Monday, May 31, 2004Memorial Day...
Belly dancing at FolklifeThis weekend I spent two lovely days down at Folklife Festival... enjoying live music, dancing, hulahooping, and lots of great people watching. I even saw the cute boy who makes the really cool journals at First Thursday... what more could a girl ask for out of a festival?
Friday night I spent the evening at work for a fun community event. Saturday I went to TYD and Flipdingo's housewarming and attended my first ever Tupperware party. It was one of those events that really made me feel like an adult... somehow buying Tupperware seemed like a very grown up thing that only mothers and homeowners do. It was pretty fun and Tara was a gracious Tupperware consultant. :) I'm the proud owner of a new Tupperware Jello mold... look out adulthood here I come!
On Sunday I went to Folklife again then left for the chance to see old friends. Cathy had the perfect idea... a BBQ to celebrate Memorial Day weekend and Mike and Elizabeth's visit from Minnesota. We grilled burgers, had corn on the cob, and had amazingly rich homemade ice cream at Cathy and Jeff's house. It was a nice visit and good to see everyone... especially Cathy who's in her third trimester and looking quite cute as a pregnant momma!
And now, despite the fact that it's a holiday and Folklife is still going strong, I'll be heading to work in a few minutes. I've got a meeting then have tons of work to do before heading out of town. At some point tonight I'll need to pack and then I'll hopefully still have a little time to sleep at some point tonight. :)
Speaking of travel...I've decided to take the plunge and am heading to Florida in two days! I'm super excited about a 4 day conference in Florida (based partially on the books of Margaret Wheatley). If you've spoken to me in the last few weeks, you've probably heard me gush about my favorite nun in the whole world and the work that radical women are planning around the country. Even if you haven't heard me gush, take my word for it now: I'm VERY excited about this conference! I'm not as excited about the 90 degree rainy weather, but I'm guessing I'll be indoors in workshops all day anyway. Once it's done, I'll leave Florida and head directly to North Carolina for a week to visit family and see my cousin T-Mox get married. My mom's whole family lives in North Carolina, so it should be a good time to catch up with lots of cousins and other relatives. :)
Saturday, May 29, 2004Texas on my mind...Some days I'd like nothing more than a week back home to visit friends and family, enjoy live music, eat Chuy's and relax in the sun. (Seattle was 50 degrees and rainy this week). I've lived in Austin, Dallas, and Houston and still know lots of good folks back there... some of whom I haven't seen in years! I think about moving back someday... rejoining circles of friends that mean the world to me. Other days, I feel quite a disconnect between who I was in Texas and who I am today. I think I'm still the same person, super involved in organizations and volunteer work. However, when it comes to worldviews, apparently there's a bit of a disconnect between me and many of my TX friends. Different views are not a bad thing... but it is kind of sad when you don't feel like there's a least some mutual understanding of the passions that drive us to be where we are in life.
Alas. It's Memorial Day weekend and I need to get out the door and start the rounds. This afternoon there are two parties and a friend's live band to check out at Folklife... all three happening around the same time in different parts of town. I also need to write a grant, do more work at the office, and pack my bags since I'm heading out to Florida and North Carolina this week. Hope everyone's well.
Friday, May 28, 2004Laura, Laura, Yee Haw!Another quality Laura is now online... this time a friend from 7th grade: Laura V in NYC
Laura from college is approaching her 1 year online anniversary: Laura B in Austin
And I'm still here with my same old website from forever: Laura Cat in SeattleNow if only I could get my best friend from 6th grade (Laura D) and good friend from Houston (Laura C) to create websites... I'd have amassed most of the important Lauras in my life. :)
Thursday, May 27, 2004In other news...It's raining stupid hard today compared to Seattle's (lower) standards. It's thundering and everything... quite rare in the Northwest. Oh, and on the bright side, I got a free gift this morning for attending the crazy early meeting I had at 7:30am. (I went on about 4 hours of sleep and sustained myself with two cups of coffee. Why, yes, my hands were shaking). Anyway, the parting gift was a tiny little keychain camera billed as "the World's Smallest Digital Camera and WebCam." Fun. Maybe I'll start going to more breakfast meetings downtown!
What a day!!My morning started at 9am when I made my way downtown for John Kerry's speech on the environment. I enjoyed getting to see Kerry, Jay Inslee, and Maria Cantwell speak. I also enjoyed seeing Mayor Nickels up there on stage with Kerry. Surprise guest of the day: none other than Sean Astin from Lord of the Rings and Goonies fame. Very random and fun treat... quite a smiley boy. :)
Tonight after work I met with up Matthew and we headed to dinner (yummy Cajun food in Ballard) before hitting the fabulous Bob Schneider show at the Tractor Tavern. Yeah! First on stage was solo artist Charlie Mars. He seemed a bit out of sorts, but Matthew and I agreed that he had nice song writing and put on a good (albeit low key) show. Maybe that just comes from being the opener of a three band show? He was funny when he talked, and the music was pretty good. I recommend checking him out.
Next up was a more rocking set featuring Ari Hest. Unlike Charlie, Ari had a full band, stage presence, and some sex appeal. The women of the crowd were going crazy, and we all guessed the oldest guy on stage was maybe 28 or 29. I had the great opportunity to hang with their cute drummer Scott after the show. We talked for a good while and discussed both of our sets of crazy exes (apparently we both date crazies), life in Seattle (he used to spend a lot of time in Queen Anne), Austin's music scene (we both agree it rocks), Orlando (we'll both be there in two weeks), birthdays (can't believe he's older than me!), and the life of a rock star (he said he thinks I'll be a rock star myself some day... awww). :) Anyway, turns out he's not 20 like we all suspected. Apparently he's turning 29 in a few weeks... just days after I leave Orlando he'll arrive and do a show on his birthday. He's been a busy boy, and has recorded albums with three different bands this year (including the Ari Hest album that will come out in August). BTW, if you're looking to catch them in concert sometime soon, Ari Hest will be playing concerts with Dave Matthews Band and Jason Mraz during June, July, and Sept.
And then... the man we'd all been waiting for... Bob Schneider! Bob's an Austin musician and while the pictures might not always do him justice, he's got amazing stage presence and some crazy animal magnetism/sex appeal. (He used to date Sandra Bullock... they're both Austinites). Nowadays he's settled down and married, but that doesn't stop him from working the crowd and singing lots of songs about sex and love. Oh Bob. Such a tease. A few very cool things to mention:
** I ran into and chatted with THREE people I went to college with that I had NO IDEA were living in Seattle! Two were friends of Alyssa's that were hanging out together and spotted me in the crowd (Stephanie and Alisha) and one was a guy from my business classes in college (who I recognized from almost 10 years ago!).
** They were selling cute girly tshirts that said "I heart BS"
** They were selling The Scabs CDs which I greedily bought up in a heart beat
** They recorded the show and sold the live concert CD at the end of the night. So, as I type this, I get to relive the evening, complete with witty banter and crowd singalongs. I'm listening to Tarantula right now. Yeah!And on that note, it's after 2am and I've got to be at a work meeting tomorrow at the crack of dawn (7:30am instead of my normal 9am start time... yuck). Anyway, the rest of you missed a rocking show. Not to fear though... I've got the live concert CD and can play you a track sometime. Take care!
Wednesday, May 26, 2004Reminder...Bob is playing tonight at the Tractor! Everyone's invited! :)Also: I went to see John Kerry speak this morning at the Pier. It was rainy but enjoyable. I'll try to post pics (and maybe even comments) sometime soon. Take care!
Olympic National Park: Hiking with CarolineWe decided our next road trip will be to the San Juan Islands. :) We've already reserved our kayaking tour for the last weekend in August... now we just need to find a campsite. If anyone has recommendations, do share!
Tuesday, May 25, 2004Olympic National Park
Monday, May 24, 2004I need you.I need you to join me for a concert this week. Bob Schneider, one of our favorite fixtures on the Austin music scene, will be touring for his new album and will be at the Tractor Tavern this Wednesday. I know it's a school night, but c'mon kids, it starts early at 8pm and should be great fun!
Wed, May 26
BOB SCHNEIDER
ARI HEST
CHARLIE MARS
8pm * $15
Tickets also available at Sonic Boom!*Check out Bob and listen to his babble and new tunes on www.bobschneidermusic.com. For some of his other projects, you can check out the Scabs (fun), Lonelyland (mellow), the Ugly Americans, or Joe Rockhead (early). I'll go alone if I need to, but I'd much rather have company. Who's with me??
Sunday, May 23, 2004Yeah weekends!Caroline and I went out to the Olympic Peninsula yesterday to hike around Sol Duc... we saw the hot springs, waterfalls, old growth forest, etc. It was quite a lovely day and I'll post pics sometime soon. This morning I'm heading out to the NEW library... promises to be quite a grand opening. :)
Friday, May 21, 2004Only those who dream can make the dream come trueTonight I left work at 5pm... unusual since I've been working late nights and weekends for a while now. I decided to skip Chris's party and bail out on Mike's birthday and instead opted to eat burritos at home while watching Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India. Jens and I rented it once, but we got too busy to watch it. I also rented it a month or two ago meaning to watch it, and got too busy a second time. I finally decided tonight would be the perfect time to sit on my couch and enjoy a peaceful night at home, so I stopped and picked it up on the way home from work. Alas, it was a good movie, just like everyone said it would be. It was interesting to see that, while the film was set in 1893, not much has changed about the basic dress people wore, cots they slept on, transportation modes, etc. I think Indians have mastered the simple living mantra. Overall it was quite an enjoyable movie... I especially liked Bhuvan and the encouragement he offered to lift up those around him. :) What a sweetie...
Thursday, May 20, 2004And in wedding news...Crow and Ajit have apparently already set some wedding dates! I guess the plan is to have a wedding in Texas the last week of January, and a follow up wedding the next week in Bombay. Hmmm... a Texas wedding would be fun to see old friends, but another trip to India would be pretty great too! If I went to Mumbai, maybe I could head south afterwards to Goa then Bangalore? Perhaps Sameer or his cousins would be up for visitors? Maybe LeaAnne will still be touring around? So many possibilities!
Yee hawTook my staff to a Mariner's baseball game last night to show a little appreciation. We all knew we'd lose, but it was still fun to hang out, eat peanuts, and shout at the players. :)
Mi pequeno perro...News came from the home front recently that our sweet, super cute, wonder poodle Max is getting older. Mom says he's "slowly aging - sight is poor - has walked into several things. Once in a while walks into a corner and just stands there for a while. On occasion he growls at us if he doesn't want to do something. Old and crotchety, but not all the time." Awwww....
Poor little dog. He deserves to have peaceful senior years since he had such a rough life early on. He was an abused tiny little puppy when we found, covered in cigarette burns and all torn up. I don't know what kind of sick person burns and abuses little 7 lb dogs, but we rescued him, put him in the pet hospital to recover, and then took him home with us. He's been a part of the family since '88 or '89, and the vet thought he was probably at least 2 or 3 years old when we found him. He's always been super energetic, super friendly, a good watch dog, and more patience that you'd expect. (He used to let me dress him up in costumes and take pictures for yearly Max calendars... I think the photo about was for July '98). I miss my little dog.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004Second hand gossip...Seems the amazing Ajit may have proposed to the wonderful Ms. Crow last weekend in NYC! I had the pleasure of chatting with both Crow and Ajit when I was in Baltimore last week, and can confirm that they're a super sweet couple and very in love! When I casually asked her last week about marriage potential, she did admit that it's something they'd talked about for 'some point in the future.' Guess there's no time like the present. :)I still remember the first time Ajit was thinking about asking her out when they'd both split with their exes a few years ago... I was sitting out at Gasworks Park, totally smitten with the sunshine, smitten (as always) with Ajit, and smitten by the idea of the two of them together! I am so excited for the happy couple! Not sure if the wedding will be in the States or abroad, but it's sure to be a very special event! Congrats you two!
This just in...BERMUDA ROUNDTRIP FOR ONLY 15,000 MILES
Fly to Bermuda with united.com for only 15,000 Mileage Plus(R) miles*. Enjoy all the beaches, golfing, SCUBA and culture Bermuda has to offer. Details:
http://www.unitedoffers.com/600-1sape/56086/181584/e02ee9a9545bcc6dc8e99f9d02bf53efAnyone up for a trip to Bermuda?? Cheapest flights I've ever seen! We'd need to leave on a Saturday, and would need to fly before June 26th.
Monday, May 17, 2004Bloggers for Jason Webley in 2004Two weeks ago Erin, Rod, and I went to the Jason Webley CD release/re-birth concert at Town Hall. The show was good, the new CD is good, and all was entertaining. I've seen Jason play in Kirkland, at tons of festivals, at the Blue Moon, in parking garages, at the Paradox a couple of times, on street corners, and at Town Hall a couple of times. Seems I've been to enough of his shows to be able to recognize familar faces in the crowd. (The last show was fun sitting with his parents. This time we didn't get to sit with them, but I did run into his mom in the hall and so I got to chat with her. Was nice to see she remembered me!). Seems there were a fair number of blogger Webley fans in attendance at the show (was good to know since I've sometimes felt like my addiction to Jason was a guilty pleasure). Mike Whybark seems to have decoded some of Jason's most recent CD), Rose and Eric were in line behind us waiting to get in, and a handful of other folks I don't know have posted about the show and/or posted pictures. I like the new CD and encourage you to listen to the songs on the lable website.
Sunday, May 16, 2004Africa on the mind...Staying at the cabin this weekend was everything I'd hoped for and then some! I've been working tons lately, was out of town earlier this week, and was glad for the chance to get away! The cabin Clare had was huge, old, Victorian, and beautiful. The mood was relaxing and serene. The conversation was very stimulating, as were the ocean views and walks. :)
The big challenge came in the form of communication with Vintu, the 24 year old Liberian refugee woman whose whole Muslim tribe was slaughtered by Christians when she was 10 years old. She was just moved to Seattle from Africa on Tuesday night, and doesn't know any English or have any literacy skills. We, conversely, don't speak any of her tribe's language which limited the communication exchange. The culture shock must be hard... imagine fleeing your country and refugee camps and be suddenly immersed in Seattle not knowing city life, English, literacy, etc. She knew bits and pieces of French, but it was very limited and she rarely spoke... even when we spoke to her in French. She did not know enough French to tell us what her job was, where her home was, etc. Despite the probable jet lag and exhaustion she seemed to be feeling (she slept 14 hours on Friday night), and despite the language barrier, she was very sweet and smiley most of the time. Think warm thoughts and wish her well on her journey!
Friday, May 14, 2004Photo of the Day: Gasworks ParkToday I hosted/coordinated another conference, and now I'm heading out of town to spend the weekend at a friend's cabin. It's a pretty eclectic group: 2 friends who go to the same church, 1 friend who's into the BDSM community, 1 married couple, 1 African refugee woman who speaks French, and little old me. :) Promises to be entertaining!
Thursday, May 13, 2004Home sweet homeJust got home from my 3-day quickie trip to Baltimore. :) Got to see the beautiful and talented Ms. Crow my first night in town (who let me crash in her posh apt) and got to hang with the fun and generous Sameer last night (who took me out for food, drinks, and girl talk). I managed to take a trip on the water taxi to Fells Point, Tide Point, Fort McHenry, and Inner Harbor. I also managed to get myself sunburned while on said water taxi trip... guess I'm no longer acclimated to sunny, warm 80 degree weather. Last night I finished my last work meeting and flew home. Yeah home!
In other exciting travel news, I have word that fabulous college friends will be potentially visiting Seattle this summer! Mike and Elizabeth are confirmed to come over Memorial Day weekend (yeah!), Chris and Alyssa might come over July 4th, Beal might come over Labor Day, and Sameer said he hopes to make a trip sometime soon as well. :) Anyone else interested in a trip? I love having visitors and have a couch here for anyone who needs it. :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2004Car boats?I recently went to the opening day of boating / boat parade that winds through the Montlake Cut from Lake Union to Lake Washington. The parade wasn't quite what I expected... I was thinking it's be a hundred tacky little boats decorated funny. However, I was pleasantly surprised in a random kind of way. There were yachts, there were sailboats, there were beautiful wooden boats from the 20s that I'd love to have in my possession. There were even a handful of car boats... how cool is that?!? I never knew such things existed... apparently I've lived a sheltered life. Good thing I'm learning now. It was a fun little two hour parade and the weather couldn't have been nicer for opening day... low 80s, sunny, with a slight wind to keep you from getting too hot. Ah... gotta love Seattle this time of the year!
Sunday, May 09, 2004Baltimore or Bust...
Panarama I stitched together (view from Sameer's apt)I'm heading out to Baltimore tonight for yet again work meeting. Feels like I was just there not too long ago (ie. February) and this trip will be my fifth in just over a year. Apparently I'm not the only one going there... Crow and Sameer are still there for a client project, AND I recently received an invite to a goodbye party for Carley and April who are moving there from Seattle. They have apparently scouted it out, signed papers to buy a rowhouse, and are making the cross country trek in a few weeks. It'll be sad to see them leave Seattle, but fun to know I'll know even more random folks in Baltimore (Annalisa and RaeLynna, Crow and Sameer, Billy and Alexa, and now April and Carley). It's been a fun little town to visit... when I actually get time to see the sights after work meetings have finished at 9pm. :)
Three week recap...
I heart tug boats!I end up writing these now because I get too busy or forgetful or distracted at the time the events happen. It's not of great importance to the blog (so you can feel free to skip this entry), but it is fun for me to look back after a year or two and remember what I was doing and who I was hanging out with at certain events.
Three weeks ago I went to Karaoke at Leilani Lanes with some coworkers and friends. It was my first time to hang out socially with these coworkers and it was also my first time at the retro, 50s, tiki lounge Leilani Lanes. The crowd at Leilani was quite diverse and entertaining, and their song selection was even more diverse and more entertaining. Some of my favorites from the evening were Oh Sherri (Steve Perry), Panama (Van Halen), and Rainy Day Woman (Bob Dylan). All in all it was quite entertaining and I'll definitely have to go back again sometime soon. Saturday was good too... I actually got to hang out with Dieter (since his gf was out of town). :) We saw a cheesy movie (Starsky and Hutch) and then had dinner and drinks (including yummy garlic fries from Gordon Bierch). Sunday was Sunday brunch at Rod's Third Ave Cafe. Sunday evening was another fun installment of HS Reunion and the lovely Caroline came over to hang out and enjoy the show. Dan won prom queen (you go!) and Lenny won prom king (Lenny, you rock!). Fun stuff!
Last weekend was lovely as well. During the week it was all work and no play since I was working nightly till 1am. The weekend, however, was all play and no work. Saturday I went to opening day of boating and then on Saturday afternoon I started to make the rounds to the various parties happening around town. (That's both the beauty and setback of having not lots of random friends instead of a circle of friends: on any one day there might be four different BBQs and parties happening all at the same time. First I hit Golden Gardens to hang out at the pig roast but didn't end up staying there long. Next I headed to Meghan and Vince's place for their house warming party. It's new and odd for me to have family living just a mile away... and pretty nice too. Their house was quite neat, the mushroom enchiladas were great, and the party was fun. I only meant to stay for an hour or so but ended up spending about three hours there. Turns out they live right next door to some guys I know, so we invited them over and it was one big happy house warming. Got a few numbers and business cards, and might also end up running the Kilt 5K with Emily and Sarah. After the house warming, I headed out to GURU for Andy's birthday party. I ate some snacks, and then spent a few hours relaxing in the hot tub and chatting with folks. I totally lost track of time (no wearing a watch while you're in a hot tub) and never made it out to Carley and April's goodbye party. Sad! Hopefully I'll still get to see them at some point before they leave for Baltimore. Sunday was brunch at Rod's Third Ave Cafe. :) Sunday night was the finale of HS Reunion and it was good to see everyone looking so happy and content after all of the drama the show manufactured for the rest of the series. Still makes me want to visit Austin and see old friends...
This weekend was all about Fremont and I made trips down the hill on both Fri and Sat night. Friday night Vlad and I went out for dinner in Capital Hill and ate some yummy Indian food. (Vlad announced he's going to visit his girlfriend in Moscow for two weeks, and I'm totally jealous! He deserves a vacation, and deserves a girl, and I know he'll have a great time). Later Friday night Ben and I went to the Buckaroo and then went to the bottom of the hill to briefly hit Dad Watsons. Ended up staying up late (till 3am) chatting the night away. Saturday was a fun day at the Maritime Festival down at Pier 66, despite my lack of sleep the night before. Rod, Fester, and I saw Coast Guard rescues, watched tug boat races, toured the country's largest fishing boat, and took a free harbor cruise on the Argosy Cruise Line. Saturday night I joined Erin and Kris at the Dubliner (yeah more Fremont bars!) to see Dano's band play. Johnson County put on a good show and now I'm totally exhausted and ready for bed!
Saturday, May 08, 2004So maybe it's not so bad...Thursday I posted about Seattle not toping my list top dating cities. The couple of times I've met random men at concerts or festivals and exchanged numbers, it's only lead to disappointment and guys I'd never go for. Example A: A couple of guys were pretty cool (musicians, lawyers, whatever) until it came up that they were very Republican... which would generally make me end any kind of relationship. (I'm not opposed to Republicans... I just know I'm very passionate about my field of social services and don't think I could be involved with someone who didn't have some of the same concern for community, families, youth, etc. Someone who didn't have respect for my job/career would be kinda hard for me to connect with, ya know?). Anyway. Example B: Another random guy I went out on one date with turned out to be a bit crazy. Literally. He was a former drug addict and it really fried a good chunk of his brain. He apparently was quite an alcoholic and drug addict back in his younger days (like in middle school and high school). By the time he was in his 20s, he was on the waiting list for a liver transplant and has now been recovering for 10 years. Wow. He must have (ab)used a ton of drugs and alcohol to require a transplant in his 20s. He was pretty cute and an artist who did neat work, but the lasting effects of all the drugs affected his mind a bit more than I could overlook. Alas. Just a sampling of what can happen when you give out your number to random men at concerts or parties. Vlad and I discussed this and I know he disagrees, but I think sometimes it's just easier and more fun to just know they're cute, have fun talking at a party, and leave it at that. Like at the art walk. I'm totally content to look at the cute artist boys without having to get their numbers and ask them out. :)That said, despite the fact I just posted Thursday about Seattle being a lame dating city, and despite the fact that I've had some pretty bad dates (see examples A & B above), I got home from last night's lovely dinner with Vlad and got a call on my cell phone. It was a guy I met at a party last weekend and was calling to ask me out. We ended up going for drinks then hung out at my place till late. It was actually pretty fun and he's actually a nice guy. Who knew? :)
Thursday, May 06, 2004I don't know if I agree...A recent study named my hometown of Austin, Texas at the top of the best cities to date list. That I can believe.... lots of young folks, educated, tons of bars, etc. But it also ranked Seattle in the top five... based on criteria like "most coffee shops" and "most online daters" in the whole country. Some of us don't drink coffee or hang out in coffee shops (which apparently greatly reduces my chance of meeting someone in Seattle). And as for the most online daters... I think people submit to the idea of online dating b/c they're having no luck finding someone in real life... which would lead me to believe we're a bad city for dating... not a good one. Alas. Maybe it's just me. Maybe we're more enlightened (and less social?) and that's why so many people have taken to online dating instead of meeting people in real life? Not sure. The other statistic they fail to mention is our highest rate of depressed people. I can't really imagine that's good for the dating scene and potential (sane) mates. Anyway, here are the lists. You decide. :)Best cities for dating
- Austin, TX
- Colorado Springs, CO
- San Diego, CA
- Raleigh/Durham, NC
- Seattle, WA
- Charleston, SC
- Norfolk, VA
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Springfield, MA
- Honolulu, HI
Worst cities for dating
- Kansas City, MO
- Wichita, KS
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
- Detroit, MI
- Louisville, KY
- Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Houston, TX
- Charlotte, NC
In defense of Seattle's dating scene (which I've never really participated in but will defend anyway)... the First Thursday art walks seem like a great place to meet people. I didn't actually meet many people tonight, but oh my goodness there where cute boys everywhere! I know they were probably only smiling at me because they wanted me to buy their wares, but still... it was eye candy galore all night long! I think last time I did the art walk I must have been hitting the old people galleries... not the ones like Caroline's studio/building with fashion shows and DJs and burlesque shows and lots of erotica. Speaking of... I went to the opening of John and Caroline's photography exhibits... they were fabulous and they had the whole building swarming with crowds! Yeah Caroline's first show and yeah cute boys!
Naked Week Part Four: InterviewingThis week I've been busy interviewing a crazy number of really qualified applicants for my program assistant position. (Do I take the ones who are pretty qualified and I totally click with, or do I go for someone who's absolutely qualified but I can already tell our personalities get along fine but don't "click" much)? Any advice?Anyway, one of the responsibilities of this program assistant would be putting together a new hire training packet of local resources so I ask the applicants about fun, cheap things they recommend in Seattle. One of the women I just interviewed moved here last year from NYC and she told me the Fremont Fair was a great fun, cheap event. "I don't know what it is about this city," she said, "but people really seem to love getting naked." How true it is and how timely a comment. :)
Wednesday, May 05, 2004Happy memories...Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Happy Birthday Dena!
Happy late birthday Jacob (May 3)!Hard to believe it was just a year ago that I was back in Austin for the quickest ever trip home. I flew in the morning of Kat and Steve's wedding, got to see all of my great college friends, and flew out barely two days later. And somehow, I managed a trip down to Houston. I spent Cinco de Mayo at Chuy's and got to see Suzan, Sam, Ricky, Crow, Ajit, John, Scott L, Scott D, and Dallas. I don't think there's any place I'd rather be on Cinco de Mayo than at a Chuy's eating dinner with friends, munching on creamy jalepeno sauce and drinking margaritas. :) Wow... that same weekend in Austin, before heading to Houston, I had long, late night chats with the lovely Mitch about the age old question "When are we ever going to start dating?" My answer has been the same all these years: the timing just doesn't work. And so after a weekend of difficult conversation, not unlike the similar difficult conversations we'd had for many years before, life continued. And happily, most happily, I also managed a little bit of time to see my Beal.
Man. I want to visit Texas...
Public Service AnnouncementRecently released photos of American soldiers abusing and torturing Iraqi prisoners are provoking a global backlash against our country. We all hope these were the acts of isolated individuals, but Amnesty International is now reporting that that torture and human rights abuses of Iraqi detainees may be occurring routinely.Please join me in calling for an immediate, full, and impartial investigation into all allegations of torture, at:
http://www.moveon.org/tortureAlthough a few U.S. troops already face punishment for the widely reported abuses, "the theory that these horrific acts were committed by a few renegade soldiers has been undercut by charges that the men and women shown in the pictures were actually working at the direction of military intelligence officers," according to the New York Times.
With anti-American violence on the rise in Iraq, and a deadline for handing over Iraqi sovereignty less than 2 months away, we need the support of the world community now more than ever. We especially need to regain the trust of the Iraqi people and their Arab neighbors, as quickly as possible.
Please join me in calling for an immediate, impartial investigation, at: http://www.moveon.org/torture. Thanks!
Naked Week Part 3: Soaking up sun and while flashing a moon
Tuesday, May 04, 2004Naked Week Part 2: Caption this photo
Monday, May 03, 2004Naked Week Part 1: True story in today's Seattle Times:
Passengers tip boat trying to see nudists
AUSTIN, Texas "Partygoers apparently hoping to catch a glimpse of nude sunbathers crowded on one side of a floating barge, prompting the ship to capsize and dump all 60 people into Lake Travis.Two people were hospitalized with minor injuries Sunday after the rented double-decker barge sank near Hippie Hollow, a lakeside park and the only public nude beach in Texas.
The accident occurred during Splash Day, a semiannual event hosted at the clothing-optional area by the Austin Tavern Guild, a gay and lesbian bar association.
Witnesses said that all of the people aboard the barge moved to one side as it neared Hippie Hollow, creating uneven distribution and making it tilt. It sank in 50-foot-deep water.
Krista Umscheid, a spokeswoman for the Lower Colorado River Authority, said that although everyone aboard was accounted for, Travis County sheriff's divers were checking compartments of the sunken pontoon boat as a precaution."
That's fabulous!! I grew up in Austin and have been out to Hippie Hollow during Splash Days... the first big boating day of the year for the LGBTQ community. It's a huge naked party with tons of people, DJs, boats, etc. It's no wonder the passengers on the boat were straining to catch a glimpse! :)
Sunday, May 02, 2004Good news!I have begun to receive a stack of applications for the program assistant position! Yeah qualified applicants! Also, I had a fabulous visit with my favorite nun who came up to visit me from Florida. She's pretty much convinced me to visit Florida for a conference in June... a bunch of radical women getting together to create a new movement in social change. Sounds like a great plan to me... I just need to see if I can scrape together the money to fly out there and pay for registration. It's also the week before my cousin's wedding... another trip I'll have to find money for so I can fly out to North Carolina. Could shape up to be a busy June... not that that's unusual. The festivals for the year have started and now it seems like there's something going on every weekend between now and September. I need to sit down with my calendar, figure out when I want to be in town, and then schedule in camping and hiking the rest of the year. I refuse to work so much this year and miss all of my summer. (Anyone up for road trips, camping, or hiking?? I've got a car, I've got gear, I've got a National Parks Pass and I'm not afraid to use them!).
Saturday, May 01, 2004Being single has its rewardsRod and I went to the boat parade this morning and had a good time checking out all of the yachts, sailboats, carboats, and other fun parade festivities. Afterwards I headed to Golden Gardens for a rumored pig roast where I was hit on by an old man who was at least 50 if not 60. Fun.
Old man on the beach with sly smile: Are you looking for me?
Me: Um... Nope. Sorry.
Old man on the beach with sly smile: Why not? You should be.
Me: Actually, I'm looking for my friend Caroline.
Old man on the beach with sly smile: Ah... sometimes a change of plans is just what you need. You should consider me.
Me: Um... not today. But thanks though...
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