Wednesday & Thursday & Friday
Wednesday I finally caved and bought a wifi booster. Drove into town just to run ONE stinkin' errand. I bought some toilet paper to make it a little bit more worth while. The booster connected just fine, but then came the test of plugging it in at my house (you initiate it near the router, then move it to where ever you need a few more bars/strength) and it worked! And not only did it connect but my internet has had a discernible improvement around the house. It shows up as five bars but I'd put it around 4 in terms of overall strength. I'm glad it worked because I'd hate to bother with returning it. Hopefully it continues to work, I still have time to return it.
Thursday I slept in and went into town to meet Ma and Pa for Crimson Peak. I loved the sets and costumes. Such beautiful design through and through. It was less spooky than I was anticipating, still cool though. Ma and Pa presented me with s'mores fixings and old papers of mine from school and a box of childhood photos. I certainly don't look like I used to!
Friday I met my boss at Hakata for a one year Jobiversary lunch celebration! We talked work and weddings and other things. I have such a nice, great boss. She's very appreciative. And she gave me a gift! A copy of #Girlboss SIGNED TO ME by Sophia Amoruso (the author)!! And she had a great story about getting it signed. Originally they said no personalization but she asked the author. Sophia wrote "always ask for what you want" on the front page. Booyah. And there was a gift card, but it was not from my boss and just a signing freebie. Though I have to spend a certain amount to utilize the discount. Hmmn. Bummer. Maybe I'll have that amount to blow by March, when it expires. There were some cool sunglasses on the website.
I swung by Trader Joe's and did a food run. Yay for munchies! Then went back home and did computer stuff and non computer stuff. Lots of parent time coming up in the next few days! And wood chopping. Hurray.
hi
Friday, October 16, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
lovely to be in love
Do forgive the lateness of this post, I've been out and about having fun as well as catching up on sleep.
Saturday was fun and full of popping around town and seeing people. Madeline and I went to New Order Cafe for brunch. We walked the blocks on a crisp fall day, and grabbed a booth. Both had egg/toast/bacon meals. The cafe had reusable mugs you pick out from a wall and help yourself to the coffee. I like that system. I went with the Hoover Damn mug.
Post food, we drove downtown. I swung past the old PNCA building to show Madeline how it was gone, and parked on the park blocks and we walked up to Powell's. I got a photo with Douglas Adams' signature in the Gold Room and picked up the Sci-Fi Author themed waterbottle. Didn't buy any books and felt like a tourist. I dropped Madeline off at her house and went to the PSU area and met up with Amanda McA at a McMenamin's. I gave her back the shoes she left at my house during Friendsgiving. We had a pint and chatted and she dropped me off at Oranj's gallery for Yoshi's show. It was a hair salon/gallery space. Beautiful wallspace and large movable mirrors. Yoshi's paintings were wonderful and I ran into Kate and her partner. Kate was on my thesis panel. There were some cute dogs at the show too, and I gave them a pet. I met up with Daniel and Heather at the gallery, and watched them eat dinner (I was full from my meeting with Amanda). They in turn dropped me off at my car, at which point I went to hang out once again with Madeline and her friends Mark, Ben, David, and Meredith. We played an Alien theme card game that was based on deck building, like Dominion. The game had a traitor assigned too, and I had the first chance of figuring out who it was and I went for Mark who WAS the traitor! We all lost though. It's a very difficult game. Mark made really good cookies.
I dozed to sleep back at Madeline's. Then it was Sunday. The big day!!
Slept a little bit in then got up and had snacks and got to prepping. Took my sweet time doing my makeup. Skin, brows, contour, blush, highlight, primer, eyeshadow, eyeshadow, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick. Straightened my hair a little bit too, so dang I looked good. Put on the green dress I wore to Nathan and Helen's wedding. I accessorized with a yellow leaf brooch, not the peacock belt, the gold square earrings Mom gave me, and my new watch. I miss my old watch. I still have it, I just need to see about getting it fixed.
Karen and Rob picked me up, and we drove to pick up pies for the wedding. We thought it would be a ton of food, but it was just 5 gluten free hand pies for the people who couldn't indulge from the pizza catering the wedding would have. Very NICE pizza!
We weren't let in to the hall till 3, so we milled about. Checked out Reclaim It, a store that resells stuff found in the dump. Had some neat stuff, and some good stuff that just needed a fix. They've resold about 100k pounds of things, which is neat.
The three of us had volunteered to help set up. It was an easy peasey set up. The rented hall didn't leave much room for hardcore installations, so it was mostly moving tables, putting tablecloths on tables, setting out chairs, putting out centerpieces. The centerpieces were cigar boxes with succulents and candies. There were smaller centerpieces, succulents in vintage silver, that were placed around on the tables. Lovely very Mel and Alain set up. There were large banners too, that Mel had printed using Spoonflower.
Everything got up and out and we had plenty of time to go. I got some coffee for myself from the nearby cafe. Met up with Serenity and Ian, and Jim and Catherine, and Zaneta and Drew. Lots of fashionable people looking their best for dear Melissa.
I secured a spot in the second row aisle, next to Karen. The ceremony was lovely and sweet. Melissa looked gorgeous in a vintage tea length dressed that poofed way out. Her hair was done up in swirls with a veil. Gorgeous bride. Alain looked very dapper in his suit and boots too.
They did a wine box ceremony: BT made a custom box and they put love letters to one another in the box, along with a bottle of good wine. They nailed the box shut together. It will be opened again in 2020 on their anniversary. It's a really gorgeous box too. Dovetailed and all that.
BT was the efficient and did a great job of it. A poem was read. Vows written together were exchanged. They were declared married and they kissed and I started crying.
I was at table 8 with Karen, Rob, Kyle, BT, Serenity, and Ian. I had a brewski during cocktail hour, and then the food was out and everyone got a plate in an orderly fashion. I grabbed pasta and salad and pizza and pita bread and OH it was delicious! The pizza was from Dove Viva...Vivi? Something. It was scumptious. I ate and drank and was merry. Speeches were said. I drew in my sketchbook. I chatted up people. It was a wonderful night. The dance floor opened up and I got down to a couple songs. I was behind Cidney and in front of Alain's dad in the conga line. I hugged and kissed people on cheeks and it was wonderful. The frosting on the cake was very rich. I piled up a plate with leftovers for Madeline, and rich rich brownies.
I'm so happy for Melissa. She is sweet, nice, smart, driven, and just good. Alain is nice and friendly and I like him for Mel. It makes me so happy to see my friends happy. Happy and in love. Life moves forward, slowly but surely and magnificently.
Karen dropped me off at Madeline's and I gave her a pile of food. We watched a few episodes of Rick and Morty and chatted our lives from the past year. Wonderful conversation,
I slept right through Madeline leaving in the morning. I packed up. Ordered a lapel pin that dropped in the store (Ma and Pa, be on the lookout for that)(I'm still waiting for this Lisa Hanawalt pin to drop as well, it's so cool)(I need a denim jacket, whatever happened to my old one?)
My car was packed and I headed off to meet Daniel and Heather at Tasty n Sons. Took a couple wrong turns but I got there. It was a swanky food spot with communal food type plates and tasty little artisan coffee bevvies. I got eggs and bacon and biscuit, Daniel got a Dutch Baby, and Heather got an open face monte cristo. We nibbled from each other's plates and drank each others fancy drinks. Love my meals with those two goobers. I've said it to their face and I'll say it here: I always leave our time together wanting more to say.
Hugged goodbye and off I went north. I got rest stop coffee. I was really wiped out and tired during the last hour. How did I do so many hours of driving? Three is just so tiring! Dang! Listened to podcasts and refilled my tank in Hoodsport. Unloaded at home. Parked my car in the garage. Crawled into bed and took a nap. Woke up. Had some green beans and snackums. Went back to sleep and slept in, as ya do.
Today I unpacked a bit, had some noodles, talked to Celia and Corrine a little bit. I drove down to the Quilcene Community Center to watch the GOP Debate. Nice crowd there, but the stream wasn't coming through so the group bifurcated to two factions to watch it at nearby food places. I was in a group at Loggers Landing. A whiskey beerback really made the debate fun to watch. I think Bernie's gun measurements got misconstrued as soft, and Hillary just seems to be saying what Bernie has been saying for a while. The other three dudes seemed to be going for Vice President. We gathered again at the Towana Roadhouse and at the center for some chat. Everyone is pretty Team Bernie, I grabbed a button. Chatted a little with two 20-somethings. There are young people around here too!!! I didn't give them my info, but hey maybe I'll see them around. Anna and Emily?
My internet is so bad right now.
So much fun. Will be back to work in a moment but for now: such fun.
Saturday was fun and full of popping around town and seeing people. Madeline and I went to New Order Cafe for brunch. We walked the blocks on a crisp fall day, and grabbed a booth. Both had egg/toast/bacon meals. The cafe had reusable mugs you pick out from a wall and help yourself to the coffee. I like that system. I went with the Hoover Damn mug.
Post food, we drove downtown. I swung past the old PNCA building to show Madeline how it was gone, and parked on the park blocks and we walked up to Powell's. I got a photo with Douglas Adams' signature in the Gold Room and picked up the Sci-Fi Author themed waterbottle. Didn't buy any books and felt like a tourist. I dropped Madeline off at her house and went to the PSU area and met up with Amanda McA at a McMenamin's. I gave her back the shoes she left at my house during Friendsgiving. We had a pint and chatted and she dropped me off at Oranj's gallery for Yoshi's show. It was a hair salon/gallery space. Beautiful wallspace and large movable mirrors. Yoshi's paintings were wonderful and I ran into Kate and her partner. Kate was on my thesis panel. There were some cute dogs at the show too, and I gave them a pet. I met up with Daniel and Heather at the gallery, and watched them eat dinner (I was full from my meeting with Amanda). They in turn dropped me off at my car, at which point I went to hang out once again with Madeline and her friends Mark, Ben, David, and Meredith. We played an Alien theme card game that was based on deck building, like Dominion. The game had a traitor assigned too, and I had the first chance of figuring out who it was and I went for Mark who WAS the traitor! We all lost though. It's a very difficult game. Mark made really good cookies.
I dozed to sleep back at Madeline's. Then it was Sunday. The big day!!
Slept a little bit in then got up and had snacks and got to prepping. Took my sweet time doing my makeup. Skin, brows, contour, blush, highlight, primer, eyeshadow, eyeshadow, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick. Straightened my hair a little bit too, so dang I looked good. Put on the green dress I wore to Nathan and Helen's wedding. I accessorized with a yellow leaf brooch, not the peacock belt, the gold square earrings Mom gave me, and my new watch. I miss my old watch. I still have it, I just need to see about getting it fixed.
Karen and Rob picked me up, and we drove to pick up pies for the wedding. We thought it would be a ton of food, but it was just 5 gluten free hand pies for the people who couldn't indulge from the pizza catering the wedding would have. Very NICE pizza!
We weren't let in to the hall till 3, so we milled about. Checked out Reclaim It, a store that resells stuff found in the dump. Had some neat stuff, and some good stuff that just needed a fix. They've resold about 100k pounds of things, which is neat.
The three of us had volunteered to help set up. It was an easy peasey set up. The rented hall didn't leave much room for hardcore installations, so it was mostly moving tables, putting tablecloths on tables, setting out chairs, putting out centerpieces. The centerpieces were cigar boxes with succulents and candies. There were smaller centerpieces, succulents in vintage silver, that were placed around on the tables. Lovely very Mel and Alain set up. There were large banners too, that Mel had printed using Spoonflower.
Everything got up and out and we had plenty of time to go. I got some coffee for myself from the nearby cafe. Met up with Serenity and Ian, and Jim and Catherine, and Zaneta and Drew. Lots of fashionable people looking their best for dear Melissa.
I secured a spot in the second row aisle, next to Karen. The ceremony was lovely and sweet. Melissa looked gorgeous in a vintage tea length dressed that poofed way out. Her hair was done up in swirls with a veil. Gorgeous bride. Alain looked very dapper in his suit and boots too.
They did a wine box ceremony: BT made a custom box and they put love letters to one another in the box, along with a bottle of good wine. They nailed the box shut together. It will be opened again in 2020 on their anniversary. It's a really gorgeous box too. Dovetailed and all that.
BT was the efficient and did a great job of it. A poem was read. Vows written together were exchanged. They were declared married and they kissed and I started crying.
I was at table 8 with Karen, Rob, Kyle, BT, Serenity, and Ian. I had a brewski during cocktail hour, and then the food was out and everyone got a plate in an orderly fashion. I grabbed pasta and salad and pizza and pita bread and OH it was delicious! The pizza was from Dove Viva...Vivi? Something. It was scumptious. I ate and drank and was merry. Speeches were said. I drew in my sketchbook. I chatted up people. It was a wonderful night. The dance floor opened up and I got down to a couple songs. I was behind Cidney and in front of Alain's dad in the conga line. I hugged and kissed people on cheeks and it was wonderful. The frosting on the cake was very rich. I piled up a plate with leftovers for Madeline, and rich rich brownies.
I'm so happy for Melissa. She is sweet, nice, smart, driven, and just good. Alain is nice and friendly and I like him for Mel. It makes me so happy to see my friends happy. Happy and in love. Life moves forward, slowly but surely and magnificently.
Karen dropped me off at Madeline's and I gave her a pile of food. We watched a few episodes of Rick and Morty and chatted our lives from the past year. Wonderful conversation,
I slept right through Madeline leaving in the morning. I packed up. Ordered a lapel pin that dropped in the store (Ma and Pa, be on the lookout for that)(I'm still waiting for this Lisa Hanawalt pin to drop as well, it's so cool)(I need a denim jacket, whatever happened to my old one?)
My car was packed and I headed off to meet Daniel and Heather at Tasty n Sons. Took a couple wrong turns but I got there. It was a swanky food spot with communal food type plates and tasty little artisan coffee bevvies. I got eggs and bacon and biscuit, Daniel got a Dutch Baby, and Heather got an open face monte cristo. We nibbled from each other's plates and drank each others fancy drinks. Love my meals with those two goobers. I've said it to their face and I'll say it here: I always leave our time together wanting more to say.
Hugged goodbye and off I went north. I got rest stop coffee. I was really wiped out and tired during the last hour. How did I do so many hours of driving? Three is just so tiring! Dang! Listened to podcasts and refilled my tank in Hoodsport. Unloaded at home. Parked my car in the garage. Crawled into bed and took a nap. Woke up. Had some green beans and snackums. Went back to sleep and slept in, as ya do.
Today I unpacked a bit, had some noodles, talked to Celia and Corrine a little bit. I drove down to the Quilcene Community Center to watch the GOP Debate. Nice crowd there, but the stream wasn't coming through so the group bifurcated to two factions to watch it at nearby food places. I was in a group at Loggers Landing. A whiskey beerback really made the debate fun to watch. I think Bernie's gun measurements got misconstrued as soft, and Hillary just seems to be saying what Bernie has been saying for a while. The other three dudes seemed to be going for Vice President. We gathered again at the Towana Roadhouse and at the center for some chat. Everyone is pretty Team Bernie, I grabbed a button. Chatted a little with two 20-somethings. There are young people around here too!!! I didn't give them my info, but hey maybe I'll see them around. Anna and Emily?
My internet is so bad right now.
So much fun. Will be back to work in a moment but for now: such fun.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
back to PDX
Greetings and good morning! I am writing from Madeline's in Portland. Made it here safe and sound yesterday. Hit a little bit of traffic coming into downtown, but I wasn't on the freeway for long. There was an accident, so that's a bummer. I swung by the new 511 PNCA building. The art students were so darling and young looking and art student looking. I was wearing a more grown up gray top and probably didn't look like one of their ilk. I wonder what my expression was when I looked at the new building? It did give me a weird feeling to see it all ~PNCA~ like with the lettering and stuff. I swung by the library and gave Serenity a hug and said hi to Dan. Also ran into Heather McL and Doug at the front desk, who gave me a really good hug. There's such a unity with the old guard. There was an alumni function going on and I gate crashed it for a while. Talked to Yoshihiro and told him I still think about his advice to slow down when making work. Talked to Yo. Saw a few other familiar faces but a lot of really unfamiliar ones. The new print lab is AMAZING! It's huge and has a bonafide drying rack. I got to boast about how good I got at emulsifying screens to Yoshi.
I departed after an hour (paid for parking for just an hour) and headed east to Madeline's new place. Nice little two story apartment/house thing with a joined backyard. We caught up, got pizza, and watched some Netflix and Shutter Island. Midnight rolled around and we went to bed.
My Thursday work shift was aight. Did some packing on site and dropped off things at the Goodwill drop off. Poss treated Jeremy and I to lunch and I went to the Bainbridge house to finish up work. Just did some research and cuddled poor Bodi.
Bodi got an extreme haircut. His ears are trimmed all down, as is his tail, and he is not happy about it. He isn't going outside, and he is giving Christa the cold shoulder. He leapt into my arms twice, and sat on my lap for about an hour. Christa called to him, but he didn't come. He just looked at her, looked sad, and went back to getting cuddles from me. Poor puppy.
In the evening I packed, and stayed up late wrapping my present, then I slept in a bit in the morning, packed up my way overpacked bag (like too many shirts but hey, variety) and headed south! Topped up the tank in Hoodsport. Listened to podcasts. Easy peasy.
Now to get brunch and do SOMETHING with this day, I don't know what just yet.
I departed after an hour (paid for parking for just an hour) and headed east to Madeline's new place. Nice little two story apartment/house thing with a joined backyard. We caught up, got pizza, and watched some Netflix and Shutter Island. Midnight rolled around and we went to bed.
My Thursday work shift was aight. Did some packing on site and dropped off things at the Goodwill drop off. Poss treated Jeremy and I to lunch and I went to the Bainbridge house to finish up work. Just did some research and cuddled poor Bodi.
Bodi got an extreme haircut. His ears are trimmed all down, as is his tail, and he is not happy about it. He isn't going outside, and he is giving Christa the cold shoulder. He leapt into my arms twice, and sat on my lap for about an hour. Christa called to him, but he didn't come. He just looked at her, looked sad, and went back to getting cuddles from me. Poor puppy.
In the evening I packed, and stayed up late wrapping my present, then I slept in a bit in the morning, packed up my way overpacked bag (like too many shirts but hey, variety) and headed south! Topped up the tank in Hoodsport. Listened to podcasts. Easy peasy.
Now to get brunch and do SOMETHING with this day, I don't know what just yet.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
time needs to hit the breaks
Tuesday & Wednesday
Stayed at home, mostly. Did some work from home editing photos. Did some work on the animation for work. Made a food run at QFC, but a small one because I'll be out of town this weekend again so I don't want food to go bad. I'll go food shopping after the weekend.
My internet is doing oddly better.
Slept in. Read comics. Kept it chill. I can't wait for my phone to renew because this is one of the rare times I used up my data, and now it's at a curbed crawl. Less Netflix on my next data cycle.
Wedding this weekend, Mom and Dad visit next weekend, and Bodi the weekend after than and then October is over a week after that! What the hell? Where is this year going? It's just vanishing into thin air.
Stayed at home, mostly. Did some work from home editing photos. Did some work on the animation for work. Made a food run at QFC, but a small one because I'll be out of town this weekend again so I don't want food to go bad. I'll go food shopping after the weekend.
My internet is doing oddly better.
Slept in. Read comics. Kept it chill. I can't wait for my phone to renew because this is one of the rare times I used up my data, and now it's at a curbed crawl. Less Netflix on my next data cycle.
Wedding this weekend, Mom and Dad visit next weekend, and Bodi the weekend after than and then October is over a week after that! What the hell? Where is this year going? It's just vanishing into thin air.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Bridal Hell
The Bachelorette Party
Alas Karen could not make the party due to illness, so I made sure to do right by her for facilitating fun. I volunteered to be the designated driver in place of the pregnant lady. And then I wouldn't have to worry about spending money on booze, because booze be pricey!
It is such a beautiful drive down to Portland. Cruise down 101, wind past Olympia, sure there's a few boring stretches but it goes by pretty fast. Then bam Vancouver then you're in Portland town, baby! Barely time enough to run out of recently updated podcasts to listen to.
I cruised through downtown and the Pearl District first, to check out the rubble that was my old school campus. They moved into a new building and have torn down the warehouse that was the old school. It didn't have windows in most of the classrooms and the number of bathrooms was vastly undercode I'm sure, but still that was where I made so many memories for four years. And it's gone. I got to the school after all the walls have been torn down but the cement steps were still there. I reached through the grate and grabbed a hunk of rubble.
From downtown, I went out east on Burnside, but not after getting frustrated with slow walkers in the Pearl. Argh.
Parked at Mel's and hauled out the trunk that's the second of my three nuptial gifts for her and Alain. Gifts all over the place! And my leather bag is perfect for travelling with. I continue to be stoked on my bag. Mel changed into her party outfit and I changed into mine. I did my makeup before my drive so I wouldn't have to do it upon arrival in Portland. So yeah, dress on and I was good to go!
Johanna, Mel's sister, arrived at the house too. She looked styling in a black dress. The party theme was spooky/black clothes. I had my leather boots, black tights, black dress with see through bits, black hoodie, and leather jacket. Everyone was dressed so well! I drove us to Sara's house for the pre-shindig. Sara had chips and dip, and Dara and Danielle brought cupcakes and cookies. Yum! I ate a bunch of everything and cranberry juice. Sara had a rockin' tartan cape over her black ensemble. Dara and Danielle had black with white detailing dresses. Such a rad looking bunch. Mel got some gifties from D & D, and a skull pin with a ribbon saying Mel's Bridal Hell. Because the bride has to wear something to mark her status! Once we had snacked and toasted, we headed out to Fright Town: a three house haunted house in a convention center in Portland.
I'd never been to a haunted house before, so I was stoked on that, and Sara had located some discount coupons so we all got $5 off! We parked in the residential neighborhood and walked the few blocks to the Moda Center. I was expecting oodles of lines but there were not many outside, and tickets were bought with little line wait. Bags were checked and in we went! The space had exteriors of each haunted house with queues marked and people checking the ticket. There were players hovering around...basically actors in horror garb interacting. They were not allowed to touch, but they sure did creep! There were clowns and zombies and ghosts of all sorts. The first house had a general horror/clown strobe maze vibe. Had a nice vibe and different neat set pieces, including a black light painting hall. The second house (you could go in any order, just the ticket was only good for three house visits) had a zombie apocalypse theme with tons of corpses hanging and chickenwire. The third house had a creature/cannibal sort of theme and it had a ton of players to hover around you and jump out at you. It had a room with a spinning circle that really was disorienting. We staggered out of the last house in one dizzy group. I led the charge in most of the houses, and got a few good scares due to that.
Next in the roster for the night was The Lovecraft; a no cover Goth bar that I've visited before about four years ago (should be an entry in my blog about that). I drove us over, with direction from Mel, and we arrived early enough that a table was snagged by Sara, Dara, and Danielle. I got one drink right at the start and made the point that I wouldn't be driving anywhere for at least an hour. Mel didn't put up a fight about my rule, and we stayed from ten till one, so that hour was well used up. Cidney and Tabitha arrived to meet us (they were not the type to enjoy a haunted house). I bought Mel a drink, as did Tabitha, and probably a couple other people. The dance floor filled up, I had a creeper make several attempts to hit on me, the fog machine made it hard to see people, but that makes for good news because then people were not seeing me dance! I'm not a qualified dancer.
Alfredo was there, Mr. Two Days Younger Than Me. It was nice to see him and chat travel and things. Shane, a former PNCA security guard, was DJing and I was able to request White Wedding for Mel. I went to Mel and told her I put in a request but didn't say what. Five or so songs later it came on and the dance floor loved it! Perfect song for the crowd and Mel was ecstatic and knew it was for her at once. We fist pumped the air and hollered and what a brilliant moment.
Some clowns showed up, maybe Juggalos, and may have gotten a bit offended when Mel asked if they were from Fright Town. Getting fresh air at 1:30 in the morning while avoiding looking at two clowns making out really makes you go, "goddamnit Portland, this is why you have a reputation." But hey, it's not a visit to Portland if it doesn't get weird!
That creeper tried once more to hit on me but I cold shouldered him just the right amount to get him to leave me alone.
But the night didn't end there. Dara, Danielle, Cidney, and Sara rendezvoused with Johanna, Mel, and I at: Hotcakes House! Another place you'll find I visited some four years ago.
Lovecraft and Hotcakes were both places I went initially with Mel too! Huh! And we went to bunches of different places.
Anyway, Hotcakes is a 24/7 pancake and breakfast place. We got there right before all the bars closed, so we were able to get a table and get orders in. I got hashbrowns and a single hot cake. Others got other variations on hotcakes and biscuits. It hit the spot! I ate heartily and loved it. Yum yum. I drew in my sketchbook and I should scan those tomorrow. We had two square tables pushed together in the back part of the dining room. Other booths had teens in them, oh those kids out late having fun but can't go anywhere but here. It was nice to see them making memories like that. Hopefully a good time to remember for years from now. A large post-bar group arrived just in time to claim our table space. Hugs were deployed and off we went into the night! We collected Alain (the groom) from Sara and Jason's house and it was just after 3am when we all crawled into bed. Different beds, of course. Mel kindly hosted me for the night.
Alain makes a mean cuppa morning coffee, I tell you what. We talked collections, and collections of collections. The more people I can tell about The House on the Rock, the better. I got a sneak peek at some of the wedding decor. It's going to look so amazing! The wedding is next weekend and I need to pick out a dress. Maybe I should just wear what I wore to Nathan and Helen's? It's a cool dress.
Returning Home
I'm stoked to be back in Portland for a longer visit. It really isn't that far, I should visit more often.
As per tradition I had pre-drive brunch with Heather (sometimes it is Heather and Daniel). I met her at Dragonfly in Nob Hill and we moved on to la Bouchelier where I ordered up a grilled panini and got a chocolate croissant for the drive. The panini came with a salad, which I was happy about. I need more vegetables in my life.
We gabbed about etymology and friendship and creepers hitting on you and all sorts of things. I could talk to Heather for hours. She is so smart, insightful, broad, and all around wonderful. I am really lucky to have so many people call a goober like me their friend.
Parted ways around 2 in the afternoon and off I went back home. It's such a nice straight shot as you're pretty much on I-5 after two turns in Portland, and then you don't turn again till Olympia and that is pretty much straight onto 101. Stopped to stretch my legs a couple time and get some free rest stop coffee. When I got home, Mom and Dad were there (I knew they'd be here) and they had hauled out the raft. No more cute seal pictures for the season.
I unpacked and they prepared a chicken and veggie dinner for which Celia joined us. I talked about my fun weekend and showed a few pictures. Post dinner, the three of us watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks on VHS up in the garage room. Love that movie.
My computer was being wonky so I opted to just go to bed instead. Dad made poached egg on toast with Hollandaise sauce for breakfast, and he made a second for me because I'm special.
The chores for today were firewood and wood burning centric. I helped pull up logs from the beach and I pulled brush out of the woods to throw on the burn pile. The burn ban has been lifted, so we got a pile going out by the drainage field. Dad hauled the heavy stuff in the truck. Once we got a good pile going, we sat down for tea and watched it burn down (ya know, for safety). Then they packed up and headed out and I was left to relax, and relax I did! Don't know what I'm doing for the rest of the week, work wise, but I'll be doing something. Now to bed with me.
Alas Karen could not make the party due to illness, so I made sure to do right by her for facilitating fun. I volunteered to be the designated driver in place of the pregnant lady. And then I wouldn't have to worry about spending money on booze, because booze be pricey!
It is such a beautiful drive down to Portland. Cruise down 101, wind past Olympia, sure there's a few boring stretches but it goes by pretty fast. Then bam Vancouver then you're in Portland town, baby! Barely time enough to run out of recently updated podcasts to listen to.
I cruised through downtown and the Pearl District first, to check out the rubble that was my old school campus. They moved into a new building and have torn down the warehouse that was the old school. It didn't have windows in most of the classrooms and the number of bathrooms was vastly undercode I'm sure, but still that was where I made so many memories for four years. And it's gone. I got to the school after all the walls have been torn down but the cement steps were still there. I reached through the grate and grabbed a hunk of rubble.
From downtown, I went out east on Burnside, but not after getting frustrated with slow walkers in the Pearl. Argh.
Parked at Mel's and hauled out the trunk that's the second of my three nuptial gifts for her and Alain. Gifts all over the place! And my leather bag is perfect for travelling with. I continue to be stoked on my bag. Mel changed into her party outfit and I changed into mine. I did my makeup before my drive so I wouldn't have to do it upon arrival in Portland. So yeah, dress on and I was good to go!
Johanna, Mel's sister, arrived at the house too. She looked styling in a black dress. The party theme was spooky/black clothes. I had my leather boots, black tights, black dress with see through bits, black hoodie, and leather jacket. Everyone was dressed so well! I drove us to Sara's house for the pre-shindig. Sara had chips and dip, and Dara and Danielle brought cupcakes and cookies. Yum! I ate a bunch of everything and cranberry juice. Sara had a rockin' tartan cape over her black ensemble. Dara and Danielle had black with white detailing dresses. Such a rad looking bunch. Mel got some gifties from D & D, and a skull pin with a ribbon saying Mel's Bridal Hell. Because the bride has to wear something to mark her status! Once we had snacked and toasted, we headed out to Fright Town: a three house haunted house in a convention center in Portland.
I'd never been to a haunted house before, so I was stoked on that, and Sara had located some discount coupons so we all got $5 off! We parked in the residential neighborhood and walked the few blocks to the Moda Center. I was expecting oodles of lines but there were not many outside, and tickets were bought with little line wait. Bags were checked and in we went! The space had exteriors of each haunted house with queues marked and people checking the ticket. There were players hovering around...basically actors in horror garb interacting. They were not allowed to touch, but they sure did creep! There were clowns and zombies and ghosts of all sorts. The first house had a general horror/clown strobe maze vibe. Had a nice vibe and different neat set pieces, including a black light painting hall. The second house (you could go in any order, just the ticket was only good for three house visits) had a zombie apocalypse theme with tons of corpses hanging and chickenwire. The third house had a creature/cannibal sort of theme and it had a ton of players to hover around you and jump out at you. It had a room with a spinning circle that really was disorienting. We staggered out of the last house in one dizzy group. I led the charge in most of the houses, and got a few good scares due to that.
Next in the roster for the night was The Lovecraft; a no cover Goth bar that I've visited before about four years ago (should be an entry in my blog about that). I drove us over, with direction from Mel, and we arrived early enough that a table was snagged by Sara, Dara, and Danielle. I got one drink right at the start and made the point that I wouldn't be driving anywhere for at least an hour. Mel didn't put up a fight about my rule, and we stayed from ten till one, so that hour was well used up. Cidney and Tabitha arrived to meet us (they were not the type to enjoy a haunted house). I bought Mel a drink, as did Tabitha, and probably a couple other people. The dance floor filled up, I had a creeper make several attempts to hit on me, the fog machine made it hard to see people, but that makes for good news because then people were not seeing me dance! I'm not a qualified dancer.
Alfredo was there, Mr. Two Days Younger Than Me. It was nice to see him and chat travel and things. Shane, a former PNCA security guard, was DJing and I was able to request White Wedding for Mel. I went to Mel and told her I put in a request but didn't say what. Five or so songs later it came on and the dance floor loved it! Perfect song for the crowd and Mel was ecstatic and knew it was for her at once. We fist pumped the air and hollered and what a brilliant moment.
Some clowns showed up, maybe Juggalos, and may have gotten a bit offended when Mel asked if they were from Fright Town. Getting fresh air at 1:30 in the morning while avoiding looking at two clowns making out really makes you go, "goddamnit Portland, this is why you have a reputation." But hey, it's not a visit to Portland if it doesn't get weird!
That creeper tried once more to hit on me but I cold shouldered him just the right amount to get him to leave me alone.
But the night didn't end there. Dara, Danielle, Cidney, and Sara rendezvoused with Johanna, Mel, and I at: Hotcakes House! Another place you'll find I visited some four years ago.
Lovecraft and Hotcakes were both places I went initially with Mel too! Huh! And we went to bunches of different places.
Anyway, Hotcakes is a 24/7 pancake and breakfast place. We got there right before all the bars closed, so we were able to get a table and get orders in. I got hashbrowns and a single hot cake. Others got other variations on hotcakes and biscuits. It hit the spot! I ate heartily and loved it. Yum yum. I drew in my sketchbook and I should scan those tomorrow. We had two square tables pushed together in the back part of the dining room. Other booths had teens in them, oh those kids out late having fun but can't go anywhere but here. It was nice to see them making memories like that. Hopefully a good time to remember for years from now. A large post-bar group arrived just in time to claim our table space. Hugs were deployed and off we went into the night! We collected Alain (the groom) from Sara and Jason's house and it was just after 3am when we all crawled into bed. Different beds, of course. Mel kindly hosted me for the night.
Alain makes a mean cuppa morning coffee, I tell you what. We talked collections, and collections of collections. The more people I can tell about The House on the Rock, the better. I got a sneak peek at some of the wedding decor. It's going to look so amazing! The wedding is next weekend and I need to pick out a dress. Maybe I should just wear what I wore to Nathan and Helen's? It's a cool dress.
Returning Home
I'm stoked to be back in Portland for a longer visit. It really isn't that far, I should visit more often.
As per tradition I had pre-drive brunch with Heather (sometimes it is Heather and Daniel). I met her at Dragonfly in Nob Hill and we moved on to la Bouchelier where I ordered up a grilled panini and got a chocolate croissant for the drive. The panini came with a salad, which I was happy about. I need more vegetables in my life.
We gabbed about etymology and friendship and creepers hitting on you and all sorts of things. I could talk to Heather for hours. She is so smart, insightful, broad, and all around wonderful. I am really lucky to have so many people call a goober like me their friend.
Parted ways around 2 in the afternoon and off I went back home. It's such a nice straight shot as you're pretty much on I-5 after two turns in Portland, and then you don't turn again till Olympia and that is pretty much straight onto 101. Stopped to stretch my legs a couple time and get some free rest stop coffee. When I got home, Mom and Dad were there (I knew they'd be here) and they had hauled out the raft. No more cute seal pictures for the season.
I unpacked and they prepared a chicken and veggie dinner for which Celia joined us. I talked about my fun weekend and showed a few pictures. Post dinner, the three of us watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks on VHS up in the garage room. Love that movie.
My computer was being wonky so I opted to just go to bed instead. Dad made poached egg on toast with Hollandaise sauce for breakfast, and he made a second for me because I'm special.
The chores for today were firewood and wood burning centric. I helped pull up logs from the beach and I pulled brush out of the woods to throw on the burn pile. The burn ban has been lifted, so we got a pile going out by the drainage field. Dad hauled the heavy stuff in the truck. Once we got a good pile going, we sat down for tea and watched it burn down (ya know, for safety). Then they packed up and headed out and I was left to relax, and relax I did! Don't know what I'm doing for the rest of the week, work wise, but I'll be doing something. Now to bed with me.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
even more eclectic
I'm going down to Portland in a few minutes. I've done my makeup, I'm packed. Probably a bit overpacked for what is a one nighter. Just need to paint my nai-I just paused writing to paint my nails. Hopefully they don't get marred too quickly.
Yesterdat I did some work from home and made a garbage dump run. Juice and milk cartons aren't recyclable anymore! Wonder why. I picked up a beef dip to eat for dinner and I ate it at home.
One project I've been wanting to do is the one where you take a shattered powder makeup and break it into little pieces, add 70% alcohol to make a paste and reform it. I did this, taking powder and putting it into this vintage case I picked up from work. It had a brand new clean looking powder puff too! And it seemed to set pretty well come morning, so I'm stoked for that. Now I can powder my nose in style.
I had a rough sleep because the wind kept me up. Now to head to Portland! Adios!
Yesterdat I did some work from home and made a garbage dump run. Juice and milk cartons aren't recyclable anymore! Wonder why. I picked up a beef dip to eat for dinner and I ate it at home.
One project I've been wanting to do is the one where you take a shattered powder makeup and break it into little pieces, add 70% alcohol to make a paste and reform it. I did this, taking powder and putting it into this vintage case I picked up from work. It had a brand new clean looking powder puff too! And it seemed to set pretty well come morning, so I'm stoked for that. Now I can powder my nose in style.
I had a rough sleep because the wind kept me up. Now to head to Portland! Adios!
Friday, October 2, 2015
not my bag, wait, yes! my bag!
Wednesday
Did a bit of work over at Celia's after sleeping in...well not sleeping in so much as staying awake in bed but all cozy like. I like spending time awake in bed in my own head. So yeah, did some work from home stuff and had popcorn for dinner.
Thursday
Worked on site, but it was a short day. I photographed and helped pack things up and moved some things. Helped Jeremy move this furniture he got in tradeout for work. After work I went to Bremerton and dropped off some Habitat for Humanity stuff from the sale, and swung by Comics Keep and picked up my comics and the 4th volume of Saga. Hurray! I should read that in, oh, 15 minutes. BKV is not a verbose panel writer. Then I grabbed a slice of pie at Shari's and met Karen at Goodwill for gal pal chatting. I found nothing cute for me (awkward fitting tops in cute prints) but Karen found some cute baby clothes with flamingos on them. We talked upcoming things and life and just generally walked around the shop catching up. I returned home after and did a second rubbing of oil on my leather bag and leather shoes. Did I mention I did a first coat? Well anyway, my bag is all shiny and much deeper in color now. Hopefully I applied the stuff right. Maybe in the morning I'll give it a rub down with a clean part of my rag. Really smooth that oil into the material. Karen described my style as eclectic modern with a touch of vintage. Eclectic is one of my favorite words, and probably is the best way to describe me. I like cool things and good deals. My job converges the two.
Now to tuck into bed and read some comics. Tomorrow I got some more work from home to do, and packing up to do as well because Saturday/Sunday I will be in Portland!! Yaaay!
Also I got BUSINESS CARDS! WITH MY NAME ON THEM!! Booyaaah!!
Did a bit of work over at Celia's after sleeping in...well not sleeping in so much as staying awake in bed but all cozy like. I like spending time awake in bed in my own head. So yeah, did some work from home stuff and had popcorn for dinner.
Thursday
Worked on site, but it was a short day. I photographed and helped pack things up and moved some things. Helped Jeremy move this furniture he got in tradeout for work. After work I went to Bremerton and dropped off some Habitat for Humanity stuff from the sale, and swung by Comics Keep and picked up my comics and the 4th volume of Saga. Hurray! I should read that in, oh, 15 minutes. BKV is not a verbose panel writer. Then I grabbed a slice of pie at Shari's and met Karen at Goodwill for gal pal chatting. I found nothing cute for me (awkward fitting tops in cute prints) but Karen found some cute baby clothes with flamingos on them. We talked upcoming things and life and just generally walked around the shop catching up. I returned home after and did a second rubbing of oil on my leather bag and leather shoes. Did I mention I did a first coat? Well anyway, my bag is all shiny and much deeper in color now. Hopefully I applied the stuff right. Maybe in the morning I'll give it a rub down with a clean part of my rag. Really smooth that oil into the material. Karen described my style as eclectic modern with a touch of vintage. Eclectic is one of my favorite words, and probably is the best way to describe me. I like cool things and good deals. My job converges the two.
Now to tuck into bed and read some comics. Tomorrow I got some more work from home to do, and packing up to do as well because Saturday/Sunday I will be in Portland!! Yaaay!
Also I got BUSINESS CARDS! WITH MY NAME ON THEM!! Booyaaah!!
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
I like tan leather
Monday
Final day of sales. Got up early and got there right on the dot. No traffic woes for me. The house also opened up right on the dot so that no one had real advantage by showing up early. Barb picked up things, as did this other lady. I grabbed a few things that didn't sell for sale prices. Not a long day. I did some photography of things for eBay. Showed Jeremy the hidden drawer on his new dresser.
After work I went to Seabeck. Ma and Pa bought me a shirt at Tetons! It's has a Gummi Bear on it. Had salad and pizza (I only ate one slice cuz the salad filled me up) and talked Turkey Day plans and Christmas Plans. Nothing really solid yet. Mom showed me the garden and I gave them some gifts (a print from the sale and a woodworking idea book). They showed me photos from their trip. Dad has a good eye for shots!
Went home. Went to bed early.
Tuesday
Tidied house a little bit more. Working from home tomorrow, taking the day off today. Made popcorn for dinner. Took out the trash...to the trash can. I need to make a dump run soon. Looked at seals through the telescope. There got up to nine of the raft today! With a tenth swimming about. A sit around day. I also rubbed the leather oil into my bag and leather boots. It says to let dry overnight and add a second coat, so I'll do just that. I want my leather looking spiffy!
Final day of sales. Got up early and got there right on the dot. No traffic woes for me. The house also opened up right on the dot so that no one had real advantage by showing up early. Barb picked up things, as did this other lady. I grabbed a few things that didn't sell for sale prices. Not a long day. I did some photography of things for eBay. Showed Jeremy the hidden drawer on his new dresser.
After work I went to Seabeck. Ma and Pa bought me a shirt at Tetons! It's has a Gummi Bear on it. Had salad and pizza (I only ate one slice cuz the salad filled me up) and talked Turkey Day plans and Christmas Plans. Nothing really solid yet. Mom showed me the garden and I gave them some gifts (a print from the sale and a woodworking idea book). They showed me photos from their trip. Dad has a good eye for shots!
Went home. Went to bed early.
Tuesday
Tidied house a little bit more. Working from home tomorrow, taking the day off today. Made popcorn for dinner. Took out the trash...to the trash can. I need to make a dump run soon. Looked at seals through the telescope. There got up to nine of the raft today! With a tenth swimming about. A sit around day. I also rubbed the leather oil into my bag and leather boots. It says to let dry overnight and add a second coat, so I'll do just that. I want my leather looking spiffy!
Monday, September 28, 2015
small world
I didn't mention two coincidence.
Jeremy, who I helped with signs, studied baking in Montpelier. I talked about having my morning coffee in a shop there that seemed connected to the business building, and also had a window into a school baking shop. Turns out that's where Jeremy studied!
A guy came in to the sale and we were talking about living on the Olympic Peninsula, and through our conversation I found out he knew Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa John. I almost started crying.
Saturday
Started at 10, after the sale had been going for a while. Slower day, but still had some good sales and a return of previous people to get more goodies. Whit and his son Wyeth stopped by, though with his hair down I didn't immediately recognize Whit. Laura came by too.
At 2-3ish Michela returned from taking down signs and we all got to dismantling the outdoor tents.
One grumpy lady came in and huffed at our prices and was putting on airs of pretension but then pronounces Las Trojas as "trojuhs".
I bought the medicine satchel at the discounted price. I love it. I need to treat the leather. Well Celia suggested I do that. I can't wait to weekend with it in Portland next weekend. Perfect travel bag. It's replacing my black one.
At home I put my feet up and washed my hair in the evening to prep for dying it on Sunday, then I went to bed.
Sunday
Woke up and lay in cozy comfort for several hours. Had a lazy morning. Did laundry. Dyed my hair. Put a little bit of dye on my eyebrows and now they are much darker. Can't believe I didn't think of doing this sooner. They are about as defined as when I just use the brow mascara.
Folded laundry. Washed dishes. Didn't get as much cleaning done as I'd like, but I got a bit done.
Jeremy, who I helped with signs, studied baking in Montpelier. I talked about having my morning coffee in a shop there that seemed connected to the business building, and also had a window into a school baking shop. Turns out that's where Jeremy studied!
A guy came in to the sale and we were talking about living on the Olympic Peninsula, and through our conversation I found out he knew Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa John. I almost started crying.
Saturday
Started at 10, after the sale had been going for a while. Slower day, but still had some good sales and a return of previous people to get more goodies. Whit and his son Wyeth stopped by, though with his hair down I didn't immediately recognize Whit. Laura came by too.
At 2-3ish Michela returned from taking down signs and we all got to dismantling the outdoor tents.
One grumpy lady came in and huffed at our prices and was putting on airs of pretension but then pronounces Las Trojas as "trojuhs".
I bought the medicine satchel at the discounted price. I love it. I need to treat the leather. Well Celia suggested I do that. I can't wait to weekend with it in Portland next weekend. Perfect travel bag. It's replacing my black one.
At home I put my feet up and washed my hair in the evening to prep for dying it on Sunday, then I went to bed.
Sunday
Woke up and lay in cozy comfort for several hours. Had a lazy morning. Did laundry. Dyed my hair. Put a little bit of dye on my eyebrows and now they are much darker. Can't believe I didn't think of doing this sooner. They are about as defined as when I just use the brow mascara.
Folded laundry. Washed dishes. Didn't get as much cleaning done as I'd like, but I got a bit done.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
two tiring days, but at least I have goodies
Back to back long shifts at work! But long, good on site days. Lots of activity but WOW am I bad at basic math and generally being a cashier.
So Thursday was the preview & pricing day. Worked 10:30ish till 8ish? Boss bought dinner, so that was nice. Sellers on our list were able to come in and preview the sale and get things. Not many people came, but the few that did got a decent amount of stuff. Karen was also on the list, because perks, and she got the wicker ladder/shelf and black end table, and the horseshoe crab sculpture which matches the one I bought (part of a semi-matching set). Nice to have a friend over and to show them my bizz and to get them in on the inside with my insider perks. I priced up a whirlwind and noted things and put it in the spreadsheet. Michela put up the directional signs. I ... well I guess I mostly priced and organized. It takes a while. OH! I also helped assemble the signs with Jeremy. Taping paper to signs and taping up the paper so it doesn't get water damaged. That's what I did at the start of that shift. Yeah.
There's so good stuff in the sale. The "I hope no one buys it so I can get the uber discount" item is this medicine bag. It would be really good for weekend trips, and would replace that black bag that I'm just kinda meh about. I like having a bag for each size I need.
Got home late. Got into bed. Alarm went off early. I was like UHG but I showered, threw cereal in a bowl to eat on the way in, and I had left over dinner on site to eat for lunch, so it's all good.
Got it at 8:45amish and I had to hit the ground running. Sale started at 9 but people, plenty of people, were there already! I only flubbed one charge (by a couple bucks) and got into bartering and things. Of COURSE people find what wasn't priced first, but wrinkles got sorted out. There was a speaker that was converted from a cigar box that made noise when turned on, and thankfully someone bought it early in the day before it got annoying. The gumball dispense sold. And a TON of other stuff too! All the rugs, big pieces of furniture, expensive pieces, like...it went really well! There's still some stuff there, but apparently Friday 9-noon is the deal hunter hours. The globe is still there, the medicine bag is still there. I grabbed this nice velvet Haida pattern shawl that had a $50 sticker and was in the $5 range, before boss decided to price it up. Now I have a nice shawl.
Mom and Dad stopped by too!! That was sweet and it was nice to see them. Caught up a little bit. Mom bought some books. Dad asked Boss where Bodi was, like I suspected he would. It's been a while because they've been off motorhoming. We'll get a good catch up soon.
It slowed down after 1pm, but rarely were we just by ourselves. I had some good conversations with people. Lots of interesting sorts came in and bought things. I gave big discounts on records to encourage moving of product, as well as discounts on DVD sets missing DVDs.
Arghghhh that medicine bag. It has a metal opening so it stays rigid when opened, and it's leather. Oh it's so cool.
After work I swung by Liberty Bay Books but they didn't have Step Aside Pops by Kate Beaton, so I went to Barnes & Noble and picked it up. Yay, new Kate Beaton collection! And I swung by Target and picked up a few things like my staple night face lotion that ran out a week ago and my skin has spiraled into a breakout because other lotions mess up my skin. Hope this goop I smear on my face does it some good in the long run. Got some earring sets that were marked way down. Got a scarf that looks a bit like the carpet in the Overlook Hotel. I bit too much treating myself, but my hours have been good lately.
What's coming up in terms of bills...rent, insurance, electricity. Argh. Bills are such a downer. But at least I can pay them while wearing a cute scarf. And gas is cheap right now.
So Thursday was the preview & pricing day. Worked 10:30ish till 8ish? Boss bought dinner, so that was nice. Sellers on our list were able to come in and preview the sale and get things. Not many people came, but the few that did got a decent amount of stuff. Karen was also on the list, because perks, and she got the wicker ladder/shelf and black end table, and the horseshoe crab sculpture which matches the one I bought (part of a semi-matching set). Nice to have a friend over and to show them my bizz and to get them in on the inside with my insider perks. I priced up a whirlwind and noted things and put it in the spreadsheet. Michela put up the directional signs. I ... well I guess I mostly priced and organized. It takes a while. OH! I also helped assemble the signs with Jeremy. Taping paper to signs and taping up the paper so it doesn't get water damaged. That's what I did at the start of that shift. Yeah.
There's so good stuff in the sale. The "I hope no one buys it so I can get the uber discount" item is this medicine bag. It would be really good for weekend trips, and would replace that black bag that I'm just kinda meh about. I like having a bag for each size I need.
Got home late. Got into bed. Alarm went off early. I was like UHG but I showered, threw cereal in a bowl to eat on the way in, and I had left over dinner on site to eat for lunch, so it's all good.
Got it at 8:45amish and I had to hit the ground running. Sale started at 9 but people, plenty of people, were there already! I only flubbed one charge (by a couple bucks) and got into bartering and things. Of COURSE people find what wasn't priced first, but wrinkles got sorted out. There was a speaker that was converted from a cigar box that made noise when turned on, and thankfully someone bought it early in the day before it got annoying. The gumball dispense sold. And a TON of other stuff too! All the rugs, big pieces of furniture, expensive pieces, like...it went really well! There's still some stuff there, but apparently Friday 9-noon is the deal hunter hours. The globe is still there, the medicine bag is still there. I grabbed this nice velvet Haida pattern shawl that had a $50 sticker and was in the $5 range, before boss decided to price it up. Now I have a nice shawl.
Mom and Dad stopped by too!! That was sweet and it was nice to see them. Caught up a little bit. Mom bought some books. Dad asked Boss where Bodi was, like I suspected he would. It's been a while because they've been off motorhoming. We'll get a good catch up soon.
It slowed down after 1pm, but rarely were we just by ourselves. I had some good conversations with people. Lots of interesting sorts came in and bought things. I gave big discounts on records to encourage moving of product, as well as discounts on DVD sets missing DVDs.
Arghghhh that medicine bag. It has a metal opening so it stays rigid when opened, and it's leather. Oh it's so cool.
After work I swung by Liberty Bay Books but they didn't have Step Aside Pops by Kate Beaton, so I went to Barnes & Noble and picked it up. Yay, new Kate Beaton collection! And I swung by Target and picked up a few things like my staple night face lotion that ran out a week ago and my skin has spiraled into a breakout because other lotions mess up my skin. Hope this goop I smear on my face does it some good in the long run. Got some earring sets that were marked way down. Got a scarf that looks a bit like the carpet in the Overlook Hotel. I bit too much treating myself, but my hours have been good lately.
What's coming up in terms of bills...rent, insurance, electricity. Argh. Bills are such a downer. But at least I can pay them while wearing a cute scarf. And gas is cheap right now.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
days go by
m & t & w
Kinda three days all the same. Got up to a phone full of work emails to sort out. Had breakfast, had caffeine, took my computer over to Celia's and worked on the good wifi. Got Craigslist that and email this and online whatnots done. Lots of fast paced, all over the place stuff. Kept it in my brain and in about 20 different email chains.
Had mostly pasta. Watched Scream Queens (bad) and Empire (fun) on the TV.
Now to do three days of on site work work!
Kinda three days all the same. Got up to a phone full of work emails to sort out. Had breakfast, had caffeine, took my computer over to Celia's and worked on the good wifi. Got Craigslist that and email this and online whatnots done. Lots of fast paced, all over the place stuff. Kept it in my brain and in about 20 different email chains.
Had mostly pasta. Watched Scream Queens (bad) and Empire (fun) on the TV.
Now to do three days of on site work work!
Monday, September 21, 2015
friday/saturday/sunday
f
I'm getting so bad at blogging come the night time! So Friday I was on site. I sorted books into better sorted boxes and moved things around and did some online ordering. The books took a while because it was lots of shifting of this and that around.
I swung by the Silverdale KRL after work and picked up Station Eleven from their Books2Go program. Basically non reserveable popular books. A pretty good system. Keeps some editions from lingering in hold lines forever. Swung by Trader Joe's and went home and snacked.
s
Slept in! My full day off as I agreed to work a bit tomorrow too. I'll be home at the start of the work week, but on site at the end.
Let us see, what did I do yesterday? Watched TV. Picked all my green beans and thinned out my carrots majorly. Had some green beans out of the ol' cast iron. A nice mellow day.
s
Slept in. Got my work roster. Went to Celia's for the ease of WiFi being 100% funcitional. Got some of it done. A good start. Celia made a chicken and rice dinner. Not the most taxing of days. I've eaten entirely too much caramel.
I'm getting so bad at blogging come the night time! So Friday I was on site. I sorted books into better sorted boxes and moved things around and did some online ordering. The books took a while because it was lots of shifting of this and that around.
I swung by the Silverdale KRL after work and picked up Station Eleven from their Books2Go program. Basically non reserveable popular books. A pretty good system. Keeps some editions from lingering in hold lines forever. Swung by Trader Joe's and went home and snacked.
s
Slept in! My full day off as I agreed to work a bit tomorrow too. I'll be home at the start of the work week, but on site at the end.
Let us see, what did I do yesterday? Watched TV. Picked all my green beans and thinned out my carrots majorly. Had some green beans out of the ol' cast iron. A nice mellow day.
s
Slept in. Got my work roster. Went to Celia's for the ease of WiFi being 100% funcitional. Got some of it done. A good start. Celia made a chicken and rice dinner. Not the most taxing of days. I've eaten entirely too much caramel.
Friday, September 18, 2015
half way through the hustle
Wednesday:
Off to Bainbridge I went, but a little bit later. And then a lot more later because the bridge was up, with the possibility of it being up till NOON! But then it wasn't and it came down and I was only a little bit late, and I was able to run an errand in Poulsbo. At work I hauled stuff downstairs for the sale, DVDs and misc things, and organized clothing for the sale, and tried on a pair of Doc Martins that fit so I'm going to buy those, fo' sho! Well I wore them out of the sale, but I'll buy them later on. It will give me a good chance to practice with the Square Reader. Not much pricing happened, mostly just organizing. Got out, got some McDonald's, headed home and chilled. Stayed up way too late drawing.
Thursday:
Slept in a little bit, but got up and read my email and there was a ton to do! So I hauled my set up to the good wifi and got to working. Got a lot done, but there's still stuff to do. We are majorly hustling, but it's good! That means money! And a working business. We'll be getting new business cards soon, too, so we can be clearer in our message. So yeah, sat and worked and snuffled. Celia came home and we chatted and she made a little steak rice dinner yum yums. I showed her some funny videos and called it a night. She said it was nice having someone be there when she came over. I may make more of a habit of just working over there, even when the WiFi is coming strong over here. Nice to hang with pets.
Back on the Island tomorrow. Half way there!
Off to Bainbridge I went, but a little bit later. And then a lot more later because the bridge was up, with the possibility of it being up till NOON! But then it wasn't and it came down and I was only a little bit late, and I was able to run an errand in Poulsbo. At work I hauled stuff downstairs for the sale, DVDs and misc things, and organized clothing for the sale, and tried on a pair of Doc Martins that fit so I'm going to buy those, fo' sho! Well I wore them out of the sale, but I'll buy them later on. It will give me a good chance to practice with the Square Reader. Not much pricing happened, mostly just organizing. Got out, got some McDonald's, headed home and chilled. Stayed up way too late drawing.
Thursday:
Slept in a little bit, but got up and read my email and there was a ton to do! So I hauled my set up to the good wifi and got to working. Got a lot done, but there's still stuff to do. We are majorly hustling, but it's good! That means money! And a working business. We'll be getting new business cards soon, too, so we can be clearer in our message. So yeah, sat and worked and snuffled. Celia came home and we chatted and she made a little steak rice dinner yum yums. I showed her some funny videos and called it a night. She said it was nice having someone be there when she came over. I may make more of a habit of just working over there, even when the WiFi is coming strong over here. Nice to hang with pets.
Back on the Island tomorrow. Half way there!
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
on site and badass
Things have suddenly picked up at work. We got a new client whose estate we are preparing for a sale and are packing things up. So it's been two days (and more to come) of fast hustling preparation. Yesterday left me really exhausted. Drove to Bainbridge Island and the house is gorgeous and was faced with a room crowded with stuff. It's an open basement type room, with some furnished spaces. Lots of boxes. Lots of boxes filled with books to be sorted. Lots of shelves to be moved. Lots of furniture to be moved. And in a cold space. The Monday crew was boss, me, Mikayla/Michaela, and Barbara. An awesome team of girl power. Barb is STRONG! We moved rugs on top of things and redid the space so it's now a nice flow through for shoppers on the day of. It looks so good. That's why you pay professionals to come in: we do in a day what is taking you months to never get around to doing. Maybe makeshift tables were set up. I started cataloging larger items and moved smaller. Started the client data base. I was tuckered all the way out when we were done, and spent much time sitting at home.
TV cut out so I missed the SYTYCD finale but Gaby won. She's charming, so that's fun.
Today was Boss, me, and M and later Wit to price records. I did more photographing and renaming of images according to reference and talks about setting up the system. I've got two weeks of a LOT of driving, but after a few months of being a home body with not many hours I welcome these full days. It'll fund my two Portland trips in October nicely.
I need to dig out some warmer layers. Fall is in place.
2015 is the year of "you gotta show up for people".
TV cut out so I missed the SYTYCD finale but Gaby won. She's charming, so that's fun.
Today was Boss, me, and M and later Wit to price records. I did more photographing and renaming of images according to reference and talks about setting up the system. I've got two weeks of a LOT of driving, but after a few months of being a home body with not many hours I welcome these full days. It'll fund my two Portland trips in October nicely.
I need to dig out some warmer layers. Fall is in place.
2015 is the year of "you gotta show up for people".
Monday, September 14, 2015
nice days are going, winter is coming
Saturday
My friend Mel(issa)'s bridal shower! One of the first friends I made at PNCA. She's all growed up and getting married. Next month I'm making two Portland trips for her bachelorette party and wedding. I got up early, put on something casual and I should have dressed up a little bit more but I didn't. Next party I will though. I picked up Karen in Bremerton because we were both going to the party and why have two people drive to the same destination? So I picked my gal up and we drove to Tacoma to the antiques row part, where we parked at met Mel to do some antiquing! Mel found a Finel enamelwear bowl for $20 less than what it goes for on eBay (I know because I looked it up later, I know too much now!) and a cute postcard and plate. Karen had a sloth patch for me, as a gift! How lovely! And Mel had a collectors set of cactus cups to give to Karen as a general "lots of life stuff happening!" gift. Gifts all around. I have some more stuff for Mel that will be wrapped up for her wedding (antiques from work, holla). I did draw her a card and give her this embroidery of the Log Lady from Twin Peaks. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The party was at a family friend's house, that was where Mel played at as a kid. There were other playgroup people there, and lots of aunts and older ladies. So many ladies! What a great community to grow up in. Met Mel's Mom and sister and grandma. Had two types of salad and fizzy drinks and we played pictionary that was bridal themed and opened presents. Mel opened the presents. She got cast iron and plates and lots of cool kitchen stuff. There should be a groom shower where the guy gets power tools.
I ate two slices of cake and WOW that was a lot of sugar. I drove Karen back and got to see her new house which is in Manette and is super cute! She is looking for a better shelving solution than Ikea, Dad any tips?
It's a great house, with a yard. I see lots of visits to it in my future.
Got back medium lateish and had a restless night sleep.
Sunday
Did some more work on the illustration. Only have a few more elements to draw, though some I might want to redo. Easy enough. Taste tested some cinnamon buns over at Celia's. OH LAUNDRY I HAVE TO FOLD THAT yeah so I did laundry too. It was wet and dismal. Perfect Sunday weather.
Got a lot of driving to do in the coming two weeks, but it's a lot of work too which means moolah, hurrah!
My friend Mel(issa)'s bridal shower! One of the first friends I made at PNCA. She's all growed up and getting married. Next month I'm making two Portland trips for her bachelorette party and wedding. I got up early, put on something casual and I should have dressed up a little bit more but I didn't. Next party I will though. I picked up Karen in Bremerton because we were both going to the party and why have two people drive to the same destination? So I picked my gal up and we drove to Tacoma to the antiques row part, where we parked at met Mel to do some antiquing! Mel found a Finel enamelwear bowl for $20 less than what it goes for on eBay (I know because I looked it up later, I know too much now!) and a cute postcard and plate. Karen had a sloth patch for me, as a gift! How lovely! And Mel had a collectors set of cactus cups to give to Karen as a general "lots of life stuff happening!" gift. Gifts all around. I have some more stuff for Mel that will be wrapped up for her wedding (antiques from work, holla). I did draw her a card and give her this embroidery of the Log Lady from Twin Peaks. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The party was at a family friend's house, that was where Mel played at as a kid. There were other playgroup people there, and lots of aunts and older ladies. So many ladies! What a great community to grow up in. Met Mel's Mom and sister and grandma. Had two types of salad and fizzy drinks and we played pictionary that was bridal themed and opened presents. Mel opened the presents. She got cast iron and plates and lots of cool kitchen stuff. There should be a groom shower where the guy gets power tools.
I ate two slices of cake and WOW that was a lot of sugar. I drove Karen back and got to see her new house which is in Manette and is super cute! She is looking for a better shelving solution than Ikea, Dad any tips?
It's a great house, with a yard. I see lots of visits to it in my future.
Got back medium lateish and had a restless night sleep.
Sunday
Did some more work on the illustration. Only have a few more elements to draw, though some I might want to redo. Easy enough. Taste tested some cinnamon buns over at Celia's. OH LAUNDRY I HAVE TO FOLD THAT yeah so I did laundry too. It was wet and dismal. Perfect Sunday weather.
Got a lot of driving to do in the coming two weeks, but it's a lot of work too which means moolah, hurrah!
Friday, September 11, 2015
errands and bummers
Wednesday
The bridge was down for like six hours! Down as in stuck open. Not collapsed, or stuck down. Thankfully I was on this side of the water. I checked in on the doggie and let him know Celia would be home eventually. I worked. I drew.
Thursday
Worked even more. Did a nice long shift of posting things on eBay and trying to figure out changes at PayPal. A good long stint with the pets over at Celia's (for good wifi access that won't interrupt my flow with being awful). Sam was very helpful with all his rubbing on the computer screen.
Friday
Slept too far in. My sleeping schedule is back to being awful. Ran into Silverdale and got my prints back. The photos didn't turn out that great, but that could have just been the printer. Not a good resolution/quality print, so they were kinda fuzzy. Not like the classic photo printing. Kinda bummed that they don't look as good. Was wishing for some quality prints to cherish, ya know? And my photo with the McElroys didn't even make it on the film (it was the last shutter, so I guess it wasn't the actual last) so that sucks. It probably would have been dark anyway, but uhhg. That's a nice thing about digital photos: you know you got them! So next time, if there is a next time, I'll find a place to develop that does everything in house. Because something was lost in shipping the stuff off to be developed and then digitally transferred to a disk.
Got some froyo. Did a mini Target run. Went back home. Tomorrow is Mel's bridal shower. The bacherlorette party is in October in a month. Under a month. Then her wedding! Which will be the last wedding for a while I think...
The bridge was down for like six hours! Down as in stuck open. Not collapsed, or stuck down. Thankfully I was on this side of the water. I checked in on the doggie and let him know Celia would be home eventually. I worked. I drew.
Thursday
Worked even more. Did a nice long shift of posting things on eBay and trying to figure out changes at PayPal. A good long stint with the pets over at Celia's (for good wifi access that won't interrupt my flow with being awful). Sam was very helpful with all his rubbing on the computer screen.
Friday
Slept too far in. My sleeping schedule is back to being awful. Ran into Silverdale and got my prints back. The photos didn't turn out that great, but that could have just been the printer. Not a good resolution/quality print, so they were kinda fuzzy. Not like the classic photo printing. Kinda bummed that they don't look as good. Was wishing for some quality prints to cherish, ya know? And my photo with the McElroys didn't even make it on the film (it was the last shutter, so I guess it wasn't the actual last) so that sucks. It probably would have been dark anyway, but uhhg. That's a nice thing about digital photos: you know you got them! So next time, if there is a next time, I'll find a place to develop that does everything in house. Because something was lost in shipping the stuff off to be developed and then digitally transferred to a disk.
Got some froyo. Did a mini Target run. Went back home. Tomorrow is Mel's bridal shower. The bacherlorette party is in October in a month. Under a month. Then her wedding! Which will be the last wedding for a while I think...
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
face
Monday & Tuesday
Did more work from home. Getting good feedback on the work. On Monday I chilled at home. Ate the remainders of my food and it was obvious I'd have to go food shopping the next day. Went food shopping on Tuesday in the afternoon, not nutter-o-clock where someone threatens you to a duel in the parking lot of the QFC. Got a bunch of my usual foods and returned home. Monday was the SYTYCD finale numbers. I'm rooting for Jaja. Some really good routines abound. Such good dancers, the lot of them! Pretty mellow couple days.
Not much scheduled for the next few days. Weather is mild.
What more do you want from me? A drawing? Here:
Did more work from home. Getting good feedback on the work. On Monday I chilled at home. Ate the remainders of my food and it was obvious I'd have to go food shopping the next day. Went food shopping on Tuesday in the afternoon, not nutter-o-clock where someone threatens you to a duel in the parking lot of the QFC. Got a bunch of my usual foods and returned home. Monday was the SYTYCD finale numbers. I'm rooting for Jaja. Some really good routines abound. Such good dancers, the lot of them! Pretty mellow couple days.
Not much scheduled for the next few days. Weather is mild.
What more do you want from me? A drawing? Here:
Monday, September 7, 2015
it's a living
Got a bit more accomplished on the animation for work, drawings and what not. Hope to knock out some more details tomorrow. I've been slacking.
Spent a good chunk of the afternoon in the bath reading. That was nice. I need more bath salts though. Or just bubble bath. Something to make the bath nice. It's bath season.
I need to go food shopping too. Blehh.
Work, chilling, warming, whatever.
Spent a good chunk of the afternoon in the bath reading. That was nice. I need more bath salts though. Or just bubble bath. Something to make the bath nice. It's bath season.
I need to go food shopping too. Blehh.
Work, chilling, warming, whatever.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
visitations
Thursday & Friday & Saturday
Ma and Pa came up for a two night visit. Work around the property, work out of the weather, work in the narrow window when the weather is better. First day the weather turned stormy right as they arrived, so we mostly stayed in, played some board games, watched The Tick, and ate food. Second day it was windy but not stormy, but way too windy to be outside for any proper labor, so we made apple juice. Mom and Dad cut apples in the living room, I pulped them in the kitchen, and we pressed them outside. Three pressings? Four? Maybe five? Not as big of a harvest as previous years, but still got some good juice. Celia came over with pasta and garlic bread for dinner, and Dad read out some Poirot. Third day we hauled up wood from the beach bank for firewood and I painted sealant on the doorframe to protect it from the elements. Switching the house over to winter mode. I've turned on the wall heaters for the time being. Not looking forward to the slow climb up of the electric bill. But at least I'm not spending the time watering all the plants. Everythings looking much more green.
Went up to Port Townsend and caught the 7:30 showing of The Diary of a Teenage Girl. Pretty good movie. Nice to see a female coming of age film, that's directed by a woman, and based on a story by a woman. I can see how it'll be controversial, unfortunately, but damn it resonated with me. Hope it does well. It's super limited release, unfortunately!
Tomorrow I work. Probably.
Ma and Pa came up for a two night visit. Work around the property, work out of the weather, work in the narrow window when the weather is better. First day the weather turned stormy right as they arrived, so we mostly stayed in, played some board games, watched The Tick, and ate food. Second day it was windy but not stormy, but way too windy to be outside for any proper labor, so we made apple juice. Mom and Dad cut apples in the living room, I pulped them in the kitchen, and we pressed them outside. Three pressings? Four? Maybe five? Not as big of a harvest as previous years, but still got some good juice. Celia came over with pasta and garlic bread for dinner, and Dad read out some Poirot. Third day we hauled up wood from the beach bank for firewood and I painted sealant on the doorframe to protect it from the elements. Switching the house over to winter mode. I've turned on the wall heaters for the time being. Not looking forward to the slow climb up of the electric bill. But at least I'm not spending the time watering all the plants. Everythings looking much more green.
Went up to Port Townsend and caught the 7:30 showing of The Diary of a Teenage Girl. Pretty good movie. Nice to see a female coming of age film, that's directed by a woman, and based on a story by a woman. I can see how it'll be controversial, unfortunately, but damn it resonated with me. Hope it does well. It's super limited release, unfortunately!
Tomorrow I work. Probably.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Wednesday
Got up at a little more decent hour. Getting scheduled for the coming month. Did some more listings for work. Had left over pasta for breakfast. I finished up work when Celia got home, and so that turned into her making chicken, me making rice, and us watching Mad Max Fury Road together, because she hadn't seen it. Awesome movie.
Panda and Teddy cuddled, Sam doesn't know how to be a cuddly kitty.
Pretty easy day. I feel like going to bed early.
Mom and Dad: tell me when you are LEAVING the house for your visit, not when you're FIFTEEN MINUTES away!
Panda and Teddy cuddled, Sam doesn't know how to be a cuddly kitty.
Pretty easy day. I feel like going to bed early.
Mom and Dad: tell me when you are LEAVING the house for your visit, not when you're FIFTEEN MINUTES away!
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