Where the lovelight gleams

One of my all time favorite Christmas songs is "I'll be home for Christmas." I'm not sure why I've loved it so much. I've spent every single Christmas that I can remember with my family. This Christmas will very happily be no exception. However, it will be the second Christmas that I can remember where I won't wake up at the crack of dawn with my younger sister. It was an odd sensation last year to wake up at a decent hour, and to wonder out to join my parents. I'm used to my sister waking me up when it is still dark and going to see what Santa left in our stockings. We aren't extremely close, but I did miss her last year and I'm glad that she and her husband will be spending the holiday with our family.
In other holiday news I helped host a holiday dinner last weekend. I made a chocolate cake that has a pound of chocolate in just the frosting, and a bruschetta pizza that was better than I had thought it would be. Our friends brought food and we laughed and talked as we prepared everything. While some of us were in the kitchen others had turned on the Wii and were playing some sort of Mario Brothers game. For some reason instead of turning it off they decided to leave it on while we ate. So instead of Christmas music playing in the background, my holiday dinner party was serenaded by Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Daisy, Mario and others. When someone finally commented on it we all cracked up. Most of the people there were hard core gamers, but all of us had played Nintendo growing up. The music hasn't really changed in all these years and we all had stories about the music driving parents crazy.
There was one upside. After dinner I was helping to clean up while others finished playing the game. When I went to grab something off the table my boyfriend teased me by trying to poke my belly button. I laughed and tried to spin away while grabbing his hand to stop him. He spun me back around and we ended up dancing and laughing in the middle of the kitchen. All in all it was a great night.

Wine is bottled poetry

I never really drank in high school. I may have had a sip or two of wine that an uncle had brought to dinner, but that was it. It wasn't until I was twenty and attending summer school in Paris that I started drinking. While I was there I learned to appreciate wine. Kind of hard not to when you're visiting the regions wines are named after. Since then I've had good wine, just nothing like I had last week.

My favorite tour guide and I were invited to his roommate's birthday dinner last Tuesday. The roommate is half Japanese, and his father is this adorable tiny Japanese man who can cook native Hawaiian dishes. The food was all made from scratch and utterly fantastic. Best out of all he prepared was the best duck I've had since I was served it at Chateau Chenonceau. That is the only dish whose name I can remember. Well, that and the incredible chocolate cake, but who is going to forget that?

As wonderful as the food was, the wine was better. It started off with champagne that tasted great even thought it was brut. After that we had merlots, cabernets, and a pinot noir that smelled so good I wanted to eat the air. Our host was so delighted that he had guests that appreciated wine he kept bringing out different bottles. We didn't get drunk. Those of us that weren't driving may have gotten a tad fuzzy, but that's it. Our host only poured enough to be appreciated each time.

The pièce de résistance was the port that was served with dessert. I've never had it before, so I was given a crash course. Just like with wine there are a number of different types. Unlike with wine, the different types are an indicator of quality. The top of the line is vintage port, and one of the absolutely best years is 1977. That's the year the roommate was born, which is why the host had a bottle of it. He purchased it that year and kept it for his son's 30th birthday.

All in all dinner was wonderful.

A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry
Ecclesiastes 10:19

CA girl at heart

It is beautiful here. Washington is aptly named the evergreen state, and the number of views here are countless. At least this is what I tried to remind myself when my jeep got covered in snow yesterday. The snow is gone now. Today was slightly warmer, and it rained as well, so it cleared it out. However, I know its going to come back. It’s barely December and we have the whole of winter to get through.

I wasn't really caught off guard by the snow. Not only did I know that it snowed here before I moved, it snowed the weekend I visited Seattle a year ago. That was when, in spite of the snow and frigid temperatures, I fell in love with this place. However, as a California native a part of me still believes that snow is something you are supposed to visit, not live in.

I still love it here, but I'm thinking this may be the end of the honeymoon period.

Sky high

First the bad news: According to the news today's high was 45 degrees, and tomorrow is not looking better.

Now the good news: This weekend was a completely different story.

It wasn't all that warm, but it was absolutely beautiful. Since the sun was out Saturday it made exploring much more fun this time around. We went to Golden Gardens Park which has a sandy beach, a boat marina, and gorgeous views. One of the best views we discovered while walking along one of the park paths. It was a tree that eats kites, kinda like the one in the Charlie Brown comic strips. I spotted one whole one, two tatters remains, and possibly a fourth.

Further on the path, where the park met the beach, we spotted two little boys with their dad trying to fly a kite. The dad would throw it up into the air, and one of the little boys would jerk the string back and forth. Sometimes it would hover, but mostly this would result in the kite making an arch and crashing into the ground. As much fun as they seemed to be having they didn't really stand a chance of getting the kite in the air. There was a slight breeze, but not enough to get it airborne. Still, I'm thinking I'm going to have to buy a kite soon.

Further on the path we spotted another kid. This one was completely bundled up. He had on a windbreaker with a hood, a pair of gloves, a scarf that wound around his face, and a beanie. The cutest part was that he kept turning around and telling his dad, "stay there, I'm okay." Then he would turn back around and keep walking. Every few steps his dad would move forward, and almost immediately the boy would turn back around to make sure he hadn't. It was like watching a little boy try and train his puppy.

Sunday was just as beautiful and I spent most of it wandering around downtown trying to get gift ideas. Eventually I decided I'd had enough of people and went to Ballard to bug my favorite tour guide. Once he completely woke up from his nap he decided to show me around the U district. Its the area in Seattle near the University of Washington, and is the stereotypical college district. As cute as it looks I want to go back and wander around some since we didn't get far this trip. My guide made the mistake of taking me to a large book store. The best part is that he was so entertained by my reaction he is actually planning on taking me to another one.

Yeah. I've got the best tour guide ever.

Simple pleasures

Last Saturday the sun decided to come out to play. At least it did around mid-morning. Unfortunately my hair needs a bit of encouragement to stay blond these days so I was stuck at the hair dresser. By the time I was done it was around two in the afternoon, but the sun was still out so I was happy. My tour guide was as happy as I was to see the sun, but had no idea where to go to enjoy it. We'd been to all the obvious places around the city and he wanted to take me somewhere new. After poking around the net he realized I hadn't been to Gas Works park yet so off we went.

Gasworks used to be a refinery plant and is now a great park. Its the kind of park that would make my nephew's head explode with the sheer number of things to climb. I wish I'd had a kite with me to fly out over the lake, and that the sun had stayed out. Sadly by the time we got to the park it had disappeared again leaving me with a very stubborn tour guide and a bright red nose. In spite of that I had fun. My favorite part was the giant sundial on top of the hill. You have to stand on today's date and by using the chart engraved next to it you can tell the time fairly accurately. Or you can when the sun is out and casting shadows.

After a full tour of the park we went to Chinook Beach Park. To my amusement the term "beach" is used very liberally here. Its is a cute park with hiking trials we chose not to explore (at least this time) and a rocky shore with a great view of the setting sun. We stayed there for a bit and I found out that even in the height of summer people catch hypothermia swimming there in less than an hour. So it looks like the only time I'll be wading in will be on a visit home.

After my tours we went to this great pizza place that does only more traditional Italian style pizza. Before our pizza showed up this guy that works for the restaurant came over to our table and did card tricks. Even though my sister used to do them all the time, and showed me how some are done, I'm still easily impressed by them.

For one of them he had us pick out a card and showed it to us, then had my tour guide sign the front of it. That card was shuffled back into the deck. Then he drew a stick figure which was supposed to be his assistant on the back of a random card. He told me to add to it so I drew hair that stuck straight up on top of his head, kinda like Bart Simpson. Through magic the assistant jumped from the back of one card to another until he stopped at the card my guide had signed. He then gave us the card and he wandered off to entertain someone else. I mistakenly thought the tricks were over when I put the card in my guide's shirt pocket, but somehow it managed to appear in my coat pocket when I got home later that night.

I must pause now to tell you about something that by simply existing makes the world a better place. It the Italian gelato that's served for dessert there. The chocolate gelato was absolutely incredible. It was served with a shot of espresso of impressive quality, even by Seattle standards. I very happily lingered over it, and I'm currently trying to figure how to get back there.

Other than that things have been quiet here. Its getting colder and I'm spending more time cuddled up indoors. Fireplaces seem to be as standard issue up here as air conditioners were in Sacramento, and I'm thoroughly enjoying this. Still, the sun is supposed to be out for most of the weekend and I'm looking forward to it. I'm told there's another great park I have to check out, even if it is almost winter.

Starting to feel pretty

All my life my dad has made funny faces, and its only natural that as I kid I would try to mimic him. He looks like Abe Lincoln normally, so when he wiggles his eyebrows or scrunches up his nose kids tend to laugh. I can't begin to count the times he's done things like that to the amusement of any child in close vicinity. Its part of what made him a fun dad when I was a kid, and what makes him a fun grandpa now.
Before I go on I have to point out that I don't particularly like my nose. It is too big and is often red as a result of the sun in the summer, and the cold in the winter. Drawing attention to it wouldn't seem logical, but I don't obsess over my nose so its not a big deal. I've learned to put make up on so that I can feel that I look better, and to go on with life. Scrunching my nose like a rabbit and all.
Now that I am an adult I have the habit of doing a "rabbit nose" in an attempt to amuse someone. Its not really something I think about. To me its just another facial expression. So imagine my surprise when my boyfriend noticed me doing this, and pointed out that he thought it was cute. Before I could react he quickly kissed the tip of my nose. It startled me so much that I laughed. My nose cute? Never thought I'd hear that one.
Well, this has become somewhat of a thing between us. If I happen to do the "rabbit nose" when he's close he'll kiss the tip of my nose. Sometimes he'll kiss my nose just to startle me. Its not a big thing, but I laugh every time.

Fake it 'till you make it

I've learned that if you pretend to know what you're doing few will question it. I've also learned to speak with confidence when at work, no matter the situation. This week alone both have gotten me out of trouble at least three times. It helps that I actually had answers to my boss' questions, and that I was in the process of fixing what people were complaining about. So when a branch manager called and asked questions about package quantities I confidently answered his questions without thinking. At one point after asserting something I offered to go and double check on it for him. He responded that it wasn't necessary and that he trusted me. That's when I blew my cover by laughing. As short lived as it was, it was nice to have someone treat me like a knowledgeable source again. Hopefully next time I won't blow my cover.

"This way."
"You don't really know, do you ?"
"What ?"
"I mean, you are acting like you know exactly which way to go, but you are only guessing. Do you do this all the time ?"
"No, but there ... are times when it is necessary for a captain to give the appearance of confidence." -- Picard and Beverly in ST:TNG "Attached"

I believe you have my stapler

When I interviewed for my current job I was told that I had a huge mess to clean up. They weren't kidding. I buy 130 lines of product, and so far I've managed to clean up two. Not a great ratio, and the only reason I've gotten that far is that I've conned someone else into doing it. You could be negative and call this cheating. I choose to be positive and call this delegating.

The coworker in question is this great old Jewish guy that thinks the only thing wrong with me is that I'm not Jewish. What made us friends was when I overheard him asking "you know what WC Fields said, right?" Without missing a beat I piped up with "kid can't hold his liquor." He gave me a funny look so I asked him if he meant the one about parboiling children. Then he gave me a curious look and said that he had forgotten what he was talking about. Since then he's been asking me random trivia questions just to see what I know. I find it fairly entertaining. My dad taught us kids tons of trivia growing up and its coming in really handy. So is the fact that I love old movies and read voraciously. Every time I get something right my coworker shakes his head asks "where did you go wrong?"

Other than that work has been incredibly frustrating. I know it takes about six months to get into the groove of a new job, but I'm impatient. It doesn't help that at my last job I was the "it" girl. Granted I worked there for about four years so I had lots of time to learn a ton of stuff. Yes, at the beginning of that job I was just as frustrated and had to face a learning curve. Yes, at least this time I know something about buying and have become good at it. That doesn't change the fact that I constantly feel overwhelmed in my position as "new girl."

Speakng of, the girl who was supposed to train me was less than effective. She went through everything at break-neck speed so right now I'm having to teach myself a great deal. My other coworkers (the only people around my age in the office) aren't seated near me so I barely interact with them. I keep trying to talk to them, but I don't get much of a response. Today I was grudgingly invited to lunch and I accepted hoping to break the ice a bit more. Not sure if it worked or not but it was worth a shot. I don't know if their reserve is a reaction to my personality, the fact that the pricing manager (who no one likes for good reason) seems buddy buddy with me, my obvious friendship with the old Jewish guy, or the fact that my position has had a lot of turn over.

Just to make matters more interesting I found out that the one guy near my age that I sit next to is the nephew of the owner. Oh, and his dad is a top level executive. While I've dealt with family related to the company owner before this is a very different scenario. To put it bluntly, he sucks as a buyer. Worse, he is in my way. In order to get my monstrosity of a mess cleaned up I have to get him to upload information into our computer system. He wants every idy bity detail in order and set up in a specific way on a spreadsheet. Four years of buying experience tells me that isn't ever going to happen. Due to his connections I can't simply do what I would normally do: bulldoze over him. I have to be politic, sweet talk the Jewish guy into doing the dirty work for now, and learn how to do the idiots job as well as mine. Without showing the nephew up of course. It has been made clear that we must avoid junior loosing face at all costs.

Ug. I really don't like being told I can't simply dismiss idiots from existing in my universe. Growing up simply sucks sometimes.

Semi-charmed kind of life

Today it was absolutely beautiful outside. I was supposed to get up at the crack of dawn to go get a Washington state license, but I slept through my alarm. By the time I woke up I knew that there was bound to be a long line, and that it was too beautiful a day to waste at the DMV. So instead I called up the one gal pal I have here and made plans to enjoy the day.
Before I met up with her I stopped by the downtown library. On my way there I drove down this street that has what should have been a fantastic view of the Sound. Instead I got to see lots of trees with gorgeous colors, and a wall of fog. It was absolutely beautiful and really weird. The trees were gold and rust and red. What was weird was that the fog seemed to be unable to pass this magical barrier as it seemed to stop the second it hit shore.
After the library I drove to my favorite part of town- Ballard. I parked my car at my friend’s house and we proceeded to walk around downtown Ballard. We went to a couple thrift stores and a couple consignment stores. I was looking for inspiration for a Halloween costume, she was looking for a new table. It seemed like everyone was out enjoying the rare bit of perfect weather. The sun was shining, the sky was this great shade of blue, the leaves on all the trees were turning, and the air had just a slight chill to it. I had a blast just walking around and people watching.
The best part of the day was when I was driving home across one of the bridges. I could see Mt Rainier in the distance and the sun sparkling off of the Sound. It was so beautiful all I could think was “wow, I get to live here.” Clearly my love affair with this city is still in the honeymoon phase. As happy as I am I think I’m just going to go with it.

I'll keep you locked in my head

I went to the Seattle Art Museum on Saturday, which houses mostly modern work. It was nice, but for the most part I don't enjoy modern art. There have been a rare few pieces that I have loved, but what I saw at the SAM just didn't do it for me. The top floor was more my style with classical pieces, and some intricately painted china.
I prefer the Impressionists, specifically Monet's waterlilies. I know that's not unique, but I still love them. My all time favorite is on display in a small hard to find museum in Paris. Part of the reason I love them so much is that I got to go to Monet's garden in Giverney, which is where the series was painted. It was such a surreal moment to turn around a corner in the garden and feel as though I were inside a painting. I hope I never forget it.
A large chunk of Sunday was spent doing laundry and looking up books on the internet. I was extremely successful with the former, but not the latter activity. I've found a number of websites that I can use to figure out titles from what sketchy information I remember about various books. Until now, they've been extermly helful. This weekend all I could seem to find are book series that take place before and after the series that I'm searching for.
What really frustrated me is that I know all it would take in the past is a phone call to the friend that originally loaned the books to me. Only problem is the friend is no longer on the other end of the line, and its times like this that I miss her. The good news is there is a solution of sorts. An aquaintence of mine is a fan of the overall series and can likely point me in the right direction. Too bad it won't cure missing my friend.

Goo Goo G'joob

If you have never been to soap box races you are really missing out. This Saturday Red Bull sponsored races in the Fremont district. There was everything from the rolling bridge troll to a ferry pulling the space needle. My favorite was the A-team mostly due to the fact that they had a white Mr. T. Among the others were a giant toilet bowl with a movable seat, and a giant sushi roll. We had a lot of fun in spite of the off and on rain, even though there weren't that many crashes (my favorite part).
After the races I got to see the first part of the Battlestar Galactica mini series. It was awesome. There is this one character that may or may not be a hallucination. Either way she is completely insane and absolutely convinced that this egomaniac will/does love her. He is the only one that can see her and it gets pretty entertaining. Especially when she decides to get frisky and someone walks in on him. Outside of that the story is great and the special effects are impressive.
On Sunday I went with a friend to this great local place called The Dish Cafe. There isn't a lot to the menu, but everyone I met agrees there is nothing bad on it. The fabulous garden omelet came with a scone that was wonderful. We sat and talked for a bit and it was fun to feel like a local. Once we were done stuffing ourselves we went to see Across the Universe. Very trippy movie. At one point the main characters dropped acid to a Beattle's song "I am the Walrus" (the title of this blog is from a line in it).
All in all it was a fun weekend, even with the stereotypical Seattle weather finally deciding to show up.

Here there be dragons,

and pirates that like to go bowling. Or at least guys that work for a company with a pirate mascot do. Last night five of us went to a place called The Garage that is part bowling alley, part pool hall. Its close to me and, at least during the week, is pretty relaxed. Whatever skill I managed to build in high school PE bowling class I have completely lost. My first two frames were gutter balls, but I managed to pull off two spares later so at least I redeemed myself. One of the guys actually pulled off the Fred Flinstone move where he walks on his tip toes up to the lane. His name is Biggie and he hit more pins than I did that round. I'd hold it against him but he's entirely too much fun. His wife is great too. She and I have a common understanding that Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is gorgeous. We only bowled one round. The game had started late and we all had work in the morning. I'm looking forward to doing it again though. Hanging out with pirates is fun.

Climb inside the purple sky

The sunset today was absolutely gorgeous. On my way home I was stopped at a light and when I looked in my mirror all I could see was this gorgeous view of the Sound. The mountains were varying shades of purple, the sky was shades of copper and gold and the water looked like silver. I love that every day on my way home I have a view like that. It won't last, I know. Eventually winter will set in and I'll be whining about how icky it is. For now though I'm thoroughly enjoying the view every time I come and go from home.

the title is from Painter Song by nora jones

Wandering close to home

When I first moved here there were posters and signs everywhere of a cute little goldfish with the tag line "let Leonard in." There is even a website that you can check out in support of Leonard. It is a fun campaign for the recently renovated Seattle Aquarium. After seeing the cute posters everywhere I decided I wanted to go and check it out.

I wasn't expecting much. I grew up fairly close to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium and, at least to me, it is fairly impressive. Seattle Aquarium may not be as large, but it is fun. There is a huge tank just as you walk in that is filled with a number of different fish and has a volunteer standing next to it answering questions. Little kids were paying rapt attention as this woman explain in simple terms what each fish was and where it lived in nature. It was really sweet.


Just past that was a cool tunnel you could walk into and watch the jellyfish swirl around you. We stood there watching that for a while until we heard little kids shouting "WOW" and went to investigate. Right around the corner was a circular tank that was connected by a tube to a larger tank that held a rock reef. What had grabbed their attention was the octopus that was taking a walk from one tank to the other. Couldn't blame them for being impressed, it was really cool.


There were other fun exhibits including the very cool large clam that had neon blue strips. A cute one must have been designed with Finding Nemo in mind as it only had a "Dory," a "Marvin," and a "Nemo." There is also a tank that is built like an igloo that you can sit under and watch fish. One of the best was the otter tank. Not because it was any better than the others, but because they were adorable.


After exhausting the aquarium we we went for dessert (in lieu of dinner) at a cute local place called Dilettante. The truffle case alone is a very happy thought. The cappuccino gateau was just as great. Once we had gorged ourselves on chocolate we went in search of a book shop that no one we asked seem to have heard of. Wandering up Broadway I realized why people told me I lived in a great area. If the restaurants there are half as good as they smell I am going to go broke soon. All in all it was a great day and I can't wait to explore my own neighborhood soon.

Who needs a map?

I got to see the Ballard Locks this weekend. Ballard is an area just to the north of downtown Seattle, and used to be its own town. About a hundred years ago it was made a part of Seattle, but the area kept the name. A running joke in the area is a bumper sticker that says "Free Ballard." Anyway, a couple people I had told I was moving to Seattle highly recommended the locks as something to check out, so I was pretty happy to discover that where we were.
The Locks are where boats enter and exit Lake Washington, and in reducing the structural stress is how the city keeps the bridges up. Lake Washington is higher than Puget Sound so the boats use the locks as a sort of elevator between the two bodies of water. There is also a pretty park that surrounds it and it includes a steep hillside my nephews would love to roll down.
After wandering around the locks for a bit and getting a great education about them we kept on walking. Eventually we stumbled across Discovery Park and I got to see yet another great view. My tour guide was fantastic. He pointed out that to the right were boats, to the left were some islands, and straight a head was a container ship. I was with a native of Seattle and we had no idea what the view was of. I just laughed. We wandered a bit more, and without really paying attention to where we were going we eventually made our way back home. All in all it was a great day.

Same song, different verse

We had our weekly purchasing meeting today. I shouldn't have been surprised by it, my boss announced last week that we would be having them on a weekly basis. The problem is that my last boss claimed the same thing and never followed through. So this morning when my coworkers started heading towards the conference room I was a bit surprised. Sitting at the table though things began to seem more and more familiar. My boss began talking about the downturn in the market and that we should be pulling stock from our warehouses rather than buying from vendors. We have to do so without putting our warehouse's saftey stock in jepardy, or risking loosing customer orders. I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing. I can't begin to count the number of times I've gotten this lecture. It shouldn't be amusing, but it is. All I could think is "no, really? Cause I was going to pick up another container of stock just for fun." While my last boss may have let me sass at him in our small department meetings, my current one might have fired me on the spot. Still, all day the camp song kept repeating in my head,

Fried ham, fried ham / cheese and bologna / and after the macaroni...

Soaking up the sun

I went on my first ferry ride yesterday. It was a crystal clear day and barely in the 80's, which I was told is a pretty warm day for Seattle. We managed to show up at the ferry dock just in time to see it pull away. Since we had about an hour we decided to walk around the pier to kill time. That's when I was introduced to Sylvester the mummy. This wouldn't be so creepy if you couldn't see the bullet hole and the blood stained skin. On the up side I did get to see what I was promised was a real jackalope, and the remains of a mermaid and her spawn.
Soon after we discovered that we had to get back to the ferry. Its a good thing we booked it down there because we were at the front of the line, and they had started loading the ferry. They were actually having cars drive around ours. There was a guy in front of us that hadn't made it back to his car by the time we drove onto the boat. Once we were well on our way we realized that we hadn't seen him make it onto the boat.
We spent the day on Bainbridge island just driving around and checking things out. At one point we accidentally drove off of the island. No, not off a cliff. We just didn't notice the bridge. Goes to show talking while driving can be as distracting in person as over the phone. Anyway, neither of us had been before so we had fun wandering around. Took us a while to find somewhere we wanted to eat though. Eventually we found the Treehouse Cafe and had some really really good pizza.
The weird part of the day was that the smell of the trees was different. I can only guess that it was the lack of redwood trees on the island. Even so I had a lot of fun enjoying one of the last summer days. Between the company and the place I am absolutely loving it here.

Ready or not

Tomorrow I start a new job. I will once again be working in the construction industry, and this time I get to clean up a very big mess. No idea how to do it, but I'm going to get two weeks training- maybe. I haven't even started and I know I'm in over my head. The next few months will be interesting as I learn an entirely new system, memorize countless specs, and convince vendors that unlike my predecessor I'm not evil. Fortunately I have some experience with the last part, just not on this scale. I’m intimidated, and more than a bit nervous. I’m also looking forward to kicking butt.

I was born under a wandering star...

One of my all time favorite movie quotes is "howdy parson, welcome to hell." Out of context the line isn't funny, but the scene always has me in stiches. It’s from the musical Paint Your Wagon in which Clint Eastwood sings. The most surprising thing isn't that he is in a musical; it's that he can actually sing well. Who knew?

While I'm not sure what I expected in this move, I'm happily surprised to find how easily I am slipping into this new life. I've been going on interviews and I may actually have a job next week. It is a bit up in the air but it looks good. I am making friends, or at least meeting people. My roommate so far seems pretty cool and has even invited me to a party on Sunday to introduce me to people. I've found a great bbq place just down the road, and I've managed to find my way home without help on a regular basis.

The best surprise in this move has been how beautiful it is here. I can't seem to get over it. I don't have a view from my apartment, but I have a gorgeous one every time I leave my place. There are two roads down the hill that I can take to get anywhere, and both offer views of Puget Sound that are absolutely beautiful. The last few days have been sunny and clear so I got to see Mt. Rainier at its best. I even got to see Green Lake at night with a full moon shining on it. I don't know when the newness of this move will wear off, but for now I'm enjoying being continually surprised by the natural beauty of this place.

Leaving Friday

After what feels like forever I am finally moving this Friday. Most of my belongings are packed up, but it feels like I'm just moving to yet another apartment somewhere in town. Except that I've been slowly saying good-bye to all my friends. Normally I don't see my friends around move dates as they are trying to avoid the ever present request for moving help that all twenty-somethings face. Its a bit odd to actually have friends call me up to make plans while I'm surrounded by full cardboard boxes. A part of me keeps thinking, "what's the big deal, I'll see you next week?" Except that I won't. Next week I'll be living in the rain soaked northwest, far from the incredible people I have met here. So between packing up my bakeware and looking for a job I'm going to dinner and drinks and saying good-bye. This may or may not turn out to be the best decision I've made, but either way I leave Friday.

My favorite thing is to go where I've never been. -Diane Arbus