, I had a couple days to recover and then on Thursday I headed south to Portland for an interview. In someways, Portland is similar to Seattle. Many people say it's like the little brother - Still trying to decide what it wants to be, spending a lot of time drinking and lounging around. It definitely doesn't have a big commercial centers like Seattle does in downtown and on the eastside with Microsoft, Nintendo and the like.
The interview went well but it's still in process to see if I'm going to make the move and take a job there. There is lots of potential, both in the position and with the company which is young and growing. It would be a bump in responsibility and title (hopefully with a commensurate bump in pay) but it would mean moving to Portland and after just two days there, I'm not sure that's a pill I can swallow. More study is needed.
Revelations from the road:
The speeds for traffic leaving Portland were faster than the speeds when I was headed in to Portland. You may see why over the next couple posts.
On my way back to Seattle, I saw two houses, a jet plane minus the wings, three hydroplanes, cars with bikes, surfboards and kayaks on top, and two cars changing flat tires. Impressive for just 170 miles.
As much as gas is at home ($3.85 when I filled up to go) it was much more on the road. I paid $4.15 half way home from Portland. Ugh.
I think Washington was made for nerds and geeks before we even knew there'd be so many gamers here. There are towns like Ryderwood and Vader.
Between that trip and then one out to Ravensdale I put 400 miles on the car in four days. And we both survived.
Expect tomorrow's blog to be my review of shows I saw at MusicfestNW. I am intentionally putting off my hipster blog because it's going to be long and painful.
The interview went well but it's still in process to see if I'm going to make the move and take a job there. There is lots of potential, both in the position and with the company which is young and growing. It would be a bump in responsibility and title (hopefully with a commensurate bump in pay) but it would mean moving to Portland and after just two days there, I'm not sure that's a pill I can swallow. More study is needed.
Revelations from the road:
The speeds for traffic leaving Portland were faster than the speeds when I was headed in to Portland. You may see why over the next couple posts.
On my way back to Seattle, I saw two houses, a jet plane minus the wings, three hydroplanes, cars with bikes, surfboards and kayaks on top, and two cars changing flat tires. Impressive for just 170 miles.
As much as gas is at home ($3.85 when I filled up to go) it was much more on the road. I paid $4.15 half way home from Portland. Ugh.
I think Washington was made for nerds and geeks before we even knew there'd be so many gamers here. There are towns like Ryderwood and Vader.
Between that trip and then one out to Ravensdale I put 400 miles on the car in four days. And we both survived.
Expect tomorrow's blog to be my review of shows I saw at MusicfestNW. I am intentionally putting off my hipster blog because it's going to be long and painful.
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Bumbershot
It was a fantastic extended weekend. The weather couldn't have been much better, especially considering it's September in a fairly northern city. No rain at all. The evenings did get a little chilly but it was mostly cloudless and lovely.
Danielle made it up from Portland and was a great concert buddy for Saturday and Sunday. We saw a lot of shows together and a few solo ventures. Michael joined me on Monday for a shorter last day. The crowds were much worse on Monday and someone said it was because Skrillex (the show you couldn't have paid me to go to) was performing Monday night. We had to pass on The Wombats because the line was so long. Some of the beer gardens were the same. Saturday and Sunday were much more manageable and in terms of crowds, more enjoyable.
The food was mostly as expected. The most disappointing food were the Parmesan garlic fries which managed to look and smell of both Parmesan and garlic but taste like neither. The pork skewer from Monday was probably my favorite, though the Thai coffee and tea was stellar too.
Strangest moment: ooo, tough one. The Unicorn in gold platforms? The Elvis impersonator on a tall unicycle carrying juggling batons who never juggled? Watching Lovebomb a go-go, a marching band and dance troupe dressed in varying degrees of white and sparkle? I'm going to go with the people watching. There were lots of different and interesting folks to look at, or avoid looking at as the case might be. It was another example of the fact that Seattle accepts all comers. You name it, we saw it. Colored hair, bad hair cuts, too much/no enough clothing, costumes, face paint, piercings, a default tattoo show, pets, a parade of bad fashion choices, etc, etc.
Happy non-music moments: The inflatable T-rex (until Danielle ruined it!!), finding a coconut earring shop that had business cards with guys who must have been from Bali on them, cute free monster stickers, getting 45 free shampoo samples that I'll donate, free silk screened canvas bag with a cool Bumbershoot logo (worth the 45 minutes in line), randomly bumping in to some girls I know. Most important - laying on the grass, in the sun with GREAT company listening to good music and enjoying being back in Seattle.
Music recap tomorrow!!
Danielle made it up from Portland and was a great concert buddy for Saturday and Sunday. We saw a lot of shows together and a few solo ventures. Michael joined me on Monday for a shorter last day. The crowds were much worse on Monday and someone said it was because Skrillex (the show you couldn't have paid me to go to) was performing Monday night. We had to pass on The Wombats because the line was so long. Some of the beer gardens were the same. Saturday and Sunday were much more manageable and in terms of crowds, more enjoyable.
The food was mostly as expected. The most disappointing food were the Parmesan garlic fries which managed to look and smell of both Parmesan and garlic but taste like neither. The pork skewer from Monday was probably my favorite, though the Thai coffee and tea was stellar too.
Strangest moment: ooo, tough one. The Unicorn in gold platforms? The Elvis impersonator on a tall unicycle carrying juggling batons who never juggled? Watching Lovebomb a go-go, a marching band and dance troupe dressed in varying degrees of white and sparkle? I'm going to go with the people watching. There were lots of different and interesting folks to look at, or avoid looking at as the case might be. It was another example of the fact that Seattle accepts all comers. You name it, we saw it. Colored hair, bad hair cuts, too much/no enough clothing, costumes, face paint, piercings, a default tattoo show, pets, a parade of bad fashion choices, etc, etc.
Happy non-music moments: The inflatable T-rex (until Danielle ruined it!!), finding a coconut earring shop that had business cards with guys who must have been from Bali on them, cute free monster stickers, getting 45 free shampoo samples that I'll donate, free silk screened canvas bag with a cool Bumbershoot logo (worth the 45 minutes in line), randomly bumping in to some girls I know. Most important - laying on the grass, in the sun with GREAT company listening to good music and enjoying being back in Seattle.
Music recap tomorrow!!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Signing off for the Weekend
It's my first Labor Day weekend Stateside in some time. It's a ceremonial death of summer but it's also a great weekend to be in Seattle. The first Bumbershoot wasn’t called Bumbershoot but rather Festival ’71. The two-day event, the brainchild of Mayor Wes Uhlman. It also includes a logging show, indoor motorcycle races in the
Coliseum (now KeyArena), horseback rides for kids and ‘the world’s first
electronic music instrument jam.’ … The ‘Hot Pants Contest’ was one of
the biggest draws. Local rock bands and dance troupes were featured. The
sun-drenched festival, held Aug. 13–15, was a hit, attracting the
largest crowds to Seattle Center since the 1962-63 World’s Fair.
In '72 the Seattle Repertory Theater, Seattle Opera and One Reel Vaudeville show were added to the music lineup. In '73 Bumbershoot was named such. The festival grew in audience, days (now five), and programming breadth. By '75 it was up to a record eleven days. Over it's 42 years, Bumbershoot audiences have seen the likes of Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Fleetwood Mac, Eurythmics, Bonnie Raitt, Fats Domino, Los Lobos, BB King, Al Green, The Posies, Violent Femmes, 10,000 Maniacs, Sex Pistols, Sir Mix-a-Lot, R.E.M, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, Be Harper, The Black Crowes, Everclear, and hundred mores. Bumbershoot also includes comedians, short films, live performances, skits by theater companies and much more. There are nineteen venues that includes five stages.
My friend Danielle is coming up from Portland for Saturday and Sunday. We're going to strategize tonight. A plan of attack for what we want to see together, what I want to see that she doesn't and vice versa, when to drive up and back.
Don't expect to hear from me until Tuesday.
A last bit of trivia:
bum•ber•shoot
—n. informal
An umbrella.
The word bumbershoot first appeared in the U.S. around 1915–1920. It is thought to be an alteration of the umber- part of umbrella plus a respelling of -chute (as in parachute). Bumbershoot was chosen as the Festival’s name as a metaphor for the Festival being an umbrella for all of the various arts and performers it encompasses.
In '72 the Seattle Repertory Theater, Seattle Opera and One Reel Vaudeville show were added to the music lineup. In '73 Bumbershoot was named such. The festival grew in audience, days (now five), and programming breadth. By '75 it was up to a record eleven days. Over it's 42 years, Bumbershoot audiences have seen the likes of Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Fleetwood Mac, Eurythmics, Bonnie Raitt, Fats Domino, Los Lobos, BB King, Al Green, The Posies, Violent Femmes, 10,000 Maniacs, Sex Pistols, Sir Mix-a-Lot, R.E.M, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, Be Harper, The Black Crowes, Everclear, and hundred mores. Bumbershoot also includes comedians, short films, live performances, skits by theater companies and much more. There are nineteen venues that includes five stages.
My friend Danielle is coming up from Portland for Saturday and Sunday. We're going to strategize tonight. A plan of attack for what we want to see together, what I want to see that she doesn't and vice versa, when to drive up and back.
Don't expect to hear from me until Tuesday.
A last bit of trivia:
bum•ber•shoot
—n. informal
An umbrella.
The word bumbershoot first appeared in the U.S. around 1915–1920. It is thought to be an alteration of the umber- part of umbrella plus a respelling of -chute (as in parachute). Bumbershoot was chosen as the Festival’s name as a metaphor for the Festival being an umbrella for all of the various arts and performers it encompasses.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Home? Home!
They say you can't go home again. I don't know who they are, and I don't know why they say that.
I'm home. I'm in the house I grew up in actually. It was a matter of coincidence and happenstance that lead me to be the sole inhabitant (aside from my pooch Skeeter). I moved back from Asia and my mom left for California. Since the "ole homestead" is convenient for work I decided to stay there rather than moving to Seattle. It works out for mom because I'm paying the mortgage and this isn't exactly the best time to sell.
I've spent the better part of the last week going through the house. See, mom and I have slightly divergent opinions about stuff. I like to have less stuff and keep it super duper organized. Mom has. . .her own kind of organization system. On those grounds, I have a charity truck coming on Thursday to pick up ten bags of donations.
The house is beyond orderly; it's nearly exactly as I want it. Well, almost. It's 92.4% there (minus the stuff in the garage pending pick up).
I'm home. I'm in the house I grew up in actually. It was a matter of coincidence and happenstance that lead me to be the sole inhabitant (aside from my pooch Skeeter). I moved back from Asia and my mom left for California. Since the "ole homestead" is convenient for work I decided to stay there rather than moving to Seattle. It works out for mom because I'm paying the mortgage and this isn't exactly the best time to sell.
I've spent the better part of the last week going through the house. See, mom and I have slightly divergent opinions about stuff. I like to have less stuff and keep it super duper organized. Mom has. . .her own kind of organization system. On those grounds, I have a charity truck coming on Thursday to pick up ten bags of donations.
The house is beyond orderly; it's nearly exactly as I want it. Well, almost. It's 92.4% there (minus the stuff in the garage pending pick up).
Friday, August 10, 2012
Date Fail #10 - When is it not just Coincidence?
I moved from a city of 22 million (Jakarta) to one of 4 million (for the greater Seattle area). I didn't think that would mean I see the same folks regularly.
There are the average occurrance when you find out after the fact that you were at an event and someone else was also at the event. Or in the same city, or part of the city.
Recently I had a date cancel (I hear you thinking "which one?" I realize it's happened umm, less than a lot but more than average lately). I was also able to pick up a date on the fly that night. His plans fell through, my plans fell through so let's have a drink. Off to a bar midway between his place and mine. The date went well enough that I thought a second date was in order for further inspection. He seemed to agree and we were texting the next night talking about plans. The hang up was that he was supposed to be out of town for ten days for a wedding and work. Ok, plans after are fine.
The first date was Wednesday. He was meant to be away Friday night for ten days. Let see if you count as well as me.
On Tuesday I had a girlfriend date at a restaurant in Seattle. I arrived first, as I nearly always do, and went to the bar for a drink. While I watching for Diane to come in, I see a guy who looks like my date from Wednesday. Surely it can't be him because he's out of town. He's about ten feet away and I try to get a good look without staring. After maybe fifteen minutes he comes over with a "heeeeeeyyyyyy, I thought that was you". Not impressed. He gives me a schpeal; about work cancelling his trip. Everyone gets the benefit of the doubt once. Sure, work canceled your trip. The "I was going to text you to tell you" is laying it on a little thick but whatever.
The problem was when he was much more interested in talking to Diane, my 35 yo blonde, thin friend than to me. The guy she's seeing was on his way to meet us, but that was unbeknownst to my "date". He introduced us to his co-worker who was a nice guy then situated himself across from Diane and continued to talk to her. At one point he asked be a question, then walked away to get a drink after I said about five words throwing a "hang on, I'll be right back" over his shoulder.
He and his mate went and played table top shuffleboard while Diane and I ate. Eventually he wandered back. He then had the cojones to say he was going to get something to eat, did I want to get a drink after. I gave him a non-committal answer and enjoyed the rest of my night there talking to Diane, her date and his friend. I got a text from my "date" as I was leaving the bar asking if I wanted to get a drink. By then it was after ten and I had early work the next day. I left him hanging until I got home and then a "oh, I already left" text.
Needless to say, we haven't spoken since. How does that happen in a city of four million, that I run into a guy I had a first date with a week later in a totally different part of the city, randomly at a bar I've never been to before?
There are the average occurrance when you find out after the fact that you were at an event and someone else was also at the event. Or in the same city, or part of the city.
Recently I had a date cancel (I hear you thinking "which one?" I realize it's happened umm, less than a lot but more than average lately). I was also able to pick up a date on the fly that night. His plans fell through, my plans fell through so let's have a drink. Off to a bar midway between his place and mine. The date went well enough that I thought a second date was in order for further inspection. He seemed to agree and we were texting the next night talking about plans. The hang up was that he was supposed to be out of town for ten days for a wedding and work. Ok, plans after are fine.
The first date was Wednesday. He was meant to be away Friday night for ten days. Let see if you count as well as me.
On Tuesday I had a girlfriend date at a restaurant in Seattle. I arrived first, as I nearly always do, and went to the bar for a drink. While I watching for Diane to come in, I see a guy who looks like my date from Wednesday. Surely it can't be him because he's out of town. He's about ten feet away and I try to get a good look without staring. After maybe fifteen minutes he comes over with a "heeeeeeyyyyyy, I thought that was you". Not impressed. He gives me a schpeal; about work cancelling his trip. Everyone gets the benefit of the doubt once. Sure, work canceled your trip. The "I was going to text you to tell you" is laying it on a little thick but whatever.
The problem was when he was much more interested in talking to Diane, my 35 yo blonde, thin friend than to me. The guy she's seeing was on his way to meet us, but that was unbeknownst to my "date". He introduced us to his co-worker who was a nice guy then situated himself across from Diane and continued to talk to her. At one point he asked be a question, then walked away to get a drink after I said about five words throwing a "hang on, I'll be right back" over his shoulder.
He and his mate went and played table top shuffleboard while Diane and I ate. Eventually he wandered back. He then had the cojones to say he was going to get something to eat, did I want to get a drink after. I gave him a non-committal answer and enjoyed the rest of my night there talking to Diane, her date and his friend. I got a text from my "date" as I was leaving the bar asking if I wanted to get a drink. By then it was after ten and I had early work the next day. I left him hanging until I got home and then a "oh, I already left" text.
Needless to say, we haven't spoken since. How does that happen in a city of four million, that I run into a guy I had a first date with a week later in a totally different part of the city, randomly at a bar I've never been to before?
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Independence Day
This is the first time in five years that I'm on American soil for Fourth of July. My world has expanded greatly in those years. As I type AMERICAN I am reminded of a Colombian friend who would take me to task for using that phrase. He always noted that America includes countries crom Canada to chile and everything between. The US is simply one part of America. That being said, I've had more Spanish speakers ask me if I'm from America than Los Estados Unidos. One phrase does trip off the tongue a bit easier than the other.
Fourth of July is more personal and freeing that BBQ and fireworks can illustrate. I am independent. I live alone, I make enough to support myself and pay down my debts. I am great company for myself and don't hide at home because I don't have someone to accompany me to events. I am actively seeking my bliss, on trails, rivers, lakes, as well as in bars, concert halls and theatres. I'm making friends and keeping in touch with those in Indonesia and Spain. Dating is an option but I will not settle for less than what I want/need. Even if it takes a hundred first dates to get there.
Enjoy your picinics, read up on Richard Henry Lee, listen to the 1812 overture and ponder why it symbolizes American Independence day and not a Russian military defeat, have some ribs instead of just hot dogs, consider weather Samueal Adams would have endorsed the Sam Adams your drinking.
To you Seattleites specifically, take photos. We all know how rare a sunny Fourth is. It won't happen again for an eon.
I hope to join you all once I'm released from the dungeon, I mean work.
Happy Fourth!
Fourth of July is more personal and freeing that BBQ and fireworks can illustrate. I am independent. I live alone, I make enough to support myself and pay down my debts. I am great company for myself and don't hide at home because I don't have someone to accompany me to events. I am actively seeking my bliss, on trails, rivers, lakes, as well as in bars, concert halls and theatres. I'm making friends and keeping in touch with those in Indonesia and Spain. Dating is an option but I will not settle for less than what I want/need. Even if it takes a hundred first dates to get there.
Enjoy your picinics, read up on Richard Henry Lee, listen to the 1812 overture and ponder why it symbolizes American Independence day and not a Russian military defeat, have some ribs instead of just hot dogs, consider weather Samueal Adams would have endorsed the Sam Adams your drinking.
To you Seattleites specifically, take photos. We all know how rare a sunny Fourth is. It won't happen again for an eon.
I hope to join you all once I'm released from the dungeon, I mean work.
Happy Fourth!
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
The year of a thousand first dates
That might be a little bit of an exaggeration. Maybe I should rename the blog the year of a hundred first dates. I've been back in the States just over four months now and I'm making the most of the time in all realms, including dating. I debated about writing on really personal stuff, aka dating and relationships, for a while before posting this. I've allowed glimpses of my relationship disasters in the past. I may be a bit gun shy due to lousy romantic comedies (which I have boycotted for years) that presume anyone I meet will stumble on this blog, realize I've written about them and calamity will ensue. The good news for all of you is that I'm not meeting many promising options so as they fall by the wayside I have new batches of stories.
Work has really ramped up and I refuse to sacrifice my social/active life leaving me little time for blogging. I'll try to run down the dates one or two at a time, hopefully allowing me to blog quickly and often. Since I've decided to blog about the dates, I'll have to go back and start from the beginning in March. Today's installment is Preggers.
I met preggers at a Meetup event. It was a bar night meet n greet. We chatted about work, why he'd move to Seattle, yadda, yadda. By nights end some four hours later at 1:30 am he was trying very hard to convince me to stay "on his sofa" for the night. Eyebrow raised, riiiight. he got my number (before the drunken persuasion began) and we parted ways. A date was made for a week or so in the future and we met at Japonesa, a Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant. The conversation was middle of the road and the night wrapped up with a good night kiss, but me driving to my house alone.
Pregger text me a lot. I've learned I'm not a needy girl and if anything I tend to shy away from someone who calls or texts multiple times a day everyday, especially at the beginning of things. Some from him were "how was your day" style, some were "it's ten pm, come over". Some were unusual. Preggers text me from San Fran where he was visiting some friends. He said he'd had a meal of Indian food. I asked if it was good and he said "I feel pregnant". Not I feel stuffed, or like i have a food baby (also slightly suspect) but I feel pregnant. Now if he were Mr. Fantastic I could over look it but this was the straw the broke the camels back. I wasn't sold before that point and left shopping to others after.
DATE #1, FAIL.
Work has really ramped up and I refuse to sacrifice my social/active life leaving me little time for blogging. I'll try to run down the dates one or two at a time, hopefully allowing me to blog quickly and often. Since I've decided to blog about the dates, I'll have to go back and start from the beginning in March. Today's installment is Preggers.
I met preggers at a Meetup event. It was a bar night meet n greet. We chatted about work, why he'd move to Seattle, yadda, yadda. By nights end some four hours later at 1:30 am he was trying very hard to convince me to stay "on his sofa" for the night. Eyebrow raised, riiiight. he got my number (before the drunken persuasion began) and we parted ways. A date was made for a week or so in the future and we met at Japonesa, a Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant. The conversation was middle of the road and the night wrapped up with a good night kiss, but me driving to my house alone.
Pregger text me a lot. I've learned I'm not a needy girl and if anything I tend to shy away from someone who calls or texts multiple times a day everyday, especially at the beginning of things. Some from him were "how was your day" style, some were "it's ten pm, come over". Some were unusual. Preggers text me from San Fran where he was visiting some friends. He said he'd had a meal of Indian food. I asked if it was good and he said "I feel pregnant". Not I feel stuffed, or like i have a food baby (also slightly suspect) but I feel pregnant. Now if he were Mr. Fantastic I could over look it but this was the straw the broke the camels back. I wasn't sold before that point and left shopping to others after.
DATE #1, FAIL.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Lake 22, Granite Falls
It's the end of the day, Memorial Day. Foremost I'd like to thank a few people: My Uncle Rick, a lifetime Navy man. My Grandpa Joe who served in the Army in WWII. My friends Mateo, Zeb, Chris, Lindsey, Ed and others who served or continue to serve our country. I'm thankful for what you do not in small part because it's something I can't/won't do, and in large part because it is so important to the fabric of who we are as America.
I spend today hiking. It was a great way to end a weekend spent mostly in solitude and grinding away at tasks. The weather wasn't nearly as nice today as the last two, but it wasn't too bad either, except at the top of the mountain where is was raining and cold. My drive to a Park and Ride to meet the gang was about 40 minutes. From there we went on another hour to a small town called Granite falls. We carried on the Snoqualmie/Mt. Baker National Forest and hiked up to Lake 22. If there's a Lake 21 or 23 I know not but we found Lake 22. It's a crater in the top of the mountain. 2.4 miles up we found snow and the lake was still mostly frozen over. It was about 5.5 miles total. The pictures will do it more justice than I can with words.
The gang went for post-funk food and drink, then I made my way home via the park and ride. This is the first Memorial Day I've been in the States for in about five years. My thanks to all our veterans was a thought that was with me all day.
I spend today hiking. It was a great way to end a weekend spent mostly in solitude and grinding away at tasks. The weather wasn't nearly as nice today as the last two, but it wasn't too bad either, except at the top of the mountain where is was raining and cold. My drive to a Park and Ride to meet the gang was about 40 minutes. From there we went on another hour to a small town called Granite falls. We carried on the Snoqualmie/Mt. Baker National Forest and hiked up to Lake 22. If there's a Lake 21 or 23 I know not but we found Lake 22. It's a crater in the top of the mountain. 2.4 miles up we found snow and the lake was still mostly frozen over. It was about 5.5 miles total. The pictures will do it more justice than I can with words.
 |
| First Views Up |
 |
| So green it almost made my eyes hurt |
 |
| Christopher and Asa, thinking of you! |
 |
| Not quite swimming weather |
 |
| Cold but very pretty. You can't see that is was raining and I had to put on about four articles of clothing! |
The gang went for post-funk food and drink, then I made my way home via the park and ride. This is the first Memorial Day I've been in the States for in about five years. My thanks to all our veterans was a thought that was with me all day.
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