And the hair gets cut again

It's like I can't stop! Okay, no, I'm stopping now.

First,


And then,


And finally,

Okay, not any shorter, I promise.
(And yeah, I've put on weight, too. Leave me alone.)

I Forgot to Mention

I am in Mexico. Due to several unforeseen events (aka the perfect shitstorm) I haven´t had the opportunity to post much. Part of the events include my laptop dying while I´m here, so no pictures for awhile. I am happy to report that the wedding went out without a hitch, and nobody died, and everybody got bailed out of jail that needed to. Yes, I´m serious - it was touch and go there for awhile!

Going to keep this short cause this Mexican keyboard is really odd. Time to go and finally start enjoying this vacation! TTYL

Friday Randoms

I like to take pictures of random things while I'm driving. Okay, not while I'm driving, exactly, but when stopped in traffic. Yes, I carry my point and shoot wherever I go. Is that strange? I always used to see cool things when out and about and wish I had my camera with me. So I started carrying it all the time. Works for me.

Hee hee! I think I'm mentally 12 years old. (I hope no horny teachers are reading this.)


This took me a second... then I said "OMFG I have to have one!!!"


Sadie and her +1 enjoying the sunny day on our deck

New Dress

Recently I was telling a new friend who lives in Chicago that men never approach me in Seattle. When I go other places, it happens. But in this town? Abso-fucking-lutely never. (Which translates to about once a year, and - surprise - they are guys who moved here from somewhere else. )

New Friend suggested I "go into a boutique and buy a cute new dress." After I finished laughing hysterically (like I said, he doesn't know me too well yet), I decided he might have a point. Plus I wanted a cute dress to wear to the wedding in Mexico next week. So I went to Goodwill and found this sassy little number for about $10 - it was on the 'designer' rack, which costs more than standard Goodwill pricing. However, it was black and white, which was a little tame for me. Therefore it was off to the fabric store to buy some RIT dye to jazz it up a bit. My efforts are displayed below.

So, Sane, this one's for you... don't say I never took your advice ;)

Unusual Thursday Afternoon

Yesterday evening Sadie and I went for our standard walk. As per usual, a squirrel ran by and Sadie chased it. But this time, for the first time ever, Sadie actually caught it. I couldn't believe it, and I don't think she could either. It was pretty interesting to watch, because Sadie's a dog just being a dog, and also because it was surprisingly not gory (I can't handle gore). The sick thing is it took awhile. A long while. There was lots of cat and mouse action going on. I didn't pull Sadie away, because I thought it would be even more cruel to leave the squirrel lying there dying a slow death.

Anyway, Sadie eventually finished the job and picked up her prize in her mouth with the intent on taking it home, I am sure. So the rest of the walk was spent with Sadie marching proudly along and me slinking along in shame. Of course it was such a nice day that ALL my neighbors were out for evening strolls. And I was definitely not imagining the shocked looks and horrified whispers behind my back. Even the cars driving by slowed down, the drivers staring in horror. That was the longest dog walk I think I've ever taken.

Of course, being the sick bastard that I am, I snapped a picture with my cell phone cam. I sent it to 'home' in my address book, intending that it would go to my email so that I could forward it to interested parties. But a few minutes later, when I got a frantic text message back from 'home' saying "Who is this???" I realized that I accidentally sent it to my old work BlackBerry - a phone number that I no longer have.

So, yep, I just sent a picture of my dog killing a squirrel to a total stranger. I thought the person would just let it go, but noooooo, they had to start freaking out and demanding to know who I am. I said "Does it matter? My name is SadieMBeagle. Do we know each other?" And they wrote back "NO" and that was the end of it.

And I finally pried the squirrel from Sadie's jaws and got her back in the house. Now she's kind of depressed. I guess stuffed toys no longer cut it once you've had actual squirrel.

Road Trip Recap - Kalaloch to Forks to La Push to Sequim

Sunday through Tuesday I took a circular road trip along the Northern Washington coast. It was the perfect time - the weather was beautiful, and since it was not the weekend traffic was nearly nonexistent, I was able to get great camping spots, and I was left in blissful solitude most of my trip.

As you know, I had some trepidation about making this trip...the last time I was in the area, it was 1995. I was a depressed 19-year-old Coast Guard enlistee, fleeing from the desolate area and vowing never to return. 2 years after I left, while I was stationed in Boston, MA, there was a tragic accident at the station and three Coasties died during a rescue, including two former coworkers of mine. One of them was my good friend and mentor. It was several years later that I reluctantly acknowledged that I had to go back, if not for me, then to pay my respects to my friend.

Finally, Sunday was the day. I packed up the dog and my camping gear and set out in the sunny afternoon. I arrived at Kalaloch campground in the early evening and set up camp at a beautiful oceanside spot - another one of the benefits of unemployment is being able to camp midweek. Sadie and I played on the beach, then I made dinner and did some reading, then it was time for bed.


Sadie romping on Kalaloch beach

The next morning I broke camp and we headed for Forks, Washington. I was both excited and fearful to see it again. I remembered Forks as this dismal little podunk town populated with out-of-work loggers - this was shortly after the spotted owl controversy that severly limited logging in the Washington coastal rainforests - and punk-ass high-school kids. I was pretty impressed with myself, having spent part of my young life in Seattle, and did not want to mingle. (Actually, I didn't know how to meet new people...I used to be really bad at that. But I digress.) And always the dark and the rain. Oh god, the rain. Maybe good for a vampire family, but not good for people suffering from S.A.D., that's for sure.

And...Forks was nothing like I remembered it. I'm sure it helped that it was sunny. And that now I'm 33 years old, not 19, and can appreciate small towns. There are cute Victorian houses there. And of course the surrounding Hoh Rainforest is absolutely gorgeous. If you've never seen it, you must go. Seriously. I'm not sure how the logging industry is going these days, but the whole town has been revitalized by the Twilight series. There are shops selling Twilight merchandise, several Twilight tours, and the visitor's center even has a 'Twilight map' that shows all the locations mentioned in the book, including Bella's and Edward's homes. Everyone I talked to in town seemed excited about the Twilight phenomenon. The punk-ass kids were still there, but that's small town life for you.

The city of Forks welcomes you

And lest you think the residents of Forks are annoyed by the renewed interest in their tiny town due to Twilight, here is some evidence to the contrary:

A note from Esme Cullen to visitors of the "Cullen family residence," which is actually a B&B.

Dr. Cullen has his own parking spot at the Forks Community Hospital


The Swan residence, which is a private home, has a sign outside for visitors

After my Twilight self-tour, I was off down the road to La Push to see the Coast Guard station that was my home for a little more than a year from 1994-1995. I visited the memorial at the station and it was more emotional than I thought I'd be. I'm getting to be such a sap in my old age.

Then I took Sadie to First Beach, which is another location from the Twilight series. For some reason, they renamed it in the movie as "La Push Beach," though it was written correctly in the book. Lame.

I'm pretty sure that's Jacob the werewolf in the distance...

Finally, the memory lane jaunt mostly concluded, I pointed the car East and drove through the beautiful rainforest and past Lake Crescent, stopping once for rumination. How could I have ever hated this place??? Its forested beauty is intoxicating.

I ended the second day at Sequim Bay State Park, which was mostly deserted - only 2 other campers besides me. On the beach I found this strange object. WTF is it??? I feel a sci fi story brewing...

Radioactive dinosaur egg?

Yesterday I came home and resumed the regularly scheduled programming of my life. The end.

More pictures here.

Pilgrimage

Many eons ago, I was in the United States Coast Guard (yes, it is real military - one of the five armed services). For the first couple years, I was stationed at Coast Guard Station Quillayute River in La Push, Washington. I was 18 years old, living on the remote Washington coast on an Indian reservation. Yeah, I loved it about as much as you'd think.

You can imagine my surprise when, in recent years, La Push and Forks, Washington have gained worldwide fame at the setting of the immensely popular Twilight series of books and movies. These days, crazed fans flock to Forks to view Bella Swan's home, Forks High School, Forks Police Station, and of course they go down the single road to La Push to wander First Beach.

I haven't been back to the area since I moved away in 1995. For awhile I didn't want to go back ever. Then a few years after I left, some of my former coworkers were killed in a tragic accident just off First Beach...After that I realized I needed to go back, for them if not for myself. And last week I saw the Twilight movie for the first time, then read all the books in the series. It was funny to read the books and watch the movie and know that I used to live there (unfortunately the movie was not actually filmed in Washington, but they did a pretty good job faking it).

I've decided I'm ready. Fourteen years after I left, I'm packing up the dog and the camping gear and going back. Back to visit the old Coast Guard station, play on the beach, and pay my respects at the memorial statue that was erected in remembrance of my friends. I'll let you know how it goes.

James Island at the mouth of the Quillayute River, as seen from First Beach

Cut.

I'd been thinking about it for a few months. I almost did it before going to Thailand in February; it would have been helpful in the steamy heat. But a friend said, "no, I like it long," so I didn't. One of the reasons I always wanted it long was because guys like it, isn't that silly? Of course, the boys never did come running once I grew it out.

Finally it was time. I liked how it looked, but it was getting to be quite a pain. It would get stuck under me while I slept, my head would pin it against the couch cushions, and when snowboarding it was really in the way. Finally last Friday I took the plunge.

Much better :)

Sunny Daze

After a wild weekend spent in the upper RV lot at Stevens Pass, Monday was a day for in-city relaxation. The 70-degree weather almost made me want to head out of town again to go snowboarding or find a hike, but really I'd had enough of driving to the mountains, as it seems that's all I do lately!

In the morning, in furtherance of the "Melissa's green condo initiative," I installed a flourescent bulb in the hallway. Previous installments consisted of thermostats and dimmer switches, which along with the new bulb, are proven to save energy - and money. Yay for saving money!


After that, the weather had warmed sufficiently for a walk to Greenlake and some squirrel huntin,' or as I call it, squirreling. Squirreling has gotten much more entertaining since Sadie learned how to climb trees several months ago. Each time we go, Sadie climbs higher and higher - she's a very precocious beagle. Yesterday she was so far above my head that I actually was worried for the first time about her falling or her leash getting caught up in the branches. Eek!

More tree beagle pictures

Today the high temperatures continue and I had planned to go snowboarding in the afternoon. But I woke up with back pain like a rail spike had been drilled through my right shoulder blade. Ouch! Sometimes I sleep on it wrong and that happens. I feel like I should hit the slopes every chance I get because this might be the last winter I experience for the next several years. But I think my brain is starting to get over winter and yearn for summer already, as I really don't mind that I didn't make it to Alpental today...

Enjoying the morning


Sun Hound

A Bad Day Turns Into Good

Yesterday started out pretty crappy. There were a number of reasons: someone I was starting to care about decided he isn't in a place to return those feelings right now; I have a lot of big, and I mean BIG, life decisions to make all at once; and to top it all off I kept getting bloody noses (a British reader might wonder, 'Huh? We've all got one," but stick with me here). By the time I reached Alpental at 9:45 a.m., my nose had bled twice. Once I got to the bathroom at the mountain, it started going again! Sheesh. I considered turning around and going home. If my nose is going to bleed every time I land on my face, this is going to be a pretty crappy day, I thought. But I stayed.

And thank goodness for that! I had the best day I've ever had on the snowboard. By that I mean everything was working right, I was working right, going fast, carving turns, getting off the lifts without falling, and slaying some mad pow. I usually don't go up Chair 2 by myself because it's expert terrain and it seems like every time I go up there alone I suffer a near-NARSID experience with nobody around to save me. Finally I could no longer take the temptation and up Chair 2 I went, determined to stay on the well-populated in-bounds routes. There weren't any people waiting for the lift, which is unheard of!!! The rest of the day I had a great time, riding runs I'd never done before and learning how to ride in the trees. It was great fun. At lunch I met a couple guys in the lodge who turned out to be lawyers. We spent the rest of the day making wildy inappropriate jokes and riding awesome pow-laden runs. I was gleeful and blissed-out - it was like a high. I won't ever become one of those "no friends on a powder day" kind of assholes, but I at least understand why some people do. And it felt great to be able to ride double black diamond runs and not be afraid. All in all, an awesome day! :)

Buried again...note the fresh lines down the hill from me.


Imprints are all that remain after I molested the fresh pow

The rest of the snow pictures

Why Am I Stuck?

Can't bring myself to finish my Thailand posts or respond to emails from friends. Can't bring myself to finish the essay part of my CELTA application. Can't bring myself to proactively search for jobs in Seattle. Can't seem to do anything but frolic and play. Arrgh, where's my motivation???

Pictures

I'm home, I'm exhausted, here are some pictures. Cut me some slack, I'm at the end of my second Saturday in a row! That's right, yesterday was Saturday for me. And so is today, of course. Chalk it up to a 15-hour time difference and a 10-hour layover in Seoul. It's like Groundhog Day. Very fun, but sooo exhausting. Now I am home with my own computer and peripherals so I can take the time to fix up my blog and photos.

Thailand - Phuket to Koh Phi Phi

Today I took the 1.5 hour boat ride to Koh Phi Phi, which is famous for being one of the most beautiful places on earth, and also for being the setting of the 2000 Leo diCaprio movie The Beach. I've wanted to come here ever since I saw that movie. Of course on Christmas Eve 2006, Koh Phi Phi gained worldwide fame as ground zero for the tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people. I can't believe I'm standing in the place that was flattened by such an amazing force of nature. And even now, more than 4 years after the fact, there are still piles of rubble here and there that have yet to be cleared.

The village itself is pretty disappointing - it's a total party scene. I'm surrounded by hordes of tanned 20-something Eurotrash, and the village walkways (there are no roads) are lined with Thais all trying to get our attention to sell things, or rent a room to us, or whatever. I finally had to put the iPod on to drown it all out. I was all set to pack up and head to Koh Lanta or Krabi tomorrow, but I've decided to give this place a fair shake. It's actually quite beautiful when you get away from the madness, after all. Tomorrow afternoon I'm doing a 1/2 day snorkelling trip to Koh Phi Phi Leh, which is the uninhabited "little sister" island to this one.

For now, tho, later taters. It's 10:30 p.m. and I was up till 2 a.m. last night in Phuket!

Thailand - Phuket to Koh Phi Phi

Thailand - Phuket and the Best Valentine's Day EVER

What a day. Started with me dashing all over Chiang Mai in the early morning, buying more fabric for Mom and silk for Kristine. Done. Phew! Then it was off to the airport to catch my plane to Phuket to start the final leg of my journey. That would be the hedonist beach bum leg.

I was feeling a bit blue because it was Valentine's Day, and I just saw my ex boyfriend with another girl a few weeks ago so my overactive imagination was torturing me as it often does. Then the airline told me they didn't have a seat for me on the plane! I bought a ticket dammit, I better have a seat. "You're lucky," said the checkin lady. Phew, I thought, I get a seat. "We're upgrading you to business class because we don't have a seat for you in economy." YESSS! This kind of stuff never happens to me, and I was pumped. I enjoyed a nice 2-hour ride in the lap of luxury, or at least in the lap of business class.

I'm going to wrap this up for now, but the magical night I had consisted of a great restaurant, sharing a table with a German guy, dancing, a drag show, dancing on tabletops with the drag queen, shimmying with cute Thai boys, getting a scooter ride home from 1 of them. It was such a great night :) "What happens in Phuket, stays in Phuket."

Thailand - Phuket and the Best Valentine's Day EVER

Thailand - Chiang Mai Part 2

Sorry for the long radio silence... I've actually been doing fun things at night when I usually update blog and photos. And now I'm on Koh Phi Phi where the internet is expensive and really freakin' slow, so I'm just going to put placeholders in for now. (We know how that goes when I do that.) Anyway. In a nutshell:

Chiang Mai the 2nd time around was great fun. I rented a scooter, my new favorite form of transport, and headed around town then into the mountains to see some Wats. Then later that night met my new friend, Mimi, to go to the Night Bazaar to do my shopping. Mimi lives in CM and I met her the first time I was there a few days ago. Wats: done. Shopping: done. We went to a really cool restaurant called the Riverside, and that's where everyone hangs out apparently, cause it was jumpin.

Thailand - Chiang Mai Part 2

Thailand - Pai to Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai

No blog entry till now because I didn't upload yesterday's pictures till now. Not much of a blog entry at the moment, because it's 9:15 a.m. and I'm heading out to see the sights in a few minutes. But I will write more when I get back.

I'm staying at a lovely guesthouse, Awana House. It's awesome so far, the people are very helpful (they gave me their business card to show to taxi drivers so they can get me home), and it's in a great location. I highly recommend it.

Here are yesterday's pictures. Enjoy.

Thailand - Pai to Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai

Thailand - Pai

Alternate title: Dogs and Chickens and Water Buffalo, Oh My!

The day started as it always does, with a double mocha and Thai food. Delicious as usual. Then I set out on foot for Wat Phra That Mae Yen, which is 1km out of town. It was a beautiful walk, and after stopping for more coffee I ascended the many steps to the Wat. After the Wat I had planned to go to Mae Hong Son today, because honestly Pai wasn't really doing it for me. Seriously, I can go to Port Townsend to see this action! But before I caught the bus out of town I decided to rent a scooter and check out the countryside and see a waterfall. And riding around out there in the countryside, I decided to stay here another night. There's so much more to Pai than just the little town. It's the country out here! I saw many creatures, pictures of which you'll find on my photo page.

Up to now I've resisted taking pictures of dogs because, well, I know not everyone is as obsessed with them as I am (believe it or not). But the fact is, Thailand is full of dogs. Some with homes, many homeless. They're not like U.S. dogs either...they don't live inside the house, they wander around the neighborhood, and they are really skinny. The homeless dogs wander anywhere they want to. I just saw a dog sleeping under a bench that I saw last night near my guesthouse on the other side of town. Last night it wanted to be my best friend, tonight it was napping and wanted nothing to do with me. Hmph. Many Thais are Buddhist, and I guess that's why they leave the dogs alone. If a dog wanders out into the road, cars go around it. If it wanders into a restaurant, all of which are open-air, it's allowed. Dogs lounge around everywhere. I, of course, love it. There are several pictures of dogs in today's photo album so you can see what I'm talking about.

After the walk to the Wat, I took the scooter to Pai Canyon. This is a large canyon that has raised, naturally-formed narrow trails throughout. It's pretty amazing. After the canyon I came back to town to find a new place to stay and have some lunch. I ended up in a cute, tiny bungalow at Golden House guesthouse for 400 bhat, or about $12 US. Then it was back on the scooter to Pam Bok Waterfall. A short dusty trail led to the falls, which were actually not that overwhelming compared to falls in Washington State. But the water was warm and I waded a bit. It was fun. Then I rode to Tha Pai Hotsprings, which are in a national park. I paid 200 bhat to get in. This is the farang (foreigner) price. Ashley told me that Thailand residents get in for 20 bhat, one tenth of the price. She is pretty bothered by this, even though she gets the Thai price. I don't mind, because it's still only $6 US. After my soak (going in a hot, hot spring in Thailand? I must be crazy), I dressed and came back to my bungalow. By this time it was 4 p.m., so I rested for awhile and went through the pictures in my camera in preparation for tonight's blog entry.

After a brief rest, and a thorough reapplication of DEET, I headed out to the Sanctuary Restaurant for some dinner. It turned out to be only a snack though, because they were out of green papaya salad. Bummer. But that means I get to eat more tonight at yet another delicious restaurant or street cart! No complaints there.

I just got done with a facial, which I opted to do tonight instead of another brutal Thai massage. I thought the price was a little outrageous at 350 bhat (about $11.75 US), but the heat & humidity, mosquitos, and DEET applications created an emergency situation. I think tomorrow I will get a reflexology massage.

Tomorrow I take the bus to Mae Hong Son, then fly back to Chiang Mai in the afternoon. Yes, I am a major wuss - I booked a plane ticket because I refuse to sit through 2 hours of carsickness on the way back. And I'm taking a dramamine for the bus ride to Mae Hong Son, just in case. I will be in Chiang Mai for 2 days and I plan to do lots of shopping at the Night Bazaar.

Thailand - Pai

Thailand - Chiang Mai to Pai

Today I made the journey from Chiang Mai to Pai. I know I said I was going to Mae Hong Son first, but I'm going there tomorrow.

After a lovely coffee this morning and picking up my laundry, I headed off to Pai in a minivan along with 9 other intrepid souls. I'd been warned by Erin and by Lonely Planet that the long and winding road could make you feel carsick. But holy mother of GOD, I was not prepared for 2 hours of winding carsick HELL. You've been carsick I'm sure. Now imagine it for 2 freakin' hours. I managed to hang onto my cookies, barely. Ugh. I made a video so you can see what it was like. Enjoy, and hold onto your cookies.

From Thailand - Chiang Mai to Pai

Upon arriving in Pai and checking into the Breeze of Pai Guesthouse, I laid on the bed for a few minutes until my tummy calmed down. Then it was off to explore the streets of Pai. And there are hippies as far as the eye can see. Lots of white hippies, but also... Thai hippies. I've never seen such a think. We're talking dreadlocks, hemp clothing, and the whole hippie shebang. It's fascinating. How narrowminded of me to think that hippie-dom was strictly an American phenomenon. Speaking of Americans, I hadn't run into a single one in Thailand...until I got to Pai, where there are tons of them. I'm not sure why that is.

After walking around and exploring, and stopping for dinner, it was time for another Thai massage. This lady was completely different from the one I got yesterday. Today the massage hurt. Lots of pressure points were pressed. It was painful throughout, but I felt much better after. I could get used to this. I could get used to a lot about Thailand.

The mosquitos seem to be getting worse the further North I get. Despite constantly bathing myself in DEET, they are making a meal of me. I guess I will have to get a higher concentration of bug spray at the drugstore tomorrow. I spend my days covered in a mixture of sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray. No wonder my arms are developing a bumpy little rash. But it's a small price to pay for the awesomeness that is Thailand (did I mention that it's 9 p.m. and I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt?).

Tomorrow morning I am walking 1 km out of town to see a Wat that is several names long. After that I may go to the Pai hot springs, then it's off to Mae Hong Son via a 3-hour bus ride in the afternoon/evening. More updates later!

Thailand - Chiang Mai to Pai

Thailand - Rayong, etc.

Don't feel too much like blogging, oddly enough. But in a nutshell,

• I had a nice uneventful flight(s) to Thailand on Wednesday.
• My friend Ashley got my arrival day mixed up, and fortunately I had her number so was able to roust her from her bed to come pick me up.
• It took 2 days to get over the jet lag. Those 2 days really sucked, because I would start to get tired at noon (9 p.m. PST), and get progressively worse until I fell into bed at 8 p.m., then wake up at 5:00 a.m. Yesterday I finally made it through the day without feeling tired. Yay!
• I arrived in Chiang Mai today after 3 days with Ashley and her adorable daughters, and I'm travelling to Mae Hong Son tomorrow. From there to Pai, from Pai back to Chiang Mai, where I will stay for a couple days till I fly to Phuket on the 14th.
• Valentine's Day can suck itself.
• Thai food is so amazing. I may never eat Thai food in the states again, because it doesn't compare to this. After a couple painful and embarrassing episodes, Ash taught me a useful phrase: "Mai phet!" which means "not hot!" I have used it many times since then with great success.
• I got a cell phone for $15. All cells in Thailand are prepaid, and I thought it was a good idea for emergencies. Of course it's also helpful for calling the folks back home, also very cheap.
• There are internet cafes and laundry places on every corner. Both are cheap. When I finish up at this internet cafe, I am going to sleep at my guest house and picking up my laundry in the morning.

I don't even want to attempt to add pictures to this post - who knows how long it'll take. So here you go: Pictures here. Sawatee kha.

January 20, 2009

Quite possibly the best day ever. Cousin Erika and I already had tickets to see Tapes n Tapes at Neumo's, so we headed up to Capitol Hill early to partake in the festival atmosphere that was sure to be in effect. (Note to you California dwellers - Tapes n Tapes are heading your way! Check 'em out.)

Sure enough, a giant costumed group was marching down the street, chanting and drumming. Our outfits weren't up to snuff to participate in that glamorous group, so we moved on to the Cha Cha Lounge.

At the Cha Cha we met this lovely lady. Why was she wearing this outfit? "I have a closet full of costumes, and I've always wanted to wear this onesie. Today seemed like the perfect day!" What a great answer. I totally loved her, and I'm starting to think I need to get some costumes of my own. Halloween doesn't have to be just once a year, especially when you're on Capitol Hill!

Yes we did

Finally we ended up at Neumo's for the great Tapes n Tapes show. Lots of Obama shirts in effect, including on the lead singer. Woooo!

Hope

More pictures of the evening here.