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!

Vegas: Fourth of July Fireworks

Well, it's only been what, about three weeks now since the Fourth of July?

Better late than never, eh?

If you haven't noticed, I've got quite a backlog of posts I've been churning through trying to get caught up to this whole real-time life thing. When I initially embarked on this "blog-post-a-day" journey, I knew it would take a lot of time and effort to capture and share so much of my life with the world, and I accepted that challenge eagerly. I've been incredibly lucky in my ability to get out and go on some amazing adventures- whether it was living in Japan or eating my way around Seoul, I've been pretty blessed in that regard compared to a lot of my contemporaries from the city of Sin.  In my own estimation of what reality is and the nature of life as such a fleeting venture, I think capturing these moments in blog form is one of the best ways to try to preserve them for the long haul while simultaneously encapsulating and sharing my experiences with the world, and evolving my ability to try to express myself with words. There's a lot I've yet to delve into, from my time in Japan and Korea, but life keeps endlessly plowing forward and we get out and try to take advantage of this when we can, so the backlog stacks ever higher. This might be our last summer living in Vegas, even if only for a few years as this city seems to have a black hole like essence that sucks it's denizens back into its grip, but still, that adds a special gleam of nostalgic importance to the things we accomplish this summer. 

This need to roam, it seems, is an inescapable aspect of my personality... every few years, a deep, painful ache of wanderlust will settle into my chest and grow into a suffocating weight until I shut up and listen. Perhaps it's the city of Las Vegas itself that does this to me, with its oppressive heat, desiccated desert landscape, carnival parade of junkies, and thrill-seekers endlessly rotating through in an endless dirge of human drama padded with generous donations from the stupid and the selfish hoping to make a fortune on a stroke of luck. I've been quite happy with life in other locales, aside from the pointed lack of very certain humans in my proximity. In all earnest truth, I think I could have quite happily stayed over in Seoul if only Antho had been by my side with our squeaks, but the timing didn't pan out. Transporting any form of animal life overseas is a convoluted and potentially dangerous operation, hard enough with a dog but for something as small and short-lived, and undervalued as a pet, as a rat it's nearly insurmountable.  It's not that I'm opposed to America and what it stands for, because the idea of freedom and opportunity appeals to most reasonable humans... I've got some serious qualms with the quality of life here, and what people accept and do in general relations with other humans, though. There are, absolutely, issues in other countries- sexism in South Korea is SO terrible that if I had gotten raped or something god awful like that I genuinely don't think I'd have had any legal representation or recourse. The work culture in Japan is incredibly hardcore and soul-draining, but as an alien resident in Japan and Korea I still had much better access to basic health services than I do as a citizen in my own country, and there's something bitterly ironic about that fact that I find impossible to swallow. Why is it that I could afford to have a family anywhere but in my own country? Not to mention all the awful shit in the news, it's hard to "get" the enthusiastically manic paroxysms of flag-waving "patriotism" that engulf my fellow countrymen... but I digress. 

Here's a bunch of fireworks.

Boom boom!

Try not to focus on how the empire is crumbling around you. 

Or the oligarchy that has predominated throughout America since (at least) the industrial age, and the growing chasm that separates the 1% from the rest of humanity as the class divide grows ever more insurmountable. 

Taxation is theft.

Fourth of July Fireworks

Happy (belated) Fourth of July to all of my friends in the United States! 

I hope you had fun and didn't lose any limbs in the process.

Remember to use caution when playing with explosives!

This is a photo heavy post, so beware ye of slower inter webs.