just laura

I feel a bit behind for not having an insightful, clever, heartwarming recap of my year like everyone else, so I’m posting KEXP’s top 90.3 albums of the year instead. :) Maybe my recap will still come sometime this month. For now, I’ll wish you a happy new year. May it be a great year full of grand adventures!!

Over 250 now reported dead, with people reportedly scared Kenya could turn into a Rwanda if the ethnic/tribal fighting doesn’t calm down. More from the NY Times:

On Monday night, several hundred Kikuyus barricaded themselves inside the Kenya Assemblies of God church in Kiambaa, a small village near the town of Eldoret. The next morning, a rowdy mob showed up. According to witnesses, the mob was mostly Kalenjins, Luhyas and Luos, Mr. Odinga’s tribe, which makes up about 13 percent of the population. They overran Kikuyu guards in front of the church and then pulled out cans of gasoline. There were no police officers around, witnesses said, and no water to put the fire out. Most people escaped. But in addition to those killed, dozens were hospitalized with severe burns. Witnesses said most of the people hiding inside had been women and children.

The Eldoret area has become a killing zone. Residents say dozens of Kikuyus have been hacked to death, including four who were beheaded on Monday.

In Nairobi, a much-feared Kikuyu street gang called the Mungiki seems to be taking revenge. According to residents in a Luo area, the Mungiki, who are said to take an oath in which they drink human blood, were sweeping through the slums and killing Luos.

Tonight was dinner with Mom, Dad, Charlie, Stef, Stef’s mom Connie, and good ol’ Gus. Tomorrow I head home to Seattle. I’m doing way better than I was for the first hellish 10 days, but my energy is still pretty low. I plan to take it easy for another 4 weeks… maybe working some half days from home, we’ll see how it goes. Hope y’all are well!

In my last days in Austin, I went to Chris’s birthday at Charles’s house (yay Chris and Charles!) with catering from Chuy’s (thanks Alyssa!). I also had dinner with high school friends at Kirby Lane (Will, Jackie, baby Willa, Corey, Heather, baby Miette, Lester, and Ben), saw Hanna and Beal (at Beal’s fancy new place), and did dinner with family. Mostly I spent my time being exhausted, despite limiting life to one small outing per day.

I’m now back in Seattle for phase two of recovery. Suzan wrote from Chicago and says “hope you’re being pampered.” Indeed! Everyone’s been totally more generous than necessary, keeping me fed for every meal and then some! Multiple offers to do my laundry, buy me groceries, etc. Friday Maggie generously picked me from the airport and kept me company in Fremont. Friday night Barry took me to dinner which was quite enjoyable (yay new friends!). Rod says I haven’t mentioned M on the blog lately, but that’s because I’ve been out of town for almost 3 weeks. After dinner on Friday I joined Barry and M at a cocktail party at Maegan and Leo’s house. I was way undressed, but generally excused since surgery = pity points. (Despite the fact that I’m not in such intense pain, and I can indeed walk and talk now, I’m still swollen and that makes it hard to wear most of my pants. Mom and I had to go out in Austin and buy me two pairs of fat pants, neither of which is too attractive). M and I were both pretty tired and left the cocktail party decently early. Mom and Dad (and other protective friends) should be glad at the self control shown by leaving a party early in the evening.

Saturday was another day of generous friends looking out for me. I spent all day in my apartment, only leaving for dinner then returning straight home. Caroline provided companionship and organic goodies for healthy healing (soups, bagels, fresh juices, organic ice cream, etc) while Susie went the alternative route and provided companionship and trashy goodies for keeping me entertained while healing (gossip mags, chocolate candy, DVDs, trashy romance novel, etc). For dinner, M and I dressed up for a fancy night out at Qube Restaurant (1901 2nd Ave, www.quberestaurant.com). It’s not every day I put on high heels and a little black dress, though it is fun when it happens. From their website:

Elegant foods for the elegantly dressed. A full service restaurant featuring six Asian cuisines – Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian, bounded together by the classical French cooking technique. Vibrant and elegant interpretations of Asian-French cuisine. Finding the perfect balance of the “East & West”, each plate is an artistic creation that feeds the palate, the eyes and soul. Changing with the rhythm of the seasons, Qube offers an array of small and large à la carte plates as well as three-course “Qube Sets” and six-course “Omakase” tasting menus designed to push your culinary boundaries. Qube won CitySearch’s “Best Downtown Restaurant 2007, Best Wine List 2007, Best Fine Dining 2007, and Best Signature Drink 2007.”

I was in bed again early on Saturday night and actually slept for about 10 hours (woke up at 6, but forced myself down for 3 more hours). This morning was Sunday brunch at Rod’s condo with Clare, Blaque, Dierdre, Amanda, and Nick). And now I’m home again resting. Kind of ridiculous to feel so tired, despite not doing much, but I’m trying to be good, trying to sleep more than usual, trying to stay home more, run fewer errands, go out less. We’ll see how it goes for a while. Hope everyone else is well. Take care!

Who knew Seattle now has a place called the Austin Cantina, serving “Seattle’s best Tex-Mex” food? It looks like it opened in Sept 2007 which makes it still pretty new. Menu looks a little silly ($7 empanadas? chipolte mashes potatoes?), but still looks intriguing to me. I fully expect to be let down, but we’ll see. I’ve got to hold out some hope better Tex Mex.

Austin City Limits aired the filming of Ghostland’s TV debut a week or so ago and I totally missed it. I did see a video of one song from the night, Sad Sad City, and enjoyed the reminder of such a fun show. I got to see myself on TV dancing and looking a little silly. Stef was on there too, and while Chris wasn’t in this particular song’s video, I hear he was in the full length taping as well. :)

Everyone asks how I’m feeling, so I figured I’d get it out of the way first. :) Beyond that, it’s rainy season in Seattle and life feels pretty calm right now. Busy, but calm.

Sunday night I decided to turn down 3 dinner invites and watch movies on my new couch. Thanks again to Emily, I have a couch, and it’s serving me quite well these days as my new headquarters.

Monday I worked half day in the office, then napped, then did dinner with Barry. Lovely conversation (a bit heavy perhaps) and decent food from La Isla. I had no real appreciation since my appetite is still pretty much MIA. Alas. Barry ate the second half of my entree and my roomie Bobbi later ate my side dishes back at the apartment.

Tuesday I worked from the couch, did coffee with Tyler in the evening, then headed over to Chez Gaudy for Susie’s birthday! Couldn’t have been happier to celebrate a better girl! I’m so thankful she was my travel companion last year… what a beautiful way to get to know someone super well while out living life to the fullest on the road, learning and growing and being challenged every day as we went. I have only pure love for Susie and was absolutely committed to the birthday dinner (despite the giant bags under my eyes, my avoidance of wine, my nauseous belly, and my inability to do birthday shots). All ten of us crowded in to a tiny table for the festivities… Duff, Kelsey, Joe, Kelly, Kerry, Nancy, Drew, Jeff, me, and Sus. $8 bottles of wine night, so much food, free round of birthday shots and beer, free massage from the owner, early 90s hip hop, and free strippers and blow at midnight. Could you ask for a better way to celebrate or be celebrated? I think not.

N/B: I am now on a mission to recreate a similar early 90s rap playmix from the evening… it started with Bel Biv Devo’s Poison and I was hooked for the night!

Today I worked in the office for way too long, and still have tons to do for a grant due, reports due, and hiring to be done. Ended up too tired for the photo meeting, and then Caroline and I canceled plans too due to tiredness all around. I stayed home and camped out on my couch.

Can I admit I’m actually kind of scared by the tired thing. I know to a good extent it’s just part of the healing process, but another part of me wonders if I really do still need to eat high calorie, high sugar, high carb. For the most part, I don’t have any desire to eat at all. Nothing sounds good but I try to force some food down anyway. Was nauseous again yesterday so that kept dinner to a minimum, even at lovely Chez Gaudy. Tonight I decided to force myself, and with my lack of energy decided to get Stell’s take out. Love Stells normally. And it’s high calorie so that was an intentional choice. However, tonight I couldn’t manage to finish my sandwich or my milkshake. I’m feeling pretty lame, but I tried. I think maybe I’ll just go to bed instead. Maybe more sleeping would be just as good as more eating?

Hope y’all are well!

Tonight Dieter and Emily are bringing me dinner in exchange for me showing Dieter my scar and/or surgery photos. I’ve had only 2 requests to drop my pants and show the actual scar. But I’ve had a few other requests for the bloody surgery pics, so I’ve scanned a few and posted them online. I won’t put them right here on the blog because I really don’t want to gross out folks like Susie who care about me and want me to have a happy uterus. However, for those of you who do want gory pics, feel free to go check out the surgery photos. My uterus is your uterus.

…and that’s all there is to it. Going on day 12 of belly hell. It pretty much feels like the days of malaria all over again, hence blogging at 4am when I’m once again woken out of my sleep and laying around in pain. Arg. Doesn’t make for the wildest of weekends, but such is life right now…

I’m trying to be good. Last week I worked more than 40 hours and was exhausted. This week I’m trying to work less. Both weeks I’ve tried to be good about knowing to stay home one night if I was going out the next night or two. Yay recovery!

• Last Thursday I cooked dinner with Dieter and Emily, and Andrew showed up as an added bonus. Yay burritos in Fremont!
• Friday I stayed home in an attempt to balance going out.
• Saturday I stayed in all day (no running errands!), skipped the Jason Webley show (sad), and then cooked dinner with Barry in the evening instead. It was quite enjoyable so no regrets.
• Sunday was brunch at Rod’s as usual, with lots of relationship talk this week. Seems dating is on the mind this time of the year (after new years people seem full of resolutions, and it’s before Valentines and the increased focus on loooove).
• Sunday night was dinner with M. He was in a sassy mood and it was a fun night. Dinner at lovely Restaurant Zoe.
  2137 2nd Ave in Belltown, Seattle, WA 98121, (206) 256-2060
• Monday I only worked a few hours and then hung with Nitza in the afternoon. (Hi Nitza!) Then I drove home last night in what turned out to be snow. I left Nitza’s place and was excited to see the rain had stopped. I was dry walking to my car. But by the time I got my car onto the highway, it was already hailing. And then it was snowing. And then cars were pulled over or stopped in the middle of the road. Busses were stopped in the middle of the road. Police were all over. Cars were spinning out on Fremont trying to go up the hill. Such fun. My Honda’s not the best for snow, but I thankfully made it safely up the hill and into my warm apartment.

I love everyone these days. Including you, Beal. And you, Brett. Here’s to hoping for no broken hearts anytime soon. Be safe and be well, y’all.

I like this picture because it looks like my body’s been replaced by a bottle of wine.
I’m betting it was taken by Noel… he took a few shots of me I actually enjoyed.

Restless: So, I’m having one of those restless weeks where I’m entirely toooooo exhausted but somehow unwilling to sleep. (Not unable, just unwilling). So, yes, I’m doing stuff instead. Tonight was an open house at Google. Seems like a great place to work. Ran into a few folks I knew, including long time photo friend Jim, one of my biggest cheerleaders. Went out for drinks afterwards with Barry (not one of my biggest cheerleaders, but a seemingly nice guy none the less). Am now home feeling restless and crappy, but also feeling seriously happy to have Susie in my life, excited about our clothes swap on Thursday (which means I get the added bonus of seeing Caroline, Angelica, and Jen!), and upcoming time with The Girls in town this week. M, A, and Q remain some of my fave people in life. Also killing time tonight looking at the Office Nomads flickr stream… so fun!

Whine: On the travel front, staying home for surgery is killing me. It not only meant no travel, but it’s draining all of my surplus funds and then some (to say the least). I haven’t even gotten my surgeon’s bill yet and my credit card for Dec is already, literally, 3 times what it normally is, thanks to hospital bills and doctors bills before the big event. Geez. I’m just waiting for the ball to drop when I get the surgeon’s actual bill. It’s not going to be pretty for my finances. Isn’t our health insurance system grand?

Other news: Mike from Atlanta, who we met in Namibia and hooked us up with Danielle in Zambia, is moving to town on Jan 28th. Wild. He offered to teach me to ski, which is pretty great. Did I mention there’s a 10 day ski trip up in Whistler happening in Feb? I don’t ski, and work is too busy as always, so I wouldn’t possibly go for long, but the idea of a weekend in Whistler is pretty appealing right now. Perhaps me, my camera, and a set of snow shoes? I should be in better condition by then and able to at least wander around and/or maybe take a day of lessons.

Cabin: Happily, I get to get away next weekend as Clare’s opened up her cabin time to me, bq, Kat, and Caroline. I’m looking forward to the fireplace, friends, a camera with lenses, and the cold, gray beach.

And: Party with M this weekend scares me a bit. The guest list has people I know from outside of M, confirming a million times over how small of a world it is.

Weight: I’m down 7 pounds from when I returned from Africa this summer. It’s not much, but considering I came back 10 lbs heavier than I’ve ever been, it’s a start to getting back to where I’d rather be. If only I could be working out already, I’d have faith it was real weight loss and not just my current loss of appetite and often inability to keep foods down.

Health: My lower back really hurts today. (And abdomen is still in slight dull pain too, of course). I should just break down and go get a massage. I bet I could do it now without hurting my belly too much… In related news, my entire body is creaky when I move and I look like shit (despite my coworkers telling me I have some good color back in my face). Ugh.

Camera: No time to look for a lens yet. Yes, I’m that busy. Why I can’t force myself to sit around for six weeks is beyond me. (Well, really it’s work that’s keeping that from happen, but me wanting to see friends doesn’t help either).

Africa: Seems to be haunting me these days. Kenya’s political turmoil isn’t cool, but it is cool to get so many emails on a weekly basis from friends made while traveling. Emails this week from both Josh and Joel (two PC vols), and from Anders, and from Brett, and Mike, and a week ago from Ralf too. Brett’s coming to visit, wants us to visit Panama, and wants to plan an additional trip in South America with us. Gotta love Brett and love his dedication… how lucky to find him in Namibia too! How could I not love that man and that country? David’s latest email included invites to join him in both Montreal and/or Vancouver. Finding him sitting next to me when I awoke on the Ilala Ferry is still one of my happiest moment’s traveling. It was pure, genuine happiness. Not sure that I have any right to miss any or all of these folks, but I do.

Lonely: Beal yesterday said she’s lonely in a big way upon return from Korea and that she feels lonely daily, maybe even willing to get in a bad relationship because it’d hurt less. Brett said today he’s feeling hollow inside, like his body and soul have separated. I’m not even sure what I feel at this point. I am surrounded by good people and good friends, loving folks who want me healthy and happy. I’m generally pleased with my work and employees there. And I’m even having fun dating as an added bonus. Don’t know that I should be feeling lonely for anyone or anything, but something persists even if it’s not loneliness.

And yes, I’m restless at 1:30am. Restless… Restless… Restless… Guess I should be off to read or email or sleep or do something productive…

RENT is closing on Broadway on June 1st after a fabulously successful 12 year run. And really, my inner theater dork thinks that means I’ll need to plan a NYC trip sometime between now and then. I’ve got the added excuse to visit my fabulously successful cousin Jon who’s recently moved to NYC to be an investment banker. And I’ve got the added excuse to visit my fabulously mommy friend Laura V who had baby Jensen this fall. Indeed… might just be time for a weekend in NYC!

I’m just not quite there yet. It’ll have to stay in my head a while longer…

Marth, me, and Abbey

Marth, Abbey, and Susie collectively make up some of my favorite people ever. I had the chance to visit Marth and Abbey in DC in November, and couldn’t be more excited they’re back in Seattle for a visit this weekend. (Couldn’t have come at a better time!) There were many pictures taken last night at the Redwoods (to be posted soon-ish), and I’m excited to see them again for brunch and again Sunday afternoon. I think I’m going to have to miss Jeff’s kegger tonight in their honor, but date night beckons and you know how that goes. :)

Well, I guess we can start with this: Dream, the ex of Samantha’s I’ve been generally so impressed with, also the latest ex this winter, recently committed suicide. I’ve had lots of death in my circle of friends and classmates, and a few very shattering suicides as well, and hearing the news this week was pretty awful. It’s a tragic event and a selfish event and it makes me very, very sad to know Dream was in such an awful place in his head. And while it might make me a horrible person to say this, I’m perhaps even sadder to think of it’s horrific effect on amazing Samantha (who deserves nothing but cute puppies, flowers, grand adventures, and free drinks for the rest of her life). Dream barely flitted into my peripheral this fall and in my time around him I found him to be someone committed to new experiences, life balance, artistic expression, probing questions, and intentional living. I know many other incredibly caring, over achieving, and intelligent tech boys, but not all elect to reduce their hours and salary to half to allow even more time for living a full life…. to write, to create, to art, to make music, to love. He definitely wasn’t perfect, but it’s still tragic. His suicide, and the resulting secondary trauma, make me pretty sad right now. Please think all of the warm thoughts you possibly can for Samantha and all those who knew Dream.

Samantha and Dream

Beyond the news of the suicide, it’s been a generally rough week all around. It’s also been a week of miscarriages, divorce announcements, breakups, rent increases, depression diagnoses, and worry for people I care about. It’s been a week of too many hospital bills and continued health problems for me. It’s been a week of uncertainty in my mind (guess a crazy week can have that effect?). And I’m pretty sure it’s not just me. Duff tells me he even had two deaths of coworkers this week. Very sad.

On the bright side, I still love my friends dearly and am thankful for all the good people surrounding me. Got to catch up with Caroline and Fester this week. Did drinks with Caroline and Jen this week. Got away like a bandit at the clothing swap this week (thanks Susie and Nance!). And last night, to cap a long and sometimes painful week, got to spend a night at the bar with the Sunday Dinner crowd for Marth and Abbey’s homecoming. There was time for catching up and there was lots and lots of laughing. Yay Marth, Susie, Abbey, Jim, Amber, Kerry, Jeff, and Duff. Oh, and before the crowds arrived, I even ran into Kelsey which was pretty great. Who wants to sit alone in a bar when you can be surrounded by Kelsey and a table of her crazy friends? It was a lovely start to the night!

Today was a doctor’s appointment this morning that left me disappointed as usual (I think I prefer surgery… much more helpful/concrete results). Today I’m attempting to back up my photos and laptop (so I can eventually go through Africa photos and hang some prints in the apartment). Tonight is date night w/ M. Tomorrow is going to be packed with two brunches, M&A time, and hanging out with Barry. I think I’m scheduled almost daily for the next few weeks. I’m excited about dinners and spa trips and movie nights and new people and multiple birthday celebrations and weekends at cabins, but my goodness, it does get kind of tiring. Especially with the sad weeks like this to weigh you down…

We all know I’m mildly obsessed with my perfect little nephew Gus. Here are some pics of our last dinner in January… after my surgery, the night before flying back to Seattle. I was in pain and looking kind of rough, but Gus is pretty good at ignoring all of that and just playing like a good kid.

Suzan read my “rough week” post from this weekend tipped me off to research that says today, Mon Jan 21st, is the most depressing day of the year. The short answer to why: Some guy named Dr. Cliff Arnall has a special formula that he developed, which takes into account 3 factors: “the weather, failed new years resolutions and consumer debt from holiday spending.” Plus, it’s a Monday. I guess I could maybe see it… I definitely have the stack of health insurance bills from the holiday that creates sucky debt.

Time Magazine disagrees, however, based on internet research. Gotta love the digital age. Either way, it really can’t hurt to offer smiles to strangers, be kind to folks, and to wish everyone well. :)

Friday, Jan. 18, 2008
The Most Depressing Day of the Year
By Bill Tancer

There’s a lot to feel down about this month: the subprime mortgage crisis, stormy, unpredictable weather, rising gas prices, presidential primary free-for-alls. So, it would be easy to believe the theory set forth by Dr. Cliff Arnall, a researcher from Cardiff University, that the third Monday of the month (Jan. 21, this year) — a day he calls Blue Monday — will be our most depressing day of the year. Arnall bases his yearly prediction on a formula he developed, which factors in the weather, consumer debt from holiday spending and failed New Year’s resolutions and arrives at that conclusion that we’ll hit rock bottom on Monday the 21st. Aside from the fact that Arnall’s theory has been discounted by many in the academic community, I’ve got a better way of finding the true nadir of depression: Look to our search behavior.

In the digital age we’re likely to turn to search engines just as often as we would confide in friends and medical professionals to gauge our psychological state. If we think we’re suffering from a real bout of the blues or a mental crisis, we’re likely to Google the symptoms or find a chat group in the hopes of performing a self-diagnosis. In fact, online searches for “depression” are among the most popular searches sending traffic to the 5,900 sites that we track in the Hitwise Health and Medical category — but the peak is not in January. According to our Internet behavior, our depression spikes reliably in mid-November every year, right in time for Thanksgiving, the launch of the holiday season.

To confirm this timing I took a look from a different perspective. If we’re depressed, we’re probably also seeking pharmacological help. By aggregating the traffic to the websites of the top antidepressants and charting visits to those sites over the last three years, a very interesting pattern emerges. The spike in traffic to the official websites for drugs like Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil and Cymbalta occurs in late October and early November, two weeks ahead of the height in searches on “depression.” It’s almost as if people anticipate their holiday depression and start shopping early for their drug of choice.

Another surprise lies in the demographics of visitors to antidepressant websites — they’re not who you would expect. If visitors to Lexapro.com, for example, are at all representative of the typical depressed individual, depression during November is an affliction primarily of the young and the old, but not of the middle-aged. The two age groups that account for the largest portion of site visitors are 18 to 24 (26.2%) and over 55 (27.6%). Visitors to Lexapro’s site also tend to have average to above-average incomes: 51% of visitors come from households earning between $60,000 and $150,000 per year, while 20% come from households that earn over $150,000 — a sample, perhaps, not of the depressed in general, but of those who can afford to seek treatment.

So, Dr. Arnall, despite the failing economy, the storm of the century here in Northern California, a disappointing roster of presidential candidates and deciding that New Year’s resolutions aren’t for me this year, I’m feeling pretty good about things. If search data is any indication, I’m not alone.

Saturday M and I dressed up and went to dinner at the fancy W Hotel’s Earth & Ocean restaurant. M tells me he makes reservations for us after checking my blog to see if we’ve been there before. Too funny. Glad my meal posts have served a purpose. :)

Earth & Ocean, 1112 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, Phone: (206) 264-6000
“Indulge. Savor inspired cuisine from above and below the sea at the critically acclaimed Earth & Ocean – the Pacific Northwest’s answer to destination dining. Experience the freshest local organic and farm-direct produce and seafood at Earth & Ocean. With each bite, you’ll understand why it was recently named “10 Very Best Restaurants 2006″ by Seattle Magazine. Or linger over signature cocktails in the über-chic W Bar.”

After our “über-chic” dinner, we went to a friend’s very fun party. If only I could get paid to go to parties… that’d be swell. I think I’m generally social and/or good at it and I love getting emails after the fact confirming the hosts enjoyed having me there. Yay life.

Sunday was a tiring but fun day. Rod was out of town for the day, so instead of my normal Sunday brunch plans, things got a little crazy. Ladies Brunch in the AM was at Nancy’s place in Queen Anne with so many great women who are moms, activists, volunteers, and passionate about social justice/social services/having fun. Special guests were M&A from DC! So great to hear more stories and spend more time with them. Round two of brunch at Blaque’s place in Fremont was an entirely different but still very fun crowd. Alli was in town and I finally got to meet “the Muffin.” Entertaining. Dinner in the evening with Barry was quite laid back (thankfully!) and quite yummy.

Today is MLK Day. I took the girls to the airport this morning bright and early, and then spent the rest of the day working from home on the couch. I’m sad to see them go but excited to know I’ll see them again in DC in just a few weeks! As for this week, I’m looking forward to a few dinners with friends and to a few relaxing nights at home. Next weekend: Clare’s waterfront cabin in Whidbey Island!

I was incredibly proud to see Susie and Jacob featured in Forbes small business last month, and am now super excited to see them featured in Last Days… potentially my favorite column in the Stranger, our weekly paper. Also excited to see M, A, and Q’s ski trip made it in the Stranger, as did our clothing swap last Thursday! Dude… they’re so IN!

Stranger Presents
Strangercrombie auction winner
January 23, 2008

Last Days: The Week in Review
by David Schmader

Hello and welcome, readers, to the once-a-year treat known as Strangercrombie Fulfillment Week, wherein all the Stranger-related items from the annual Strangercrombie holiday auction—from “Put Whatever You Want on the Cover” to “Be Savage Love’s Guest Expert”—are crammed into one strange and glorious issue. This year’s Strangercrombie auction raised a dazzling $60,000 for FareStart, $486 of which came from the sweet, smart folks at Office Nomads (www.officenomads.com), who purchased the right to custom-order the content of this week’s Last Days. Hurrah!

MONDAY, JANUARY 14 This week of fiscally mandated yet fundamentally sincere good ink kicks off in the Capitol Hill residence of Office Nomads, the brand-new coworking space situated on the second floor of the Heath Printers building, near the northwest corner of Pine Street and Boylston Avenue—1617 Boylston Avenue, Suite 200, to be precise, not far from Hot Mama’s Pizza, Linda’s Tavern, and that weird but generally effective convenience store. What is “coworking”? According to the Office Nomads’ website, coworking is “[similar to] cohousing… When you come to work at Office Nomads you’ll find a work space with all the tools of a modern office shared by a cadre of independent workers (contractors, business owners, freelancers) like yourself but none of the soul-crushing corporate values.” Today, Last Days made our inaugural visit to the Office Nomads office, where we were greeted by co-owners Jacob Sayles and Susan Evans, affable and attractive citizens with a shared passion for “individuality without isolation.” “The digital revolution gave people an incredible amount of independence in being able to get work done from home, or anywhere,” says Jacob. “But that independence can be isolating, and you see people starving for community. That’s what we offer here—full office amenities in a shared, communal setting.” “It’s about the work-life balance,” adds Susan. “Anyone who’s worked from home can tell you how blurry the boundaries can get. A coworking space can help you compartmentalize your life. Your home can be home again—someplace you go when you’re done working and ready to relax.” As someone who routinely works cross-legged on a bed until our lower extremities scream from the restricted blood flow, Last Days understands. Let’s continue.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15 Today, Last Days returned to Office Nomads for further investigation and a preliminary experiment in coworking. (If that phrase sometimes looks like “cow orking” to you, you’re not alone.) Generally speaking, the Office Nomads space consists of one large, sunny-when-the-sun’s-out space stocked with desks and chairs and power outlets, one nearly-as-large space filled with work tables and humongous dry-erase boards, three conference rooms, a men’s room, a ladies’ room, and a kitchen. Among the “full office amenities” supplied by Office Nomads are high-speed wireless internet, complimentary print/copy/fax services, free use of the conference rooms, and complimentary coffee and tea. (There’s usually some beer in the fridge, too.) As for the clientele: As of now, it’s a politely laid-back collection of freelance writers, web developers, and other such independently employed types. Use of the Office Nomads space is granted two ways: $25 gets you a daily membership with full privileges, while $475 gets monthly membership with special privileges, including a dedicated desk and 24/7 access to the space. Office Nomads’ goal: a roster of 40 monthly members, who’ll engage with owners Jacob and Susan to shape the space into what they want it to be. “We’ve kept the space something of a blank slate because we want to build it with the community,” says Susan. She’s not kidding about Office Nomads’ devotion to community building: Last night’s after-hours activities included a meeting of Sustainable Capitol Hill and the first-ever Office Nomads game night.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16 Speaking of community: Today we returned to Office Nomads for the weekly Wednesday lunch, wherein any and all interested Office Nomads workers gather in the friendliest conference room with Tupperware and take-out to eat together and gab. Among today’s attendees were co-owners Susan and Jacob, and coworkers Chris (freelance writer), Ryan (web developer), Tim (web programmer), and Eric (circuit provisioner). (Among the discussion topics: car crashes, broken jaws, Britney Spears, antigay bigotry, the video game Rock Band, and the possible installation of a treadmill in a soundproof room for Office Nomads workers who like to pace while talking on the phone.) Everyone was nice, and it was very fun.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17 The week continues with an actual old-school Last Days item, courtesy of Hot Tipper Danielle. “It can be difficult to fully appreciate the horror of the public-grooming incidents described in this column until one occurs right in front of you,” writes Danielle, wisely. “This morning, I was sitting in the back of the number 21 express Metro from West Seattle to downtown. Seated across from me was an average-looking, clean-cut man who was flossing his teeth. I can still hear the twanging of the floss as he went to work. A few minutes later, he stripped off his shoe and sock and applied some kind of ointment to his big toe. On behalf of my fellow bus passengers, thank you for the opportunity to share our tale of violation at the hands of yet another public groomer.” Dear Danielle: You’re welcome, and your pain is shared by Office Nomads owners Susan and Jacob, to whom we put the question, “What would you do if an Office Nomads coworker indulged in some of the more heinous public-grooming possibilities, such as nail clipping, leg waxing, and zit popping? “We would kindly direct them to our luxurious restroom facilities, which include a men’s room, a ladies’ room, and a full shower,” said Susan and Jacob in unison. (In addition to co-owners, Jacob and Susan are co-janitors.)

Also: Tonight brought the inaugural Office Nomads conference-room clothing swap, wherein co-owner Susan and a couple dozen girlfriends met with bottles of wine and piles of clothes, from which Susan escaped with some new ski gear and a hilarious hot-pink shrug.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18 “Dear Last Days,” writes Hot Tipper Doug. “I work in an office downtown, and our break room overlooks Sixth and Union. All week long, these big-ass buses have been circling the block, just driving round and round. I looked up the URL posted on the side of the buses and learned they were advertising a travel convention in town. Making things ridiculous: The big sign on the back of each bus claiming polar bears and penguins love their buses because they bought some carbon deferments.” (“The use of carbon deferments comes from a good place,” says Office Nomads’ Susan, who also works as an environmental consultant. “But it can be easily manipulated.”)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19 Nothing happened today, unless you count Susan’s Crystal Mountain daytrip with friends visiting from D.C., and Jacob’s thorough cleaning of the Office Nomads’ attic.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20 The week ends with a final check-in with Office Nomads, to whom Last Days put a final question: What would you tell people who are curious about coworking? “We’d tell ‘em to come check us out,” says Jacob. “The people that this space fits with know it in an instant. So just come in and hang out—we offer one free day for new users. You’ll know if it’s what you want.”

Susie and I began our travels together a year ago today on Jan 26th! I had just finished a 14km marathon through the slums of Nairobi, and flew straight from rural Kenya into modern South Africa. I got in line at customs behind tons of other travelers and couldn’t have been more tired or ecstatic to see Susie on the other side of the guards! Unlike me, she wasn’t coughing, and didn’t appear to have black lungs/TB! Instead, she was looking bright and cheery and bearing gifts, a camera, and a new backpack! Such a fantastic day and such a fantastic start to a wonderful journey together across Africa and back into Seattle life. We found our home with the Nuns, then immediately went to coffee to “plan” the trip. And by planning, I mean catching up and giggling and babbling and talking slowly!

Susie was always better on the road about sending meaningful group updates… so I shouldn’t have been surprised to get this fantastic recap in my email this week. Made me laugh out loud, feel all warm and gooey inside, and even get a little teary eyed. Mostly it made me remember… endless stories… endless adventures… so so so many good times. A girl couldn’t ask for a better travel partner or a better friend to return home to. So much of my love goes out to Susie for making 2007 a remarkable year! Here’s her recap and here are a few of my pics. Enjoy!

Our time in Zanzibar couldn’t have been more surreal, bizarre, or full of Snickers bars!

Cat dear,

Welcome to the one year anniversary of our reunion in Johannesburg. Or so I think – need to review the ol’ journal, but I’m nearly certain it was today. Can you believe that?

What a wild, crazy year it has been. Recap:

-Traveling. Holy shit – elephants in Addo, hilarity at Cape Town pride, meeting Brett in Windhoek, skydiving, sand boarding, basking in the rains of the Zambezi churning over Vic Falls, water slides in Lusaka, 10-hour pickup truck rides, the quiet, broken beauty if Ila, too many “samoosas,” Wimby beach parties, breaking beds in Nampula, the most amazing recuperation mission of all time in Nkhata Bay, welcoming ourselves to East Africa with “why are you so stupid? you stupid, stupid girls!” haggling our way onto the “cheapest” boat out to Zanzibar, planning our Kenya double-date from afar, Susie goes bananas trying to upload photos 5 at a time, strange walks with a strange ex-heroin addict in Jambiani, finding sweet relief from the heat in Lushoto, catching a glimpse of Kilimanjaro on the bus ride to Nairobi, reunions with Brett, discovering sometimes I felt like a plumpkin, the cheapest, most delicious steak ever in Kampala, near-fist-fights getting ourselves around Uganda, trekking with gorillas, rafting the Nile, reunions in Malava, navigating the streets of Mombasa, and the sweet life out on Lamu. Cat, we had one hell of a time.
-The return. Parties, navigating life being “back,” reunions with friends, dinner parties, saying hello to the mountains again.
-Dating. Dear lord. Susie is a disaster, and Cat discovers her knack at rocking the dating world like no one else. You really should get paid for this.
-Going back to our old jobs. Riiiiiight. Still working on that, and who knows, maybe we’ll work together?
-Staring a business. With Cat to thank, of course. Making it happen in Seattle.
-Fibroids. Screw ‘em. And say goodbye to them and hello to life with your body back. Hot as hell, Cat.
-Navigating the new challenges of living in what feels like the same city, but sure is different. Friends here and gone, the SLUT, new restaurants, new music. So much to keep exploring, which is what makes Seattle rock.

Just wanted to say, Cat, it has been such a wonderful, complicated, and exciting year, and I can’t be more thankful to have spent so much of it with you. It is one year after what was the start of a pretty amazing journey, and I look forward to seeing what the next year has in store for us.

Love you, Cat. You’re pretty damed cool.

Big hugs,
S

Standard look for our travel days

World’s worst matatu minibus in Mozambique
(can’t seem to remember if this pic was from before or after the puking?)

Susie & Cat – couldn’t be happier to squeeze us plus a driver onto the back of a tiny motorbike in Kampala

I’ve been having some complications (from surgery?) and it’s been a pain. I call my surgeon in Austin and they tell me the stuff isn’t related to surgery (maybe in the first week or two, but not now in week five or six). The folks in Austin tell me to find a doctor in Seattle.

So last weekend I went to my doctor in Seattle, and they tell me they’re not sure what’s happening to my body but are pretty sure it’s all surgery related. So we do some lab tests (results: inconclusive) and no answers are found. So I call my surgeon again on Friday, and ask again. They tell, again, that nothing is related and that I need to visit a doctor in Seattle… which I’ve already done! Arg.

Needless to say, I’ve got another doctor’s appointment this week.. this time with the ObGyn surgeon I liked instead of my mediocre general practitioner. I’m hoping for answers, though truthfully I feel resigned to know that medicine isn’t an exact science and that I might just have to put up with complications for a while… whether I like it or not. Alas.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering… my bills still arrive every 2 days or so and they no longer even seem real. The most recent to arrive:
$405 – 15 minute visit on Xmas day to tell me the amount of blood escaping my body was unexpected but “okay”
$1,210 – testing to make sure my fibroids weren’t cancer (99.9% are safe, mine apparently included)
$19,328 – “misc hospital services.” Who needs an itemized list when you get just send a bill for $20,000 and list “misc hospital services”? Geez! Is it $20,000 for the apple juice, a few pain killers, and my hospital gown? Misc services doesn’t tell me much.

Like I said, the dollar amounts don’t even seem real anymore… and yet, the doctors visits will continue for a while longer in the hopes of getting some answers about my health. Wish me luck!

Currently reading: Eat, Pray, Love.
Currently watching: Gray’s Anatomy.
Currently drinking: Slightly sweetened mint tea.

Last week was lovely… I worked half days in the mornings, and rested in the afternoons. Monday meant taking Marth & Abbey to the airport, reluctantly letting them leave town to return to DC. Tuesday was a small dinner party at my place and we made yummy black bean & butternut squash enchiladas. Wednesday was rest and watching movies on the couch and going to bed by 8:30pm (I was exhausted, despite working only half days and watching a moive!). Thursday was hanging with Erin D at her house and eating gluten free goodies I got for her birthday. Friday was happy hour then hot tubbing with Jacob, Craig, Jen, Joe, and Beth.

Saturday and Sunday were all about relaxing at Clare’s waterfront house on Whidbey Island with Caroline, Clare, Kat, and Blaque. We mostly just lounged about in the cozy house, made a quick cold walk along the beach, and enjoyed good food and good conversation. Rod was even there for part of the weekend. Good times.

Last night was Indian food with Barry. Last night was snow. This morning was driving to work in light snow. And tonight we’re canceling ladies spa day because of the expected snow fall (though it seems to have ceased for now). I suspect I’ll hang with M instead (though I still have no idea what to get him for his birthday… anyone have suggestions on what to get for the man who has everything? I’m at a loss for anything that doesn’t sound like “me wearing a giant bow”).

I’m hoping for a relatively quiet week this week and next, then I head to DC the following week. I’m excited to see my favorite nuns and excited to see Marth and Abbey! Life after that gets a bit crazy… There might be a NYC trip and a Whistler trip in February. And probably even a California trip in March. And that’s all I shall say for now. You’ll just have to wait and see…

Play with an interactive picture of frozen Green Lake… it’s cool!

It has been a productive week as far as my health goes! Not that I have great news to report, but I feel like we’re making at least a little progress!

1. Last night I was diagnosed with giardia! While I’m not super excited to have a parasite, I am pretty stoked to have a diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan! My lab results from a week ago came in and they say I have a “rare strand” of giardia. Reading online, it seems it can lay dormant for months on end, so it’s probably what was afflicting me all spring and summer after my second bout of malaria.

My theory: Maybe I got it the same time Susie did… only my symptoms were masked by malaria so mine was left untreated and eventually went dormant, while hers was identified and treated immediately. My doctors didn’t diagnose the giardia this summer upon return to Texas, but whatever stomach stuff I had finally went away on it’s own by August. However, if the theory holds, it was triggered by my surgery trauma last month and has been flaring up ever since. Needless to say, I went out immediately last night to pick up my drugs at the chemist and now I have hope in my heart that I’ll be better soon (and hope that the awful metallic drug taste in my mouth goes away soon as well).

Giardiasis is an infection of the intestines caused by the parasite Giardia lamblia. The illness, also called giardia, is most often a problem in undeveloped countries where tap water is not safe.

You may become infected with giardiasis if you eat food or drink water that is tainted with human or animal waste. In the United States, you can catch giardia by drinking untreated water from wells, streams, rivers, and lakes. This is true even in mountain lakes and streams where the water may seem very pure.

You can get giardiasis from someone else through:
* Close contact with someone who is infected.
* Working in day care centers for young children.
* Working or living in nursing homes where people may have poor bowel control/poor hygiene.
* Some types of sexual contact, such as anal-oral contact.

Things that increase your chances of developing symptoms after infection include:
* Having an impaired immune system.

Symptoms of giardiasis usually appear 7 to 10 days after infection, though it may take 25 days or longer. Symptoms can last 7 weeks or more.
* In children or adults who are otherwise healthy, the symptoms of giardiasis may eventually go away, even without treatment.
* Long-term diarrhea may result in weight loss, dehydration, or nutritional problems, because food is not being properly absorbed by the body. These conditions sometimes get better without treatment. If they don’t, they usually can be corrected with proper treatment.

Many people who are infected with Giardia lamblia do not have symptoms. But it is possible to infect others even if no symptoms are present, because the parasite still exists in the stool (feces).

Of people who have symptoms of giardiasis, 20% to 40% develop temporary difficulty digesting milk and milk products (lactase deficiency, or lactose intolerance). This problem can last for up to 1 month after treatment for giardiasis.

2. My bleeding has continued, despite my birth control, and it’s been going for more than 10 days. Happily, it’s finally starting to taper off (thanks to copious amounts of ibuprofen). My surgeon said today, during my 6 week post op visit, that the blood loss could be causing anemia, which could in turn be the cause of my recent bouts of dizziness. It was a total “ah ha!” moment for me… as every single bout of dizziness since surgery has been after one of my bouts of bleeding. It’s all coming together!

3. So, we did blood work today to see if I am indeed anemic (I’m often “borderline” but have never been officially diagnosed). We also did blood work to check on my thyroid. Test results should come in the next week and who knows, maybe they’ll reveal something else wrong with me? Geez… when did my health get so complicated?

Anyway… like I said… not exactly good news to report, but at least a diagnosis of giardia is progress and the ideas about anemia make sense too. Wish me luck sorting it all out! Take care, Cat

In highly unusual Seattle news, local folks are actually popping out babies! It doesn’t happen so often here in the mostly single, most non-religious Pacific Northwest, so let’s pause for a moment to reflect…

Angelica’s pregnant with twins and she’s set up a new blog while she’s home on bed rest. I’m bummed to miss the strippers at the baby shower, but at least there’s a blog now. Enjoy: http://www.helloleftyandrighty.blogspot.com!

My most recent email from Trista announced that she and Heather are expecting! Trista and I have been friends since Costa Rica at age 17! Her partner Heather is pregnant and due April 2nd. Both are excited to be mommies! Yay Trista and Heather!

And just tonight Rheta announced she and Ryan are pregnant! So fantastic! She’s due at the end of May. Congrats Rheta!

I think I want this, and maybe even this and this. (I never even had TB… but man my doctors back in Jan and Feb 2007 made me think I did, and the black lungs didn’t help either).

(not much else to report)