PlatKat.com

Friday

1. Working at Home: There is nothing better. I got everything done and with no distractions.

2. Butterfly Boots: Since it’s going to rain for another six months to eternity, I thought I’d try getting some practical footwear for a change. Well, not too practical, but they’ll keep my feet dry.

3. Poker at Corey’s: It had been so long, it was like being in the Twilight Zone. Some of the old guys are gone and have since been replaced by new guys. Corey quit smoking and got a dog. Andy has a full head of hair. Justin’s band (which played my birthday) is getting all popular and shit. But when we started tossing around the lewd fart jokes, I knew I was in the right place.

Saturday

1. Wallace Falls: That’s right folks, I went on a hike in the winter. The weather was mild and sunny, the views were stunning, and I made some new friends. What more could I have asked for?

2. Royal Palms: Oh, I know what I could have asked for: a giant plate of delicious Thai food to scarf down afterward. And I got it! I probably never would have visited had we not met at the nearby P&R for the hike. Despite its relatively distant location, I’m sure I’ll be back!

3. Exam: This 2009 film is one of my new favorite psychological thrillers. It doesn’t take a metric fuck-tonne of money and special effects to make a good movie, and here’s proof.

Sunday

1. Healeo: As I said in my short yelp review, if I ever have to move, I’m totally screwed. When I start my day off with a smoothie from Healeo, nothing can go wrong (not that I’m going to test this theory).

2. Himalayan Dog Chew: Once again, my dog eats better stuff than I do. These fancy-schmancy chewy treats contain all natural ingredients and should keep Zoey from eating any more doors while I’m gone.

3. Mandrillus Sphynx: I’ve been digging these guys for awhile, but just recently found their free full-album download using a quick google search. Don’t be a boob and sleep on it like I did!

Alternate Title: My Year in Review

I’ve been back in Seattle for exactly one year today, and it has been glorious. After a myriad of employment, relationship, legal, and auto snafus (among other things), I was more than ready to ring in the new year. I knew there was a lot in store, but I never could have dreamed things could be so good. Here are the highlights:

I’m back in Seattle!
This is the single most important change upon which all awesome things hinge. The hills, the rain, the cold, GIVE IT ALL TO ME. I was more than ready to be anywhere outside of California, and Seattle was a great place to land. I immediately jumped back into going out with friends, strolling Pike Place Market and Puget Sound, and eating and drinking some of the best tastes on earth. Every sunset here is different from the ones before it and better. I sound like a total cheeseball and I don’t care. I’m going to enjoy this Seattlegasm for everything I can.

The Barbie Dream Hearse is complete and ready for business.
After almost a year of painstaking project management, which naturally came with its share of disappointments, I finally got the Barbie Dream Hearse up and running. For years, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The idea seemed so far-fetched and absurd, how the hell was I going to do this? Yoda was right, there is no try. Just get up and do something. Fortunately, I did lots of things and ended up driving awesome events including the Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Crypticon, Decibel Festival, and ZomBcon, not to mention tons of weddings and parties. This is the most fun anyone could ever hope to have completely sober and with (moderate) clothes on.

I found a place to live.
After searching far and wide for months (seriously), I ended up back on First Hill, the same neighborhood as last time. But what a difference a short hike uphill makes! Back in Sacramento, some very wonderful people helped me write a list of everything I want in a new home, no matter how small, no matter how silly: an in-unit washer/dryer, a parking space big enough for Barbie, the ability to walk places, a gym, allowance to have my dog… It all came true! I even have a view of Mt. Rainier. I’ve always been a sucker for a nice view, but hadn’t even thought to ask for it.

I got my dog back.
At long last, I’ve settled down and found a home for Zoey and me. We spent the summer taking many nice walks through Capitol Hill, the Central District, and beyond. She has aclimated well to the drastic weather change and even enjoyed her first snow day this year.

I volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium.
When I first moved here back in 2007, I was nervous about finding a job and a permanent home, and basically having to redefine happiness as I understood it. So I went the Seattle Aquarium and encountered my favorite exhibit: the seahorses. Never has there been a more beautiful, tranquil animal to take a wound-up human’s mind off of what ails her. I wanted to go back again and again… and now I do! I’ve met many wonderful people and formed some nice friendships as a result.

I found a full-time job.
I now work as a technical writer at a water treatment company in Everett and I absolutely love it! My boss and coworkers are very flexible and nice, and I’m learning tons of new things. Right before I was hired, we took on a new client that has been bringing in lots of business for us. We had a great year, and we plan on having many more!

I write for SSG Music.
One of my favorite things about living in Austin (and something easily replicated here) was being involved in the music scene. I miss my busy nights working at the now-defunct electronic music magazine from my early years, so I applied to write album reviews for SSG Music. Now I can stay in touch with what’s happening out there AND keep my review-writing muscles toned.

I’m taking flying lessons.
I’m about seven hours into receiving my VFR pilot license at Northway Aviation. I fell in love with flying the moment I started, and it’s really no suprise considering the abundance of mountains, islands, and greenery here. This is one of the most difficult activities I’ve ever tried, but I am so happy to be giving it a shot!

I finally finished The Guide to Getting It On.
Reading a book about sex may not seem like that big of a deal, but when it’s 800 pages long and you have the attention span of a tse-tse fly, I say it’s a big deal. I’ve been reading it on and off since I lived in New York, sandwiching chapters between activities and other books, all of which I have reviewed on my Goodreads profile. My review of The Guide is all the way at the bottom. Told you it was a long time ago!

I turned 30!
Yes, it’s quite the accomplishment. I somehow managed to stay intact with fully functioning limbs and organs for three decades. I had a great party at the Comet with multiple cakes, great gifts, and friends from Queen Anne Poker Night, Capitol Hill Reddit Game Night, and beyond! I’m extremely thankful that so many of my friends rallied on a Tuesday night to celebrate this milestone golden birthday. (It’s golden because I was born November 30th, nameen?)

I joined the Junior League of Seattle.
I wanted to get more involved in the community in a charitable way (more so than going to shows and looking at seahorses), so I joined the Junior League. My provisional group’s project is called Kids in the Kitchen, a workshop for school-age children to learn how to make simple, healthy snacks at home. We’re having a fundraiser at Vermillion on January 27th at 6pm. Come out and enjoy Jesse Higman’s beautiful paintings, drink some fantastic wine selections, and donate to a great cause!

All in all, this has been a great year. I’m so excited to finish this year with a bang and celebrate 2011 all year long!

The sounds of cutting metal just feet away from my desk forced me outside on a beautiful November afternoon. It was exactly three years ago today that I first moved to Seattle, and the weather was about the same. But now, instead of wandering around Fremont disoriented and enchanted, I am in Everett, and I know exactly how far from home I am (21.5 traffic-laden miles).

If I needed any reminders, getting stares as I walked to, through, and from the grocery store drove the point home perfectly: I ain’t from around here. I’m not a teenager, I’m not a mom, and to everyone’s seemingly unfounded surprise, I don’t even have a boyfriend. I’m just some lady who works up here. Stop looking at me.

Now, my QFC on Capitol Hill is far from normal, I’ll admit that. But at least I can shop with confidence that the weirdos would act just as weird if I weren’t there. Most of them are more fun to stare at than I am anyway.

One thing this haven for Walmartian spillover has going for it are these little guys:

I am impressed by the efficiency-to-cuteness ratio of this product. However, the name unnecessarily uses the letter Y twice. This item does not measure power/torque, nor is it computer-related. Did not buy.

Witch hat: Check.

Black trench coat: Check.

Black-and-orange thigh-high stockings: Check.

Black hair / pale skin: Check.

Crazy, whiny, screamy black dog: Check.

Crazy owner smoking and muttering to herself: Check.

Scariness factor: 8/10.

I didn’t consider how odd I looked at all until I noticed out of the corner of my eye a man standing still on the street, holding back his St. Bernard/sheepdog/some breed inferior to labs, waiting for us to be on our way. The rub is that I wasn’t in one of those chintzy costume-store dresses and full makeup. I probably looked like one of those chicks who calls herself wiccan and actually thinks she’s a witch. My dog’s yelping with excitement that she was finally going outside probably suggested I perform animal sacrifices as well.

Well, I don’t. You have to go two blocks over to the Central District for that.

I changed this page’s theme (slightly) because I didn’t like how the center column cut out after a page-length. A redesign/restructure/reeverything is in my future, but now let’s focus on the past. Here’s a short photo review of my mad March.

Swimming upstream at Rob Roy:

To whomever responds, urine trouble:

Polar Bar celebrates the return of absinthe:

Needle3PO and R2Barf2:

Susan’s special bitches brew:

Need to take a rectal temperature? No plobrem:

Sockin’ it to St. Patrick’s Day:

Sandals in March… Suck it, never-ending Seattle winter!

Oh the iron-need: I’m using a high-tech gadget to explain why I’m stuck in the 80s:

Selena sleeps soundly in Shoreline:

I like when flower shops take it to the streets:

Plus one frowny bonus pic. Good fortune may often smile upon me, but I cannot always smile back.

Life in general is still awesome, but today deserves special recognition because all of my favorite fruits and vegetables are on sale at QFC!  In fact, many of the foods I regularly purchase are on sale right now, so I’m probably going to make a second trip in the near future.  I don’t like driving to places I can walk, so I had to be careful not to get more than I can carry home.  That isn’t much, considering my little pea-shooters.

Also, the weather is still amazing, so I was happy to have an excuse to go out for a walk.  It rained yesterday for the first time in ages, and the weather report all but warned us to settle in for at least a week of clouds.  But no… we’ve got sunshine!  Good thing too, since I need to take some pictures with my car right now.

When I left for the store this morning, I decided to leave my phone at home.  I’ve long lamented that we’re so attached to those things that we can’t imagine life without them.  And yet I still felt a small tinge of danger in leaving home without my lifeline to the world, like it wasn’t something billions of people have been doing for centuries.  Perhaps it was less scary and more just plain weird.

But I knew where I was going, I didn’t need to talk to anyone, and my iPod shuffle is lighter.  Of course, almost immediately after I got to the store, I saw avocados on sale and wanted to call Susan to see if there was anything I could bring to her house for dinner tonight.  It would have sounded more like, “May I have the pleasure of teaching someone in Seattle the proper way to make guacamole?”

The food in Seattle is second to none, but I haven’t had good guac in God knows how long.

It has been awhile, since I’m trying to eat healthy and save money. But I came across this site, Legit Beef, which has some very thorough reviews of burger places in Seattle. The next time I order an extra-rare artery clogger with bacon, cheese, and a giant side of mayo, I’m gonna make it count!

FUN FACT: The LOLcat/Cheezburger headquarters are about a mile from me, over in Queen Anne. How’s that for a lolcat connekshun?

The weather here has been fantastic, so I’ve been playing outside as much as possible. My wrist-stamp at Contour pretty much sums up how my return to Seattle has been going so far. Best day evar! (Since yesterday.)

The sunny day and packs of tourists take most of the Twin Peaks horror out of it. I was more than happy to take advantage of the hearse-friendly parking though.