Seattle: Banya 5

Cold wind glides through the air, cutting to your core with its icy breath, an incessant reminder that the grip of winter firm and unyielding. Nights are long, dawns are dim and unresolute, with a haze of grey lingering over the days as they blend together in a nearly seamless medley of chill and dark. Times like these, a hot bath or a long, steamy shower can work wonders to revive your body and refresh your mind, and a sauna can decongest your dehydrated and winter-weary lungs like few other things. While there are many options for getting your social bathing time in, one of the most accessible might be Banya 5 in downtown Seattle. Not far from the 99, and just off of Denny way, they even have their own private customer parking lot around back to ease your urban parking anxiety (unless that's just me). I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend a work-funded outing to the Banya 5 bath house with a few of my coworkers, and while you might be cringing in horror imagining everyone in the nude, you can relax- this isn't that sort of establishment. There are, of course, plenty of bathhouses where you'll be going in fully nude, in traditional jjimjilbang style, but those are generally gender separated while Banya 5 is all co-ed, so bring your bathing suit and prepare to relax! 

Given that the interior of a bathhouse is slick, wet, and splashy, I didn't take my camera inside the actual bathing areas. I'm sure my fellow bathers wouldn't have been terribly pleased to be filmed while trying to relax, anyway- not only would that be rude, but I'm fairly certain that would be illegal, even if it's a nudity-free bathing zone. There's something about the sanctity of a bathing space that just makes yielding a camera creepy, let alone a reckless endangerment. Suffice to say, it was a relaxing and rejuvenating way to spend a brisk winter evening! I'm grateful for having the opportunity to attend. If you wish to experience it for yourself, know that once you find the building you'll go in to their front lobby and check in with one of their lovely clerks. They'll give you your locker key and explain everything to you, so if it's your very first time at a public bathhouse rest assured that you'll be at the right place to glide in for the very first time. Once you've got your key, which should be on a handy water-proof wrist-band, you'll change in your designated locker room, then join the fun inside the actual wet areas. There are several tubs to soak in, with varying heat levels, and several warm saunas to choose from as well. I always tend to go to a hot area, like the heavy humidity steam sauna, then quick rinse under the showers (to wash away sweat) before plunging into the cold pool. I absolutely love cold pools, which are usually kept somewhere just neigh of freezing. The shock of cold water wrapping around your body stimulates all sorts of systems in the body, and the alternating between hot and cold really gets your blood and lymph moving. On a hot day, I love the cold pools even more for their ability to quickly bring your core body temperature down, and just like icing an injury the cold helps bring down inflammation, which is fantastic after a long day of walking or working. So, in short, I highly recommend it. Don't forget to rinse off your sweat between tubs, though, to keep the shared bathing water as hygienic as possible!

So if you've never been to a Banya before, try giving Banya 5 a go! It's not a huge place, so you shouldn't get overwhelmed with decisions, just dip your toes and see what you think. 

Until next time~

💋

XOXO,

NAU

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part four: Worlds of Fantasy

Once upon a time, when I was a wee little lass, I once proclaimed that The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie. I was a baby at the time, essentially, and only said as much because my dear grandpa had told me how he enjoyed the movie and it had meant something to him. Over the years, I've come to realize that not only is this not my favorite movie, but it's one that really gets under my skin and makes me terribly uncomfortable. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but there was a brief point during my early 20's where I dabbled in magic mushrooms and had a very bad, very Wizard of Oz inspired psychedelic trip that further entrenched my disdain for the movie and it's world. The Wizard of Oz is a bit of a psychedelic feature, to be fair, and the more I learn about it's history (including an attempt at reading the book, once) the more I realize this sense of foreboding was justified. Not only was Judy Garland essentially forced into stardom by her overbearing stage mum, but she was fed amphetamines by the studio and routinely berated for her weight, not to mention alleged sexual and physical abuse. No wonder it gave me bad vibes! 

The Princess Bride, however, is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, resolutely, without question. There are certainly some creepy moments and times of inconceivable peril, but between the rodents of unusual size (um, did they cast my pets? because I know quite a few rodents of unusual size) and Inigo Montoya's quest to avenge his father, it's a subversive ride that (as far as I know) didn't require the deaths of real, multiple lions or the abuse of its stars. Whatever your preference, the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle offers a fantasy display that includes such a diverse array of fantastical goods you're likely to find your favorite fandom represented!

The six-fingered man's glove! While we weren't able to spend an exorbitant amount of time in the exhibit on this particular visit, we were stoked to see how many different films and franchises were represented and impressed by the amount of detail involved in the design. Every exhibit in the museum was thematically designed to further that area's motif, and the Fantasy World's exhibit was no exception. From the brilliant colors and whimsical door, it felt like being transported to a world where dragons and wizards were as likely to be encountered at the next bend as a hobbit or cowardly lion. Did you know the Cowardly Lion's fur coat was made of real lions? Egads. I get the feeling that sort of thing wouldn't fly these days, but if you're going for authenticity when it comes to lion's coats I imagine you can't get much more authentic than ripping the skins from real lions. It was a different time then, to say the least. Yikes. There's a lot more to see than the macabre suit, though, and if fantasy is your bag you won't want to miss this!

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part four: Infinite Worlds

Perhaps spooky, supernaturally horrifying abstracts or creepy-crawlers aren't exactly your thing, and instead of shivering under the covers at night dreading a zombie hoard descending upon your quiet home and ripping you limb from limb into an unrecognizable spray of blood and viscera, you spent your nights worrying yourself with an ever-more imminent artificial intelligence induced apocalypse where cold, unfeeling robot overlords or inhuman alien beings from beyond the stars descend upon and obliterate our fragile, bipedal liquid-filled kind. After all, you've likely got a smartphone lounging around nearby, with audio, video and surveillance capabilities you might be unaware of as a consumer, and more smart devices enter our homes on the daily, whether it's your Google Home speaker or the smart fridge warning you via text message that you're low on milk... and who really knows when it comes to aliens? Space is a very big, very vast terrain, and inconceivable terrors could lurk in the outer reaches of the galaxy, or perhaps even in the shadows on nearby planets...

If the above all rings true with you, never fear my friend! The Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP for short, has got your back. Whether you're a die-hard Jedi, a whimsical Whovian with a tip of the bow-tie, rebel fighting against the threat of Skynet, or simply a curious observer stepping into uncharted waters,the Infinite Worlds exhibit offers a peek into the world of Science Fiction that is sure to whet the palate of anyone with half an imagination left rattling around inside their skull. Thankfully, all threats have been subdued, and we the visitors are able to enjoy the craftsmanship and design intricacies such up-close and personal observations allow. No Daleks will try to exterminate you here, though you may marvel in wonder at their plungers and whisk-like attachments, and wonder, as I did, what they ever hope to achieve with such things. I know, there's an episode of Dr. Who out there, somewhere, that demonstrates the precise purpose of the plunger, but it's more fun to wonder. Do the Daleks have terrible little pipes for plumbing on their home planet or do they encounter frequent clogs in their exoskeletal robo-suits? 

As science fiction does, frequently, tend to overlap itself with the horror genre, there are some creatures that could find themselves in either exhibit. I'm not going to question the logic behind why some displays wound up in one place and not another, as I think it's fair to assume the people running MoPOP have a measure of awareness when it comes to doing what they do. As a fan of the Alien franchise and the design of the Xenomorphs, in all their various stages of life and forms, it pleases me to see more of them lurking around regardless. As I mentioned before, there's a lot here to check out, and that goes for many different corners of the science fiction fandom. We were rapidly running out of time within which to enjoy our time at MoPOP on this particular visit, but we made the best of it within the time frame we had available and I hope these photos can give you a taste of what's in store should you decide to pop on down for your own visit. Trust me, it's worth it! But there are plenty more photos to come, so check 'em out and see what you're missing out on~

5 Things I'm obsessing over this month - June 2019

Hello out there, internet friendos! Hope you're doing well on these balmy summer days! It's definitely warming up here in Seattle and your girl is feeling the heat, with a bit of self-aware shame because it's only rising in the 80's here versus the 100+ degree temperatures I experienced throughout my life in Vegas...but there's humidity here! And wow, boy howdy, do I sure spend a lot of time stuck in traffic...in an old steel car without air conditioning...so perhaps that's factoring into my appraisal of the weather... or maybe it's global warming, or just my desert rat blood struggling to adapt to the added moisture in the air via humidity. There's a lot of factors to be considered, for sure, but as of today, we are officially in Summer 2019 in the northern hemisphere! Woo! Do any of you have exciting plans with the family? Many of my clients at work have been eagerly telling me of their grand adventures to come, and hearing about trips along the Vancouver coast or plans to cool down at Glacier park, I'd be lying if I said it didn't tickle my sense of wanderlust. Perhaps this weekend I'll drag Antho out for a hike or something...If there's one thing Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have to offer, it's the opportunity for outdoor exploration in some of the most absurdly gorgeous and diverse landscapes the country has to offer!

I suppose it's only natural that with the closing out of spring and the sweaty days of summer looming, cleanliness and freshness have been weighing more heavily on my mind. I, for one, thoroughly enjoy feeling clean and fresh, and back in the sticky days of living through warm Japanese summers on Tokyo bay without air conditioning, I would rely on cold showers to cool off throughout the day. I'm a big fan of cold tubs at bathhouses, too, for bringing your core temperature down fast on a hot day, but I can't afford the amount of spa-days I feel these summer temps might have me craving... To get by, I've been focusing on upgrading my beauty and cleaning routine towards cleaner, more environmentally sound products and practices. It's definitely a work in progress, but it's better to make some positive steps than none at all! The past year we've been working on slowly using up the products we'd accumulated previously, which included an absurd amount of shampoos and bar soaps. I'm down to my last three bars of soap and a handful of shampoos and conditioners lingering in the shower, so I'm eager to finally move towards making more conscious purchases in my personal care going forward.   

1) Bamboo Toothbrushes from Zero Waste Cartel

One place we decided to start was with our toothbrushes. Antho got a pretty gnarly tooth infection late last year, and it motivated both of us to take better care of our oral health. Part of being diligent in your oral hygiene is using the right toothbrush and replacing them after they begin to wear out and lose their efficacy. Ideally, we'd all be switching out our toothbrushes or brush heads (for those who swear by electric) every three months. Three months! That goes by SO fast, and I don't know about you, but unless I specifically write it down or program it into Google, I'm not going to remember when I started using my toothbrush and when it's time to change it up. Not only is it a hassle to remember, but the amount of additional waste that creates -from the toothbrushes themselves to the packaging- adds up! That's why when Antho mentioned his toothbrush looking a little past-due, I sought out a minimal waste alternative. Luckily for us, Zero Waste Cartel has these beauties made from sustainably harvested bamboo that are lightweight, fun to use and they send you an entire year's supply for an affordable price so that you won't have to remember and re-order after a few months. I've been using the minimalist beige, which makes my teeth and gums SO happy, but if you need firmer bristles the rainbow ones will be right up your alley.

2) Oyin Grand Poo Bar 

Have you ever found yourself hours deep into the rabbithole of Youtube and discovered your eyes glued to DIY videos for an item you've never previously thought you'd be interested in making? I sure have, if you can't tell, and somehow soap has become a major fixation in my youtube history. There are so many varieties, so many options! In the past, my only real exposure to the concept of shampoo bars was through Lush, and I didn't have the greatest results with it back when I first dabbled. The Oyin handmade grand poo bar, however, is made with moisturizing oils and butters while devoid of detergents and sulfate, meaning it's better for you and the environment. Right on! I haven't gotten mine yet, but I'm excited to try it out once it arrives. At only $7 it's a reasonably priced entry point for people curious to try a shampoo bar but hesitant to shell out an exorbitant amount, so even if I find it's not my favorite I won't be breaking the bank.

3) By Humankind Lemon Lavender Shampoo Bar

Going forward with the shampoo bar theme, which helps reduce plastic wastes by the by, is the By Humankind Shampoo Bar. I opted for the Lemon lavender, which sounds delicious! This bar claims to allow you the possibility of skipping conditioner due to it's moisturizing nature, and it's made with all natural ingredients to boot. They also have a Thyme scent, which sounds woodsy and herbacious enough to appeal to the manly man in your life. I'm still waiting for mine to arrive, but I'm excited to experiment with another low-waste alternative to traditional shampoo bottles. I've got 3 or 4 bottles of shampoo and conditioner currently cluttering up my shower and I've been working to use them all up, as I don't want to waste things that already exist and have been bought, but I can't deny that I'm excited to finally see the bottoms of them showing through! These shampoo bars have been pretty well reviewed, so I'm curious to try them for myself. You can sign up for a membership where they'll ship you new products every few months, but I opted for a one-time purchase in case it just doesn't work for me. You don't know until you try!

4) By Humankind Portable Mouthwash

For those who travel, and often, these mouthwash pellets seem like a dream come true! I'm always on the road for work, and I've noticed I don't make time to use mouthwash nearly as often as I'd like... Sure, I always manage to brush my teeth before darting out the door for the day, but freshening up after devouring my lunch in my car isn't the easiest, especially without ready access to running water... I do, however, always keep a bottle of drinking water on hand, and these dissolvable mouthwash tablets can be used with just a mouthful of the liquid. Mint and spearmint, the original gangstas of the oral hygiene flavor world, make an appearance but I went with the variety pack that includes fun new flavors like grapefruit, lemon and orange. I love me some citrus! Because these tablets don't actually involve any water, they're ideal for stashing in your carry on for staying fresh during flights. Brilliant. 

5) Ban.do Super Chill Cooler Bag - Grapefruit

As I've mentioned, I'm constantly roaming around the city of Seattle for my job, but I don't have time to stop and take a leisurely lunch from a local restaurant on the daily- nor could my wallet handle such luxuries. During the cooler months, there's no issues with leaving a sandwich hidden in the car (aside from potential racoon or squirrel theft) but as the thermostat has been climbing I've made it back to my car more than once only to discover that the cheese on my sandwich had actually melted and I wasn't so sure about the safety of my meal anymore. Food poisoning sucks, and I'd rather not have it, ya dig? In an effort to ensure food safety protocols and also to simply have nice, cold, things in my life, I invested in this cooler bag from Ban.do. They've gotten my money before with their adorable sticker packs and handy yearly planners, but I'd debated buying the bag until it had an actual practical use, at which point it was in my cart and ordered at the first sign of sale! It's a LOT bigger than I'd originally expected, and is fully capable of holding not only a tupperware containing my sandwich and an ice pack, but also my ginormous waterbottle, bottles of cold pressed juice, teas, energy drinks, whatever my heart desires. This will also be a super handy bag to have on hand for our next beach day or hiking outing! Given the flexible nature of the bag, it's easier to stash in the various crevices of my car than a bulky ice chest would be. Plus look how cute that grapefruit design is! I love it so much. It adds a nice pop of color and coolness into my day, and I haven't gotten sick from a hot sandwich!

Happy Solstice everyone! Hope your summer is starting out fabulously!

💙

XOXO,

NAU

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part three: Scared to Death

Over the years I've had many different interests evolve, blooming into questionably obsessive territory before they eventually wane, like that time I really wanted to learn how to play the electric guitar but upon taking home an acoustic I realized my fingers were perhaps a bit short for the task and over time found my way to the ukelele instead...or the time I tried to learn Russian. One thing that has remained strong, consistent, and lurking in the background of my more pressing goals (tie-dye, candle making, travel, whatever thing I'm obsessing over at the moment) is a deep and lingering love for all things spooky, supernatural, or otherwise bone-chilling. Fortunately for me, I'm able to listen to headphones while I work, so I can satisfy my curiosity for the creepier side of things with endless hours of true crime or cryptid podcasts as I work, work, work away. If you're interested in some of those ear-filling goodies for yourself, some of my favorites include Small Town Murder,  And That's Why We Drink, Morbid Podcast, The Cryptid Keeper and of course, Mysterious Universe as always. I can absolutely credit Mysterious Universe for being the alpha and omega podcast to truly get me into podcasts, and I've been listening to MU for years and years.  

One of my first introductions to horror films was through an old Vegas local show, Saturday Night Fright At the Movies, a gloriously cheesy schtick involving an undead Elvis and a rotating cast of B-grade (or often much worse rated) films of a spooky or science-fiction bent. As a kid obsessed with spooky things, I absolutely loved the show and would make a point of trying to catch it every weekend after watching Ren & Stimpy. I'm really dating myself here with all this, but the point of all the backstory is to fully impress upon you, dear readers, that as a fan of horror I thoroughly enjoyed the Scared to Death exhibit at MoPOP!! I had seen advertisements for it during the Halloween season but had presumed it was a seasonal showcase and forgotten about it until the Marvel exhibit caught my eye and we found ourselves down at MoPOP to check it out. There are, as it turns out, many different exhibits that stay on for extended periods or permanently, but there's also many different rotating through, so if you're in the area it's worth considering a membership if you think you'd be going more than once. 

There's a lot to see, and we really could have spent longer wandering the halls and absorbing as many details as our eyes allowed. We'll be heading back again soon! For now, please enjoy these photos I captured and there's plenty more below the cut!

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP! part two: Marvel Exhibit

Marvel's extended Cinematic Universe is a wide, expansive thing, and there are a lot of moving parts and pieces involved that means a lot of things to a lot of different people across the globe. It's also a massive creative undertaking that has spanned multiple decades, from the original pencil sketches of an artist's desk to the multi-million (or is it billions now?) media darling it's become. Marvel is nothing to sniff at and has become one of the most influential movie series in recent years. Initially, I have to admit that I was hesitant to get too involved and didn't see many of the early films in the theater, as most of the early movies revolved around some stereotypical white male protagonist and didn't feel particularly exciting or original to me.  Spider-man always held a special place in my heart, since I grew up watching the animated series, but rich Tony Stark? Uninteresting. Of course, some rich tech guy can invent or invest his way out of his problems... It took a couple of movies for Thor to evolve into the loveable oaf that he's become, and as the movies have rolled out the universe has expanded and evolved, bringing a richer, more varied tapestry along with ample humor and a modicum of self-awareness to the table. I've gotten much more invested in recent years if you haven't noticed, and while Marvel still has some work to do if it truly intends to be inclusive, they've made some progress over their many years now. I'm not gonna lie, Thor: Ragnarok and the more recent Spider-Man movies have been a blast, so while it may have taken me a minute to get on board I'm definitely one of the fans lining theaters for the newest releases.  

At the time of viewing this exhibition at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture, we were in the interim between Infinity War and the as-of-yet unnamed Endgame. Seeing some of our heroes (and anti-heroes) again, or at least their armor (or weaponry) was bittersweet. One thing I especially enjoyed, though, and consider to be of note is that they were kind enough to label the materials used in the various costumes on display, so the ardent at-home-cosplayer may better attempt their own recreations with a bit of knowledge. Knowledge is power, after all!

The entire exhibit itself was massive, with areas dedicated to each Avenger and their associates, and we could have spent even more time exploring all the different installations if we'd had the time available. As it were, we spent hours in the museum wandering around, looping back and trying to take in as much as we could in the time allotted. No easy task with so much to see! 

  

There are a whole lot of photos ahead, so prepare yourselves!

Seattle: Visit to MoPOP, part one!

If you happen to find yourself in the city of Seattle and feel like you're lacking in necessary immersion into modern pop cultural awareness, appreciation, and knowledge, you might want to add the Museum of Pop Culture to your list of places to visit. The building is hard to miss, as it's a psychedelic mash-up of molten steel, unexpected angles, accents, and edges along with bold pops of color...not to mention the iconic Space Needle peering out or looming over depending on your mood or angle of approach. Our initial arrival was a little frantic, as we forgot the camera in the car in our hurry to catch our ride-share, and had to cancel the original ride and then get back to the car. In the end, I'm grateful that we went back to grab the camera, as it allowed us to capture some seriously awesome shots (in my ever-so-humble opinion) and commemorate our visit. The Marvel exhibit we went to see, specifically, was a limited run and given the cost of admission makes this sort of outing something we reserve for special occasions and not every weekend, so if we had missed our chance to get photos on this visit the chances of going back before our window of opportunity expired were minimal. We had already procrastinated until near the end of the run, so it was now or never! 

MoPOP is well worth visiting any time, though, as there is a multitude of different exhibits - some long term and enduring, other's passing through for a limited show, but all are excellent.  Given our stumbling over the camera and running in circles for a moment, we lost out on precious time and found that we were remiss when the closing time arrived. The employees and volunteers were gracious enough, but when it's time to close it up they'll make sure you're aware! MoPOP is a non-profit founded by Paul Allen in 2000, so many of the people keeping it running are doing so as a kindness due to their own personal passions, so be polite and courteous when visiting.  There's a lot to see and take in, after all, and as I said- the exhibits change often, so if you've visited in the past you'll find new and exciting things to see and experience upon repeated visits, and the additional time can always allow you to delve deeper into the permanent showcases. Seriously, folks, there's a lot to see and do inside this place, so if you're going to be around for a minute you may want to consider investing in a membership.