The Weird Gets Weirder: A Follow-Up

A photo follow-up to my previous post The Weird Gets Weirder. The photo of my grandmother is a photo of a photo, so the quality is not great but hopefully gives you an idea why I did a serious double-take.

The Weird Gets Weirder

Last week I was flipping through a photo album my mom put together a few years ago after my grandmother passed away. It is far and away one of the best gifts I have received, with photos of my grandmother as a young twenty something newly transplanted to Seattle (Capital Hill area) through her celebrating my high school graduation with me.

I flipped through the album once and on another pass, did a classic "holy shit" double take. In one of the early photos, probably from the late 1940s, my young grandmother is standing in front of a house that not only looks close to exactly like the one I live in now but, by God, has the same house number. Shit you not. (Sorry for the profanity in this post, it's mostly necessary under the circumstances.)

So I took the album outside to compare the photo with my current residence. There are some slight differences: the wooden steps leading up to the porch are now cement stairs, the windows on either side of the front door has different glass details, the front door is different, and the house numbers are in a different location.

But there are significant similarities: the upstairs window details are the same, the door location the same (with an obviously updated front door), the brick apartment building behind the house the same, the siding and roofing the same, porch details the same, the upstairs drain pipe is in the same location, the tree to the right of the porch the same type of tree, and to top it off, I found holes drilled in the front pillar where house numbers used to be that matched the old photograph.

Could it possibly be that I am living in the same house my grandmother lived in 60 years ago? Some serious sleuthing is in order to solve this one... but I do very much hope I can get to the bottom of this. What a small world it is.

Blogging Fail

Some of my loved ones have pointed out my blogging fail as of late. I have a lot of legitimate excuses, but mostly it just comes down to laziness. I do apologize - I will try to post some photo updates. I've been occupying most of my time with work, hiking, seeing friends, Northwest activities, naps, reading Digg, and some latest TV show addictions (Entourage, True Blood, and Weeds).

Biggest update: I made my final decision recently to go back to school this fall. I will be entering the University of Washington Law School this September. I'm excited, nervous, and apprehensive all rolled up into a compact knot in my stomach. Needless to say, my life will change dramatically over the coming months as I transition from young professional back to starving student. Hello again my old friend, Top Ramen.

Feeding an Addiction

I did a bad thing on Saturday... I bought books. For the past year and half or so I've been trying to curb my book buying. Books are getting more and more expensive and the Seattle Public Library system is fantastic. Ergo: no need to buy books. Not to mention I already have way too many books on my need-to-read shelf.

BUT I was enjoying a quiet Saturday afternoon meandering around the University of Washington Bookstore and simply couldn't help myself. The U Bookstore is such a nice environment for book lovers, and they have used books mixed in with their new books. The used books are marked with a little yellow sticker on the spine - so I browsed around some of my favorite authors (Margaret Atwood and Tim O'Brien) and found some very reasonably priced used books.

Another one of my favorite things about the U Bookstore is in the basement are class books. I love browsing around the English class reading lists, seeing what people are reading, and imagining the classes and the types of discussions they will have in class. This is also a great area to find used books as well.

Alas, I miss Santa Clara English classes... maybe it's time to join a book club.

Punxsutawney Phil

I noticed two wonderful things yesterday: birds were chirping in the morning outside my window and crocuses had begun sprouting in yards around the neighborhood. A few weeks ago on Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter... but it seems spring is on the way.

Raise your hand if you're excited and already making summer weekend plans!

Checking In, Checking Out

Hello everyone. I'm checking in here on my New Years resolutions and other goings-on. The New Year started off a little slow and stressful with some car issues and a few tiffs along the way. But boy has the pace picked up and I feel pretty much on top of the world right now. I've been gallivanting around - traveling, doing Irish dance, taking a design class, and spending a lot of quality time with my fantastic friends and family (e.g., La Push). And I received some amazing news just a few days ago... but more about that later once I'm a little closer to a decision about my future endeavors.

I'm currently in the fourth week of an Elements of Design class at the School of Visual Concepts. I love it so far - much more than the drawing class I took. We are studying the fundamentals and theories behind design and do practice exercises each class that help us consider elements of design like balance, proportion, space, value, and contrast. I love how focused I get when working in class or on homework assignments - a focus that allows me to relax, be productive, and still let my mind swirl around with hundreds of non-stressful, random musings. I will consider scanning in some of my work and posting here in my blog.

This next weekend I will be off to cross-country skier paradise and playground in the Methow Valley of Eastern Washington. No TV, computers, and no cell phone reception. Which means blissful days of skiing in sunshine and cozy nights of reading, eating delicious food, and relaxing by the fire. Soon after I return I will be on my way to Portland for the Northwest Council for Computer Education Conference. I will have a little time to sight see in Portland - any recommendations? Powell's is definitely already on my list.

I haven't been quite as diligent about exercising and eating healthy as I would like - but I'm working on it. For those of you who manage to exercise regularly, how do you keep to a routine? For me, pub quiz on a Wednesday night or dinner with friends always seems to take precedent over exercise and I just don't know how to remedy that.

Anywho, no posts will be coming for at least a few days. When I return I am considering following suit with a blog I follow (My So-Called Life) and starting alphabet blogging. Stay tuned!

More Bad Car Karma

My jaw dropped this morning as I walked out to my car and the BMW parked next to me had the driver's window smashed out. As I drove down my street, every fifth car or so had a window smashed out, including my roommate's car. What is the deal with all this car vandalism? Are there just really nasty, cranky, spiteful people out there whose purpose is to mess with other people's stuff? Until now I've always felt fairly safe in my neighborhood, but this certainly makes me think twice about that - and it definitely makes me nervous parking my car on the street.

Feel free to share car stories here, especially if you live in Seattle neighborhoods and have seen this type of thing happen often...

Bad Car Karma

So I need to rant for approximately two minutes. Friday I was rear-ended on the freeway. Not much damage - just a huge hassle with insurance companies, claims estimates, accident reports, and all that jazz. Then today, I run out to my car to grab something I need for the office... and I notice that someone sometime over the weekend keyed my car. Yes, took their key and ran two giant gouges down the side of my car. Seriously, who does that?! Nothing I could have done deserved my car being keyed - believe me, I am so careful around other people's cars. Someone has some serious anger management issues. And I would like to say for the record: I have never rear-ended anyone and I have never keyed a car. So karma actually cannot be to blame. So is it just plain bad luck?

So aside from my stinking bad luck, the next few months have some exciting events coming up for me, including: a work trip to Philadelphia; a girls trip to La Push, Washington (where I've never been!); a weekend of skiing and relaxation at Sun Mountain Lodge in Eastern Washington; the Lion King at the Paramount with my mom; and Disneyland!!! So hopefully my bad car/life luck will cease and I can sit back and enjoy the next few months.

Retrospect and Resolve

The year 2008 has been one of the most interesting, terrifying, stressful, and gratifying years of my existence. My life has changed in ways I never expected. All in all, though, I have grown tremendously and I can look back in retrospect and say to myself I did it. I made it through my first full year out in the big scary adult world.

Over the past year, I left a job I held for seven years, applied for and was hired for a new job and love it. I took serious steps towards pursuing my future career. I supported myself financially (for the most part) and learned to buy a little less and save a little more. I am single for the first time in five years. I made new friends. I finally feel settled in Seattle after moving back here a year and a half ago. And now I'm excited for a new year with more changes and more growth.

So, looking ahead to 2009, I have crafted some resolutions:

Be healthy.
Once upon a time in college I exercised five to six days a week and ate healthy. I slept better; I had more energy; I loved the way I felt. So my goal is to get back to that stage, which means exercising regularly and eating better. This will improve my quality of life in so many ways. I will be able to hike farther and faster, and I will feel glorious when I wear my favorite jeans. This resolution will rely on me adapting exercise and healthy eating into my lifestyle as I once did in college. I am not setting a target weight because I believe in sustainability. Which means establishing a lifestyle that I can maintain and sustain over time. Whatever weight that is, so be it!

Read more literature.
Like a lot of word nerds, I have a stack of books in my room on my to-read list. So my resolution for 2009 is to read more literature. I will do so by reading all the unread novels currently on my bookshelf: 35 books total. Some I look forward to reading: Catch-22, Tender is the Night, and The Name of the Rose. Some will be difficult to finish: The Sound and the Fury, Crime and Punishment, and A Farewell to Arms. I plan to record my thoughts about each novel as I finish it. I like this resolution, because even if I don't finish the entire list, I will still have read a whole bunch of great literature. The dormant English major in me is very excited for this resolution.

Try new things.
I already wrote a to-do list for myself in my blog. I have an annoying tendency to be a stick in the mud if I don't push myself to be active. So this resolution is very important to me. I want to try new things like downhill skiing, cycling around the city, yoga, rock climbing, orienteering, taking a design class, and building a Web site. I will challenge myself to step out my comfort zone and try new activities...and hopefully develop some new interests or hobbies along the way.

And...I want to say thank you to all my returning Seattle Swift readers. Thanks for you comments and thoughts over the past six months! I wish you all a wonderful 2009.

For the Record

In my Let in Snow post on December 13, 2008, I complained of our conspicuous lack of winter weather. Just to clear the record, I was hoping for snow in the mountains so ski season could begin... NOT for a foot of snow in Seattle that has not melted for nearly a week. Just in case any you are looking for someone to blame for all the snow. I might as well say it: this snow business is just plain awful.

Cheerio!

Intro to Parking 101

So I have lived in the Seattle Eastlake neighborhood since late September, almost three months. Eastlake is one of the many zoned parking neighborhoods in the Seattle metropolitan area. Zoned parking is designed to help residents by discouraging long-term non-resident parking, making more parking available for residents of the area. So in my neighborhood, cars without the particular zone permit are allowed to park for only two hours during most times, and not at all from 6 PM to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

I have a permit for my neighborhood, so zoned parking doesn't make a big difference, except that it means the Seattle Department of Transportation patrols our neighborhood for parking offenders, including those with zone permits parked illegally to varying degrees. I have learned over the past few weeks that I basically suck at following parking regulations. I'm racking up the parking tickets - one for not being 15 feet from a fire hydrant (when I was about eight feet from the hydrant) and another for parking in an area with no parking 7 to 9 AM (I parked down the hill when it was icy). Not to mention friends and family have been ticketed for parking without a permit since each household is only allowed one guest parking permit.

I understand that zoned parking is in place to help residents - but I'm learning that I am just not used to this downtown parking deal being a North Seattle gal most of my life. Any suggestions for dealing with the parking issue around Seattle or elsewhere? Any complaints?

All I Want for Christmas...

Well, I know, I am seriously deficient at posting regularly. My excuse is that there is not always much exciting to do during fall and winter in Seattle when there's still no snow in the mountains. I am guessing you don't want to hear about how I watched three hours of How I Met Your Mother in one sitting...

But! We are now in full Christmas season swing, so I thought I could share my holiday activities with you.

This past week, I made the last minute decision that I needed to decorate a Christmas tree - whatever it took to find that tree. A day of considering options of how to get a live Christmas tree to my apartment, I remembered years ago when I still meticulously left milk and homemade sugar cookies out for Santa Claus, my parents had a small artificial tree we decorated each year. So I called them lickety-split, picked up the tree, purchased evergreen-scented room spray for a whopping one dollar, and decorated the little four foot tree with lights, tinsel, bells, bulbs, and my Seahawks ornament. My apartment now looks rather festive and I am now finally feeling the Christmas spirit.
Some other favorite things about the Christmastime include: my best friends return to Seattle from their lives around the country, quality time with my parents, the hope of snow, peppermint ice cream (actually, peppermint anything), Christmas Eve mass, more turkey, finding the perfect gifts for family, the Mariah Carey Merry Christmas CD, wrapping presents, an excuse to watch Home Alone, time off from work, eggnog, and Christmas lights.

Though Christmas can be hectic and usually means even worse Seattle traffic - I am happy it's that time of year again, and look forward to spending time with my loved ones... while listening to All I Want for Christmas is You of course.

Working Away

So I have been working away on checking items of my to-do list. First off, I successfully navigated Baltimore and Washington, D.C. on my own with only a few very minor mishaps.

Last Friday, I hit that gigantic set of stairs by my house - twice! I counted 276 stairs in the whole set, and my legs felt like lead afterward. I discovered that once you start running up stairs, it is more painful to start walking because your legs feel heavy and dead. Now, as far as hitting them regularly, only time will tell. I am not particularly comfortable running past dark in my neighborhood, so the stairs might be a weekend-only activity.

I terms of keeping fit during the long winter months, I invested in the 30 Day Shred workout DVD by Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser. I was sore for a week, and now am training myself to make it part of my daily routine. The workout is only 20 minutes and consists of basic exercises like jumping jacks, lunges, crunches, and squats. I like the simplicity of the workout but it also kicks my butt each time so I know it's working!

I started on Sunday the first lesson in my Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book. Now if I just keep with it, I will be a pro in no time!

I also just joined the volunteer planning committee for the Seattle Expanding Your Horizons event. I have yet to start any work for the committee, but I took the first step for getting more involved.

As far as reading only books on my shelf - I hope that reading books off my roommate's shelf counts, because I have been indulging in the Twilight series since my trip. Next up is Dostoevsky, I promise!!

My To-Do List

By writing this down and sharing with others, hopefully I'll encourage myself to complete the list below. Below is my to-do list for the coming months. Winter can be a depressing time in the dreary Northwest, so here is a list to keep me motivated, active, in shape, avoid any symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, and keep off that holiday pudge. Some on the list like biking and running are not always feasible in Seattle winter, but I will try my best. Wish me luck!

• Get comfortable riding my bike on the street and getting around Seattle that way.
• Try mountain biking.
• Learn to drive confidently in the snow so I can go cross country skiing anytime I want this winter.
• Start regularly hitting the gigantic set of stairs by my house.
• Try downhill skiing this winter.
• Go snowshoeing for the first time this winter.
• Complete my Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book so I can be proficient Photoshop user.
• Learn to not hate running so much.
• Start reading each book on my bookshelf before I buy or check out more books. This includes Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, so we'll see how long that takes.
• Sign up to volunteer for the Seattle Expanding Your Horizons conference.
• Expand my music interests.
• Navigate Washington, D.C. by myself in a couple weeks.
  
• Visit Gabs and Galen as soon as possible!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

I have been thinking a lot lately about my favorite places. I have learned that I am the type of person who likes to categorize - favorites, dislikes, pet peeves. When feeling lost in life, I believe those categories can help keep you grounded because they are something in yourself you can define. Especially the favorites, because they are the most fun.

Of course the home that I grew up in and my home now and my friends places are up there with my favorite places. But besides those, there are other places that are no longer simply locations, but memories, personifications, and significant to who I am as a person. Looking at photos of those places makes me happy to be who I am and happy to have lived my life. So I decided to share a few of those places with you Seattle Swift readers. And I want you readers to tell me some of your favorite places!

Santa Clara University in San Jose, California. My alma mater. And one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have fantastic memories of my English classes, amazing friends, stimulating intellectual conversations, the beautiful campus, and glorious California sun. I grew tremendously in my four years at Santa Clara. Below is the SCU Mission Church and the SCU Mission Gardens - a great spot for laying out in the afternoon sun with friends. Santa Clara has taken on the qualities of an oasis for me - a relief, refuge, haven, and delightful change. It looks like an oasis too, with palm trees and green grass and flowers galore.

This photo comes from the Wolf Creek Ridge trail, one of the trails in the Sun Mountain cross country ski system. Nearly every winter of my childhood and adolescence, my parents and I drove to Sun Mountain Lodge, near Winthrop, Washington, for three days of snow and cross country skiing. This place makes me love winter weather and helps me through dismal Seattle winters. I also learned to cross country ski here. Sun Mountain was one of the first places that helped me set measurable goals for myself. I decided each year I would attempt a more difficult trail to ski, until I reached the point I was skiing two hours uphill to come screaming back down the mountain.

And of course, Cannon Beach in Oregon. My family traveled to Cannon Beach nearly every summer of my living memory. For many of those years, my cousin traveled with us. So Cannon Beach means to me that close relationship with my cousin. Cannon Beach also means sand castle building, body surfing for hours in the frigid Pacific Ocean, exploring tide pools, riding fun cycles down the beach, sunsets, shopping in town, and sand between my toes and in my hair for days. I love everything about Cannon Beach and all the memories I have from there. Below is the castle I built with my dad summer of 2007.

Some other favorite places include: Lake Chelan, CYO Camp Gallagher, Seattle, and Mont Saint Michel in France.

So where are some of your favorite places? Where do you love that has shaped who you are?

Welcome to the Neighborhood

So this might be a little inappropriate for my blog. But dang it, it's just too disgusting and hilarious at the same time not to share with those of you who haven't already heard the story.

So I live with a roommate on the top floor of a duplex - an old converted house. There is a great covered porch out front with a set of steps leading up to it. Along the steps are two wide cement railings with a flat base at the bottom.

Our downstairs neighbors had a party last Friday night. No big deal, they left us a note earlier in the week, and it was Friday, so noise is appropriate. We stayed in and didn't really let the loud music and shouts bother us too much. Saturday morning I slept in and left the house around noon for some errands. The midday sun was shining on our front porch. I walked blithely out to my car and returned about two hours later.

As I climbed the steps, I noticed to my shock, horror, and disgust that there was a pile of poop - yes a pile - sitting squarely in the sun on one of the cement railings. Wondering how a dog could have made it up there and why it would have been possessed to do such a thing, I immediately began to wonder if my roommate, myself, or our neighbors had some enemies. I ran upstairs to tell my roommate. We inspected the poop, thought about potential enemies, and decided due to the location it had to be a casualty from our neighbor's party.

We knocked on his door and let him discover the pile. At that point he said, pretty casually, "Oh yeah, one of my friends said someone pooped on the porch last night." Oh yeah! Cause that is something people do pretty often, nothing to be miffed about. So a person SHIT on our front porch. Really?! Really. I mean, really! This definitely goes up there with one of the more disgusting things I have experienced. But now that it's over and I don't have to see or smell it walking into my home, it is also so disgusting it is hilariously funny. Luckily our neighbor cleaned it up right away, and hopefully won't invite that friend over again.

New Digs

Hello Seattle Swift readers! I apologize for my rather lackluster attempt at blogging lately. I recently moved from Crown Hill to the Eastlake neighborhood in Seattle. I have been a North Seattle resident my entire life - I love North Seattle, especially the nicer streets, better parking, better grocery stores, and parks. But I am very excited now to be moving closer to the heart of things in Seattle. I am within walking distance to some of my favorite restaurants and only a short and mostly flat bike ride to the Burke Gilman. Once upon a time I also rowed for Lake Union Crew in summertime, so perhaps I will see about rowing again in my free time. I can even walk to ride the SLUT if I so desire. Anyway, I will be a little out of touch until I am unpacked entirely, but keep checking for updates - I promise to get back to exploring the Northwest ASAP!

Also, as a follow-up to my Tipping Point post, I will admit my initial enthusiasm wore off quickly, and was completely squelched after Sarah Palin's three "interesting" interviews. For those of you anti-Palinite Facebookers (you like my words there?), you'll enjoy this: Sarah Palin's Facebook Page.

Endangered U.S. Destinations

So my homepage for Internet Explorer is MSN, which is usually a little annoying, but I don't use IE much. Sometimes though, there are useful cover articles with practical tips for saving money or catchy ones like rankings of second-string quarterbacks. Last week, "America's Endangered Destinations" caught my eye. The article features 15 different U.S. sites that are currently threatened by human encroachment and development, sea level rise, and/or global warming. Luckily I have had the opportunity to visit a number of places listed, including Washington's old growth temperate rain forest. The article helped bring the damage we are doing to the environment even closer to home - many treasured areas and ways of life will be destroyed and may be gone even by the time my generation reaches middle age. My children may never have the opportunity to see glaciers in Montana or alligators in the Everglades or the Old North Church on the Freedom Trail in Boston. What will the lives of future generations be like without these places of national identity?

Chelan, Olympics, Etc.

Now the countdown to Chelan really begins! Forecasted temperature for Saturday in the city of Chelan: 102 degrees. Sunday: 99 degrees. I can feel the hot sun and icy water already!

I stayed up too late last night to watch some of the Olympic swimming. I have never been really into the Olympics - though they are always fun to watch. But last night I saw the American men's swim team win the gold in the four by one hundred freestyle relay. It was amazing to see - it looked like certain death against the French team in the final leg but American Jason Lezak touched that wall just a fraction of a second before the French team. We did it, won the gold, broke the world record, and Michael Phelps can still potentially win eight gold medals. I felt proud to be an American! And it was pretty cool seeing the beast-men in gymnastics on Saturday night. I hope I catch some of the diving before the Chelan trip.

Rebirth

...Or maybe just the right ingredients.

Two months ago I planted basil, oregano, and cilantro is some pots I received for Christmas. The seeds began to sprout beautifully, the cilantro grew to over an inch tall. But the June cold, cloudy spell hit right as the seeds were getting going. They wilted and died soon after. Disappointed, I put the pots in the basement, planning to empty them out later.

Last weekend, I decided to use the pots to plant wildflower seeds I received for my birthday (thanks, Galen!). I stirred the soil, watered it well without removing the dead sprouts or leftover seeds, and since the very person who gave me the seeds was in town for few days, I let the pots be to go spend some quality time with a bestest buddy.

Last night, a week after preparing the soil for wildflowers, I went downstairs for some ever-exciting document filing. Low and behold... sprouts! All three, the basil, cilantro, and oregano had sprouted and were growing strong. I was especially excited to see the oregano growing well. Oregano seeds are the size of tiny pepper flakes, and the sprouts about the same diameter and partly translucent.

I always forget to turn off the basement lights, but this is exactly what helped my sad little seedlings start growing again! The pots are perfectly placed beneath a compact florescent light bulb, the advice my same wildflower-buddy gave to me! I'll be sure to leave the light on tonight.

So perhaps I will have fresh herbs after all. And maybe I'll use this situation as a lesson to not give up and that sometimes the right conditions are all that are needed to flourish. I should probably not use this situation as a lesson that laziness sometimes pays off though (by me not emptying those pots months ago)...