land of milk and bit-o-honey

Early morning! Barry brought in delicious pastries. I had the chocolate filled one. This guy in my class, Peter, looks like belong on a detective show. His look and posture just make him appear as a confidant cop or something. I drew a picture of him as such and showed it to him. We chatted a little during one of the breaks. Barry and I had the same shoes on. Class was about Freud and Coney Island and how both came to be around the same time and the differences between dream and reality. A lot was discussed but not so much retained.

In History of Printmaking, we discussed the end of year project. It will be a mini print portfolio which we will bind ourselves. 8x10. The theme is Plague of Pigs/Swine Flu. Mostly because there are three cases within PNCA and Purell stations have appeared all across school. Dang.

I spent lunch in the library. Looking at books and nibbling some delicious Lean Cuisine.

Turned in a form mom sent me. Looked at Daniel's James Jean sketchbook. So beautiful.

After lunch we sat around under a projector and Morgan read out the "best bits" of Revelation and we looked at Durer's very literal prints that covered the text as he read it. I made a joke about one being busy.

Rode home. Hurrah. Worked on finishing up some thumbnails. Killed time till Neal Medlyn!!

Luke, Katie's friend, came over for dinner and later they went to the show.

I left early to meet Jay. Medlyn's show was being held at The Works. The Works is just a large building that gets taken over for TBA every year but the location changes every time. In 07 it was at the Wonder Ballroom(I believe that is what it was called). I saw Some Cats from Japan there. In 08 it was at this little warehouse just off of Broadway and Halsey or something. I saw Neal Medlyn and Ten Tiny Dances there. This year it is at Washington High School, which was abandoned quite a few years ago. Spooky. I wandered in trying to find Jay (I left my cell at home) and the PICA (Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts) lady said, "Your friend is not here." It was really weird. How would she know who my friend was? How would she know it isn't one of the PICA people? Very rude.

I went to see Tyler Wallace and Nicole Dill's piece on the south lawn of the school. It was a camera rigged up in their car so that we could listen and watch what was a supposed private conversation. Pretty cool watching people you know in something as big as TBA but in knowing the people, I know that Dill's laugh sounded really inauthentic. Sat with Daniel and chatted. Jay showed up.

The venue was an auditorium. It wasn't standing only like his last show. But this show wasn't like his last one. There was singing, sure. It also had a narrative about purity and stuff. It was not at all what I expected but by the end, I still continue to be in awe of Medlyn. He knows how to keep something new and conceptual but still accessible. That is really hard when it comes to performance and contemporary art. His foil was an amazing singer.

Jay bought me a soda pop. She's a sweety.

Rode my bike back and almost accidentally went over the Morrison Bridge. No bike lane on that thing. Now to clean the makeup off my face and wake up and hope I didn't space on anything for Illustration. I don't think I did.

gold shimmer eye shadow rocks

I'm still picking the ink out from under my nails.

A nice morning. Ate some oatmeal, creme cheesed up a bagel, and rode to school. The bike parking is crazy full now. I discovered that Sonoma is the scooter bandit. That is, she is the person who parks her scooter with the bikes to avoid paying for parking.

We took a long walk in monotype. Walked up to a thrift store to look at fabrics and scavenged material along the way. Talked with Tarryn and Chelsey and Robin and Tom. It was a great day for a walk.

I wasn't all that psyched about my prints. I scratched into one with my fingernail and did a drawing but it didn't turn out that well. There is a bleed print that I am happy with. I just printed the string and stuff that was left over from the stencil print that I did. Finally, Tom gave me a quick demo about painting with the ink and I did a quick print with that. The ink was very hard to move around. Didn't move at all the way I am used to painting. Have to relearn how to draw with each new medium. I was satisfied with the print and was pleased to be moving on to the thing I wanted to take the class for. I don't mind stencil printing, it just isn't how my mind words. Patsy did a breathtaking piece. That girl sure can print.

During lunch was the first meeting of the Illustration Drawing Club. We had a portrait party in the library. BT, Daniel, Kim, Bekka, Madeline, two foundation students whose names I didn't commit harder to memory, Jay, and Lacey were there. I did a couple little portraits and we all sat and gabbed. It was fun.

Rest of the evening was spent with udon and eggs and the bible and other readings. I was taking it easy a little too long because then I remembered I have to get up a lot earlier on Wednesdays than any other day of the week. Oh well, week is almost over now.

Neal Medlyn is tomorrow night! I can't wait.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Whoo, Happy Birthday!

mmm food

Last night was really fun. After District 9, Adam bought a bottle of bubbly and we popped it open and watched Hot Fuzz. Katie came back and fell asleep between us on the couch. It was cute. At around 3 I went to sleep. Adam had to catch an early flight so he was gone before I regained consciousness.

As I was sorting out my muddled thoughts, Jay asked if I wanted to get brunch. I said sure and at 12:30 I got on my bike and went to the other side. The place, Jam, had a line. Inside was cozy and the waitstaff was friendly. Service was a little slow but I was in no hurry. I ordered hash browns with cheddar and bacon. Classes and assignments were discussed. It was a wonderful brunch. I finished my plate off entirely. Jay didn't have her femlans packaged. We rode across the Hawthorne bridge together and parted ways at the other side.

I'm almost done with Revelation and I took a little bit of a bite out of the Narrative image packet. Long weekends get wasted a lot easier than short ones.

does anybody want a peanut?

The Internet has maintained! Whoo hooo!!

Worked on reading mostly. Kept well fed. Katie went to see Miguel Gutierrez. She is off with JP, her sister, and her sister's friend at Dante's.

Adam was in town for one night only and he came over. I popped open my bottle of Riesling. His glass conferences have been totally awesome. He made a glass fish that is cool. We decided to catch the 10:10 showing of District 9 because District 9 is awesome. We toddled over quite happily tipsy. On the way to the theatre we passed a long line of Anime nerds. A convention I suppose. Reminds me of being 15 and totally geeky. Anime nerdom is such a clique in itself. You are either in or you are out. It is weird.

District 9 was just as good the second time around, if not better. Still highly recommended to all. Low budget movies should be supported.

Yaaay four day weekend!

war and wigs

Guess what I woke up to this morning? If you guessed a severe case of the Internet gone-awaysies then you would be right. Blargh. Again. The Goose Hollow desk people say that we should write a letter to the property manager.

Without the net, I can’t access the Freud reading assignment. But it isn’t the only thing I have to read. Worked on the Bible some more. Revelation 2:23 was a little redundant. “And I will kill her children with death.” Yeah. Of course death will kill someone. DUUHHH. Still, that whole living creature and sacrificed lamb and seals stuff. Neat.

While watching Saving Private Ryan, I worked on my Illustration assignment. For the Slang assignment I am looking at foreign words. The Albanians have 27 separate words for moustache and an equally different number for eyebrows. There is the Czech Vyspat se do Cervana/Rusova. Which means to sleep into the red, or to be well rested. The Ullans/Northern Ireland has daberlack, which is to have wild untamed hair like seaweed. Some fun stuff. Have a couple rough sketches.

Today’s TBA was Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People. They were performing Last Meadow. All the James Dean references were lost on me. I met a PSU nice theatre major named Mark. We sat next to each other and talked about words. He knew the word for the fear of long words (it itself is a very long word).

The show. Uhhh. It was either great or unbearably loud. Some wonderful intense dancing and then some weird reinterpretations or deconstructions or whatever the kids are calling it these days. Some parts I was lost, others I became very distressed, and sometimes I couldn’t get the smile off my face. It was a real mixed bag but the performers really gave it their all. I saw Neal Medlyn, who composed the performance. I wanted to say something to him but I didn’t. I feel like dancing now.

"I want to play Library"

Internet is still going strong.

I worked on sloooowly reading Revelation today. It's the reading for History of Printmaking. Some weird stuff going done. God is all like, "yo yo yo my tongue is made up of swords!" Yeah.

Katie cleaned the apartment and tidied. I took out recycling the other day and unloaded and loaded the dishwasher. Keeping things clean is never ending. I need to work on sorting out my room a little.

TBA for today was Young Jean Lee's Theatre Company's performance The Shipment. Reading the description it sounded like another white guilt trip. The line was full of rowdy ladies in their 60's who got grumpy the moment they had to stand in a crowd for more than a minute. They complained that as ticket holders they were being treated as second class citizens or something. Annoying.

The show was really good. It far surpasses my expectations. The first part was a monologue of the standard how white people different from black people humor. The performer was good and kept the (very much dominantly white)audience on its toes. No one walked out, which surprised me. From there it went to a very dramatic tale of Omar; a young man who dreamed of being a rapper. There were five actors and they switched out roles. It wasn't smooth acting but more exclamations of stereotyped dialogue. It was good. Three of the members got together for a song and then the final act commenced. I knew that the five actors were playing white characters from the get go because the opening lines were about the characters highly selective diet (no dairy, no red meat, no alcohol, no gluten, etc.). It was a riveting little drama though the end line, which revealed that they were all playing white people, lost its impact because I figured it out. It was a good start to TBA. A little bit of controversy. A little bit of dancing. A few new ways to think about things.

Saw Robin after the show. We didn't really chat as she seemed to be chilling with other people. Went back. Hung out with Katie. Watched some Buffy and some Angel. Now to return to my Bible studies.

just a word about missing posts

The Goose Hollow internet is now frequently going down every couples nights. Sometimes it lasts an hour and sometimes it is out for a night and a day. If there is no entry, assume that this is why. I like writing my blog and only don't write it if I am completely and totally unable to do it.

the bike came back (as did the internet)

Wednesday:

Nets down. Again. Writing now so that I don’t have to write later.

6am alarm for my only 8am class.

Ran into Bekka on the way to History of Laughter. She is in the class with me! Whooo. The class is full with a few waitlisted. Diana is in there. Gavin and Taryn as well. A guy named Marshall is in the class. He went to School of Visual Arts in New York. Really nice. There are a few MFA’s in the class. They mostly kept to themselves. There are about 25 people in the class.

Discussion went all over the place. Barry talked about how comedy is better than tragedy because comedy includes tragedy. The origin of the word laughter is unknown. It was also a sum up of his lecture from the day before. I listened but didn’t take notes. I learned in 10th grade that if I focus on just writing what the teacher writes, I won’t learn anything.

I can’t wait to get into the discussions. First reading is some Freud. It’s an interesting crew. Next class I will sit next to Marshall. Well, I will sit on the side of the table facing the white board. And try to sit next to Marshall. Seems nice.

We used the whole class and off I went to 207 for History of Printmaking. Cherish, Daniel, Robin, Diana, Antonia, and Danielle are in that class. When Morgan entered, he declared the room unsuitable for class and went to claim 204 instead. We sat on the floor and had printmaking story time. We tried to narrow down a definition of printmaking. Talked about Durer and the Bible. Our first reading is Revelation. The syllabus he gave us is genius. Very minimal but very Morgan. The date that we take off for Thanksgiving is simply listed as, “Bird”. There is one big project for the class and we also have to read two books. Any two. I was thinking Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch for one.

Lunch came and we were told not to return after it. Diana and I went to Laughing Planet. Mmm burrito. We sat on the roof of the building (there is a dining area up there). Very warm. I picked up my TBA tickets and we walked back.

I was very sweaty upon my return and took a second shower and relaxed. I got my mail and my package. After that I wheeled my poor bike to Bike Gallery. The tire deflated not 6 blocks out the door. The tube fix and brake pads came up cheaper than I expected. Occasional repairs > constant gas money. I now have my precious bike! I have to attach my brake pads myself but I’m sure I can do it. The tube was a bit beyond my comprehension.

Now I get to sleep in 30 minutes more and go to Trader Joe’s.

Katie and I made a Safeway run. Halfway through I experienced a sharp pain in my stomach. Very sudden and very much ouch. In 10 minutes the pain was gone but it sure did suck. Bought a pile of Granny Smith and some bagels and some crème cheese spread. Emergen-C is on the Trader Joe’s list.

I haven’t been productive these nights. I have a four day weekend so I’ll be productive then. Friday and Saturday I have TBA shows but Sunday and Monday I have nothing. Lots of reading to be done!

Thursday:

Night two of no Internet. You would think that they could figure a way to resolve this within twenty four hours. Booo!

Final class of the week is Illustration. It’s the biggie. It is why I am here.

Danny, Kristen, Madeline, Sonoma, and Chase are in my class. And about 5 others with names I can’t recall. It’s a cozy little size.

Martin talked about the market and his experiences and how hard you should work yourself (the hardest possible). He asked us about the first images that inspired us and if we had any initial questions. We broke for an early lunch. I sat the commons and waited for Mel (I am loaning her my History of Design texts). Kristen joined me, as did Katie for a bit. Later Madeline came and Katie went. We girls talked about hair.

The last half of class was a character assignment. There was a list of archetypes and we had to select one and create a portrait of a character taking the archetype in a new way. I made a triad formed by a prophet, her twin brother the messenger, and a warrior who protects them (who is a lady). The initial designs I liked, but the final wasn’t to be desired. I didn’t have my good ink or my good brushes. Only my crummy ink and my gunked up brush. Still, I finished it before 5pm.

Bryan gave me his TBA pass and I gave it to Kristen to give to Natalie. Nats will get whatever she wants to see, and I will use what is left. I’m pretty fine with the five shows I have picked out.

Went to Trader Joe’s. The kitchen and cupbards seem to be finally rounded out with enough food to last me a decent while. Hurrah!

Made myself some udon with two eggs. Later had a banana dipped in chocolate. Mmm. Watched Shallow Grave. Definitley not the movie I thought it was. The apartment is a good piece of set design.

day two of year three

Katie made me breakfast! Egg and toast and bacon! We walked to school together as well.

Monotype looks like it will be fun. You draw with oil on Plexiglas plates and print them on paper and it looks cool. I'm excited. It's my "no reading required" class. Hopefully a little chance to relax. In the class are: Robin, Phil, Ali, Patsy, Chelsey, Danielle, Taryn, Darya, Erin (different Erin), Antonia, and another one who will have a name I remember eventually. There is a TA as well. Also has a name. Tom is our teacher. Seems really cool. There is a half jovial spirit, half seriousness thing in the class right now. I lean towards jovial though Robin didn't seem impressed. Oh well. We had a quick explanation and we broke early to get food and paper (that will be the main cost this semester as all the other supplies are there in the studio).

Lunch was free pizza and cupcake! We had convocation in the commons. I sat with Jay, who had a magnificent new short do. I sat next to a new fella named Jason. We talked about movies and names. Barry Sanders led the convocation and talked about the dawn of humor and how laughter is what creates our soul. It was a lovely speech and I cannot wait to get up and go to class tomorrow. Sucks that it is early in the morning but oh well. I'll probably get my tire fixed after History of Printmaking gets out.

Ran into Katie and we walked to her studio together. She has one in the Stevens! I drew a picture of Luna and her doing a jig on Luna on her wall. It is awesome. Afterwards we went to this grocery that Fawn recommended. Cheap by Whole Foods standards, expensive by my Trader Joe's standards. Picked up a yogurt and some mochi thing that didn't look like any mochi I had ever had. And some fancy apples. Ginger Gold. Had one later on in the night. Way too delicious. Juicy and just. Yum.

I planned out the first five TBA events I am going to go to. Once Bryan gets me his thing, I'll see what else I have time to attend. Right now it is "The Shipment" by Young Jean Lee, "Last Meadow" by Miguel Gutierrez and the something something, "Bolero Variations" by Raimund Hoghe, "Erased James Franco" by Carter, and "...Hers a Queen" by Neal Medlyn. I saw Neal last year with Averie. He is back and seems twice as awesome as he was.

Still beat and recovering from the return to school. Once I get my tire back, I am going to Trader Joe's! Good deals, here I come!

good girls wear green

Still no fixed bike tire. Walked to school. Not so bad. Just takes 20 minutes longer. More time to think I guess.

Narrative Image is going to be TOUGH. The first assignment (due in four weeks) is a 8-40 page memoir. We also have to illustrate three images for it. Huge. We don't have class next week so by next class we need the rough draft and some thumbnails. It's scary right now but hey, I write every night. No biggie. We also have some reading but I can read.

Bryan, James, Danny, Kristen, Natalie, Rachel, April, Alex, and about 9 others I don't know round out the class. A fair size. The room is the new 815B classroom. The large open section is reserved for a computer lab, the narrow part is where the two tables are grouped. There is already a table division with the people who sit at the different tables. But whatever, my table is cool. Bryan shared some of his M&Ms.

First exercise was a contour drawing of the person across from us. I did James. Then we traded paper and wrote some adjectives about ourselves. Then we traded again and did a proper portrait of the other person. James trimmed his hair but not his beard. He has a major Rip van Rasputin vibe going on.

We worked on time lines off our remembered history, lists of family memories, analysis of the family memories and three events from our history and our fears from around that time. Daniela always has a ping pong effect with her class structure. It bounces around but it is always fun. There is a lot of writing in the class but that is good. By this point it is assumed that we know how to draw and don't need that coaching. It's a hardcore class but hey, I'm up for it. I'm a Junior.

Lunch broke early. I bought some sushi and animal crackers from Safeway. I recon I can buy some seaweed and cucumbers and make a big sushi roll and eat it like a sandwich. A pretty low impact meal. I'm getting ideas. Kristen and I sat in the park and chatted. We migrated around the school. Saw people. Old faces. Leah, Tabitha, Robin, etc.

All the Freshmen look alike. Same styling and all that. I feel like I stand out when I loiter near them. I need to be more filthy or something. Oh well. I was rocking huge fluffy hair today and even put on some makeup. The mascara is giving me trouble. I need to buy some fresh stuff. Right after I buy more freaking food!

After class I waited around for an hour for yoga. I looked through the TBA book. Tons of cool dances and a few neat videos I for sure want to check out.

Yoga was just Ruth, Fawn, and myself. It was fun though. Tough. I'm so out practice for it. Wrists were paining. Fawn helped me go into a hand stand.

Exhausted, I slumped over to the streetcar. I had a wait so I bought a soda from Cool Moon.

So exhausted. Adam was in town for the night. He and Katie went out on the town. I was exhausted. Just watched True Blood and organized the Narrative Image handout.

Monotype tomorrow! Back in the Print Lab. Whooo!! But once that is done, my week will be half done! Four day schedules ROCK!

goodbye

Michael Davis died. He was our Resident Advisor. Always had a smile. He jumped off a bridge on Thursday. No one had any idea he was unhappy. I'm sad I never got to know him better. He was always around school. Always a friend of a friend.

Yesterday:

The net was on and off. Katie was out at her sisters dog sitting. She came back late because she was trying to round some people up to see The Final Destination in 3D. Only Liz and William showed up so they decided to stay in. So we all played some Mario Kart. Then we popped some wine and wrote up some drinking rules and watching Thirteen Ghost. Drink for death, drink for when they put on the ghost seeing glasses, drink for a Matthew Lillard psychic attack, drink for nudity, drink with the maid is being sassy, and drink when someone tells someone else to shut up. I drank a little more responsibly than the others but we had a great time all around. Thirteen Ghosts had an amazing set design. All these glass panels and a reliance on physical creation over computer graphics. We decided to make it a Lillard double feature and Liz and William sobered up during SLC Punk. Also good. Love Til Schweiger.

Net wasn't working so I popped open a book, read a little, and went to sleep.

Today:

Katie left early in the morn to go care for her sisters dogs. I watched some Torchwood and then later the net got fixed.

When checking the mail, I found a post-it informing me I had a package. A post-it is not a great way to tell someone they have a package.

At 8pm all the new Goose Hollow students gathered in the courtyard. Michael Hall was there and told us about Michael Davis. We separated into our pods, with Hall taking over to talk to us because we were in Davis' pod. It was a quiet little discussion about loss.

I am off the waitlist for Monotype. My Junior year starts tomorrow.

The Cat Came Back

bored bored bored

Got up and showered and fed and dressed all before 11am! And then I spent the rest of the day incredibly, totally bored. I practiced several different makeup looks. Watched TV. Looked at comics.

My keys were buried under the mail in the mail basket. The mail was lying flat so I didn't notice.

Luna is restless because Katie is house sitting at her sisters. She meows and rolls over and when I go to pet the darn kitty, she dashes off!

I need to find more creative meals. So much pasta and alfredo. What was I eating before? Need to get some soup in a can.

Only a few days left in summer. Thank god. I want school to staaaart!

Watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Nonstop beautiful cinematography and great casting. It's interesting watching a movie where you know how it will end from the start. All the tension is in the when and how. No mystery, just antici...pation.

fun with the friends that I have

Had a groggy start to the day. Woke up with the intention of another do nothing day. And I did just that for the most part. Around 4pm I got an invite to Nathalie's casual birthday. At 6 I did my makeup and got all pretty. Then at 6:45 when I was ready to leave, I couldn't find my keys!!

Searched and searched. They have just vanished. Not in the purse. Not by the door. I know I used them to unlock yesterday. I couldn't have put them anywhere not normal. It took a while for Katie to call my back and confirm she will be home to let me in when I get back from the party.

At 7:30 I left. My hair in braids, my eyes lines and eyeshadowed, and my lips pinked. The max brought me to 42nd. From there I went to Trader Joe's and bought Nathalie some Toblerone for her present (I also drew her a picture). The guys at the counter kept suggesting ways to make it more present like. Eventually we came to an agreement of including 23 Trader Joe's stickers for all of Nathalie's 23 years. Hehe.

The celebration was held at Moon and Sixpence on 42nd and Tillamook. It was a nice little bar. I was the sixth there. Nathalie, her man Kevin, Terry, Jimmy, and Nathalie's twin Katie were there before me. I started with my standard Greyhound. I ordered up some fish and chips because I knew I would be drinking more and had not eaten in a long while. The chips were delicious. Daniel W. arrived. Then Meghan Mitchell arrived looking fabulous in high waisted jeans. The last person to arrive to fill out out crew was BT, but he showed up much later. After dinner I had a lemon drop as per Meghan's suggestion and then ordered an Old Fashioned simply because I saw them on Mad Men or something. Heh. I kept wonderfully warm and tipsy through the night and had a great time. I have some cool friends here. Can't get distracted by all the twits that seem to overcrowd me in some places.

My tab for the night wasn't that bad. Normally three drinks and a meal would be a scary amount but it came up to just barely over twenty. Seems good. And Nathalie liked her present muchly.

Daniel went home with me. Not like that. We took the max back together. He brought his bike on it and rode with me to PGE Park. Not like I was scared to ride back by myself, but sometimes the Max can be dodgy. We talked about classes and comics. We have History of Printmaking together.

After he left, I had the misfortune of telling some visitors that they had missed their Max stop by about 5 stops (they wanted Pioneer Place). Thankfully they found out BEFORE they went through the tunnel. I helped them figure out the schedule and directions. They were not so disgruntled, this people from Washington DC. A nice attitude about getting side tracked. I could tell how tired they were though. Poor peoples.

Katie let me in. Hopefully my keys will show up tomorrow.

mm smells like blue

I tried to renew my library books but turns out I had to renew my number and account information in person. So it was time for a walk.

Walking sucks. It doesn't take all that long but biking is just so fast and effortless.

Serenity said that if I had just said I was me on the phone, they would have updated my information that way. Oh well. I needed to get stuff from Safeway anyway.

Picked up Drano for the sink clog and one of those blue 2000 flushes things for the toilet (it gets moldy and icky really quick). Fresh groceries were procured. Mmm granny smith apples.

Bought a Street Roots from the Safeway guy. Accidentally called his dog Balthazar when his name is really Gilgamesh. Now I know for sure! Next time. It's a really sweet dog. I should get the guy's name as well. Very nice fellow.

Took the streetcar back.

Dishes were put away. Katie cleaned the area under the sink. Our apartment is really coming together! Just need to tidy and vacuum. Now people might want to visit.

Did two loads of laundry. Jeans in one washer, everything else in the other. Now I'm ready for school with cool duds.

I wore my new makeup look out and about today. Terry gave me a compliment.

There's a show of faculty art at school. We have such an impressive faculty we have. The painting department has probably the strongest talent.

I'm doing okay at cooking for myself. Oatmeal and tea for breakfast, tuna sandwich and orange juice for lunch, Alfredo sauce pasta and chocolate milk for dinner, and an apple and some M&Ms for dessert. Go me!

My computer needs a rebooting. It freezes at least once a day. As long as I take it easy, it does fine. I downgraded the theme from Vista to Classic. It looks old but it's running a lot more smooth without all the graphics.

missus clean

Today was gray with a little bit of rain.

Saw Tom again. He brought over a dog by the name of Izzy. He and Katie are taking a one night camping trip. That should be nice.

I lounged. Didn't feel like walking in the gloom.

Talked to BT. Talked to Terry. Had a good phone call with Jay.

And I cleaned. I scrubbed the floors of the bathroom and kitchen with a bleach compound and scrubbed the sinks and bathtub with Ajax. I cleaned the stove as well. Well, I cleaned the removable metal things that go under the ranges. Those were very grimy. I love the smell of disinfectants. It smells so satisfying. It was too late to vacuum when I finished, but there are some boxes that need to be moved before I do so.

Did not get around to my bike tire. I feel that that will be something I will get right on once I have a day of foot commute.

journey to 42nd

Yesterday:

The Internet went down and no one is in the office on Sunday to get around to fixing it.

So I slept in. Took a nap. Read my book. Played with makeup.

Today:

Internet returned! Still, read a little. Stuffed drawings of Luna under Katie's door.

Later in the afternoon we, that is Katie and I, went grocery shopping. But this wasn't any ordinary shopping outing, we went to the Grocery Outlet! This required getting on the max and taking it to 42nd and then walking about 10 blocks. Grocery Outlet had super deals! Pasta, bread, mayo, creme cheese, M&Ms, shampoo, soap, a bottle of Riesling if a special occasion happens, bagels, sunscreen, conditioner, and chocolate milk! All for a pretty good price. Tomorrow I plan to walk to Trader Joe's and pick up vegetables. I'm a Granny Smith apple snob.

It was a nice warm day. Not so hot that you suffer, but certainly a nice heat not to be avoided.

We put away our groceries. I poured my M&Ms (I got a big bag) into the tiny cookie jar for everyone to sample. Made myself a little creme cheese and bagel lunch and sat back and watched the new episode of True Blood. Eric Northman, the 1000 year old Nordic Vampire, is played by Alexander Skarsgaard. He also played Meekus in Zoolander!

Dinner was more starch. I'll have to also get some sauce at Trader Joe's.

Summer is winding down. Played with makeup some more. Trying to find an ease with application so that when I feel like tidying myself up, I can do so with minimal mess ups.

I told Katie about Tuna Claus and she regarded my family as crazy for having such a tradition. Whatever. She's just jeaaalooouuus.

Today's word is: femlans. Ullans, Northern Ireland. Means the remains of a meal. As in, "Trillian, if you don't eat your femlans, you won't get dessert!"

needs more gore

Soap Box Derby!

Woke up and Katie said she and Tom were going to the Adult Soap Box Derby thing. She was going to leave in 10 minutes so if I wanted to join them, I had to do it quick. Showered and dressed in record time. Thankfully we stopped by Safeway on the way. Picked up a rice bowl with beef and broccoli on top. Mmm.

The Adult Soap Box Derby was the 13th. It is only adult in that the people driving are adults (this isn't some Devil's Point thing). Some classes in speed, some in creativity. We got a fairly good parking spot that was only a little walk up a steep hill to get to the track. We sat for a moment but the screaming kids were, well annoying. We moved farther up the hill and got a good spot in the shade. I sat on a blanket, Tom and Katie sat in foldy chairs.

There was a lego car, a car with people in a giant cauldron, a Flinstone's car, and soapbox with two barrels for the wheels. It went slow but it was awesome! Several of the passengers had squirt guns or water ballons.

We sat and drank and enjoyed the day. Jim sat near us but didn't come over to say hi. Tom's friend Joel stopped by and we exchanged bad jokes. Liz, and her friends William and Amy also sat with us. Later on I recognized Thom sitting up the hill from us, so I went to say hi. BT and BT's friend and partner in the moustache wax making business Evan were also with him. Sat and chatted. It was Evan's birthday.

At around 4:30 we decided to pack it in. The derby was held at a park on Mount Tabor. Past 55th on the East side. Tom drove us back. The two of them debated seeing a movie and I suggested Inglorious Basterds. Katie found that a 5:30 was showing at Cinemagic so off we went, back over to the other side! There was a line but not so big. The theatre was decently crowded and we sat nearer to the front.

Inglorious Basterds had more action in the trailer. Seriously, all the action in the movie would take up about 7 minutes worth of footage. It was brief and sudden when it happened. Still, having a little violence punctuates the power of the moment. A lot of talk but good talk. Some random moments occurred that are clear indicators that it was a Tarantino flick (HUGO STIGLITZ!! comes to mind). I enjoyed it though I might not watch it again for a while. Good shots, good black humor.

Katie and Tom left for Yur's. I stayed behind. I'm not much for cheap, nasty beer. Sure sometimes I feel like I am being judged for not wanting to partake in the constant consumption of booze but whatever, I'm saving money by not settling. One nice drink rarely still comes up as cheaper than many constant bad drinks.

good kitty

Katie says that I misrepresent Luna with my art and the photos I post of her. So here are some pictures of Luna looking small and fluffy and sweet (as opposed to fat and angry):




Finish Time Traveller's Wife today. The last 50 pages were just reading the inevitable. While sad, it was not that interesting. Defiantly has a better first half than second. Can't wait to dive into my new book!

Watched TV, slept in. Did not have any real adventures. Bought some chocolate milk. Gabe is working on moving out. He'll also be gone all of October on a job in California.

Katie's friend Amanda was over. I read from my book about foreign words. I'm excited for Sunday afternoon. That's when Katie and I are going to see Inglorious Basterds! I need to work Thirst into my schedule as well. One week left of summer.

I filled my tire up with air to avoid damaging the tire (as per dad's suggestion).

I'm a sucker for anything Tomer

Today I took a walk.

I'm avoiding fixing my bike tire. Really need to get it sorted out as school will be starting soon and like hell am I walking.

Not a long walk. And not an irregular walk. Just to Powell's and no farther North. I couldn't find a copy of Dead Until Dark that didn't have a hideous TV cover. I picked up a book about words from other cultures and their specific meanings. Such as the Czech word litost which is defined as the state of torment created by the sudden realization of one's own misery. It was half off. In the new books section I spied a cover that I suspected was illustrated by Tomer Hanuka, who is one of my favorite contemporary illustrators. And it was done by him. The book had a cool description so I decided to take a change on a first novel (the book is Alive in Necropolis by Doug Dorst by the way, it's about a cop and some ghosts and such).

Books stuffed in bag, I went to Starbucks and got a venti iced tea lemonade. I sat under a window and read Time Traveller's Wife for an hour and a half. I am determined to finish that book so that I can see the movie, good or not. I don't have far to go now. It's been a good read thus far though sometimes the characters are rather painfully cultured. I moved from Starbucks to the Park Blocks and read some more.

An obese lady in a motorized cart scooted by me and stopped and asked for a dollar. I said no. She asked again saying that a dollar was not much and I said no again. As a rule I only give money to the Street Roots people. Specifically the guy outside Safeway on 13th and Lovejoy. His dog, Balthazar, is really sweet and he (the man, not the dog) always points out an article of interest. Anyway, the lady went on her way. A dog belonging to the third person she asked for money barked and scratched her. The young woman who owned the dog yelled and hit it and tied it tighter behind her. She gave the woman some tissues for her leg, which was bleeding. The woman didn't give a cry of pain so I don't think it was too serious. The young woman continued to whack her dog on the head. The lady on the bench next to me tried to tell her that abuse will get her nowhere, but she wasn't paying attention.

At 5, I went to Fox Tower. I felt like a movie. Went to see The Goods. As I went in I saw a line. The dude behind the counter said it was for Thirst. I wish I knew they were playing that as a special preview because I sure as shoot would have seen that instead. Park Chan Wook Vampire movie vs Jeremy Piven unknown comedy? Yeah. Anyway, The Goods had a few laughs but was overall lame. It also had a random absurdest quality. It wanted to be bigger but it just wasn't.

Finished True Blood when I got back. I like reading.

Also, today is the two year anniversary of Trillobite! 730 days and still going strong.

evil fabio: drabio!

Had a low key morning. I was planning to waste another day and say my farewells to Karen later on when Katie walked in and invited me to come with her and Liz to Sauvie's Island. Swimming! It was said to get to 100 today. Perfect weather for a dip.

Sauvie's Island has a lot of U-Pic-It farms. And farms in general. Really beautiful drive in Liz's Jeep. There are two beach options on Sauvie's Island: clothing required and clothing optional. We went to the latter. It wasn't crowded and there were no kids. I kept a swimsuit on, but it was a comfortable beach to be on. No worries about keeping up appearances and all that. It was nice, aside from a few creepers.

Well, it was just one creeper: Drabio. A tall, muscled man. Very tan with dark wavy shoulder length hair and a bright white necklace that really stood out. He just wandered up and down the beach. He never got in deeper than his knees and just splashed the water on himself to keep cool. We call him Drabio because he was this dark, evil version of Fabio. Drab is not Fab. Every time he was near we quickly turned the other way and just waited till we felt it was safe to look around. Eye contact could have brought a horrid encounter.

Everyone else had good humor. Lots of jolly happy folk. And a few hippies.

Later in the day we heard the telltale chime of the ice cream truck. Katie said it was just a ringtone. But the sound got closer and to my utter joy it was an ice cream boat! These people were just putting along and stopping every so often and selling ice cream out of a few coolers. When they came near, I dashed through the water and towards land to get a few dollars. I gobbled up a drumstick and bought Katie a little treat as well. Just perfect! Ice cream vendors must have it made.

We went in and then went out and sat in the sun. Then went in and came back out. We continued this cycle for four hours. We splashed, we swam, we threw seaweed at each other. Katie and I swam out very far and some dude in a boat told us to go back in because the current got strong. I wanted to be snarky because I felt like he was treating me like a city girl. But I held the snark at bay.

It was a really nice day. Full of new experience. I had never ridden in a Jeep before!

Back I went. Karen called to see if I wanted to hang out. I said sure. She said she wanted to meet for pizza. Then she called again and said she would meet later. Then she called and said she couldn't get the pizza. Then she texted and asked if I wanted to help her move her stuff to her car. So that's when I saw her. Got a few more posters. Took her stuff down. Said our goodbyes and woosh, off she went into the dusk.

Speaking of dusk, oh man do I like True Blood! Almost caught up. I find myself liking the secondary and tertiary characters as much, or even more, than the primary ones.

good ol

Almost went to bed without writing. Oops. Don’t have much to say today though. Mostly watched HBO shows.

Breakfast was a hash brown cheese vegetable mix. Tasty. Dinner was pizza. Also tasty.

Picked up my keys. They changed the locks so I had to exchange for fresh ones.

At 9:40, I went to Diana’s. She, Karen, and I were going to get together and go see District 9. Karen arrived just in time.

It was a fine walk to Pioneer Place. We passed through a pack of drippy looking teens.

District 9 is really good. Paced wonderfully, well acted, good effects that are also not trying too hard. The metaphor of the whole movie is really obvious but of course, still executed brilliantly. Highly recommended, even though quite a few people get violently splattered.

It was a lovely night walk. I only hung out for a little bit. Traded Dar! And Otto Zeplin for Scott Pilgrim. Good ol’ Diana with the good comic stuff.

goodie goodie goodies

Woke up to my phone’s alarm. My dream was reaching an exciting point, so I was disappointed that I couldn’t see it finish. I came with one suitcase and I am returning with three. One of them is packed inside the other in a Russian Nesting Luggage way of being. The other is Grandpa’s old suitcase. It has books in it.

Dad stayed behind. Basil was nowhere to be seen. I have a sliver on the back of my hand. I have not received a sliver in ages.

The drive to Tacoma was relatively uneventful. The traffic got tight around some construction but we made it perfectly on time. Checked my two suitcases and sat with mom. I rifled through my New Yorker clippings.

They say it is a fully book train. I seated myself with three other strangers. We have a table but I prefer having my laptop in my lap. It’s a nice day.

I’m thinking up names for my Jade Plant. It seems to be doing really well with its new soil. Sookie the Succulent? Jade Pinkett Smith?

Katie and Gabe were waiting at the train station. Waiting for meeee! It was so delightful. Gabe brought the hand trolley, even though it wasn't entirely needed. Luggage took a while but it eventually came out. The Max was only one train segment and it filled up fast. Then it got stuffed. It looked like Leverage was filming downtown as well. It was a shove to get off the max but we did it. The apartment is pretty much how I left it. That is to say it is still messy. Next four hours were a relaxation period. Mmmn. Dinner was rare cooked steak with goat cheese mashed potatoes and nice garden grown green beans. Mmmm. And it was arranged in a tower.

At 8pm it was time to head to Diana and Robin's for that is where Karen will be during her stay. She wasn't there so Diana and I chatted while Red Dwarf played in the background. Eventually Karen rolled in. We hugged and I was all happy about the short return of Karen. Yaay! And she brought posters. She brought a nice poster for each of us and a pile of cast offs to pick through? Guess what person my poster was promoting?

Ahhh it's such an amazing poster! It is above my bed. I want to put it in a better spot. The night was just Diana, Phil, Tabitha, and Tabitha's boyfriend Tim. We chatted and gossiped and caught up. Shared some stories. Shared some swag. I have some posters to give to other people, those who could not be at the sweet party.

Now it is late and I must sleep.

so long grandpa john

"Don't take me to a hospital, just take me to a mortuary!"



Saturday:

The memorial.

Brynne, Dan, Ben, Averie, Mom, Dad, Nate, Rubie, and myself all got off to a slow but steady start. Coffee was foraged. Showers were taken. As I was in the middle of mine, the power cut out. I finished it in the dark. The power came on within thirty minutes but still, it was a bit of an inconvenience. Food was laid out. Chairs were gathered. Brush was cleared for parking spots.

Averie and I took parking duties with Kirie. Greeted people and told them where to park. Rolfe, Alison, and Justin came. Doris, Mary, Eric, Steve, Sandy, Cathy... a long list of family and friends. Some people I've met a handful of times. Some not so much. But it was a good turnout. The weather held and it was a wonderful day.

Ben and Nate helped escort people to the house. Jeanette and Liam also came. I'd say around 30-40 people were there in total. So many drinks. So much food. Rubie's lumpia was a hit.

At a little after 2pm, we gathered and the memorial began. Brynne started with a beautiful eulogy. I held hands with mom and cried a little bit. Kirie, Bill, Doris, Ben, Celia, Averie, Mark, Milo, and others spoke. I rambled about the endless artistic support the family has. Grandpa was a member of the Order of the Silver Marmot. It was love at first site when he met my grandmother. They were together for 60 years. He was a lover of the wilderness and of art. It was a wonderful memorial.

People left but many people stayed. The numbers dwindled ever so slowly. Desert was cake and cheesecake and cookies and just piles of sweets. We gorged and conversation went on.

Chatted with Liam, who got progressively hyper as the sugar set in. He never quite got that he should leave Honey Bear alone (Averie's dog who isn't good with anyone under 10) and had to be consoled when she finally snipped at him.

At the end we (that is Celia, Dave Olson, Brynne, Rolfe, Alison, Justin, Nathan, Rubie, Mom, Dad, Kirie, and myself) went to the beach and ignited a bonfire. Dave went for a night swim to see the phosphorescence. Old songs about murder were sung. More and more people called it a night (amazingly it was Dan, Ben, and Averie who were the first to call it a night). At the end it was just Dave and myself. We talked about comics and art. He slept in the tent.

Sunday:

The morning after! Light breakfast. Mom divided up huge portions of left overs for people.

Cleaning was a long process. When the Garman/Edwards left, it was time for a beach break. The sun was out and I traded jeans and long sleeves for my very much underused this summer bikini. I lounged. Mom kayaked. Dad snorkled. Celia swam. I flipped over and lounged some more. We feasted on left overs and cool soda. Dad and I tossed shells and tried to land them on a rock. After I put some rocks back on the seawall to replenish what I tossed.

Then back to packing. Food, clothes, buckets, chairs, cooler chests. It was a lot. Mom drove the motorhome, dad drove the truck, and I took the Prius. I haven't driven in a while but I did just fine. Listened to Louis Armstrong and some NPR stories about pinball championships and the photographer Mike Disfarmer.

When I got home, I noted and felt how pink my belly was. I'm a little bit sunburned but not that bad. Just my front bits.

Ate a burger. Looked at slideshows.

I return to Portland tomorrow. 12:05.

drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks

Thursday:

Time to return to Pulali and get it sorted for Grandpa’s Memorial.

Dad made me scrambled eggs for breakfast. Mmmm. I gathered together some weekend things into Grandpa’s suitcase and put it into the Prius. I was slow getting ready to leave but mom still took longer. Dad will be coming tomorrow for some fixit things.

First we stopped at the bank to do bank things. Then we went to Costco to do Costco things. Bought a huge pile of various drinks (Perrier, cola in glass bottles, Thomas Kemper, San Pellegrino, water, and Izze) and some generic food platters. I picked up a hot dog while mom went through the line. Costco has those awesome hand driers that actually get your hands dry. The kind that forces the air down and off as opposed to just generally warming it. I first saw those driers in Japan (2005 suddenly feels so long ago).

Met one of Mom’s buddies and then we played Costco Tetris with the groceries. We couldn’t have fit much else. Trunk was packed, the back seat was packed. The suspension couldn’t have handled much more.

It rained for most of the day. Sometimes it was rain, sometimes it was a mist. Sometimes it was just damp. The air when it rains smells so nice. So clean.

Helped haul things out of the car. Lit some incense. Looked at photo albums. Helped haul some trashcans down. The day went by really fast. Before we knew it, it was 6pm. We drove into Brinnon and picked up some ice and milk. Watched a little TV. Looked through more photo albums.

You know how some kids have an ever changing face? Well mine has kinda stayed the same. I’m very easy to pick out in photos. It’s lovely to look at old photos of Mom and Celia and Dad. Lots of photos. It’s really nice. Celia stopped by and we looked through the photos again.

Tomorrow is the big hard labor day. Lots of bushes to be pruned back. Vacuuming to be done. Brynne & co are coming by later on, so that should be swell.

Friday:

Slept okay. Slept on and off. It was okay. Had some dreams.

Had a bowl of Cheerio's for breakfast and hot cider. Did a lot of cleaning up and chores with mom.

Trimmed back the trees.
Raked the madrona leaves off the path.
Moved the firewood.
Trimmed more trees back.

Mom, pop, and I all sat and drank a coca cola from the glass bottles. Quite fun, even though there were plenty of needles falling from the tree.

Nathan and Rubie showed up. Rubie rolled lumpia. Nathan shared in the trimming.

I don't really do this much labor.

After all that, Nathan and I put on swimsuits. Nathan got in up to his knees and then fell backwards and got in up to his neck for a second. I went all the way in, eventually. Did a lap around the buoy. After the buoy I grabbed onto the kayak Nathan was in and got a little tow.

I took a very hot bath to recover from the water and got dressed. Once I sat down I felt so very tired. I did a lot of labor. Even broke a sweat! Nathan, Rubie, Mom, and I played Settlers of Catan. Nathan got a good lead early on and Mom got fed up and left. We removed her pieces from the board and then Dad came in and replaced them and played. Nathan won by a very big majority.

Celia and Lisa mum went out in the kayaks. Nathan, Rubie, and I had a little internet party at Celia's. Kirie came by and together we took the Citizen's test that Rubie is going to take soon. We didn't do so well, but Rubie did.

game art (if you can call it that)

Slept in even later. No one was around so I had to fend for my own dietary needs. No fun not having Gabe around. Booo! Gabe is also cool to just hang around with and talk about Hung and Breaking Bad. Booo being in Seabeck and not having any friends.

Nathan asked for some quick graphics for a Zombie game. Just a small overhead view of the player, some zombies, and some fences. Didn't take too long. Was fun though.

The neighbor Bill stopped by and gave us some crab. Dad made pot stickers. MMm. Not much happened. We go back to Pulali tomorrow.

darn you poland and your awesome poster design

Uhm. Yeah. Nothing much happened today either. Here are some cool foreign movie posters to fill up space:






Found my long lost cousin Justin on Facebook. We talked and caught up and all that.

Mom and I walked to the end of the driveway and got the mail.

Brushed Basil.

Dinner was spaghetti and pasta. Mom made a fuss about how unfunny Conan O'Brien's monologue was.

Finished season 6 of Buffy and season 3 of Angel. Only one season left of Buffy now, and two of Angel.

ah ah ah ah stayin' indoors stayin' indoors

Slept way in again. Way way in.

Ma, Pa, and myself gathered around for another game of Settlers of Catan. It was a slow start and it picked up steam with mom and myself tied at around 7. Then mom started wandering around avoiding playing the game because she was tired of it. Eventually I won.

Then mum left for errands. It was a gray day and I stayed inside. Munched on various thing throughout the day.

Dad and I dug up some more potatoes for dinner. Some were quite hefty. You could break a window with them, provided it was a thin window. We had chicken for dinner. I'm getting rather tired of chicken.

Mom says I keep referring to the water near Seabeck as the Puget Sound, when really it is the Hood Canal. I say, seeing as how it is all connected at the top of the peninsula I can call it whatever I want.

Kinda just sticking to myself these days. Might hang out with Mariel on Wednesday.

+2 triva bonus

Finally had a really good sleep in today. It takes a lot of work to catch up on sleep. Now my sleeping schedule is out of whack, but at least I am not so darned tired.

Sun came out today. It was nice. Not all that hot but still warm.

Did I mention that Holly, the dog, has received a haircut? She looks like half the dog she once was. Almost regular sized. Basil is still a behemoth.

Dad made orange rolls for breakfast. Mmmm.

Mom gardened. I wasted time.

Later in the day we went into town. Shopping! I wanted some more jeans. My other pairs are getting a bit tight from Gabe's cooking. It's easier to just go up a size than to exercise. Heh. None of the shirts really sparked my fancy, but I have enough shirts. I first picked up some skinny leg style of jeans but they were far too long and a bit tight (though jeans should always fit a bit tight when you get them because they loosen up as you wear them). When looking for some pairs that were shorter in length, I noticed a big glob of snot on a teeshirt. Gross!

Anyway, two classic rise short length size 6 pairs of jeans later, we were out the store! Mom picked up a pair of corduroys. I had tried on the style but it didn't suit me.

Dinner was steak and potatoes. We dug the taters out of the garden. Some nice sized ones had grown, and some smaller. Boiled and delicious, they were. It was very scrumptious. After dinner, we all gathered round and watched Pleasantville. I noticed that both Marc Blucas and Danny Strong were extras. I have watched way too much Buffy. Oh, and the actor who plays Pete Campbell in Mad Men played Connor in Angel! Neat!

So that was a nice evening. I think mom goes back to work tomorrow.

nuffin

Not much to report for today. Woke up early and sat in bed watching TV on my computer.

Dad made me an omelet and some bacon. We watched Coraline on his computer. Took about three tellings for him to believe that yes, it was indeed hand animated and not entirely CG. He then spent 5 minutes trying to figure out why the other side of the disc wouldn't work. Eventually he noticed that the disc was not double sided. The DVD menu just lied about saying there was content on the other side.

Mostly sat about. Nibbled on food. Watched stuff. Relaxed. Not all that warm.

School starts August 31st. Just over three weeks away. Suddenly it is so very close. I can't wait though.

Mom went out with her gal pals for the day. She saw Julie & Julia. She said the parts about Julia were much more interesting.

Time to rest. Recline. I think there are some family plans for tomorrow.

thursday/friday

Thursday:

Another cold day. Totally sucks. I keep getting the sniffles. I don’t know if it is attached to dander or wool or dust or what. After an orange juice and toast breakfast I helped mom move books around. Found a great old two volume copy of Grimm stories illustrated by Sendak. There is a nice volume of Bradbury short stories. Lots of dusty paper backs and a few moldy volumes. Pretty extensive collection.

The dust got to me really bad and I had to escape and just stand and breath fresh air. Mold and dust is not good at all for me. Lunch was poached eggs on English muffins with cheese. Mmm. I’ve been sifting through those massive Phaidon art books. Getting inspired and all that.

The radio is set to this great station of mostly 60’s and 70’s generic hits.

Mom won Settlers of Catan. We went out in the kayak’s. I eventually managed to get really warm and toasty while exerting the effort it took to get my wimpy arms paddling. Then when I was warm I wanted to swim but by the time it took to get my swimsuit on, I had cooled off enough. So I just took a bath.

The So You Think You Can Dance finale was awesome! So many great numbers. So much dancing can happen when you don't have to critique it. I voted for Jeanine. Go Jeanine!

Friday:

Woke up early to Mom's ringtone. Dozed a little more. Eventually got up and went with mom to run Port Townsend errands. Recycling. Goodwill. We went through the drive through for breakfast/early lunch.

Another dreary day. We went to QVC and picked up some staples for the house. Flowers.

I went right to bed when we got back to Pulali Point. Neglected to help mom put the groceries away. I slept for about two hours. Or maybe three. A long while. It is hard to get a good night sleep in Pulali.

Dad had arrived and made us dinner. Burgers! Delicious. At dinner mom said that we were going to spend another night. I did not want to stay in Pulali any longer. It was cold and emotionally heavy. I wasn't sleeping. Mum agreed to go home tonight. Packed books into a suitcase and stuffed my clothes in the bag. I went home with dad in the truck. Talked about silk screening.

It's nice to be back in Seabeck. Big cozy bed. Basil.

grandparents & bug bites

8 minute blog because we have to get over to the other house to watch So You Think You Can Dance!

Managed to get some good sleep once I dug out the comforter. Nice and snug. Dad went back to Seabeck to do some work there. Some prep work and all that. I went through the New Yorkers and looked for interesting illustrations and articles. Found a David Sedaris short.

Ma debated going home for the rest of the day. Take a break from the emotional weight of Pulali. We decided to stick around. Mom is going to sleep in the tent most likely.

We visited Grandma Pedersen. She folded and unfolded her blanket and was generally quiet. She walked over to the couch and fell asleep. It wasn't a long visit. She doesn't look like the Grandma I remember. Not anymore.

Afterwards we went to Shanghai Restaurant and met Grandma and Grandpa Spencer for lunch. They had eaten recently so they didn't quite dig into their Egg Foo Yung so much. I had beef with broccoli and mom had the salmon special which was served sizzling. My beef was tender. It was a good meal.

Some drinks and other things were bought at Safeway and then Pulali Bound we were once again. Hard to believe the round trip was over 60 miles. So much driving is required. Portlanders whine about driving five miles. But city miles are, obviously, different than country ones.

I set up my computer outside Celia's cabin and she and mom took a dip. I relaxed with my old friend the Internet for a while. Dinner was pasta with sauce that included bits from the burgers from two nights ago. Now for dancing! Mom says she bought four tickets. Exciting!

the old fashioned way

Got up early. It is hard to sleep in when people are moving about and working. Jeanette and Liam came over for a visit and some cocoa. The day is cold. And I don’t have pants. Boo!

Breakfast was cider and cheerios. Ma and I took a quick trip to Brinnon to pick up some things. Standard little tiny store with just name brand, cheap grabs. No vegetables or other things that could be marked as healthy. After all that we played a little game of Settlers of Catan. It was hard to keep mom at the table. She wanted to be productive and all that. I ended up winning just by having development cards with points and the largest army. I didn’t have very fruitful settlements. Mom and Dad both had huge roads and plenty of cities.

First up was the bathroom. Cleaning to paint it. I browsed through the books in the upstairs room. Plenty of Shakespeare. A lot of 60’s paperbacks. Found a 1941 Silk Screen book. Fascinating to look at the older, far more complicated procedure. Also a 1961 hardcover of James and the Giant Peach. It might be a first edition. Beautiful.

When the paint needed time to dry, Dad and I got out the little onesie sailboat. Pretty easy thing to rig up. It is a converted row boat I believe. It took a little while for me to remember how to do the sailing thing (I took a class a few years ago). It came back and I went up and down and up and down. Waved to Kirie. Waved to Mom. Celia came back from work and put on a swimsuit. She got on the inner tube and I attached her to the boat and towed her around for a while. That was quite fun. Got some good breezes. Ma and Pa went out in the kayaks for a little bit. I tripped coming out of the sail boat and got wet. Dad traded with me and mom and Celia swam. I showered.

Dinner was a second feast. Celia made a clam soup and heated up the leftovers. I filled up on bread unfortunately. What I had was quite good. Mark, Kirie, Mom, Dad, Celia, and I enjoyed it all. Num num. The mosquitoes feasted as well.

It was a relaxing day. I’m undefeated in all my Settlers of Catan gaming. Bwahha.

mmm cake

Most of my morning was occupied with packing. Taking the stuff in my suitcase and putting it in a smaller bag. For the week I shall be over at Pulali Point, my grandparents place. Mom and pop are doing some repairs. I will be swimming and reading and relaxing and taking hikes. All that.

Pulali Point is on the Puget Sound. It has a little beach. The grounds contain four structures; the grandparents house, a two story garage, Celia's log cabin, and Kirie's house. They are spread out through the woods and all have a beautiful view of the water.

The water was perfectly beautiful when we arrived. Just calm and fairly clear. Hugged Celia and gave her a Milagro.

I really took some of these views for granted. Being in Portland for so long and returning. So beautiful. So quiet. Just the water and the rustle of trees and the occasional animal.

Celia, Mom and I took a dip in the water. Not very cold. Perfect for swimming. The shadow of the land stretched pretty far over the water but not far enough for us Pedersen swimmers. We heard people from the mainland. People that were soon revealed as Kirie, Mark, Jeanette, and Liam. Dinner was ready to be underway! We didn't even have to lift a finger.

Ma and I showered and when we came back most of the burgers were done, the chicken was ready, corn was available. A big fresh delicious omnivore feast! I was full on bread and corn before I got a chance at a burger. Oh well. It was good. After it all, we kicked back with some tea. Tasty tea. The mosquito coils were rearranged. Photos were taken.

After dinner, it was time for walkies. The girls and Liam got their hiking shoes on and the boys took naps. It was a long trail through the woods. One I don't think I have walked for a while. Mom and Celia left a little early because Oggie was having trouble walking (Oggie is a doggie). I continued on. We talked about Loch Ness (Liam is a believer) and school (Jeanette thinks I'm popular).

It was about 9pm when we got back. It was that time where it is dark but you can still see and everything is blue and gray. Quite nice. Hauled my computer over to Celia's because she has wifi. She served me cake and ice cream. Good aunts never change.

goodbye matty

Back again in a train station waiting and writing.

Had a restless night sleep. Got up with the alarm which I am pretty sure I turned off. Uh oh. Anyway, showered and got dressed. Found some cool pants in the free pile yesterday so I am wearing those. They fit pretty well though the length is suspect.

Breakfast of oatmeal and tea. Cuddled Luna. Finished my packing. I left at 1:30 to catch a 1:44 streetcar. Arrived at Subway right at 2 to meet Matt.

Matt is going back to New Jersey on the 12th. Won’t see him again unless I am in the New York/Jersey area. I strongly doubt he will return to Portland. He bought me my sandwich and drink. A farewell lunch. We talked about hypothetical stuff. I muttered and rambled in the way that I do. We walked to the station together. He was very nice about lugging my luggage. I didn’t want to bring the big blue bag. Need a slightly smaller one for short trips that can double as carry on.

Hugged Matt goodbye. Now I sit and wait the hour out.

*****

The train was a double decker. It is extra wobbly and there are no power outlets for computers. Napped and read and thought. The train was about 20 minutes late and all the toilets went out. It took a while to get off the train because of a lady. The conductors were asking if everybody was off and we cried out, "No!"

Mom and pop were waiting. Hurray! We hugged and waited for my bag to unload.

Drove straight home. Mom reheated some chicken and rice. They both sifted through the Applicant book. After dinner we played Settlers of Catan. I won. I got some really good rolls that gave me plenty of wood and I had a port so I was able to trader pretty effectively and often. I won, hahaha! Had a huge road and a couple cities. Next time, we shall see.

It is warm but not as hot as it has been. Basil is still obese. Tomorrow we go to Pulali Point for a chunk of the week.

♥ stormy

Stayed in bed till noon. Past noon even. Had a dream I was on Britain's Next Top Model. I came in half way through and all the judges loved me. We had a challenge where we had to decorate a mannequin display. To do so we had to locate the pieces of clothing by shifting through this pile of parchment. Most of them contained DaVinci's drawings or food recipes. I couldn't find the one that listed the directory for wigs. I tried to imagine my mannequin turning into Al Gore to keep me in the dream but alas, I still woke up.

Showered, tidied a little bit. Gabe made eggs and hash browns. Almost done with Dead Like Me. Taking a really depressing turn, still enjoy it. Not quite as charming as Pushing Daisies.

The day went by really fast. Staying in bed really late helps for that. Packed things up. I don't have that much to bring home but when it comes to having to lug a few big bags versus one suitcase, I went with the suitcase.

Katie's sister K...Katherine. No. K-something. Shoot. Anyway, she came over and so did Luke. We four went out to the southeast. We went to Devil's Point. A strip club. Now I know mom doesn't quite approve. Says they take advantage of women. I don't know about that when it comes to Devil's Point. Those ladies seem to know exactly what they are doing. Stormy, Rocket, Piper, and Gwen. They danced and scores of people tossed money on the stage. Gwen played with fire. It was really cool the first time but after that it became evident she only knew the same four tricks. Still, pretty cool thing to watch. Stormy is the notorious dancer. So notorious that I had heard of her through the Portland comic scene. She was a flirt. Danced mostly with the audience. When the large crew of lesbians came in, wow they went wild for her. Hard to get a spot at the stage near the end. Rocket had some sweet moves. Very energetic. These ladies are in shape. It takes a lot to do some of the moves that they do. Anyway. Yeah. I had fun. It was a pretty cool place. Only one stage. Small. Kody, of Kurt and Kody, showed up. I sat at the stage for a couple numbers. Stormy was friendly towards me. The girls dug her, the guys were more reluctant towards her charms. None of the dancers looked emaciated, which was nice.

So yeah. Had fun there. Probably will catch Mom's evil eye tomorrow for it but whatever. This ain't Kitsap.

papa berger

Bleh. Feel terrible. Short disrupted sleep does not work.

Started the day with helping Doug and Rick move Karen's stuff. Doug is Karen's pop and Rick is his friend. Phil and Andy Bone came and helped, as did Gabe. Karen has a HUGE amount of stuff. It filled a whole Uhaul. The kind with the attic space, not the trailer. And I mean filled. Books, shelves, clothes, craft things, couch, cabinets. Tons of stuff. That little lady is more of a collector than me, she just has organizational skills.

Gabe was blown away by the scale of the boxes. He had not seen her place before. We worked for two hours. I mostly helped by keeping doors open. I'm not good at lifting. At noon Andy left for work and the rest of us got pizza. Mmm Pizza. Good ol' Bellagio's. Doug, or rather Mr. Berger, is really nice. He lives in Poulsbo. They upgraded from Bremerton.

The rest was the light stuff and cleaning. I scrubbed the walls a little bit and swept. So empty. I wonder how many boxes I'll move out in. I have a lot of books and clothes, but my trinkets are mostly small things. Have the decoupaged chest of drawers and the head lamps.

Karen's Ikea shelves were trashed. The Billys fell apart as they were lowered to the ground. They were fully decimated by the boys.

We were all paid in checks. That's right. Paid. I made money today! I could go buy mom another birthday present. But I won't because my bike has a flat tire! The tube must have a hole or something. It can be filled with air but once I sit on it, it goes flat in a minute. I don't like to walk. Very lazy I am. It is also hot, I don't want to spend more time in this weather than I have to.

Mailed a few letters. One to Karen, one to Llyw. They were bulky and the lady behind the desk gave me some hassle about their irregular shapes. Some mail to my traveling friends. Put my check straight into my Key bank account. I went to the downtown branch. They were much nicer there than the one on Burnside. The lady who helped me had a really pretty name. Enjoille I believe it was.

Kind of checked out for the rest of the day. Napped. Alternated between a couple television programs. I think I'll go to sleep early. Still need to pack.

can't even do songs that don't require a key

Even drunk, I am fully aware that I can't carry a tune. But I guess I'll start at the start.

Went out in the bright day to run some errands. A couple things needed buying from a certain shop up on 23rd. The people in the store were very nice, very helpful. They let me get as much as I wanted to get and didn't load me down with salesman trickery. And if they did, well it didn't feel like they did.

After that, made a quick stop at Trader Joe's. Fantastic amount of A/C there. Just lovely.

The rest of the day was spent in hiding from the sun.

At around 8, I put on a nicer outfit for Tom's birthday. Katie did my makeup. I'm hopeless with makeup. Never learned. She did a smoky eye. At first it was startling to see me with that much goop on my face but I grew used to it. I undid my braids and tousled my hair.

We were the first to arrive at The Ambassador. First after Tom. I gave him a card and a To(m)blerone. Started off with a Long Island Iced Tea. It wasn't the best one I'd had. All the drinks I ordered were meh. A lot of people showed up, even Tom's mom Carla. She was delightful. The twins Kurt and Kody were there. Everyone was nice even though I was meeting half of them for the first time. The karaoke queue was long. Katie sung Hey Jude and later she and Tom did Under Pressure together. I put Rock Lobster in under my name and by the time the song rolled around I was more drunk than I was aware. I don't think I did Rock Lobster all that well but the large table of people I was with sung with me and carried what I couldn't. Uhg. Karaoke is fun to watch but I don't think it is my thing so much. Heh.

It was fun, even with my poor performance. After we were to Kurt and Kody's for a little after party. They had a really nice cat. I sort of napped a little bit (yeah right, napped). Kurt and Kody are Katie's old old long time friends. They act as well and were in a Disney channel movie. They have a really nice cat. Eventually Katie, Gabe and I went home. I cleared my bed of the standard debris and curled up all cozy and fell asleep for good.

journey to the east

Starting to cool down. And by that I mean 88 degrees or so.

Didn't quite sleep in but I took a nap later on.

J and I had a little girl date. I walked to Fox Tower and met her for the 5:15 showing of (500) Days of Summer. A movie about love and how devastating it can be. Also a good movie as well. Believable characters, swell acting from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey "Trillian" Deschanel. It fit together nicely. Nonsequential narration but still easy to follow. Sad but not heart wrenching. A good movie.

After we braved a few more minutes of sun and caught the number 12 to the other side. Riding a Portland bus! First time I've done it in ages.

A few blocks took us to 24th and Burnside. The Screen Door is a cozy, jam packed little place. Very warm with cute waitstaff. J and Gabe both said it was good. I trust their opinions of food. I ordered a Mint Julep because J ordered the Porchswing Lemonade. I wanted the lemonade but felt weird ordering it as well. I should have just ordered it. Not that the Mint Julep was bad, it just isn't my kind of drink. I had the screen door plate, which is any combination of sides you wish (well three of them). I had mac and cheese, fries, and a pork chop. It came speedily and was scrumptious! We ate and drank and I ended up rambling a little bit much about a certain subject.

The sun descended and so we left. J went back to the other side with me on the 19. So sweet, even though it was going in the other direction for her. The only max available was a yellow so I walked the rest of the distance. The breeze from outside is nice now.

Tomorrow I have to run some errands, buy a train ticket (I'm going back to Washington for two weeks, starting this Sunday), and go celebrate Tom's birthday. Going to get my karaoke on, hell yeah!

heat continues

800 entries! Whoo whooo!

At around 2, J texted me asking if I wanted to enjoy a few hours of A/C with her. The only stipulation was that we would be seeing The Ugly Truth. At free, the price was right. It was predictable. Had a few good moments but it wasn't anything great. Gerard Butler's biceps were probably the best past (next to Gerard Butler himself). Tomorrow J and I are going to see 500 Days of Summer. Another movie about love all though I think this one will be actually good.

Still, it's always nice to get out of the house and see a friend.

Afterwards I went to school to touch up the Cordia portrait. It didn't reproduce quite as nice. The Macs in the lab had HUGE screens. Gigantic. Never seen one so big. Just a total DAANNG experience. It was also nice and cool. Still, I had to leave.

Lots of bicyclists out today. Saw a shirtless one. Smiled at him. He smiled back. He was wearing a helmet and looked like he actually washed his clothes (well his shorts at least, who knows what state his shirts are in). My kind of Portland biker.

Watched Torchwood. Gabe, Katie, and I went threesies on a Bellagio's pizza. We got half butchers block and half mother earth. Aka half MEAATTT and half artichoke and garlic and la la la. It was good. Uhg. So hot.

Mummy, when is a good time for me to come home?

102

102 degrees with one little tiny fan and no A/C.

Had a really bad night sleep. Upstairs neighbor was having some bedspring issues for an hour and a half.

Braided my hair again. Drank lots of water.

Went to school at around 4:50 to scan the paper planes. Sadly I only got one in and then the library closed. Talked to Amanda till 5:30 and then I left for Yoga.

Thankfully Yoga has a shadow from the building, otherwise it would have been intolerable. Very warm and toasty. Some cute babies were about. My mind wasn't quite in it today.

Afterwards, I stepped into the Art Direction class for the last hour and a half. There were only two critiques left. Mackenzie's mock Reader's Digest had already been discussed. Didn't mind. I wasn't asked to say anything. It was interesting to see all my classmates illustrations. Karen's one was nice but it didn't quite fit the body of the article (not her fault) nor did it seem like the person who chose her had any idea why a person would pick Karen. As in, if I wanted a bold poster design with type I would go for Karen. If I wanted a painted still life of food, I wouldn't go for Karen. Dominic's fit perfectly. It was about brewing beer. Very light hearted. J's was a nice illustration but it didn't fit the style of the rest of the article.

After that, Wes Youssi gave a little slide show of his art and design. He did the cover for Umberto Eco's The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana. It was cool. He was nice. There was A/C and drinks and treats. The sun had gone down by the time I left school but it was still, very believably hot.

Rest of the night was a dead space of watching Eureka and Buffy. It doesn't drop below 80 for the next 10 days.

now that is a cool tattoo

At the symposium, this girl had a very rad tattoo. It was of a waffle iron. It was in the crook of her elbow (the soft side where it folds...I think there is an official word for that side, or maybe it is just all the elbow). Anyway, when she folded her arm it closed the waffle iron because each side of the iron was done on each side of the crease. It was so totally cool. Blew my mind. It was really well rendered as well. Lots of nice tattoos and the zine symposium.

Arrived on time and set up. The lady said that if there was empty space next to you, you could fill out into it if you liked. So I did. A full table! Lacey came at around 11:30. She sold four of her comics. I traded alot. Some of the trades were very awesome, some I was kinda more meh about but still my work is getting out there. That's good. The symposium is more about becoming a familiar face than making phenomenal sales. I sold 17 comics over the course of three days (17 hours total, Stumptown is 16 spread over two days). Sold two of the posters. Karen sold three of the Milagro today (when she got back to me with the price which was a buck). Need a more vertical display and more wares to sell. Variety. Because right now its the comic, a poster...and that's it. We are making a pact to quit art if we don't have anything new by Stumptown.

I sold 46 comics at Stumptown. Didn't trade quite so much. Like I said, people come to Stumptown with money.

Exchanged a new plane with BT. Flew one to the Reading Frenzy guy. He was cute and we had a great conversation about Zach Smith and David Lynch via the plane. His flights to my side were a lot better than mine to his. I'm just dreadful at throwing them.

The revolutionary guy was gone and Jason and Sarah were next to me. They had a box with sticks set up. The sticks had a little mini clothes line esque set up which held one dollar mini comics. Awesome set up. They were really nice people with a great sense of humor. We pitched each other every now and again. Jason had some really beautiful comic work.

Lacey bought tater tots for lunch. Mmm. Jim stopped by. His hair is longer. Like a damn hippie.

In the last 2 hours I did a circuit and spent about $23. Not a whole lot interested me. Bought Jesse Reklaw's Slow Wave compilation. 16 dollars marked down to 10 for the convention. He vaguely remembered me from Stumptown. I told him my dream about Batman eating coleslaw.

I wore longer pants so I didn't get hurt sliding under the table.

Tomorrow, if I remember, I'll scan the paper planes.

Met some nice people. It was fun. Need more stuff. I'd do it again for sure but I won't have such high hopes for big bucks. Stumptown 2010, The Perceivers are coming for you!

Spent the rest of the day indoors. Gabe made tacos. Caught up on So You Think You Can Dance. Great thing about watching them online is that you can just skip to the dancing. Loved the 5 girl Bollywood number and the Seven Nation Army routine. So cool!

Braided my hair for the convention. I felt really cute with it like that. And I like how it crimped once I removed the braids.

Lacey is a great table mate, just want to say. Fun and easy to sit next to. Gets what is going on.