The Brighton Port Authority

Will David Byrne ever be uncool? Everything he touches turns to gold.

Lava Ladies

Party Crasher
A Roman Volcano Prom Erupts
by Jeff Kirby

"Prompeii" isn't just a party, it's an extravaganza. There are hundreds of people in beautiful costumes mingling inside a meticulously decorated club in the heart of Belltown. The theme is pretty loose, so the costume genres are somewhat eccentric: Mostly, the outfits are ancient-Roman themed, but there's also some Greek mythology, Lord of the Rings, and "gay" speckled throughout the crowd.

"Mount Vesuvius" is set to erupt. In the back of the club there's a large black cloth volcano surrounded by cardboard houses. For snacks there are bizarre but cute tater-tot mountains with blue flames shooting out the top. The "Catastrophe Cooler," which contains ginger-infused vodka that has been soaking for six weeks, is the drink special. The bartender lets people know that even though it doesn't taste very strong, it has been specifically engineered to fuck people up. The drinks sell out quickly.

At 11:11 p.m. the room begins to fill with an unbelievably thick cloud of fake smoke. Confetti rains from the ceiling and "Eruption" by Van Halen is cranked over the speakers. There's a masking-tape perimeter around the volcano—no one is exactly sure what's going to come out of it or if they're safe standing in the front row. Thankfully, it's not a giant mound of vinegar and baking soda inside: Three women in red dresses emerge and begin to trash the city of Pompeii. Everyone stands still, transfixed, as the lava women smash the shit out of the cardboard boxes, until one of them screams, "Start dancing!" and out of the flames and destruction a party is born. JEFF KIRBY

Crush it.

Not only has this phrase become a household staple, I have also taken a shine to crushing things...literally. Here I am with the illustrious and immensely talented "hot ashes" reigning our doom on the civilization of Pompeii. This performance piece came complete with smoke machines and the three of us jumping forth from folds of vinyl Vesuvius. Set to Ladytron's "Destroy Everything You Touch", we brought in the heat. And then flashed everyone. I have a bruise on my foot to prove the ferocity that was the hot ashes. Stick it.

http://flickr.com/photos/espressobuzz/2728987957/in/set-72157606522725996/

Sorry, folks. I didn't take the picture and it is copyrighted. Take the extra step and view this link.

Circa 1988

I wish it were 1988. I would be rockin' the inflatable neon recliner, drinkin' diet pepsi and getting nicely bronzed just like I am here...in 2008. Things, they stay the same. I could have totally used some bright pink zinc oxide sunstick this weekend. And a hypercolor t-shirt. I love Priest Lake. It is so choice.

Voice from yonder

So, many of you are asking why I have not blogged in many moons. The answer, my friends, is that I have been swamped with work at both Helle and at Youngstown. My sugaring services are in high demand these days. I actually got blisters on the top of my hand from taking my gloves on and off so many times in one day. Battle wounds. I wanted to share some reviews that I receievd on Yelp and also a feature in Daily Candy.

4 star rating 07/18/2008
Those who know me in passing might say I'm a masochist.

Those who know me very well might have evidence of such tendencies.

That said, brow waxing is not my bag. Ingrown hairs and burns to the face are never-ever-EVER things which I would describe as being fun, or sexy, or interesting, or anything else which might make you want to jump up do it.

Enter Helle's sugaring treatments. No icky residue, no pimples, no angry red stripes - just fantastic arch definition and less yeti-faced questionability. Laura's got a gentle touch, which I truly appreciate when people are working near my eyeballs, and she seems like a sweet gal to boot.

It was so much more relaxing and so much less painful than waxing, I almost fell asleep right there on the recliner. (Seriously. I almost felt kinda bad, but I was told it happens more than might think.) You, too, may achieve these transcendental states of relaxation while still keeping up with your beauty regimen - even if you don't consider improving your pain tolerance a sport.

5 star rating 07/03/2008
Dude. OMG. Wow. Danielle has brought in another esthetician to help accomodate Helle's ever-increasing client base, and Laura is amazing! She guided me through my first sugaring experience with a great attitude and humor AND she's cute to boot! Consider me converted - I already made my next sugaring appointment with her.
(don't worry kids, my face still belongs to Danielle. No really. I sold it to her in exchange for some snake oil - see below.)

Also - Helle is now open 7 days a week and they do massage!

P.S. Two words: Snake Oil. Danielle has managed to create a miracle in a bottle. Within one week at least 3 people I know are addicted to it.

Here's the Daily Candy feature. Serendipitously and unknowingly I was mentioned in tandem with Dina Innominato's Nia class that I do check-in for every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Visit Dina's amazing new blog at http://www.bodyfullness.com. I have mad love for this woman, even though she busts my chops sometimes.




Impure Thought
Come clean at a place that doesn’t judge: Georgetown’s Helle Spa (5701c Airport Way South; 206-767-0803). The Your Body Is a Temple detox treatment is a lymphatic dry brush, custom sea salt scrub, bentonite clay wrap, and an aromatic oils finish — to a punk rock serenade.

Exercise Your Demons
A blend of yoga, martial arts, and dance, Dina Innominato’s Nia classes at Dance Underground (340 15th Avenue East) fill up as quickly as you can slip off your shoes. Get in touch with your limbs and find inner grace moving to the beat of your own drum.

I also got to spend some glorious time down at Cannon Beach recently with my dear friend and domestic partner, Tara McCauley. We, along with our hound dogs, stayed right across from the beach. It was a weekend full of art-making. I made a sash for a friend's wedding dress and Tara and I collaborated on a painting for a friends wedding gift. What a lovely weekend it was indeed!




I am off to Priest Lake for the weekend! More pictures and tales of good times to come!

The sweater song ain't got nothin' on this...

Burst Mode

On my recent drive to PDX, I accidentally discovered the burst mode on my camera phone. It takes a rapid sequence of shots. I am seriously and shamelessly addicted.

The Sex and the City movie premier with my ladies is tonight. After all the hype, it is actually happening. I've heard good things. I am ready to see all of the fancy clothing. And shoes. Stay tuned.

I AM A NERD!

I have just returned from Los Angeles after my 2-day sugaring training. It has come to my attention that I have never posted any photos of Helle and all my friends (save for the ones who have visited me there) have ever seen it either. So, here are some photo updates. There is one of the lobby area and one of the treatment room.

LA cracks me up. There is no other place like it. Where else can you get an In-N-Out burger "protein style"? Us South Beachers love that shit. And where can you get your pubes sugared into the shape of a martini glass and encrusted with pink Swarovski crystals? If it's equivalent to Samantha's pearl thong...no thanks. I'll go with the straight up coast-to-coast as they like to call it. No muss, no fuss. And no bling. Speaking of Sex and the City...t-minus 9 days until the movie premiers and I will flock with all my girlfriends to see that sucker on opening night.

I also was introduced to TED. Leave it to a bunch of brainy programmers who sit around and try to come up with the next best idea to get me hooked on "TED Talks". TED is an annual conference that only costs $6,000 to attend. That's if your application is accepted. But there is really no better place to be inspired by the capacity of humans. Take a taste test for yourself. I think all my friends and family will find something that tickles your fancies. Here are two of my favorites:

Pour some sugar on me

So folks, I will be heading down to LA in a couple weeks to get certified in sugaring as a method of hair removal. I can report after having a brazilian via sugaring that it is highly prefereable to wax. Less painful. No risk of cross contamination. Less risk of ingrown hairs. Little to no skin trauma. And it leaves you clean as a whistle. In short, it rules!

Cat in Aktion

My fondness for cats continues to grow every day. Creature, the OG of all cats, has returned to his normal self of late. He has been whacking the dogs on their noses, meowing at walls, acting all self-righteous and entitled. Tara and I could really tell that he had been feeling sick for a while because when he started regaining his health, he was up to his usual antics. My favorite is when he screams at me for food at 6am. The other day he jumped up behind me on the chair as I was at the computer and started clawing my back. I'm not a hater. I got nothin' but love for this cat.

In other cat news, I came across this cool project.

http://www.katz23.de/

I love the shots taken by the Fritz the cat. Here's a little short film to show you how it's done...

A little country. A little rock and roll.

If only I could fly to Glasgow to see these guys play with Iron and Wine. Yum.
Check out this video: Bon Iver "The Wolves (Act I and II)"



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We Are All In This Together (thanks Ben Lee)

My plans to go to the Greek New Year celebration came to a screeching halt when my friend Kristi called me and asked me when we should meet at my house to go to the show. I wracked my brain and was drawing a blank. What show? Aha! The Ben Folds show that I committed to going to weeks prior and that had completely slipped off my radar.

We hightailed it down towards the Tacoma aroma, as the show was being held at University of Puget Sound. On our drive, we speculated what the crowd would be like. I postulated that it would be about 30% college kids who had never heard of Ben Folds and 70% burnout 30-something fans (I am including myself in this category). It was quite the inverse actually. We were ushered into the Field House and gazed upon the throngs of freshman happily jumping around to the bubble gum tunes of Ben Lee.

If I were a field-worker reporting on the social patterns of post-adolescent college students these would be my findings:

Yes, that right folks. People in college are still listening to Snoop Dogg at parties. They still are wearing birkenstocks. They still are assuming the vertical spooning position at shows whereby the male stands behind the female and wraps his arms around her waist protectively, coyly resting his chin on the top of her head. They still are sneaking illegal substances in backpacks. And they still are listening to and loving Ben Folds. Seems like not a day had gone by since the radio release of "Brick".

This experience came complete with an akward ex-boyfriend siting a la Kristi and one surprise musical guest, Moby. Wait. Moby, at UPS? What is wrong with this picture?

Apart from the supreme giddiness of the music, I was lifted by the teen spirit and at once felt like I had traveled back through time to my "glory days".

Recollections

Remember the days when I had long hair? I miss those days.
So, it has come to my attention that some of my friends are disappointed that I didn't blog about my fabulous trip to Mt. Bachelor and it's environs. HUGE OVERSIGHT. I apologize.

Oh, Mt. Bachelor let me count the ways I love thee. You gave me thigh-high fresh powder, glistening sunshiney days, glorious untracked terrain. I got so caught up in you that I literally needed a shovel to dig myself out. I never have known a mountain like you and I love that you are a challenge to me. I wish you were not so distant and difficult to reach. But you have set the bar for my future relationships with other mountains. I have no regrets.

Thank you to all my peeps in tow: Andreas, Joshua, Damon, Brent, Dustin, Briar, Abe and mostly to the Rinz for organizing this getaway.

And yes, I refuse to use the word "epic" in this text. In fact, I am boycotting that word.

My re-entry into America has been a fairly rocky one. One death of a friend, one unplanned pregnancy, one favorite cat who almost died while I was away...for starters. Maybe it's me being escapist but can I crawl back under the South American rock from whence I came?

Livin' La Vida de Buenos Aires

Not to be direly anticlimactic but today marks the last day of my trip. I have just returned from Buenos Aires after an overwhelmingly short stay there. Just a forewarning…this entry may error on the side of being long-winded. If you don’t like it…you can “suck it” as Sarah Rinzler so aptly says.

We arrived in BA on a Wednesday night and proceeded to catch a cab from the airport to the city center. There was a very peculiar odor in the air…smelled like a giant forest fire and Smokey the Bear. Everyone we asked pleaded ignorance. They would say to us…that’s how it usually smells. Our cab driver almost collided with the gate at the toll booth. I about shat my pants. The drivers here…are, uh, aggressive to put it nicely.

We had made plans to stay at Shannon’s friend Paul’s place and he told us beforehand to bring our sleeping bags. So we did. We arrived at his place on Valentin Gomez at about 11:30PM. We rang the buzzer. No answer. Rang it again. No answer. A kindly man came along and made gesture to enter the building and Shannon told him that we were trying to get a hold of the white guy who lives here in Apt.6. He skeptically let us in and we went upstairs with him. We knocked on Paul’s door. No answer. Meanwhile, I had dropped my bag in the garbage-staging area and was sitting on it. The guy who let us in came out from his apartment with his little beagle. He looked at us with increased skepticism but also with sorrow. We must have been the most desperate looking ladies. So, here Shannon goes making friends again and before we knew it we were in their apartment having coffee with complete strangers. Their names were Carlos and Maria Carmen and they had two teenage daughters who were plucking away at their instant messenger the whole time we were there. They were so kind and excited to tell us all about BA. Paul finally arrived and apologized as he thought we were set to arrive much later.

Paul is entirely lovable but about as quirky as they come. He is a Brit ex-pat who teaches English all over South America. His place is very old but also very nice. Since he had only been there a month, he had acquired no furniture. Hence, Shannon and I rolled out our sleeping bags and slept on the wood floor. The whole time I was there I think I averaged about 3 hours of sleep a night. The urban camping was still amusing though. Even in my final zombie state I had no qualms about sleeping on the floor because I loved the city that much that I wanted to stay there indefinitely. Sleeping on a wood floor.

We were extremely pleased to find that we had coasted into town at the very start of the BA Int’l Film Festival called “BAFICIL”. As all of us are lovers of indie cinema, we elected to see an American documentery called “The Reinactors”. I HIGHLY recommend it. Especially if you want to see Superman smokin’ the grass. I loved the Q&A with the director following the film. He had a personality that I imagine as a cross between Ben Exworthy and Quentin Tarantino. We laughed our hineys off.

Okay. I am getting off the narrative train because I will never finish this entry if I don’t. Here is a list of either places that I went or experiences that I had in no particular order of chronology or importance. If you are so inclined, you can ask me about them individually and I will tell you. With vehement joy and love for this beautiful city.

Palermo Viejo
Mercado de las Pulgas
Hammer pants
McDonald’s Kosher
Soap on a stick
Estilo de Buenos Aires
Clowns
Surfin’ the Subte
San Telmo
Bar Living
80’s MTV Videos
Pirate Bar
“La Bomba Laura”
Tigre (the river delta, not the band)
Recoleta
Freddy Krueger
Bombillos
Mausoleum filled with cats
Street performers
6AM
Lollo
“Zhuzching”
Octavio Caesar
No Monedas

The list, the list. I could go on. There are many discoveries and/or epiphanies I had on my trip to BA, some of which are: #1:Someone needs to make a reality series called “Ricky Martin’s Gay Vacation”. #2: I need to start a blog where I capture and make commentary on the styles of international cities. #3: Shoe shopping is the new treasure hunting. #4: when I return to Seattle, I want to learn how to speak Spanish. Not Spanglish or a collection of idioms, but SPANISH. #5: I want to learn how to sail. Being on the water is where I feel most at home.

Last night after I had recovered from my sleep deprivation, we went to eat in a neighborhood of Santiago that is on the backside of Santa Lucia. It was the best food I have had since I arrived. In the midst of eating, I scurried after a father/son drummer duo to shoot a film. Hopefully, I can get some of these films up on YouTube. Here you go.




Don’t cry for me Argentina. I will come back to you someday. In the meantime, Mama I’m comin’ home.

Many thanks to Shannon, Amy, Patrice, Maria Paz, the concierge at Costa de Lyon, Mario & Friends, Paul, Mauricio (for his fly dance moves), to my co-workers for holdin’ down the fort during my absence and to Tara and Joshua for tag-teaming the care and maintenance of my grey sassy old lady of a dog, Willow.

Besos Y abrazos,

LB

Progress

As I was lolligagging around Providencia yesterday, Shannon called me on my hand-me-down cell phone and told me that they needed my help at work. They are in the process of recording instructional DVD'S to help non-english speaking teachers teach english. Shannon asked me to come down because they needed another native english speaker to record their voice on a DVD. The only problem was the voice was that of a 10 yr. old. Naomes...your voiceover work inspired me and I jumped on the metro and made my way over to Universidad de Sant Tomas. I was fetched by someone and taken down into the depths of the building. There I sat around a table with Shannon, Patchy and friends and read lines from a script.

After work, Paichy and Shannon took me to do my first touristy thing. We went through La Moneda where the Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, resides. They are very serious there. In fact for all the partying Chileans do, they have an impressively austere infrastructure. A distinctly female presence is felt within the Moneda and many of the security guards are females. And their uniforms are HOT. I, of course, got in trouble for putting my hand in the fountain. You can't take me anywhere without getting in a little trouble. This picture of me and Shannon definitely is indicative of my mood, however. I am not even joking when I say that I have a rash on my face from people kissing me on the cheeks when they meet me. Just a little contact dermatitis is all. But it itches like crazy and I yearn for all my dermatological goodies back home.

Today we leave at 7:30 PM for Buenos Aires and from the way people make it sound, we are in for a rockin' good time.

Valpo

Before I left for Valpo, I was watching some Chilean hipsters film a music video by the pool. There was actually a guy wearing a purple scrunchy. Apparently Chile did not receive the memo that scrunchies are no longer acceptable coiffure attire. The youth culture here cracks me up. They have a whole group of kids called "pokemonos" that are probably much like you would imagine them. Colorful, androgyneous and a little provocative. They like to hang out in the park and make out with each other. In fact, Chileans are no strangers to public displays of affection. On the subway, in the elevator, in the restaurants...people here like to make sure that everyone knows who their girlfriend/boyfriend is. Also, as many of my friends know I am a HUGE advocate for the fanny pack. They are very popular and prolific here. I have yet to buy one, but it might be a good investment seeing as petty crime is about as common as palta (avocados) here. We got to Valpo in the evening and picked up some wine and I also bought a 40 oz. of "Becker" cerveza. We were all starving so Shannon (who studied here in college) took me to the most famous restaurant to get "chorillana" which is a typical Chilean dish. For starters, Jota Cruz takes kitsch to an entirely different level. Everyone leaves notes, pictures, knick knacks and what-have-yous all over the restaurant. They serve the chorillana on one big dish and you eat it family style. It is a plate of the most delicious french fries topped with eggs, onions, cheese and meat. It is similar to moco loco but perhaps the best hangover cure I have yet to come across. We made the trek up about 1000 stairs to get to Mario's for the asado (BBQ).
In Valparaiso, the city sits on steep hills and the streets are all cobblestone. It is a very famous destination for New Year's where they set off a massive display of fireworks. It is like any port town, but some of the architecure is beautiful. The people that live here are referred to as "portenos" because of their residence in a port city. Notoriously, they have beautiful legs from all the hills, steps and maneuvering they have to do to get home or anywhere else for that matter. This city is also full of stray dogs which I have to fight the urge to want to cuddle with. The asado started late and included as much meat as any one person could eat in a sitting. I think that being surrounded by Chileans has been good for my Spanish. I learned two phrases while in Valpo that I will never forget. The first one is "saca la chucha" which means to fall on your ass which is quite possible considering the dangerous combination of terrain and number of piscolas consumed. My other favorite phrase is "mete la pata" which is to stick your foot in your mouth. We capped the night off at a nearby hostel that is owned by a friend of Mario's where we had a dance party to kick-ass oldies like "Kung Fu Fighting". The night ended at about 4am which by Chilean standards is early. The next day, Mario took us around the city. We rode the ascensors (elevators) and went down to the Pier where Patrick (a gringo from Colorado) had his backpack stolen as we were having some beers. It was the most inconspicuous lift I have ever seen. In fact, I never even saw the kid come up to the table. This is the second time in 2 weeks that this poor guy has been robbed. We headed back to Santiago around 8pm and today I had lunch at a delicious vegetarian restaurant with Amy (who leaves in t-minus 1 hour). The next couple days are down time before our trip to Buenos Aires. I can't wait. Oye, huevon!

Adjustments

I have to admit, after two days of airplane travel I got a little overzealous yesterday and while diving into the pool I jacked up my neck. There's nothing like being in a foreign country and trying to find a medical professional to cure your ails. I knew in my heart that I just needed a good snap, crackle, pop to get me going again. I looked up chiropractic doctors online and was dismayed when I found none. Shannon hooked it up. It's all about connections here in Santiago apparently. We went one stop on the metro to see an American chiropractor who totally got me back on track. She's from Portland and we laughed about all the funny things about Chileans and she told me all about living here. Aside from the whole healing part, it was a educational experience, even for Shannon who looked on in awe. We spent the afternoon on the terrace, me high on valerian and Shannon trying to make plans for our social outting tonight. Me, Shannon and Amy (this awesome gringa that lives here and leaves on Sunday) drank beers and ate cheese. Now it's time to get fancy and go out to "Subterraneo", a hip hop club that is nearby. More on that one tomorrow...before I make my way to Valpo with Shannon and Maria Paz. Le quiero a todos! Ciao!

Bien Venido!

So, the place I am staying in Santiago is about 200 square feet and everything is miniature...the fridge, the toilet, the stove. But thankfully, the bed is of normal size and I slept like a rock my first night here. In fact, I awakened when Shannon got up to go to work and then drifted off again till noonish. I pulled myself out of bed and went out on the balcony. The apartamento is tiny but the view is huge.





This is the view from Shannon's balcony. It looks out to San Cristobal which we are going to hike up tomorrow. You can see the pollution which gets worse as the day goes on. This city is surrounded by the Andes but I'll be damned if I could actually see them. Faintly, I think I could make out the silhouette of the range. I quickly put on my suit and headed up to the rooftop pool and veranda to get my sun on. It was gorgeous up there and I slathered myself with sunscreen and sat by the pool and red my book until Shannon got back.



While we walked around the "drugstore" neighborhood this afternoon I was trying too size up Chilean style. The men seem far better dressed than the women and the women were all sporting the same hairdo which Shannon calls the "Chilean" which if you imagine a cross between the "Rachel" and a mullet, that pretty much sums it up. My packing seemed to be inappropriate for the weather of course and I brought no flip flops to wear in the 80+ degree heat. Bummed. I went to Falabella to pick some up and came across an interesting display.




In America, we stuff our bras. In South America, the ladies stuff their booties. In fact, if any of my girlfriends with flat, bony booties back home want me to bring you something back from SA that will give you hours of entertainment and male attention...give me a shout out. I can hook you up with a pair of these. These anacondas don't want none unless you got buns hon.



Tomorrow after we hike San Cristobal we will be going to a "despedida" which is a going away party for one of the gringas that lives in Shannon's building and has been living here for the last 7 months. Next "webisode" people.

Bottom Heavy Funk

The name of this dance class offered at Velocity Dance Studio might call to mind funk music with a proclivity towards low end bass or perhaps a group of apple-bottomed ladies grinding around to Parliament. I have wanted to go this class for years and I don't know why I haven't made it before now. Maybe because I feel like I need to dance some shit out right now worse than ever. I arrived with my posse (Tmac and Brianna) in pink shiny tights and the will to make it through the 1.5 hour class with my pride intact. At times the footwork made me feel as if I had two left feet but I was workin' it all the same. There was no air of pretention and mostly it seemed like everyone's aim was to cut loose and have a good time. Might I also deny allegations suggesting that I am cyber-stalking the instructor (even though it's true that I have developed a serious girl crush.)I just think her moves are ill'n. She kind of dances a little bit like my friend Joshua and also reminds me of the youtube video of that Irish girl that dances to Daft Punk. I think she is one of those people that just inspires others to move. I am giving one big genuflection to Amy O'Neal. She is rad. I know what I'm gonna be doin' on Tuesday nights.

Graduation

Esthetician training in review:
Total hours of training: 700
Amount of hours I had to make up for missing class: 82.5
Score on my final: 99%
WA State written exam: passed
WA State practical: passed. 94%
Finishing "beauty school": Priceless

Congrats to all my ladies that wrapped this motha' up. The last month was sheer torture.

Viva Las Vegas

Ah, Sin City. Last time I visited this desert destination was for a bachelorette party in 2004. I don't even remember that trip for the most part. I remember being really annoyed by the noisy slot machines and the idea of never really knowing what time it was. Generally speaking, I am not big on gambling. Yeah, I like a good game of five card draw or a heated game of hearts, but when it comes to betting money I usually shy away. So on this trip to Vegas to celebrate Tara's birthday, I was bound and determined to have a more, well, memorable experience. We rolled in late on Friday night and Naomi was waiting for us anxiously in our hotel room. By the time we actually got to the room we were pooped and called it a night. And three ladies pow wowing in our jammie jams sounded just about perfect. Saturday morning, we headed out on the strip to do some fantasy shopping at the Bellagio. Tara was wearing her "Where's Waldo" dress and she was cracking my shit up. We went on the Manhattan Express roller coaster twice and that little whipper snapper got me all revved up. We passed up the Prive party hosted by Rock of Love II's Kristy Jo and instead hit the gambling floor where even I stepped out and put a little money down. None of us could afford to go see Zumanity and so our mission was to go out and win enough money to cover the cost of our tickets. I won $70 bucks on a slot machine and even played a little poker. Naomes hit Texas Hold "em while Tara wandered around looking for Lobster Mania slot machines and got approached by a 70+ year old man who told her that she was beautiful and not to settle. After we had secured funding for the sexiest cirque show, we went to bed. Or tried to. Sunday was filled with Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef Aquarium and aimless wandering. I gotta say, Mandalay Bay is the big daddy of the casinos. There was a whole "race & sports" section of the casino floor that looked like the floor of the stock market or a control room for NASA. That shit was serious. No foolin' around there. They had like 10 different sports events projected on huge 12-ft. screens that were surrounded by stats, scores, etc. I have never seen anything like it. After we saw ze sharks, we picked up some road sodas and headed back to the hotel. We spent several hours getting all hyped up and hooched out. It was splendid. We then hurriedly had to cruise down to the show. We were up in the balcony but our seats were amazing. The show was extremely arousing and technically impressive. Just a few highlights: an aerial hooper, a contortionist who swims around in a fish bowl, a couple getting it on in a bathtub, an insane acro-balancer, lots of beautiful people and lots of real tits. I mean, there was nary an implant in that cast. We finally collapsed in our beds at about 3AM and prepared for our 5:45AM wake up call. I am oh so tired today. But my trip was just what the doctor ordered. Quality time with really good friends.

All I wanna do is disco dance with you

Teki Latex - "Disco Dance With You" video

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Damn Frenchies. They make me wanna shake my ass.

Double Trouble. Triple Threat.

Yes, we are both now 30. Happy birthday to my dearest friend and domestic partner, TMac! Tonight I graduate and that makes me feel all kinds of relief. Tomorrow we hit the friendly skies and are off to Vegas for a weekend jaunt with Naomi who is driving in from LA.

My B-Girl Doppelganger

Once in a while, someone tells you you look freakishly like somebody they know and if you are like me you say "oh yeah?" but then don't believe it. Alberto bought a b-girl book for Estrella and brought it in to work and we were flipping through and he found this pic that looks SO much like me it's almost unfathomable. No naysayer here. My b-girl body double has been found. I'll pop and lock to that!

Ode to Joshua Powell

I love Joshua Powell. I adore his loud music, his habit of wearing ties, his affinity for bike-riding and naked swimming. He is my favorite chef. I can talk to him about love and life unabashedly. I miss being neighbors with him. He inspires good nature in people. Please take good care Joshua. Ain't nothing gonna breaka' your stride. Ain't nothing gonna slow you down...oh no, you got to keep on movin'.

My bionic leg

I went to the doc this week to finally get my ankle checked out that I hurt last summer doing Nia. My hope was that they would tell me that all I needed was PT and would send me packing with a list of exercises that would make it all better.

One x-ray, one MRI and one robo boot later, I am hobbling around on this thing for a while. The funniest part about it was that they put me in the boot the morning of my big practical final for school. So, I adhered to the rigid dress code of the school...except for my big, grey clunky boot that I awkwardly shimmied around on.

My final went really well. My client was actually my instructor's mom, so I was kind of sweatin' it. But when Annemarie came around to scrutinize my skin diagnosis she looked at it, asked me a couple brief questions, wrote "good" on my review sheet and told me that she loved that I was smiling. THAT WAS IT!

I graduate on March 13th, go to Vegas on the 14th and take my state boards on the 18th. Then, I am done with school. No more trips to Renton. I am going to miss you Southcenter Mall! And Ikea!

Last night I went to see a multimedia dance performance called Miscellanea by Manifold Motion. I was most thrilled by the live Harpist, the live video feed by Leo Mayberry and the unintentional fall off the trapeze by one of the dancers that concluded the show. (At press time, the dancer was alright and had no injuries to report).

XOXO

I am the winner!

Last year at Burning Man, I felt so disheartened when my bike that I had won at Uwajimaya was stolen. But i took comfort in knowing that karma would pay me back in some way. I can count the amount of times I have won a contest anytime in my life on one hand. I MEAN, BEFORE THE Uwajimaya bike, the last thing I can remember winning was a coloring contest for a bagel company in the 1st grade. Back then, I got a year full of free bagels.

Today I was getting my hair did and my stylist came up to greet me with a big basket with a gigantic bow on it. My first thought was befuddlement. Did she miss my birthday? Was she late to our appointment? All kinds of things crossed my mind. In actuality, I had won a contest that she had entered all of her clients in to win a swank dinner at the top of the Hilton, free services, products, yada yada. My literal response was "no shit?" Ah, the glory. I must bask in it. It sorta made my day.



While I was studying for my final, I ran across this cooky lady who was walking around with her bird on a harness. When I saw her I thought, I need to carry my camera with me at all times so that I can capture all the wiggedy whack stuff I see on the daily. This is one of those things.



Ah, I also got a chance to visit Helle this weekend. Har. Har. It is a running joke with my friends. Are you going to Helle? How long will you be in Helle? Can I come visit you in Helle? The answer is yes, I am going to Helle and it is hot, hot, hot! They just built out the 2nd treatment room and an apothecary and I am about to wet my pants I am so excited to have this side gig. Stay tuned. I gots to pass all my finals and shit before I actually am official.

All things pink

I noticed this sunny Wednesday morning that the cherry blossom tree in my front yard* is about to start blooming. That, my friends, is VERY exciting.

* This is NOT a picture of my front yard.

Theo Chocolates

There comes a day when you've been living in the same city for a while that you feel like you've done and seen all the city has to offer. While a couple friends were visiting from Boston over the weekend, I was overjoyed to turn over a new rock: Theo chocolates. Yes, I had seen it on the shelves of fancy grocery stores and I had tried the 3400 Phinney chocolate bars but good heavens to betsy...I had never blessed my mouth with the supreme goodness of their truffles. Eric was in town sampling lines to carry at Whole Foods back in New England and took the factory tour and came home with quite the sampler tray. My very favorite was the PB&J chocolate. Literally, imagine a little tiny sandwich. The bread is made up of heavenly dark chocolate. The inside is a delicious combination of fruity jelly and peanut butter. Hard to fathom that a little choclate runs more than $2 a piece, but it is totally worth it. Might I also suggest the 12-piece box set:

12 Piece Collection Box: 12 confections, includes packaged box, $24.00
This collection offers our full original line, full of unique and fresh flavors. Flavors: burnt sugar, lemon, pb&j, fig fennel, mint, Ivory Coast, ginger, coffee, Earl Grey, vanilla, scotch, peanut butter.

My personal faves were the burnt sugar, scotch and of course pb&j.

Who wants to take a tour of the factory with me? And then gorge ourselves with ridiculously scrumptious cocoa divinities?

52 Nights Unplugged

My friend Ariel was catching me up to speed on her new project this morning and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It involves taking one night a week off from all things that involve a screen. Can you use your oven? Yes. Can you power text while attending an avant garde dance performance? No. These are simple rules. So, I think for a while I might try it. Here's what Ariel has to say about the project:

Yesterday I attended this workshop that was all about finding a balance between technology and soul. For me, that means dealing with my tendency to overuse the internet for all things. Don’t get me wrong: I love the web. It’s given me more amazing things than I could count (quick tally: jobs, friends near and far, book deal, etc) but it’s also taken its toll.

I went into the workshop yesterday saying I’d like to be “More present in the present.” This isn’t just an internet addiction thing. It’s an ADD, monkey-brain, cultural thing too — but the internet sure doesn’t help.

The workshop was definitely more about discussion/exploration than take-away items, but we spent the last hour discussing ways to deal with the frustrations we have with the web, and then making decisions about sustainable ways we could make change.

So, here’s mine: one night a week, I am going to completely unplug from anything with a screen. This means no internet, no sidekick, no watching dvds. I plan to focus instead on the other things I like doing like writing letters, crafting, organizing, dancing, going for walks, cooking and making tea, writing in my paper journal. I might also try picking up some new things to like such as watercolors, scrapbooking, mail art, dance classes, attending lit readings, etc. Regardless, one night a week I’m going to unplug.

Me being me, though … I have to document it. I figure it’s a good way to keep myself on task. Plus, maybe some of my fellow geek/addicts would like to join in? I think I’m going to pick Wednesday night to take off, and then Thursday I’ll share what I did.

Who’s with me?

I am, Ariel! You are genius.
See Ariel talk about all of this and more on the TODAY show, February 20th!

Love Child

This is my dear friend Jania's most recent ultrasound photos. It blows me away the amount of change that can happen in a person's life in such a short period of time. Right now, I feel like a proud Grandparent or something. Baby in the belly. I love it.

Apes and Androids

I must share this video with everyone I know. And then they should do the same. It's THAT good.

Check out this video: Radio



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Missed Connections

No, this is not the funnest part of craigslist. This is an account of my weekend. Friday was a good day and was marked early on by herraduras, Mexican cheesecake for Estrella's birthday and a slammin' workday. What got me through that workday were daydreams of fresh powder, cozy times in the Mt. Baker lodge, and generally an easy-going weekend holiday. First I stopped at Sno Con on Alaskan to pick up some last minute gear. Turns out they don't rent gear anymore there. So, I fought Obama rally traffic across town and stopped by Whole Paycheck to get some champagne and goodies for the Fauxes' cabin. I parked about a block away. I walked akwardly with a full bag of wine and beer back to my car. Before I went into shop I thought to myself, yah, I'll keep it simple and just take my wallet instead of my big ass purse and I'll stick it in my pocket. It's small. It'll fit. So. I did. Bad decision #1. So I happily jot along my way to the OTHER Sno Con behind REI. I get out of my car and reach sheepishly down towards my pocket. Hmmmmm, no sign of smallish wallet. Stay calm. I retraced my steps back to where I parked in South Lake Union praying that it would lying there in the rain looking sad and lonely on the street where my car once was. No such luck. Frantically, I approached about every business around the area inquiring about my MIA wallet. Recognition: my wallet is dead to me. Must move on. I called US Bank and reported my card as lost. Lightbulb moment: I remembered that my bank had sent me an extra card that I never activated and I left it in the console of my car. Miracle #1: My bank was able to activate that card and I was back in business. I got to Sno Con in the nick of time, rented Carey's boots, got a free stomp pad (which Morgan told me I don't need) and I was makin' tracks. Oh, just past Mt. Vernon I became privy to the knowledge that the Mt. Baker Highway was closed at milepost 35. I was suspect, but I thought to myself that there was a chance that it would re-open in time for our morning descent. First night at the Faux cabin was low key and most filled with chit chat. Except for I decided to guzzle a bottle of wine and then harassed Carey and Brianna into going into the hot tub. Of course Carey was the first one naked and we peeled back the cover to hot tub and it was steaming and looked really enticing. Carey dipped her foot in the water and promptly removed it as the "hot" tub was more of a "tepid" tub. We resolved to go to bed and get up in the morning and hope the Mt. was open. No dice. But Saturday was still uber fun. Shug wore this shirt covered with penises and ladies playing with them. I couldn't take my eyes away. The Bollens and Morgan came up. Morgan is missing his front teeth and has blue hair. We went into town to take in all of the forlorn skiers and snowboarders drowning their sorrows at Grahams. We almost got into fisticuffs over table placement. Actually, we didn't even come close but people were bickering at eachother all around us. It was quite comical. Now that I think about it, all I really did was eat and drink and be merry on Saturday. Not bad. I procrastinated going home. I didn't leave until 12am and drove all the way back to Seattle, bleary-eyed and running through content for my exam that I had at 9AM sharp on Sunday. Got to bed at 3:30AM. Got up at 7:30AM. Went to school. Miracle #2: I killed my final. My instructor told me that my body wrap was beautiful. I wanted to go home and curl up with my dog and sleep endlessly. But I didn't. After school I went to meet up with all the lady estheticians of Helle. I am actually doing this. I got my business license. I start taking clients in May. I crashed hard on Sunday night. And that brings me to Monday. Whoo. Game on.

Piscina Azul

As we were walking along Alki this morning, both Tara and I were immensely freaked out by the the strange color of the sound that was filled with whitecaps. It was this gorgeous shade of prussian blue that I have never seen before. And then we watched it change to an entirely different shade of navy right before our eyes as we were walking into the freezing, freezing cold wind. This adventure was short lived due to our teeth-chattering, but it felt good to be slapped in the face by Old Man Winter this morning.

We booked out stay at New York New York in Vegas for TMac's 30th. Hells yes! March Madness here we come.

I am weak

Yes, yes! I have indeed created a blog. I said that I wouldn't. I have vocally objected to them. I will try it on for size though...see if it suits me.

I think it is a little sad that I haven't kept a journal consistently since I was 13. This will be interesting...