Saturday, May 31, 2008

Construction Junction





I'm having a hard time getting any good super secret spy photos anymore since they fenced off the parking lot across the street and started tearing down the building. Living right off of Broadway I do see a lot of people that would be perfect for my purposes, but I usually don't have my camera on me. And they might get pissed if I randomly took their photos. Although come on, if you are going to wear some crazy get up and walk all over Capitol Hill, you are obviously trying to attract attention. You aren't fooling anybody. We know you just want to be looked at.

Anyhow, they fenced it all off across the street as you can see in the first photo. And last weekend there was a slew of firefighters who were conducting training and spent all day Saturday and Sunday on the roof cutting holes with chainsaws wearing all that gear. Keep in mind it was sunny and in the 70s. Ugh. Finally we got some action this week with the heavy equipment! The last two pictures show how they are tearing the building apart. It still is only halfway down. No action today. I guess they don't work on weekends.

It is sort of fun to watch people walk by and look at the building all torn apart. I'm sure I'm not alone in having memories of shopping there when it was QFC. And it is interesting watching the demolition guys use the huge, um, machine-thingies to tear the building apart and then sort the pieces so that they have a pile of twisted metal, a pile of crumbled concrete, a pile of wire bits, and a pile of mish-mash including wood, ceiling tiles, insulation, etc.

Beware of Thrift Stores


I'm so behind on posting stuff. Finally downloaded the pictures from my camera and rediscovered this picture above. I had gone out to Yakima to visit family a couple weeks ago and THAT PAINTING was living in the basement. As in, they had specifically seen it at a thrift store, purchased it, and then walked home with it because it was too big to fit in the car. It reminds me of a sweatshirt that my friend Kate had in the fifth grade--white, with a grey airbrushed-looking cat on it. Click on it to see it larger, although nothing can quite convey the impact of seeing it live.

Wow.

It's pretty special.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Cry Me a River


In regards to a conversation I had yesterday with Snotty and Adrian while we were roaming the Olympic Sculpture Park, one of the topics of conversation was the "crying Indian" commercial that played in the 1970's for the Keep America Beautiful campaign.
I remembered that the actor wasn't actually Native American at all, and had to go back and look up the info on him. He was "Iron Eyes" Cody but Wikipedia tells more of the story:
"Cody was born Espera de Corti, a son of Antonio de Corti and his wife Francesca Salpietra, immigrants from Sicily. In some of his earliest acting credits Cody was listed as Tony de Corti. He would soon change his name and claim to be part Cherokee and part Cree.
In 1996, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported his Sicilian heritage, but Cody denied it at the time because he was "ashamed" of his Italian heritage. Cody and his wife Bertha adopted several children, all Native Americans."
Perhaps he actually was part Native American. But it sure doesn't sound like it. He died in 1999 at the age of 94.

Friday, May 23, 2008

tappity tappity tap tap tap




Been busy like a bee inputting resources into the Native Eyes Reference Finder today, which was a side job I picked up a few months ago and have been too busy to work on what with school and all. Things need to be input by the end of the month however, so I'm frantically (well, not really frantically) adding books, chapters, websites, and articles. When possible, I try to put images of the books that I swipe from Amazon in the listings too. Above are a few examples.
Yes, this is how fabulous my life is now. It is Friday night and I'm doing database entry for an academic side job. Whoohoo! But seriously, I don't mind.

Ketchup Head


Today is going fine, but for some reason I feel kind of like pouring ketchup on my head. Credit for the lovely image goes to the Illustrator Denise VanLeuwen (sp!?) from the Netherlands. Nothing awful is going on, it just seems appropriate. And a hot dog sounds tasty too, with ketchup and relish!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Back to Kent...


I keep thinking about things to write about here that I end up spacing out on. Or being too tired to write when I sit in front of the computer.
On the snack front, Bryn followed up his cherries jubilee evening with pumpkin pancakes the next morning. I think I'll keep him. He also introduced me to the joys of Chambord over vanilla ice cream. Tasty!
I had driven to Kent yesterday to visit with a family member and was struck by the change of scenery between being in the city versus being out there. It's only about 20-30 minutes away but definitely feels different. And I will admit, I did used to live there too! I don't know if I would ever choose to live in the suburbs again. I know I could do it. But still.
Traffic was pretty bad too. Spent a big portion of the trip thinking back on the past self who used to live out there and used to have such different priorities. I remember being 21 and really self-identifying so strongly with the type of car I drove. I was obsessed with it. And obsessed with everyone else's cars too. Thank God I got over that phase of my life. I still really like things, but I don't let them run my life (mostly). I'd rather put my energy towards relationships with people or experiences than focus on gathering a bunch of stuff, no matter how nice the stuff may be.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Snacks Aflame!


(Note to self: Don't forget that you have an awesome boyfriend.)
No, he didn't buy me a My Little Pony. But he did make cherries jubilee for us tonight for dessert randomly! You know. . . cherries jubilee. . . which is, coincidentally, the name of the pony shown above. Basically if you make me a dessert that you can light on fire, you had me at the word dessert. The fire is just bonus.

Friday, May 16, 2008

three-oh approaches


With my birthday approaching in about four weeks, I've figured out what to tell anyone who asks me what I want this year. I WANT MY METABOLISM BACK!!!

good wife/bad wife


Ran across a link to an old marital rating scale on Slate today and it was terrible enough that I had to talk about it more. If you ever feel nostalgia for a bygone era, reading this might make you rethink that.
According to the scale some negative traits in a wife are: wearing red nail polish, failing to sew buttons or darn socks regularly, having crooked seams in pantyhose, and wears soiled or ragged dresses and aprons around the house.
Conversely, positive traits include: the ability to carry an interesting conversation, dressing for breakfast, lets husband sleep late on Sundays and holidays, and never goes to bed angry--always makes up first.

My morning so far...



Text conversations with Laura today...
Me: Does rabbit ravioli sound like it would be tasty or creepy?
Laura: If its garnished with bunny ears then its creepy. Otherwise sounds good.
Me: How about with a side of carrots?
. . .
Laura: Do you think bugs puke?
Me: Hmmm. Probably. But I doubt any bugs are bulemic.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Porktacular



Oh, and Bryn was showing me something on FARK where I found the ninja nails photo from the previous post and there was also the Special K with Bacon!!! Plus I had given Snotty a figurine for her birthday of St. Anthony, the patron saint of bacon that I thought I should share with the world. The patron saint who shares my name oversees bacon!?!?! The world suddenly makes sense again.

Ninja Nails


Got my nails did yesterday for the first time in a long while. It always freaks me out to have them be all shiny! And I've run into three people I've previously worked with at random places in the past two days. Not entirely sure why, but it makes me want to hide in a cave. As for the above photo, I think that if I could have throwing stars put on my nails I might not mind running into people unexpectedly, right? They would rue the day they ever impetuously crossed my path! Although I guess I can't blame them if they just *happened* to be there. Maybe it all boils down to me not liking surprises unless I'm the one doing the surprising.

Friday, May 09, 2008

You Should Probably Buy This Book


ABOUT THIS BOOK
They love nothing better than sipping free-trade gourmet coffee, leafing through the Sunday New York Times, and listening to David Sedaris on NPR (ideally all at the same time). Apple products, indie music, food co-ops, and vintage T-shirts make them weak in the knees. They believe they’re unique, yet somehow they’re all exactly the same, talking about how they “get” Sarah Silverman’s “subversive” comedy and Wes Anderson’s “droll” films. They’re also down with diversity and up on all the best microbrews, breakfast spots, foreign cinema, and authentic sushi. They’re organic, ironic, and do not own TVs. You know who they are: They’re white people. And they’re here, and you’re gonna have to deal. Fortunately, here’s a book that investigates, explains, and offers advice for finding social success with the Caucasian persuasion. So kick back on your IKEA couch and lose yourself in the ultimate guide to the unbearable whiteness of being.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christian Lander is the creator of the website Stuff White People Like. He is a Ph.D. dropout who was the 2006 public speaking instructor of the year at Indiana University. He has lived in Toronto, Montreal, Copenhagen, Tucson, Indiana, and now Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, Jess, a photographer who contributed many of the photos in the book.
BUY IT NOW!
The book comes out in July and there is a link to the blog related to this book on the right side of this page under "Cracker Barrel." It's good stuff! Check it out! Come on, you know you know some white people, right? This will help you learn how to talk to them!

Fairy Cakes


"Cupcakes" versus "Cup cakes"

A cupcake, a well-loved dessert, is so named because it is a small cake the size of a teacup. In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the little cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds. The name fairy cake is a fanciful description of its size: an appropriate size for a party of diminutive fairies to share.

(The above came from Wikipedia.)

Since Snotty had her bday party on Wednesday and I happened to be there, as well as hanging out with her yesterday post-hair-coloring, I have imbibed my fair share of cupcakes over the past few days. They have also conspired to put me into a sugar-induced haze so that I no longer am able to speak and make any sense. I just went and got a mocha in the hopes that the caffeine will assist me in my vocalization coordination, but my hopes are low.

See? I have no idea what I'm saying. I blame the cupcakes.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

I'm RICH!!!


Recieved the following email:

BRITISH NATIONAL LOTTERY LONDON, UK.
PRICE AWARD DEPARTMENT.
Ref: UK/0274K82/10
Batch: 172/104/ZY370

We the Board and Management of the British National Lottery happily announce to you the draw (#251) of the British National Lottery, online Sweepstakes International program held on the 31st of May, 2008. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56418590625188 with Serial number 9274/102 drew the lucky numbers: 04078840032439 (bonus number 7), which subsequently won you the lottery in the second category.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £1,000,000 (ONE MILLION POUNDS) in cash credited to file KTU/5572001832/169. Your fund is now deposited with a security company insured to your name.
Due to mixed up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this award top secret from public notice until your claim has been processed as this is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking of advantage of this program by participants.

All participants were selected through computer ballot system drawn 12,000,000 names from the World Wide as part of our International Promotion Program which we conduct once every year.

To begin your claims, please contact your claims agent,

Mr.Hillary Martins.
The Foreign Service Manager by
E-mail (hillarymartinservices@live.com)
Tel: + 44 (0) 704 570 6633
You are to fill the below details for documentation.

Full name:
Country:
Contact address:
Age:
Sex:
Marital Status:
Occupation:
Phone number:
Current Email:

NOTE: in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please remember to quote your reference and batch number in every of your correspondence with us or your agent. Furthermore, should there be any change of Address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible.

Congratulations again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotions program.

Yours Sincerely.
Mrs.Kitty Anderson.
LOTTO CO-ORDINATOR.


--
Saunalahti Ykkönen: Puhelut kaikkiin liittymiin 0,069 e/min ja nyt kaupan päälle Sisärengas-puhelut ja tekstarit viiteen valitsemaasi liittymään 0 e!
http://saunalahti.fi

Monday, May 05, 2008

Puppetry of the Penis


Oh yeah, did I mention that my DAD got tickets to see this show and took me on Saturday night? It was... it was... it was frightening. I mean, it was pretty funny and all, but an hour long dick joke is really more than I can handle. Watching two guys contort their junk into shapes that vaguely resemble snails, hamburgers, wristwatches, sea anemones, and the eiffel tower just isn't my idea of a good time. (And I'm gay, so it isn't like I'm averse to watching nude men cavort.)
Scary stuff. Enough to take the sight out of a good eye. But there were a lot of groups of ladies that appeared to be there for birthdays and/or bridal events. Or just to ogle in general. And since they serve liquor at the ACT Theater, they got pretty rowdy. One of them even fell over one of the ledges! Although to be fair, it happened at intermission when she was trying to climb down instead of go across a row of people. But still. She fell flat on her face and was completely mortified.

Super Secret Spy Photo #3


I'm not entirely sure what is going on with these two girls, but they seemed photo-worthy. The boots make that one outfit look like something that Britney Spears might wear. And the purple hoodie, well, I don't really want to talk about it. It scares me.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Super Secret Spy Photo #2


Again, I was sitting at my computer and felt compelled to snap a picture of this lady with her dog and (I assume) her daughter. Unfortunately, by the time I got my camera she had passed so I was only able to get a shot from behind so you aren't able to get the full effect of her big hair and full-on painted face. Considering that you can tell she has on purple suede boots with purple tights, purple shorts, and a lavender tweed jacket, I think you get the idea. She seemed to be of the age where it would have been more appropriate for her to just slap a red hat on top of it and join a gaggle of other purple-wearing, red-hatted ladies as they made their way around town.
I feel like a paparazzi without the chasing!

Weird.


Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer are dating? I never would have predicted that. I guess I'm not like Jeanne Dixon, psychic to the stars after all.
Survived the end of all of my classes successfully. Busy recuperating. No. More. Design. (For like, a week or two.)