An ode to an old car: 93 Volvo 940

Recently, I had to retire my beloved old car, Svetlana or Svetty for short. She was a 1993 Volvo 940, so while not one of the sexier, i.e. turbo-charged, of the bunch she got me around for over 14 years. People love their Turbos, and for good reason- my gal was equipped with a 4-cylinder engine to carry her 4,000-ish pound body, which translated to an underwhelming acceleration up long inclines, but smooth and comfortable coasting on freeways, once she got up to speed.  I could get her going quite fast, considering- close to 100 MPH, and she easily handled the long stretches of 70-mph roads spanning much of the desert and rural areas. To be honest, I'm a bit of a cautious driver and have been for a long time, though the accident that caused me to lose Svetty has only increased that trepidation I've felt since. 

Given that the average age of the cars on American roads is about 11 years, and most people only keep their cars for an average of about 6 years, I'd gone well above and beyond that with my old gal. She kept driving, even past 200,000 miles, and she was comfortable. I drove her throughout college, and when I traveled to Japan my family kept the car running so that I could drive her upon returning- a nice familiarity after some reverse-culture shock and the challenges of readjusting to life in the US of A. She'd driven from Vegas to Seattle, then back up North, along with many other shorter road trips throughout the nearby regions.  I'd gotten a lot of work done on her to keep her going, too: replaced the transmission, had an after-market stereo system with Bluetooth and new speakers installed, replaced the fuel pump, her starter, multiple batteries, radiators, countless hoses, wires, lights, and more. These things happen, and general maintenance is always going to be required to keep an older vehicle moving, but she sure did, up until she didn't. 

And really, even after the accident, she would start and drive- but the battery had been cracked and was leaking battery acid all over, so I was worried about the potential for electrical fires or other issues arising. She probably could have been saved, had I the knowledge or skills needed to do the bodywork, or the money available to pay someone else for it. Alas, I lack the skills and the funds, and as much as I love the old girl (and still do), the accident was really traumatic for me and I wasn't sure I'd ever feel quite the same driving her, even if I did sink in the cost of the extensive repairs and had her thoroughly rebuilt. I opted to let her go, with much grief and extensive mourning. Not only was I losing a reliable companion of over a decade, but it had been just as long since I'd entered the intimidating and frustrating world of car-buying. Maybe it's less frustrating for people with excellent credit and cushy bank accounts, but in my initial search I spent over $500 on getting different cars inspected only to learn the mechanic would advise against committing to any of them. I found a 1981 Volvo 242 or so that was absolutely adorable, but it had its own cast of challenges given its age and condition. It took a couple of months of searching and looking into different financing options before we finally landed on my new ride, who is similar to Svetty in being of European make, blocky, and white, so the familiarity helps ease the transition pains. As much as I adored my Svetty, there are things to be said for the advancements of technology over the last 26 or so years, like additional airbags, inbuilt Bluetooth, anti-lock brakes, and other safety features. 

Even so, I'm going to miss the old gal. She got me where I needed to go, more often than not, for many, many years. Despite all the changes life throws at us in the course of 14 years, she remained a stalwart and steadfast friend. Even in her final moments, she kept me safe and shielded from the force of a Toyota Sienna trying to coexist in the same space as me, allowing me to walk away unharmed, and for that I will be forever grateful.

You're a good girl, Svetty. 

Thanks for everything. 

💖

XOXO,

NAU

Seattle: Pike Place Public Market on Fourth of July

July has settled into the Northern hemisphere, with long sunny days baking away any vestigial chill from spring's showers, and lush verdant greenery bursting from any patch of fertile ground it can find. Seattleites have certainly noticed, and when they're not basking in the glorious sunlight and soaking in the vitamin D while indulging on some form of aquatic activity, they're likely thinking about food; as in, what they're going to eat tonight and whereabouts to procure it. Whether you're pining for juice-squirting stone fruits that dribble down your arm and chin with each luxuriant bite, or rich oceanic goodies served over ice, you can find your fix at Pike Place Public Market. And really, what is more American than the unadulterated consumerism and capitalism to be found at the market? You can find eager vendors vying for your pretty pennies, juxtaposing their shops' locales, the colorful arrangements, and witty signs just-so to try and catch the eye of the buyer. Shops live or die trying to manifest their destinies in the crowded aisles, and on this year of 2019's Fourth of July I opted to walk the deeply-packed and often soggy streets that wind their way through Pike Public Market and Post Alley. 

It's cherry season, y'all, and people are losing their god-dang minds up here! I enjoy a cherry as much as the next girl and have admired many a perfectly pink or pristine white cherry blossom while living in Japan, but people in Seattle are on another level when it comes to their obsession with cherries. You can find a wide array of stalls at Pike or any other farmer's market more than glad to sell you a cup of the delicious little stone fruits, packed with juicy tartness and sweet freshness. And oh boy, those little yellow-blush rainier cherries? They are the superstars of the show! Not unlike the curbside shrimp-selling vans of Arizona (any other fans of Small Town Murder here tonight?), you can find little tents propped up selling bags upon bags of cherries from any corner store, gas station, or vacant lot open with a modicum of parking. Pike's place is no exception, with ample opportunities to pick up a handful of the sweet little delights to snack on as you wander.  

Don't forget the chilly, slurpable delights! With temperatures reaching some sweltering (by Washingtonian standards) heights, there are plenty of cider and juice stalls open, taking advantage of Washington state's preternatural overabundance of the tree-growing fruits and access to ice. Pear will often make an appearance, too, as there are some nearby valleys that grow an inconceivably large amount of the juicy, sometimes grainy fruit. If you're lucky, you might catch a particularly animated vendor shouting an exuberant "Yeeeeeessss!" to the cup-grabbing curious hordes. If you find him, call him "boss". I think he likes it. 

No matter what time of year you find yourself exploring the Market, it's going to be an experience. In summer, the overwhelming verdancy of the various blossoms available, paired with the cornucopia of fruits and vegetables coming into the season, may lend it towards being a bit more colorful than in the winter months, but any market is well worth a visit for a glimpse into the communities that surround them. I'm glad I stopped by for the Fourth, as a patriotic (or anarchistic) vibe was rippling through the air. I missed seeing it, but there was someone running from the cops darting between the stalls! And tourists from the whole world over ambling by, whether they spoke in Mandarin or Russian (both of which I heard on this visit). A commingling of consumers over a veritable cornucopia of consumable goodies...again, I ask you; what's more American than that? You can load up on hot dogs, fresh corn on the cobb or any locally grown (or imported) produce you could possibly desire, if you look long enough. There are glistening, rotund fish upon ice, or slurpable stacks of oysters and other shellfish on ice ready to be taken home, or even shipped if you'd rather delay the gratification. 

There is no shortage of photos below! Enjoy!

Seattle: Grey day at Greenlake

Now that summer has slid into Seattle, you'd be hard pressed to find any sunny street lacking in pedestrians eager for that sweet fix of the D (vitamin D), but those that are fortunate enough to be proximal to bodies of water grow even more densely populated than the rest and you may find yourself struggling to find a place to park. Whether it's Gasworks Park at Lake Union or Greenlake in Northern Seattle, they're going to be overflowing with the UV-light starved sun-worshippers and outdoor activity enthusiasts flocking to soak it all in while it lasts. At the time of these photos being taken, it was still a bit grey and squishy and cold out with the occasional sunny spot creeping through to temporarily dry out the mud, but there were still ample nature-lovers out and about. During this visit to Greenlake, I had only just peered out at the goofy antics of the squirrels galloping along the grassy planes from a window's safe distance, too trepidatious to go out and try to explore the park. Given this state of affairs, I hadn't developed the kinship with the local corvids and rodents of Greenlake that I later began to explore... suffice it to say, things have evolved since then!

Antho met up with me after he got off of work and we walked a portion of the lake, taking in the brilliant blues against the vibrant greens and lush spring flowers coming into bloom. It's hard to argue that it's not pretty, and now that the sun is shining more vibrant and lingering in the sky, the grass is all the more green and vivacious, the full verdancy of summer taking hold. 

If there's anything the ever-changing seasons can teach us, perhaps it's to let things go in their due time without clinging too hard to the particulars of a given season or situation. As surely as the flowers will bloom in spring, the gripping chill of winter will seep in and drain the color from the trees and sky, and eventually our own fragile little meat-machines. It's a little hard for me to reflect back on these photos because it was around the time we lost our dear sweet Ollie, the last of our hand-raised squeaks. Losing a pet is never easy, and it's taken some time for my heart to bear the brunt of that pain, the closing out of a chapter, but I'm glad that we got the time we had. Enjoy the moment and the seasons as they come. That seemingly endless summer sunlight will inevitably fade away, sooner or later. 

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~