gummybears!

Left the house today. Again. Twice in a row. Amazing!

So today was when this big haircut extravaganza was going on in Pulali. Didn't know until today when Dorothy called us asking if we were going to be there. Mm yeah. We had already made plans on the other side of the water.

It was lovely in Seabeck but as we got into Tacoma it got a little chilly. We managed to sneak in to Nathan and Rubies apartment complex and we went up to their floor only to get a call about our whereabouts. They had probably gotten out of the elevator just as we were going in the other one. Ha!

We walked from their place to the Tacoma Art Museum. Nate and Rubie got in free, mom and I were students and got a discount. The museum looked a great deal bigger on the outside. There were four exhibits going on. One was local artists that features some decent sculptures and paintings.

A collection of Renoir prints was up. I explained to Nate and Rubie the etching and litho process that went behind the prints. They were a little repetitive in subject matter. Lots of bathers and girls fixing hats. Nice though. I wish my plates had as much creativity and skill to them.

The third show was from the private collection. The theme was pieces that told a story and some of them had little quotes from various people about what they thought the stories were. Some of the kids ones were much more creative. There were some more fantastically detailed etchings that blew my mind.

The show we came to see was a Chuck Close exhibit. It had two of his trademark paintings along with some of his photography and larger tapestries made from the photos. The tapestries were easily ten feet tall and five feet wide and looked photo realistic. Amazing to behold and get close to. Some of the photos had been printed with poetry by a man whose name I forgot. Some nice little poems about artists and musicians. It was a small exhibit; just filling one room and a few put in walls.

We went to a sushi restaurant for lunch. At first we were wondering about the name of the place and how it was pronounced. We kept calling it "tuhwoah koi". We eventually figured out that it was an English name; Two Koi. My udon was decent. They kind of mugged up the egg part, the sushi was delectable, Nates Two Koi Tower was tall, and Rubie's Katsu looked delicious. A nice little meal but maybe not worth the price tag. Not the udon at least.

Back at their apartment we looked at the Tetris games Rubie and Nate were working on for class. Rubie's featured a nice Banksy image in the background. Nathan keeps demanding more graphics from me. I shot him with some Nerf suction cup darts.

I refilled my gummybears and we went home to Seabeck. As it warmed up, I dozed off on the way home.

My downloads are really going fast now. I am running low on ideas on what to search for. Just as well I will be taking a break from them soon.

Mom and I finished watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Beautiful imagery. Mom didn't find Bauby very sympathetic. To round off the sad cinematic theme of the night we made cupcakes and watched the second half of the Manic Depression documentary. It seems unreal how much sorrow Fry feels and how low his esteem his.

I'll be staying at Abba Hotel in Amsterdam. It seems in a good location but it has tiny rooms. But that's okay, who needs space when on holiday?

falling like little L-shaped pieces

The sun finally came out today. It has been cold and gray and unpleasant ever since I arrived.

Mum and I decided to go for a swim and some shopping.

First we stopped by the dump and recycled some glass and miscellaneous paper. We went to Walgreens and got some shampoo. I wanted to pick up some shirts and maybe some pants at Old Navy. There were plenty of nice simple shirts perfect for summer. There was only one pair of pants that really interested me. I bought the pants with my own hard earned custodian money. They fit like a dream. Amazing. The shirts were snazzy as well. Mum got a nice haul as well. She just hemmed some of her pants.

Swimming was quick. Just hot tub, some laps, and hot tub. Good old Bremerton Swim and Tennis Club.

We went to a bakery in Silverdale for lunch. I got a little pastry with cheese and bacon in it, mom got a quiche. We ate them on the beach at the marina. First time I have worn short sleeves (and my new top and pants) since I have been back.

Arriving home I rested in the hammock for a bit and then went for walkies with mom and Holly. We sort of vegged around for the rest of the day.

Watched the first part of Stephen Fry's documentary on Manic Depression. Watched a pretty bad Brittany Murphy movie on tv. Little Black Book or something. Not that good.

I'm helping Nathan with his homework. I am doing some of the graphics for his Tetris project for a programming class. I drew little people in Tetris shapes and now I am doing the background. All for free(until I start demanding something from him for my efforts).

the island

Lost had its two hour finale tonight. That was...just wow. It had a lot of action and drama and I spoke to the television a little. It only has two seasons left. Just, wow. I think it has almost managed to pull itself back. The next season will have to confirm it. The third season was just horrible and slow and pointless. Damn. And there was a preview for the American Life On Mars! I'm probably not going to watch it because the guy they hired is no John Simm and it looks bad. Lots of TV today. As usual. Finished The IT Crowd. Watched some more Nip/Tuck.

Read some parts from the Frommer's book about Amsterdam and Brussels. Quick facts and the like. I have two mini guide books to bring with me. I'll just have clothes and some sketchbooks I guess. Nothing major. Won't need much. Shouldn't be much of a hassle to pack. Yeah.

Talked to Grandma Spencer for a bit. Called Celia.

A delivery man brought us our mailboxes. Mom ordered some of the heavy duty ones for the end of the road so that Methheads would stop screwing with it.

I'm really tired all of a sudden. Well it is midnight.

sign here

The big date inches closer. Not sure how prepare I am. Packing shouldn't take that long as I already have a suitcase full of clothes with me. Just have to read up on things. Yeah.

Cleaned off a bunch of my stuff from the old computer. Some video and images that have been sitting on there for years mostly.

Scanned in these drawings I did for Nathan for use on a computer project. He is programming Tetris and needed some graphics so I drew Tetris people. I corrected them in Photoshop and added some color. Hopefully they will do the trick.

Two packages came today. One from FedEx and the other from UPS. Both were full of books for mom. You would think she has read enough by now.

And yeah. Watched TV for the rest of the day. I'm a lazy bum right now. I think I'll go read before bed though. I brought a pile of books, I should at least crack open one.

Watched The IT Crowd season two(not all of it, about five episodes worth), the new episode of the new series of Doctor Who, episode 9 of Nip/Tuck, and three episodes of what has to be the best show to come on television in years; Breaking Bad. Bryan Cranston is amazing. So powerful in just three episodes.

Showed mom my paintings and she asked why I didn't sign them. I felt I didn't have to and she seemed really shocked by it. I don't see why I need to. People know I did them and they have my name on the back. I'm not selling them or anything. Hmmmn.

boosh! boosh!

Mum woke me up early to inform me that she had acquired tickets to and from Amsterdam for me. Hurray! She uses her airline miles and it is a one stop flight from Seattle. Only about 10 hours. Shorter than my Japan flight (and that had the LA transfer). Don't think it will really sink in till I get off the plane in the Netherlands. Woaaah!!

Couldn't get back to sleep after mum woke me up. Ate a poached egg on toast with melted cheese and sat in bed for a few hours watching TV and surfing the net. Eventually got up, showered, and moved to sit on the couch and continue doing the same thing. Also read up a bit on the culture and habits of Belgium and the Netherlands. Hand gestures are not OK apparently.

Finished up The Mighty Boosh. I think I liked the second series the best and the third after that. I love how British shows have less episodes. Less episodes but infinitely more rewatchable and with better writing. Now I am watching the IT Crowd. Noel Fielding is in it. Really adorable little sitcom. Great gags.

I switched torrent clients from Azureus to Bittorrent. Now my downloads are just flying! Doctor Who, Nip/Tuck, Breaking Bad here I come! If I have time I might get files of Mighty Boosh just to watch without having to load on youtube.

Mum watched a couple episodes of Mighty Boosh with me. She had a giggle.

Watched a documentary about red ants vs termites. The ants totally kicked butt!

Amsterdam. Brussels. Wow. Have to go to the Hard Rock in Amsterdam so dad can pick up a pin for his collection.

Amsterdam and Brussels

I leave for Amsterdam on the 3rd of June, a Tuesday, and I come back Friday the 13th.

Somewhere in those ten days I will go to Brussels and back.

folklife festival

Long long day. Went really quick. A good portion of it was spent in a car. Now I need sleep again.

The clock in my room is permanently set on 9 so when I woke up I thought I had many hours to rest (we planned to meet Nathan and Rubie at noon). Turns out it was about 11:30. Errr.

We got to Tacoma around 1:50ish. Met up with Nathan. Hugged Rubie. And then we all hopped in the Prius and went to the Folklife Festival in Seattle.

We opted for the parking at the Center instead of driving around for cheaper parking. Some loud cliche American guy was wondering about not paying because it looked like people hadn't. We payed.

The Seattle Center was crowded with lots of the usual Washington folk. Mom said a few were smelly but I didn't notice. There were a few hula hoopers but Lindsay can do much better.

We hit up the food stands. Chicken skewers, chocolate covered strawberries patina, and bananas, hot dogs, and a HUGE MOUND of curly fries. Just huge. The line for the fries was split up between people paying and people receiving. Some were not aware which line was which and ended up going to the other one after waiting for a while. Teach them to get all snooty about where I stand in line.

There was an amazing acoustic guitarist at one stage. Crazy good. We sat in on some Gospel singers as well. Folk isn't really my thing. We were mostly there for Averie.

On the way to seeing my cousin perform we ran into Jeanette and Liam. She looks adorable and he is growing so fast. We went as a group to the center where the Irish Dancers were performing. They had door people being very careful about the numbers of people let in and out so we had to wait for a few to exit before we could get in. Ran into Uncle Dan there and Auntie Brynne on the other side of the seats. Mom, Nate and Rubie sat down in the back and Brynne and I vultured our way forward and managed to get second row seats.

The first group were traditional Irish dancers in fancy costumes and standard dancing. Averies troop had more choreography and more people. She is so talented and strong. Wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley, I'll tell you what. Takes great posture to keep so level through that dancing. Kudos!

We all gathered after to wait to bestow hugs upon Averie. Liam ran around in circles dancing and all that. We had eaten so much so after Averie came out we left. Everyone else went out to dinner after. I'll see everyone again. I'm here for a while.

Napped on the way back. Long long drive. Mom told a joke that she told me not to repeat here.

Ate some TV dinner and twix. Fixed the problem my Torrent downloader was having (sort of). Now, I don't know. Sleep? I'm really tired. Yeah.

Basil still loves me

Welp. I'm home now. Sort of in the same state as I left it. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Very dreary morning. Such a labor to get out of bed. Ibanez was extra loving as well. Probably could tell I was going to horribly ditch him for a few weeks.

Finished packing the little tidbits like a toothbrush and snacks and my computer. Left earlier than planned, just to leave extra time just in case. The max was fairly clear of the usual creepy and smelly vagrants. It was to my dismay that it was raining viciously when I got off in Old Town. I was drenched and miserable when I got to the station (the walk seemed to take twice as long as it usually does). Purchased my ticket no problem and checked my suitcase and my portfolio. Sat down to wait. I bought a hot dog and a chocolate milk because I didn't have much in the way of a breakfast before leaving.

Took a nap for the first half of the train ride. Read The Exterminators for the rest of it. Amazing work. Just love it and now it is getting to the meaty part of the story. The build up has come and gone and now it is man versus ancient Mayan bug!

Mom was there waiting for me in Tacoma. We hugged. Got my stuff. Went home.

We stopped by Barnes & Noble to pick up some travel guides for Amsterdam and Brussels. I really hope I make it there this summer. The guides have got me so excited. Want to see all the Herge and comic stuff in Brussels (as well as Art Nouveau and the architecture). Just wow.

Holly tried to climb on me when we were laying in the lawn chairs. Basil purred and was very happy to see me. She doesn't hate me at all for going away.

We just vegged out for the rest of the day. Watched some QI with the ma. Tomorrow we are going to Seattle to the Folklife festival. Will see Averie, Rubie, Nathan and a few others. Whoo!

burnt tuna and bright skies

Okay. I am ready. On top of things. Good to go. Yeah.

Couldn't sleep last night so I was up late reading comics. All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (spectacular). Coward by...some dude (nice shadows). First chapter in Exterminators (love it so completely). Eventually fell asleep and even though I rolled out of bed at noon I got a lot done with time to spare.

Had to leave the comics I borrowed from Daniel at the comic shop. Got some lunch riding back. Really hot and sunny.

Tidied and cleaned my room. Excavated some sketchbooks and drawings. Reorganized some piles. It looks really nice. Wish I was capable of keeping it like that all the time. Maybe I'll try harder in the future. HA right. Good one.

Did the dishes probably about twice over. Did a load of them and put them away and cleaned the ones that wouldn't fit. Washed the ones that I used. Tidied up the living room and kitchen. Tidied the almost empty fridge. Dusted some of my shelves. Sorted through my knick knacks. Put up a couple posters.

Packed my suitcase. It isn't even full even though it has all my clothes and books in it. I think I am much better at packing. Much more practical. Also it is the Summer and I don't need so many coats and pants and whatnot. Got my portfolio sorted. This time around I will be showing prints (but not all of them because Yoshi has the pick of the prints for grading) and paintings. No charcoal drawings but a big yes on naked people.

I feel like I am missing something. Forgetting something. My passport is stowed away. I have my external hard drives. Have my comic. Have reading material. Cell phone. Hmmn.

Last time, I left a wake of mess in my departing. This time I am making sure everything is clean before I scoot off.

Chelsey came by to observe the HUGE thunder and lightning storm we were having. Massive. It lasted about an hour with lighting going off pretty much every minute. I could see it come down as well, not just the clouds becoming bright. Lovely rolling thunder as well. Spectacular. We chatted about apartment searching. Shared some tea. Then she left.

Karen also stopped by later on. We looked at creepy vintage valentines cards and enjoyed the rest of my tea. I accidentally burnt my tuna melt sandwich. Bummer. Oh well.

I'm not much of a cleaner but I think I did quite well today. A lot of work and effort but the results are noticeable.

Such an interesting shift from hot hot heat to scary scary night.