My landlord is asking for it....

I want to thump the heck out of my landlord. Thump him hard. For those of you that don't know the term "thumping" it means to forcefully flick -- something I picked up thanks to my two older brothers...my oldest brother is really good at thumping as I recall. If not thump my landlord then I'd like to take apart a disposable camera and shock him with it repeatedly. Another trick I learned from my brothers.

I woke up this morning and I had no hot water. I remember thinking as I got in bed last night "Jess, just take a shower now so you can sleep in..." I couldn't be convinced, though and I woke up up early this am to find that the only hot thing in my house was my festering anger. It isn't on this one incident alone that has left me with bitterness. Here's the *short* list of things that I would like my landlord to fix:

* My shower head spits out water and lacking in water pressure which he promised to fix before I moved in in November. Liar.
* A missing baseboard by my door. Also promised to fix -- liar twice.
* An outlet in my living room not working, which doesn't seem like a big deal but I am sorely lacking in outlets.
* Eyes on my stove don't work. Don't ask me to cook Thanksgiving dinner unless you plan on bringing over your camping burners.
* The bathroom sink drain stopper is broken.
* Needs a paint job soooo bad.
* My bathroom door won't close.
* My front door needs to be cut down because it drags on the carpet hard every time I open it...it's sooooo irritating.

Alright, that's enough. Just let's just say I'm cranky and dirty this morning. And if I see him walking around...THUMP. I've complained about some of these things before and I'm half tempted to say if they don't fix them then I want my rent lowered $100 a month. Yeah, I know, as if.

Enough whining, back to work.

Back in Seattle...

The DC event was exhausting, but I think it went relatively well. It was long days, long nights, a lot of work...I'm hoping it's worth it. We shall see.

I got back in town on Saturday around noon and C greeted me at the airport. It was really great to see him after the long week. Saturday was beautiful, so we walked down to World Market and picked up a bottle of Kris pino grigio (which is a really affordable Australia wine http://www.winezap.com/Haas-Franz-Pinot-Grigio-Kris/0/16751) and some Framboise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framboise) and walked through Olympic Sculpture Park (http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/OSP/) which is only three blocks from the home base and sat in the sun.

My friend from WDWCP was in town from El Paso on Saturday night with some friends so we went out to Pink Door for dinner. I had some amazing halibut. Amazing. We headed over to Belltown Billards for a bit and then headed home. It was a nice walk home -- crisp Seattle evening...but I was exhausted. I burst into tears halfway home from being overtired...meh.

Sunday was relaxing...we hung out in the courtyard and I sewed a pillow while C painted in true Bob Ross style. Now, you'll be impressed...this was no craft fiasco, friends. It appears one craft I can do is hand sew. Forget about the gingerbread houses, discard all thoughts about the Easter eggs and feast your eyes on this:





I know....oooooo...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, right? I mean that's handsewn. No sewing machines were used in the process. I'm so proud of myself I plan on making two more! One with the same material and one with this:




I'll let you know how it turns out. Fancy, I hope.

In other news I made the most inccccccccccreddddibllleeeee HG pad thai yesterday. HIGHLY recommended for you WW eaters.



Delllllllllllishhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I also got some aweeeeeeesome strawberries that are the size of my head. Okay maybe not that big but check these babies out:




Oh heck yes, I'm enjoying that. Anyway, I'm off.

38 hours...body lotion in my hair

I'm in DC for work...one of my clients is doing a really cool event but I must admit, it's sucking the everlasting energy out of my body. Yesterday I flew in to DC and I was on hour 38 of being awake when I decided to take a shower...body lotion is the new shampoo. My hair feels awesome today. Ugh.

After 5 hours of sleep I got in another 17 of work...and now I'm heading back to sleep for another 5 to regroup and play it again. I'll let you know how it rolls, there is so much to catch up on. So much. I hope to talk to you soon...but I'm probably the most tired I've been ever...I'm such an old 23.

Night..

Happy May Day Number 2

Sorry about the delay since writing, I know you've been *aching* for an update. Everything seems to be pretty well in order in life, I am really enjoying crew.

Yesterday we went out on Lake Union which, as everything in Seattle is, it's beautiful.



Afterward C and I went on a May Day date to The Purple Cafe, which I've been wanting to go to since basically day one. I've always heard rave reviews, but I could never justify the cost. Finally we buckled up and decided that we needed to check out this downtown oasis for ourselves, and what better day to do it then for May Day. Here's the menu:
http://www.thepurplecafe.com/pdf/menus/seattle_dinner.pdf

I opened up my mouth to a bouquet of flavors, all extremely enjoyable. The gorgonzola stuffed dates were unbelievable and the halibut had some amazing potato pairing. Delightful. The chardonnay wine flight I order was alright, I'd probably get something different if I went back again. We'll see.

This weekend is shaking out to a pretty exciting weekend. Tonight my friends S and B are having a James Bond party, and I have the perfect outfit. I'm not going to reveal it hear, hopefully follow up with some pictures.

Tomorrow is opening day for boats in Seattle, and I plan on going to that to watch the regatta (ooo, I'm so crew oriented) and the parade of yachts. Afterward I'm heading over to Ballard's Fourth Annual Keta Salmon Cookoff to try salmon for *FREE*. Then it's the Hop and Scotch festival in Fremont, gotta check that out.

Sunday I'm going to the zoo. All and all looking like a good weekend.

Susan Belle is perfect, by the way. Thank you for asking.

Susan Belle

C and I went to the animal shelter yesterday just to look and we left with an adorable cat. I'm nervous to have an animal, but I think it will be a positive thing. Introducing Susan Belle:






She hid in the tub for awhile and then warmed up and actually cuddled in bed all night. So cute. Tell you more about her later!

Seattle doom and gloom

Man this place is depressing. If this winter doesn't burn off soon I'm going to be super sad. To top it all off, it's FRIGID. Not just mildly brisk, no it's flipping freezing. Bah.

I suppose I should update you with the new bits of my life. My friend K and I joined a "Learn to Row" class at Lake Union Crew...talk about cold. I'm going to freeze to death. The course is pretty intense for about a month. Tues/Thurs/Saturday for an hour and half. It's pretty fun, our instructor is extremely sarcastic and has pointed out about 20 times already how bad my posture is. I've spent most of my week strapped to my office chair in order to fix my posture. Little does he know that my chair leans back...muhahahhaha.

C and I picked up a ballroom dancing class that starts tonight. Should be pretty cool. Nonno taught me years and years ago how to fox trot, but that's about all I have under my belt. I'm just afraid I'm going to be the one trying to lead the whole time. Hah.

Last weekend I headed out to Spokane to hang out with some friends, it was pretty fun. It's always nice to see those folks, and we're going back for N's law school graduation in a few weeks. The agenda is pretty packed. Here's what's on the upcoming docket:

*Tonight: Ballroom class and going to Warroom with the soccer team folks (we've kissed and made up)
*Tomorrow: Rowing, Tulip Festival (http://www.tulipfestival.org/) and Desi Dhamaka (Chi's cousin is performing) and then the after party at EMP..whoop whoop...it was a lot of fun last year.
*Sunday: Brunch with C's mom
*4/21: Cooking Class at Blue Ribbon (http://www.blueribboncooking.com/)

Highlights to come:
*5/4: Vancouver, BC for Wac's 1/2 marathon
*5/9 - 11: Spokane
*5/17 - 5/24: Washington, DC for work
*5/26 - 5/28: Red Sox
*6/25 - 6/29: Gloucester for St. Peter's Day Fiesta

Alright, I'm out.

I am a Dremel owner

Those that know me know one thing is true, I am by no means crafty. While you don't need proof that I'm a craft making failure, I have substantial evidence for your amusement. Please feel free to scroll down for the Easter Egg Mistakes of 2008, or look here for the gingerbread house fiasco of 2007:



Go ahead, laugh it up.

The thing is, I truly believe I have artistic vision. I keep investing into what I hope someday might be. So I decided my skills might lie in jewelry making. I was looking for a hobby to have at home, so I bought some wooden tiles, some chains, leather string, and earring hooks. I bought some decorative paper and several varieties of mod podge (my favorite is the sparkly variety http://www.plaidonline.com/apMP.asp#Sparkle). And I bought a dremel.

One thing to note is that I don't feel comfortable using a hammer or a screw driver, I don't know what made me think I should spend $75 on a powertool. WikiHow makes the process seem so easy:

1.Decide how big you want it to be. If you want it to be an inch long, cut it slightly bigger.
2.Find a small branch. Make sure it's okay to cut it first. Crepe myrtle, tallow, and hibiscus wood work well.
4.Secure the branch to something like a table, and saw the branch into 1/4 inch discs. Saw 2-3 of them so if one breaks you don't need to start over.
5.If you want to write on your pendant, get some sand paper. Use 60 grit for the first sanding and 620 grit for the smoothing. (If you want the pendant as is, continue on to step 6.)
6.After you have sanded it smooth, use a pencil to draw the outline, and color pencils to make a design.
7.Drill a hole for the chain or string.
8.Seal the pendant with a clear sealer so the design doesn't come off.

TIPS

You could also carve a design in the wood. If you do this, be careful not to cut your fingers as you carve the wood. Instead, secure the wood in a vise.
Instead of pencil, try ink, or consider burning a design using a pyrography machine. Depending on the ink and the wood you use, it may tend to soak in. Cut several disks so you can experiment with different designs.
Try cutting the branch at an angle if you would prefer a taller pendant. The angle will make the pendant come out in an oval shape.

Yeah, right. I tried and I ended up sanding off half of my pendant. Dang it. While it wasn't an initial success here are some things I learned for the next time I decide I want to try again:
1. Use eye goggles to prevent wood shavings from going in my eye and to prevent the foul language that follows.
2. Put down newspaper to prevent marks on the nice cherry wood dining room table.
3. Find patience. Your first few times will most likely suck.

I'll try again once I have the goggles and let you know how it works out, but don't put in your orders for any jewelry yet.

Show me the money....

I went to my first casino, ever, today. Tullalip Casino (http://www.tulalipcasino.com/), "The number one place for fun!"

It was....anti-climatic. I'm not sure what I was expecting, actually. It was full of smoke, drunks, people on oxygen and still smoking with bloodshot eyes(keep it mind it was only 4 pm), slot machines and some card tables. I lost $4.49, dang it....I was up about $9, but I kept hitting the button on the slot machine. I promised myself I wouldn't lose more than $5. Woo hoo, take that casino face. C lost about $15...Dang casino owners, and their massive amounts of money.

Speaking of people with massive amounts of money...after leaving the casino we head on over to another company that has a couple Gs to throw around...Wal-Mart. Okay, so I haven't been to Wal-Mart since I've lived in the state of Washington, so it was quite the event. When I'm back home I think I go to Wal-Mart at least once a day there. I'm not even really sure what for. I did make some amazing purchases, I'm sad to say (I generally claim to be an anti-Wal-Mart person, but let's be honest...it's CHEAP).

I bought:
*Scrabble
*Coffee Maker
*Progresso Light Zero Point Soup
*Tropicana Light One Point Orange Juice
*4 Lean Cuisine Sante Fe Rice and Beans only $2.14 compared to the $3.98 I pay at Safeway(http://www.leancuisine.com/Products/Details.aspx?ProductID=194), Five Point lunch which I always add some spinach and salsa too to give it some extra flare which is amazingly tastier and less points than the WW brand (http://www.eatyourbest.com/products/productsearch/searchdetails.aspx?sid=2360)
8
*Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers (http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/products.aspx?coid=23|59|59&family=363|634|675) which are my second fav only to Tomato Basil Pizza Burgers

All amazing and all cheeeeaaapppp

Alright, enough. I have girls brunch and pedicure in the morning. Goodnight.

Miss Ballard

I don’t know how it struck or what brought on the surge, but I realized yesterday how indifferent I am to people that pass off into the periphery of my life, those that fall out of focus. Of course there are folks in my life that I will always love regardless of how often we chat, those are my kindred spirits and best friends. I'm fortunate enough to have a handful of them.

There are those others that drift in and out of your life and when they come back in you always try to make the connection again, make them fit where they used to. More often than not, that void that once was has already been filled by another friend and you can't rekindle what was.

This disconnect comes in all forms, of course. It comes with past relationships, friends, classmates and colleagues. You always want what is best for them as they move on, out of your life, especially the ones that were once important. You hold on to the nugget of what they were to you, cling to it...until soon it all fades away. It’s just a part of growing, they say, and the ones that are important stick with you.

I remember the first time someone fell out of my life and I could feel the hurt, the missing, the sting of pain. It was Miss Ballard, my kindergarten teacher. While Miss Ballard was never overly affectionate, she was what every kindergarten teacher ought to be, soft spoken, patience and considerate. I loved her. When I moved on to 1st grade, my classroom was close by Miss Ballard’s and when I had the opportunity to stop by and see her, I always did. I remember the change in her demeanor, a slight chill in her approach. I had fallen off her radar and she couldn’t make me fit back in her life. She had new students and they were her focus. I was heartbroken.

Since then, I’ve fallen out of many other’s lives and they’ve fallen out of mine. It is just the way it is. I’ve had a few of my friends fall out recently, and it’s always hard. It’s always the same. You hang on to that one nugget, give them another call, and reach out hoping to rekindle what once was...but eventually, as it always does the hope turns into apathy.

The Right Stuff...

Can you believe it? NKOTB is reuniting and holding a show in NYC on April 4. I loved New Kids On The Block, but I guess what girl my age didn't. I had poster, which of course my brothers drew all over.



Oh glory. Oh beauty. First one was a sweet one...second one was a blast...ahhhh. I had the comforter, I had t-shirts, I had their white cassette tape. Amazing. I hope they come West. California, no matter, I'll be there with scrunchy and all.

Alright, well I mentioned my new dresser but I thought you might like to see it for yourself...here she is..



Lovely. I'm going to bed.