Best Day Ever

Today at my place of employment, I was asked to help clean-up after the previous evening's donor meet-n-greet. Washing wine glasses in the gallery's kitchen amidst stainless steel sinks and walk in fridges brought me back to my days at the Three Village Inn; four years of waiting tables that I despised. And yet, I was oddly nostalgic. Concurrently, I had the opportunity to speak with a few folks from my old job (tear, sniff, sniff). And again, nostalgia. I think I'm seriously afflicted.

The most difficult part about being on the left coast for graduate school is quite simply the time difference. It's not so much the 3,000 miles, or even the cost of the flight. It's absolutely the fact that I can't just pick up the phone and call any friends, family, or the like back in Boston or on Long Island without first computing the 3 hour difference and realizing that the folks I want to speak with are inevitably at work or, conversely, asleep. It stinks. I'm officially heading to LI and/or Boston from Dec. 14 - the New Year. I'm thrilled; as much as I'm loving it here, it's going to be fabulous to see some familiar faces and just chill out for three weeks.

Tonight it's off to a "whiskey and wine tasting" at the home of the lovely married couple from class. I'm not so sure the two beverages necessarily go together (aside from common consonants) but I'm willing to bet it will make for an interesting evening.

Note: Please disregard this post's title unless you went to Hamilton, of course. In that case, consider this a not so subtle shout out, LMV. Just making a difference, one day at a time.

Random Seattle Star Sighting

Today, I bumped into Dave Matthews. He was heading out of the PCC (the only grocery store in my neighborhood and thus, despite its inflated prices and my apathy towards the organic, the one I'm forced to shop at every now and again). Now, it's arguable whether or not this is even worth reporting; I know this. I'm not what one would call a "Dave" fan (in fact, I abhor the fact that certain people feel that they are on a first name basis with him). However, when I first arrived in the sunny city of Seattle, my wonderful mother was simply overjoyed to know that he lives in the adjacent town of Wallingford. Now I can happily report to her that I did in fact see him, he's just as lovely in person as in his music videos, and his daughter(s?) are adorable.

What else... Oh, right, schoolwork. I've got a lot of it and no matter how much I do, there's always more - not that I'm actually complaining about it. My feminist theory course is as amazing as I had hoped and the other courses aren't too shabby either. Despite its seeming futility, education policy is pretty interesting and I now have a complete understanding of how formalized education not only started but also evolved in the United States. Of course, I've been neglecting a bit of work on the weekends, due to a steady stream of - you guessed it - Saturday night binge drinking. Halloween, house party, what can I say? When in college... And yes, it feels just like I'm in college again, except I have a better concept of the almighty dollar (and how little of it I actually have) and how my coursework might apply to the "real world".

Yeah, just picture this walking out of your average over-priced organic grocery store... Sans guitar, of course...

Amazing 30 Rock Quote of the Week

"Good God, Lemon, your breath. When did you find time to eat a diaper that you found on the beach?"

-Jack

And, last week's (since, well, I didn't do one last week)...

"Yes and no. Yes, that did happen, and no that didn't not happen."

-Also, Jack

Sheer brilliance. Hilarious.

Duck Chronicles, Part I

It's a typical October day at the old non-profit...

Campaign season has hit hard once again, and the team is plum tuckered out from their hard work saving the lives of children and housing the homeless. It may be a Monday afternoon, but there's a unanimous agreement that a drink (or 5) are in order and the colleagues head out for their usual post-work shenanigans. Someone* orders a round of drinks; He'll have the vodka 7up, the other a vodka tonic, and the rest? Shots of tequilla. But wait! There's a pregnant coworker* in their midst! Not being the type of group to let something (let alone libations) go to waste, whatever will they do with this over-abundance of alcohol?

The Duck* decides to drink...

Upon finishing his beverage, the Duck* falls into a peaceful slumber.

Silly Duck*.

Fundraising is an arduous task, but someone's gotta do it.

*Names are excluded for purposes of confidentiality.

Credits:

Rubber-band

DeGoogs

Ballin' Balan

D.Dalle

and

Wally III

And, then we were robbed...

True story. Last week we woke up one morning, the front door was wide open, and one of my housemate's backpack, bags and what not (previously strewn about the living room) were gone. The only thing I lost was my sense of security and numerous nights of sleep. Alright, that might be a bit melodramatic but in all honesty there's nothing creepier than some fellow crawling through your bathroom window at around 5am (well, that's what the Seattle police seem to think happened) while you're sound asleep in the adjacent bedroom. Also, what kind of a self respecting crook leaves behind the TV? I'm just saying.

Tonight was the first night I had free since... Well, since last Thursday. The weekend was chock full of Chelsea, and it was pretty fabulous. It was nice to have some company post-break in, too. There was a Ballard bar crawl, lots of eating (gluten free, but of course), drinking (caffeinated beverages at a variety of ambiance inspired coffee shops) and general merriment. I miss her terribly. Please see below for further proof of weekend amazingness (and biking around my neighborhood).

Seattle's (not so) Subtleties

I can't claim to be an expert of all of Seattle's quirks and subtleties quite yet; however, I can point out a few of it's peculiarities that I've picked up on.

1. I've been to more than one bar where dogs are not only allowed in, they're welcomed and even sit in the booths. Norm's, right around the corner of my house. HOW fortuitous. It's bizarre, and coincidentally, isn't it also a health hazard?

2. Jaywalking is pretty much non-existent. Yes, some people do it, but the vast majority wait obediently for the go sign. Also, it seems that the city of Seattle took the extra care to place "crossing flags" in areas of high traffic where there are no crosswalks. At first I thought that I was being made the gullible butt of some not so clever joke, but, nope. You just pick up your little flag, wave it around a bit until the cars stop, then carry it with you across the street, and leave it in the receptacle for the next person.

3. Coffee shops are in abundance (which is awesome). This we know. All of them boast the same staples: a plethora of espresso beverages (mmm caffeine), plentiful outlets and students exploiting the wi-fi, and... Beer? Right next to the espresso machine more often than not there lies a tap or two, along with the PBR tall boys.

4. Public transportation is not all that bad. It's clean, it seems to run decently according to schedule, and the bus drivers are nice. No seriously, it seems like they actually care about you getting to where you need to be. And, they allow dogs also... And bikers. Many a bus have multiple bikes strapped to their front. Also, during rush hour, I've witnessed the "honor system" being utilized (more than once).

Yeah, so, that's it for now, but I'm pretty sure there will be plenty more to come.

Study Break

Alright, big surprise here, so get ready: Grad school is a ton of work. What I mean by "work" is an absolute boat load of reading. Yeah, yeah, everyone tells you that... Then you attend your first two classes only to find out that you have two papers and over 200 pages of reading to do, in less than a week. Granted, this will help fill the free time between classes (having lived here only about two weeks, I still lack "friends", not counting my roommates), as will my work-study.

I was fortuitous enough to land a Development position with the Henry Art Gallery, which will hopefully be a nice change of pace to class. I can also tip my cap to United Way, for providing me with ample experience to snag said job. Though the office is less than half the size, I can only hope that the employees there are half as fun and fabulous as my old co-workers.

Photo note: The above is a delicious soy chai latte, which quelled my thirst and caffeinated me in order to power through Part I of Ben Franklin's autobiography. Don't be jealous; it's scintillating. If you think you might have spotted a leaf in that foam, you'd be correct. It did have a nicely crafted rosetta leaf in it... Right before I drank it.