just laura

“She’s so hot like a curry.”
~ Flight of the Conchords

Ben, Dan, and Scott came home tonight to watch the Flight of the Conchords on HBO (every Sunday at 9:30pm central?). We watched two episodes in a row and I’d have to agree it was quite entertaining in a ridiculous dry humor funny kind of way. Believe it or not, I actually laughed out loud (rare, but it does happen).

“Getting dirty makes me feel good.”
~ Scott, Ben’s friend
(Apparently Scott’s been lazy lately and no longer showers on the weekend)

Mazel tov!! Suzan and Jeremy tied the knot today in their final day of wedding festivities! It was my first Jewish wedding extravaganza, it was fabulous meeting so many good people, and I felt truly blessed to have so much quality time with the bride (and even the groom). Expect photos to come soon, but no guarantees when. Tonight I’m falling asleep at the keyboard and tomorrow I fly out of Chicago and head to Asheville. G’night y’all!

Yes, there is something happening other than baby news. :) Chris, one of my very best friends, now has a blog. I suspect if we all inundate him with comments, he’ll know he has readers and will feel peer pressure to actually continue past the first day’s post. Chris is a great dad, a talented photographer, an entrepreneuring businessman, and a fabulous friend. Not sure what the blog will grow into, but I for one am excited to see it.

Today the new “Seven Wonders of the World” were announced. On my continual quest for places to visit, sights to see, and cultures to explore, I’m posting the new list as well as a few others I compiled way back when on my old site. As always… if you’re up for exploring and traveling, I’m always looking for great travel partners to visit new places! For the places I’ve already been lucky enough to visit, I’ll mark them with a *.

New Seven Wonders of the World
(decided globally by 100 million votes on www.new7wonders.com)

* The Colosseum in Rome
* The Great Wall of China
* India’s Taj Mahal
Jordan’s ancient city of Petra
the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru
Brazil’s Statue of Christ Redeemer
* Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid

Seems a little odd for South and Central America to have three when Africa doesn’t have a single wonder, especially when Africa is the birthplace of humanity and is home to the oldest of all civilizations. We don’t even get the Egyptian Pyramids or Great Zimbabwe or anything? I guess when it’s compiled by online votes instead of scholars/experts, we get what we get. Not that I’m complaining… I’m just surprised that’s all. Besides, I couldn’t complain even if I wanted to since I didn’t actually vote. (Consider me current events-challenged after my time in Africa without access to fast internet and English language newspapers).

Anyway… enough babble. On with the rest of the lists! Enjoy!

50 Places of a Lifetime (from National Geographic)

1. Urban Spaces: * Barcelona
2. Hong Kong
3. Istanbul
4. Jerusalem
5. * London
6. * New York
7. * Paris
8. Rio de Janeiro
9. * San Francisco
10. * Venice
11. Wild Places: Antarctica
12. Amazon
13. Canadian Rockies
14. Galápagos
15. * Grand Canyon
16. Outback
17. Papua New Guinea Reefs
18. Sahara
19. * Serengeti
20. Venezuela’s Tepuis
21. Paradise Found: Amalfi Coast
22. * Boundary Waters
23. British Virgin Islands
24. Greek Islands
25. * Hawaiian Islands
26. Japanese Ryokan Kerala
27. Torres del Paine
28. Seychelles
29. Pacific Islands
30. Country Unbound: * Alps
31. * Big Sur
32. Canadian Maritimes
33. Coastal Norway
34. Danang to Hue
35. England’s Lake District
36. * Loire Valley
37. North Island, New Zealand
38. * Tuscany
39. * Vermont
40. World Wonders: Acropolis
41. Angkor
42. * Cyberspace
43. * Giza Pyramids
44. * Great Wall
45. Machu Picchu
46. Mesa Verde
47. Petra
48. * Taj Mahal
49. * Vatican City
50. The Final Frontier: Space

Another List: The Wonders of the World
I’m not really sure who came up with these older lists, but I’m posting anyway.

Ancient Wonders of the World
* The Great Pyramid of Giza (the only remaining ancient wonder)
A gigantic stone structure near the ancient city of Memphis, serving as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
An enormous statue of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
A beautiful temple in Asia Minor erected in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
A fascinating tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria
The Colossus of Rhodes
A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean Island
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city

Natural Wonders of the World
Angel Falls in Venezuela
The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada
* The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia
Iguaçú Falls in Brazil/Argentina
Krakatoa Island in Indonesia
Mount Everest in Nepal
Mount Fuji in Japan
* Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
Niagara Falls in Ontario (Canada) and New York State (USA)
Paricutin Volcano in Mexico
* Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe

Modern Wonders of the World
The Channel Tunnel
* The Clock Tower (Big Ben) in London, England
The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada
* Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
* The Empire State Building in New York City, USA
* The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, USA
* The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA
* The High Dam in Aswan, Egypt
* Hoover Dam in Arizona/Nevada, USA
Itaipú Dam in Brazil/Paraguay
* Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, USA
The Panama Canal
The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* The Statue of Liberty in New York City, USA
* The Suez Canal in Egypt
The Sydney Opera House in Australia

Forgotten Wonders of the World
* Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt
Angkor Wat in Cambodia
The Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Mexico
The Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines
Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
* The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
* The Great Wall of China
The Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
* The Mayan Temples of Tikal, Northern Guatemala
The Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
The Throne Hall of Persepolis, Iran
The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
Petra, the rock-carved city, Jordan
The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
Stonehenge, England
* Taj Mahal in Agra, India
The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico

In Chicago I stayed with Ben, a former coworker from Seattle, in his Uptown apartment near Wrigley Field. Ben was a great host, including me in outings with his lovely friends to comedy (at the famous Improv Olympics), bars and nightlife, dancing, and house parties. Ben even lent me a stylin’ hoodie when the weather turned cold and even borrowed a great little bike for me to use for the week (so fun to bike everywhere… and so easy since it’s such a flat city!). Many thanks to Ben for a lovely week and to all of his friends I got to hang with… Tara, both Dans, Joanna, Catherine, Scott, etc.

I love this kind of stuff. I really do and I always have. Anyone remember the Aussie flick Danny Deckchair? Yes it was a bit cutesy, but it was fun. Well, it was inspired by real life Larry Lawnchair from LA, and now there’s a new adventurer from the West Coast. Let’s hear it for Mr. Couch from Oregon who just took a 193 mile journey on a lawn chair tied to helium balloons. (his website: www.couchballoons.com). Who wants to join me for a flight someday? Anyone?? C’mon… it’d be fun!

I rarely send/post forwards, but I’m about to return to lovely Seattle after a long absence so I thought I’d share this one as it felt pretty accurate. Reminded me of the similar one about Austin I’ll have to post soon.

You might be from the Pacific Northwest if:

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement “sun break” and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Tully’s.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark – while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by “Today’s forecast: showers followed by rain,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: rain followed by showers.”

17. You cannot wait for a day with “showers and sun breaks.”

18. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

19. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

20. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.

21. You notice, “The mountain is out” when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

22. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

23. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

24. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

25. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

26. You knew immediately that the view out of Frasier’s window was fake.

27. You buy new sunglasses every year, because use you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

28. You measure distance in hours.

29. You often switch from “heat” to “a/c” in the same day.

30. You use a down comforter in the summer.

31. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.

32. You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

33. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), and Road Construction (Summer).

34. You actually understood these jokes and will probably forward them!

1. Your co-worker tells you they have 8 body piercings but none are visible.
2. You make over $100,000 and still can’t afford a house.
3. Austin at Night You never bother looking at the Capital Metro schedule because you know the drivers have never seen it.
4. You’ve been to more than one baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
5. You have a very strong opinion where your coffee beans are grown and can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.
6. A really great parking space can move you to tears.
7. You know that anyone wearing pants in November is just visiting from Ohio.
8. Your child’s 3rd grade teacher has two pierced ears, a nose ring and is named “Breeze.” And, after telling that to a friend, they still need to ask if the teacher is male or female.
9. You are thinking of taking an adult class but you can’t decide between yoga, aromatherapy, conversational Mandarin or one on building your own web site. (Note: I first posted this around 1998 or 1999; I’m pretty sure people don’t take web classes anymore).
10. You haven’t been to Hippie Hollow since the first month you moved to Austin.
11. A man walks on The Drag in full leather regalia and crotchless chaps …You don’t notice.
12. A woman walks on The Drag with live poultry …You don’t notice.
13. You think any guy with a George Clooney haircut must be visiting from the midwest.
14. You know that any woman with a George Clooney haircut is not a tourist.
15. You keep a list of companies to boycott.
16. Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, the woman who delivers your mail is straight and your Mary Kay Lady is a guy in drag.
17. You occasionally see a guy on a unicycle whiz by you in your car and you say to yourself, “Oh yeah, it’s that guy again…”
18. You start to worry when you don’t see the cross-dressing, bearded guy in-a-tutu-and-bikini-top-who-has-made-a-statement-with-his-grocery-cart-and-cardboard-box-art/shelter on your way to work in the morning. Scarier yet, you know his name is name is actually Leslie.
19. You’ll make dinner or bar plans around who’s got the best margaritas.
20. You have a tough time deciding on one of Austin’s eight 24-hour resaraunts (Katz’, Kerbey Lane, Star Seeds, Magnolia Cafe, IHOP, Denny’s, the Kettle, or Jim’s).
21. You complain about their prices but still shop at Central Market for the scene.
22. You don’t even think about getting good seats to the Longhorns football games.
23. You know the exact locations of three towing yards.
24. Your summer shoes are your Birks and your winter shoes are your Birks w/ socks.
25. Your entire wardrobe consists of: a black tank top, a GAP white T-shirt, second-hand Levi’s, second-hand cut-off Levi’s, overalls, Longhorns sweats, anything polyester from the 70′s, a bikini, Tevas, Birkenstocks, and running shoes.
26. Dressing up to go out for a woman means throwing a tank top on over the sports bra you’ve had on all day b/c it’s so DAMN HOT.
27. You often find yourself wondering why magazine editors insist that swimsuit season starts on Memorial Day when it’s really the end of February or at the latest, the beginning of March.
28. You consider chips, salsa, Kerby Queso, and Shiner Bock beer a well balanced meal.
29. You find yourself making beaded necklaces to give away as Christmas gifts.
30. 100 degrees for three straight months isn’t unreasonable, 110 degrees is. And 90 degrees anywhere between May and September seems a little chilly.
31. You figure skin cancer is inevitable b/c it’s so DAMN HOT even your sunscreen won’t stay on.
32. When you go out, you make sure you’ve grabbed your water bottle before checking to see if you’ve got your wallet and keys.
33. You don’t mind parking a mile away as long as it’s in the shade.
34. Nobody’s aware that Southwestern went out of style.
35. (Gals) You ask yourself constantly if that’s a cute guy or a butch girl. And you really don’t care either way cuz it’s fun to wonder.
36. You’d rather ride your bike than get in a car without air conditioning. At least on your bike, you’re guaranteed a breeze regardless of traffic.
37. You see more Texas flags flying than American flags.
38. You spend so much time at MoJo’s Coffee House, you finally start bringing in your own CD’s for the staff to play.
39. Your professor decides in the middle of the Government lecture that now’s as good of a time as ever to tell his class of 500 he’s gay. Like you didn’t know. Like you even care.

All animals except man know that the ultimate point of life is to enjoy it.
- Samuel Butler

After a month of being back in the States, based out of Austin, Caroline and I began our road trip yesterday. I’ve been doing my best to live by the creed of Samuel Butler. Austin’s been hot and humid, and Texas has been flooding, but I tried to see lots of friends and do as much as possible when I was at home. Here are some of the highlights from my days in Austin over this past month. Photos will be added later:

Keep Austin Weird Festival:
Bob Schnieder
Soul Hat
Naked man with cat on a leash

Father’s Day at the Salt Lick Bar-b-que
Fave t-shirt slogans: “I got sauced at the Lick” or “You can smell our pits from miles away”
I’ve been eating meat on occasion for the last 1.5 years of traveling in Africa, but most has been pretty lack luster (to say the least). My first good meat was in Kampala (many thanks Brett for the introduction to great $5 steak!). My second good meat was on Father’s Day at the Salt Lick… home to some of Texas’s best BBQ (not to mention live music!).

Hanging with Eric
I’ll post more later, but for now know that I couldn’t be more excited to have Eric as a friend back in my life. He’s single ladies, so line up now for your chance at a smart, funny, good looking, employed at a good engineering job, loyal guy… all yours in the tropical paradise of Hawaii. Are you social with introvert tendencies? Or an introvert with a strong social streak? Are you a hopeless romantic on some level? Ever thought of visiting Hawaii? Nows your chance! Contact me and I’ll give you details. Seriously, he’s a great catch. 512.879.8423

Slumber party and swim lessons with Gus
Everyone’s favorite nephew is now 14 months old, doing well, and generally tolerant of me hanging out and wanting to play. I was proudly part of his very first steps and continue to feel lucky to spend time with him!

Friends
Got to see college friends Andy, Kat, Charles, Chris, Alyssa and kids. Got to see many people at my welcome home party. Got to attend Isabel and Juan’s beautiful wedding. Even got to hang with high school friends multiple times (and meet their new baby girls!).

The All-American Pastime
Went to a baseball game with my folks at the Dell Diamond, home of the Houston Astros award winning farm league team at the award winning stadium partially sponsored by local gazillionaire Michael Dell of Dell Computers.

Live Music
It’s so fabulous to be back in a town with live music. After all, Austin is the live music capital of the world. I’ve seen live music at El Arroyo, the Salt Lick, the Keep Austin Weird Festival, even at the baseball game, etc.

ACL filming for The Decemberists and Ghostland Observatory
Amen for Austin City Limits! Alyssa helped get us tickets for the show, and Chris, Stef, and I went to The Decemberists and Ghostland Observatory. I danced my ass off in the first row and had a fabulous time. So great! Made me realize just how much I missed it while I was away!

I’m now out of Austin and on day two of the road trip. We made it to Roswell, NM last night and today we head to Flagstaff to visit the Grand Canyon. After that it’s LA, SF, Crater Lake Natl Park, hot springs, and then Seattle! Hope everyone is well!

After leaving Austin last week and trekking through Roswell, the Grand Canyon National Park, Sedona, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Crater Lake National Park, and Portland, Caroline and I made it to Seattle in the wee hours of the morning! Yay road trips! Other than a little smoking engine in Roswell (maybe it was the aliens?), the drive was uneventful and very fun. Visited lots of friends along the way (Chris & Aimee, Meg, Scott & Zoey, Ajit, Sue, Jess, Alan), camped at and visited national parks, made it to Flagstaff on the day of BeerFest 2007, missed the Roswell 60th anniversary space ship crash celebrations by one week, enjoyed lots of fantastic scenery, managed to avoid all rush hours, did some short hikes, and did lots of people watching. Managed to only stop at one Dairy Queen the whole trip (despite the frequent barrage of attacks on my will power/self control). It was a fun time overall and a highly recommended trip if anyone is looking for an excuse to get in a car for a week.

It’s raining here in Seattle today… what a fitting welcome home after a long time gone in Africa. Today was my first day back and it was spent seeing Erin, hanging with Caroline and her parents, and going to the Harry Potter release party with Jess tonight. Also spent some time today unloading the car and looking through my boxes in storage. Fun, fun. It’s basically now time to look for a job, though that’ll probably wait till Monday. For now I get Hope everyone is well!

Being back has made me once again so appreciative all of the fabulous people that have come into my life. I’ve been in town since Friday and have already seen old friends and new friends alike, had one very nice date, been to two great parties, eaten dinner with friends, and hung out with folks I haven’t seen in way too long. I’ve also been invited to drinks, birthday parties, BBQs, had an offer for full time employment, another for part time temporary work, and offers of couches to crash on, various guest rooms, basement rooms, mother in law apartments, and empty rooms in friends’ houses. I feel blessed. I feel lucky. I feel like I’m supposed to be back in Seattle for a while. Now if only I could figure out what I want to do in life. Kenya’s gotten all of my priorities all mixed up and that was a bit unexpected.

On a side note… I just found this post from October 2005 when I was getting ready to leave Seattle. I posted it and then never thought of it again. It was fun to re-read it and see where things progressed to where we are today after the African adventure came to an end.

Beautiful People

Yesterday I had a work dinner that was really quite lovely and kept me smiling all night. Have I told y’all lately how much I love the people I work with? Regardless of how much I choose to work, I do it because I love my job. And I love my job not for the paperwork, but for the people and the community. After last night’s dinner I was feeling pleased, excited, and hopeful.

I came home from dinner and had a few more craigs stop by for furniture and games and such. One man came with two friends and they were the nicest folks ever. If I were living in Seattle, I’d have to hope they’d instantly become part of my circle of friends. And I hope maybe just for a few weeks that they will. In moments like these, and a million others, it makes me sad to leave Seattle. I’ve been blessed with so many random moments of kindness and with so many fantastic new friends each year that I’ve been here. From my very first friends Ross, Moses, Erin, and Rod… to the new folks I just met last night. While I’m very excited about my upcoming year in Africa, it’s really going to break my heart to leave all of the fantastically kind people I’ve met over the years in Seattle.

The folks last night from craigslist were just like the rest. Arrive, see my newly empty apartment, ask “Are you moving?” Yes, I say. “Where to?” Africa. “What are you going to do there?” This conversation has repeated itself, seriously, maybe 30-40 times in the past week as I call to cancel magazines, change my address at my banks, sell stuff on craigslist, close out my utility bill account, etc. Everyone, all of these random strangers, have been so nice, so genuine, so caring, and so thoughtful. They’ve wished me the best of luck. Told me they admired me. Said they were impressed. They told me I was going to do amazing things. One woman last night, who bought a table of mine that will go in her new studio space, gave me a gift… a hand sewn and beaded scarf she designed and made in her art studio. I just about hugged her, and she seemed to feel the same way. I think we shook hands, maybe two or three times, while saying goodbye.

Side note… I got an email from her friend and he said, and I quote: “we all thought you were very interesting and very nice and we all thought it was too bad (only for us though) that you are leaving… There are going to be some awfully lucky people in Africa. Take care again and we hope to see you again before you leave.” How fantastic is that?

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in life, in the to do lists, in the responsibilities, that beauty in life isn’t always the first thing we see and think about in the morning, at noon, or at night. But today I’m taking time to be thankful to all of the random strangers who’ve come into my life at points in the last week. It’s been really touching for me to feel the support of so many well wishes, both in my circle of Seattle friends, and in the random strangers who I’ve just met. One of my coworkers told me he was bitter about me leaving, and that he was sad to lose a mentor. I know I thanked him for the kind words, but it was really touching for me to know how each of us can find a place in life with others. I just wanted to say thanks to y’all too… it means much more than you’ll know and I’ll carry that support with me in my heart for a long time to come. To say our lives intersect is a start, but it’s really just the beginning…

Hot tubs
Dinner parties
Blue skies
Generous friends
Free internet
Lawn chairs in the sunny yard
Two jobs
Block Party today
BBQ this weekend

Too much thinking in general, but life is still oh so good.

Pictures to come soon!

Silversun Pickups – meh. cute bassist, but otherwise just felt like generic indie.

Blue Scholars – local hip hop was oh so great! crowd went wild in appreciation!

The Blood Brothers – dance punk? fun guys, but probably a bit too loud and screamy for me

Matt & Kim – good energy, a bit silly and way into us as the crowd

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head – really quite rockin’ for a bunch of underage kids

The Saturday Knights – was so excited to see these guys again! first saw them at a kexp show back in 2005 and they were just as great this time around!

This weekend Nitza and I finally checked out the Seattle Art Museum’s new Olympic Sculpture Park. It was great catching up and great to be down at the waterfront on a gorgeous weekend!

The Olympic Sculpture Park transforms a nine-acre industrial site into open and vibrant green space for art. This new waterfront park gives Seattle residents and visitors the opportunity to experience a variety of sculpture in an outdoor setting, while enjoying the incredible views and beauty of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.

Maggie and Jim also surprised me with a pair of free tickets for the Zoo Tunes summer concert series at Woodlawn Park Zoo. We met up with Nancy, Kim, and a whole crowd of nice folks who’ve hiked the 2,600 mile Pacific Coast Trail. And we saw a highly energetic show by Great Big Sea with special guest Jeremy Fisher in a fabulous outdoor setting on a gorgeous Seattle summer evening. Life is good.

I’m not sure if I’ve shared some basics yet on life, so here are a few. To answer the most asked question: YES. It absolutely is weird to be back. Good, but still weird/hard. Second and third most asked questions are about housing and work, and I’ve got a few vague answers to share.

I was planning to be unemployed for a while, figure out what I want to do in life, adjust back to being in the States, in Seattle, in the working world, in the developed world, all of that good stuff. However, I’ve actually rejoined the working world much quicker than I’d planned. I’m working for a few weeks on a contract at an environmental consulting company downtown that should help pay a few bills (many thanks to Dieter for the hook up!).

After I finished my hour long orientation for that job, I stepped out into a busy street corner and got a call on my cell from my old boss on the East Coast. She offered me my old job back as Interim Director at my nonprofit and said they’re interested in having me as long as I’ll stick around. I won’t be there for the whole school year, but I’ll be there till I’ve got more of life figured out and more plans for what comes next.

Crazy. Two new jobs in one hour. And even crazier, Caroline’s offered me a Production Assistant position on some upcoming film work she’s doing and I think I might just be crazy enough to take it. I could use the money right now, after spending down my savings for a year and a half in Africa, and beyond that, working in film for a few days sounds pretty entertaining.

I”m still currently homeless, but have generous friends Jess and Caroline who hooked me up with a house sitting gig for two weeks. Jess returns home on Friday which means I’ll need to figure out what comes next.
- Erin’s offered me a room in her new house, but she doesn’t move for another week or two (and she’s got a high school exchange student, and is moving far north, and has two big dogs that are sometimes behaved and sometimes not so well behaved, and two cats).
- Abbey’s also ready to have someone take over her lease and she’s got a great studio in Fremont just two blocks from my old apartment (I’d LOVE to move back to my old ‘hood). It’d be smaller than a regular apartment since I wouldn’t have a separate bedroom, but it has a Murphy bed that pulls out of the wall so there’s no wasted space. Could be fabulous, but is a little more expensive that I was previously paying since I wouldn’t have a roommie.
- I’ve also looked into a few shared living situations, but not much luck so far. One was tiny and kind of old (with a nice woman in a decent location, middle of the price ranges), and one was a house with 9 people (more affordable, big space, but kinda far north and could be a bit much with that many roomies).

We’ll have to see. For an extra $100, I could have the fabulously cool studio and live on my own. It’s pretty tempting… Besides, rents have gone up here in a crazy way so I know I’ll have to pay more than I did. I know I shouldn’t expect a 2-2 apt in my old Fremont neighborhood without expecting a rent increase of $200-300.

So there you go. I’m no longer unemployed, but definitely still homeless and debating what to do with the living situation. Advice on housing is always welcome!

PHONE: Got a surprise call from Samer this afternoon and couldn’t have been more excited to hear his voice! Makes me want to buy a plane ticket and go visit, but I guess I need to be content with catching up over the phone…

REAL LIFE: Also exciting was finally catching up with Cindy! After a year in the village living and working together, then spending seven months apart, it was great to see each other in real life. Seems we’re (understandably) going through a lot of the same transitions right now.

EMAIL: It keeps getting better. I also got an email today from Lucie, my friend from the Congo who I met in Kenya. She lives in Kinshasa and is a young 20-something trying to make a living. It’s not always so easy here, much less in Africa, much less in DRC Congo. There’s always so much turbulence in the capital that I often worry about her like I used to worry about Jonas and car bombs in Jerusalem. It’s always good to hear from her, even though it’s hard to hear she’s in such a rough place and rough time in life.

KINDNESS OF STRANGERS: And in other “life is good” news… I had a complete stranger walk up to me on the street today and give me her gluten free coconut cupcake from Flying Apron (the best gluten free bakery in town!). What are the chances of anyone giving away their cupcake on the street, much less one from the Flying Apron that’s gluten free?? I don’t know the statistics, but I continue to feel fortunate to be where I am in life… even if I am homeless and over-employed and going through weird stuff inside my head.

“I don’t really know why I care so much. I just have something inside me that tells me that there is a problem and I have got to do something about it. So I am doing something about it. I think that is what I would call the god in me; and all of us have a god in us and that god is the spirit that unites all life, everything that is on this planet. And it must be this voice that is telling me to do something and I’m sure it is the same voice that is speaking to everybody on this planet, at least everybody who seems to be concerned about the fate of this world, the fate of this planet.”
- Wangari Maathai (Kenyan woman, Nobel prize winner)

Hey kids,

Wangari Maathai is coming to Seattle in September to speak at Benaroya Hall. Tickets are $25 for the upper deck and the speech is Wed Sept 19th at 7pm. Who’s with me? I know Susie, Jess, and Nancy are in. Anyone else?

Love,
Me