Sunday, July 30, 2006
Gloomy gus
So I was a happy drunk person and now I'm a pissy drunk person. I have no cable. It hasn't worked since 7:30 PM. I also can't check my email because yahoo is being assy. I should just go to bed but I'm online with a fucking Comcast representative who wants to make an appointment for me for the comcast guy. I don't want the comcast guy to come here. This requires cleaning of my apartment. This (waiting for the cable guy not the apartment cleaning for the cable guy) may require me taking time off from work. I just want to watch my shows dammit!!!!
I did have fun tonight, though. We started the night at Purr where I met up with Big R, Isa, and some others. We met 2 new boys in the bar. They came along with us to Sugar which is a newish dance club (also gay). I did, however, run into several people I know and one of my favorite bartenders from the other bar was there. Apparently the other bar 'is moving in a new direction' and they laid him off. Poor guy. He's a good bartender too. Ok I'm off to bed. Maybe I'll finish this thought later, although probably I won't.
I did have fun tonight, though. We started the night at Purr where I met up with Big R, Isa, and some others. We met 2 new boys in the bar. They came along with us to Sugar which is a newish dance club (also gay). I did, however, run into several people I know and one of my favorite bartenders from the other bar was there. Apparently the other bar 'is moving in a new direction' and they laid him off. Poor guy. He's a good bartender too. Ok I'm off to bed. Maybe I'll finish this thought later, although probably I won't.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Picnic
Today I volunteered at the Big Brothers/Big Sisters annual picnic. I am exhausted. I caught the bus at 9:21 and got there by 10:00. I manned the arts & crafts station. Now at most places I've been, the kids get to keep their crafts, but for some reason the masks being decorated at this booth were being used for the fancy schmancy auction in October. So I kept having to tell the kids they weren't going to get to take them home and I tried to play up how cool it would be that their mask goes to a VIP and their artwork could end up in an office at like Starbucks or in someone's living room as decoration. That actually got them rather excited so that was good. Lunch was served by Panda Panda. I found it odd somehow that there was Chinese food at the picnic. I had a bit of chicken and string beans. It was okay (although given my rules about green food, I didn't eat the beans. :) ) After we ran out of masks to do, I ended up face painting. I have NO skill at face painting. :) But the kids seemed okay with what I did. I think if the supplies had been better I may not have done so poorly but the wands and make up crayons were hard to work with. It was fun, though. I like working with the kids. I don't think I'm currently at a place where I would want to be a big sister. I feel like it may be a larger commitment than I am ready for. (Plus I have a lot right now with the Scouts and my other stuff.) I like doing these one off things though. I may volunteer at their fancy schmancy auction in October, although I need a fancy schmancy dress. For some reason I thought Big Brothers/ Big Sisters were more for kids who didn't have that parent of that sex but one of my former Scouts was there and I know she has a mom. :) (And for what it is worth, some not unattractive guys volunteer as Big Brothers...) :)
I got done at 3:00 and then came home. I immediately went back out and joined Big R & Isa downtown. We ate at this BBQ place downtown that isn't as good as Jones and was also arctic. We wandered around downtown for a while. I gave my left over dinner to a homeless guy. We were supposed to go out to night (speak of the devil there's the ring) but I'm begging off. I'm exhausted. I've been up forever and although it would be fun to go out, I'm just so damn tired. (Oh who am I kidding... I'm changing see y'all later) :)
I got done at 3:00 and then came home. I immediately went back out and joined Big R & Isa downtown. We ate at this BBQ place downtown that isn't as good as Jones and was also arctic. We wandered around downtown for a while. I gave my left over dinner to a homeless guy. We were supposed to go out to night (speak of the devil there's the ring) but I'm begging off. I'm exhausted. I've been up forever and although it would be fun to go out, I'm just so damn tired. (Oh who am I kidding... I'm changing see y'all later) :)
Friday, July 28, 2006
Tag I'm it!
Usually I clutter up myspace with these but I was tagged by Zed.
1. LAST MOVIE YOU'VE SEEN IN A THEATRE? Pirates of the Caribbean 2
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP? with a guy? 6 months. with a TV show 10 years. :)
3. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DROPPED YOUR CELL PHONE? more than is probably good for it.
4. LAST FOOD YOU ATE? fruit for breakfast
5. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? 3rd finger on the left hand. :)
6. WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Seattle (it's a big place)
7. CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER? T-Mobile
8. FAVORITE MALL STORE: Disney! :)
9. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE? What am I 12?
10. FAVORITE FOOD? Tacos!
11. IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY, WHICH FRIEND WOULD YOU CALL FIRST? Peeved Michelle
12. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT? Baja Fresh
13. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE HEARD? I turned that form in.
14. WHAT ITEM COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT? My computer
15. DO YOU DRIVE? Yes
16. NAME SOMETHING STUPID YOU HAVE CRIED ABOUT? Hallmark Commercials. Damn them!
17. MOST DISLIKED FOOD: Food that is green. :)
18. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF: I'm fun and kind
19. DOES SOMEONE HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU RIGHT NOW: Bien sur.
20. FAVORITE MOVIE? There's a bunch... right now I'll go with Beauty & The Beast, Mary Poppins and 50 First Dates.
21. NAME ONE BAD HABIT? I'm lazy (and so I'm messy)
22. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED? Foo Fighters
23. LAST MOVIE RENTED: I can't remember. I get cable.
24. THING YOU NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT? My backpack (which houses a bunch of crap)
25. FAVORITE VACATION SPOT? The coast (of Oregon, of California of Alaska, of Hawai'i whatever. :) )
26. WHAT DO YOU DRIVE? Flexcar
27. DO YOU HAVE PETS? Ferrets, Tess & Rigby
28. NAME 3 THINGS YOU HATE. 1. being gluten intolerant (sometimes) 2. headaches 3. Satan
29. LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER? laptop
30. DO YOU SMOKE? No
31. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT? Wicket the stuffed Ewok
32. FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Varies but usually something with chocolate.
33. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE? Maybe 3
34. PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST? Pancakes
35. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE? No
36. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS? Baked in a cake or pie
37. FAVORITE DRINK? Pepsi
38. MCDONALDS OR BURGER KING? McDonalds
39. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC OF A SONG? I've got another confession to make, I'm your fool.
40. TELL ME 2 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF. 1. I'm a picky eater & I hate just about every green food. 2. I once had a drowning scare when I was like 8 or 10 and in a pool without a lifeguard.
41. WHEN WAS THE LAST PARTY YOU WENT TO? 4th of July
42. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Winter. I LOVE snow!
43. LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID? Today I'm sure.
44. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING? 8:05. Very bad since I am supposed to be at work at 8:00.
45. BEST THING ABOUT WINTER? snow!
46. LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET? in 03 when I got pulled over for speeding.
47. DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED? On TV or movies cool. On ships off the African Coast, dangerous.
48. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND? Volunteering and doing some other stuff.
49. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? Green sweater, white tank top, blue jeans, 1 brown sandal, 1 ugly black & gray boot.
If you want to go, have at it. :)
1. LAST MOVIE YOU'VE SEEN IN A THEATRE? Pirates of the Caribbean 2
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP? with a guy? 6 months. with a TV show 10 years. :)
3. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DROPPED YOUR CELL PHONE? more than is probably good for it.
4. LAST FOOD YOU ATE? fruit for breakfast
5. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? 3rd finger on the left hand. :)
6. WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Seattle (it's a big place)
7. CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER? T-Mobile
8. FAVORITE MALL STORE: Disney! :)
9. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE? What am I 12?
10. FAVORITE FOOD? Tacos!
11. IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY, WHICH FRIEND WOULD YOU CALL FIRST? Peeved Michelle
12. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT? Baja Fresh
13. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE HEARD? I turned that form in.
14. WHAT ITEM COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT? My computer
15. DO YOU DRIVE? Yes
16. NAME SOMETHING STUPID YOU HAVE CRIED ABOUT? Hallmark Commercials. Damn them!
17. MOST DISLIKED FOOD: Food that is green. :)
18. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF: I'm fun and kind
19. DOES SOMEONE HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU RIGHT NOW: Bien sur.
20. FAVORITE MOVIE? There's a bunch... right now I'll go with Beauty & The Beast, Mary Poppins and 50 First Dates.
21. NAME ONE BAD HABIT? I'm lazy (and so I'm messy)
22. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED? Foo Fighters
23. LAST MOVIE RENTED: I can't remember. I get cable.
24. THING YOU NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT? My backpack (which houses a bunch of crap)
25. FAVORITE VACATION SPOT? The coast (of Oregon, of California of Alaska, of Hawai'i whatever. :) )
26. WHAT DO YOU DRIVE? Flexcar
27. DO YOU HAVE PETS? Ferrets, Tess & Rigby
28. NAME 3 THINGS YOU HATE. 1. being gluten intolerant (sometimes) 2. headaches 3. Satan
29. LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER? laptop
30. DO YOU SMOKE? No
31. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT? Wicket the stuffed Ewok
32. FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Varies but usually something with chocolate.
33. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE? Maybe 3
34. PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST? Pancakes
35. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE? No
36. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS? Baked in a cake or pie
37. FAVORITE DRINK? Pepsi
38. MCDONALDS OR BURGER KING? McDonalds
39. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC OF A SONG? I've got another confession to make, I'm your fool.
40. TELL ME 2 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF. 1. I'm a picky eater & I hate just about every green food. 2. I once had a drowning scare when I was like 8 or 10 and in a pool without a lifeguard.
41. WHEN WAS THE LAST PARTY YOU WENT TO? 4th of July
42. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Winter. I LOVE snow!
43. LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID? Today I'm sure.
44. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING? 8:05. Very bad since I am supposed to be at work at 8:00.
45. BEST THING ABOUT WINTER? snow!
46. LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET? in 03 when I got pulled over for speeding.
47. DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED? On TV or movies cool. On ships off the African Coast, dangerous.
48. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND? Volunteering and doing some other stuff.
49. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? Green sweater, white tank top, blue jeans, 1 brown sandal, 1 ugly black & gray boot.
If you want to go, have at it. :)
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Aqua Jogging and other stuff
Last night I went to an aquajog class. It was my first time trying one of those water exercise classes. Usually I dodge them in favor of just lap swim but I thought why not? I need to exercise. I am rebooted so walking is becoming a don't do it again. I went to a nearby pool in the ghetto. There were 7 of us there: 2 fat chicks, 2 old chicks and 3 youngish what are they doing taking a class like this chicks. It was really fun! I bought a pre-paid punch thing so when I go back I just give them that. It'll force me to go back because I don't want to have wasted the money. It was really hard work too. I'm still feeling it in my shoulders and back. :) It was a directed thing which I liked, it wasn't like I was in the pool just bobbing along. I LOVED that little bouyancy belt that kept me upright. It was so cool to wear. They also offer a hydrofit class which I'm going to try next Tuesday. (That class is Tues & Thurs but tonight I have a Girl Scout thing). I'm finding out if my employer has those classes at the gym. It would be cheaper to go here than it is at the pool in the ghetto.
Which brings me to other stuff... At the risk of sounding like my father who is 70 and old and grumbly, when did going to the pool become so damn expensive? I don't just mean for my class (which is $4.75 a session. I can't decide if that is good or bad, but the one regular gym in my neighborhood that does have a pool doesn't offer hydrofit classes at all or else I'd join that which would be less. Ok I might not join that becuase it is 24 hour fitness and the one downtown is like the mecca of the gays, but I've digressed) I don't just mean for my class, but going swimming. At the pool in the ghetto, it is $2.75 for kids to go swimming. Now it is indoors and it does have a neat rope swing thing to jump in with, but it does not have a high dive. Growing up my mom could drop my sister and I off at the pool with $2.00 each and this paid for our entrance into the pool (.25 until we were like 12 then .50) and snacks during the 'adult swim' portion of the afternoon. Adult swim was this really really long time when the kids all had to be out of the pool and the grown ups got to swim laps. (Honestly it was like 15 minutes but when you're 10, that's a REALLY long time.) Interestingly enough now that my hometown has an indoor pool (blech) the rates are now $3.00 to get in for children. That's some kind of inflation. I realize we're speaking of a 20 (gulp) year time span, but that seems like quite the jump. (Ok I'll give in a tiny bit because the new facility apparently has waterslides.)
Which brings me to other stuff... At the risk of sounding like my father who is 70 and old and grumbly, when did going to the pool become so damn expensive? I don't just mean for my class (which is $4.75 a session. I can't decide if that is good or bad, but the one regular gym in my neighborhood that does have a pool doesn't offer hydrofit classes at all or else I'd join that which would be less. Ok I might not join that becuase it is 24 hour fitness and the one downtown is like the mecca of the gays, but I've digressed) I don't just mean for my class, but going swimming. At the pool in the ghetto, it is $2.75 for kids to go swimming. Now it is indoors and it does have a neat rope swing thing to jump in with, but it does not have a high dive. Growing up my mom could drop my sister and I off at the pool with $2.00 each and this paid for our entrance into the pool (.25 until we were like 12 then .50) and snacks during the 'adult swim' portion of the afternoon. Adult swim was this really really long time when the kids all had to be out of the pool and the grown ups got to swim laps. (Honestly it was like 15 minutes but when you're 10, that's a REALLY long time.) Interestingly enough now that my hometown has an indoor pool (blech) the rates are now $3.00 to get in for children. That's some kind of inflation. I realize we're speaking of a 20 (gulp) year time span, but that seems like quite the jump. (Ok I'll give in a tiny bit because the new facility apparently has waterslides.)
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Disappointed in my state
I am disappointed in my state today. The Supreme Court of WA upheld the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The Superior Court had previously ruled DOMA unconstitutional. From the Seattle times:
I can't believe that the argument about children succeeded. I'm appalled that the perfectly rational and legal argument of the constitutionality based on the privileges and immunities clause failed in light of the histrionics of "Think of the children?" Thus far there is no evidence to support the argument that children need a parent of each gender. It is a sad day to me today.
The couples based their claim to marriage on specific principles of constitutional law. Central to their claim was that the ban on same-sex marriage violates the state constitution's "privileges and immunities" clause, which requires that any privilege offered to one group be offered to all.
Those defending the law argued that the statute served a legitimate purpose in that the state has an interest in protecting children, and thus in the relationships that produce them.
But the couples called DOMA a scheme "that favors one class of children, not because of the way they were created but because of the identity of their parents."
I can't believe that the argument about children succeeded. I'm appalled that the perfectly rational and legal argument of the constitutionality based on the privileges and immunities clause failed in light of the histrionics of "Think of the children?" Thus far there is no evidence to support the argument that children need a parent of each gender. It is a sad day to me today.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
You're my obsession...
I currently have several things rattling around in my brain that I must divulge.
1 - I have been rebooted. I went back to my sports medicine guy and he gave me a new boot which is good. We are going to try to have me wear it for 6 weeks without doing the not wear it at work thing. That's okay but a little sad because it is freaking hot and it is freaking hot in the boot. I think I want to find a water aerobics class. Is that still done? I think I need to go to a class because that will force me to go regularly. I don't want to join a gym though because I can just go to my employer's gym for free, but they don't offer like water aerobics or anything like that.
2 - My computer at home is running slow. Any ideas? I'm no where near full of memory stuff. I ran the adware thing and the disk defragmenter.
3 - While swimming at the beach on Sunday I noticed an inordinate number of men on the dock sporting well... you know... :) Is this caused by a change in water temperature or an inability to control themselves around hot chicks in bikinis? Someone suggested it was just the way the bathing suits pooched out but sometimes the trunks weren't the sort that would allow you to believe that theory.
4 - I've been looking for new books to read since I'm going to the library today. I consulted Sprightly Chicks Read and Miska's book list and got some ideas but I also looked at Amazon.com's lists. Here's what I noticed. Many of the lists had mostly the same books on them. I can't decide if it is because those are Amazon employees and they are just spouting off the ones that are featured right now or if it is because I am looking at books that are similar and so the lists are all simliar. The problem is, though, that none of the lists deviate from their 'style.' If I were to do a list there would be a wide variety of books on there from Andrew Vachss who writes 'hard boiled' crime to chick lit by Jennifer Wiener and then the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I would think that other readers have a variety of reading choices and not just one genre. Of course, maybe they streamline their lists to appeal to a specific style, but the problem is I'm looking for something different than what I usually read. So to see a person who has multiple genres would be good I could think oh they liked Good in Bed AND they liked this other author, maybe I will too. So my question to you, dear readers, is what have you read recently that you loved?
1 - I have been rebooted. I went back to my sports medicine guy and he gave me a new boot which is good. We are going to try to have me wear it for 6 weeks without doing the not wear it at work thing. That's okay but a little sad because it is freaking hot and it is freaking hot in the boot. I think I want to find a water aerobics class. Is that still done? I think I need to go to a class because that will force me to go regularly. I don't want to join a gym though because I can just go to my employer's gym for free, but they don't offer like water aerobics or anything like that.
2 - My computer at home is running slow. Any ideas? I'm no where near full of memory stuff. I ran the adware thing and the disk defragmenter.
3 - While swimming at the beach on Sunday I noticed an inordinate number of men on the dock sporting well... you know... :) Is this caused by a change in water temperature or an inability to control themselves around hot chicks in bikinis? Someone suggested it was just the way the bathing suits pooched out but sometimes the trunks weren't the sort that would allow you to believe that theory.
4 - I've been looking for new books to read since I'm going to the library today. I consulted Sprightly Chicks Read and Miska's book list and got some ideas but I also looked at Amazon.com's lists. Here's what I noticed. Many of the lists had mostly the same books on them. I can't decide if it is because those are Amazon employees and they are just spouting off the ones that are featured right now or if it is because I am looking at books that are similar and so the lists are all simliar. The problem is, though, that none of the lists deviate from their 'style.' If I were to do a list there would be a wide variety of books on there from Andrew Vachss who writes 'hard boiled' crime to chick lit by Jennifer Wiener and then the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I would think that other readers have a variety of reading choices and not just one genre. Of course, maybe they streamline their lists to appeal to a specific style, but the problem is I'm looking for something different than what I usually read. So to see a person who has multiple genres would be good I could think oh they liked Good in Bed AND they liked this other author, maybe I will too. So my question to you, dear readers, is what have you read recently that you loved?
Monday, July 24, 2006
People really do read those things
So you may or may not remember last week's Sunday adventure. We hiked then went to dinner at Olive Garden and had our dinner comped because of slowness in the kitchen. So because I AM that weirdo, I sent Olive Garden a comment card. I said that I appreciated the fact that the waitress noticed of her own accord that we had waited so long and that she brought that fact to the manager. She knew it was bad and was proactive about it. (Honestly, we had only just noticed it had been a REALLY long time since ordering our food and checked the cell phones to discover it had actually been an hour when the waitress and manager showed up to be all generous with us. :) ) So, today I got a response from the Olive Garden. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy. :)
Dear Joanne:
It's a rare person who takes the time to compliment. Thank you for being that person!
We find it especially gratifying to receive compliments like yours about our service. We strive hard to provide exceptional service as we realize it is the foundation of building long-lasting business relationships. Your comments will be forwarded to our Tukwila restaurant staff so they also may share in your kind remarks and know how proud we are of their service excellence.We know you have a choice when it comes to selecting a restaurant, and we appreciate your having chosen us. Our ongoing commitment is treating you like a valued member of the Olive Garden family.
Dear Joanne:
It's a rare person who takes the time to compliment. Thank you for being that person!
We find it especially gratifying to receive compliments like yours about our service. We strive hard to provide exceptional service as we realize it is the foundation of building long-lasting business relationships. Your comments will be forwarded to our Tukwila restaurant staff so they also may share in your kind remarks and know how proud we are of their service excellence.We know you have a choice when it comes to selecting a restaurant, and we appreciate your having chosen us. Our ongoing commitment is treating you like a valued member of the Olive Garden family.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
My biscuits is burned!
Well, I know that my Sunday adventure was supposed to be to Bremerton to discover what kind of a community it is and to see if I would want to live out there, but 90 degree heat overruled that. At about 10:30 I called Big R to see if he was planning on going to the beach today and we went together. From about 11:30 until about 5:30 I was either lying on the beach at Madison Park or bobbing in the water. I really just love to be IN the water. I don't have to swim. I don't have to be doing little handstands or flips. I just like bobbing around in the water. Luckily since the lake is so huge and there are always boats going along, there is a kind of natural wave thing happening so that's fun too. I am mostly not burned EXCEPT my lower ass cheeks (upper upper thigh), and some spots on the backs of my shoulders and the backs of my knees. It was so nice to spend the day there, though, all cool in the water. I could've spent longer but we started to get hungry.
There was this group of straight youngish guys next to us on the beach. They were HYSTERICAL. They first were discussing girls and I can't believe I actually heard "You finger her?" and worse the answer of "No, we just made out." (Actually that's the better answer I think because it could've been much much worse.) They then talked about penis size which was weird. In my mind I kept thinking, do straight guys REALLY talk about this shit? And then they moved on to sex toys. It was so weird. After the straight boys left 2 gay guys appeared. I didn't realize it at first but one of those was one of V's friends. I noticed it as we left actually and we chatted for a minute. I can't escape the gays. No matter what. :) I can't believe I forgot the funniest thing one of the straight guys said about penis size. They were talking about some friend of theirs and apparently he is little and self conscious about it. (I can't imagine why given these boys) but his girlfriend once said "I like it. It is the perfect size to fill my little hole." I so badly wanted to bust out laughing, but I refrained. It was seriously hysterical.
After the beach we went to Jones BBQ for dinner. It was yummy again. I had hotlinks and chicken. (They were out of brisket and ribs. Next time I'm totally having the brisket. I never knew brisket could be good. My mom always made it the Polish or German way by boiling the shit out of it and it would still be this hard as a rock gross meat product. Not good. The Jones BBQ was awesome.) I had so much hotlinks & chicken left over I have lunch for the next 2 days of this stuff. I think I'll bring tortillas to go with it.
The ferrets do not like hot. (Even less than me, it is their fur coats I'm sure). I just froze a bottle of water and left it on the floor. Rig is now curled up right next to it. This is after she spent much of the afternoon in the bathtub (where she got stuck) but it was nice and cool for her.
There was this group of straight youngish guys next to us on the beach. They were HYSTERICAL. They first were discussing girls and I can't believe I actually heard "You finger her?" and worse the answer of "No, we just made out." (Actually that's the better answer I think because it could've been much much worse.) They then talked about penis size which was weird. In my mind I kept thinking, do straight guys REALLY talk about this shit? And then they moved on to sex toys. It was so weird. After the straight boys left 2 gay guys appeared. I didn't realize it at first but one of those was one of V's friends. I noticed it as we left actually and we chatted for a minute. I can't escape the gays. No matter what. :) I can't believe I forgot the funniest thing one of the straight guys said about penis size. They were talking about some friend of theirs and apparently he is little and self conscious about it. (I can't imagine why given these boys) but his girlfriend once said "I like it. It is the perfect size to fill my little hole." I so badly wanted to bust out laughing, but I refrained. It was seriously hysterical.
After the beach we went to Jones BBQ for dinner. It was yummy again. I had hotlinks and chicken. (They were out of brisket and ribs. Next time I'm totally having the brisket. I never knew brisket could be good. My mom always made it the Polish or German way by boiling the shit out of it and it would still be this hard as a rock gross meat product. Not good. The Jones BBQ was awesome.) I had so much hotlinks & chicken left over I have lunch for the next 2 days of this stuff. I think I'll bring tortillas to go with it.
The ferrets do not like hot. (Even less than me, it is their fur coats I'm sure). I just froze a bottle of water and left it on the floor. Rig is now curled up right next to it. This is after she spent much of the afternoon in the bathtub (where she got stuck) but it was nice and cool for her.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Wolverines!
I'm watching Red Dawn right now. It is weird to see it on one of my fancy cable channels because that means a - no commercials and b - I get to see all of the movie. Much like Pretty In Pink or The Breakfast Club, I don't think I've seen this movie in its unedited entirety in a really long time. I have an unholy love for this movie. I have absolutely no idea why. Perhaps it is the all the young actors I loved in the 80's. C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen... Perhaps it is the whole underdog aspect of the story. They're fighting a guerrilla war against real armies. (Ok maybe it is Darren Dalton who causes my unholy love of this movie. I mean he played Randy the soc in The Outsiders. How much better can that be? Although once I IMDB'd him he actually has been in a few other movies. Who knew?)
It seems like the perfect way to spend a ridiculously hot Saturday afternoon. I should've gone swimming with Big R. He asked if I wanted to go. But I didn't really want to spend most of the day baking my brains out at the beach. Instead I baked in my apartment. :) It is 93 degrees in here. Luckily the rest of the week it is supposed to cool off and won't be so bad. I don't want to cook and I don't really want to eat except I do want to eat. I may order Chinese food which is probably the worst thing to eat when you're hot. (Although I have read somewhere if you want to cool down eating hot things is just the way to do it.)
I've spent the day reading and napping. I'm almost done with I'm Not the New Me by Wendy McClure. It is another one off Michelle's wishlist. :) I like it. Wendy is (or was) a recapper on Television Without Pity and she keeps her own weblog as well.
It seems like the perfect way to spend a ridiculously hot Saturday afternoon. I should've gone swimming with Big R. He asked if I wanted to go. But I didn't really want to spend most of the day baking my brains out at the beach. Instead I baked in my apartment. :) It is 93 degrees in here. Luckily the rest of the week it is supposed to cool off and won't be so bad. I don't want to cook and I don't really want to eat except I do want to eat. I may order Chinese food which is probably the worst thing to eat when you're hot. (Although I have read somewhere if you want to cool down eating hot things is just the way to do it.)
I've spent the day reading and napping. I'm almost done with I'm Not the New Me by Wendy McClure. It is another one off Michelle's wishlist. :) I like it. Wendy is (or was) a recapper on Television Without Pity and she keeps her own weblog as well.
Friday, July 21, 2006
A vague sense of relief
Earlier this week I got offered the opportunity to join a person I know (sort of) and her friends at Pearl Jam at the Gorge this Sunday. I jumped at the chance because I love Pearl Jam more than any other band and because I'll never really get the chance to see them since I won't go alone and I don't know anyone who likes them as much as I do. After jumping I started to have 2nd thoughts. The Gorge is about 140 miles away. I don't know this girl that well and I don't know her friends at all. Plus the ticket cost and the gas cost and the food there cost was starting to add up to a lot of dough in my head. (blah blah blah neuroticcakes). So although I'm a little sad about missing them, I was a little glad to hear from her today that one of her friends has a new beau and she called dibs on the ticket. That's fine. I'm not sad about it. But it could've been fun. :)
A brief snapshot into my mornings
Every morning I walk out of my building and head up the hill to go to work. I then wait to cross the street at the longest stoplight known to man. It is so bad I once ran it red when driving because I had sat there for about 10 minutes while watching the walk sign go from walking man to blinking hand (usually indicates a light is about to change) and then back to walking man. I gave up. It was after 11:00 PM and nobody was around. I'm a rebel, yo. But I digress. As I cross the street I walk past the same 3 guys every day. Scooter guy rides a scooter (duh) the kid kind not the Vespa kind. Every day he goes hurtling down a hill at breakneck speed and I always wonder to myself how many pairs of shoes he must go through in a year since every morning he is using his foot to slow himself down a'la Fred Flintstone. There's this other guy I walk past with long dreadlocks. Every morning he is on the phone. Who could he possibly be calling at 7:40 every morning? It is so weird. The third guy I walk past I always vaguely wonder if he is gay. I saw him this morning riding his motorcycle without a helmet. Now I just think he may be dumb. :)
I decided to take 'the southern' route to work today bypassing the hospitals and instead walking past a park and several more apartment buildings on my treelined walk. I watched several squirrels frolicing (and that's not a euphamism they were just playing). Whenever I walk this route it feels like I'm going to work on the wrong day because there's not a lot of action on the street. There's more people and activity along the 'northern' route. (They really aren't north/south routes since I have to walk UP to Madison I consider that north vs staying down on Union (or University I can never remember which is which) hence that one is south :) Don't question my logic.) I missed the guy who walks the big guard dog, usually I see him in the AM too. The dog guards the fancy schmancy car dealership near the U. (Cars shown by appointment only.) And after a brief jaunt past random homeless guy I was at work. I like the morning walks. (The evening ones not so much but only because right now it is hot by then.)
I decided to take 'the southern' route to work today bypassing the hospitals and instead walking past a park and several more apartment buildings on my treelined walk. I watched several squirrels frolicing (and that's not a euphamism they were just playing). Whenever I walk this route it feels like I'm going to work on the wrong day because there's not a lot of action on the street. There's more people and activity along the 'northern' route. (They really aren't north/south routes since I have to walk UP to Madison I consider that north vs staying down on Union (or University I can never remember which is which) hence that one is south :) Don't question my logic.) I missed the guy who walks the big guard dog, usually I see him in the AM too. The dog guards the fancy schmancy car dealership near the U. (Cars shown by appointment only.) And after a brief jaunt past random homeless guy I was at work. I like the morning walks. (The evening ones not so much but only because right now it is hot by then.)
Thursday, July 20, 2006
A little less deep
My previous post, while thought provoking and prompting of a lot of comments (yay) is a little deep. I'm feeling a lot more shallow today. :)
I may be moving on to a new work crush or 2. These most definitely will be the unrequited kind as opposed to the crushes with potential if I just waited around until I died (or set the precedent of making every move which I'm unwilling to do) which my current one was. There's one boy who works in my building who is just fun to look at. I must be very discreet, though, as I work in human resources and it would be very bad to get in trouble for sexual harrassment. :)
The adrenaline rush of getting up at 7:24 when your alarm is supposed to go off at 6:15 (it did but I think I turned it off) is quite a jolt. Somehow I managed to get to work on time which is even weirder when you consider how often I'm late to work in the morning. And I think I look kind of cute today in khaki capris and a sort of robin's egg blue button down shirt and brown sandals.
I went with Big R, Isa and MichelleC to dinner last night. We went to the Deluxe to get burgers on the hill. I had never been there before, but on Wednesday nights their burger plate is only $4.99 (but you have to buy a drink which is $1.85 so it isn't REALLY $4.99). The peppered bacon and Tillamook cheddar chicken sandwich (you can replace a grilled chicken breast for the burger for an extra dollar) was really good. And then I saw the best thing ever on their menu... flourless chocolate cake. YUM! It was lovely. The guy who seated us was hot. Incredibly hot. Dark hair pale eyes kind of guy. We were musing about whether or not he was gay (you know since EVERYBODY on the hill is the gay). I could swear I saw him check out Isa (boys are NOT subtle). So while we were eating, Big R asked our waitress if he was gay or straight. She laughed and said she had no idea and that had actually been a topic of conversation among the waitstaff as the guy had only been there 3 weeks. She thinks he is straight. Hee. Big R wanted to ask him, but I reminded him how pissed he was when a guy asked him outright at the law school one day.
I may be moving on to a new work crush or 2. These most definitely will be the unrequited kind as opposed to the crushes with potential if I just waited around until I died (or set the precedent of making every move which I'm unwilling to do) which my current one was. There's one boy who works in my building who is just fun to look at. I must be very discreet, though, as I work in human resources and it would be very bad to get in trouble for sexual harrassment. :)
The adrenaline rush of getting up at 7:24 when your alarm is supposed to go off at 6:15 (it did but I think I turned it off) is quite a jolt. Somehow I managed to get to work on time which is even weirder when you consider how often I'm late to work in the morning. And I think I look kind of cute today in khaki capris and a sort of robin's egg blue button down shirt and brown sandals.
I went with Big R, Isa and MichelleC to dinner last night. We went to the Deluxe to get burgers on the hill. I had never been there before, but on Wednesday nights their burger plate is only $4.99 (but you have to buy a drink which is $1.85 so it isn't REALLY $4.99). The peppered bacon and Tillamook cheddar chicken sandwich (you can replace a grilled chicken breast for the burger for an extra dollar) was really good. And then I saw the best thing ever on their menu... flourless chocolate cake. YUM! It was lovely. The guy who seated us was hot. Incredibly hot. Dark hair pale eyes kind of guy. We were musing about whether or not he was gay (you know since EVERYBODY on the hill is the gay). I could swear I saw him check out Isa (boys are NOT subtle). So while we were eating, Big R asked our waitress if he was gay or straight. She laughed and said she had no idea and that had actually been a topic of conversation among the waitstaff as the guy had only been there 3 weeks. She thinks he is straight. Hee. Big R wanted to ask him, but I reminded him how pissed he was when a guy asked him outright at the law school one day.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
What drives it?
Several of the people on The Peevery's blogroll are women or families trying to have more children using in-vitro or other seemingly invasive procedures. As I read through all their struggles I wonder what it is that drives them to such extremes. I use extremes because to me they seem like extremes but I'm sure to other people this is the route one goes through when one is trying to have a baby. Now Michelle and I both have 'views' on artificial insemination. I look at it and think there are so many kids out there who need loving permanent homes it seems selfish to spend so much money just to have a kid who has my DNA.
Thanks to the FSH of a post-menopausal woman (now you dear intenets know more about my girlie bits than my own mother does, of course she's crazy so why would I tell her that), I have been told it will be difficult if not impossible to conceive by myself. (Well it would actually impossible to conceive by MYSELF, but I suppose it would be difficult if not impossible to conceive naturally without artificial means is the proper way to say that). And I've known this for years. I've suspected it for even longer. When you have 3 periods in a year naturally, you kind of suspect something is wrong but student health insurance really doesn't investigate that too thoroughly. (And to be honest, I haven't bothered pursuing it too much either because well I'm lazy and I hate the girlie bits doctors.)
Which brings me back to the point of this whole post... What drives such a strong desire to pass on one's own DNA? Is it because I'm not currently married to a man who I love with all my heart and want to see his brown eyes replicated on a little person that I don't understand? Or is it because I was 'lucky' enough to discover this issue long before it was an issue so I've had years to come to grips? (And goodness knows, I may luck out and bang get knocked up on my first time condomless and this whole thing could be moot.)
Thanks to the FSH of a post-menopausal woman (now you dear intenets know more about my girlie bits than my own mother does, of course she's crazy so why would I tell her that), I have been told it will be difficult if not impossible to conceive by myself. (Well it would actually impossible to conceive by MYSELF, but I suppose it would be difficult if not impossible to conceive naturally without artificial means is the proper way to say that). And I've known this for years. I've suspected it for even longer. When you have 3 periods in a year naturally, you kind of suspect something is wrong but student health insurance really doesn't investigate that too thoroughly. (And to be honest, I haven't bothered pursuing it too much either because well I'm lazy and I hate the girlie bits doctors.)
Which brings me back to the point of this whole post... What drives such a strong desire to pass on one's own DNA? Is it because I'm not currently married to a man who I love with all my heart and want to see his brown eyes replicated on a little person that I don't understand? Or is it because I was 'lucky' enough to discover this issue long before it was an issue so I've had years to come to grips? (And goodness knows, I may luck out and bang get knocked up on my first time condomless and this whole thing could be moot.)
Monday, July 17, 2006
Bag a bunch of book reviews
I finished up a bunch of books between camping and this weekend so I thought I'd comment on a few.
One of the first books I devoured recently was the sequel to Dan Savage's book The Kid. This one is The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage and My Family. This one was also excellent. I like his style, he is very straight forward. This one picks up several years after The Kid does and he and his partner Terry are planning their 10 year anniversary. In gay boy world that's like a 50th anniversary. He talks a lot of politics in the story but there's a lot of warmth and heart and I think I might have shed a tear or two with this book. I highly recommend him.
I also read quickly The Answer is Yes. I also really enjoyed this one. Amazon gives it a favorable review also I see. Basically it is the story of a young woman in a new town whose husband is a bit distant and how she really wants to be happy. She ends up at the Institute of Affirmation which holds adult classes in things like Making Miracles. It is mostly her quest to find herself and she manages to find all sorts of happiness along the way. I really enjoyed it.
I picked up Something Borrowed after I discovered that Something Blue (which I previously read) was actually the sequel to it. I shouldn't have liked this book. I'm against books about affairs (although the couple was not yet married so that is a bit more of a gray area to me but they were engaged). But there was something about this book that made me like it. Maybe it was that the main character was always being upstaged by her best friend and I could relate to that. (Not currently, but in high school my best friend was the pretty one and the one who went out with the guys I liked and the one who just seemed to have all the breaks.) So I think I liked the aspect that I really could understand where the girl was coming from. Strangely, even though I read Something Blue first, I think I liked this order almost better. I know the aftermath of the affair and then got to see how we got there. I don't know that I would've liked the stories had I read them the other way around, but since the 2nd book really focuses on Darcy (the slighted best friend) I feel like I knew her better than in the 1st book.
I checked out Correcting the Landscape because I found it on Peeved Michelle's wishlist from Amazon. She and I have somewhat similar tastes in books so when I'm desperate for an author I look up her wishlist and 9 times out of 10 she has a bunch of new books on there, many of which seem interesting so I can check them out. :) This one, at least so far, was not interesting. In fact it was so not interesting I put it down after about the 3rd chapter. I don't think I like the author's writing style.
One other I read was Cover the Butter. I found it on the new books shelf and thought it looked interesting. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be based on the descriptor although now that I've read some of the Amazon reviews I think that might have been just me. :) (Or it is because I've been reading a lot of Thursday Next books where anything can happen). It was solid and I did feel bad for the main character a lot of the book, but I don't know that I enjoyed it. I didn't hate it enough to put it down though so that's a good thing. :)
Finally I've been working through the Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. (And again when I went to search for these books on Amazon I typed in Fforde, Jas and couldn't get the damn books. Seriously there's a conspiracy. But I digress. I'm now working on #2 in the series but I've already read 3 & 4 (honestly, if an author is going to do a series they should be numbered in an obvious way, and I realize that publishing dates is kind of obvious but somehow I missed that and got 3 & 4 before 2 and just decided to read those first.). I really like these books. I think they're very smart reading and just really fun. I can't explain why I like them so much, I just do. :)
One of the first books I devoured recently was the sequel to Dan Savage's book The Kid. This one is The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage and My Family. This one was also excellent. I like his style, he is very straight forward. This one picks up several years after The Kid does and he and his partner Terry are planning their 10 year anniversary. In gay boy world that's like a 50th anniversary. He talks a lot of politics in the story but there's a lot of warmth and heart and I think I might have shed a tear or two with this book. I highly recommend him.
I also read quickly The Answer is Yes. I also really enjoyed this one. Amazon gives it a favorable review also I see. Basically it is the story of a young woman in a new town whose husband is a bit distant and how she really wants to be happy. She ends up at the Institute of Affirmation which holds adult classes in things like Making Miracles. It is mostly her quest to find herself and she manages to find all sorts of happiness along the way. I really enjoyed it.
I picked up Something Borrowed after I discovered that Something Blue (which I previously read) was actually the sequel to it. I shouldn't have liked this book. I'm against books about affairs (although the couple was not yet married so that is a bit more of a gray area to me but they were engaged). But there was something about this book that made me like it. Maybe it was that the main character was always being upstaged by her best friend and I could relate to that. (Not currently, but in high school my best friend was the pretty one and the one who went out with the guys I liked and the one who just seemed to have all the breaks.) So I think I liked the aspect that I really could understand where the girl was coming from. Strangely, even though I read Something Blue first, I think I liked this order almost better. I know the aftermath of the affair and then got to see how we got there. I don't know that I would've liked the stories had I read them the other way around, but since the 2nd book really focuses on Darcy (the slighted best friend) I feel like I knew her better than in the 1st book.
I checked out Correcting the Landscape because I found it on Peeved Michelle's wishlist from Amazon. She and I have somewhat similar tastes in books so when I'm desperate for an author I look up her wishlist and 9 times out of 10 she has a bunch of new books on there, many of which seem interesting so I can check them out. :) This one, at least so far, was not interesting. In fact it was so not interesting I put it down after about the 3rd chapter. I don't think I like the author's writing style.
One other I read was Cover the Butter. I found it on the new books shelf and thought it looked interesting. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be based on the descriptor although now that I've read some of the Amazon reviews I think that might have been just me. :) (Or it is because I've been reading a lot of Thursday Next books where anything can happen). It was solid and I did feel bad for the main character a lot of the book, but I don't know that I enjoyed it. I didn't hate it enough to put it down though so that's a good thing. :)
Finally I've been working through the Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. (And again when I went to search for these books on Amazon I typed in Fforde, Jas and couldn't get the damn books. Seriously there's a conspiracy. But I digress. I'm now working on #2 in the series but I've already read 3 & 4 (honestly, if an author is going to do a series they should be numbered in an obvious way, and I realize that publishing dates is kind of obvious but somehow I missed that and got 3 & 4 before 2 and just decided to read those first.). I really like these books. I think they're very smart reading and just really fun. I can't explain why I like them so much, I just do. :)
Moving on up...
Any long term readers may know that I've considered buying my own place off and on for several years now. I read an article in yesterday's Seattle Times that said that in all of King County there are only 9 areas where a middle income family can buy a home. In Seattle, there's 1 place. Not good news, especially as I am far below what the state considers to be middle income. I've been looking at homes recently in Bremerton. I could afford to buy a house in Bremerton. A house. With more than 1 bedroom. And the ones I've seen online are all cute. So I'm making a pro and con list to help me think this further.
Pro: I could buy a house with a yard at less than I'm paying currently in rent. According to a coworker who lives there now, Bremerton is working very hard on cuteing themselves up and making the area more attractive to people as a place to move to so if I were to get in now the potential is there for this to be a very good buy. There is still public transportation out there so I may still be able to avoid car ownership.
Con: 1 hour ferry ride every day to go to work and back. I'd be much farther away from my friends than I currently am and this, I suspect, would start to limit my social activities on the weekends. Oh and did I mention the 1 hour ferry ride to work and 1 hour home? That would require me to catch the ferry at 6:20 AM to get to Seattle by 7:20 and then catch the bus up the hill. I just don't know about that. (Even if I owned a car the ferry ride would be necessary because the only other way would be to drive down south by Tacoma and drive back up) There is a Kitsap fast ferry that would only be 40 minutes and it leaves at a good time for me, but if I were to miss that one... I'd be stuck and late for work. I just don't know. Also the ferry is expensive (less expensive than owning a car but still over 100 bucks/mo in transportation costs, although I just checked at public safety and I can get a reduced ferry pass through the U and keep my regular bus pass so it is a slightly less con).
What do you think? I may need to change my upcoming Sunday adventure to a field trip to Bremerton so that I can really see what it is like out there and how the walking distances are.
Pro: I could buy a house with a yard at less than I'm paying currently in rent. According to a coworker who lives there now, Bremerton is working very hard on cuteing themselves up and making the area more attractive to people as a place to move to so if I were to get in now the potential is there for this to be a very good buy. There is still public transportation out there so I may still be able to avoid car ownership.
Con: 1 hour ferry ride every day to go to work and back. I'd be much farther away from my friends than I currently am and this, I suspect, would start to limit my social activities on the weekends. Oh and did I mention the 1 hour ferry ride to work and 1 hour home? That would require me to catch the ferry at 6:20 AM to get to Seattle by 7:20 and then catch the bus up the hill. I just don't know about that. (Even if I owned a car the ferry ride would be necessary because the only other way would be to drive down south by Tacoma and drive back up) There is a Kitsap fast ferry that would only be 40 minutes and it leaves at a good time for me, but if I were to miss that one... I'd be stuck and late for work. I just don't know. Also the ferry is expensive (less expensive than owning a car but still over 100 bucks/mo in transportation costs, although I just checked at public safety and I can get a reduced ferry pass through the U and keep my regular bus pass so it is a slightly less con).
What do you think? I may need to change my upcoming Sunday adventure to a field trip to Bremerton so that I can really see what it is like out there and how the walking distances are.
Crikey I'm exhausted!
Today I Sunday Adventured with Isa, Big R, Michelle C and Isa's friend from Hawai'i Amy. We went to Denny Creek and up the trail is a place where the rocks form natural waterslides. The hike was only 1 mile, but it was mostly uphill which killed me. I go back to the doctor on the 25th and I fear he may tell me no more Sunday Adventures, but until then... ;)
Eek! What is that in the trees? Is it Bigfoot? No, it is Big R who needed to use the little boys room in the woods. :)
Denny Creek from above. The creek wasn't that full, but you can see how full it could be sometimes.
This is by the slides. Isa & Big R climbed up the big waterfall in the background. I just walked back that way. There was a spot to slide up there and we did, although I don't think I like the loss of control. Next time we want to remember to bring tevas because it was just too hard to walk on the rocks barefoot. I noticed when I was putting my shoes on that there was a teeny drop of blood on the bottom of one of my feet from the rocks.
The natural rock slides. You can see a lot of kids playing in the creek water. The water was very very cold but it felt really good after our hot hike.
Me and Amy. Amy is heading back to Hawai'i tomorrow. She was in Spokane doing law school and will be taking the bar next week. You can just barely see the big book in her lap. She studied instead of playing in the creek water. :)
Big R is exhausted. He did a lot of hiking and walking up and down the creek.
All of us together. From l-r: Isa, Big R, Michelle C, me and Amy. 
Up the stairs to go home. That's how steep most of the hike up was. It was seriously exhausting. It was totally fun though and the creek was so nice and fun to play in. I have some pics of us in the creek but they are on my left over disposable waterproof camera. Afterward we went to dinner at Olive Garden. Hawai'i doesn't have Olive Garden restaurants, but apparently they have a lot of ads for them so whenever any of Isa's friends come over to the mainland, they all want to go to Olive Garden. For some odd reason, our dinner took a LIFETIME. (an hour from order to table which is ridiculous). Our waitress was so awesome she took a break and then came back from it and pointed out to the manager that we had waited so long and the manager comped all our dinners. So that was nice. Then we got dessert too! :) We asked her how to tip when most of us have cards and she seemed startled that we were going to tip her. It wasn't her fault our dinners were so slow. The food and dessert was sooo good. It was totally what I needed. :) (I had the mixed grill which was chicken and steak kabobs and their 'Tuscan potatoes' which are just fried potatoes.)
Bon Odori
I went to the Bon Odori festival on Saturday evening. Bon Odori honors the the ancestors. There was Japanese dancing and drumming. The temple was open and I went inside (and saw a guy from work actually). I didn't take any pictures inside the temple because somehow that seems wrong to me, but I did buy a set of post cards some of which had been taken inside. I had some teriyaki chicken for dinner, it wasn't as good as I get in one of the like 50 teriyaki restaurants in my area. :)
Taiko Drumming. I love the drumming. There's so much dance to it. That's the Buddhist Temple in the background.
Dancers in kimono. I really like kimono, I think they are so beautiful.
More dancers.
This is the crowded street. Basically they close off one part of the street and the dancers do a big circle up and down the street.Thursday, July 13, 2006
Oregon pics!
Yay! Blogger is finally working and I can post the first part of the camping pics. Basically these are in order of the day and a half we spent actually camping.
Here's our campsite the first morning. Three tents for 4 girls, we are a little silly aren't we? :) Our spot was actually rather nice and kind of cut off from the rest of the units. One thing I noticed that I did like was that all the campsites that I saw had some sort of bushes growing around them so there was a little privacy. 
The beach first thing in the morning. I did wade in it a little while. The water seemed pretty cold. The waves were a lot bigger than they were at Nahalem Bay. It surprised me. I didn't get a chance to go in (I took a nap instead), but next year when we go I think I'm going to.
I like these rocks on the coast. I'm not sure what area they are in but they are just so cool jutting out of the water with the little trees.
You can't see but the truck in front of the white truck is a hay truck and towing horses. We were in a 45 mile zone doing 16 fucking miles per hour. (Yes I wrote that in with photoshop, apparently the fancy speedometer doesn't photograph well.) Since the roads are so curvy and hilly on the coast there are not too many places to pass. We were stuck behind this guy for fucking ever. I wanted to ram someone.
An interesting thing happened in the evening. Our campsite was rather near the path to the beach and all these people were walking by getting ready to go to the beach to watch the sunset over the beach. And once we got to the beach there were a TON of people standing and watching the sunset. This is Isa, Michelle & me waiting for the sunset. Michelle was still eating her corn. :)
Daisy, Michelle & Isa now waiting for the sunset. This year we failed to get a group picture of us which does not make me happy but life goes on.On the drive down and back we ate at Burgerville. Their burgers are awesome. I even wrote a comment card because I was so impressed by the fact that they not only understood the whole "no bun" thing, they actually presented my bunless burger in a nice way. The same guy was there both on the ride down and on the way back so that was a tad embarrassing. The girls were teasing me that he liked me. He was not nearly as yummy as Park Ranger Dimples. (plus I don't know if he was even over 20.) The funny thing about this trek to Burgerville, we missed the one we went to last year in Centralia. Michelle suggested we get off at a random exit figuring there'd be one. As we drove past these guys outside with a sign and she asked him if there was one nearby. It was totally like 4 blocks away. We laughed our ass off.
Blargh
Ok apparently the other Oregon pics are going to have to wait because blogger is being a dumbass and not posting them.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Oregon pics! Set 2
Here's the 2nd set of pictures I took while camping.
The perfect log cabin style campfire. I'll have you all know I lit it using just 2 matches and 2 little fire starters. My girl scouts would be so proud. :) Log cabin campfires are supposed to be the ideal ones for cooking on. 
Check out our dinner cooking! Per tradition the girls got seafood. The oysters are Daisy's and Isa's and the crab is one of theirs. They all get them. Down near the fire, please note the silver foil. That was my attempt at a baked potato. It didn't work out so I ended up cooking them in a cast iron skillet over the fire.
Sunset over the ocean. We all went out and stood to watch the sunset. This is one of many shots I got of it.
The girls. We were getting ready to toast marshmellows and sat around shooting the shit. It was a nice bonding moment.
Moon and the campfire. I build a pretty damn good fire if I do say so myself. :)
The cute light house we saw at Cape Mears. I want to go back sometime when the gift shop is open and the sky is clear. The whole area was fogged in.Foo Fighters Concert
I went to the concert last night. It was really good and I had a good time volunteering too! I was standing at the doors directing people to their seats. It was fun. I got 'flirted' with by drunk guys who were trying to convince me to let them bring their beers in. I always seem to get paired with the oddest regular usher though. This one was an art teacher (substitute right now) but just talking to her was the oddest thing. I can't remember any reason specifically but she was just odd.
The show was mostly acoustic (although I don't think it was 'technically' acoustic as they were using amps or microphones of some sort for their instruments and I thought I saw an electric guitar down there so I think that makes it not acoustic.). I was in the nosebleed section, though, so it could've just been my eyes. The volunteers get to see the show from the chairs behind the very back row in the theater. The theater only holds 2600, though so it isn't like I'm in the back row at Dodger Stadium or something. I think it is more like the Wiltern in LA. (Looking at the Wiltern's webpage that theater has about 2300 seats so it is similar). The music was great, although I think I started to doze off during some of their more quiet numbers. They did 1 encore (which I'm against encores, just play the damn show you want to play and don't make us (the crowd) beg you for more). During their encore, though, they played Best of You. I think this might actually be my favorite song they do. Dave Grohl did it all on his own, just him and his guitar. It was amazing. It would be the one time I wished I had my cellphone or something to record with (not that I would know how to move a message off my cellphone onto the computer even if I managed to record it onto my voicemail, but you know). They did one more song as a final closing and then we were off. I got home by 11:15 but was kind of keyed up and couldn't sleep until 12:30. Now I'm paying for it. zzzz.... :)
I think I'm going to have to go online and figure out how to download a song onto my computer. (I used to do it illegally. I no longer do so I have to find a pay place). The biggest problem is that my MP3 player is older. It still works great and has a huge ass memory so I don't feel I need or want a new one, but finding a music download program that supports it seems to be difficult. This honestly bugs on many levels. Even my own damn computer doesn't recognize it for what it is, and just thinks it is a mass storage device. Since I refuse to buy the Foo Fighters CD becuase of the protection software that is packed on it, I have to find an alternate means to acquire the music. And Itunes is out also (see above issue about older MP3 player). Blargh.
The show was mostly acoustic (although I don't think it was 'technically' acoustic as they were using amps or microphones of some sort for their instruments and I thought I saw an electric guitar down there so I think that makes it not acoustic.). I was in the nosebleed section, though, so it could've just been my eyes. The volunteers get to see the show from the chairs behind the very back row in the theater. The theater only holds 2600, though so it isn't like I'm in the back row at Dodger Stadium or something. I think it is more like the Wiltern in LA. (Looking at the Wiltern's webpage that theater has about 2300 seats so it is similar). The music was great, although I think I started to doze off during some of their more quiet numbers. They did 1 encore (which I'm against encores, just play the damn show you want to play and don't make us (the crowd) beg you for more). During their encore, though, they played Best of You. I think this might actually be my favorite song they do. Dave Grohl did it all on his own, just him and his guitar. It was amazing. It would be the one time I wished I had my cellphone or something to record with (not that I would know how to move a message off my cellphone onto the computer even if I managed to record it onto my voicemail, but you know). They did one more song as a final closing and then we were off. I got home by 11:15 but was kind of keyed up and couldn't sleep until 12:30. Now I'm paying for it. zzzz.... :)
I think I'm going to have to go online and figure out how to download a song onto my computer. (I used to do it illegally. I no longer do so I have to find a pay place). The biggest problem is that my MP3 player is older. It still works great and has a huge ass memory so I don't feel I need or want a new one, but finding a music download program that supports it seems to be difficult. This honestly bugs on many levels. Even my own damn computer doesn't recognize it for what it is, and just thinks it is a mass storage device. Since I refuse to buy the Foo Fighters CD becuase of the protection software that is packed on it, I have to find an alternate means to acquire the music. And Itunes is out also (see above issue about older MP3 player). Blargh.
Monday, July 10, 2006
I like it when a plan falls into place.
So, dear readers (does it bother you when I call you that? If so, I'll try to stop, but I doubt I will succeed because well, whatevah I do what I want - Oops a bit of Cartman just slipped in there...)
Anyway, I digress, so I got home from camping last night (with obviously a resolve to move to Oregon) and discovered much to my consternation that the parking garage the Flexcar is supposed to be parked in is closed on Sundays. Aha! How Flexcar manages to do this weekend 100 thing... they're getting more $$ out of the deal. Now I'm a little worried, I have to find a place to park it and then leave early to take it back. I don't like to park on the street because I don't know how to parallel park (well and I'm neurotic) so I go to find one of the pay parking lots that are all around us. Two of them have closed down and the 3rd is a combined pay lot/employee parking so during the workday it is an employee parking lot. Starting at 6:00 AM.
I drive around a bit and find a spot all on its own (between 2 driveways) that doesn't require mad parallel parking skillz and I pull in. Now I'm all angst ridden because I don't remember the rules about the meters. I KNOW on the weekend you don't have to use them because parking is free, but I don't know what time that changes in the AM and all that. Plus, I'm just neurotic so I worry, why did I find such a great space open? But I park and hope. This morning I get out of the apartment at an alarmingly early 7:15 and go up to get the car. It is, of course, still there and no ticket in sight. Phew.
As I'm driving to drop it off I look down at my button down shirt. Something is odd. I can't figure out what it is. Then I notice... I have buttoned it one button off. So while sitting at the light at Madison and Boren I start the button change. Manage to get it fixed as I go down Madison. (I wasn't about to undo them all so I did one at a time.) Returned the car successfully and then walked 3 blocks to the #2 bus. The 'Meth express' was full as always but as soon as it dropped off at the hospital (a lot of people work at the hospital and 2 stops later is a methadone clinic where about 10 people get off the bus) the crowd thinned out quite a bit. I even managed to get to work early, how is that possible? :)
Anyway, I digress, so I got home from camping last night (with obviously a resolve to move to Oregon) and discovered much to my consternation that the parking garage the Flexcar is supposed to be parked in is closed on Sundays. Aha! How Flexcar manages to do this weekend 100 thing... they're getting more $$ out of the deal. Now I'm a little worried, I have to find a place to park it and then leave early to take it back. I don't like to park on the street because I don't know how to parallel park (well and I'm neurotic) so I go to find one of the pay parking lots that are all around us. Two of them have closed down and the 3rd is a combined pay lot/employee parking so during the workday it is an employee parking lot. Starting at 6:00 AM.
I drive around a bit and find a spot all on its own (between 2 driveways) that doesn't require mad parallel parking skillz and I pull in. Now I'm all angst ridden because I don't remember the rules about the meters. I KNOW on the weekend you don't have to use them because parking is free, but I don't know what time that changes in the AM and all that. Plus, I'm just neurotic so I worry, why did I find such a great space open? But I park and hope. This morning I get out of the apartment at an alarmingly early 7:15 and go up to get the car. It is, of course, still there and no ticket in sight. Phew.
As I'm driving to drop it off I look down at my button down shirt. Something is odd. I can't figure out what it is. Then I notice... I have buttoned it one button off. So while sitting at the light at Madison and Boren I start the button change. Manage to get it fixed as I go down Madison. (I wasn't about to undo them all so I did one at a time.) Returned the car successfully and then walked 3 blocks to the #2 bus. The 'Meth express' was full as always but as soon as it dropped off at the hospital (a lot of people work at the hospital and 2 stops later is a methadone clinic where about 10 people get off the bus) the crowd thinned out quite a bit. I even managed to get to work early, how is that possible? :)
Sunday, July 09, 2006
I want to live in Oregon!
Honestly, if I could find a job in one of those cute little communities we visited this past weekend I totally would move there. I'm always seeking something that I can't find. Sometimes I get tired of that. I think it is mostly that I'm tired right now so that makes me listless. We got back at 7:30ish from camping. It was so beautiful there. I love the houses (which I'm sure I can't afford). I love the trees. I love the cool temperatures. (It is not 50 degrees here tonight). Ok I was wrong. I can afford a house in Tillamook. It doesn't change that I wouldn't be able to find a job there, but I could afford to buy a house. :) I could get a dog. The people were so nice. Sigh. Ooh also, I met a hot ranger at Cape Lookout. (Which also was beautiful and I'm going to post pictures later this week).
Friday, July 07, 2006
Je fait du camping
Well everyone, I'm off for the weekend camping! I am very very excited to go. We leave at 1:30 and will be going down to the coast of Oregon for the 2nd Annual Girls Camping trip. We will be going to Cape Lookout.
When I get back it will take me awhile to post again because I stupidly set up volunteering for Monday night and Tuesday night with The Paramount ushering for Foo Fighters and Dashboard Confessional concerts. I am rather excited about both of those shows too. The great thing about volunteering for the theater is that I get to attend the shows so... :) Both nights will be late nights for me.
When I get back it will take me awhile to post again because I stupidly set up volunteering for Monday night and Tuesday night with The Paramount ushering for Foo Fighters and Dashboard Confessional concerts. I am rather excited about both of those shows too. The great thing about volunteering for the theater is that I get to attend the shows so... :) Both nights will be late nights for me.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
A kiss to build a dream on
You ever have one of those dreams where you are kissing someone? I had one last night. The guy was sitting on the top bunk of a set of bunk beds in a cabin and I walked over like I was dating him and totally started kissing him. He was a good kisser. The alarming part. It was a coworker. It was NOT the work crush. It was this random guy who I talk to periodically and who I have no feelings for whatsoever. So then when I saw him today I felt a tad embarrassed that my subconscious was all over him.
According to Dreammoods:
Coworker: To see your coworkers in your dream, highlights aspects of your waking relationship with them, including difficulties/support. It signifies your ambition, struggles and competitive nature. (ooh that is not good)
Kiss: To dream of a kiss, denotes love, affection, tranquility, harmony, and contentment. (hmm) If you are kissing a close friend, then it represents your respect and adoration for your friend. It may or may not signify a romantic interest for him or her. (except he isn't a close friend) If you are kissed by a stranger, then your dream is one of self-discovery. You need to get more acquainted with some aspect of yourself. (but he isn't really a total stranger either. Where's the part about kissing a random acquaintance??)
Bunk Bed: To see bunk beds in your dream, represents childhood and innocence. Alternatively, it may refer to diverging and conflicting views of sexuality. You may have difficulties expressing your needs and desires. (so I want to be kissing this coworker in real life? Or do I want to kiss a female coworker? What does this mean?)
Cabin: To dream that you are in or see a cabin in your dream, indicates that you succeed via your own means. It suggests that you are self-reliant and independent, yet still remain humble. You prefer the simpler things in life. (Well, at least 1 easy thing. I do prefer simpler things in life. :) )
According to Dreammoods:
Coworker: To see your coworkers in your dream, highlights aspects of your waking relationship with them, including difficulties/support. It signifies your ambition, struggles and competitive nature. (ooh that is not good)
Kiss: To dream of a kiss, denotes love, affection, tranquility, harmony, and contentment. (hmm) If you are kissing a close friend, then it represents your respect and adoration for your friend. It may or may not signify a romantic interest for him or her. (except he isn't a close friend) If you are kissed by a stranger, then your dream is one of self-discovery. You need to get more acquainted with some aspect of yourself. (but he isn't really a total stranger either. Where's the part about kissing a random acquaintance??)
Bunk Bed: To see bunk beds in your dream, represents childhood and innocence. Alternatively, it may refer to diverging and conflicting views of sexuality. You may have difficulties expressing your needs and desires. (so I want to be kissing this coworker in real life? Or do I want to kiss a female coworker? What does this mean?)
Cabin: To dream that you are in or see a cabin in your dream, indicates that you succeed via your own means. It suggests that you are self-reliant and independent, yet still remain humble. You prefer the simpler things in life. (Well, at least 1 easy thing. I do prefer simpler things in life. :) )
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Kubota Gardens
Today was my Sunday Adventure to Kubota Garden. It was totally beautiful! I really liked how centered (vaguely dirty hippie I realize) I feel after having gone. I had forgotten how much I love solitary Sunday Adventures. The bus ride was a bit long but totally uneventful. It only took about 1/2 hour from downtown. I had a picnic lunch. I explored the garden. I hiked up hill and down dale (wearing the boot thankyouverymuch.) I sat and read and I sat and wrote my postcards to my friend Kate in Vermont. (She wrote me a letter the other day and no longer has internet connection, so if I want to reply I have to put paper to pen. I thought the postcards would be fun.) It was a beautiful sunny day. It wasn't too hot in the gardens so that was nice.
Moon Bridge. According to the brochure, the moon bridge "symbolizes the difficulty of living a good life. 'Hard to get up and hard to get down.'" It was difficult to walk up, especially in the boot. I had to step twice to get it right becuase it is really steep. It was also very cool, though, so that makes me happy. :) 
Big Rock. You can't see it (or barely can) but there are Japanese characters carved into the rock. According to the brochure, that is a brief history of the garden carved into the rock. I took a rubbing of some of the characters. Also very cool. :)
Pretty purple and pink flowers. I don't know what kind they are but I like 'em.
One of many waterfalls in the park. They were all tucked in and kind of hidden so you could hear them and just see them. They were really peaceful and cute. I sat and had lunch at the top of this one. It was just so nice.
I don't know what these flowers are either, but I really like them. They are purple and just sooo pretty.
Japanese Maple tree. I really really love these trees. I love how cool their trunks twist. I love the featheryness of their leaves. But most of all I love how their leaves and branches make little hidden places. Y'all know how I LOVE little hidden places. If I ever get my own back yard, I'm going to plant several of them and hold tea parties with my kids under them.
Dragonfly! There were 2 of these guys buzzing all around a pond. They were so pretty! Their bodies were an electric bluish (similar in color actually to my tattoo) and their wings were black tipped. It took me forever just to get this picture. I also annoyed a girl who was sitting behind me under a tree on a cell phone. She was clearly having a disagreement with someone or other. She eventually moved her conversation to another rock.
Finally, your intrepid explorer at the end of the day. I was hot and kind of tired but it was a good time. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait until my next Sunday Adventure.Saturday, July 01, 2006
3 reviews - 2 good 1 bad
Isa and I went and watched The Devil Wears Prada yesterday after work. It was awesome. I laughed so hard through most of it. And there were sufficiently touching scenes too. I read the book and for the life of me I don't remember it. Glen Close was brilliant, as always. I loved the other admin assistant, Emily. And Anne Hathaway, I think, was a great blend of vulnerable and pluck. I was less fond of her boyfriend played by the guy with the wild dark hair from Entourage, but that's okay, he was a mostly minor character. (And it is entirely possible I just didn't like the character that much.)
I checked out from the library the book The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Get Pregnant by Dan Savage. Dan Savage is a syndicated sex columnist whose column I've read periodically but sometimes the letters he gets freak me out. :) He wrote this book about the open adoption process that he and his significant other experienced. I started this book last night at 10:30 and finished at 2:30 AM. It was that good. I couldn't put it down. I laughed at a few parts. I cried at a few parts. I loved it and now I'm looking forward to one of his other books about gay marriage.
Finally, earlier this week I went and saw Superman Returns. I didn't like it. I was mostly bored. I didn't like Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. I called one of the plot points right off the bat. And I fundamentally cannot believe that the people he (Clark & Superman) are so incredibly stupid that they cannot put together Clark's 5 year absence and Superman's 5 year absence and not at least ask the question. I did, however, see it in the Cinerama which is quickly becoming my favorite theater. The seats are comfy and plush and rock.
I checked out from the library the book The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Get Pregnant by Dan Savage. Dan Savage is a syndicated sex columnist whose column I've read periodically but sometimes the letters he gets freak me out. :) He wrote this book about the open adoption process that he and his significant other experienced. I started this book last night at 10:30 and finished at 2:30 AM. It was that good. I couldn't put it down. I laughed at a few parts. I cried at a few parts. I loved it and now I'm looking forward to one of his other books about gay marriage.
Finally, earlier this week I went and saw Superman Returns. I didn't like it. I was mostly bored. I didn't like Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. I called one of the plot points right off the bat. And I fundamentally cannot believe that the people he (Clark & Superman) are so incredibly stupid that they cannot put together Clark's 5 year absence and Superman's 5 year absence and not at least ask the question. I did, however, see it in the Cinerama which is quickly becoming my favorite theater. The seats are comfy and plush and rock.
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