picnic time for teddy bears

hang man.

2010-05-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

why john, why?

blogggg! sucks..

2010-03-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

woot!

2010-01-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

Hurray, Randy and Lela are having a boy! I will soon have another nephew!!! So excited!

Strip night, the ocean, and the Frosty 5k

2009-12-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

So last Thursday was pretty swell. My lovely friends blessed me with their amazing presence at Randall's and my dinner party. We gorged ourselves on spinich gnocchi, stuffed mushrooms, freshly baked cookies, and yummy porters provided by Kale. Then we headed out to Jake's for the amateur strip night. Quite fun except for a certain creepy old dude, but we got to see Moya shake his booty on stage. Kale you better be next! Then it was off to Ryan and Korrina's for their holiday bash. And I can't remember the rest. Seriously. But it was surely a good time.

Then it was off to the ocean with my family, with Randall and Nick in tow. It was beautiful weather and we saw lots of deer and seals.

So now I'm on a crazy wonderful break from school and work and I don't know what to do with myself!! Just kidding, I'm a beer-making, clothes-sewing, book-reading, craft-making lunatic, just lovin this freedom. Time to run wild! I'm up for kicking it with all my lovelies that I haven't gotten to see lately...ahem, Sydney, cough cough. Craft party anyone?

So Lindsey and I woke up early today to go run in the Frosty 5k. Yeah, we are pretty much unstoppable, its true. I actually shaved off 9 minutes from the 5k I did last summer. Totally wierd, was I really that slow then? I guess so, but no longer! The race ended at a pub overlooking the Sound and we had early morning beer treats to reward ourselves. Oh, and we got santa hats so check it.

Halloween

2009-12-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Halloween was fun, despite the fact that my wig turned out to be more parliament than Marilyn.

Tunnels are for parties.

2009-12-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

I've been lazy with my pictures lately but at long last school is done for the rest of the year so I finally have some time to mess around. So here you go, a nice dish of tunnel party pictures with the added bonus of Kale in his bright red long underwears. Have at it:

good googly moogly, that thang is juicy

2009-11-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Thansgiving slothness is being interupted by the looming final on Tuesday. But zoo lights tonight!

playing with myself

2009-11-19T23:23:00.000-08:00

Yeahh, I'm so stoked to have finished my paper.
I'm so not stoked on having a store charge me 76.00 for something that was 7.60, and not having the receipt to back up my story.
But I'm super double d duper stoked that I get to go home tomorrow, have early Thanksgiving, and then go see New Moon with my family!!

;]

2009-11-18T12:11:00.001-08:00

I am Suzye and I hack other peoples blogs all the while managing to be super adorable. How do I do it? It helps when you sleep with your mark.

things

2009-11-17T21:33:00.000-08:00

I feel discouraged. Nothing is particularly wrong, yet nothing seems to go right. One day it rains and pours so much that I get a Uhaul stuck in mud while a red-faced lady screams at me so bad that I don't even notice myself stepping into a pile of dog shit. So the next day I wear big rubber boots but it was clear and cold so I just looked silly all day. And other things. Lack of motivation frusterates me. You only have one life to live! I miss my Grandma. I wish I were somewhere doing something else for a bit.

alien owls

2009-11-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

We saw the movie only for the owl...well and because of milla jovovich..it was entertaining and totally ridiculous. But the owl was creepy!!!!

New Tattoo!

2009-11-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

You guys know how much I love owls...and titties...well now I have my love for both proudly tattooed on myself. Randy designed it for me.

I hope I don't really need to tell you that I'm kidding. We've just been surfing ugliesttattoos.com.

the happiest video ever!

2009-11-04T21:02:00.001-08:00

stick that in your pipe and smoke it

2009-11-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a blast. I met some really cool people and adored just kicking it with my friends. But now the sicky bug has caught up with me. The weekend can't seem to come quick enough! I'm ready to do nothing but snuggle in warm blankets with a neverending cup of hot tea spiked with cold meds and tinctures.

So I've been getting down with the theraflu. I seriously destroyed my poor hankie today. Its days like these that I wish our apartment had a bathtub. Sometimes a shower just doesn't cut it. I wish Randall would get home already so we could carve pumpkins.

I found this great movie about me:

sniffles

2009-11-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

So I'm starting this month off with a nasty cold but I've decided to confront it by making November a healthy month where I focus on eating well, resting, running and crafts rather than going out and spending money. Linds and I are entering another 5k this December so I'm going to work on improving my time. And I have definitely been bitten by the holiday craft bug. The time for making presents and treats is upon me!

cmon to my house, to myyy house, i'm going to give you christmas tree!

2009-10-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

So I stayed home sickysick on account of my throat which is really not that bad, but I thought I could use a day to myself. Randy made me pancakes then I slept in till nearly one. Ah, sweet bliss. Now I have the entire day to mess around on our newly acquired internet, drink buckets of tea, and watch my pear ripen.

la la la

2009-10-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

I'm getting internet tomorrow! No more slinking around the town searching for wireless in order to finish my homework! In other news, my throat kind of hurts in a suspicious manner and that is not a good thing at all, especially as I'm going to be staying in a tent for four days next week. I really hope I'm not sick. I could use some vamp blood right now.

spiderbabies!

2009-09-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

HOly Potato!

2009-09-12T19:49:00.001-07:00

I just paid off my entire Australia trip! Wahoo!! Now I am totally exhausted after working 45 solid hours this week, yet now I have to drag myself to go clean up the freakin Keith Urban gig at the the Tacoma dome, all by myself!!! Booo, I'm so not in the rhino mood right now. I'd rather have my baby rub my sunburnt back and watch Pricilla Queen of the Desert with a big cup of tea and a cluster of grapes stolen off my neighbor's grape vine.

COME BUY MY SHIT!!!!!!!

2009-06-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Yard sales are like the best thing ever!!! You can sit around drinking beer all day in your yard and get paid for it! All the while people come and take away things that you don't need or want so you don't have to haul them off to goodwill. The sunshine is just the icing on the already delicious cake.

Apparently Nick can't tell a shoe from a puke bucket...

2009-06-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

oh, and also he is a vampire..

my friends are horny..

Sasquatch Fest

2009-06-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

and a pickles for good measure:

things to do this week: finish freaking long papers!!!!

le sigh

2009-05-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

A meeting of the reckless Aries and cautious, calculated Capricorn means differences can cause problems that need compromise, but both signs want to achieve great things.

For the similarities that these star signs share, there is a world of difference between them. They are both cardinal signs, meaning leadership, independence, and a certain tendency towards impatience; but the way these trait are exhibited couldn’t be more opposite.

Aries, the warrior sign, acts impulsively and recklessly. Their independence, confidence and often sheer bravado are contrasted by the rigid thoughtfulness of Capricorn, who will always weigh options up and act according to how reason dictates.

With two cardinal signs there is always an issue of control in a relationship and, usually, no sign can ever win outright. As with Aries and Cancer there must be compromise. If Capricorn enforces a rigid structure onto the relationship, for example, Aries will grow more frustrated, more confrontational and unhappy. In the end it will mean Capricorn must back down to Aries' frustrations or the relationship will never work. There must be sacrifices and finding a balance between their vastly contrasting world views is the main struggle that these two signs must face if they are to be happy together.

The differences between these signs are likely to be the very things that draw them together. Aries is always a sign that is drawn to the mystery and fascination of signs with the patience and persistence that they notoriously lack. For them the wisdom and composure within Capricorn, as well as an almost steel-like inner strength and tendency towards discipline, is something that Aries admires; though it would be easier for Aries to choose an air or fire sign such as Sagittarius.

Conversely for Capricorn the confidence of Aries to act without weighing every little detail up in their mind first is very appealing. There are elements in both signs that the other almost craves to have a little bit of in their own personality. By spending time together in a relationship and growing closer both star signs can learn a lot about themselves and hope to balance out some more flawed aspects in their personality.

This is a meeting of Fire and Earth. Such relationships are never as smooth flowing as Fire and Air or Earth and Water, but if both partners put in the required effort and find a balance then they will reap deeper benefits that more naturally suited combinations miss out on. It is important that they see their differences as something to be admired and respected. This way a balance can be found, ideas can be shared and each person can be improved by the other. Remember, both signs want the same thing: to achieve great things. Together they can help each other to do this. It is the methods of the signs that differ, not their purpose in life.

the sonic manipulator

2009-05-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Lindsey and I watched this guy perform on a Melbourne street corner. He had more noise makers and voice changers then James Ho. Cop cars and fire engines would sound their sirens for a few seconds as they went by. Basically he made up a bunch of songs about how his spaceship crashed on earth and he is just spanging enough money to get it fixed again.

finally some pictures!

2009-05-13T04:26:00.001-07:00

2 more days, baby!

2009-05-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

this picture makes me feel a little bit better though...

2009-05-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

Annoyed!!

2009-05-13T03:40:00.001-07:00

Alright, I'm totally getting ripped off by some bogus company that is making unauthorized charges on my American Express card! A company called reservation rewards norwak has been charging me 12 dollars monthly. According to google I am not the only one. "The alleged scheme worked this way, according to the suit: After consumers made online purchases from various Web retailers, a pop-up window appeared on their computer screens promising a $10 coupon on their next purchase. If consumers entered their e-mail addresses to redeem that coupon, their personal information, including credit or debit card number, was automatically transferred to {Reservation Rewards}." I have no idea how long this has been going on!!! GRrrrr, this pisses me off!

Oishii!!!!!

2009-05-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my trip is nearing its end! 2 months really isn't that long. I have a newfound respect for biodynamic farming. I actually got to see how amazingly fast seeds germinate right before the full moon! The baby plants went from seed to one inch tall in 4 freaking days. My parents just sent me an email saying that they saw in the news that this town in Queensland is getting overrun by giant spiders. "In a scene that could almost be out of a B-grade monster movie, giant spiders have invaded Bowen. For about six weeks, residents have reported seeing huge bird-eating spiders crawling around their backyards and gardens. Most grow to be the size of a man’s hand." So glad I'm not wwoofing there right now. I did see the most enormous toad the other day. This toad was bigger than both my hands combined, probably about the size of a softball. I have pictures, oh yes, but this computer won't let me post them on blogger.

Captain Planet

2009-05-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

So this is the theme of the party, am I right?

Smashley is the bestest!

2009-05-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Ashley just got me, Nick and Randy confirmed to work at the Sasquatch festy! I am so stoked! That is 4 days of hanging out at the gorge, making hella bank to help pay off my travel debt and listening to awesome live music. Randy, make sure you get work off at the Y! You just cannot miss this, seriously. Tell them you have a school field trip or something. Just look at the lineup: yeah yeah yeahs, animal collective, the decemberists, crystal castles, jane's addiction, of montreal, fleet foxes, santigold, gogol bordello, explosions in the sky, the murder city devils, and that is just to name a few. I am so freakin excited. Thank you Ashley!! I'll see you after your date with Stevie Nicks, girl!

ARRGGG!

2009-05-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

Blogger you totally suck! All I want to do is post pictures. I don't feel like typing any stories out today, I just want everyone to see the crazy snake and spider and pretty waterfall pictures...Oh well, you will have to wait until I get home to my old trusty computer, but seriously where is the fun in that? I hate waitingggggg.

partay

2009-05-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday the 16th, yall better be at my house.

beached as

2009-04-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

Hilarious!

Sydney is fantastic! So sad to be leaving Hattie tomorrow.

chooky chookerton.

2009-04-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Today Robena and I got to help paint the shade structure in the Violet Town park. A huge mural is getting painted on the inside of the roof.

Tomorrow I leave for Sydney. It looks like Hattie and I may only be couchsurfing for one night and then renting a campervan for the rest of the time we have together. Blue Mountains, here we come!

Working at the Salamanca market in Hobart was incredible. Kate sells vintage clothes
that she finds at op shops, and 5 of her friends do the same so there is a nice congregation of cute second-hand clothes available, and then everyone watches eachothers' stuff when they want to wander off into the market.

Christian sold the coolest wooden furniture and tool boxes. I so want to learn how to make my own. I'm thinking of taking a wood working class next year.

Violet Town (population: 600, give or take)- This place has such an amazing active community.

Some highs:
-Staying with foodies is the best! I've never eaten so well in my life.
-Bottling 30 year old port. Golly gosh its bloody delicious!
-All the incredible local wines. My wwoofer hosts spoil me!
-Olives! I'm having a love affair with them at the moment.
-Fresh grapefruit every morning from the tree in the front yard.
-Staying up at the co-op owned ski lodge over the weekend, playing cards by the fire, calculating how many miles are in a light year, and learning to de-bone a fish.
-I finished the book Jitterbug Perfume. It is now one of my favorite books.
-The adorable Violet Town Saturday market.
-Harassing the single chook that lives here. I named her Chooky Chookerton. She hates when I follow her around.
-Riding the 4-wheeler out in the bush.
-Finding a rare legless lizard and trapping it in my Sigg bottle. There is an extremely well-funded wildlife service dedicated to preserving the habitat of legless lizards, so if you find them on your property you could have some help improving your land.

Some lows:
-On the ferry back to the mainland I sat next to this man and it soon became apparent that he had a nasty cold. He began coughing every 5 minutes or so, neglecting to cover his mouth. He pulled out some packaged snacks and chewed so loudly with his mouth open that I really started to feel ill. He had his headphones on because he was watching a movie on his computer so maybe he couldn't hear how ridiculously he was smacking and slobbering. Just then an announcer came on the overhead and told us not to change seats even if there were empty ones. Dude kept coughing and I kept cringing, and I thought no way am I spending the next 10 hours next to this snotfest. I changed one seat over, next to a nice quiet man whose breathing was inaudible. When snotman finally turned off his computer, he put his seat back, turned his body so it completely faced me, then fell asleep snoring loudly and coughing in the exact direction of my head. Suddenly the seat between us did not seem like a wide enough distance at all, but there was nothing to be done. I turned to face the quiet man who kindly offered me some earplugs. My savior! Without them I would have probably freaked out at the drunk German men who stumbled in from one of the bars and kept squeaking their chairs and laughing loudly, exclaiming that the squeaking sounded like a bed in a love hotel and completely ignoring the fact that they were surrounded by people trying to sleep.
-Being discovered by a mob of bees while I bottled the port. Being surrounded by drunk bees makes me edgy.
-Having the 4-wheeler's brake wire snap while I was going down a steep rocky hill.
-Discovering that my legless lizard really did have legs! Tiny and hard to see, those little buggers!

sheep bones and huntsman spiders

2009-04-14T05:29:00.000-07:00

I made this while I was up working in the hills. There are so many sheepy bones everywhere! They die of natural causes since there aren't any predators. There has been sheep on this land for so long and the bones just hang around forever, so they have accumulated over the years.

I found this bugger outside my bathroom door. I couldn't even think of a name for it because my heart kind of came out of my throat. This is the biggest wild spider I have ever happened across. It could have covered the palm of my hand, not that I would ever let it! While I locked myself in the bedroom, my wwoofer host picked it up by one of its legs and put it out in the garden, telling me that they only eat flies and its the little ones I should be worrying about.

Today I got to take the 4-wheeler up into the hills to remove invasive plants and fill up bunny holes so they will leave and take the foxes with them. The foxes and the rabbits were brought over by the British to be hunted for sport. I can't think of anything more bloody stupid then introducing a foreign species so you can hunt it for fun. When the foxes aren't munching on bunnies, they are chewing up baby wombats and native birds.

Parrot outside my bedroom window:

Yummy lunch on the porch:

So many roos!

2009-04-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

I finally have had my fill of roo sightings. On the train to Violet town I saw like 20 roos in a field being chased by two floppy doggies. It was the cutest thing ever! And now where I am staying there are plenty of roos, wallabies, and parrots. The massive hills behind the house kind of remind of The Hills Have Eyes sometimes, but more beautiful (lots of wildlife), less scary (no inbred cannibals). My host used to own a restaurant that served local seasonal foods, so she is an amazing cook. I am definitely taking some recipes home with me. Tonight we are going to go see some Tibetan monks play music. Yesterday I got to watch them make a sand mandala and it was the most incredible thing ever. The finished thing looks like this:

But the way they do it is beautiful too. The monks pour millions of grains of sand from traditional metal funnels called chakpur. This website shows the process: http://www.artnetwork.com/Mandala/gallery.html

Anyways, I have to get back to work. Love love!

3 steps for getting over big scary possibly poisonous spiders

2009-04-05T03:56:00.000-07:00

step 1: don't think about them while you are trying to fall asleep

step 2: wear gloves when you are cleaning out cluttery cobwebby basements so as not to feel exposed

step 3: when you encounter an enormous black spider like none you have ever seen before, give it a daggy name and pretend its your new friend

Today I met my new friends Matilda and Roger. At first I thought their thick legs were initmidating but as soon as I got to know them they were alright. Friends don't come crawling onto your bed at night. Nope, friends stay in their homes in the basement where they belong. I hope. Somehow the fact that I sleep with two giant cats comforts me a bit. I can't imagine anything getting past Clairy and Claudie.

Matilda and Roger:

The only reason I can sleep at night:

I saw the most incredible art exhibit today. This woman created sculptures of what she imagines people could evolve into someday. They were the most creepy awesome creatures ever and were super detailed. Their arms had hair and veins under the skin and even moles. And some had really strange orfaces all over their backs that were giving birth to furry creatures that looked like wombats. Some of the creatures were sort of rodentlike and looked like baboons. One was suckling a human baby. Another scene was of a little girl in her bed cuddling one of these creatures. I've never seen anything like it before. I wish I could have taken more pictures but it wasn't allowed. I was only able to sneak this one:

Kate and I passed the Steve Irwin ship today. It looked a bit banged up. It was attacked while trying to stop Japanese whalers from reaching their ridiculous quota.

Also I think Hobart has more rainbows then anywhere else in the world!

pictures!

2009-04-01T04:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my fav moments captured on film. The computer I am on is cave-age slow, so it was a challenge to get these babies up at all. And everytime I try to put labels under each picture, blogger goes all wonky and stacks each word on top of eachother on the side of the pictures so its really annoying to read and looks stupid. Instead I will list each picture label first:

1. The community garden in St. Kilda.
2. Luna Park - This place has hands-down the scariest enterance ever! How do they manage to get any kids through there?
3. The creepiest ad ever! We couldn't even tell what it was for. I suppose stockings maybe?
4. Sisters reunited at last.
5. Duck duck goose!
6. Kate and James (wwoofing host and fellow wwoofer). James had just spent a month biking around Tasmania, after working for 6 months as a carpenter in a town of about a thousand people in Antarctica! Seriously, people actually live there!
7. Lindsey's new boyfriend.
8. Dancing to shitty music can be fun!
9. My three favorite people for a night.
10. Ladies night at Base X.
11. The dinner I made tonight: veggie quiche with eggs from Kate's chooks, garlic purple mashed potatoes from Kate's garden, and salad picked straight from the garden as well, with avocado and this really yummy carrot sauce that I am fanatical about.
12. I saw this spider corpse on the sidewalk today! WTF! I was just thinking this morning how stoked I was to have not come across any big spiders and then I found this! How am I suppose to sleep at night now?

sea changes

2009-03-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

What an absolutely crazy ferry ride. I still feel like I'm on it which is to say I feel like the ground is swaying under me, as if I am a drunk who can't even manage to walk straight down a hallway without bashing into a wall. I met a sweet guy named Ari who ended up rounding up his friends for a roadtrip to Hobart, providing me with a 3 hour ride and a lot more fun than taking the bus solo. I am now at my first wwoofing site, in an adorable town on a harbor. It has cute old buildings and houses, and a craft market that I will get to work at on Saturday! The woman I am staying with makes clothes and I get to help tend her backyard garden. We had wallaby last night and it was absolutely delicious. I am truly content and immensely happy that I ended up here.

oh such a perfect day

2009-03-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was absolute perfection. Lindsey and I had an incredible breakfast of fresh fruit, goat milk yogurt, corn cakes with avocado salsa, and extremely well-made coffee. We then rented rollerblades and spent the morning skating by the ocean. I got a bit burnt thanks to the holey ozone. Then we got falafal and freshly squeezed fruit juice and had lunch in this adorable community art garden. We took in some more sun by the sea, and browsed our favorite little shops. We met this wonderful lady who designed all the clothes in her shop and we hung out there playing with her chubby lil baby. Linds got some really unique shorts and I splurged and this swank sweatshirt and a head scarf. Then we had more incredible food (roast veggie risotto, rocket and roast pumpkin salad, and bruschetta piled high). We cannot get enough of these amazing restaurants. Seriously, my journal is just lists of all the good food we have discovered! Then it was ladies night at the hostel so there was unlimited free bubbly and guys wearing tight dresses in order to procure the free drinks. The music was dreadful! They played the exact same dance mix that the water aerobics at the YMCA uses (oh ho yeahaa, wanna be my lover..ect). But we suddenly became drunk enough that it didn't matter and tore up the dance floor when Nirvana and Rage against the Machine came on. By the end of the night we started a dance train and were singing along to Madonna with this hilarious Indian guy that had the best dance moves ever! Anyways, I'm so sad Lindsey is leaving me tonight. There is just so much more we want to do in St. Kilda. But I leave for Tassy tomorrow for the next portion of my journey and I am excited for that. Especially because the ferry I am taking is more like a cruise ship and has live entertainment, a movie theater, and a heap of other things to pass the 10 hours. Linds leaves at 1 in the morning so we are still going out tonight with this local named Trent who promises to prove that Australia does have some good microbreweries. I think I want to try to go to Burning Man this year. I just can't imagine watching Linds go off with out me.

3 little birds

2009-03-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Linds and I went for a run today, right by the ocean. Oh how I wish I had me a pair of blades!

booze blues.

2009-03-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Watery lager, no microbreweries, and 20 dollar sixpacks, oh my! I guess I must get used to VB. Anything else would be unAustralian! Hattie left us for Bali this morning after an incredible night in St. Kilda. She was couchsurfing with some cool guys and two German girls. We all went out to the espy to see one of them play in a band. The German girls were not allowed in because they were told they seemed too drunk. But they hadn't even been drinking and even though they explained this, the bouncer did not believe them. We played a bizarre game of pool with really small balls, and the game went on forever because none of us were any good. Also, guys seem to think that having a tattoo is an invitation for them to touch it. I don't understand this. I don't know if I will ever find the time to post pictures. Sitting in front of a computer is complicated business. I promise to post the first picture I get of a Kangaroo though.

Melbourne

2009-03-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am in this beautiful city, waiting for Hattie and Lindsey to show up. I passed out soon after I got to me hostel, waking for one awkward moment when housekeeping came into my room to change the bedding and I, thinking they were my new bunkmates, sleepily introduced myself and then fell back to sleep.

Miss you kiss you!

2009-03-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

seriously BURSTING with joy

2009-03-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, I cannot even stop grinning! I feel totally high on life. I just aced my Spanish final! I did not forget a single word, it all just flowed right into my head. I could write in perfect spanish everything that I wanted to say. This morning I had to give a presentation on the food systems I observed while in Uganda (my teacher asked me to do this only two days ago!), and although public speaking is not my forte and I was incredibly nervous, it just went so much smoother than I could have ever imagined! I didn't sweat and stutter (that much, haha) and people asked me a ton of questions that I totally had answers for. And I got to tell my whole class how I watched my mom get chased by a monkey! Today has just boosted my confidence and I feel so accomplished. I worked so ridiculously hard these past two quarters, taking challenging classes and going for 20 credits each quarter, all the while working at the native plant nursery in all sorts of weather (rain, snow, or hail, I still adore that job). I am so ready now to go enjoy Australia with two beautiful girls that I miss and love so much! No more tests and no more classes until the end of September. Now I get to do a contract that I completely designed myself, read books that I selected and write research papers with topics that I am passionate about. Life is good, life is grand! Time to go make a quiche for potluck tomorrow and go snuggle with cutie Randalls and Pickles.

St. Theresa's Prayer

2009-03-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly
where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you
use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has
been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you
are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul
the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and
every one of us.'

In case anyone is not aware, Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways...meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is also the patron Saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses.

a pick-me-up for you

2009-03-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Kristin's birfday!

2009-03-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

Strippercising Sydney!

2009-03-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

Sydney has amazing strippercising super powers! Someday she will save the world.

Randy is the cutest!

2009-03-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

new roomie bliss!

2009-02-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

So after the craziness of interviewing complete strangers from craigslists it turns out that it was all for nothing since we became aware that Brett's bro Ryan was looking for a place. After spending Friday night entertaining a variety of people who were checkin the house out, Ryan came over with a box o beer and eliminated my need to make a tough decision. I was already totally smashed by that point, after hanging out and smoking hookah with three potential roomies at once. This was after I had gone to the beer-tasting at Gravity and polished off a bottle of vino. Don't judge! You'd be drinking too if the first person who came to see your house was the skeleton of a Ukranian woman with a blood crusted nostril and a cracky disposition to match. The second person I saw was nervous and squirrelly, having just been told by his wife that he needs to be out by the 5th. His depression was contagious. The next guy was an 18-year-old named Sebastion and it was pretty obvious he thought very highly of himself. I complimented him on a bracelet he was wearing and asked him where it was from. He shrugged and replied, "my fans." But he was friendly so we hung out for a couple hours. The next two were lovely people, a guy and a girl and it would really have been hard to decide between them so thank god I didn't even have to. Now we have Ryan (#2), yaayyy! Gig Habor represent!

Today my mom came and whisked me away to the ocean. We have a hotel room right on the water with a spectacular view from our room. We are lounging by the fire, doing homework and getting some much needed relaxation before finals. I wish I could spend a whole week here.

Here are some clips of me and Randall, skatin away on Valentine's day:

i'm pretty much inlove with julia child

2009-02-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

So yesterday my class had the most spectacular food preservation lab. We learned how to make apple chips, smoke salmon, make and can applesauce and pickle beets, make kimchee, and churn and make butter. Now there are all these new toys I want to buy. I wish I was freaking rich and didn't have to work so I could just cook and make delicious delights all day long! So basically there are amazing Amish catalogs with super incredible non-electric sturdy old-style machines that do wonderful things like peel, core and slice an apple all at the same time, or pit a cherry leaving it perfectly intact, or remove all the skins and seeds of tomatoes so sauce making is a cinch. New additions to my ever-growing must-have list includes a newer style butterchurn, a food mill, an apple peeler, a little chief electric smoker, a food dehydrator and a pressure cooker.

P.S. Julia Child is so incredibly entertaining! I adore this woman and her kooky voice and french techniques. No one can wield a cleaver like you, Julia!

oh summer gardens

2009-02-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

Here is me with my beloved worm composting bin:

And the precious fruits of last year's labor..I built an herb spiral which I plan to fill completely this year. And I got the green beans to grow up the corn stalks which was supercool. I was able to can my own tomato sauce, blackberry jam and pickled beets. This year I can't help but worry that I am going to have to start over building new beds since I will be moving out of my Olympia house and also my parents moved houses. I still have my herb spiral, the hops and one 10 by 5 bed.

To Randy

2009-02-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Randall,

I don't really know how to tell you this, but I’m joining the Convent. I think I realized it when I finally changed my underwear at the Elton John concert and I saw you knock out my illegitimate child in Ghana. I'm sure you're high enough to understand that I'm allergic to your earlobes. I'm returning your nose hair clippers to you, but I'll keep your collection of butterflies as a memory. You should also know that I get sick when I think of your feet and thanks for the cocaine.

Best of luck on the sex change,
Suzye

Extending my weekend

2009-02-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

So this weekend was as lovely as it gets. Saturday I baked cheesecakes and gave one to Adam for giving Randall and I the best free massages this world has ever seen. Then Ashley and Jeff came over and we sampled yummy chesses while cooking up some salmon and egg rolls. Sydney came over on Sunday and we exploded bottles of kombucha. We celebrated her 21st with some presents and cheesecake, then Nick came over and we all went bowling. So many gutterballs! We passed out watching freaks and geeks and then couldn't make it to school or work the next day. I am trying to fight this laziness and lack of concentration but it so hard! I just can't wait until this quarter is over and I can go off to Australia.

no place to run, no place to hide!

2009-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

I finally hold in my hands a Valentine issue of the Stranger. What page is it on Syd? I don't have my phone so I can't read the text you wrote me.

At lunch I went to a garden planning workshop that focused on seed-saving and it got me so pumped up for spring! It kinda sucks that my Australia trip will conflict with me planting all my babies before the last frost date, but I will try and make up for it when I get back. I am going to plant a huge patch of wild native and coastal strawberries! I wish I had someone to plant some seeds indoors for me and nurture them until I get back. Anyone interested in babysitting little plants? I'll make it worth your while! On a sad note, I just found out that my wonderful neighbor who taught me how to garden has a fast moving cancer in her lymph nodes, and is undergoing surgeries. She is just the most beautiful, talented, energetic woman who is such an incredible organic gardener, teacher, and mother. She was going to write a book about the robin chick that I raised which started hanging out in her garden the next year and would let her feed it worms.

I baked two chocolate cheesecakes with a rasberry sauce on Sunday. One to trade with my dad for him fixing the hole I kicked in the wall and the other for Adam for giving Randall and I the most incredible free massages. I think I will make another for potluck on Friday.

Alright, Spanish homework time.

Nessa's birfday party

2009-02-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

justified paranoia!

2009-02-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

blah blah blah

A sweet surprise!

2009-02-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

The Corn Refiners Association, an industry group that represents some of America's leading manufacturers of high-fructose corn syrup, recently launched a $25 million PR campaign to save the good name of their trademark product.

Do you know what the sweet surprise is? Not only will HFCS make you resistant to the hormone that regulates appetite so you won't control your eating, but it also has been found to contain mercury! Even worse is that the FDA discovered this in 2005 and have done absolutely nothing about it! I seriously think its worse than trans fat and should just be banned altogether if we ever want to the obesity epidemic to end. I was so disturbed to learn that its even an additive in beer. Is nothing sacred??!! Since they don't have to put the ingredients on the label, nobody even realizes its there. Luckily after writing some of my favorite breweries (rogue, deschutes, big sky, and avery) I was told no respectable brewery would use it. Deschutes said they do make a Flanders-style sour brown ale that uses Belgian Candi Sugar in the recipe to help them produce a high alcohol beer without a thick body. This beer is called “the Dissident” and comes out once a year after being barrel aged for about 18 months. Hahaha, pretty much squashed my worries. Not that I even needed another reason to stay away from the cheapo beers anyways. My pabst smear days are so over.

Snuggies!!!

2009-02-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Better!

2009-02-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

It's finally Friday guys! Can you even believe it? And its double extra super for realz Friday for me because I just found out I don't actually have to work tomorrow setting up the Tacoma dome for the buck cherry/avenged sevenfold concert. Not too sorry to miss that. So I plan to go to Portland. Who's with me? Time to pay those portlanders a visit. That means YOU mr. James Ho! And to celebrate Nessa's birthday. Hopefully I won't run into fuckface there. HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE! I hope you are as excited about it as I am! Oh how I wish it would never end.

HELL!

2009-02-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

This whole week has been a test to see if I can go insane or not. In addition to studying my ass off for my super hard 4 hour long midterm I managed to fall extremely sick last weekend. So I have been walking around feeling like there is a hole in my skull and my throat has been worked on with heavy grit sandpaper, and although I would like nothing more than to drown in a sea of theraflu, blankets and Veronica Mars, I have had to study everynight until my eyes sockets are dried out.

ploppyseed? poopyseed. poppyshmeed!

2009-02-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Sicky sick with midterm tomorrow = lame. I want to fastforward to tomorrow night.

no I am definitely not taking a video

2009-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

I have a crush on Rodrigo and Gabriela.

2009-01-31T14:58:00.000-08:00

They are magic.

There is this incredible clip of them that I can't embedd. Check it out if you have time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTj4XDKXK_g

I <3 weekends!

2009-01-31T14:11:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends back, Natalia came down from Alaska and we got to kick it Gig Harbor style while I dogsat miss Rosie the piglet-dog. We rented horrible movies, went to lame bars, ate delicious thai food and had pretty much the best night ever. That girl just does not visit enough! Move back already!

The next day Randy and I got to go visit Jonathan and he trimmed our locks to perfection. That man is an artist.

Afterwards we teamed up with Bekah and Syd, then it was off to Ashley's for some drinking, rope swinging, sun soaking, cat shitting, chihuahua yapping, and beer spitting.

It took us a while to finally notice there was a condom attatched to the rope....yeah, pretty gross. Pshh, teenagers..

As for the weekdays, they have been pretty swell too. I got a 91% on my Spanish test and Randy finally sold his junker car "grandpa." He also got his new Mac laptop and I got a sweet lil blue Ipod for 40 bucks (10 dollars cheaper then my last one). Lindsey and I have been scoping out hostels and various activities in Melbourne (so exctied!).

Randall and I finally went and saw Slumdog Millionaire which is a totally amazing beautiful movie with a killer soundtrack. I suggest nobody misses seeing that one in the theater.

Swingers.

2009-01-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

Sweet little cave..

2009-01-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

We so need a little gathering at the secret cave as soon as the weather starts to hint springtime. Hopefully this will happen on the weekend before March 16th.

OBAMA!

2009-01-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

Happy inauguration day everyone! See this is totally the best 2009 ever. Bye bye Bush, you dickwad.

Bats on the Nile.

2009-01-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

So when I was at the Nile I saw what I thought were monkeys up in a palm tree. Nope, turns out they were bats, which contrary to my earlier beliefs, do not come out only at night. I saw one hanging from a telephone wire and was like, awww cool! And then I realized that the bat had been toasted and was stuck hanging there for all to see his fatal mistake.

Fresh water crab in the Nile!

Randy on his FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

2009-01-14T22:07:00.001-08:00

Alright, I couldn't even stop. Blast from Past, part II.

2009-01-13T17:29:00.001-08:00

Total oldies from the vaults!

Procrast the nation

2009-01-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

Trina made me the cutest hat over break! Its all soft on the inside and has ear flaps. She is singing with Kimya Dawson at the reopening of the Olympia library this Friday and I can't even go!

Man I don't feel like studying anymooooore. Here are some old pictures instead. (Thanks a lot Sydney, this is all your fault!!)

I miss the old asylum...and fluffy the hard wall.

And now I can't post any more pictures because the computer is freaking out. That must be a sign for me to quit slacking off.

Freaky and Geeky, 2009 NY!

2009-01-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

I bought my ticket to Australia today! So excited about that and I got a really great deal too. On top of that I found my camera cord so I can finally post some New Years Eve maddness!

Why is everyone in this movie so hot?

2009-01-10T01:16:00.001-08:00

I kind of have a crush on Rudy Youngblood. But I could just be wine drunk and bored.

No Boat

2009-01-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

So our landlady finally agreed to our length of lease. I guess us threatening to move out now is what she needed to hear. But now that Nick is leaving we won't have a 5th roomie and that means if I go to Australia, I will have to pay two months rent while not even being there. Since that is very uncool, I am now set on enlisting a new roomie.

Housing Possibilities

2009-01-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Randy had his first day of class yesterday! I made him a special dinner (polenta and my own home-made tomato sauce)..mmmmm..

He is meeting with our landlady today, working out our situation. There are a lot of cute places to live but I am totally drawn to this boat. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a 10' bar with two bar stools and a incinolet marine composting toilet (not quite sure how that works). And like desks and a sofa already. I don't know what I'd do with all my stuff though. But I'm leaving for Australia like super soon anyways, so I don't think I'm even going to get on the lease. So its really up to Randy and Geremy. I will just live with them until I leave, and on and off again in the summer I guess.

2009 is starting off with some drastic changes

2009-01-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

First off, New Years Eve was fantastic. Pictures soon.

So to start off this year, my parents have moved into a new house, down the street from my childhood home. I thought I would be super sad but its actually rather exciting.

As for my house in Olympia, well it looks like we are losing Nick. On top of that my landlady won't give us the length of lease we want so it looks as if we may be moving out in the next month. Total bummer since the house just got so comfy, but I'm ready to downsize and not have tons of roommates anymore (though I love em, its just time to move on). I'm looking on craigslist and found a sweet tugboat. I wonder if pickles wouldn't mind being an indoor (inboat) kitty for a while.

Freaks and Geeks New Years Party

2008-12-30T20:16:00.000-08:00

FREAK:

GEEK:

Hittin up the Gig Harbor bars with Naomi, Dougy and Carpie

2008-12-29T15:01:00.000-08:00

So last night Naomi and I went out for a night on the town. We ended up running into so many old friends which was incredible. And we got to see the inside of the Tanglewood and the Saloon for the first time. Naomi and I woke up at 7 am to find ourselves on my parent's living room couch. I am still a little hung over. I could really go for some Thai food right about now. And some Sydney and Bekah love.

Jenga!

2008-12-28T10:24:00.000-08:00

waterfalling

2008-12-27T15:12:00.000-08:00

the heart is a lonely hunter

2008-12-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

So Sandy, Dan and Josie left today after a totally amazing week. Yesterday Sandy and I went to a dance aerobics class with my mom and Lela (it was sooo much fun). Afterwards Sandy and I went and got massages and then to the Korean women's spa where we ate delicious Korean food and lounged around naked. Maybe because it was the day after Christmas, or maybe its something new that they do there, but they suddenly dimmed the lights and set up all these colorful candles around the mineral baths. It was so beautiful! Then we went over to Anika's for tea and cake, then I got to come home to my lovely birthday dinner and some homemade tiramisu! It was the perfect day, that ended with watching some freaks and geeks by the fire. Now they are gone and Randy is in Eastern Washington and I can't get the "Mr. Lonely" song out of my head. And I just realized I may be getting a cold sore so I called the weekend line at my doctors office and they yelled at me saying it was not an emergency and that I should wait until regular business hours. It was only after I hung up that I thought of all the right things that I should have said back to them. I wish I could be rude sometimes. But I refuse to mope. Or at least I'm trying to resist the urge. I should go read by the fire and take advantage of this time by myself, but I just miss everyone now.

By the way, the new Harmony Korrine movie Mr. Lonely is incredible!

Ugandan mosquitoes had it out for me!

2008-12-23T22:15:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam!

2008-12-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Accomplished

2008-12-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

So although I took off two weeks in the middle of the quarter to go to Uganda, I still got 20 credits and stunning evaluations. Hells fucking yeah! It is Christmas break and I am so ready to have some serious fun! Randy and I got a nice hotel reservations in Seattle next week and I will have 2 and half weeks off of work. My family and I are planning to slide down a mountain on innertubes and then go to the ocean for a few days. Then of course there is my birthday, Christmas and New Years to look forward to, and the gathering of friends from out of state (Kale, Natalia, and James). Life is good, life is grand.

2008-12-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

He is having fun making up stories to tell his students about how it happened. Maybe he got in a fight with a bear, or got trampled at Walmart. Or maybe this injury got him in the Guinness Book of Records for the man with the most black eyes in a lifetime and he won a split decision over Rocky Balboa after going the full 15 rounds.

Poor Dad!

2008-11-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

I was working with my dad yesterday and he was bent over a hole in the pavement while sawing this pipe when suddnely he lost his balance and smashed his face really bad into the edge of the asphalt. It was horrible! Blood was running down the bridge of his nose and he had gravel chunks embedded in the wound. He was just all scratched up all over his face and arm. He had to get stitches and now he has raccoon eyes. I'm just so glad he didn't smash his teeth in. Poor daddy!

Help me Yan Di!

2008-11-28T23:50:00.000-08:00

The use of tea has been traced back to about 5,000 years ago to the ancient time of a legendary ruler Yan Di, the holy farmer. The Chinese people often call themselves descendants of Yan Di. Yan Di, who was thought of as the god of farming, invented many farm tools and taught people how to grow crops. Archaeological excavating and historical records prove it is a fact rather than legend that the holy farmer founded methods of agricultural production. According to Chinese legend, the holy farmer was also the god of medicine. In order to save the common people from pain, he would select various wild plants as medicine. He would taste the wild plants himself first to learn their effect on the human body. Legend has it that one day he was found poisoned seventy-two times while tasting herbs on a mountain. Later he found a plant and brewed the leaves in a pottery tripod and then he drank the liquid. As a result, the toxins in his body disappeared. The plant was tea. Ever since then the Chinese people have treated tea as a precious medicine.

So I'm hoping I can light a candle for this god so he will help me with my exam next week. Or maybe I should just drink lots and lots of tea.

Uganda Photos

2008-11-24T12:22:00.000-08:00

There will be more to come. I'm just pressed for time (as usual).

la la la

2008-11-23T15:03:00.001-08:00

Weekends provide some much needed downtime. I suppose they should be for hanging out with friends but at the end of the week, all I want to do is drive to Gig Harbor and just for one night, hang out in front of the fire, talking with my parents and reading for my class. This has been my Saturday night for the past 3 weeks.

Yesterday I went to a funeral for a 6 month old baby. It was open casket and the baby's five year old brother and grandpa were standing in front of it as I waited my turn. I have never seen such a small casket. I couldn't stop crying. The baby's mother was nearby with her head in her husbands lap, wailing. I learned what its like to hurt in that way this year, but it must be so much more intense when its your young child. Going to the funeral was a painful experience but necessary. I don't want to shelter myself from other people's pain anymore. I know how it felt to watch my dear sweet Grandma die, and I am still in mourning for that. I still cry every few days. Something will remind me of her, like a cute old lady in a grocery store, and I will duck into the next aisle to hide my tears.

Anyway, I'm late picking up Randy, but I was going to try and post some pictures from Uganda. I guess we will wait on those and I'll post them over Thanksgiving break.

And Tengo Makes Three

2008-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

So I'm getting Josie a child Sigg bottle and an adorable book about to gay penguins that raise an egg together. It is actually a true story and is totally adorable, but that didn't stop crazies from trying to have it banned from their schools.

Gay penguin book shakes up Illinois school

SHILOH, Ill. — A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children — and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

The concerns are the latest involving And Tango Makes Three, the illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo that adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own.

Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents of Shiloh Elementary School students believe the book — available to be checked out of the school's library in this 11,000-resident town 20 miles east of St. Louis — tackles topics their children aren't ready to handle.

Their request: Move the book to the library's regular shelves and restrict it to a section for mature issues, perhaps even requiring parental permission before a child can check it out.

For now, And Tango Makes Three will stay put, said school district Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw, though a panel she appointed suggested the book be moved and require parental permission to be checked out. The district's attorney said moving it might be construed as censorship.

Filyaw considers the book "adorable" and age appropriate, written for children ages 4 to 8.

"My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population," she said. "It means you represent different families in a society — different religions, different beliefs."

Lilly Del Pinto thought the book looked charming when her 5-year-old daughter brought it home in September. Del Pinto said she was halfway through reading it to her daughter "when the zookeeper said the two penguins must be in love."

"That's when I ended the story," she said.

Del Pinto said her daughter's teacher told her she was unfamiliar with the book, and the school's librarian directed the mother to Filyaw.

"I wasn't armed with pitchforks or anything. I innocently was seeking answers," Del Pinto said, agreeing with Filyaw's belief that pulling the book from the shelves could constitute censorship.

The book has created similar flaps elsewhere. Earlier this year, two parents voiced concerns about the book with librarians at the Rolling Hills' Consolidated Library's branch in the northwest Missouri town of Savannah.

Barbara Read, Rolling Hills' director, has said she consulted with staff members at the Omaha, and Kansas City zoos and the University of Oklahoma's zoology department, who told her adoptions aren't unusual in the world of penguins.

She said the book was then moved to the non-fiction section because it was based on actual events. In that section, she said, there was less of a chance that the book would "blindside" someone.

Rabid Fox Bites, Clings To Woman's Arm

2008-11-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

Rabid Fox Bites, Clings To Woman's Arm

PHOENIX -- If she had to give the rabid fox that bit her a nickname, Michelle Felicetta would call it "Thrasher."

Felicetta was hiking a three-mile loop of trail at the base of Granite Mountain in Prescott, Ariz., on Monday when the fox approached her on the trail just like it was meeting her, she said.

"This fox made eye contact with me and started walking towards me," she said. "That's when I knew something was really wrong.

"I went to back up slowly, and as soon as I went to back up, it came and attacked my foot."

The fox grabbed hold of Felicetta's big toe, but she grabbed it by the neck before it could bite her knee. It bit her arm, instead.

"I was choking it with (one) hand," she said. "I was trying (to) get it off … Everything I tried -- he wouldn't let go, and I even considered trying to rip him off, but he had such a good hold it would have done damage."

With the fox hanging from her arm, Felicetta ran a mile back to her car. She managed to pry the fox off of her, wrapped it in her sweatshirt and threw it in the trunk of her car before driving to Yavapai Regional Medical Center.

"As soon as I saw blood, I knew it was probably rabid," she said. "I knew I had to do something."

When an animal control officer tried to take the fox out of the trunk at the hospital, it bit her, too.

"She thought she had the noose thing around its neck," Felicetta said. "But it slipped out and actually attacked her."

Both Felicetta and the animal control officer have to undergo a series of rabies vaccinations over the next few weeks.

Felicetta said the ordeal was "very hard" for her.

"I love animals; I love nature," she said. "I'm very respectful, but as soon as this incident happened I knew something was wrong with the fox."

Monkeys in Uganda

2008-11-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

Tacoma = love!

2008-11-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

Alright, here begins my very long picture post of a typical evening in Tacoma. It began at Urban Exchange where Jonathan gave me a freaky makeover for a fashion show which involved me dressing up in different outfits and pretending to be a mannequin. Jeff and Ashley appeared and we ended up taking some real live mannequin ladies (and their legs) over to Jeff's for a little fun...

Alright, now that thats done, it is time for me to get back to watchin Bill Nye the science guy on youtube so that I may hopefully wrap my head around DNA synthesis.

Mr. Zucchero Zucchini Houdini!

2008-11-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

The Reef!

2008-11-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

How sad is it that the Reef caught on fire! I would still be working there if I didn't get workstudy this year.

Fire closes King Solomon's Reef in downtown Olympia

OLYMPIA – A kitchen fire started about 7:15 a.m. today at the downtown King Solomon's Reef, filling the restaurant with smoke and causing firefighters to punch at least one hole in the roof as they put out the blaze.
One customer who was in a bathroom when the kitchen fire started missed the initial evacuation of staff and was briefly trapped in the restaurant, Olympia Assistant Fire Chief Greg Wright said. Wright said it’s possible the man could not find his way out because the thick smoke spread quickly throughout the restaurant, limiting visibility.
Firefighters had to break out a front window and drag the man out before he was transported from the scene by an ambulance, neighbor Tammy Worthington said. The man was "pounding on the front windows trying to get out," she said. "They busted the window out and they dragged him out," Worthington said.
Wright said the man was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital. Wright said he did not believe the man’s injuries were life-threatening because he was able to give a statement to firefighters from the hospital, albeit with a face covered by soot. All of the staff members and about four or five other breakfast customers were able to leave safely, Wright said.
The kitchen fire caused extensive smoke damage and likely will close the restaurant, at least for today, Wright said. Beyond that, Wright did not have details about how long the Reef, a fixture in downtown Olympia for many years, would be closed.
Wright estimated the dollar value of the damages at about $100,000.
Ryan Miyake, who was having a cup of coffee at the Reef when the fire started in the kitchen area, said everyone was calm as the restaurant was evacuated, but the area filled up with smoke quickly.
"I was sitting at the counter and I saw the cook come over to the waitress and say there was a fire," he said. "They just couldn’t get it under control. By the time I got out the door the smoke was mostly at head level."
The fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters from the Olympia Fire Department, Lacey Fire District, East Olympia Fire District 6, North Olympia Fire District 7 and South Bay Fire District 8, Wright said. About 35 to 40 firefighters battled the blaze in all, he said.
Fourth Street was shut down until about 8:30 a.m. because of the firefighting activities. Wright said firefighters punched one or two holes in the roof of the Reef, to allow heat and smoke to escape.
The owner of the Reef, Rich Phillips, was on scene this morning, but said he did not want to immediately comment. Said Wright, "The owner said he’s going to clean it up and get it back open as quickly as he can."

2008-11-06T17:32:00.001-08:00

So I am back from Uganda and so totally overwhelmed with busyness! So much to catch up with. But its so soggy and dark out, all I want to do is snuggle kittycats and drink pot after pot of good earth green and jasmine tea.

burgandy = happiness

2008-10-21T17:29:00.000-07:00