Yesterday Denver was hot as hell and near unbearable. Then the sun disappeared and we washed the perspiration off in cool showers, made some dinner, drank some wine, and headed over to Goosetown Brewery for a drink before the show. Sasha and I were just finishing our drinks when Andrew arrived. We went across the street to the Bluebird Theater, gave over our tickets, and Sasha proceeded to order more booze. It was 10pm, and the start of our night, and I was already drunk and happy.
The Bluebird is a perfect live music venue for music that inspires standing or dancing. There's a literal mosh "pit" in front of the stage, spanning the length of the stage and going back 12 feet. Then you walk up a short flight of stairs to the next tier, which has a railing in front and is also around 12 feet back. Add a few more of these tiers, each one being about 4 feet higher than the last, with the bar at the top and the balcony reserved for the young'ns. It's small, but it rocks. And EVERYONE can see very well.
Ok, so there weren't very many young'ns. C'mon, the Buzzcocks are almost 20 years past their heyday! While the crowd made me think of Ben Fold's song "Underground", it was refreshing to be one of the younger folks at a punk show. Plus I think Denver caters to the 30-something set more than any other town. This is apparent at many of the bars we've visited. I've been trying to mentally pin down why that matters at all, and ultimately, it doesn't, but the big difference between a show audience or bar crowd full of early 20-somethings vs kids my age is... comfort. Is that the word I'm looking for? Hmm. Specifically, the women seem casual and comfortable and genuinely happy, even without being drunk, and the guys are just there with their buddies and having a good time. It's not a meat market and there's no outrageous attention-hungry displays of drunkeness. No furtive glances "is HE looking over here?!?!" In fact it reminds me of going out to bars in europe. Relaxed and happy and not forced. Nobody cares too much about looking good or hooking up or getting obliterated because they all have girlfriends or wives or they long ago learned the reality of the meeting-girls-at-bars scene, and they also have jobs to go to then next day. So yeah... that was nice.
Oh yeah, the Buzzcocks! They rule. Man those guys are well seasoned performers and excellent musicians. They looked around 50 years old, and the bass & lead guitarists were full of energy and personality. The vocals were spot-on and they kept the crowd hyped up the entire time. Good fun.
After that we headed to "Benders", which is now my favorite bar in Denver, possibly the world. (note the Aqua Teen picture on their myspace!) Benders has a room for bigger live shows, where they were playing some lame house music, so we skipped that and entered the main bar/karaoke area. Once 4 girls decided to do Love Shack we promptly headed outside to the smoking section - reminiscent of many outdoor bar areas in Austin. The backyard was packed. Feeling talkative, I made friends with a couple from Oklahoma City, a tattoo artist who gave me some ideas for my future calf piece, and a fishing captain from Kodiak, Alaska who was a real dick but I won him over and then he commented on how if he was going to "get with" anyone there tonight it was going to be me, because I'm so straightforward. I laughed. Right then I realized that I'm such the committed girlfriend that I don't even flirt, and then I'm surprised when someone comes on to me. I really should flirt more. It's fun and harmless.
Andrew had been inside for a bit, watching the best rendition of "Hey Jealousy" ever performed (crawling up the walls, etc) and the staff was closing down the smoking section, so we went in and suffered through a terrible attempt at a Perfect Circle song. After that, though, this funny and wasted lesbian sweetly sang "Stand By Your Man" to her girlfriend, and the night ended with every soul in the building rocking out to two 30-yr-old hipster boys giving BelBivDevoe's "Poison" their full effort, while one of the guy's girlfriends, looking like Summer from Firefly and wearing a red tank top, short black jean shorts and tan worn out boots danced between them. It was the first time I'd ever witnessed a room full of strangers belting out the chorus to a BBD song.
And that was my night. It was fun fun fun and today I fly out of Denver. Short but sweet and I'm looking forward to visiting again. Maybe late spring or early fall would be more tolerable, though, weather-wise.
Denver Beer Night
My aunt and uncle needed some help loading their 18 wheeler in Iowa City, IA and then unloading in Durango, Colorado. Yesterday they dropped me off in Denver, because I wanted to visit my friend Sasha. It's been 5 years since Sasha and I last hung out together. She took me to some great Denver bars, where we drank good beer at Goosetown Brewery, shitty beer on sale at the Grateful Dead tribute bar known as Sanchos (pictured above), and some PBR to wash out the taste of the shitty beer. There's a few good music venues near these bars, and I noticed that Muse and Tricky are coming soon - thought of you, Jarad. Then again, after the sleepy Sigur Ros show I'm not so sure I'll be attending many ambient type shows in the future. So Tricky may be a no-go. It was fun to go out with Sasha - we used to get drunk in Waikiki regularly.
almost live! from michigan...
these are totally out of order. here are some pics of polly and her mom, and some shots i took from my window on the train.
Today's Hero: Joel Bakan
Everyone should see the dvd "The Corporation"!
Full of action! Bruce Willis! Catherine Zeta Jones! cameos include Steven Seagal, Julia Roberts, and Denzel Washington!!! Suspense! Sex! LOTS OF SEX & VIOLENCE! You'll LOVE IT!
ok so now all the people who NEED to see it, will go see it, right?
I just watched it today, and I'm feeling pretty enlightened.
Things I did not know previously:
a corporation is a group of people forming one business group, but legally considered to be "one person", therefore corporations have the same rights as individual humans (this right granted by terrible judges allowing the 14th amendment - which was supposed to guarantee more rights for blacks and abolish slavery - to also guarantee rights to corporations)
once upon a time, legal patents on any living organism were not allowed. some more judges thought it should be ok for bacteria to be patented. the patent office then decided that the only thing that could NOT be patented was a living human being. what's next?
also, where was i when all this privatization of water in 3rd world countries was going on? with my head in the sand? i mean, i heard something about it... no i think i heard about somewhere in the US where they were trying to privatize water and it wasn't working out. or maybe i wrote it off like i wrote off the privatization of utilities in california a while back. plus there's the fact that i rarely watch tv or read the paper. but damn... bolivians DIED fighting for their water! a San Francisco coporation called Bechtel bought the rights to ALL their water. these already poverty stricken people were not even allowed to collect RAINWATER! but they rose up and overcame. hmmm what will it take for US to finally rise up?
this bolivian guy made a great point: when their masses marched, all the company people and the authority figures fled. they OWNED the streets. reminds me of the rodney king riots and WTO (i was there - yes there were lots of cops but they were all huddled together. the rest of us had the run of the streets). terrible to equate the two, but the point is, there's a lot more of us than them. and there's a slow kind of genocide going on. corporations are killing us off with cancer and mental disorders - it'll turn a quick profit but sooner or later won't the sick public, sans health insurance, cease to earn a living and therefore cease their existence as active consumers? hmmm
and if you watch this, you may never drink milk again.
anyway, it's not as leftwing as i make it sound. it was objective and factual. be sure to watch the special features where the writer, Joel Bakan, speaks.
it got me wondering if there was an online store where people could buy reasonably priced household items and food. like a one-stop guilt free shopping site.
Full of action! Bruce Willis! Catherine Zeta Jones! cameos include Steven Seagal, Julia Roberts, and Denzel Washington!!! Suspense! Sex! LOTS OF SEX & VIOLENCE! You'll LOVE IT!
ok so now all the people who NEED to see it, will go see it, right?
I just watched it today, and I'm feeling pretty enlightened.
Things I did not know previously:
a corporation is a group of people forming one business group, but legally considered to be "one person", therefore corporations have the same rights as individual humans (this right granted by terrible judges allowing the 14th amendment - which was supposed to guarantee more rights for blacks and abolish slavery - to also guarantee rights to corporations)
once upon a time, legal patents on any living organism were not allowed. some more judges thought it should be ok for bacteria to be patented. the patent office then decided that the only thing that could NOT be patented was a living human being. what's next?
also, where was i when all this privatization of water in 3rd world countries was going on? with my head in the sand? i mean, i heard something about it... no i think i heard about somewhere in the US where they were trying to privatize water and it wasn't working out. or maybe i wrote it off like i wrote off the privatization of utilities in california a while back. plus there's the fact that i rarely watch tv or read the paper. but damn... bolivians DIED fighting for their water! a San Francisco coporation called Bechtel bought the rights to ALL their water. these already poverty stricken people were not even allowed to collect RAINWATER! but they rose up and overcame. hmmm what will it take for US to finally rise up?
this bolivian guy made a great point: when their masses marched, all the company people and the authority figures fled. they OWNED the streets. reminds me of the rodney king riots and WTO (i was there - yes there were lots of cops but they were all huddled together. the rest of us had the run of the streets). terrible to equate the two, but the point is, there's a lot more of us than them. and there's a slow kind of genocide going on. corporations are killing us off with cancer and mental disorders - it'll turn a quick profit but sooner or later won't the sick public, sans health insurance, cease to earn a living and therefore cease their existence as active consumers? hmmm
and if you watch this, you may never drink milk again.
anyway, it's not as leftwing as i make it sound. it was objective and factual. be sure to watch the special features where the writer, Joel Bakan, speaks.
it got me wondering if there was an online store where people could buy reasonably priced household items and food. like a one-stop guilt free shopping site.
views from a tug
strangely, i was sitting in a coffeeshop in grand rapids, michigan today that serves "fidalgo bay coffee". just two weeks ago i was thinking of visiting grand rapids, michigan from fidalgo bay...plus there's a shot here of downtown seattle from the galley porthole.
oh snap
A major insurance company sponsored testing & polling to find out where the best & worst drivers in America are. Oregon & Washington! Numbers 1 and 2, respectively. California was 14th, Texas was 24th, and all the New England states were dead last except for Vermont (3rd place).
I think the main reason I'm posting this is because it was hell yesterday; driving my mom and grandma around. Convincing them that I knew what I was doing and where I was going was frustrating. Neither have driven much in the city for the last 10 years... and shit, I've owned an RV, a motorcycle, a few cars... and driven a variety of cars owned by others as well. And I've driven ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. Including other countries! Sheesh. I think it's just their nature to be cynical. Anyway, yeah... I'm one of those good drivers, so THERE!
I think the main reason I'm posting this is because it was hell yesterday; driving my mom and grandma around. Convincing them that I knew what I was doing and where I was going was frustrating. Neither have driven much in the city for the last 10 years... and shit, I've owned an RV, a motorcycle, a few cars... and driven a variety of cars owned by others as well. And I've driven ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. Including other countries! Sheesh. I think it's just their nature to be cynical. Anyway, yeah... I'm one of those good drivers, so THERE!
TLC
I've been around some TV sets the last few weeks, and seen few valuable nuggets of interesting stuff. Today a 3 minute glimpse of the show "Honey we're killing the kids" on The Learning Channel had me almost in tears. I assume it's a show about the bad lifestyle habits that today's parents inflict upon their children. The part I tuned into was when this lady showed 2 overweight parents (not morbidly obese, though), a fast foward projection of how their young boys will probably look over the years, until age 40. The parents watched the computer program display of their sons changing over the years, and the sons were obese and definitely not healthy. The parents were so ashamed they were practically speechless. The lady asked them how they felt about seeing this, and they quietly spoke of how they'd wished so much more for their boys, and how the boys unfortunately looked just like them. The lady went on to say that the parents were reducing the boys' life expectancy by 10 years, if the eating habits don't change.
It was moving, because lately I've been feeling that we're all so self-absorbed and here was a way to really inspire these parents to change for the sake of their children. People can go on hearing how bad their lifestyle is and never really do anything about it, but thank god most people want the best for at least their own kids... because by the look of utter shame on their faces I think that these two are likely to make some changes.
It was moving, because lately I've been feeling that we're all so self-absorbed and here was a way to really inspire these parents to change for the sake of their children. People can go on hearing how bad their lifestyle is and never really do anything about it, but thank god most people want the best for at least their own kids... because by the look of utter shame on their faces I think that these two are likely to make some changes.
Folklife, family, & attic finds
Folklife fest, Seattle. A HUGE musical and craft celebration of probably 100 different cultures. Man, the center was PACKED on Memorial Day when my sister and I went.
His sign said something about a "struggling young artist". Lots of kids were playing solo to fund class trips, and I swear I saw a 6 year old playing fiddle for money.
Aaron's dream? The largest contra dance I've ever witnessed!
The above display was pretty sexy. These drummers were playing so well, and so fast. The guy in the photo would walk up to women in the audience and make them dance to the beat of his drum. The white girl and the black girl in the middle did that crazy booty shaking thing and the entire crowd applauded them. But this guy was amazing. At first women would resist, shaking their heads and frowning at him, then moments later they'd just give up and start getting their groove on in front of everyone. It was cool and kinda carnal to watch.
The big fountain that I used to run around when I was just a babe. Except when I was young, it wasn't paved. It was all broken up rock and glass lights, and pretty dangerous for little kids. But we did it anyway.
My sis tries on some crafty specs. Below are pics of old photos I found in my dad's attic, and some antiques I found.
My sister and I at some family event. She looks to be about 3 or 4, so I must have been around 18.
My dad and I at Ross Lake. Probably 1980.
Last pic: I found a huge BAG of blades. My dad is probably going to display them or sell them, but it sucks because I don't think he knows how to care for them. They're rusting and the leather sheaths are dry and falling apart. You can't tell by the photo how intricate the leather designs are, plus a lot of the knives, especially the ones that don't look like kukras, have beatiful engravings in them. I think my grandpa got these in Burma when he worked for the army doing construction from 1943-1945.
the weight is a gift
saw nada surf to a live in-store at sonic boom in ballard today. they were great. someone requested "Popular" which got a laugh, but they did it, and the lead singer was fun to watch up close during that song - all serious about johnny football hero. jarad and i went to their show in portland 2 months ago. i'm using the concert poster as my myspace profile background currently. hmmm... i'd love to have a decemberists poster too.... (pictured left)
a day of service
My friend Brian is helping one of his coworkers from the UW Oceanography school with a big boatbuilding project. Tor is a machinist/engineer, about my age, and he's wanted to build a Tahiti ketch since he was a teen. He's spent the last 5 years building this boat in his backyard, and tomorrow it goes in the water. The above pic is of his sweet woodworking shop in his Crown Hill basement. Below are pictures of what I did today: serving stays. Briefly put, stays keep the masts in place and provide proper tension for the boat structure.
These stays were about 30-40 feet long. They are 1/4" galvanized wire. Tor cut them, and Brian has done the eyesplicing and this nice cherry latigo leatherwork over the eyes.
This is the bitter end. We tensioned the stays in order to properly parcel and serve them. I forget what he called this little wire-grabbing tool.
I then applied a thin coating of lanolin to the bare wire.
Friction tape, with the lay of the wire, goes the length of the stay.
Tor built this sweet serving mallet out of copper pipe. Here I'd alread completed the distance between the rose gables and the mallet. The spool of twine is wrapped around the mallet in various ways, then wraps around the stay in a way that creates tension, yet feeds the line so that each turn lies close and tight to the last turn, until the spool is empty. Eventually you end up swinging the mallet around like a baton/helicopter blade. Jackie White's heavy beats are good for batting the mallet around.
Below is the ketch. They just built this trailer around it and it goes to the water tomorrow. Should take a few hours while trees are pruned back along the 100' driveway! The masts will be stepped this week.
I'll try to put more pictures up - the cabinets are amazing. Sliding cabinet doors made from thin burl crossections. Freakin' sexy.
Death of a Martyr
As a general rule, I don’t ask anyone for anything. Not money, favors, even a ride to work or downtown. I’ll spend half the day on the bus before I ask a good friend for a ride that would take 20 minutes of their time. Yet I’ll offer to go WAY out of my way for not only good friends, but people I barely know. I’ll spend all day driving them around. I worry about everybody. I worry that they are suffering or that they might suffer in the future if I don’t do something for them now. I worry too much for everyone else.
Yesterday I was sitting with Jarad at a sidewalk café, eating crepes and drinking coffee, and I saw a woman crossing the street. I felt myself tense up because although there was hardly any traffic, she seemed to be heading right into the road without looking both ways. I found myself looking for her, feeling ready to jump up or yell in case a car was coming and she hadn’t seen it.
She was fine. At the last second she did look, and no cars were coming. She didn’t look like the unaware type. She was about 40 years old and physically fit. Yet here I was, concerned for her safety over something minor, and ready to act instead of enjoying my crepe.
Of course all of that happened within a minute, but imagine a day FULL of moments like that. That’s my life. It’s not noble, and it’s not healthy. Someone might say to me “you’re really thoughtful and aware, and you just care a lot…” but again, it’s not healthy for my loved ones or myself. It's ten times worse when I’m spending time with friends or a boyfriend. I started going to movies solo a long time ago because I found the movie was far more enjoyable when I ceased worrying about whether or not my companion liked it too. So I removed the companion aspect. The above scenarios are perfect analogies for how I am almost all the time. And the reason it’s not healthy, besides the fact that ridiculous muscle tension and painful jaw clenching became permanent health issues when I started having boyfriends again in ’03, the other reason it’s not healthy is that this worry and tension makes me less fun, and what might otherwise be just a moody moment can become a negative, resentful and argumentative attitude that lasts for hours. “I’ve done all this for you… you take me for granted and don’t appreciate me…” blah blah blah. Yet there I was the whole time, setting the precedent. This all happens mainly with boyfriends, because our lifestyles often involve financially strapped situations and general struggling (sans transportation nor permanent residence) situations where we spend every waking moment together. The ingredients for my Self Destruction. And the destruction of my relationships, if I don’t figure this shit out. Gee I thought by age 32 I’d have it all figured out. Haha. Oh to be young and American and have the luxury of hours, days, weeks to spend thinking about my own psychological problems! What a waste. Life is going on while I worry mine away. I need to fix my ridiculousness.
I’ve been asking Nanette and some family members for favors, even money, this last year. I had never asked anyone for money in my life before this last year. With my parents it felt more like “they never paid for anything when I was younger – certainly they can help now”, plus I’ve been watching all of my friends be totally fine with asking their families for help over the years. I can’t do it without guilt. I’ve also slipped into the habit of complaining about my struggling in front of family. Used to be that I’d never do that, and they never offered to help with anything. I guess they thought I didn’t need it. So people have convinced me that I need to let others know if I need help. The other day my mom commented about people who hint that they are struggling, hoping that others will offer them money. Am I like that? I hope not. I instantly felt guilt and worry. I don’t want to be like that. Where’s the happy medium? I think people who don’t have their own shit together and expect others to come through for them are slackers and losers. I can’t live with people thinking of me like that.
My boyfriend is still a kid. He’s 24 and is fighting the whole responsible adult lifestyle thing. I’ve taken on most of the financial and logistical planning for 5 months now. I’m convinced in the moment that I’m helping, but it builds to resentment eventually. Even extreme frustration and blowups, with me.
Tall ship folk love me because I'll do anything for the boat - cook, take on 5 jobs, run people's errands, listen to everyone's problems and give advice, take charge of a situation when nobody else wants to. Luckily I had Capt. Christopher Trandell as my leader last year: he woke me up to the fact that I was always sacrificing too much or doing too much. "Nobody likes a martyr!" he'd say.
Have I mentioned that I need therapy?
Things to fix:
I worry too much and have a hard time relaxing
I don't trust easily because I was raised by crazies and liars posing as normal folk
I need to find a balance between the nomad/pauper life and the sedentary/ratrace life
I must take better care of MYSELF when in a relationship or on a boat
Yesterday I was sitting with Jarad at a sidewalk café, eating crepes and drinking coffee, and I saw a woman crossing the street. I felt myself tense up because although there was hardly any traffic, she seemed to be heading right into the road without looking both ways. I found myself looking for her, feeling ready to jump up or yell in case a car was coming and she hadn’t seen it.
She was fine. At the last second she did look, and no cars were coming. She didn’t look like the unaware type. She was about 40 years old and physically fit. Yet here I was, concerned for her safety over something minor, and ready to act instead of enjoying my crepe.
Of course all of that happened within a minute, but imagine a day FULL of moments like that. That’s my life. It’s not noble, and it’s not healthy. Someone might say to me “you’re really thoughtful and aware, and you just care a lot…” but again, it’s not healthy for my loved ones or myself. It's ten times worse when I’m spending time with friends or a boyfriend. I started going to movies solo a long time ago because I found the movie was far more enjoyable when I ceased worrying about whether or not my companion liked it too. So I removed the companion aspect. The above scenarios are perfect analogies for how I am almost all the time. And the reason it’s not healthy, besides the fact that ridiculous muscle tension and painful jaw clenching became permanent health issues when I started having boyfriends again in ’03, the other reason it’s not healthy is that this worry and tension makes me less fun, and what might otherwise be just a moody moment can become a negative, resentful and argumentative attitude that lasts for hours. “I’ve done all this for you… you take me for granted and don’t appreciate me…” blah blah blah. Yet there I was the whole time, setting the precedent. This all happens mainly with boyfriends, because our lifestyles often involve financially strapped situations and general struggling (sans transportation nor permanent residence) situations where we spend every waking moment together. The ingredients for my Self Destruction. And the destruction of my relationships, if I don’t figure this shit out. Gee I thought by age 32 I’d have it all figured out. Haha. Oh to be young and American and have the luxury of hours, days, weeks to spend thinking about my own psychological problems! What a waste. Life is going on while I worry mine away. I need to fix my ridiculousness.
I’ve been asking Nanette and some family members for favors, even money, this last year. I had never asked anyone for money in my life before this last year. With my parents it felt more like “they never paid for anything when I was younger – certainly they can help now”, plus I’ve been watching all of my friends be totally fine with asking their families for help over the years. I can’t do it without guilt. I’ve also slipped into the habit of complaining about my struggling in front of family. Used to be that I’d never do that, and they never offered to help with anything. I guess they thought I didn’t need it. So people have convinced me that I need to let others know if I need help. The other day my mom commented about people who hint that they are struggling, hoping that others will offer them money. Am I like that? I hope not. I instantly felt guilt and worry. I don’t want to be like that. Where’s the happy medium? I think people who don’t have their own shit together and expect others to come through for them are slackers and losers. I can’t live with people thinking of me like that.
My boyfriend is still a kid. He’s 24 and is fighting the whole responsible adult lifestyle thing. I’ve taken on most of the financial and logistical planning for 5 months now. I’m convinced in the moment that I’m helping, but it builds to resentment eventually. Even extreme frustration and blowups, with me.
Tall ship folk love me because I'll do anything for the boat - cook, take on 5 jobs, run people's errands, listen to everyone's problems and give advice, take charge of a situation when nobody else wants to. Luckily I had Capt. Christopher Trandell as my leader last year: he woke me up to the fact that I was always sacrificing too much or doing too much. "Nobody likes a martyr!" he'd say.
Have I mentioned that I need therapy?
Things to fix:
I worry too much and have a hard time relaxing
I don't trust easily because I was raised by crazies and liars posing as normal folk
I need to find a balance between the nomad/pauper life and the sedentary/ratrace life
I must take better care of MYSELF when in a relationship or on a boat
My love
My love leaves for Austin in a few days. I will miss him. He's like a kid sometimes, and I get stressed out having to be the responsible one, but when he takes care of me it feels really good. For the first time in my life, after 3 months in a relationship, I can say that being with someone, this particular someone, is better than being single.
We went sailing with Nanette & Brian today. Then out to dinner at Anthony's near Shilshole. Tomorrow we're hanging out with my mom.
We went sailing with Nanette & Brian today. Then out to dinner at Anthony's near Shilshole. Tomorrow we're hanging out with my mom.
Let's Dance
Today, Thursday, finds me comfortable on a couch at Zukafe, a sweet little cafe that Jarad found in Edmonds. Tonight we're going to see a school one-act play that my sister directed, but until then we're killing time at this cafe, internetting and downloading the most recent episodes of Lost, along with David Bowie's entire catalog (37 albums!).
Friday night we hit Adrian Lipp's birthday party in Ballard. They had two live bands and a DJ in the basement. The crowd was not the boat-trash crowd I expected but Brian Clampitt showed, and Adrian is always fun to be around. The best musical performance was by 2 young girls who call themselves "Lozen". They were a kind of Deal sisters-meet-Tool duo.
I also had to take a bunch of tests for the tugboat company I'm going to work for at the end of the month, including climbing a 20 foot ladder and lifting 50 pounds. I laughed especially hard when they made me run around carrying a fire hose. My grandma could work for this operation.
Might be hitting the Cheese Festival this weekend. Hmm
Friday night we hit Adrian Lipp's birthday party in Ballard. They had two live bands and a DJ in the basement. The crowd was not the boat-trash crowd I expected but Brian Clampitt showed, and Adrian is always fun to be around. The best musical performance was by 2 young girls who call themselves "Lozen". They were a kind of Deal sisters-meet-Tool duo.
I also had to take a bunch of tests for the tugboat company I'm going to work for at the end of the month, including climbing a 20 foot ladder and lifting 50 pounds. I laughed especially hard when they made me run around carrying a fire hose. My grandma could work for this operation.
Might be hitting the Cheese Festival this weekend. Hmm
Portland Purpose Ends
I barely passed my 100ton inland master's exams today. The sailing, towing endorsements, plus charting and navigation general tests were all a piece of cake. But Deck General and Rules of the Road KILLED me. My advice to anyone like me going for this license: don't assume either of these tests will be easy or that you don't have to study a lot for them. I don't know, maybe some people could breeze through them, but for me, crap... it was tough. I'm actually going to study deck general a lot more before I go for my AB. I seriously doubt I could pass it again!
On Sunday we have to be out of our place in NE Portland. I think we might move to SE until the Sigur Ros show late next week. After that, I'm hoping we'll be in Seattle. Then Jarad is going to Austin for the summer and I'm going to sea for a few months. Hopefully I'll be RICH upon my return (my version of rich, seeing as how I've made an average of 6K per year for the last 4 years).
I'm finishing my PBR while Jarad downloads 37 Bowie albums at the cafe here. It's "Last Thursday" in PDX so the streets are busy. I have no idea what we'll do for the next month...
On Sunday we have to be out of our place in NE Portland. I think we might move to SE until the Sigur Ros show late next week. After that, I'm hoping we'll be in Seattle. Then Jarad is going to Austin for the summer and I'm going to sea for a few months. Hopefully I'll be RICH upon my return (my version of rich, seeing as how I've made an average of 6K per year for the last 4 years).
I'm finishing my PBR while Jarad downloads 37 Bowie albums at the cafe here. It's "Last Thursday" in PDX so the streets are busy. I have no idea what we'll do for the next month...
The Week In Reverse
Today I studied charting, passed my charting and nav general exam (90% on each). Then made a dinner for us: penne w/creamy marinara that had sauteed onions, zucchini and garlic in it. With some leftover bacon fat. Yes, I save the fat from bacon. Bring on the LARD! Fuck all that fat free ridiculousness.
Yesterday we were in Seattle, and woke up half twisted up in the trunk of a Toyota Camry and half sprawled in the backseat. Never again. Not worth the $50 saved. Cleaned up like at the beach bathroom like any good homeless person and went to meet my new boss. Thank God nobody in the boat business expects clean clothes and hair for meetings. Then we went to the Mecca for a bad breakfast served by an ex-stripper, and on to Lighthouse coffee for a delectable americano, some sun soaking time, and a chat with some dudes about Ryan Adams. After a tour of Alki we headed back to PDX and got in line for the Ryan Adams show. Front Row, Middle seats! Ryan and I are practically old friends now. Ha ha. But he probably won't remember because he was too stoned.
On Sunday it was an early drive to Mt Rainier, saw Narada falls and Paradise, then off to Seattle for THAT Ryan Adams show (we kind of ended up with tickets to both shows by accident, then decided to just go see them both). But THAT show had us in balcony seats, although the sound was awesome up there. Ate a bag of Dick's after the show.
Saturday? Not much. Shit what did we do Saturday? I think we went to Tin Shed for Happy Hour. Last week was somewhat uneventful. Mostly studying, sleeping, watching Buffy.
Yesterday we were in Seattle, and woke up half twisted up in the trunk of a Toyota Camry and half sprawled in the backseat. Never again. Not worth the $50 saved. Cleaned up like at the beach bathroom like any good homeless person and went to meet my new boss. Thank God nobody in the boat business expects clean clothes and hair for meetings. Then we went to the Mecca for a bad breakfast served by an ex-stripper, and on to Lighthouse coffee for a delectable americano, some sun soaking time, and a chat with some dudes about Ryan Adams. After a tour of Alki we headed back to PDX and got in line for the Ryan Adams show. Front Row, Middle seats! Ryan and I are practically old friends now. Ha ha. But he probably won't remember because he was too stoned.
On Sunday it was an early drive to Mt Rainier, saw Narada falls and Paradise, then off to Seattle for THAT Ryan Adams show (we kind of ended up with tickets to both shows by accident, then decided to just go see them both). But THAT show had us in balcony seats, although the sound was awesome up there. Ate a bag of Dick's after the show.
Saturday? Not much. Shit what did we do Saturday? I think we went to Tin Shed for Happy Hour. Last week was somewhat uneventful. Mostly studying, sleeping, watching Buffy.
Saturday Adventures in Spring
Last weekend was great - my sister's play rocked, my mom sent us home with a huge care package (Nutella! Chicken-in-a-biscuit! Kalamata olive bread!) and on Saturday I took Jarad hiking on Rattlesnake Ridge in Issaquah. After that we hit Snoqualmie Falls and Twede's Cafe, home of Twin Peaks Cherry Pie and Damn Fine Coffee. We ordered both. No comment on the coffee. Let the kitsch live on. We also had a chance to stop and pick up our favorite coffee at Lighthouse Roasters, AND some kickass pizza at Pagliacci - 2 things that were high on Jarad's list of things to do in Seattle this time around. The best part? It was sunny and beautiful again.
Then back to Portland and RAIN. Apparently PDX is setting a record for consecutive days of rain. But hey, the dollar store was selling umbrellas so we're OK. This past Saturday we went to Portland's regular weekend street fair, Everyday Music, Powell's Books (of course), and Jarad got his hairs cut at Rudy's. He also bought an Aesop Rock ep. We headed home and then to the Kennedy School, which is now 2nd in my book of best movie experiences (Alamo will remain first). Kennedy School is an old brick elementary school that has been turned into a large complex that includes hotel rooms, a ceramic soaking pool, a huge warm restaurant, a large theater in the auditorium... and the seats are nice wooden Victorian style seats and couches. We had a couch all to ourselves while watching Brokeback Mountain. There's a small satellite bar in the room next to the theater that sells beer, wine, pizza and movie tickets. We explored a little after the movie and found little rooms called "Detention" and "Honors", each the size of someones dining room, but turned into bars with a few stools, plus "Detention" was a cigar bar too. I'll have to go and take pictures next time...
