or am i just out of shape? my entire body is sore. my back hurts so bad. if i lay down i can barely get up. i was going to look into chiropractors and massage therapy but now i'm looking into physical therapy and a neurologist. i don't know. it'd probably cost a fortune. yoga is an option too. i've been helping to lift topmasts, gaffs, anchors, holding up bobchains, moving rigging from loft to shop to truck to boat, painting for days on end, and by myself today i carried out a staysail onto the bowsprit and seized the entire thing on and semi-furled it... Jarad said i'm not too old, just out of shape. he's probably right. let me just say that these boats who do almost ALL the year's maintenance with 3 people in the course of one month are really going the hard way. i hope this operation is at least very profitable for the captain and the other owner. the other owner, named "dr. bill" says it is, and the cap took his family to the bahamas this year, drives a new car and i don't know what he does from november through march, so it's possibly quite profitable. and just so you don't think i'm full of only complaints, i will say that it's a good learning experience to put almost an entire rig together, including a new bowsprit, all at once. this captain used to work on those maine windjammers and while aesthetics are important, efficiency is key. polyurethane looks almost as good as varnish and is more durable. spill the pitch everywhere and just scrape it off later rather than trying to pour a perfect bead. the nonprofit sailtraining model teaches quality over quantity. not always so on the for profit side. but at least on this boat there's very little integrity lost.
most interesting news this week:
yuri's "ladyfriend" is coincidentally going to be our new cook. surprising, eh? i go out to the middle of nowhere to catch up on (remember) traditional boat stuffs and here i am working with a Lady alum, whom I've sailed down the west coast with once, and now my ex-boyfriend's friend/girlfriend is leaving a yacht job in the british virgin islands (where he lives) to come crew on this lesser known, hidden away sail training vessel. i checked out her myspace and she looks like fun, so that's cool.
the first mate saw my new pillow and asked if that was my picture (???) later we watched "the prestige" where bowie plays nikola tesla and i said "there's me!"
My Hoopties
I spent about 3 hours today scraping slush and old wood off mast hoops. I filled an entire Little Caesars to-go cup with yummy globs of 1 year old dirty gray vaseline. Yeah I know you're jealous.
Besides that I worked turnbuckles from aloft on the fore and in the headrig cuz we had a crane deliver the shiny new bowsprit today. Shackled bobchains, forestays, etc. After a lunch of pizza & pepsi (I ate 7 pieces total!)we wrangled the main boom into place from deck. It was sunny today, and we motored through a thin layer of ice over to it's regular dock, which is closer and just a happier place in general. We all got sunburns. Plus we finally spent a day really working with the captain, and he's pretty pleasant to be around. Has a good sense of humor and all that.
Looks like I might get a used bike this weekend. Hope so.
Besides that I worked turnbuckles from aloft on the fore and in the headrig cuz we had a crane deliver the shiny new bowsprit today. Shackled bobchains, forestays, etc. After a lunch of pizza & pepsi (I ate 7 pieces total!)we wrangled the main boom into place from deck. It was sunny today, and we motored through a thin layer of ice over to it's regular dock, which is closer and just a happier place in general. We all got sunburns. Plus we finally spent a day really working with the captain, and he's pretty pleasant to be around. Has a good sense of humor and all that.
Looks like I might get a used bike this weekend. Hope so.
Don't Stop Me Now
Today's work:
sand and paint small rowboat
carry/cart topmasts & gaffs down driveway, across highway, down dock and leave them there.
clean/organize paint shop
bring all blocks and running rigging down from loft
I've been kinda lonely and bummed out at times, because the mate is a bit of a micromanager, and both my crew have kind of condescending tones when they speak - a general one-upmanship going on in even their conversations with each other. I can sound/be pretty condescending/self righteous myself, but I don't like it, and I don't really enjoy conversing in that competitive way because it's just annoying. Because really, when it comes right down to it, none of us are experts on anything. I mean, I just like chatting, and I'll bring up some random topic. Instead of lighthearted commiseration or chatter, I get two serious people trying to educate me about something. Morale isn't exactly stellar, what with the lack of so many things (a cook, sunshine, sailing). And this mate isn't really the type to even notice that, plus his girlfriend is here... they don't always gel which makes the mood even more somber. I thought about something I posted on the TSS message board, about how I come to these boats for camaraderie and fun. Even though it would have been better to say I come to learn seamanship, what I actually said is probably more accurate. The hard work is fine by me, but if I'm not here for the money, I want goofy people around while I do it. Maybe I'm done with sail training boats after this season. If the mood is going to be so boring/serious I might as well be making a shitload of money on a research vessel. Nanette wants me to move to her new place in Mexico next fall. So that may end up being the plan, or maybe getting a sail training admin position shoreside.
I will say kudos to the deckhand who saw me in a bad mood, and thought of something to cheer me up. She asked me to join her for beer and darts on Friday. I high-fived her for that. I'd really love to be the kind of TRULY helpful/good-willing person that no matter what negative/annoying situation they see, tried to think of a way they could rise above their own annoyances and figure out how to make everything better.
This video cheered me up:
sand and paint small rowboat
carry/cart topmasts & gaffs down driveway, across highway, down dock and leave them there.
clean/organize paint shop
bring all blocks and running rigging down from loft
I've been kinda lonely and bummed out at times, because the mate is a bit of a micromanager, and both my crew have kind of condescending tones when they speak - a general one-upmanship going on in even their conversations with each other. I can sound/be pretty condescending/self righteous myself, but I don't like it, and I don't really enjoy conversing in that competitive way because it's just annoying. Because really, when it comes right down to it, none of us are experts on anything. I mean, I just like chatting, and I'll bring up some random topic. Instead of lighthearted commiseration or chatter, I get two serious people trying to educate me about something. Morale isn't exactly stellar, what with the lack of so many things (a cook, sunshine, sailing). And this mate isn't really the type to even notice that, plus his girlfriend is here... they don't always gel which makes the mood even more somber. I thought about something I posted on the TSS message board, about how I come to these boats for camaraderie and fun. Even though it would have been better to say I come to learn seamanship, what I actually said is probably more accurate. The hard work is fine by me, but if I'm not here for the money, I want goofy people around while I do it. Maybe I'm done with sail training boats after this season. If the mood is going to be so boring/serious I might as well be making a shitload of money on a research vessel. Nanette wants me to move to her new place in Mexico next fall. So that may end up being the plan, or maybe getting a sail training admin position shoreside.
I will say kudos to the deckhand who saw me in a bad mood, and thought of something to cheer me up. She asked me to join her for beer and darts on Friday. I high-fived her for that. I'd really love to be the kind of TRULY helpful/good-willing person that no matter what negative/annoying situation they see, tried to think of a way they could rise above their own annoyances and figure out how to make everything better.
This video cheered me up:
Born Again into Dairy
Dairy products freak me out. Too many books/documentaries about the horrors of dairy production.
Shetlers may change my relationship with dairy...
Todays crew accomplishments: lifting and securing both anchors, more polyurethane in the main salon, launching small boat and setting up it's falls off the stern davits (which of course involves disassembling blocks and rerigging about 6 times each after 3 or 4 people stand around staring at the mess every half hour), I finished my 2nd piece of leatherwork, scraped up some gunky dolphinite... yeah that's about it.
After work I went to pick up that milk I'd heard so much about, plus made a stop at the grocery store. Then I came back and planted myself in front of the computer. I've watched all the videos at VBS.TV so I'm back to my usual rounds - my blog, Jarad's and his sisters blogs, myspace, gmail. Somehow all this takes hours. I was linking through some stuff and ended up on the bme site to see the giant bme ad banner portraying Eric B.'s pic that I plan on using for my 2nd Jack Tar issue. That doesn't mean it's copyrighted, does it? I don't know. He said I could use it...
Time for bed.
Shetlers may change my relationship with dairy...
Todays crew accomplishments: lifting and securing both anchors, more polyurethane in the main salon, launching small boat and setting up it's falls off the stern davits (which of course involves disassembling blocks and rerigging about 6 times each after 3 or 4 people stand around staring at the mess every half hour), I finished my 2nd piece of leatherwork, scraped up some gunky dolphinite... yeah that's about it.
After work I went to pick up that milk I'd heard so much about, plus made a stop at the grocery store. Then I came back and planted myself in front of the computer. I've watched all the videos at VBS.TV so I'm back to my usual rounds - my blog, Jarad's and his sisters blogs, myspace, gmail. Somehow all this takes hours. I was linking through some stuff and ended up on the bme site to see the giant bme ad banner portraying Eric B.'s pic that I plan on using for my 2nd Jack Tar issue. That doesn't mean it's copyrighted, does it? I don't know. He said I could use it...
Time for bed.
The Fifth Rider is Fear
Went out last night to a book release party held in a small warehouse behind an art gallery. The beer and food and company were all good. The art in the gallery was really unique and provocative, and the couple who owned it were also really pleasant to be around. The guy who wrote the book had back issues of his 'zine available, so I grabbed a bunch of those, because I really enjoy his zine. It focuses on both local and global social and cultural community-oriented topics. His is the only publication of its sort in Northern Michigan. I heard he wants to move to Portland, Oregon. In my opinion, that would be a shame. Judging from how everyone tells me that much of Michigan is not very progressive nor open-minded, his 'zine seems to be a bright spot in this place, culturally.
Tonight I dropped by some new friends' house for a dinner party and had some decent conversation over really decent food, watched the first 20 minutes of two different bad movies from the library: Millenium Actress, a crappy anime film, and "The Fifth Rider/Horseman is Fear," a Czech film done in 1964. If you know any people, like I do, who hate foreign films not only because they have to read, but also because they can't understand anything that's going on, you might be a little more empathetic if you imagined that all foreign films were like this one. It's either really out there or dumb, or way too deep for my puny American brain.
Tonight I dropped by some new friends' house for a dinner party and had some decent conversation over really decent food, watched the first 20 minutes of two different bad movies from the library: Millenium Actress, a crappy anime film, and "The Fifth Rider/Horseman is Fear," a Czech film done in 1964. If you know any people, like I do, who hate foreign films not only because they have to read, but also because they can't understand anything that's going on, you might be a little more empathetic if you imagined that all foreign films were like this one. It's either really out there or dumb, or way too deep for my puny American brain.
Things To Do: #1 Get out, be social
A long winter with my boyfriend in a tiny, warm apartment has made me chubby, pale and complacent. It's not any warmer here in Michigan but my cuddly beau isn't with me and I'm a bit starved for humorous human interaction. My two crewmates are dating each other. They spend their time cooking meals together, reading books about brightwork, going for long walks to the library or bookstore, etc. Besides the brightwork books, all this would appeal to me if Jarad were here. Instead, it's a big ol' yawn. Plus they haven't once invited me on their outings - which is probably fine by me anyway, but I still think that hiring couples is a lame idea. Especially on a crew smaller than six or so. These two are are the extreme end of being anti-pop culture and anti-anything silly. Together they set a mood of seriousness and not much chatter. Then there's me. Plus one of them is the mate, which as far as boat couples go, I think that's a bad idea as well. But so far that hasn't proved to be an issue. Thank god.
So my friend Polly has a friend up here who owns a business downtown, and that girl knows a guy who started a zine, then wrote a book. He's having a party and we're all going to that. Free beer and organic appetizers! The girl has dinner parties every Sunday, so I'm going to start going to those. Plus there's other parties around with that crowd, so I'll see how that plays out. I'm also looking forward to getting new crew around here, to kind of even out the scales, socially. If another anti-fun person shows up I'll just look forward to a summer of contracting outsiders for friends and reading a lot.
In other news, besides one of my speakers on this laptop flaking out, all four of my USB ports have decided to join the Lord. Next thing you know, my whole puter will go kablooey! I hope not... I suppose it would make my mom happy though. She apparently regrets giving me this laptop that she had sitting unopened on her apt floor for a year because the gift I gave her for Christmas was too cheap. Parents! Gotta love 'em! (yours, anyway. not mine. mine are a much harder sell.)
So my friend Polly has a friend up here who owns a business downtown, and that girl knows a guy who started a zine, then wrote a book. He's having a party and we're all going to that. Free beer and organic appetizers! The girl has dinner parties every Sunday, so I'm going to start going to those. Plus there's other parties around with that crowd, so I'll see how that plays out. I'm also looking forward to getting new crew around here, to kind of even out the scales, socially. If another anti-fun person shows up I'll just look forward to a summer of contracting outsiders for friends and reading a lot.
In other news, besides one of my speakers on this laptop flaking out, all four of my USB ports have decided to join the Lord. Next thing you know, my whole puter will go kablooey! I hope not... I suppose it would make my mom happy though. She apparently regrets giving me this laptop that she had sitting unopened on her apt floor for a year because the gift I gave her for Christmas was too cheap. Parents! Gotta love 'em! (yours, anyway. not mine. mine are a much harder sell.)
Hot Shop
That's what the other crew call the small heated workshop under the rigging loft. It's pretty warm, and fumes embrace you the minute you open the door. Vapors from pine tar, linseed oil, kerosene, turpentine, mineral spirits, paint thinner, penetrol, and oil, enamel and latex paints fill the hot air. Today we missed our "Drug Awareness" class which is almost laughable considering all the toxic gunk we work with. Tonight we went to a sort of schooner-town meeting hosted by the local Coast Guard station, who talked to us about what man overboard procedures are like from his end. They have a lot of cool shit! Besides the litter, the basket, the fancy pfd equipped with flares, knife, and scuba apparatus, the helicopter and all the Coastie satellite/strategizing technology, my favorite thing to see and learn was the Night Vision Goggles. I know, nothing new, right? Well what I didn't know was that when he's wearing them in the sky, he can see just the spark of a bic lighter from five miles away!!! How freakin cool is that? A mag light can be seen from TWENTY MILES away, with the NVG's. I'm going right over to the TSS myspace group to tell everyone the news.
Other than that the "meeting" was kind of a big ol' yawn. Helicopters are cool, but hey I'm badass and I've already done shit like ride in an open Huey, sit in the underside bubble of a KC 135, and ride in a C5 too. Plus I was just really exhausted from all the work this week. They really keep those orange copters in perfect condition though. They were beautiful up close. And since this town is known for it's cherry festival, there were even two perfect little painted cherries high on the tail. Very cute. One schooner guy was like the head of the meeting and he dedicated the event to Laura Gainey, though he mispronounced her last name throughout the evening, calling her Laura Gainley. We three were the only people under the age of 40. And I think besides our captain we may have been the only people under the age of 50, too. A bunch of volunteers from a boat named "Madeline" kept talking about how they don't have a system for getting ANYTHING heavy back on deck from the water, how their davits aren't logical since she's a double ender, blah blah blah. If I was that Coastie who was hosting the meeting, I'd be writing myself a note to take that boat out for a drill! They take a bunch of children out and basically have no clue about how to get anyone back on deck. Scary.
Below are some pics of what I did today. Tarred eyesplice servings on wire rigging, put another preserving coat on topmast hoops, bag up finished pins... also I did some leatherwork for clappers, came up with a genius idea for a leaky roof (think solar still design instead of a million buckets) and prepared the inflatable... plus painted a fireax, which can be seen on my myspace pic, in honor of FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!
Other than that the "meeting" was kind of a big ol' yawn. Helicopters are cool, but hey I'm badass and I've already done shit like ride in an open Huey, sit in the underside bubble of a KC 135, and ride in a C5 too. Plus I was just really exhausted from all the work this week. They really keep those orange copters in perfect condition though. They were beautiful up close. And since this town is known for it's cherry festival, there were even two perfect little painted cherries high on the tail. Very cute. One schooner guy was like the head of the meeting and he dedicated the event to Laura Gainey, though he mispronounced her last name throughout the evening, calling her Laura Gainley. We three were the only people under the age of 40. And I think besides our captain we may have been the only people under the age of 50, too. A bunch of volunteers from a boat named "Madeline" kept talking about how they don't have a system for getting ANYTHING heavy back on deck from the water, how their davits aren't logical since she's a double ender, blah blah blah. If I was that Coastie who was hosting the meeting, I'd be writing myself a note to take that boat out for a drill! They take a bunch of children out and basically have no clue about how to get anyone back on deck. Scary.
Below are some pics of what I did today. Tarred eyesplice servings on wire rigging, put another preserving coat on topmast hoops, bag up finished pins... also I did some leatherwork for clappers, came up with a genius idea for a leaky roof (think solar still design instead of a million buckets) and prepared the inflatable... plus painted a fireax, which can be seen on my myspace pic, in honor of FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!
i'm eatin pbj
But whitey's on the moon.
Sad as it is to admit it, I did more physically strenuous activity on Monday than I'd done in about 9 months. I climbed an 80 foot mainmast with an orbital power sander constrictor-knotted to a lanyard, and proceeded to rough up the crosstrees and all the white painted parts for FOUR HOURS. It was the one sunny day this week that was above freezing (slightly). Besides the shrouds there are no other stays up, which makes the spreaders really fun to crawl out on, and the mast a little wobbly. Then comes day two, when it actually WAS freezing... crawling up with a bucket full of paint (what? no lids! and rags an' brushes, etc.. Oh look the spreaders and cross trees are covered with ice. Nice. Fun fun fun. As Jarad once put it, there are two situations where I cannot function happily at all - when I have to pee and when I'm really cold. After three hours I couldn't feel my fingers much and inwardly said fuck this and climbed down. To my dismay the mate was about to send the deckhand up to finish my job, but then he went up and did it himself which was OK by me! We are exactly three crew plus the captain, who is always off working on the new bowsprit or the engine or doing office stuff. So it doesn't feel very wrong when the mate has to share some of the minion's duties. I will say, though, that all three of us, the cap, and the office people are very hardworking folks. The captain owns this boat, and his office goddess has worked for him for 9 years, so they have it down pat. Yes I'm peeved about not having a cook, but apparently we're getting one straight outta the BVI in a few weeks. A yacht cook no less. I can deal with that.
Today we turned the main salon into stonersville by closing all the ventilation and then painting the inside, while keeping warm with a giant propane heater. Nerve damage? Pshaw. Brain cells? Who needs 'em? I'm a sailor! But I guess I'm a pansy because I got nauseated and headachey so I opened the skylight and was told to close it. Some smaller windows were then opened and I tried to paint near them and probably looked like some kinda dungeon prisoner poking my head out to breathe. Yep that was my day.
Another blizzard has arrived. Back to the Anne Frank loft.
Sad as it is to admit it, I did more physically strenuous activity on Monday than I'd done in about 9 months. I climbed an 80 foot mainmast with an orbital power sander constrictor-knotted to a lanyard, and proceeded to rough up the crosstrees and all the white painted parts for FOUR HOURS. It was the one sunny day this week that was above freezing (slightly). Besides the shrouds there are no other stays up, which makes the spreaders really fun to crawl out on, and the mast a little wobbly. Then comes day two, when it actually WAS freezing... crawling up with a bucket full of paint (what? no lids! and rags an' brushes, etc.. Oh look the spreaders and cross trees are covered with ice. Nice. Fun fun fun. As Jarad once put it, there are two situations where I cannot function happily at all - when I have to pee and when I'm really cold. After three hours I couldn't feel my fingers much and inwardly said fuck this and climbed down. To my dismay the mate was about to send the deckhand up to finish my job, but then he went up and did it himself which was OK by me! We are exactly three crew plus the captain, who is always off working on the new bowsprit or the engine or doing office stuff. So it doesn't feel very wrong when the mate has to share some of the minion's duties. I will say, though, that all three of us, the cap, and the office people are very hardworking folks. The captain owns this boat, and his office goddess has worked for him for 9 years, so they have it down pat. Yes I'm peeved about not having a cook, but apparently we're getting one straight outta the BVI in a few weeks. A yacht cook no less. I can deal with that.
Today we turned the main salon into stonersville by closing all the ventilation and then painting the inside, while keeping warm with a giant propane heater. Nerve damage? Pshaw. Brain cells? Who needs 'em? I'm a sailor! But I guess I'm a pansy because I got nauseated and headachey so I opened the skylight and was told to close it. Some smaller windows were then opened and I tried to paint near them and probably looked like some kinda dungeon prisoner poking my head out to breathe. Yep that was my day.
Another blizzard has arrived. Back to the Anne Frank loft.
My Vice
Earlier this year I picked up an interesting, witty and polished looking free magazine at a record store on Broadway in Seattle. It was called VICE. The focus of that issue was Appalachia, and one story was a look into the lives of two brothers in a mobile home set deep in the Ozarks. One brother collected Barbie dolls and had half his room piled with Barbies still in their original boxes. It was an oddball look into the kind of Americana that isn't exactly romanticized or even talked about much.
A few days ago I stumbled upon a video on YouTube that had been copied from another video streaming site. It was about two guys from VICE magazine going to Baghdad to do a story on one of the only heavy metal bands that existed there. I searched around and found that VICE has it's own video site: vbs.tv
The film quality is decent, and can be enlarged to fit the screen. The content is awesome. Totally entertaining, in my opinion. My favorites so far are "Thumbs Up" about a pair of 3rd gen Koreans hitchhiking from LA to the East Coast, the music interview with Colin Meloy and other band members about how they get stuff stolen from their vans all over the country, the interviews with Nick Cave, Ian Mackaye, Henry Rollins and The Rapture, the travel pieces about Cherynobyl, and a town in Paraguay where Nazis like Mengele hid back in the 50's... there's a lot more there too. I like it a lot better than youtube because I'm less likely to allow myself to suffer through a dozen bad home videos of peoples french bulldogs when I'm bored.
Here's the first part of the Grinderman interview:
A few days ago I stumbled upon a video on YouTube that had been copied from another video streaming site. It was about two guys from VICE magazine going to Baghdad to do a story on one of the only heavy metal bands that existed there. I searched around and found that VICE has it's own video site: vbs.tv
The film quality is decent, and can be enlarged to fit the screen. The content is awesome. Totally entertaining, in my opinion. My favorites so far are "Thumbs Up" about a pair of 3rd gen Koreans hitchhiking from LA to the East Coast, the music interview with Colin Meloy and other band members about how they get stuff stolen from their vans all over the country, the interviews with Nick Cave, Ian Mackaye, Henry Rollins and The Rapture, the travel pieces about Cherynobyl, and a town in Paraguay where Nazis like Mengele hid back in the 50's... there's a lot more there too. I like it a lot better than youtube because I'm less likely to allow myself to suffer through a dozen bad home videos of peoples french bulldogs when I'm bored.
Here's the first part of the Grinderman interview:
Take It Down
That's what you do when painted/varnished wood is all messed up. Take it down to bare wood. Or rather sand it down.
My first week in the Great Lakes.... before I go on can I say there is a FUCKING FOOT OF SNOW OUTSIDE AND WITH THE WIND CHILL IT IS 8... COUNT THAT EIGHT DEGREES. Yeah it was all cute when I got here then it started snowing 2 days ago. Anyway, I've been sanding, painting, and did a bit of leatherwork today. That's about it. Mostly painting and sanding. I'm a bit overzealous with an orbital power sander sometimes, which can be good, but is mostly bad. I burnt my first one out, and I "took it down" a little too much on the inside coaming of the main hold. Did a stellar job on the womens restroom at the main office though. It's always nice to be thinking "I could be getting $17 per hour for this back at the UW!" when I'm actually getting around $4/hr. I know it's not about the money. It's about the quality of life/job. And may I just remind you that it's EIGHT FUCKING DEGREES OUTSIDE? Plus as bad as it may sound, I didn't expect to miss my cushy relaxed life and boyfriend so damn much. Maybe I've gone soft. We do not have a cook, which is lame. Having a cook is one of the reasons I'm willing to work for peanuts. Looks like traditional boats are hurting for crew all over the place. We still need 2 more crew, and of course, a cook.
This season should be fun once the sun comes out and we start sailing, but right now I'm missing Jarad and sleeping in and eating brownies naked in front of a dvd player. The first mate is 10 years younger than I and is a pretty nice guy, but this type of workplace can insult my sense of maturity at times. I mean really... for safety reasons (?) I can't wear headphones while painting a shore head? C'mon. I'm 33 fucking years old for chrissakes. Internal Dialogue: well Kim then why are you doing this if you don't accept some silliness like that at times? Hmmm. I don't know. I'd been off boats for over a year... this is low pressure I guess... and when I took the job I was confused about what I wanted. But I wanted some real direction. The only thing I'm not confused about is wanting to keep true to my commitments. So I made the decision, and I stuck to it. I have yet to see if it's going to have been the best decision for me or my relationship. Lately, esp with this cold weather, I'm thinking I need a sail training boat admin job where I can also work on my zine and have a dog and a decent relationship. Long distance SUCKS. Yeah I've heard rumors that it can work for some, and I don't believe them. I HATE feeling needy.
Nanette has said I should think more positively in general. I think she's right. I'm going to work on that.
The Last Minute
Wait for it... wait for it...
That's what I did. It wrecked me Tuesday night. I had to be at the airport at 4:30 am so I didn't sleep. Instead, I separated and packed everything I owned into five categories of stuff:
First Round -
Trash = 1 large bag
Give away = full suitcase plus random oversized things
Store at friend's = 1 chest, 1 duffel
Send via mail to new home = 3 boxes (too much!)
Take with me = large backpack, large suitcase, carry-on, and oh shit enough leftover stuff to fill another large suitcase!
Second Round (desperate, exhausted, annoyed) -
Trash = 2 large bags
Give away = above plus almost all my shoes, skirts, too-tight tees, dorky fleece sweaters and the hardhat from Crowley.
Store at friend's = chest plus 1/2 full duffel (her place is small)
Send via mail = box of books to be send "media mail" and box of random stuff.
Take with me = 2 checked bags plus 1 carry on.
Turns out that if you wait until you're tired and annoyed at 3am, stuff that was initially thought of as important seems less valuable.
As far as travel goes, I always prepare for the worst. This worked out well for me yesterday because I arrived at the airport 90 minutes early (as suggested by the airline) and the line to check in took 30 minutes. The plane was late leaving, and then flew in a holding pattern for TWO HOURS before landing. But hey, I'd allowed six hours between connections. I took a 45 min shuttle ride to the train station, and then 2 hours into the train ride we HIT A CAR. I cannot tell you how many travel days I've had like this in my life. It's just amusing at this point. Not the accident, of course - plus the driver was fine. How do you get hit by a train and be fine, anyway? Well whatever.
Today I've been sleeping and watching edited rap versions of Wilfred Brimley on youtube. You can NEVER get enough of THAT!!!
That's what I did. It wrecked me Tuesday night. I had to be at the airport at 4:30 am so I didn't sleep. Instead, I separated and packed everything I owned into five categories of stuff:
First Round -
Trash = 1 large bag
Give away = full suitcase plus random oversized things
Store at friend's = 1 chest, 1 duffel
Send via mail to new home = 3 boxes (too much!)
Take with me = large backpack, large suitcase, carry-on, and oh shit enough leftover stuff to fill another large suitcase!
Second Round (desperate, exhausted, annoyed) -
Trash = 2 large bags
Give away = above plus almost all my shoes, skirts, too-tight tees, dorky fleece sweaters and the hardhat from Crowley.
Store at friend's = chest plus 1/2 full duffel (her place is small)
Send via mail = box of books to be send "media mail" and box of random stuff.
Take with me = 2 checked bags plus 1 carry on.
Turns out that if you wait until you're tired and annoyed at 3am, stuff that was initially thought of as important seems less valuable.
As far as travel goes, I always prepare for the worst. This worked out well for me yesterday because I arrived at the airport 90 minutes early (as suggested by the airline) and the line to check in took 30 minutes. The plane was late leaving, and then flew in a holding pattern for TWO HOURS before landing. But hey, I'd allowed six hours between connections. I took a 45 min shuttle ride to the train station, and then 2 hours into the train ride we HIT A CAR. I cannot tell you how many travel days I've had like this in my life. It's just amusing at this point. Not the accident, of course - plus the driver was fine. How do you get hit by a train and be fine, anyway? Well whatever.
Today I've been sleeping and watching edited rap versions of Wilfred Brimley on youtube. You can NEVER get enough of THAT!!!
Make Up For Your Complacency!
Found yourself complaining about the the government in the last few years, and not doing a damn thing about it? What about the people who ARE doing something about it - you respect that, right?
Read this blog.
then go HERE
It's easy. Send them $5 and you'll feel like you're finally doing something.
A LOT of money goes into Bush Regime campaigns. All that publicity gets soaked up in the spongy brains of ignorant folk who actually go out and vote, cuz it's all they see or read. Seattle is a microcosm of progressive, semi-liberal attitudes. The majority of the country does NOT think like us. I've seen it!!! It's scary out there! And they're all going to vote again and I'm afraid. Balance out the scales, just a little!
Read this blog.
then go HERE
It's easy. Send them $5 and you'll feel like you're finally doing something.
A LOT of money goes into Bush Regime campaigns. All that publicity gets soaked up in the spongy brains of ignorant folk who actually go out and vote, cuz it's all they see or read. Seattle is a microcosm of progressive, semi-liberal attitudes. The majority of the country does NOT think like us. I've seen it!!! It's scary out there! And they're all going to vote again and I'm afraid. Balance out the scales, just a little!
Modest Mouse
I saw Modest Mouse for the first time last night. It was at the South Lake Union Naval Reserve Building (right next to the Center for Wooden Boats) where the Arthur Foss is moored. It was cute because their new album has a slight nautical theme to it, and that building is quaintly nautical, with it's blue and gold anchor emblems on the front, and little blue stars all around the trim. I had volunteered a there few years ago during a fundraiser for the Center for Wooden Boats, and my cousin's wife Callie works there. There's large models of HMS Discovery and the topsail schooner Exact in the rear of the "venue" which is really just a gymnasium with a wraparound balcony. Anyway, lets just say that I was more excited about the venue, and a decent band playing at such a venue, than I was about anything else. That was my motivation to buy tickets, even though they sold out within 10 minutes. Capacity = 1000.
Anyway I'd spent yesterday on the ferry listening to Beck's "Sea Change," which I adore, and hanging out with everyone's favorite volunteer cook, Rande Gjerstad, who's doing AWESOME things for me, zine-wise. She also tried to teach me InDesign... and later I listened to some older Modest Mouse stuff and thought shit, they have so much stuff, I bet I won't even know half of what they play. But as it turns out, I knew most of it - the set list was mostly songs off their new album, which Jarad has had here for awhile, and off Good News... and some gems from Moon & Antarctica. I'd forgotten how much I LOVE the song "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes." The stage was small, but they had hung these lanterns behind them, as part of the light show. It added to the nautical theme. The lanterns actually looked cooler when the movement on stage caused them to sway back and forth. I don't like fake maritime kitsch, but they managed to pull this off without being annoying. I'm glad they don't try to sing about too many sailing things - so far I've only seen the Decemberists do that accurately. OH! yeah... then Jarad tells me about the teeshirts for sale (I almost NEVER buy band merchandise). They had a shirt with two sailors, pansy flowers in place of heads, pushing the spikes on one of those bollard-shaped capstans, with an anchor chain around it and a large anchor flying in the air over their heads. So I pretty much had to buy it, because I knew it would get some quizzical looks later.
Jesse Loge was supposed to spend the night last night, but he doesn't have transportation from Beacon Hill and he's leaving for Cali today anyway. It would have been nice to see him. He was up here getting his sail endorsement for his shiny new captain's license.
I'm extremely busy for the next week and shouldn't even be wasting my time posting a blog. Time to get busy.
Anyway I'd spent yesterday on the ferry listening to Beck's "Sea Change," which I adore, and hanging out with everyone's favorite volunteer cook, Rande Gjerstad, who's doing AWESOME things for me, zine-wise. She also tried to teach me InDesign... and later I listened to some older Modest Mouse stuff and thought shit, they have so much stuff, I bet I won't even know half of what they play. But as it turns out, I knew most of it - the set list was mostly songs off their new album, which Jarad has had here for awhile, and off Good News... and some gems from Moon & Antarctica. I'd forgotten how much I LOVE the song "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes." The stage was small, but they had hung these lanterns behind them, as part of the light show. It added to the nautical theme. The lanterns actually looked cooler when the movement on stage caused them to sway back and forth. I don't like fake maritime kitsch, but they managed to pull this off without being annoying. I'm glad they don't try to sing about too many sailing things - so far I've only seen the Decemberists do that accurately. OH! yeah... then Jarad tells me about the teeshirts for sale (I almost NEVER buy band merchandise). They had a shirt with two sailors, pansy flowers in place of heads, pushing the spikes on one of those bollard-shaped capstans, with an anchor chain around it and a large anchor flying in the air over their heads. So I pretty much had to buy it, because I knew it would get some quizzical looks later.
Jesse Loge was supposed to spend the night last night, but he doesn't have transportation from Beacon Hill and he's leaving for Cali today anyway. It would have been nice to see him. He was up here getting his sail endorsement for his shiny new captain's license.
I'm extremely busy for the next week and shouldn't even be wasting my time posting a blog. Time to get busy.
I took one of those tests because it was only 2 questions.
and... yeah... i guess it couldn't be more spot-on
6 - the Questioner
Thanks for taking the test !
you chose CY - your Enneagram type is SIX (aka "The Loyalist").
"I am affectionate and skeptical"
Questioners are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.
How to Get Along with Me
* Be direct and clear.
* Listen to me carefully.
* Don't judge me for my anxiety.
* Work things through with me.
* Reassure me that everything is OK between us.
* Laugh and make jokes with me.
* Gently push me toward new experiences.
* Try not to overreact to my overreacting.
What I Like About Being a Six
* being committed and faithful to family and friends
* being responsible and hardworking
* being compassionate toward others
* having intellect and wit
* being a nonconformist
* confronting danger bravely
* being direct and assertive
What's Hard About Being a Six
* the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind
* procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself
* fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of
* exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger
* wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right
* being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations
Sixes as Children Often
* are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn
* are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger
* form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent
* look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel
* are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent
Sixes as Parents
* are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty
* are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence
* worry more than most that their children will get hurt
* sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries
6 - the Questioner
Thanks for taking the test !
you chose CY - your Enneagram type is SIX (aka "The Loyalist").
"I am affectionate and skeptical"
Questioners are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.
How to Get Along with Me
* Be direct and clear.
* Listen to me carefully.
* Don't judge me for my anxiety.
* Work things through with me.
* Reassure me that everything is OK between us.
* Laugh and make jokes with me.
* Gently push me toward new experiences.
* Try not to overreact to my overreacting.
What I Like About Being a Six
* being committed and faithful to family and friends
* being responsible and hardworking
* being compassionate toward others
* having intellect and wit
* being a nonconformist
* confronting danger bravely
* being direct and assertive
What's Hard About Being a Six
* the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind
* procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself
* fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of
* exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger
* wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right
* being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations
Sixes as Children Often
* are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn
* are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger
* form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent
* look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel
* are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent
Sixes as Parents
* are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty
* are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence
* worry more than most that their children will get hurt
* sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries
St Patty's day SPECIAL
I'm done with the UW job. I've worked there so many times, off and on over the years, in different departments all over campus and off campus, but I don't know if I'll ever work there again, unless it's for their research vessel. I don't see myself living in Seattle until global warming makes the winters a little more comfortable.
I got my captain's license on Tuesday. It's a 100 Ton Inland Masters with Comm Towing and Aux. Sail. Let's just say I didn't expect the Aux. Sail. I hadn't even asked for it. But I should have asked for it, and much more. Elaine got a 100 Ton Near Coastal and Jesse got a 100 Ton Inland with a 200 Ton Near Coastal Mate, which is the ticket I really wanted. I follow the rules waaayyy too much. How did he get that mate's ticket? I don't know - he must have got his AB and Radar cert up in Astoria... but according to what he posted online he still doesn't have his STCW so he's only domestic with that NC Mate license. Last I read, that mate's license was hard to achieve because they were asking for AB and Radar. Seems odd to have Radar without BST, but obviously every REC is flexible. I'm happy with my little license. If necessary I can drive the boat I'm working on this summer, and by the end of my contract I hope to get my AB and maybe apply for the NC mate or masters. Even if I had the mate license I wouldn't use it until next year. Most people on traditional sail training vessels are younger than me, so I feel old amongst my friends, just now getting my captain's license. But in reality, most people in the maritime industry as a whole seem a lot older than I.
In other news, a long lost cousin found me via myspace. It's odd though because she seemed really happy to find me and my sister (the cousin she didn't know she had) and I emailed her back a few times and have since heard nothing. She has three sisters and they all used to live in Auburn, next to the Green River. When I would visit, around the age of nine, we would all do fun stuff like swing on rope swings, catch frogs and watch tadpoles or water spiders, and run around in the woods next to the river. Seattle natives might shiver at the thought of young girls playing by themselves in the woods around the Green River in the early 80's. Luckily, we never ran into any trouble or stumbled over any bodies.
With much of my free time being spent online at work, I've found an old coworker/friend in Hawaii, and a girl in Seattle that I used to hang out with when I was 19, via Classmates dot com. I might meet up with my old Seattle friend before I leave, which should be interesting! She's a really cool person. On myspace I found a guy that I'd had a crush on when I was 13. I used to put notes in his locker. When we finally started hanging out, I gave him my special boyfriend litmus test by making him hike the rocky, hilly, wooded greenbelt that ran from my house to the beach. He hated it and kept exclaiming how I had really big feet. Our love affair was over. That hike is a few miles long and it takes hours to wade across streams, claw your way up mini-canyon walls and over barbed fences, walk on log bridges and sneak through rich people's back yards, where the stream led you to the beach... I used to drag all my girlfriends, then in high school, my prospective boyfriends, through those woods. It was great. I went there alone a lot too, or with the family dog. I think that was one of the few places I allowed myself to just be a kid.
It's true. In no way does this post have anything to do with today being St. Patrick's day.
UPDATE on recently rented movies:
Hustle & Flow - good but the characters aren't that complicated, I still adore Terrence Howard though. Swerve! Swerve!
The Proposition - by Nick Cave, starring Guy Pearce. Very melodramatic. Who would've expected that?
Did I already mention the US vs. John Lennon? He's my new hero, by the way. His integrity is something to aspire to.
I got my captain's license on Tuesday. It's a 100 Ton Inland Masters with Comm Towing and Aux. Sail. Let's just say I didn't expect the Aux. Sail. I hadn't even asked for it. But I should have asked for it, and much more. Elaine got a 100 Ton Near Coastal and Jesse got a 100 Ton Inland with a 200 Ton Near Coastal Mate, which is the ticket I really wanted. I follow the rules waaayyy too much. How did he get that mate's ticket? I don't know - he must have got his AB and Radar cert up in Astoria... but according to what he posted online he still doesn't have his STCW so he's only domestic with that NC Mate license. Last I read, that mate's license was hard to achieve because they were asking for AB and Radar. Seems odd to have Radar without BST, but obviously every REC is flexible. I'm happy with my little license. If necessary I can drive the boat I'm working on this summer, and by the end of my contract I hope to get my AB and maybe apply for the NC mate or masters. Even if I had the mate license I wouldn't use it until next year. Most people on traditional sail training vessels are younger than me, so I feel old amongst my friends, just now getting my captain's license. But in reality, most people in the maritime industry as a whole seem a lot older than I.
In other news, a long lost cousin found me via myspace. It's odd though because she seemed really happy to find me and my sister (the cousin she didn't know she had) and I emailed her back a few times and have since heard nothing. She has three sisters and they all used to live in Auburn, next to the Green River. When I would visit, around the age of nine, we would all do fun stuff like swing on rope swings, catch frogs and watch tadpoles or water spiders, and run around in the woods next to the river. Seattle natives might shiver at the thought of young girls playing by themselves in the woods around the Green River in the early 80's. Luckily, we never ran into any trouble or stumbled over any bodies.
With much of my free time being spent online at work, I've found an old coworker/friend in Hawaii, and a girl in Seattle that I used to hang out with when I was 19, via Classmates dot com. I might meet up with my old Seattle friend before I leave, which should be interesting! She's a really cool person. On myspace I found a guy that I'd had a crush on when I was 13. I used to put notes in his locker. When we finally started hanging out, I gave him my special boyfriend litmus test by making him hike the rocky, hilly, wooded greenbelt that ran from my house to the beach. He hated it and kept exclaiming how I had really big feet. Our love affair was over. That hike is a few miles long and it takes hours to wade across streams, claw your way up mini-canyon walls and over barbed fences, walk on log bridges and sneak through rich people's back yards, where the stream led you to the beach... I used to drag all my girlfriends, then in high school, my prospective boyfriends, through those woods. It was great. I went there alone a lot too, or with the family dog. I think that was one of the few places I allowed myself to just be a kid.
It's true. In no way does this post have anything to do with today being St. Patrick's day.
UPDATE on recently rented movies:
Hustle & Flow - good but the characters aren't that complicated, I still adore Terrence Howard though. Swerve! Swerve!
The Proposition - by Nick Cave, starring Guy Pearce. Very melodramatic. Who would've expected that?
Did I already mention the US vs. John Lennon? He's my new hero, by the way. His integrity is something to aspire to.
this time it's personal
Today I was thinking about how when Jarad and I left Austin for Seattle last summer and his mom told him something along the lines of how he shouldn't expect me to stay in one place for very long. Note to all young men: Listen To Your Mother. It's OK though. He planned a good summer for himself. I'm not worried about him. To my credit, I entered this relationship convinced he was a nomad like myself - he'd been backpacking across Europe and he said he wanted to travel the world with me (which we might very well still do...). But after those shoestring months in Europe, plus a few months of living my lifestyle (no money, no car, no stuff, cold weather discomfort at times, potato soup and not being able to go out to dinner or to shows often), Jarad was more than ready to stay in one place for at least a year, and once again I believed that I was ready to "settle down" for awhile. I didn't want to live in a town I didn't like (ugly or landlocked), and there were lots of other reasons I thought Seattle would be good for Jarad. He has enjoyed a lot of things about Seattle. I've been in a slow decline over the last 7 months. The whole settling down thing is not for me. In no way do I mean that I don't want a boyfriend - that's not it at all. It's all about feeling physically stuck. In the city, in my apartment, in a boring job so I can pay for the apartment, the food, the bus, entertainment. Since 2004 I've been quite happy not to be dating sailors. Now I wish that Jarad was a sailor so that he could enjoy that lifestyle with me. Maybe someday when I get my own boat...
Muggers: Don't Read This
Let's see... I'm actually more inspired to write for one of my other blogs, behindthezine.blogspot.com, because of all the stuff I've been doing for my 'zine...
But I've done some fun stuff this week. Besides working 13 hours yesterday. Not to sound like a princess, but I carry a $400 leather bag with me just about everywhere - I got it in Germany when I was 18 and it's one of my few extravagances. I get compliments on it all the time. It's more like a soft briefcase or book bag. In it is kept my laptop, my iPods (one for music and the other with an iTalkPro for recording interviews), plus my wallet, which has a Merchant Mariners Document in it (much more valuable to me than both my drivers license and credit card put together). And then of course my keys and cell phone. Ok fine call me high maintenance. Just don't sell this info to any local criminals. Anyway, I get to work and my boss tells me I'm going to work OUTSIDE, in the RAIN, for 13 hours. Sure, I didn't wear a sweater or long johns so I'm going to freeze, but more what I'm thinking about is where I'm going to put my bag. My boss says "in this little booth by where you'll be" and it turns out the booth is not in my field of vision and is to remain unlocked all day. So yeah, I DID start acting like a princess. Plus I was cold and wet and bitchy. They moved me to a warmer place later... so everything turned out fine.
Been hanging out a lot with A.M., which I feel is totally necessary since there's a good chance I won't see him for years. We've been shopping buddies. Fisheries Supply, REI, Value Village, Elliot Bay Book Company. There's only a handful of people in the world that I would drop everything else to hang out with as much as possible, and he is in that group. And there's really only two friends whom I find totally inspiring and ambitious - A.M., and my friend Amy C. from New Jersey, currently living in Hong Kong. Amy and I were roommates in Waikiki, after she'd lived for awhile in Australia, and before she worked for the Manhattan District Attorney and then started traveling and working in Asia. Amy is always very positive, thoughtful, fun, and hardworking.
Jarad and I watched Thank You For Smoking and Science of Sleep this week. Both well worth renting. I love Gondry's mind. If I could inject essence-of-Gondry into my brain like a drug, I would be addicted. The actors were great. I felt sorry for Gainsburg's character because I can't imagine what it'd be like to deal with a guy like that. Not to say I didn't get the jist of the movie... I just think it'd all be kinda too frustrating to be fun.
Tonight he is working on his screenplay and I am supposed to be designing page outlines for my editor for issue #2. I can't say enough how important it is to include other people in your projects. It really helps you acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. But can you handle the truth? My truth - I'm slow at 'zine stuff. Uh... I should get to that now.
But I've done some fun stuff this week. Besides working 13 hours yesterday. Not to sound like a princess, but I carry a $400 leather bag with me just about everywhere - I got it in Germany when I was 18 and it's one of my few extravagances. I get compliments on it all the time. It's more like a soft briefcase or book bag. In it is kept my laptop, my iPods (one for music and the other with an iTalkPro for recording interviews), plus my wallet, which has a Merchant Mariners Document in it (much more valuable to me than both my drivers license and credit card put together). And then of course my keys and cell phone. Ok fine call me high maintenance. Just don't sell this info to any local criminals. Anyway, I get to work and my boss tells me I'm going to work OUTSIDE, in the RAIN, for 13 hours. Sure, I didn't wear a sweater or long johns so I'm going to freeze, but more what I'm thinking about is where I'm going to put my bag. My boss says "in this little booth by where you'll be" and it turns out the booth is not in my field of vision and is to remain unlocked all day. So yeah, I DID start acting like a princess. Plus I was cold and wet and bitchy. They moved me to a warmer place later... so everything turned out fine.
Been hanging out a lot with A.M., which I feel is totally necessary since there's a good chance I won't see him for years. We've been shopping buddies. Fisheries Supply, REI, Value Village, Elliot Bay Book Company. There's only a handful of people in the world that I would drop everything else to hang out with as much as possible, and he is in that group. And there's really only two friends whom I find totally inspiring and ambitious - A.M., and my friend Amy C. from New Jersey, currently living in Hong Kong. Amy and I were roommates in Waikiki, after she'd lived for awhile in Australia, and before she worked for the Manhattan District Attorney and then started traveling and working in Asia. Amy is always very positive, thoughtful, fun, and hardworking.
Jarad and I watched Thank You For Smoking and Science of Sleep this week. Both well worth renting. I love Gondry's mind. If I could inject essence-of-Gondry into my brain like a drug, I would be addicted. The actors were great. I felt sorry for Gainsburg's character because I can't imagine what it'd be like to deal with a guy like that. Not to say I didn't get the jist of the movie... I just think it'd all be kinda too frustrating to be fun.
Tonight he is working on his screenplay and I am supposed to be designing page outlines for my editor for issue #2. I can't say enough how important it is to include other people in your projects. It really helps you acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. But can you handle the truth? My truth - I'm slow at 'zine stuff. Uh... I should get to that now.
