pork chops, yum!

I'm so excited for ground beef! I cooked myself up a scramble for breakfast. Eggs and beef. Mmm! With juice!

Watched my usual run of things. Oh! Almost forgot my nightly healing picture:

Looking more soft and skin, less scabs. It also spent some time under some saran wrap. Went over to Kevin's place for some barbecue. It was colder so I wrapped it up in saran wrap and put on pants. Thought it would be a good solution for a few hours. And it did work. It hurt a bit but it stayed moist and came out in pretty much the same condition. I met Kevin's roommates Andrea and Jason, and remet Paris and Kellan who were at the Aerial Pink show, and Amanda and Matt were down from Seattle and another friend Nigel came around. It was nice. It was a lovely little way to spend the evening. Ate pork chops and pasta salad and salad and corn on the cob and chicken! Mmm! Then played spoons! Hurray! Chatted about this and that, and at a little after midnight I was driven home. Nice little social evening.

Yeah. Munched on stuff through the day. Relaxed. I'm out of eggs now.

Wow it is 2am. Need to go to sleep or something.

crusty be gone!

This Aquafore is working miracles. My leg is staying super hydrated and it hurts a lot less to move. That could be part of the healing process, but once I started using it, it just stopped hurting. Soft flexible skin is good to have. And the crusty bits around the edges are coming off. The Aquafore really makes the scab parts soft and they flake off a lot better. The skin is red and shiny, and is obviously a little scarred. But that should fade. It's only been a week. And it gives me a story.

The cute cashier in Trader Joe's asked me how I got that in a general, understanding but not "awww poor you" way. Obviously he had hit the pavement a couple times as well. We chatted about the healing process. I love Trader Joe's! 25 bucks gets you beef, apples, bananas, juice, tortillas, dried mango slices, mochi ice cream, and a bunch of other stuff! And their prices stay the same and you don't have to fight selection! It is great. And for being hungry I didn't leave with tons of snack items. Cooked myself up some beef, threw that on a tortilla with spinach and cheese and ate that right up. Yum yum! I'm going to try to make a beef scramble tomorrow morning. I want to be more proactive about cooking real meals.

It was hot hot hooot. I only left to get dinner fixings. Spent a lot of time chilling and being not sweaty. And also looking at my leg. HEAL! When I first hit the pavement, I didn't expect it to be like this. I thought it was going to be a scrape that will scab and be gone in a week. When I started cleaning it and saw how much skin was gone, yeah...

But look how much better it is!

gross picture time!

Last night:

Tonight:
It's scabbing around the sides, as you can see, and the center is sort of soft but it looks good. It looks like it wants to be skin. Hahah. I'm so fascinated by my road rash. It's gross but I kind of like it. It's also hurting a lot less. I'm not stumbling around and if it brushes something it doesn't hurt a whole bunch. Yeah, it definitely hurts less. I wonder if thats because I'm keeping it moist, because when it dries it tends to hurt because the skin is less flexible. Hmm.

I put out my chocolate croissants last night and had them for breakfast. Mmmm! So good. Went to school and finished up the business card design stuff for Ben. Talked to Cathrine and Jim and Jon a bit. Went back home. Watch Top Gear. So addicted.

Ate a sandwich. Tabitha came over for a bit. Ate some pasta. Tabitha left. Kristen and I watched two episodes of Mad Men. Kristen's schedule got screwed up without warning due to the new internet system of registration. Boo!

I want to be out doing more, but I need to keep my leg in good care.

Thursday, Kevin is making pork chops. Can't wait! A nice summer barbecue.

oh library people, you crackith me up

I love the library staff at my school:

Anyway! Leg is healing. I'll spare you another gross picture...for now.

Slept in. Ate oatmeal and tea. Ate a sandwich later.

At 4:30 I walked to get some Aquaphore. I heard it was good for scrapes. Why not? Neosporin makes it hurt a little. So I got some, wandered back over to 21st and Irving. Caught the 17 to Burnside & 5th and then the 12 to Sandy & 54th. It was another Movie Monday at Madelines! I get invited to her nights because I'm special. It was a nice bus ride over. I ate pizza and chatted with Madeline, Tina, Kate, and the very excited Jackson. Good kid. They apparently have a swear jar. Hahah! Her mums are nurses and so when I relayed my treatment plan of Neosporin, washing it out, and Aquaphore, they didn't disagree or tell me outright not to do something. So I'm on a good track I guess. I applied the Aquaphore while waiting for the bus and it made the scrape go really squishy. I didn't know what was up with that.

Madeline's friends came over right on time: Andrew, Ben, John, and Cam. We watched the Spanish ghost movie: The Orphanage. It wasn't quite what I expected it to be. I was expecting more of a horror movie, not a sad ghost story. It was good. Spooky but not nightmare inducing. Sad ending but also kind of happy.

When I held up the leg, the boys are went EEEWWW. Jackson was much more mature about my really obvious scrape.

Madeline drove me home. Now to chill. Whoo!

entourage of ladies

My leg keeps on weeping. It's gross. But it is almost all on its way to scab town. The skin is less sensitive and hurts when I move it around and out of its healing position. Namely when it gets crinkled up when I extend my leg. All this leg talk I'm sure isn't making for good reading, but not much else is going on these days.

I slept in and then with like 20 minutes to spare before Tabitha picked us up, Kristen and I got ready to accompany Mel on her tattoo getting expedition. We hopped in the car and off we went to Sam's house. Sam went to PNCA but I never met her. She has a little personal tattoo business. All sanitized and hygienic with new needles and stuff. Maybe not certified, but she knows her stuff I guess. Anyway, Mel was there to get a tattoo of Russian nesting dolls that represent her family. She designed it, and it had a little frame around the portrait of dolls. Tabitha, Kristen, and I took turns holding her hand. She didn't squeeze too hard, she probably just wanted the option. Kris and Tab read from a Hodgman book. We were there a total of three hours, but the set up time was lengthy so it probably only took about two to tattoo. Just a straight up black ink tattoo. It looks really good. It is on the inside of her left arm. It was fun to hang out and provide support. Afterwards we went to Hot Cakes & something something. I got hashbrowns and bacon and toast and a scrambled egg. Mmmm! Fried food. We talked girly things and then went to the Clackamas Town Center mall. Kristen and I hit up the Macy's clearance rack. Well mostly Kristen, I just checked out what they had because I was there. We were shopping for unmentionables. I found a great 12.99 markdown from like...$36! And some other unmentionables that were two bucks instead of seven. Kristen was having a lot more trouble and needed girly support to get her through the trials of changing rooms.

I still can't wear pants so my poor friends had to look at my nasty healing leg. It is pretty bright red. No children in the mall stared at it, but if I did I would have pretended to be a zombie or something. We drove back and chilled out at our apartment for a bit, before Tabitha and Kristen left to record some music and Mel went home. Now it is my turn for emotional support! We went to Tab's play, Mel's tattoo, and Kristen's shopping. I don't think I have anything coming up though.

True Blood was a good transitional episode. Mad Men crammed a lot of content into its short time frame.

I want my leg to be better! This seems like it will take far too long to heal.

heal darn you!

My leg now only really hurts if I put stuff on it, like aloe vera. Don't know why it would help a scrape Mom. Oh well.

Did my laundry. The machines are nicer but about .25 more expensive than The Goose. Watched some Mad Men with Kristen. Washed my hair. Folded my laundry. Watched stuff. Ate noodles. Put away laundry. Watched more stuff. Took it easy generally.

A little over a week till school starts. Yipes! I don't really feel the senior year terror yet.

Still can't find my missing suitcase. Really weird.

Tomorrow Mel is getting a tattoo, so I might tag along on that.

I wish I could be out and about and helping with that installation more, but my leg has put a stop to that. I can't go about working on my knees and risking getting old paint in my wound. It is healing well, but I don't want to risk it.

I heard that one of the editors or something for Bitch magazine will be teaching us, and that they'll be getting someone in to help with type. And I think the animation class will be super.

I'm doing a good job making my own meals and not needing to eat out. I did that a lot in the Goose. Well, I just ordered wings. Being in a more upscale neighborhood keeps me eating in. It is a nice place though. An oasis of peace.

Six String Samurai with Pagans and Christians

Thursday

Slept with my leg out of my sheets. Which sucked because the weather went colder so it was a night to sleep under covers. And since the weather sucked we called off the Sauvie's Island trip. Oh! I set out some chocolate croissants over night to rise and they were delicious in the morning. mmmm! But yeah, no sun or whatever. Tabitha and Kristen got some tickets in the nosebleed section to see Lady Gaga tonight. Mel, Karen, and I went to the Goodwill Bins. Now The Bins is this Goodwill of all the neglected Goodwill stuff that is not bought. You pay by the pound, not price. It is amazing. I got three pairs of heels that fit really well (two brown, one purple) and a pair of flats. I got three coats to hang in my studio because I know it gets cold. Also I can loan them to other studio people and if they don't come back, no biggie. So two suit jackets and one larger tan one. I also got a grey jacket that, because The Bins doesn't have mirrors, I couldn't see how INSANE the shoulder pads on it were. They are huuuuge! But it is sort of great at the same time. I got a floral romper that fits pretty well and a dress that ended up being a couple sizes too big (can't really try anything on there either). Also got this ceramic turtle. I paid about twenty bucks for all of that. Niiice.

The leg is doing better slowly but surely.

We had Mexican food after. It was good. Filling. Didn't need a dinner afterwards. I came home when Kristen and Tabitha were all dressed up for Gaga.

They left and I put my leg up and watched Project Runway and then sat in bed and watched True Blood and got drowsy and didn't feel like moving my leg more and went to sleep.

Friday

Leg getting better! The soft sensitive patch is hardening up and being less sensitive. It has also stopped weeping fluid. It looks considerably worse, but in healing things look worse before they look better.

Yeah another gross picture for you guys. But I can go bandaid free on the knee and hydrogen peroxide hurts a lot less. It is a constant soft hurt, but not so bad. I get injured so rarely.

Finished up the lettering and logo for Ben's business card and sent him some compositions. It needs some cleaning up and refining of letters. Then I got ready for another date with Kevin.

We went to dinner at Melt, this sandwich shop on 21st. Drinks and coconut prawns for starters. I had grilled cheese and soup, he had the crab cake sandwich. All in all it was really, really good! The place has a great atmosphere. We got some gelato after but the Green Tea flavor I got lost its appeal really quick. Then we went to see Valhalla Rising at Cinema 21. It is a movie about Vikings and Christians coming to America in 1000ad. IT WAS INTENSE! The atmosphere was really well played out. It is the type of movie where you have to really get into the scenery as narration. Mads Mikkelsen, a Danish actor who is a personal favorite of mine, was awesome as a viking warrior with one eye. It is a movie I can see someone with no patience not enjoying, but I got engrossed. Very powerful. I was glad that Kevin liked it too because sometimes when you pick a movie then you get worried if the other person isn't liking it and resents you for picking it, you know? But no, we left the theater going "that was intense!". We wandered around 23rd and got a quick final drink of the night at Ram's Head. I showed him my Japan photo album back at my place and with that we called it a night.

Yeah. It was a nice date.

ouch! busted

Forgot to mention that yesterday the hinge on my phone broke. It will not close, well it can close and open but it makes it so much more likely that the top will break off the bottom and I don't know if it will work if put back together. I really like this phone. It is reliable and no frills. It is old of course, pushing six years. Which is four years more than the life expectancy of any phone. Booo.

Today I ran some errands. Went to Powell's. Got Packing for Mars by Mary Roach. Space travel! Yay! Also picked up a Crunchie Bar, which is pretty much a Violet Crumble labeled differently. Went to the Bike Gallery and dropped off my bike for a wellness check up. Walked down to Finnegan's to look at their Playmobil. They had a woodshop class set! With a bearded teacher, drill, clamp, students, and first aid kit. It was amazing! Talked to Dad on the phone for a bit about phone problems. Walked down to Verizon to see what sort of phones there are. Basically if I want to replace my phone and not get a new plan or anything, I am looking at spending $150+ on a new phone. Yeah. No way. I don't get at all why phones still cost so much. Everyone has one, so why haven't they gone down in price? Why are there no cheap no frills phones? This is crap. Oh well. Tape for now. Went and got my bike back. I was crossing the street to get in the far right lane and crossing the street car tracks I didn't have my tire slanted enough and it got caught in the tracks. I didn't flip over so much as twist and hit the pavement. Thankfully I fell in an empty parking space and not in traffic or into a car. I skinned a large bit of my shin and my knee isn't too pretty and my shoulder aches. The passers by stopped and were really nice but I wasn't in too bad of shape. I paused for a minute to catch my breath and I got back on my bike and rode home. My bike seems unharmed. Wheel isn't bent. It rode just fine, though the rider wasn't in as good as shape.

Here is a gross picture of my leg before cleaning:

Ouch! Kristen didn't come home till 8ish, which was good. I needed to be alone while I howled and cried as I washed out the scrape (now my slight tan will have a bit missing, nooo!) and the knee gouge. I then sat and watched cable while I patted at it with a damp towel. Just patted and patted. When I was feeling better, I hobbled over (this is the right leg, which has been twice sprained and was once kicked in high school and still is a bit wobbly from time to time) to Walgreens to get hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin and other assorted medical stuff. IT HURT SO BAAAD to sanitize it. I just had to suck it up and do it really really fast and then pause and then go again. Then I lathered it up and let it sit. I took a tumble on my old bike about a decade ago and at that time it was just a chunk of flesh that lifted up on my left knee. Now my right knee might get a matching scar. I can't remember getting a scrape this size before. Still, three years in Portland as a biker and this is the first time I've been caught by the tracks and the second time I've fallen on my bike (the first time I missed the curb when propping my foot up, but nothing really got injured).

To distract myself I did my hair up in Heidi braids. Like a milkmaid. Whee! Tomorrow we girls are going to Sauvie's Island to swim. I'll probably lounge in the sun more than swim. I don't think water will favor my injury.

Also having the Crunchie Bar on hand for comfort was really good. Lovely distraction.

keys and bottles

I have a headache. Ugh. Heat.

Chatted with Madeline for about an hour. Ate some good.

I went down to school and dropped off my health insurance waver. Swung by student services and said hello to the people there. Everyone is getting new hair dos and cuts and looking festive for the season. Went to the library and scanned some stuff. Rented Mad Men season one to watch with Kristen.

Swung by REI to grab one of those things to attach my keys to a belt. Not sure if the proper name. Cariban? Anyway, got that and a proper water bottle. The little one I found just isn't cutting it for my hydration needs. Plus it will probably be good to have one on hand in the studio. Or biking. Anyway, got those. Returned home. Sweated. Ate a salad. Watched Ninja Warrior.

Ben asked me to design a business card for him (for some cash) so I'm working on that. Sent him some font tests today. Will write them out proper tomorrow and play with compositions.

This heat is just...bahhh. It is supposed to go to 70 soon.

day off

Yay a day to do nothing! Just to check out and watch TV and put my still sprained ankle up.

What Not To Wear, Top Gear, Police Academy. I really gotta get rid of cable before school starts. It is just too damn easy.

But tomorrow I have some tasks to do. Whoo!

Uhm yeah. Did nothing. Put away nothing more. But it felt good.

School starts in two weeks. Damn summer went by. I got next to nothing accomplished. Oh well.

directions, poo, and reading

Saturday

Soap box derby! Tabitha picked Kristen and I up and we swung by and got Mel as well. It was a hot hot day. Shorts and bikini top were too much layers. I got some snacks and lemonade so we wouldn't starve on Mount Tabor. It was a nice drive over and we got parking near enough to one of the entrances to Mount Tabor. Unfortunately it was not the entrance near the better entrance. We walked up to where the carts were and what, if we had looked around more, would have been actually the starting point. I got confused with directions and went up the hill and ended up near a drum circle (Mel & co. stayed behind to find their own way). Oh! We were trying to meet up with BT, Liz, Phil, and other people. But yeah, I got lost and called BT three times but none of the directions got me anywhere close (I suspect he was drunk and unable to visualize where we were in relation to him). But I ran into my three girls again and we decided to just park it off to the side of a path and relax and snack for a bit. Tabitha's friend Matt was there in husky colors. He had a soap box car, or one he was helping with. After putting up our feet for a while, we went back to try and find our people once again. We made our way down the track and on the final loop there they were! We whipped out the snacks, I popped a beer, and we settled in to watch the semi-finals of the soap boxes.

One crashed into hay bales and an ambulance came later, but that turned out to be for a skateboarder. All in all, it was really hot and lots of walking around a huge mountain, but it was fun. Then we went back down the mountain, Karen gave us a lift to our car and we went to our apartment. Kristen, Tabitha, Mel, and I sat in the dark, drank cool liquids, and watched cable TV till about 8pm.

We gathered our stuff and got in the car and headed to the north east for Karen, BT, and Phil's housewarming party. They are now living in a nice little North East Portland house. Still moving in a bit, but it will be a sweet place. Karen's bathroom is very pink and BT's is nautical themed. Blues Brothers was playing. Diana, Robin, Alison, and a bunch of sort of unfamiliar people were there. Andy came over. Justin and his Dad. Evan and Holly came. Evan brought a card game called Poo where you play monkeys flinging poo and once you get 15 poo, you are out. It was A LOT of fun. I think I'll have to pick it up at Powell's. Liz, Robin, and Kristen played their ukuleles on the porch. It was adorable. Tabitha needs some sort of award for being an awesome designated driver. She got the standard trio (Mel, Kristen, and I) home safe and sound. I winded down with an episode of True Blood. Then went to sleep.

Sunday

Woke up. Had bacon and eggs. Watched a cable show about cake, then White Collar, then some Ninja Warrior, then more White Collar. Around that time Tabitha showed up. She was doing a staged reading of a friend of hers' play so she drove us to University of Portland with her. (Us being the standard four: her, Kristen, Mel, and myself). U of P is in an area where all the streets are named after Ivy Leagues. She got right to a practice reading. We watched the first half of it. Mel and I played some paper games. At intermission we wandered around to find some sort of food or vending machine but ended up out of luck all together.

The play out of rehearsal flowed pretty well. It was about this guy who murdered this guy but denied it because he was going crazy and had broken from it. It had some good parts but was too heavy with Kevin Smith influence. Tabitha played a girl in one scene. And played it well. The writer wasn't much older than me and I salute that he just wrote this play and edited and got it to test reading stages. A lot of effort and putting yourself out there. Good for him!

Karen snuck in later and she, Tab's friend Kara, and the rest of us went to Nepo 42 to get dinner. Tasty sandwiches! And Karen got a magical free sandwich through missordering. We girled it up and went whooo! It was a great night to sit outside. We made plans to go to Sauvie's Island on Thursday. Exciiiited! Sun and swimming!

Now to curl up, watch True Blood, and rest!

Jason, Chevy, and Kevin

Jason & Chevelle

Went over to the East side to help Jason and Chevelle with their TBA installation. I arrived at 2 and just missed them when they made a supply run. Tesar let me into Washington High School and I loitered for a bit for them to show up. I deconstructed some boxes and explored. Even on a bright sunny day, a silent empty school is very creepy. There were some artists on the other floors but the noise didn't carry.

I helped them haul stuff up three flights of stairs (I got a lot of exercise, dang). Cut up more boxes. Made some sand paint mixture and slathered those boxes up. My knees and hands and bare feet got covered in the stuff. I was quite gritty. But it was fun. We listened to surf music and Jason bought pizza. At 5:30 I left. At 6:30 I arrived home sweaty and painty and took a second shower.

Kevin

Second date with Kevin tonight. After I got majorly cleaned up. We went for Korean Barbecue on Hawthorne. It was quite a lot of meat. But it was good. We caught up on the past month or so. After barbecue we went down to Clinton Street and grabbed a drink at Dot's. It looks like The Matador: Lite. But it was nice. The day was really hot but the night cooled off just the right amount. I was wiped after the long day of actual manual labor so we parted after Dot's (well after he took me home, he didn't ditch me on the East side). So that was that.

Today is Adult Soap Box Derby (adult as in age not adult as in naughty) and Karen, BT, and Phil's housewarming party.

Bleh I'm tired, I'll sum up in the morning.

PILGRIM! YEAH!

SCOTT PILGRIM! AWESOME! YEAH! I went to the midnight showing with Madeline. The audience was nerdy and enthusiastic and awesome and the movie was totally awesome and fun and not totally perfect to the comic but it was all the better for it. Great Thomas Jane cameo. Wonderful action sequences. Music. AHH! SO GOOD! I maybe missed parts by being AHHMYGAWDAWESOME through the whole thing so I totally need to catch a matinée.

Okay back at the start of the day. I set my alarm but it didn't go off because I set it for PM instead of AM. Silly me. Oatmeal. Tea. Cable television.

My drapes were starting to frame so I hemmed them. Now they hang about an inch above my windowsill. If my blinds are open you can sort of peep into my room. Haven't seen what it is like with them closed.

Kristen and I went and got boba tea. Mmm. I called Jason and I'm going to help him out at noonish tomorrow. Called Madeline and asked her please to see midnight showing. She showed up at 9ish. We left at 9:30ish after I made popcorn. We wandered around the Lloyd District for an hour and sat for another wonderful hour chatting as the nerds filtered in.

I'm sure I do more with my day. Oh had a sandwich for lunch and the final bit of my bacon cheeseburger pasta for dinner.

I'm glad Lauren won, even though I missed it.

I'll have stuff to talk about tomorrow. If I try to get on with blogging before 2:30 am. HA!

spooky dusty crinkly potato chip

Abdi won! Yay! He had a really great final piece though I was worried because it felt like they were praising Peregrine's artwork more. Miles produced a good show but it did feel really work in progress.

I voted for Lauren. She did so well on the So You Think You Can Dance finale.

Had leftover cheeseburger bacon pasta for dinner. Mmmm! So good.

Tidied up. Put my art supplies in a plastic tub instead of a box for better transportation. Assembled my new Ikea stool so I can easily reach up for stuff. Technically it isn't a "for standing on" stool but it can support 220 pounds, so I think I'm good for the time being. Just have to be careful. Forget how I filled up the rest of my day. Something.

Saw Lacey's apartment when Karen and I dropped her off after our day trip. Nice little studio. Almost poked her cat with a rod though. Sweet little Murmur.

Karen, Lacey, and I went to Ikea. The average time spent at Ikea is 3-5 hours. Such a big mistake to try and rush it. I saw so many things that I missed: 4.99 tabletop ironing board. Cute 5$ brackets (there were cheaper ones, but these brackets are stylin') with cheap blue shelf boards that almost match my walls. Handy little bathroom container for makeup. Stool. And a couple other things including a cute cut of cloth. It was a good, lengthy trip. 11-2:30 about. Lacey got curtains and rods galore. Karen got some little things and some Christmas gifts for her nieces. It was a long slow wander. Oh I got some tea lights as well and a super discounted holder set. Oh and naturally we started with meatballs and cake. mmmmm!

When I was picked up BT and his friend Liz were in the car. Liz is nice. They were dropped off at Jam and didn't join us. Boo on them. Oh well.

Sluggish start to the day. Knee hurt all the way through along with my ankle.

I need a level to put up my shelves. I'll wait though, I need to organize my books.

there goes the ankle again

Slept way in with no alarm. Got up. Did some dishes. Tabitha came over. Did more dishes. Karen came over. We girl talked for a while. Then she and I wandered up to William Temple House and over to 23rd. A little walk. I gave her back her boxes, and plus some.

Tabitha and Kristen left for the day. I puttered around. Haven't put anything away yet. Tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow.

Went to Lush and got a little foot slightly pumice stone for exfoliating my feet and a facial scrub. My face feels so soft. Right now I'm on operation perfect skin. I have pretty good skin, but I'm trying to figure out what works best. And I want to clean my pores properly. The salt scrub is nice because the salt gets smaller and smaller as you use it (but it doesn't dissolve in the scrub bucket, wonder how that works).

I offered Jason some assistance with his Time Based Arts installation so at 6:30 I headed over to the east side. It was a lot of prep work. Just tearing boxes down and painting this sort of stucko onto them. He is making a beach scene for his bands TBA performance. Lots of things need to get made. We didn't get a big start today. He drove me and my bike back and I gave him some of my left over boxes. Oh! I twisted my ankle coming down a step. The same ankle I twisted at BT's birthday. It was still hurting on and off and now it won't improve any fasted. My right leg has really bad luck.

So now I'm just putting up my feet and watching television. Going to Ikea with Karen and Lacey tomorrow. Mostly just want meatballs. Don't really need more storage solutions it appears.

bacon

Errands! Got up before 11. Had a little breakfast. Went to Fred Meyers for some more extensive grocery shopping. I kept overlooking the baking soda for like 10 minutes. Drove me crazy that I couldn't find it! And took forever to track down an employee to help me. Ran into Agnes as I was leaving.

Made some cookies. The first batch was okay but they improved. Tidied up and crushed boxes as I baked. The apartment is really coming together. Still can't find that suitcase though. I didn't really get a chance to eat a lot of them because I ran an errand to the East side. Broadway bridge is closed so I rode to the Max and took that to Lloyd. Alyson had left some art frames out on her closed foyer for me to have. It was a fun little excursion. I left her some cookies. Came back at 6:30 and went straight to cooking.

I made my first recipe out of the bacon cook book auntie Brynne gave me! Up first was bacon cheeseburger pasta. Basically ground beef, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, crumbled bacon, cheese, and pasta. Mel came as I was half way through cooking. For a first run through, I thought it turned out really good! Kristen, Mel, and I stuffed our faces then lounged and played Old Maid. Mel brought a little rhubarb berry pie thing for dessert and guess what: I ate and enjoyed it! But don't tell mom.

Karen bailed on us for summer school work. Laame. Melissa joined us and I dished her up a bowl. Tabitha came and I combined some ravioli she had with the pasta. We sat around chatting and we looked at our (Kristens and Mine) yearbooks from 2006. Melissa left to sleep. Then we did makeovers and Tabitha made this facial goo for her and Kristen. Mel and I ate Fun Dip. Girly time lasted till 1am and they said goodnight.

I think I'll watch an episode of something and go to sleep.

organizing further

My smaller blue suitcase has gone missing. I pretty distinctly remember lining it up with my tan suitcase on the truck bed and Kristen hauling both inside, but now I can't find it at all. Odds are it is still buried, but where? It had mostly shirts in it, and I like my shirts. And it was a lot of the long sleeve layers.

Slept in and had a bagel with creme cheese for breakfast and a late lunch/early dinner that consisted of pasta, sauce, and a cucumber. Yum!

Today I worked on my clothes. I hauled out bit by bit the clothes from my suitcases and tubs and sorted the winter coats and other thicker pieces of unseasonal clothing. It will be nice to keep a smaller fashion circulation for a while. I emptied my drawers into another tub and put my clothes into it. My closet has light coats, button shirts, and dresses on hangers now. It looks quite organized.

I emptied another box and most of the ones that remain are mostly full ones waiting to go down to storage. I have a couple half full tubs with knick knacks. But in general, I think one more days work will put me at "moved in".

Tomorrow I plan to make bacon cheeseburger spaghetti. I've invited Mel and Madeline over for dinner. Going all host lady!

True Blood had a very shocking episode. Just the scenes were so...wow!

Tabitha is over and she and Kristen have been playing dress up.

My books also need organizing. I think I'll have the thinner bookshelf be the comic book shelf, and the larger one be everything else.

hooties come together!

Awww yeah, got some more boxes unloaded and shifted a few things into boxes to go into storage.

Oatmeal and tea for breakfast. Ma and Pa came over and put up my curtain rod. It looks really nice and during the day, it casts my room in a vivid orange glow. It goes really nice with my blue walls and red wood trim. All in all, the color scheme is really coming along. Nice to be in a place that isn't gray carpet and white walls.

I talked Ma and Pa into staying the day and going to see Odd Owl with me tonight, instead of driving home and seeing them tomorrow in Seattle. So I made Dad take a nap so he'll be well rested in the night. I unpacked and packed and sorted. I think I'm just a couple days away from being settled. It is mostly organization left to do. Organization and putting things in storage. Though it feels every time I turn around there is a little bit more to do. Oh well.

A little later on, I prodded Dad awake and we three went for a little walk up and down 23rd. We looked at 3 Monkeys. There was a Ford Fiesta promotion going on for the new models (that look nothing like our 1978 one...1979?) and they gave us free soda. Ma and Pa went into Lush while I held the soda outside. Ma came out with a bag of goodies. Powders and lotion and a little gift bag for spending a certain amount. I grabbed the lotion massage bar out of the gift bag. Yoink! We stopped at Pizzacatto and got two pizza and salad lunch combos. Mmmm! Then we got cake and cheesecake at Rose Bakery. MMMMMM!!

We returned home and I made mom and dad take a nap. I tooled around on the internet while they dozed. At 6ish they started to wake up and we got ready to go to see Odd Owl (Carmen's band) at The Waypost. I put on my Odd Owl shirt and an owl pendant.

It was a short drive over to the other side, that became elongated when we had to find an ATM. But we found one. Carmen looked adorable, Phil was his same self, and their new bassist was scruffy. Ma got us some root beer and cookies and we settled in. The opening act was a lady guitarist. She was charming and played well. A friend followed her and was also good, though admittedly nervous. But she did fine. Ma bought me a shirt and a CD. Speaking of shirts and CDs, they used my artwork for their second shirt! And added some color for the CD cover! Awesome!

My friend Jon showed up! Yay! He arrived right as Odd Owl started so we didn't get to talk all that much, but he did get to meet my parents. They were great! They had more songs and played some covers and my old favorites. It was lovely and fun and I bopped my head about. Afterwards Mom bought herself a shirt and a CD. Jon left and I hugged Carmen goodbye. Ma and Pa drove me home and off they went into the night. Returning to Seabeck.

I snacked on snacks. Kristen came home. Time to sleep in.

can't beat that price

Still have quite a few boxes left and less idea of where it will all go.

Woke up slow. Put on my robe. Had some tea. Unpacked glasses and dishwear. Started a bin that will be for things to bring home. A couple pans went into it. Ma and Pa called right as I finished showering and came over. I felt I didn't get so much accomplished, but they seemed impressed that I got my shelves up.

First of many little round trips was Trader Joe's for groceries. Got some of my diet essentials. Pasta. Sauce. Toblerone. Apples. Bananas. A cucumber. Picked up an Aloe Vera plant as well because those are good to have around. Unloaded the food at home. Had some chips and dips for snacking. Then we went to William Temple House. WTH is a thrift store that has a greater chance for finding higher end furniture stuff than a Goodwill, but worse chance for clothes (though I did get a nice pair of shoes there). Anyway, lo and behold a bed frame! Head board, foot board, side bars, and the little things that go under box springs to support them! In lovely wood. It was part of a bed, vanity, chest of drawers, and end table set. And it was just $25. For the bed. Not the whole set. The vanity was impressive. People don't seem to have vanities anymore. Less vain? Anyway, we carried the bed parts the four block journey home. Upon assembling the bed, Dad found there were some bolts missing and so we took a trip to Ace Hardware. Picked up some bolts and other things and swung by William Temple House and grabbed the end table before this other group of people could blink (they were eyeing it). The bed was assembled and it looks great! It dominates my room but looks more elegant while doing so.

My room set up right now is as follows: the wall with the door also contains the closet. Entering the room, the wall on the left has the headboard of the bed and the matching end table. Straight ahead is a wall with a gap between the bed and the wall, but in that twoish foot gap is a combination of my smallest cubicle shelf, drawers, and just open shelves. These are shelves that you can assemble in different combinations. Next to this three unit, is my double stacked dark bookshelves. These fold up for nice storage and are sturdy. They also are designed to stack. There is a gap between the shelf and the wall to the right. The wall to the right contains the lone window that looks out into the courtyard. I have a desk positioned parallel to the closet and shelve walls (as opposed to pushed up against one). It is better feng shui to not have your back to a door, desk wise. Further down the wall is my red metal Ikea bookshelf and my chest of drawers. In the nook by my closet and door is another stacking dark wood bookshelf. This one is half the width. It is a cozy room. I think once I get everything squared away, I'll feel really good here.

While mom and dad sorted stuff out, I made a run to Laughing Planet and picked up lunch. Two burritos and a bowl. Dad seemed to really enjoy his Thai inspired burrito. Mom liked her tempeh thing. As always, I enjoyed my burrito. After lunch it was time to run the driving errands. First up was to get my last two things out of storage: my chest of drawers and a low boxy cabinet that I don't know what I'll do with yet. It went quick and took only one elevator trip. Closed out my storage unit and thanked them for their good service. We dropped the stuff off at my place and then headed out again.

Fabric Depot!! We were in 5:30 traffic almost all the way there. I was surprised that mom didn't buy a lot of fabric. She only got a bit of two fabrics. I got some fat quarters and fabric to make curtains (as well as a rod, some clips, a thread sampler, some black and white thread that was on super sale, a rotary cutter, and some pins). It was a nice haul. We then went to Fred Meyer where we purchased the smaller stackable shelves (buy one, get one half off) and some hubcaps for the motorhome, and a laundry basket, and some miscellaneous stuff. They dropped me off at the curb because there was no parking and we parted ways for the night.

I finished off my burrito from lunch. Put away more books. Put away plates and bowls. I also went around and looked at most of my boxes to try and find really obvious "send home" stuff. Right now it looks like a lot of things might end up in the storage unit downstairs. What I'm thinking will happen over the next couple days is that I'll go through everything I packed and if it is something I want up here, I'll set it aside, but if it goes into storage, I'll put it in a box and make a list of which box has what so that if I need to find it, I don't have to dig so hard. I should adopt a more minimalist lifestyle. Really. Books and clothes and art. I have so many knick knacks. Oh well.

too much stuff, not enough space

So apparently mom and dad were up at 6, because when I said "I'll be up early" they thought "really early" when I really meant 9ish because I didn't have that much to pack.

I got everything in bags and hauled it down. I filled a bin with fabric and the small rotary mat. Dad played boxes tetris with the truck and got everything magically sorted away. So much stuff fit! Wow! Mom took Holly to the kennel for our trip duration. We left at around 11:30 and went through Belfair. We took a couple detours for the hydrolizer in the truck and depositing a check. We didn't hit traffic till just a couple miles out of Portland and since we transferred to 405, we got out of it quick. A car pulled out right as we got to my new apartment and we got a perfect spot! Kristen helped us unload. Hauled the bed in. Ma and Pa seemed to like the new apartment.

The new place has a lot more living room and dining space, but less cabinets, smaller closet, and a sort of smaller bedroom in general. But with some creative sorting and organizing, I think I can get it to work. We also have a downstairs storage space, which some of my dishes might end up in and maybe some winter clothes that don't need to be in circulation yet. Maybe it is time to embrace the habit of only having season appropriate clothes in the wardrobe and shifting it out. I have plenty of plastic storage bins.

My new apartment also has the possibility to paint the walls, but the walls already have some nice color. And there is generally more freedom all around. Whoo!

After moving in the stuff from Seabeck, we took a Martinelli's break and then we three went to my storage unit. Backed the truck in and ma and pa hauled several loads down and filled the truck to the brim with boxes. So many boxes. It looks like less stuff in the unit, but then it was just really compacted and upright. Makoto, a nice neighbor, helped us move! In exchange for nothing! He just hauled some boxes (he was really strong) with a smile. What a great guy. Everything went into the place quite smoothly.

Ma and Pa treated us to a high class dinner at Lucy's Table. One of those hip and fancy places but not so fancy as to refuse business to some people dressed a little casually. I had the home made pasta in a light sauce with some beans, mom had halibut, Kristen had the goat cheese ravioli, and dad had the buffalo steak. We had a little pate appetizer followed with bread. Mmm good! Not really a huge meal, just enough.

Afterwards we three made the poor decision to go to Ikea tonight. The GPS gave us trouble and we were tired and stressed upon arrival. I liked this nice rattan bed frame but after we powered through the store (to the anxiety and stress of us all) we found that the sideboards were out of stock and no one was around to help us. Boo! I did grab a hamper, clothes organizer, multiple outlet thingie, and a new pillow, but didn't locate a bathrobe. Dad picked up some food from the market and very tired from the busy day, they drove me home. I felt bad about encouraging the trip after so much activity. But what is done is done.

Got home at 9:30 and started sorting and unpacking. Moved boxes out of the way and changed my bed orientation around. This allowed space to put up my shelves, which allowed me the chance to empty a couple book boxes into them. I'll still need another book shelving solution but for now just gotta work with what I got. It looks almost cozy if you ignore the many many boxes that I still have to sort through. Maybe this next week will give me a chance to minimize and organize my life and lifestyle.

burgerday

In 24 hours I'll be sleeping in a bed in a new apartment and I will be there for 10 months at the least. Wooooah.

Anyway. Got up. Toast and tea. Ma went to work. I chilled. Dad organized stuff around in the truck and all that. I finished another quilt (the Amish Shadow one, it looks good though I need to lint roller it). No pictures at this moment. Got another one pinned (the pinwheel). I had just enough batting and backing for it. Barely had to cut it down at all.

Dad made burgers for lunch and mom brought burgers home for dinner. Good thing I was wearing my burger shirt.

The finale of So You Think You Can Dance had some amazing routines. I voted for Lauren, mom voted for Robert. Kent was good as well. I smacked a hella huge mosquito while we were watching. It splatted blood. Ha!

Anyway, we watched Work of Art afterwards and laughed heartily. Ma went to bed and I finally got on with my packing. It is really just clothes and books and toiletries. I didn't have a whole arsenal of art supplies or anything of that sort. Most everything is packed up and almost ready to plop in the truck save for: cookies, plants, fabric, quilts, and mattress. Ohh I can't wait to go to Ikea!

errand runners/cabinet getters

Oatmeal and tea for breakfast. Whee!

At near three Dad and I went into town to run errands. First stop was the dump. Since we are good recyclers, a weekly trash pick up hasn't been necessary. Cheaper to take full cans now and then, than pay for the service. After the dump we went to Joann's so I could use my coupon and get backing and batting and border fabric. Then we ran to Costco for drinks and cheese and mochi ice cream. Mmm. We had some hot dogs as well. It was quite a nice day.

On the way back we stopped by Kristen's and picked up a cabinet and table to bring down with us to Portland. And some boxes and bags and things. If dad says there is enough room for all our stuff in the bed of the truck, there is enough room in the bed of the truck. I just have a suitcase, my bike, mattress and boxspring, and some books. Some of that (not the bike) can go in the back seat with me. It will all get sorted out. I'm sure if dad thought none of it would fit, he would have said so.

Anyway, we went back and put the mochi in the freezer. Ma came home and we got the mail. They watched a Yahoo Serious movie and I watched a few episodes of The IT Crowd. Dinner was chicken, potatoes, and beans. The chicken was a bit dry from being reheated so many times.

Tomorrow I have to pack! And finish my quilts! And pack! Ahhh going to be in a new apartment in just a few days!

Pilgrim in the Northwest

The power went out last night and I was forced to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Boo!

For some reason I got out of bed before 10am as well. Dad made poached egg on toast with melted cheese and I had some tea and watched my True Blood and Mad Men.

I FINALLY got the call from Barnes and Noble telling me Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour was in! Ma dropped me off at the mall at 4 and she met her friend Cathy for lunch. I scooped up my copy of the book, bought an owl necklace at Forever 21, a hot dog and drink at Orange Julius and took a seat far away from the noisy children and read!

And I read when mom took me home and for a little bit longer after that. Scott Pilgrim books are fast reads but get to the point in a way that doesn't feel light. Some parts of the art felt more rushed and I don't know how I feel about the ending. Waited a good long year for this comic. I'll read it again tomorrow naturally. I think I rushed through it too quick in my excitement.

Anyway, mom and pop went to a concert and I toodled around on the Internet. Then I put Storm Front, the first Dresden Files audio book, on play and went to finishing another quilt front. And when they returned and mom came up to the barn, I was sewing the last strip on. The middle is a 7x5 pinwheel square flanked by two 2x7 strips of pinwheels with a narrow 2xI dunno 20? smallest pinwheels. I dig it. Long and narrow. Now I just need to get the material to finish it up.

So yeah, doing nothing, reading, quilting. That was my day.

pulali party with family

Welp, three days and two nights of Pulali fun. Better get the blogging on the road. Even though I may skimp of the exact details.

Friday

Ma and Pa packed up the camper (not the motor home) and Nathan hung behind to do a phone interview. It was a nice day. We swung by Silverdale for some shopping. Barnes and Noble did not have Scott Pilgrim volume 6! But World Market did have McVitie's chocolate biscuits. A family favorite. Then we were on the road.

Ben was already at Pulali when we arrived. I quickly put on a swimsuit and joined him on the beach while the sun still shone on the beach. The parents joined us eventually. I forget if I swam or not. I probably did... Nathan and Rubie arrived with Carlo and Joy (Rubie's niece and nephew). Dinner was ravioli and watermelon and water which Nathan spilled over half the table in his efforts to pour it for people. I beat Carlo and Nate at games of Battleship. We had s'mores and lit some fireworks when the sun went down. It was nice.

Saturday

Breakfast was hash browns. Mmmm! Lunch was hot dogs. Hans arrived early. We lugged kayaks down and went for a hike. Rubie, Mom, Ben, Nate and I went for a hike that is. It was a steep hill down to a river off the camp grounds nearby. Then we trekked on down along the river, and hoofed and wheezed our way back up. When we got back to Pulali, Brynne, Averie, and Averie's friend Tony were there. It wasn't a day for swimming, but people paddled around in the many kayaks (Brynne brought her new ones) and the mini sailboat. I went out for a bit but the wind wasn't making me comfortable. I stopped by Kirie's and we talked a little bit.

Dinner was a feast! Salmon! Chicken! Watermelon! Beet salad! Carrot spice cake! Veggies! And so much more! Brynne is a top chef and Dad a great griller. I came from Kirie's after the burger course. Which was probably good as I wasn't full by the time the gourmet salmon was put on the table. Linda Harris was also there. Jeanette and Liam arrived. It was lovely. Everyone was crowded on the deck of Grandma and Grandpa's house. Mmm. So good. Dessert was amazing as well. I felt stuffed three times over, and for some reason I decided badminton was a good idea.

Brynne, Nate, Ben, Averie, Tony, Carlo, Joy, Rubie and I all wandered over to the badminton net Mom, Dad and I had set up earlier on the drainage field. It took a lot of rope tying and scheming to get the net up but it was a good field. Badminton is a great game. Doesn't take a lot of skill or strength. We all maneuvered the field after the sizable meal. Nathan was agile. Joy won a prize for her skill. Then Celia peer pressured us into dusk swimming. Not all of us, just the crazy ones.

Nate, Ben, Averie, Tony, Dad, Brynne, Mom and I all threw on swimsuits to join Celia in the water. In fact it was Nathan and Ben who were first in. I bounded in not wanting to suffer slow adjustment to the cold. Nathan was first to dive under, I was second, and Ben a close third. This was the same order we arrived at the raft. I regretted more the exercise with my full stomach than the chill of the canal. Mom and Celia hooted but came in, as did Tony and Averie. Dad made a lap to the raft, jumped in, and called it good and headed back to shore. Brynne came out to the otter poop stained floaty in good time as well. Swimming is great once you warm up. We jumped and dove and swam around, but eventually all went back in to change and dry off. A fire on the beach was started and we roasted s'mores as it got dark. People retired to bed one by one. And at 10:30ish we all went back to our respective sleeping spaces.

A day well spent.

Sunday

Breakfast was a large pile of small pancakes. The first round of people gobbled them down and filled up, and a second round came in to take their place. A hike was organized and I opted out, only to find that when mom said everyone was going, she meant everyone. So I wittled away a couple hours listening to Sookie Stackhouse and glueing googly eyes on things. People returned and leftovers made for a delicious lunch. Then Brynne, Tony, and Averie packed up and left. Nate and Rubie and Carlo and Joy had left for home instead of hiking (or maybe on top of, I don't know). Hans and Ben left. Ma and Pa started packing up. I hung out with Celia and we chatted. By the time I returned almost all our stuff was packed up and it was time to depart. It was a nice, no traffic ride back (getting to Pulali was plagued by a big line of cars at the bridge). Holly the dog was very glad to see us. We had left the camper at Pulali, separated from the truck.

And leaving out a lot of little details, that was my weekend. It was nice. Pretty soon I'll be packing and then heading down to Portland to start my new apartment life with Kristen.

pinwheel perfect

Yeah! Some of my quilted pinwheels are turning out really nice. Some have near perfect points. Looking really really good. The larger they are, the easier it is to get it to line up just right. I got all my pinwheels sewn up. Well all of them for now. I'm not sure if I want to add a larger size. Anyway, now I need to sew them into rows. The largest is 5 wide, the next is 7, the smallest is around 10, I forget. I only got to sewing the largest together by the time I had to leave.

Leave to meet Rubie and Nathan at Origami Sushi! Their treat! Whoo! Sushi! And katsu chicken. I borrowed the Prius and met them there. Rubie gave me a lovely purse she no longer wanted. Whoo! After a filling dinner we went and caught the 10pm showing of Inception at Kitsap 8. Movie was about as good as the first time I saw it. And without the surprise of the film, I was able to greater appreciate the visuals and workings of the film.

Wish I could write more about my day. Uhm. It was warm mild. I had toast and chocolate milk. Then soda and an egg salad sandwich for lunch. Spent the time by myself. Finished book 9 of Sookie Stackhouse. Onto book 10, the last one that is out. I wonder what I'll move on to now.

missing kitty

Baaaasiiiiilllll! I want my kitty cat. :(

Mom went to work, Dad worked in the garage.

The coyotes were yipping in the day time. Scary sound.

So I quilted some more. I'm working on a pinwheel quilt with at least three different sizes of pinwheels. I finished sewing the smallest ones (made from 2 1/2" strips) and finished the next size up (3 1/2" strips) as well. Dad made a burger late lunch and that was good. I was almost done cutting the 4 1/2" strips for the larger pinwheels. Some of the points look really good. Takes so much work though! Lots of little cuts and pressing and sewing.

Ma and I watched So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Billy this time. He did a really good job.

Not a very busy day. Almost finished the 9th Sookie Stackhouse book.

basil 1999?-2010

Last night I heard some strange meows. All today we haven't seen hide nor hair nor morbidly obese stomach of Basil.

I think she is dead. I'll miss her. She wasn't perfect but she was mine.

Rubie and I went up to the girl cave today! After dad made me poached egg on toast with melted cheese of course. Anyway, for her birthday I made her a little quilting cozy for her iPad. Well I designed it and sewed about half of it, in the process I also showed Rubie how to quilt and all that. We patched together scraps, added borders, put in batting to cushion the device, and it all came together quite nicely. I made pretty much an envelope out of two quilting pieces and whipstiched the two together. It fit quite snug. I sewed on a little loop and button and it was complete. With it complete, Rubie and Nathan took off for Tacoma again.

I resumed sewing little triangles for my quilt. Got a batch pressed when it was time to come inside. Had a little chicken and salad dinner.

BAAASSIIIILLLL!! I want my kitty.

perfect film to watch because Nate is going to the dentist tomorrow

Way too hot to work in the girl cave. I'm going to start in on another front piece. Going to do a pinwheel style quilt, with wheels in different sizes. Small ones, big ones. I got over heated and muggy and didn't feel like working more so at 3:30ish I came down for some snacks.

Still tender from the sun. Not going to peel though.

Ma and I went into town for some last minute shopping.

Oh! Happy Birthday Ma!

I drove, to give mom a break from that task. Went to Target. Got an octopus clip for my hair. Went to Old Navy. Got some back to school pants and a shirt. Whoo! Swung by Safeway. Went home.

Didn't have much time to wrap up Rubie's present. We were getting dinner on the lawn table when Nate and Rubie arrived. Chicken, salad, beans, and bread! Followed by cake! Well before cake there were presents. Rubie got a lovely yellow purse with some goodies from Lush and cookies. I'll also help her make an iPad cozy tomorrow (Nathan bought her one). Mum got a Teavana tea leaf thermos thingie and special tea bulbs that bloom and look cool. We all had tea. The tea ball opened up and had a little streamer of tea leaves and looked really neat, and the tea tasted fantastic. Then cake! Mmm.

We followed up the night with Little Shop of Horrors. Good old lovely musical. The video cut out in the last bit, but we know how it ended. Now to sleep. More quilting tomorrow!

pink and squares

Saturday:

Returned to Pulali without Kristen. More driving, but again it was a nice day to do it. Stopped by the Newberry Hill gas station for soda and s'mores chocolate. Mmm. Caught the last half of This American Life. When I arrived, Ma and Pa were getting ready to swim so I donned my swim suit and hobbled down to the beach.

I realized I was pretty swam out from yesterday, but still I went in. Dad scubaed and affixed the buoy and stuff to the thingie underwater. Don't know the specifics, but it keeps the raft from floating away. I considered scubaing myself but lost interest as the day went on. I did snorkel a little bit. Mostly I held down the fort while Ma, Pa, and Celia did the long process of dragging the raft by tiny boat from the shellfish lab launch area. I listened to my audiobook and caught the rays. I felt that familiar feeling of almost getting too much sun, but thankfully the shade took over. I did catch a little bit more outside Celia's cabin. I felt tender but not blistering. As the day went on, I was a little more pink than I planned to become but it was nothing intolerable. I should have tan lines for a month or so. It feels good to get some color in my face, and at the very least my freckles are returning.

Dinner was a remaining hidden dream dinner. Chicken, rice, and broccoli. Quite good. I listened to another chunk of my audio book while looking out at the water. Mom and dad stayed on another night, but me (lacking overnight clothes and having forgot to feed Holly before I left) I decided to drive back. Again, not so bad because I don't drive and the act had not become tedious.

I was pretty exhausted by the time I got back. Fed the doggy. Got the mail. I just became so tired and wiped out that I just climbed into bed and snoozed.

Sunday:

Amazingly, I only snoozed till 8am! I was up! Had some tea and microwaved stuff for breakfast. Did the Internet routine. Called mom to find out where the key for the minibarn was, and then I spent the rest of the day listening to From Dead to Worse, the 8th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Almost finished with the series! Only two left. I am working on my third quilt: an Amish Shadow style thing. I got seven fat quarters in red orange yellow green blue different blue and purple, and a yard and a bit of black to counter them. I set about cutting them into strips and sewing the strips together and ironing the strips (five to a set) and cutting the strips into triangles (42 total yielded) and cutting the black into triangles and sewing the triangles into squares and ironing the squares flat and arranging the squares into a satisfying pattern and deciding I liked the 6 square x 6 square pattern with a design in the middle and four small squares on the sides and then I sewed it together a bit wrong so the squares on the sides became just triangles going outward instead of squares, but I didn't feel like ripping a ton of seams, but it looks good as is. Mom and Dad came home as I was sewing the last bit of the front piece together. Got that finished, and using the 6 remaining squares I made a little mini thingie, might make another pillow or hot pad or something. So tomorrow I need to round up batting and a back piece and a border. My triangle isn't sewn together perfectly, but it does have a nice colorful look to it. I'm learning. It will take a while to really hone my skill. I've never been a perfectionist. Working all day in the barn gives me a nice sense of peace and accomplishment.

Dinner was pasta and sauce and clams. I've never been big on clams.

I finished watching The Man Who Wasn't There. DEPRESSING! Now to watch True Blood and then sleep. Or stay up later and watch Mad Men...

pulali fun

The places we wanted to go camping were pretty well booked up or iffy when it comes to availability, so we decided to go to Pulali Point instead. An idea struck me and I decided to call Kristen to see if she wanted to join us at Pulali for the day. It would involve me driving her to and from same day and mom and pop would take the truck separately. No biggie though, I barely drive anymore so hitting the road is a fun experience. Filled up the tank to the top and picked her up at her place.

It was a sunny and beautiful day. Perfect for going to the beach and swimming and generally having a good time. I made a mix CD and it was good background music for our chatting on the way to the Olympic Peninsula. I got a little turned around headed to Quilcene, but got there all right. We stopped for an ice cream treat. Kristen and I arrived before Ma and Pa so I used the spare key to unlock the house. We swung by Celia's and said hello.

Then it was swimming time! We got out swimsuits on and our towels and headed for the water. Celia dove in like a champ, I waded in a while and eventually dove, Kristen kept her hair dry the whole day but did dip in a bit. I swam and swam. I wore my crocs, so whenever I swam, I just let them float, and when I went in for a break I picked them up from where ever they had floated to. Liam was even at Pulali! He dove in right away. Faster than Celia. Good little swimmer he is.

Dad and mom arrived and Dad brought down his wooden board with built in port hole. Liam floated on it but wasn't totally interested, so Kristen hopped on and we swam about together. She paddled and I followed. Dad snorkled some starfish and showed them to us. I put my face under the porthole and bonked my nose a little bit. Heheh.

We floated on the paddleboard to Kirie's and waved hello. Dad gave me a tow in the kayak back. Then we got precariously in the kayak. It was the tippy one that I remember Tim and Kirie toppling over in over a decade ago. But we puttered around just fine in it. Whoo! Exhausted that was the end of our water fun. We showered and dressed and with that complete, we had a snacktacular dinner with mom and dad. Brie, rice crackers, Turkish Delight, cherries, pot stickers, oysters, more brie, and other stuff. Whoo! It was a good light spread. Dad told some of my favorite stories.

Kristen and I went over to say hi to Jeanette, Kirie, Mark, and Liam. Kirie showed us her pile of writing and her little literary journal stuff. It was a short visit. I showed off my quilt. We said goodbye and arrived once again at the beach and there was a little fire going and we roasted marshmallows and all that good stuff. Afterwards I showed her some photo albums. At 8 o'clock we departed. At 9:04 we pulled into her driveway. Perfectly an hour! Just right amount of distance to travel for a day on a private beach. Whoo! Love Grandparent's place on the water. So good. I hung around for a bit looking at silly videos on the Internet with her. at 10:30 I said goodbye. I'll call her tomorrow to see if she wants to hang out again on the water, as I'll be headed back.

OH! Here are some pictures of my finished quilt:

finished!! whoo!

No alarm. Slept in. Mmm.

As I type this, behind me my newly finished quilt rests on my bed in all its glory. Quilting is so rewarding.

Anyway, slept in. Had my usual toast and cocoa breakfast. Helped dad split logs like a good Spencer. After that he helped fashion a new pad for my small headphones (the last one fell apart after it dropped in my laksa). With audio book on the go, I set about finishing my quilt! I cut out the batting and the backing and stitched it together. Then I vacuumed the floor and spent half an hour picking out the bits that stuck to the fabric and batting. Then I lay them out on the floor and pinned the sides together. Satisfied, I took the heap down to the lawn and pinned it on the quilting frame and got to knotting. Instead of stitching the massive 5'x5' thing together, I put yarn knots through the layers to hold it together. Put four on each square, in the corners in the country fair squares and in the large triangles in the sawtooth star squares. Paused to eat dinner. Mom told me not to tell an anecdote about her in my blog, but it is really funny. Finished up with the knots at 8:30 and got the excess cut off the side in time for the elimination episode of So You Think You Can Dance. During one commercial break I sewed up the side.

No elimination! Double elimination next week! Exciting!

Then I finished my quilt. Sewing the edge is something I need to work on. The machine was far from perfect with its stitches (I was using the newer Singer, not the older one) and the edge is wavy. Still, it looks so good. I can't wait to make another!

And this has been the most productive I've been all summer. But an emotional rest is good to have.

front: completed!

Finished Definitely Dead, listened to the audio short story Tacky, and started in on All Together Dead.

In other words: I spent another good seven or so straight hours in the girl cave quilting up a storm. Just piecing things together and sewing and pressing the little triangle borders took more time than I expected. This whole country fair quilt has been a really good experience. Learning lots of things about triangles and timing. Got the borders on with out a hitch (well, a little bit of the border will be yellow, not red, as I ran out of fabric, but that won't be too noticeable I think).

Yeah. Dad made hot dogs for dinner and Laksa with shrimp and scallions for dinner. Yum! Mum came home and we watched So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Lauren. She is really stepping it up.

There is the potential for more camping this weekend, but all I want to do is finish my quilt! I think I'll sew it all together using yarn knots, instead of a stitch. Might add a nice flair, especially if I do it in a red chunky yarn. Mmm hmnn.

back to the barn

Yay! Back to quilting! I love putting together squares and just letting the hours drift buy as I piece things together. Got back to finishing my country fair quilt. Listened to about half of Definitely Dead (I'm just powering through these books) and got all the sawtooth star squares sewn! Some of the points match, some of them not so much. I'm learning. As I went they got better and better. And once they are all put together, it should look pretty awesome. 25 squares! The bobbin thingy got jammed when I started stitching the squares together, so I stopped there. Just as well. Ma came home and we three had dinner.

After that, Ma and I went to Joann's to get some batting and fabric to finish the border on my quilt. I'm excited! It should be finished in the next couple days. Got a nice flannel for the back. If the weather keeps, I can hand quilt on the lawn.

After Joann's ma went to Barnes and Nobel and spent a gift certificate. I got a little book about quilting and making blocks and designing patterns. It has some nice explanations about piecing things together. I want to design some squares. Nerdy squares. Daleks and jammie dodgers.

I was still hungry so we picked up a late take out order of Sushi. So good! I love Origami Sushi.

I can't wait to get up and quilt tomorrow!!

little toot

Set my alarm. I know when we go to Mats Mats, I can't sleep in till whenever like I like to do. Got a really restless night sleep for some reason.

Hashbrowns and cheesy eggs for breakfast! Yay!

I started the new Sookie Stackhouse audiobook on the way into town. Stopped by Target for storage stuff. Ma and I planned to sort through some of Grandma and Grandpa Spencer's second floor things, but removing the trailer out from the disintegrating tugboat ended up being an all day thing.

So we assembled and scooted the big metal hoist. I wasn't so strong and dad did most of the work. We attached a cable to the hoist and put it under the boat and wrenched it and levered it up and upright a little bit. I worked up a little bit of a sweat. Dad worked up a lot of a sweat. Don't know what else to say. It was a lot of heaving and pulling. We did get the trailer out from under it! Took some more time to get it more stable. It was time to go home by the time we were done, so we packed up and parted ways.

Dinner was our last dream dinner (these sort of premade dinners that mom assembled herself at this place). It was scrumptious. There was some hot tubbing and then I made a big bowl of popcorn and we watched 10 Things I Hate About You. That movie gets better every time I watch it.

lease signed, apartment is mine!

I think I forgot to mention that during the mini camping trip, I stuck googly eyes on everything I could think of (within reason). Like the fly swatter, rocks, shells, my phone, tissues, and so on.

Had a good sleep in. Tea and cheerios for breakfast. After that I quilted a couple squares and made a little lumpy something. Listened to Dead as a Doornail. Almost finished.

Tomorrow we are going to Mats Mats.

Today Ma and I went to see Kristen, my new roommate. We had to finally sign the lease and give her a check with rent and deposit and all that. Utilities are all included in the rent, which is a bonus (seeing as how they can stack up). Just have to pay for internet. Kristen is from Kitsap and she is house sitting for her parents, so we stopped by and hammered out the details. I'll probably go over and hang out with her again later on in the week. We are both house bound, all though I have my driver's license.

Getting home, we relaxed for half an hour and then we went to Poulsbo to see the 7:05 showing of Inception! Christopher Nolan's latest movie. Ahh the last chunk of it was so gripping. I was gnawing my fingers. It was suspense piled on suspense. Visually appealing, well acted. As good as I hoped it to be.

On the way home, an owl attacked the car antenna. It swooped out of nowhere and glanced off the corner of the windshield and there was the briefest of scratchings on the roof. We slowed down and turned around and if we had struck and killed the owl, there was no body to be seen anywhere. Really weird.

Anyway, got home late so time for bed. All though I have to watch the new episode of True Blood first...

dismal coast, should have stayed inland

Came home a day early so better get cracking on the writing.

Thursday

As it was a shorter trip, I left my computer at home. Just wanted to enjoy camping. Motorhome was packed up and off we went to Tacoma to pick up Nate and Rubie! We were headed to the coast and towards what we hoped would be sun and beaches. Once we hit Aberdeen, the sky turned gray and would not let up. We stopped for ice cream.

Dismal is a good of word as any to describe Westport, Washington. We drove through on our way to a campground. Just a nothing city. None of the store fronts were appealing.

We stayed at..uhm....a camp ground. Walkable to the beach. We rode our bikes around a bit. Dinner was..food. I'm forgetting a lot. Obviously. Oh! It was hot dogs. I slept in the converted table area, Nate and Rubie slept in the above area that I'm not fond of due to spider and bug reasons.

Friday

Pancakes and bacon for breakfast! And then some kite flying. Or rather attempts at kite flying. Mine stayed up for a couple minutes, before giving up totally. Oh well. We checked out and headed to Westport for some biking along the waterfront. It was a nice mild ride, despite some minor falls and a dropping of a camera (cameras can get fixed though, still it sucked). There were some surfers not surfing.

After a crab, tuna, and sardine filled lunch we road out east ward a few miles to Schafer Park. It was on a river and was pleasant enough. Walked around a bit. Sat around the fire. Read. Rubie was feeling ill and Nathan wasn't too hot to trot either so they called it an early night. I listened to my audio book and kept warm. S'mores were had. Dinner was shish kabobs and steak and potatoes. I failed at making jiffypop.

Saturday

It was sunny for a moment and after bacon and cheesy eggs, we took a hike loop. It was a nice green hike. Since it was obvious the only way to escape the gloom was to head east, we decided to just call it early on the camping. We stopped by the Allyn property. Soooo over grown. We stopped at Seabeck, because it made more sense to drive Nate and Rubie back in the Prius. It was a light unloading, because I think we will go camping again next weekend. Ma took Nathan and Rubie back to Tacoma. I caught up on computer stuff.

Just a little relaxing trip. Not much sun. Oh well.

back in bed

Ohh precious sleep. I was missing a lot by being anxious from packing and all that. Starting to get caught up.

The power was out for a bit. I used the new shampoo I got from Lush. My hair smells great and is oh so soft. Whoo!

Sat on the lawn and read a few chapters from Bonk and soaked up the sun. My thighs are a little pink now.

Dad made me a little sandwich.

Then I took a nap in my bed for a few hours. Then mom was home! Yay!

Chicken and potato dinner followed by So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Robert. He did really well.

Tomorrow we are going camping for the rest of the week. Yaaay!

goodbye goose hollow

Whooey I had two long days full of packing and errands and stuff. Lets get started.

Monday

Got a haircut! My ends were looking ragged so I got a trim and more layers and blunter bangs. Looks good.

This guy, Kevin nicknamed Gritty for reasons I don't know, asked me out at the end of the year party (he is a friend of a friend) and I sort of forgot about calling him because I got so absorbed with moving and all that. So I called him and said that I'm leaving soon but if he wanted to hang out tonight, that would be cool. And just my luck, he had an extra ticket to see Ariel Pink at Doug Fir tonight! So we would meet for dinner and go to the show and all that. Hurray!

So I did another trip to the storage unit. More stuff in there. Borrowed the vacuum cleaner from the RA and used that. Gave her my Ikea shelf as well, which will be good for storage. She also has claim to my mirror and stand. The time went by really fast, and before I knew it I was ready for dinner.

Gritty/Kevin and I walked to Thai Chili Jam for dinner. I had the larb, he had massuman curry. Both were quite good. It was a nice meal with good chat. We drove over to the other side for the show. Doug Fir is this bar/venue that has Jupiter Hotel attached. It is decorated like a log cabin and has lots of antler motifs. We had a drink and sat outside waiting for his friends Kellan and Paris to show up and join us. They were super cool and into weird facts about pigs. It was a really fun night. We went down right as the first opening act started. They looked like Mormon siblings, the first band I mean. The second band was a little more hip. When Ariel Pink started setting up, we made our way to the front. Actually, we were right at the stage so that was cool. It didn't get too hot with the crowd also. I don't know how to describe the music, but it was an entertaining show. I'm down for new experiences, probably not everyone would be. The lead crowd surfed and I helped. There was one moment when this tall angry girl put another girl in a sort of choke hold, so we helped pry her off. Yikes. But aside from that, yeah! Great evening. I've had a lot of fun in Portland.

Even though I stay up late on regular basis, I was exhausted and just crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Tuesday

Woke up early and got to work. Showered. Put the stuff I needed to take home into the bags and looked at all the other stuff that needed to go to the unit. Rigged up my drawing board and two bags and backpack. Put the in the locker. We to get some July birthday gifts for the girls in the family. Went to Trader Joe's. Had lunch. Did another trip. It is hard travelling with heavy bags. Really got worn down. Got back. Contacted the RA. Gave her my keys. Packed up.

Said goodbye to the apartment. And left.

Got to the train station at the perfect time. I'm taking my bike home with me. It is so pretty. Cidney was on the same train, but I took the chance to nap. Mmm.

Dad picked me up in the truck. Even at nine, the sun was still out.

I picked up this really cool shampoo in bar form at Lush. Kind of got it for myself, but dad gave it a whirl. If he digs it, I'll have to pick him up his own.

Sooo tired. My legs hurt.

for the first time in three years

95% of my stuff is now resting in a 4x7 area in the Pearl District. The other 5% is bedding, and some miscellaneous stuff that is still here. Tomorrow I'll make a couple trips back and forth with the rest of it. The mirror and stand got left behind (I didn't make it obvious enough to be moved) and the three bulb lamp as well. The lamp isn't that important, but I think I have a good spot for the mirror. Well, actually it takes up a lot of space and the stand is quite heavy and there are a few mirrors in the new place. Maybe I should just leave it. Quit fussing.

Went to bed at 4:30, woke up at 9:30 to Katie playing loud music (also: she leaves for a week and the energy bill drops significantly, I'm gone a month and the bill is the highest it has ever been. Wasteful!). Got up, had some oatmeal and tea, went to Safeway to get some beverages for after moving and picked up an energy drink. Which ended up being WAY too much energy. I was bouncing off the walls and had a hard time focusing.

BT and Karen came at noon. We went to the Uhaul place. I said the wrong type of truck and for a second worried when he said they didn't have it, but a quick review of the registration number and all was righted! I was too anxious about driving in the city so BT drove the truck. Phil was waiting for us upon our return, and Daniel W. showed up not short after. BT and I hauled stuff down, the rest hauled stuff into the hallway outside the elevator. Book shelves, dresser, cabinet...it went in. Boxes, boxes, boxes...the truck filled up and there was more to go. So we started the process of going from Goose to storage. BT, Phil, and I went to the storage place. I signed in and we got some flatbed rolling thingies, and started loaning.

I just want to say that Phil is the master at the game of 3D tetris that is storage organization. He was amazing and putting this and that here and there. Things stacked high as could be, against the wall, and even though it kept coming it didn't seem as overwhelming as my room. Of course, I couldn't stack stuff braced against the wall here, like I could in the unit.

Anyway, the truck unloaded fast and that went back to the Goose and Karen's car backed in and unloaded fast. The truck returned not soon after. Truly the longest part was getting it out of the apartment and into the truck.

BT, Karen, and I went to return the truck. Had I known that all I had to do was leave the keys and dolly in the office because the guy had left (the gas station attendant was watching it) then I could have just left Karen and BT to do the drop off and helped Daniel and Phil.

The storage unit was full up at 3:15. We returned at 3:30. I locked it up. Got back to the Goose at 3:45. BT left for his shift at IPRC, Daniel went to order a large pizza, Karen, Phil and I brought down refreshments to the courtyard at the Goose. I went and picked up and paid for the pizza. Then we all sad about relaxing in the shade, eating pizza. WHOO!!!! I can't believe that moving itself took two and a half hours. I was worried we would be pressed for time because the storage place closes at 4 on Sunday.

Mel, Melissa, and Cidney even stopped by the courtyard for some brief chilling and chatting. Daniel left, Karen drove away, MM&C left, Phil left. I relaxed, and then remembered I still owed BT some snackums for today's efforts. I even made a stop at Cupcake Jones, because he deserved a special treat for driving. So we sat at IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource Center) and ate cupcakes and he had the last slice of pizza, and it was really nice. We parted ways after that.

Went back to the apartment. Contacted Mel to see what was shaking. Met the three of them at Mazatlan, but that place is wicked expensive so I didn't order. Played some video games at their place. Cidney, Mel and I caught the Max downtown and went to Ground Kontrol. On the way there we ran into BT as he was entering his studio. We three played some pinball, drank some beer, played Simpsons, and practiced flipping our hair about. Walked back to their apartment, grabbed my bike.

And now after a long day, I am back in my mostly empty room that has a filthy, filthy floor. Need to transport stuff to the storage unit. Borrow a vacuum. Clean the bejeezus out of the apartment.

Katie has gone camping so I guess I won't be seeing her again.

the girl who put boxes away

4:21am. The apartment is pretty much all packed up. I'll be using my 4'x7' space to its full capacity. Wish I could have gotten a little more sleep. And a larger space, but that is what they had at the storage unit. There are not many others close in.

Went downtown and got my storage unit. The guy was really nice. It cost a little less than expected, but I'm not renting a whole month. Like I said, it will be a tight squeeze but I measure the size out on my floor and it appears to fit. It will be stacked really high and impossible to get anything out from the back. I have a plastic contained reserved for the things I put in the unit right before I get on the train. Shampoo. Bedding. That stuff. Also I have a load on laundry to do. Not sure if I'll get the train ticket for Monday or Tuesday. Tuesday seems more likely. Run errands on Monday. Laundry. Storage runs. Clean up my raggedy dirty apartment. Contact the RA. Once I know when I'll be signing out the apartment, that will be the day I get on a train and go home, never to return to this apartment again (most likely, as I won't be in Portland again till after Katie moves out).

After storage, I dropped off clothes at Goodwill. I picked up a pair of shorts as well. Mmm shorts. I swung by the Dollar Store as well. No where near as good a selection as the one in Silverdale, but it still provided me plastic bags, something to drink, googly eyes assortment pack, and some small tubs for small items. Later I realized I grabbed a wrong lid for one of them.

There is a lot of room for small things storage within my shelves and the wooden short cabinet that Cece left behind. I'm not sure if my red shelf will fit. Maybe Karen could take care of it? It is pretty compact.

As motivation, I told myself that if I could get all my boxes into the 4x7 space, all my art in portfolios or cardboard, and get all that remains of my stuff in a pile in the living room, then I could go see The Girl Who Played With Fire, the second film in the Millennium Trilogy based after these books. The first is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I got my assignment done and caught the 10:15 showing. My arms were wearing and couldn't take any more lifting as it was. It was a really good movie. More character development, not as brutal as the first movie, and a different mystery. Really good. I can't wait to watch the next one. I'm not sure if I should read the books or not. I already know how they end, but you get a different vibe from words over pictures. It was a good break.

But at 12:30 I had to return. And I worked hard getting the rest of my stuff in boxes. There are small things here and there, but I'm not worried.

Noon is when it begins tomorrow. My alarm is set. I'm not sure if I should move the boxes again, or leave them like this. Because like this, the top items will get loaded first and then pulled out last, which would mean they would be put in the unit last. But it will take many, many loads. Well more loads from my apartment to the cars. At the storage place, they have trucks. So we can just unload it all and bring them up. Unloading and putting away will probably be easiest.

I'm tired.