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| 2009-08-05 17:40 |
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The following nouns in some way describe my life over the last couple months but in no particular order.
IKEA, Oregon, Sand, Sun, Sunburn, Dungeons, Dragons, Trails, Sweat, Laina, Ants, Bumbershoot, PAX (Penny-Arcade Expo), Tickets, Conan, Comis, Portland, Donut, Maple, Bacon, Cheeses, Melon, Games, Travel, Computer, Netbook, Podcasts.
Speaking of that last one, if you have any to suggest, post them here and I may give them a listen.
And YES I listen to This American Life. Who doesn't?
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So Sasquatch was AWESOME. Fun to take a long drive with Laina and chill and enjoy some hot weather for the first time in what seems like forever. Went for Saturday and Monday and relaxed, danced, had a blast. NIN was truly something live. I'm glad Laina got to see NIN because she is a fan of theirs, though she said they only played a few songs on her "wish list."
The gorge is a very pretty place, to be sure. You should check out some of the pictures online. For the most part the three stages don't compete with one another very much, noise wise, and even with the tens of thousands of people that we shared the space with, we always felt close enough to the stage. We also managed to only get a LITTLE sunburned, something we remedied when we went down to Alkii beach this last weekend and scorched ourselves pretty good.
Some of my favorite bands from the show? NIN, Santigold, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. There were a lot more I liked but these were the ones Laina and I just HAD to stand up and dance for. We also saw a few funny comedians. I'm looking forward to similar adventures.
Particularly since I found out my job will be staying in Bothell. Moving just a mile a way and that is most excellent. I can continue walking to work, rain and shine, and don't have to worry about traffic or taking up jogging again to stay in shape. I'll have new lunch options to explore! I think there is a pizza joint a short walk away from where I'll be. Maybe I can even join in on some frisbee in the field next to the new building. Hurrah!
I'm having a pretty good time, folks.
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Looks like Michelle and I are now allowed to look for a new location for our lab. This is a great development as it means I don't have to move closer to Tacoma and I may even wind up in a location I enjoy MORE than the current one. It also means I won't have to go apartment hunting anytime soon if we can find a suitable place.
In other news, going to be at The Gorge Amphitheater next weekend for the Sasquatch festival and I cannot wait! MUSIC, COMEDY, SUN, VACATION!
In addition, the Seattle Independent Film Festival kicks off this next week, as well, and continues on for about a month. Lots of films to see!
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My job is moving to Tacoma...
Well it's more complicated than that. Michelle and I are doing everything we can to try and allow ourselves NOT to move to Tacoma but the Test America building we are based in is moving there. The good news is we are good employees so they've made room for our lab there but unless I moved that would mean a minimum 50 minute commute...that's without traffic. Ugh.
Anyway, my supervisor is backing us up but the higher ups might not dig it.
I'm worried that Michelle will quit if we move there for good.
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So I took Laina out for a treat earlier today.
See, I had heard about this Goat Farm in Fall City, East of Seattle, on NPR. Laina had caught wind of the story, as well, and thought visiting a goat farm would be both cute and delightful.
But this was months ago and she'd since forgotten about the farm, most likely.
Unbeknownst to her, I set about securing a place in a single day cheese making taught at this farm.
And that's what we did today. We learned how to make mozzarella and tomme cheeses and sipped wine and got to cavort with rectangly pupiled goat kids. It was a pretty interesting afternoon. Laina was very excited about it, and I managed to keep it a secret up till ten minutes before we arrived at the farm, or so. Plus I got to apply some of my microbiology knowledge.
In two months we will also have aged about 2 pounds of tomme in our refrigerator. It will be excellent on crackers. I hope we have lots of parties to bring some to.
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A rough sketch for my DnD character, Vincentia "Mysticalis."
He's a wizard!
I think he's fun for me to roleplay as he's not much like myself, excepting the corny sense of humor.
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1. My girlfriend is moving in with me over the next week. I'm really excited. We have a lot of her stuff moved in and it looks nice and comfy. I think I'm going to be happy with this.
2. I'm playind DnD tomorrow with Matt and Ben and Dustin. It's going to be great.
I've rolled up a 4th edition character who is a wizard with a propensity for masquerading as mystics and fortune tellers. I'm also thumbing through the PHB 2 and it's interesting.
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So I'm going to Sasquatch later this year, in May!
http://www.sasquatchfestival.com/
Awesome.
Recommend me some bands you like in particular. I have a number in mind already, of course.
I've been enjoying the slightly warmer weather. Walking to work is less of a chore in the last month, despite the freak snow we had a couple days ago. A bright future from here on out, though!
I'm excited about a number of things I have planned for myself over the next couple months, some music concerts, a robot battle contest (that I'm just watching, not participating in :p), my girlfriends birthday, and maybe some visits from parents!
Oh, and I saw Watchmen at midnight, last Thursday. I enjoyed it a whole lot. It was much more action oriented then the comic, and there is NO WAY any film could really portray all the different sub texts and influences of the comic it's based on but they did a good job of presenting the major moral of the basic story...the idea that morality is a very fluid thing, the idea that heroes can be incredibly flawed, that they can even seem like villains depending on your position, etc.
Oh, and I'm excited about picking up Resident Evil 5, this week. Hit me up if you get the game and want to play some coop.
And Taco Night with Ben and Jordyn this weekend, awesome.
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I look back and think about all that's changed in the past six months. There's a lot of good and a bit of bad. Things that have made me happier to be alive, things that have made me sad to witness and experience. I was gloomy for a moment just the other day and I thought, maybe if I put down in words everything that had changed for the better, I'd see with my own eyes how I should really feel.
Firstly, I fell in love with someone new. Someone who makes me feel great about myself and is supportive of me in everything...except for my love of seafood.
I've moved to a new apartment where I have more freedom and feel like I have more of a connection to the environment around myself. Living on a strip of unincorporated highway wasn't that fun. A definite improvement.
I've been to more concerts, shows, etc. then ever in my life and I've had a lot of fun doing so.
And, most recently, I managed to pay off all of my major debt, meaning it's just bills for me from now on till whenever I decide to go through with buying a new car/house/condo etc. Seems like it might be a ways down the road for me, there, but I'm in no hurry. When tallied up like this, each event seems pretty significant, many of them enough to outweigh all the bad things on their own. Maybe you'd find the same is true?
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Michelle and I just got bumped down to 38 hours a week...along with everyone else in Emlab. It's really lame but I guess it's better than looking for a job.
The only troubling aspect of it is the fact that we have been busy as hell these last few weeks, so it feels unjustified. My supervisor has said that it's possible that we could still work the normal 40 hours if it's busy.
So here's hoping I have to work my butt off for the next few weeks.
On a brighter note, I'm seeing a 3D movie today! YEAH! Going to check out Coraline with Laina. I do love me some animated films!
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So everyone now is using this new twitter thing. I understand the appeal but I don't think I'll be hopping on board the bandwagon. Not to dismiss it at all, but I kind of feel like the best part about blogs is reading into the thought process of the person posting. You can't really do that via reactionary text messages, I don't think, but it does have it's own appeal. I like the idea of people being reporters of their own lives and the world around them. A sort of personal journalism. It's neat...but I don't think it lets me get into peoples heads much.
What do you guys think?
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So, turns out my mother is definitely flying to Michigan this weekend. She's going to stop and see my brother in Corvallis, too. I hope he's OK. He lived and worked with the guy for like...two or three years. I think all three of us, my mother, my brother, and myself, have realistic views of what happened and why...Ron had issues with drinking, period.
Ugh.
Saturday I'm going to a party with friends and I'll have my mind off this for a bit, but I might not stay really long if everyone is going to be drunk. Hope they enjoy the Meringue pie I'm going to make, though. All by my self this time!
Talked with Jessica...I hadn't in a while. She had gone up to visit Rhia for a bit and for a moment I was a little hurt that she hadn't talked to me at all about visiting but it would be hypocritical of me to hold on to that. After all, she was the friend of an ex of MINE before we became good friends ourselves. Maybe I can convince her to visit in order to see The Black Kids at Neumos or something.
I don't know how many people actually read this anymore beyond my family, but I will continue to make these updates. Journals don't need to be read often to be useful, and I know my family reads it now and then, which is it's purpose, really. You're in my thoughts and, now that A NUMBER OF THEM SEEMED TO HAVE ADDED ME TO FACEBOOK maybe we can communicate on a level that comes a little more naturally to me. Ah, technology.
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Going to keep this simple and straight to the point.
My mother called me this morning. Apparently her ex husband, whom she had been separated from for while, passed away. The cause of death was not "natural."
I lived with this guy for about a year, and he had been a constant if small presence up until about a year or so ago. I'm not hurting myself over it but I know my mother is and I'd like to console her the best I can. I believe she'll get out of it all right but she has some responsibilities in terms of talking with the family and maybe flying out to Michigan where he lived or perhaps Arizona, where his kids were.
Anyway, my own emotions about this are complicated.
I always expected that I would have to deal with friends, family, or acquaintances dying as I got older but not in the tragic ways they actually have over the last year.
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We have created a pie.
Yes, a pie. Lemon Meringue, in all it's citrus glory. Despite all expectations to the contrary, it was, and continues to be, delicious in its simplicity.
I plan on making another one for a party, this weekend, and this was the trial run. A friend of mine is returning to the west coast after living a short time in the East. Should be fun.
I have been partially charged with printing out scripts for a play reading that should be....entertaining. We read act 1 a week ago and it was DELIGHTFUL.
Oh, and I've been working a bit on my planning skills. Mostly it's manifested itself in terms of finding fun things for Laina and I to do together during our time together and I think it's paid off. I've been having a lot of fun outside the apartment lately.
I also learned that a friend of mine went up to Vancouver for the weekend and I'm kind of bummed that there was no time to see her, myself, as it's been a while, but I'm sure there will be other opportunities.
Oh, and Obama is being sworn in as president, two days from now.
So many pleasant developments, lately.
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I am considering attempting to create a lemon meringue pie. The road may be perilous, the journey long, and the goal elusive, but I will have a a pie by the time I'm done. Oh yes.
Whether it tastes or looks anything like lemon meringue is another story.
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The new year has been pretty pleasant to me. It began with a concert at the paramount headed by The Presidents of The United States of America and, though a 5 hour show can be quite tiring, it was a lot of fun and I got to spend the time with someone special, which always helps!
And in reference to the last post....I WAS able to break free from the snow to visit my mother on Christmas, and that was quite a relief, indeed. Thanks, Mom, I had a good time even if we were snowed in. It was relaxing to be away from everything for a while.
Now to think of interesting things to do with my new gas powered grill!
PROPANE!
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Snow has prevented me from freeing my car and getting chains on it or anything, so far. I may get lucky if their is rain tonight but that is to be seen.
Laina will be picking me up in town to bring me to her place for Christmas Eve dinner. I hate to make her drive in this weather, though.
And last I heard chains are required on all roads in Portland so it won't necessarily be easy to get around there, either.
Hopefully there will be a happier ending to this.
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So I'm doing something new for Christmas.
My mother and brother will be meeting me in Portland, Christmas day, and we'll be staying at The Edgefield Hotel. We'll be enjoying some nice food and music and our mornings and afternoons will be pretty free and open so if you're in the area, send me a message. I'll be looking in the paper to see what all is going on in Portland, that weekend.
This is great for me, because it's a lot closer than my hometown, and it's...well...different. Plus, Portland is a pretty nice town. I might try and get my aunt and cousin to catch some lunch with us or something, as well, since they live in the area.
Christmas eve, I'll be meeting the girlfriends mother for the first time! I've already met her brother, step dad, and little sister, though so I'm not too nervous or anything. Her mom is a former gourmet chef, so it should be tasty at the least.
Hope you all have some enjoyable holiday plans. Stay warm, etc.
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The brown and gold leaves have just about finished falling from the trees up here. Soon, the cities will be full of bare sticks pushing out of the ground. The occasional gray squirrel will skitter out from it's hiding place and scrabble at the ground where it knows an acorn has been buried.
Back where I'm from, on the Oregon Coast, the fog and the rain will begin to encroach into every day life. A blanket of clouds will roll in, keeping everyone's eyes bent more inward, towards the normal patterns of their inner lives.
And here, by the bay, we'll all indulge in the delicacies of the region. The music. The warmth of others in a crowded theater. The memories of lives in other times and places and dimensions as written down on the page. The excitement 60 watts of electrical energy and a pair of fingertips can bring to the big screen. One another.
Enjoy.
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