Happy Friends:

Some of my friends just recently started courting, and I thought I would post a few pictures of them in case you may know them. They are pretty darn cute.

Amazing Grace is still playing, and if you have not seen it, you should.

Here are some local showing times in Seattle.

I took some time to update my links today. I deleted some that, though are still some of my favorites, needed to be retired for a while, and I added some of my new favorites.

What City do I live in Again?

So, today is the last day of February, and what happens? Snowstorm. Again. I just don't know what to do with this town. Has it forgotten that its the rainy city? Oh well, I don't mind.

Its so beautiful to look outside and see white everywhere. It's quiet now and the snow glows under the streetlights.

Too bad that I will have to drive in late to work after all the snow melts... I guess I will have to make a snowman and the best snowmen are calvin snowmen.

I can buy Paprika Pringles via the internet. But shipping costs make it very expensive, about $50. The question is, are they worth it?

They just might be.

I lost all my pictures of New York City. All I have is what I posted on this blog.

sadness....

I've been horrible at posting this week. Coming back to work after being gone for three weeks does not help. I had a pile of stuff to do, and I will have to still work on a bunch of stuff next week.

Tomorrow, I am going to Camano Island to see my parents and to take my friend Mirjam, who is from Switzerland, to see that quiet and peaceful place. I am so excited and I hope that the tide is down.

Heavy Metal in Bahgdad: Thanks to VSL.
(*nfw language*)

Often its hard to imagine anything other that what the mainstream media tells us about Iraq, so here's another perspective.

I am thinking about using a little windfall i received recently to buy a camera:

The one I am looking at is:

Sony DSLR-A100 á (alpha) Digital SLR w/ 18-200 Lense Digital SLR

Tall's Camera has a great deal on it...

mebbe i'll have me a digi SLR by the enda this week, eh?

Having a V-day in the middle of what is called "comprehensive exam week" is a nice distraction. Getting flowers, a free lunch, a package full of candy, encouragement and a target card is keeping me sane.

What is comprehensive exam week?

Its kinda like being in junior high PE, waiting to be picked for a team... will I be on the A team or the B team?

A pass/fail exam that consists of:
1. 20-25 scholarly paper on recent changes which affect communication in my chosen area of focus
2. 5 page personal theology of communication paper
3. 2-4 page workshop outline

Timeline: one week to complete.

Oh. Why am I doing this? Ah, well for the partial fulfillment of a Master's Degree in Communication.

There is no place like home...

Coming home today, to my house on a sunny Springish feeling day in Seattle was an amazing feeling. After experiencing so much adventure, the common everyday life becomes precious and something special. I promptly took a nap on my cozy bed with the sunlight streaming in, just because it was not a hotel bed.

Anyone heard of VIRBº?

Well, want to be a part of the latest web 2.0 social networking site while its still in beta form? ...follow these instructions that Joshua Blankenship posted.

and, I also have three invites left, so I can send one to you too.

i like meeting random people on the internet.

i do not like convention center food.

i love haagen dazs ice creams bars.

i do not like working long hours, but my bank account does.

It's fun when your laptop has a big black line down the middle of it, and then you drop it and the hard drive starts making creaking noises, then shuts down, and when you try to reboot it, you can't. Luckily, we got new laptops at work... it just took me a few days to get one, and then to put an image on it.

Anyway, that's why I haven't posted in a few days.

I am working at a MS show in downtown Seattle and I haven't gotten much sleep.

Rabbie Burns' Night

So the last few days the streets of Edingburgh have smelled of Haggis morning noon and night. This is because of Robert Burns' Birthday, which is celebrated with great fanfare here. Everyone heads to the pubs to eat Haggis and hear Burns' poetry being recited.

If one wants, they can organize their own supper.

I did try Haggis. It smells a lot worse than it tastes. Kind of a meaty salty taste. Sort of like a meaty paste. I won't tell you what Haggis is made of, I will just let Wikipedia tell you. The Neeps and Tatters that accompany the dish are nice, but not super exciting.

I think my favorite scottish meal so far is Sausage and Mash. I also like the Fish and Chips with Vinegar and Salt. I guess there is a brown sauce I need to try also.

According to Ben, the network guy from Parliment who lives in Glasgow, the best food is Indian and most of the restuarants are in Glasgow, so I don't know if I will get to try the UK version of Indian food while I am here because at the moment, its all about Work Work Work.

One important thing to remember when walking around a city in the U.K.--

New Band Alert

Check them out at:

Pure volume or MySpace

Scotland is more beautiful than I ever imagined. The first picture here is of Arthur's Seat. Its a large hill on the outskirts of Edingburgh and is a part of Holyrood, the Royal residence here. The name has nothing to do with King Arthur. It's just what its called.

Mirjam came and met me here from Switzerland. She is going to stay for a couple of days. What a dream to be here in Switzerland with her--to have adventures together.
A Royal Pint of Guinness. And yes, it tastes better here than in the States. I think probably becuase I am in the UK, its poured properly and is the right temp.
The Scottish flag waving proudly. Every street corner has flags and tartan shops. The Scottish are very proud of their heritage.
St. Giles church at night. This is where John Knox preached. I also saw the house where he lived and a life size statue of him. He was not even 5 feet tall! I think its a mistake for Dustin and my uncle to play him at the Reformation fest each year... Very misleading. He also had a very long beard. Mirjam and I found a very old bookstore today and I bought a Dryden poetry book published in 1711. And only for Ten Scottish Pounds. (I don't know if there is a difference between English and Scottish Pounds, but since mine are minted by the Royal Bank of Scotland, I figured I should pay tribute.)

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. Not as bad as I thought, but not the best either. The sausage and mash was much better.

The Royal Monument of Scotland. I've noticed that the Scots like putting up monuments of many things. I climbed one called the Scott Monument (put up for Sir Walter Scott) and it was 278 steps one way. Whew. My coworker Will and I climbed it with this Aussie girl, Nadine. She attached herself to us for the rest of the afternoon. It was fun to meet a new person and just hang out, talking about differences in various English speaking cultures.

Edinburgh Castle. Amazing.

I'm in Scotland!

And let me tell you, this place is totally unbelievable. I think I am going to go out, find a kilt and paint my face blue... or at least start wielding a broadsword.

Pictures and Adventures to come...

East Village

Liev Schreiber Sighting

Wig Shop More East Village

Uptown

Downtown

Schillers for Breakfast

World Trade Center

5th Avenue

The Continuing Saga of Jen's First Time in New York City

Day 4 continued....

• Fresh Basil's on Lexington: Great Italian food complete with mouse! and wine on the house...
• Serendipity3--splitting a banana split

Day 5

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: scuplture gardens
• Window shopping down Madison Ave
• A great cappuccino
• East Village: Barmundi (White Sangria), Little french wine bar (Cheese and wine), an alley restuarant complete with antlers on the walls and recently Mike Meyers was seen eating there (Grapefruit Martini), and Milk and Honey, a speakeasy appointment only joint, very hard to find, complete with Rules and 30s retro feel (you don't tell them what you want to drink, they tell you...I had something with Gin, mint, and lemon).

Day 6

• Empire State Building
• Schillers for breakfast (Cheese and Herb Omelete, Fries)
• World Trade Center Site
• Century 21 (a "Ross" of Designer clothes) We spent at least 4 hours there.
• EtcEtc: a posh NYC restuarant near the Theatre District. Very good and very expensive.

Day 7

• 5th Ave Shopping: H&M and Mexx
• Canal St with Jen Y and V: Yes, we went into the backroom.
• SOHO and little corner pizza joint
• Subway, NJ train and Alaska Airlines flight home.

My first and best Cannoli pastry was here at Veniero's. YUM. I think its worth coming to NYC just to go here.

The pic in front of the church had one the the craziest characters that I have seen yet here in the City. A "jesus" dressed in a shift dancing to a boom box. There were like 5 people watching him. Big Crowd.

I would love to live on this street. Quintessential New York.

I took this pic for Beth.

Here is the Empire State Building... Lego Style.

Spidey! Or not... Look at the back of his suit... He used safety pins to secure it. And people were letting him talk to their children!

Yes, BBQ in New York. and mighty fine too.

Some more Pictures from NYC:

Some Icons: the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and Radio City Music Hall.

Adventure in the Big Apple

--Day One

Arriving at Newark Airport and taking the train to Penn Station, I walked into an underground station of people, stores, and signs. Sorting out which direction to go took a little figuring, but in the end, I found the subway, bought a pass and shoved my bags through the turnstile along with myself.

No amount of TV or movies can prepare a person for that first glimpse of Times Square. It's like Vegas on Steroids. Walking down W 42nd with my bags, stars in my eyes and mouth open must have been a sight. Luckily, everyone else down there was a tourist, so I fit right in.

I met Vanessa in our Hotel, The Times Square Westin, 720 W 43rd, and we made our plan.

Subway to 14th, Jackson Square. A few blocks to 8th Ave, W 4th and Jane to the Corner Bistro. A cash only, wait in line through the restaurant. After pigging out on Bacon Burgers and Fries served on little paper trays, we went back to Times Square to the W hotel. The Blue Fin is a great little posh place where we had a drink. I had something called Summer Splash...I think that's the name.

Day 2: (ok, since I am a little behind. we are resorting to the bullet point method here)

• Grand Central Station


• MOMA


• Rockerfeller Center


• 5th Ave shopping: H&M, Zara


• Virgil's BBQ: met some coworkers for BBQ Nachos, Brisket & Chicken and a Chocolate Cake

Day 3

• Guggenheim Museum


• Central Park: Belvedere Castle


• Chelsea: Bravo Pizza


• Union Square: I found the coolest Barnes ever!


• Flatiron Building


• Nolita: Stanton Public to watch the 24 Premiere with V and Dave Rogers. Our own little private room downstairs with food and drinks. A swell evening NYC style

Day 4

• 5th Ave: MAC. Got my eyes done.


• SOHO: Le Petit Cafe (eggplant salad and a cappuccino), Marie Belle Chocolates, Ana Sui


• East Village: Veneiro's (Probably the best Italian pastry shop in NYC, IMHO. --well considering its my first time, that probably doesn't mean much, but a native suggested it to me and it was well worth the trek


• Greenwich Village: St. Mark's church with a creepy "jesus" character in a shift dancing outside to a boombox. Yes. I have pictures....

Tomorrow, I will be sportin' some new eyewear...

Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

So of course, Seattle decides again to have some crazy weather. Its almost like we are trying to be the east coast or something. Well, I shouldn't complain, because as I look outside tonight and see those pretty white flakes falling, I feel happy. I just wish I was in school again and could get a snow day.

Here is a digital snowflake that I made myself.

Soon, I won't have to borrow images of New York City off the internet, because I will be there!

2 more days!!

Eating at the Original Pancake House for lunch after a week of fasting is quite wonderful. I ate buckwheat pancakes. YUM. They have quite the selection of Pancakes. I think the best part of their website is when they answer the Question "What are Pancakes?"

Currently Reading:

The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohn

Last night was a full moon. I saw it on my way home from work. And I screamed...inside.

I should have sat outside for a bit watching it, but instead I fixed my router, went to bed and watched an episode of Ugly Betty on the internet.

I have to make some kind of "best of 2006" post. Instead of giving you a list, I will add to an earlier list which I posted in 2005, which happens to be the what you might call the soundtrack to my life.

2006: Brandi Carlile/Death Cab for Cutie Plans

I found a twice stabbed lady bird beetle in my house. I got this picture off the internet, thanks to Valerie. Isn't he cute?

Found at Barnes yesterday--the new Stephen Lawhead Book: Hood.

A Start to the New Year

At the beginning of each new year my church has a tradition of fasting and praying for a week. I did not join in last year, because I was visiting my friends in Switzerland, so this year I am actually excited about joining in.

There is quite the art for fasting. Here are a few things of noteworthy attention:

Yesterday I discovered a smoothie that tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Today, I realize that I notice when people are chewing. It's quite distracting.

The key is to drink a lot. Keep the pee clear. If that's happening, the fasting becomes easy.

I will be glad for tomorrow, because on the third day, usually the hunger pains go away.

Make plans to break the fast with a bunch of friends, but becareful of the fare you choose to eat. I do not recommend eating cheesecake, unless you want horrible stomach pains. Usually soup and bread are the best option.

Japenese Tourists Mark Shift in Technological Extinction

This should be the title to the front page of the local Martha Lake newspaper, (if there is such a thing) as I saw two Japenese tourists taking pictures of themselves in front of a phone booth outside the local Shell gas station.

I thought, "WOW, What is the world coming to, with people who see a blue and white phone booth and exclaim... 'How archaic! let's take a picture in front of this most important American artifact!' " ??

Soon, Archeologists will be seen dusting the remains of the phone booth with their little brushes.

Can I just mention that 11 hours of snowboarding = every muscle in the body aching in extreme and horrific painful misery?

Somehow it feels good...

Today, I broke two personal snowboard records:

Longest Snowboarding day: 11 hours plus some...

And!

I jumped twice. True, they were small, but it's definately a start!

I know it was the new boots. Just think what I'll do when I get a board!

my new boots

The Weather Report

...says that the forcast today in Mill Creek, WA is Freezing Fog. Sounds like some kind of drink to me.

I will give a prize to the person who comes up with the best ingredients to make the new famous drink called "Freezing Fog"

With my luck, it probably already exists.

I've done this once before and been compared to Hillary Clinton. I don't know if Ashton is much better...

A Great Christmas Memory 2006...

I was in Downtown Seattle, Christmas shopping with a friend. We stopped by a Starbucks to get a peppermint hot chocolate and saw a young man with handwritten sheet music. He was obviously composing something original, because as he was reading the sheet music, he would direct the orchestra he was hearing in his head. I could not stop staring at him, just stood there in shock.

Beautiful to see an artist at work.

Only after he left, did my friend and I realize that we should have asked him what he was writing.

I just got an email from the past today!

FutureMe.org allows you to write emails to yourself and send them into the future.

Here is the email I received.

Merry Christmas!

Dear FutureMe,
Remember that no matter what your life is adventure. I sure hope you
have met the man of my dreams, but if you haven't, don't ever give up. He is out
there!

Love,
Me.

I agree that it's not the most exciting email I have ever sent, but it really was fun to find waiting for me in my inbox! I think I will write another one to myself.

An unforgettable version of Coldplay's Fix You.

So here are a few self-concious thoughts...

For me the past ten years or so in the area of relationships have looked like this:

boys=disappointment

I was reading some lists I made a while ago, you know the kind that girls make about "The Man of My Dreams" and so on. I wonder if I have become too picky or too worried about finding the perfect person. There is no perfect person. I am not perfect.

But then, I also know that I am too easily persuaded. I am a bit of a pushover. And I've made some bad choices in the past.

Balance.

Ok, here are the facts: I like male people and want to marry one someday. I have some friends who have made some excellent matches, so I know that it is possible. And then there is the all important factor of "the Sovreignty of God" or FATE, as some people like to call it.

So, really there is no answer. At least not yet. Or maybe that is the answer.

Stop philosophizing and wondering, and enjoy living life NOW.

It's called Adventure. Joy. Life.

My Data = My Mondrian.

This is me, in art form.

I got a phone call from 999-999-9999.

interesting, and a little creepy.

So I googled it. Various bloggers noted that its considered the phone call of death. I however, believe one gentleman who notes that it was blockbuster calling about a delinquent account. This is the one I choose to believe as I have a movie out from them that is extremely late.

On another note,

Did I mention that I went snowboarding today?

Yes. RADICAL.

totally worth all the aches I feel at the moment.

Did I mention that I bought airplane tickets to Scotland yesterday?

the delights of del.icio.us

via kottke.org

For anyone who has not used this little internet tool, you just might consider it.

Last Weekend

Yes, I flew around 6,000 miles, but totally worth it.

I saw a classmate and good friend from Regent, (the PBE, as I like to call him) in Dallas on my first layover and had a great chat outside the terminal on a bench in the sun and not so frigid air of Texas.

As I was driving through the countryside of Virginia at 11:30 at night, I saw two meteors streak through the sky, and was later accused by a person I don't even know of being psycho because of it.

I attended one of the best weddings of the year, with probably the best toast I have ever heard in my life. No, I will not blog about this one.

I hung out with lots of friends who I haven't seen in the past couple of years all that much, and even though most of them were from Washington State, It took Charlottesville Virginia to get us all together in one place.

I now know someone in intelligence. Didn't get much info out of him... all the more intruiging.

Chilled at Millers'. If you don't know what that is, then you are low on your DMB trivia. It might be useful someday.

Arrived at the airport after waking up at 1am PST, to a gorgeous sunrise. This was an excellent start to a 17 hour commute back home.