just laura

Yesterday I worked 8+ hrs on my feet in the hot sun, and then drove into SF for dinner with Jess (south Indian food in the Mission District). I came back, did a bunch of paperwork till the wee hours, and am about to leave for another 8+ hrs in the hot sun. M flies into SF tonight to hang out for a night, but I fear I’ll be a low energy, dehydrated version of myself. :) I did drink 3 liters of water yesterday from 2-4pm… if that tells you anything about how tired my body was from the work. No complaints though… I still think occasional field work is still a fun break from the routine of a desk job.

Tonight the project ends and I get to see M and Antoun. Tomorrow I hope to see Scott and Zoey and then am off to Burning Man. I won’t have much (if any?) cell reception or internet till Mon Sept 1st, so feel encouraged to send notes just know it’ll take me a while till I respond. Hope y’all have a great week!

PS Fleet Foxes at the Moore on Oct 19th. Anyone interested?

Love me some Seattle hip hop! Download the entire Saturday Knights album for FREE. Seriously. It’s free and they’re awesome. I listened to a lot of the Saturday Knights on my favorite playlists in Kenya, have seen them pre-Africa, and post-Africa too. They put on a fantastic live show and are definitely worth checking out. Enjoy!

(In other news, working in San Jose was hot, dirty, dusty, and sweaty again. The guys were great again today. And I’m still developing an impressive farmer’s tan around my safety vest… despite frequent sunscreen reapplications).

Misc blathering from my hotel room in San Jose…

• This is me admitting that I quite enjoy getting emails from friends addressing me as “hi cutie pants.”
• While M does not refer to me as “cutie pants,” he does continue to be a fabulous addition to my life despite our crazy hectic schedules. Yesterday we both ended up in San Jose on separate work trips and got to spend the night together. What a lovely, unexpected treat!
• I bought a hot glue gun tonight for a craft project and was instantly flooded with memories of Girl Scout art projects in elementary school with our industrial strength, safety orange glue gun. First a blender. Now a $3 glue gun. Next thing you know my consumerism will get the best of me and by next week I’ll be driving a pimped out Cadillac SUV.
• I ate Ethiopian food tonight from the Rehoboth Café (655 N 6th St, San Jose, CA 95112, 408-947-1717). With so many choices all within 2 miles of my hotel, grabbing something from the local hole in the way Ethiopian place just felt right.
• Last night did dinner at the Mission Ale House (97 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113, (408) 292-4058). My chicken caesar salad was tasty. On one hand, it could’ve been tangier. On the other hand, I ate chicken and it didn’t even turn my stomach. I think that’s pretty high praise these days.
• Still trying to figure out my plans for seeing people in SF this weekend. Scott and Zoe from LA? Jess who’ll be back from Seattle? Antoun? M who’ll be arriving Saturday night? So many fabulous options. Not to mention Alan back from New Zealand, favorite travelers Dawne & Daryll, etc. If I had more than one night, life would be significantly easier. Alas.
• We’re kicking butt and taking names in the field this week. Exceeding all of our quotas… which is good, but also means I’m keeping myself super busy, a bit dehydrated, and a bit sunburned (despite frequent reapplications of sunscreen). Today’s transfer station should receive particular praise for having donuts and coffee available to all drivers in the AM, and an Igloo of lemonade out in the afternoon. How very sweet.
• Am bummed I’m missing the Radiohead concert. Seems everyone and their brother in Seattle are all going to tomorrow’s show… except me. I’ll have to be content with shows in Sept like Delerium, Counting Crows, and Blues Scholars. Not the same, but should still be fun.
• Am still getting regular emails and/or calls from women who’ve been diagnosed with fibroids who are trying to determine their options. I felt like I could find a decent bit of clinical info out there (sometimes conflicting) about my “best options,” and was frustrated by visiting different surgeons who all had different ideas about what surgery could be best for me. That said, I found very little online in the ways of personal accounts of how the surgery might actually affect me. I’m happy to put my own account out there for other women finding themselves in a similar place. the experience sucked for me, but I’m happy if I can contribute even a little bit of insight or support for other women.
• For tonight, it’s time for me to grab my book (another by Zadie Smith) and head to bed. Hope y’all are well.

G’night, g’night!

This past week and weekend has been hectically spent trying to get ready for all kinds of stuff. Mike T and I cooked a meal for 25 people. I bought a blender and made many batches of smoothies to freeze and take with me to the desert. (Buying and owning a blender = totally awesome! Strike me down for consumerism, but it seriously made me happy to be able to make fruit smoothies throughout the week). Dyed my hair (thanks Caroline!). Saw Scotto’s play at the Annex Theater in Capitol Hill. (Interlace was great… y’all should go see it too! Just wear as little clothing as possible and bring an iced drink… the theater was toasty when we were there!). Did a clothing swap over three days in three neighborhoods (Kerry/Eastlake, Caroline/Fremont, Jaime/Belltown). Rifled through costume pieces generously offered by M, Heater, Lesley, and Jaime to give me options on the playa. Went shopping with M for basics like tent, air mattress, glow in the dark spray paint for our bikes, a tutu, and fake fur leg warmers. :) Went to Jenny’s birthday party (but had to miss the birthday parties for Ola, Matt, Jaime, and Chris, not to mention Kerry’s housewarming). I spent the entire week out in the field, away from my desk and off of email. Yesterday I packed 5 bins for Burning Man (costuming - hot weather, costuming - cold weather, tent stuff, toiletries/kitchen, decor/bike).

Oh, and how can I forget hanging out with Kris from Nirvana at M’s house (Seems they have a mutual friend… of course they would). My week started rather low and steadily built over the course of the week. Monday was hard. Tuesday’s blender purchase was a huge improvement. Wednesday was nicely productive. Hanging with Kris on Thursday was probably the highlight of my week. (I swear I’m not a groupie… he was just a really nice, down to earth guy!). I’ll try to post a pic when I have more free time, and am happy to gush about him to anyone who’ll listen.

As for today, I finished my BM packing, cleaned up my apartment for my roomie who’s been out of town, and packed for my business trip too. I flew into San Jose tonight in time to get my luggage, get my rental car, and catch a lovely sunset. I’m back at my same hotel from March, doing work for the same client. Tomorrow I shall head out after work to run errands and to do dinner with M (who’s also in town for his own business trip). Good times! Let’s hear it for life balance. Wahoo!

Partying LIKE a rock star. Partying WITH a rock star. It’s all the same. :) Life is good and I’m entertained by everything and everyone right now. (Maybe it’s because I only got 2 hours of sleep before heading to work at 5am?). Wahoo! More to come, when I have time someday.

Countdown to SF: less than 48 hours!
Countdown to Burning Man: 8 days!
Packing and prep required: limitless!

Lots of love to you and yours,
Cat

This week I’m out of the office doing field work… which means I’m usually at work by 6:30am and spending the whole day outdoors. Long days. Busy nights. No chance to bike commute or walk to work.

Next week I’ll be doing field work in San Jose from Sun Aug 17th to Sat Aug 23rd (no biking or walking, week two). I’ll then head up to SF for one night on Sat Aug 23rd and then leave for my first trip to Burning Man on Sun Aug 24th. Yay vacation! I don’t think it’ll be peaceful or relaxing, but it does promise to be a fascinating time.

I can find myself feeling stretched thing, but still know that it’s all good stuff. Hard to complain that so much great stuff is presenting itself to you at every turn. I’m feeling rather blessed most days.

Last Monday: I rode my bike to work with Caroline, went to a “new employee” happy hour with coworkers at Boka, went to the Mariners game with Jason B, and then hung out with M when he got in from CA.

Tuesday: I walked to work (uphill in glorious weather!), figured out many of my Burning Man logistics with M, and spent a great evening cooking and dining outdoors with gracious and wise Mags and Jim in Queen Anne (featuring guest appearances from 5 year old Ian and the lovely Kim S who left for NYC on Wed).

Wednesday: Rode my bike from work. Prep for Burning Man / hanging with the roomie. She’s out of town for 9+ days and then returns when I’m out of town for 15+ days. This is among the many reasons I like having roomies… the apartment would be mostly deserted if it was just one of us.

Thursday: Rode my bike to work. Abbey was in town from DC! Wahoo! We met up downtown, walked to Cal Andersen Park, sat with our feet in the fountain and caught up on life. For dinner we had a BBQ on Sus and Duff’s roof… mango lassis, grilled pizzas, cheese and crackers, Specialty’s cookies, and all kinds of yummy stuff. Yay Abbey and rooftop parties! I like to dream that Marth and Abbey might move back to Seattle someday… but don’t know that it’s going to happen. Happily, I got to visit them twice in the past year and this visit was Abbey’s second visit in the same time frame.

Friday:Walked to work and rode home from work. Camp BBQ on Alissa’s awesome deck followed by a girls slumber party with Clare, Kat, Katy, and Megan (we painted our nails, made/ate chocolate chip cookies, did crafting, etc). I’m normally up rather late but after a long week and my first week of riding and walking to/from work I think I was exhausted. By 1am I was fading, despite the lovely company and conversation at the slumber party.

Saturday: Left the slumber party in the morning and spent the whole day with M. We looked at bikes (didn’t buy yet but tried the Kona Sutra and the Surly Long Haul Trucker), bought some glittery clothes, went on an adventure to the Japanese Gardens with Leo (and got rained on during our attempt to return via a hilarious hidden “shortcut”), ate some tasty Indian food with Leo, Mae, Corey, and Mason (mmm… mali kofta!), and saw Sky Cries Mary at Nuemo’s.

Sunday: More errands (like Home Depot) followed by a Sunday Dinner reunion BBQ in honor of Abbey visiting from DC. Was great to get double time in one week with the Dougli, Sus and Duff, Abbey, and Alex, not to mention see Savi, Jenny, Kerry, Bri and Fiona, etc. Good times!

Yesterday: Mediocre dinner and conversation with M at McCormick and Schmidt’s Harborside at Lake Union. Our view on the waterfront was lovely, as was my steak. But my stuffed shrimp were too rich (brie and crab, good but too much?) and M’s fish was “a waste of perfectly good halibut.” I’ve had many less than amazing fish entrées in this town, but have only ever had one steak that was “just okay.” The rule here: always order the steak.

Today: Tonight Mike and I are cooking a meal of curry and dahl for 20 of our fellow campers and will then freeze it till the playa. Good times. The change in plans means I had to miss Green Drinks and skip Reckless Kelly, but it’s a hectic week and things are getting shuffled all over. Schedule changes = unfortunate but necessary fact of life.

Oh, and I forget where this fits in, but Charlie and Stef are coming to visit! This will be the first time Charlie’s ever come to visit me when we’ve lived in different towns… awesome! It never happened in Houston, Kenya, or Seattle… but is finally happening now. Wahoo! This will be Charlie and Stef’s first trip ever to Seattle and I’m rather excited. Look for their appearance (sans Gus) towards the end of September. Wahoo!

Did you know that “King County Metro is rated the fastest growing large bus transit agency in the nation and in May set a record for 400,000 riders per day”? I think that would explain why there are never any seats on my way to and from work, and why I stand on a daily basis. I’m okay with never getting a seat, but I still hope to start walking and riding my bike more often! It means increased fitness and combining transport with fitness also saves a tiny precious bit of free time. Sweet. :)

Tonight I have a camp meeting and BBQ followed by a girls only slumber party. Tomorrow is a big day of running errands with M and seeing a concert. Wahoo! Now you must suffer through boring fitness updates. Or you can skip the fitness update. Mostly they’re here so I can track my progress. And maybe they’re here a little so you all can send me occasional emails or texts or FB comments that say “good job! keep up the good work! you inspire me!” (Actually, M is the only one who sends those messages… but some are better than none, right?). And now, on to the boring fitness updates!

Fitness
Total days biking or walking to work this week: 5
Total commute this week on bike or walking: 29 miles

Walked to work this morning up Dexter. Biked home from work up Dexter. Yep! I was brave enough to go up Dexter today! It’s not any faster AND it’s up a big hill, so I didn’t originally see the allure. However, there’s a bike lane and you avoid millions of cars coming out of parking lots so perhaps the allure is now clear. And of course, once you make your way up the gradual hill, you get to fly down the steep hill towards the Fremont bridge. (And then you get to lose all of your momentum as you wait, for the second time in a row, for the draw bridge to let the sailboats and barges through). :) I’m not sure if I’m ready to ride up Dexter on the way to work yet, but riding home Dexter seems like ideal. Of course, I still panted my way up the Fremont hill on my final stretch of the ride. But today I only walked my bike for one block instead of two. Yay progress! And I wasn’t dying like I was the other day. (Perhaps because I drank lots of water while waiting for the sailboats to go by? Hydration does wonders). Upon arrival at home, I found my roomie had a “Stretching with Tammi Lee” DVD and decided that’d be a good idea to give it a try. Gotta love Tammi Lee. Even though she’s old now, she’s still buff and going strong.

Food
Breakfast - Instant oatmeal and protein shake
Lunch - Spring leaf salad with grilled chicken breast strips; homemade guacamole with chips

Breakfast: protein shake (recommended by my trainer… yuck)
One rice cake (gluten free) with peanut butter (yum)

Midmorning snack (because the rice cake wasn’t so filling): a fresh, juicy peach (awesome!)
Water (out of coffee beans in both kitchens… ahhh!)
Women’s one-a-day multivitamin (I feel so wholesome)

Lunch: 5 oz meatloaf from Trader Joe’s
Bowl of salad with fresh avocado (the avocado was even better than awesome!)
More water

Healthy appetite today: check! So glad there’s a BBQ tonight… could be dangerous over eating though, considering my current appetite!

Burning Man is happening in two weeks and Vietnam is happening in three months. It’s planning time all around with lots of fun stuff to think about! Today was my third day of bike commuting to/from work (and Tuesday was walking to work)… wahoo exercise!

Our Vietnam route covers 950km which requires a minimum of 30 miles/per day if we ride every day without breaking to rest, frolic, or explore for a day. I know this makes me pathetic, but right now this seems like a lot. I’m sure once I start working out regularly it’ll be totally manageable. Beyond just fitness capabilities, I’m hoping it’s not actually so much that we won’t have time to additionally explore and frolic and enjoy the company, the people, and Vietnam. Needless to say, my first item on the to do list is get in shape. Not sure if I should admit this, but this may be my first fitness goal ever. Let’s hope for the best!

I’m currently riding a late 1980s (early 90s?) blue and pink REI Novara mountain bike. I got it at a garage sale last August from a woman who was super excited about my time spent working in Africa. She asked me one price, asked more questions about Africa, then dropped the price down to $10 and threw in a coffee table, a pan for banana bread, and a women’s Eddie Bauer down jacket. I didn’t even have to bargain with her. Yay good karma! I’m hoping to get a slightly updated bike for the trip… something newer that’s in great condition so I don’t have to worry about breaking down part way through the trek in the middle of nowhere. Something that weights slightly less would be lovely too!

Week One (for those keeping score from home):

• Ride bike to work 8/4 with Caroline (5 miles, 30 minutes)
• Walk to work 8/5 (3 miles, uphill)
• Ride bike home from work 8/6 (5 miles) - solo ride; Fremont hill left me panting!
• Ride bike to work 8/7 with Caroline(5 miles)
• Walk to work and then ride bike home from work 8/8 (9 miles)

In the summer of 2004 I went to a Willing Disturbers conference… a fantastic group of activist women from across the country working to create social change. The event was conceived by my hero Sr Ann and facilitated in part by the author Meg Wheatley. I met many inspiring women and eventually joined the board to coordinate activist activities across the country and produce the second annual event.

One woman I met at the Willing Disturbers conference let me know about a group called the Institute for Cultural Affairs. ICA has offices around the globe and hosts many international workshops. I was lucky enough to attend an ICA workshop on sustainability a few months later in Guatemala in August 2004. On my trip to Guatemala, I met even more fantastic people, this time from all over the globe, who were working with NGOs addressing social needs and creating change strategies. One of the amazing people I met on that trip four years ago was Samer. After the trip he moved directly from Cairo to Montreal and this post commemorates his four years in the great snowy north and four years of friendship that have spanned visits in four countries. Congrats on your PhD, Samer!

I’ve really not had time to do much, but have thought about it a fair amount. :)

• To the playa: I leave for San Francisco next weekend for work, and then need to head directly to Nevada for Burning Man the same weekend I finish the client project. I found a lift from SF to BRC with my fabulous new friend Antoun and all I have to do is split gas. Excellent!
• Back home from the playa: M will join me a couple of days into the week, and then we’ll fly home together from Reno to Seattle. I’m not sure how we’ll get the 2 hours (?) from BRC to Reno… that’s still a bit in the air. Rental car? Lift with Antoun?
• Bike: We secured transport for both of our bikes which is good to have nailed down. (A friend in our camp has extra space on his bike rack. Shipping would’ve cost the same, but would’ve required getting to a separate place to collect the bikes).

To Do List

1. I need to make sure I can get our tent and supplies shipped down without us.
2. Would like to decorate my bike.
3. Would like to sew a “costume” or two. I bought fabric basics but need the time and inspiration to now sew.
4. Need to coordinate with Antoun on road trip dates and locations.
5. Need to make and freeze one communal meal to feed the 26 people in our camp.
6. Need to plan for my own breakfast, lunch, beverages, and water for a week.
7. Need to collect, pack, and ship personal items: tent, sleeping bag, camp chair, camera(s), wet wipes, sunscreen, hat, toiletries, “hot desert in summer” clothes, “very cold at night in the desert” clothes, journal, first aid, etc. etc. etc. There are no stores or kiosks of any kind. If you need it, you bring it yourself.

For now, it’s 11:11pm and I’m ready for sleep. G’night y’all…

Part 1:
Me: Do you think this tank top is too low cut?
Coworker: No. Do you think anyone’s going to complain? Definitely not [the CEO]. Have you seen what [our other coworker] is wearing today? And she’s got milk boobies… they’re huge!

Part 2:
Conversation I never had while working with the nuns: My boss today told me he went to Vancouver Pride this weekend and went dancing on a party barge. Awesome!

Part 3:
I just calculated my hours for the new job. I’ve worked an average of 42.75 hours per week since I started in March. That includes 1 vacation day (when my parents were here), 2 holidays (Memorial Day and 4th of July), and a few days taken as comp time (trip to Austin for parents anniversary party and the trip with M to Vegas). Not too bad, eh? Especially compared to my old average of 60-80 hrs/week when I was director of the non-profit. Yay life balance!

Part 4:
As is my habit on any sunny day, I ate lunch out on the balcony of our downtown high rise office building with views of the Sound and ferries. No matter how crappy or how fantastic the day is, eating on sunny patios always makes it exponentially better. It was “so hot” two of my coworkers actually went inside before finishing their food. Actual temp: sunny and 67 degrees. Gotta love Seattle!