Seattle: Argosy Christmas Boat parade

Hello, lovelies!

My goodness, it's been far too long! I've missed you all during my absence from blogging these past few months. Life has a way of getting crazy and hitting you with a lot all at once, and this fall has been no different. First, we had the tumultuous move into our new residence, which was a bit of an arduous and emotionally exhaustive process but sorely needed. If your roommates are gaslighting you or trying to drive a wedge in and isolate you from the people you love, it's not a good situation. "Friends" can be just as abusive as a romantic partner, if they're toxic enough. It took me a lot of soul-searching and contemplation to process the loss of that "friendship", but in the end, I realized it was never truly a healthy friendship, to begin with, but a matter of opportunistic subjugation for as long as it felt beneficial to one side. It's a shame, but that's life, and sometimes the people you think you know are putting up a facade so that they can manipulate you for the benefit of their own personal ends. My heart was heavy, though, because I genuinely believed we were friends and I was devastated at the idea of losing what to me had been such a long-running friendship...like I said, there months of reflection and agonizing over it, wondering why someone I trusted and had once loved would do me so dirty, so callously as to turn a cold-shoulder when I faced the possibility of becoming homeless at their own hands, but the reality is that she never truly reciprocated my affections as deeply and simply saw an opportunity to take advantage of. Processing it all was really hard, and it hurt a lot, and sometimes it still hurts, but we have to carry on and be good to the people who are really our friends. 

Then, not long after that, my beloved old Volvo, Svetty, was totaled in an accident, which absolutely wrecked me. I had that car for 14 years! She'd safely carried me back and forth between Seattle and Las Vegas several times, shuttled me to countless caricature gigs and assorted day-jobs, been a solid and stable presence in my life for well over a decade, and I had absolutely planned to keep her another 5-6 years, at least. I'd replaced the transmission, had all the electrical re-wired, and sunk a lot of money into fixing her up because I felt she was a solid investment to last me many years... and then BOOM! A Toyota Sienna pulled out in front of me without enough time or space to stop in time, and with a screeching clunk of metal and sadness, my baby was done. I hadn't even put a full 10,000 miles on the new transmission. Out one of our vehicles and hit with the intimidating world of car-buying so unexpectedly, it took a couple months to pull it together and get a new personal vehicle for me. We have, by now, successfully done so and I LOVE my new car, though I still get a twinge of sadness when I see an old Volvo roll by. Ideally, I would have sunk the repair costs in for the next few years to keep her going, and when Svetty finally gave out due to a serious mechanical failure I would have had enough saved up to buy a car in cash... but life doesn't always go according to plan, and I had to finance. In the end, this allows me to build credit and I really do love my new vehicle, so I don't see the long-term commitment as a bad thing. I kept my last car for 14 years, after all, and this car has 1/2 the miles on it that she did! So maybe I can get 20 years out of her, eh? 

Also, can I take a moment here to just say how amazing the company and people I work for are? Not only have they been flexible and understanding, but they absolutely went out of their way to help me get through this incredibly difficult and stressful time. While car-searching, they let me use a car from the company fleet to get by and keep working without my own wheels, which was a huge help in affording me enough extra cash to make a decent down-payment and secure my new ride. Accidents are terrifying and by their very nature come at you unexpectedly, and if they hadn't been so accommodating and empathetic I would have been faced with joblessness on top of the loss of my car. Life can be really hard at times, but due to the good people at Green Cleaning Seattle I was able to get through one of the hardest periods I've encountered in many, many years. Thanks, team! So much love and appreciation for y'all. 💖

Now that we're officially into December, and the holiday season, it seems appropriate to roll out these photos from the Argosy Christmas boat parade! It's an annual tradition that you can partake in throughout different waterside parks and areas in the city of Seattle as the parade winds the way through. Not only does the Argosy ship itself rolls out bedecked in lights, but many other private vessels join the parade and bring their own unique sparkle to the show, setting the water ablaze with reflected colors. We witnessed it from Montlake Park, where we were able to find a spot on the grass along the waterfront, hot beverages in hand. Many families bring out their kids to see the show, and with the Argosy bumping the live Christmas choir, it's a truly magical experience. Not gonna lie, I definitely cried a few happy tears watching the show. It's FREE to witness, so long as you can find parking or access to one of the areas they'll be going by in time. 10 out of 10, absolutely recommend going at least once! We had a wonderful time and look forward to making it a tradition. If you want to really get on board and celebrate from the lead ship itself, you can expect to pay about $50 per person for adults, but that seems totally well worth the cost for the majesty you'll get to marvel in! We'll definitely be looking into that for the upcoming years. 💙💖

For now, enjoy these photos and Happy Holidays!!

Las Vegas: McCarran International Airport

When traveling to, or through, Las Vegas, by air, one must typically travel through McCarran International Airport as a result. Whether you're visiting the city of sin for a long getaway with your pals or simply passing through on a brief layover as you make your way somewhere else, there's a particular aspect to McCarran you'd have a difficult time missing: the ubiquitous presence of slot machines and their changing, jangling little chimes meant to entice. These brightly-lit, loudly clanging little machines make their existence known throughout most manner of business in the city of Vegas, from neighborhood grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations, to even the airport, all looking to benefit from that eagerly handed out money. While for now there aren't any table games, that I saw, I wouldn't be surprised if they were added at some point in the future, in the name of progress and innovation, of course. Of course, they'll probably just install a new generation of slot machines instead, so they won't have to train new dealers or contend with more staff squeezing through an already often overburdened security team. 

Believe it or not, there was a point in time where I was offered a job working at one of the little retail kiosks inside of the airport, but I opted to remain at a different location within the same company so I could avoid that whole hassle of going through security day in and day out. I don't know about you, but I've yet to meet anyone who considers going through airport security to be the highlight of their travel time. If you're that person, though, be sure to drop a comment and let me know!

Personally, I never play slots or wager money. Having grown up in Las Vegas, I've watched other people try their hand against lady luck, and while I've dabbled in poker with my friends at parties, I can't justify it. I work hard for my cash and would rather put it towards something I can see or use, and the casinos weren't built on winners, after all. To each their own, however! If you go to Vegas and decide to gamble $2 or $200,000, that's on you, your bank account, and your priorities, baby. Viva Las Vegas and all that. Don't let me tell you how to live your life, I'm just a girl on the internet.

Vegas: Nights at the Gem shop

This past summer, I spent many hours of many nights working in a gem and crystal shop, which while not somewhere I initially would have expected myself to have wound up had you asked me five or ten years ago, was an awesome experience (for the most part). Like most workplaces, there were the occasional unpleasant issues, like a vengeful and generally awful coworker, thieves, or the various drunk and disorderly visitors that would stumble in. For the most part, though, this is all to be expected when you're in as strange and unusual an environment as the Las Vegas strip, where people are encouraged to misbehave in extravagant ways. People go there to relax and unwind, get away from their families and the pressures back home, and when they stepped into our shop I hoped to offer them a little bit of a zen oasis that they could take home with them. It was a shop, after all, and sales was the name of the game. Most of the items were so stunning that they sold themselves easily, so I found it a lot of fun. I learned a lot about crystals and gems that I might not have otherwise found myself entertaining, and it was an enriching experience. I've always been a bit of a "crunchy" type, and while my mum was certainly deep into the New Age movement in the 90's, I'd never really dabbled in crystals until recently, more the kind of hippie who'd grow out her armpit hair and happily eat tofu while discussing her kombucha SCOBY and tie-dye. Like I said, though, it was an enriching experience! 

Did you know that the beautiful purple shaded amethyst is believed to relieve anxiety, protect you when you travel, and bestow beauty upon its wearer? While I'm not sure the effects have been scientifically verified, I see no harm in wearing an amethyst ring as I go about my day, just in case.  Who knows, I might get a bit of placebo effect, which is beneficial in and of itself if you genuinely believe the stone is helping your anxiety! Each stone, each color, is believed to help in different ways and tie in to different chakras. Chakras, too, were something I'd not dabbled much into prior to my work in the shop, and was grateful to be exposed to and educated on a bit. There's a ton more I could stand to learn, but now that I'm not working in the shop trying to actively sell things tied to these areas, I find myself studying them less. We did make a special trek to a recent gem and crystal show at a nearby college, though, because my curiosity and appreciation for these things remain! 

Naturally, being in Vegas, once you step foot beyond the doors of the gem shop there's no guarantee of zen. But you might encounter a random blow-up doll!

Japan: Rainy night in Urayasu 2014-02-27

This was the day I got my digital camera, so these were the very first photographs I ever took using it.

Ah, nostalgia.