I have a strained muscle or pinched nerve in my back - the worst one in years. Got a massage yesterday but that only helped relieve about half the pain! Also got a little drunk and sat in a hot tub last night, which helped. So I took today off. I work tomorrow but then have four (!!!) days off. Looking forward to it. I'll be doing a little sailing and working aboard Lavengro (come help!) on Lake Union. I'm also really interested in honing my small-boat sailing skills, for when I have my own boat in Mexico. Within 2 years I figure I'll buy a cheap boat in San Diego and sail it to Cortez and live on it primarily, working about 4 months a year to support my habits (eating, sailing, traveling). Retirement plan? Pshaw. I decided long ago that if I'm either too old and infirm or just too infirm to Really Live Life then I'll figure out some inventive way to move on to the Next Plane of Existence. Currently the plan is to do a lot of drugs and sail straight into a level 4 or 5 hurricane. Thanks to Matt in Austin for the idea - he's going to do a lot of crack and meth and ride a jetski into the Gulf of Mexico during a hurricane instead.
So I want to get a lot of experience anchoring, sailing a small boat at night with very few crew (I'm thinking this means longer hours on watch) and just sail theory, repair, etc. I'm taking Adrian's Diesel Engine Theory class this fall and really looking forward to it. If anyone's interested, it's $305 and all day each Saturday in November and Dec 6th. Five Saturdays total. Big lunch included. All very hands-on aboard the Arthur Foss.
There was a plan to visit my dad this weekend, but I can't afford the gas that Jason's XTerra inhales, and while Dad's been pressing me to make these arrangements all summer, and I've been trying like hell to coordinate with my sister for the same weekend off, now he doesn't care because he's back with his wife and he's mad at my sister anyway. I'm going to stay at the KTwins houseboat and tend to Shithead instead. That's their cat. I wanted to help Nanette but besides prepping food, I can't afford to strain my back more. If I work aboard Lavengro I might be able to sand with my right hand, haha. Lame! Oh well. Poor Nanette with this cabin. I think she's been disheartened about the volunteer turnout this past month - I feel confident that everyone loves her and wants to help and be a part of the mountain cabin, but everyone has summer plans for their weekends. I work usually and now I have this stupid back problem. It was total brilliance on her part to get everyone out there in May, before summer truly kicked in. If she hadn't done that, who knows where the cabin would be now. Although, fuck that. She'd probably still have it done. She's seriously motivated in general. It's admirable. When the Mexico thing begins she's going to be even more unstoppable!!
I'm happy today. It's raining, been drizzling off and on for days, but I welcome it. It still gets pretty warm most days. I'm catching up on a lot of tasks that I've put off over the months - the magazine, the calendar, time with friends, tending to my own living space, etc. I'm one of those silly people who puts their heart and soul (aka all my time and energy) into a relationship, and yeah I know that dooms it sometimes. I'm older now, and learning, though. I can see that a balance is necessary. (and then Neko Case pipes in: "I'm holding out... for that teeeeenaaaage feeeeeling").
Did I mention how fun it was to see the movie Mamma Mia? I went alone late one night last week. It was the first time I felt weird going to a movie alone, only because there were ONLY WOMEN with their girlfriends in the theater. Except for the stinky snoring bum who snuck in to take a nap 2 seats from me. Mamma Mia is hilarious. This was my sister's promotion of it that got me to go: "If you're bummed out Kimmie you should go see it instead of Dark Knight. Pierce Brosnan can't sing and Colin Firth can't play guitar for shit and it's funny and an hour after watching them all run around singing you will be asking yourself What the hell are they all doing on this island???"
I highly recommend seeing it in the theater and not waiting for the DVD. A small screen will not do justice to the comic grandiosity - especially during Meryl Streep's little ABBA styled video montage and the choreographed dance scenes with the Greek citizens.
But yeah, I'm happy. I look forward to nurturing relationships with the girlfriends I already have - KTwin1, Lia (see the "Six Feet of Awesomeness" link to the right), Sasha, Polly, Sonja, Gina, Mikey Pru (ok not a girl but we have that kind of relationship) and my favorite new girlfriend - Diana. And of course Nanette. Nanette and I have a sort of Boston Marriage, in my mind. We will always be together working on our similar dreams for the world.
I love Seattle summers. I'm in a coffee shop drinking an americano and some odwallas, it's pouring outside but not too chilly, and the song Conscious Party is playing on the cafe speakers. Oh Ziggy Marley I remember when I used to listen to you. What happened to you? State fairs, probably. What I really want is some Steel Pulse. Anyone got some? The Steel Pulse mixtapes I made when I was 16 are long gone.
2008 Fremont Solstice Parade
The best parade in the country does not allow engine-powered entries (floats or otherwise) and is famous for it's naked bicyclists. Lia, I read your blog and linked to flickr and found this... couldn't resist blogging about the parade with such a great shot to be shared!
Keeping this going
I'm not updating much. No internets time. But I've been housesitting, now at the Ktwins's houseboat, for a few days and they have wifi. Tomorrow night it's back to the boat and then 2 days off with nothing to do. Fisher and I were going to do an overnight sail Friday but he says he doesn't want to now. Too bad I can't tag along with new friends Ben and Gina on their sail to the San Juans. Surely they wouldn't mind me snuggling into the vberth to watch dvds with them, right? Whatever. Jason and Christy will have to get used to it.
So work is going well... the magazine stuff hasn't been progressing much... but things are shaping up for the Women of Maritime calendar, so that's good. I'm going to take a class aboard Arthur Foss in November for five consecutive Saturdays called Diesel Engine Theory. I hope to get my AB and lifeboatman in November as well. Maybe even upgrade to a 200 ton near coastal mate or masters if possible. Alan K. wants to come down and scrape my hull in return for borrowing my boat for a weekend, and that idea is sketchy because I think my "seapoxy" is holding the hull together (barnacles, mussels, abalone, starfish, giant octopus, etc.). Got invited to go sailing for awhile aboard a friend's newly acquired Thunderbird 28 but alas I do like my job and want to keep it until the end of the season. If my boat were in better shape I'd be getting the fuck outta town every weekend EVERY WEEKEND. Maybe it's time I got fixed mine up or bought a better one.
So work is going well... the magazine stuff hasn't been progressing much... but things are shaping up for the Women of Maritime calendar, so that's good. I'm going to take a class aboard Arthur Foss in November for five consecutive Saturdays called Diesel Engine Theory. I hope to get my AB and lifeboatman in November as well. Maybe even upgrade to a 200 ton near coastal mate or masters if possible. Alan K. wants to come down and scrape my hull in return for borrowing my boat for a weekend, and that idea is sketchy because I think my "seapoxy" is holding the hull together (barnacles, mussels, abalone, starfish, giant octopus, etc.). Got invited to go sailing for awhile aboard a friend's newly acquired Thunderbird 28 but alas I do like my job and want to keep it until the end of the season. If my boat were in better shape I'd be getting the fuck outta town every weekend EVERY WEEKEND. Maybe it's time I got fixed mine up or bought a better one.
ginormous!
first thing - i'm pretty sure i coined the term "ginormous" back in 2004. i just heard it on a subway commercial and chances are it will eventually end up in the dictionary. there is the possibility of "ginormous" being born into collective consciousness but that theory is still unconfirmed.
in other important news:
the only reality show that the world is better off having than not having is Trading Spouses.
supernanny is almost worthy of actually being on tv. but i don't have kids and i wouldn't look to a tv show on how to raise them if i did. however trading spouses is such an incredible insight to human nature and family relationships and communication... this show has really touched me the few times i've seen it.
i'm staying at judd and sherri's this week - housesitting. no dog care. just plants. and cable tv.
last weekend i visited tall ships tacoma with brian for a few hours. a few long lost sailor friends were in town and that made the weekend fun.
the fourth of july was a good time, over at the KTwins' houseboat. the night ended with me kicking christy's ass in indian leg wrestling. then fish totally schooled ol' sledge in arm wrestling. our dominance thus established, we retired for the evening. look at her just lying there on the floor. poor thing.
in other important news:
the only reality show that the world is better off having than not having is Trading Spouses.
supernanny is almost worthy of actually being on tv. but i don't have kids and i wouldn't look to a tv show on how to raise them if i did. however trading spouses is such an incredible insight to human nature and family relationships and communication... this show has really touched me the few times i've seen it.
i'm staying at judd and sherri's this week - housesitting. no dog care. just plants. and cable tv.
last weekend i visited tall ships tacoma with brian for a few hours. a few long lost sailor friends were in town and that made the weekend fun.
the fourth of july was a good time, over at the KTwins' houseboat. the night ended with me kicking christy's ass in indian leg wrestling. then fish totally schooled ol' sledge in arm wrestling. our dominance thus established, we retired for the evening. look at her just lying there on the floor. poor thing.
