I got a lot of problems with you people and now you're gonna hear about it!

Happy Festivus, everybody!

May your strength perform feats, your grievances be few, and your food comforting as you gather 'round your aluminum poles to celebrate this blessed occasion.

Moving on

Perry's new people came and picked him up Saturday. He has made himself right at home, accepting their affection and taking over their dog's heated bed when he is out visiting. They sent the photo above today. I am glad he is doing well and fitting right into their home and lives. It is sad to see our empty corner but it is awesome to know he is with people who are home all day and in love with him.

I miss him. He was a big part of life for years and I don't let go easily, even when it is for the best.

Anyway,
life goes on.

Working and schooling and commuting, and letting Thing Two drive me around so he can get his practice drive hours logged. Just to ensure you understand the terrifying implications of the above statement... I am talking about this kid.

I mean, yeah, that was a couple years ago, but still, holy frijoles.

So between that and trying to make sure I do enough laundry that my family doesn't go naked... yeah, I'm all booked up.

I saw a thing

and it seemed fitting for so much in life.

______ is easy; it's just like riding a bike. Except the tires are on fire, well, the whole bike is on fire. And the ground is on fire. And everything is on fire.
Because you are in hell.

The fill in the blank in this case was "Grad school" but feel free to substitute your current version of hell into the sentence above.

As my gramma always told me, "It's a good life if you don't weaken."

Happy Veteran's Day and whatnot

 I have almost made it through the quarter... almost. At school I am learning about being a manager, and I am doing an independent study based on the internship I had last summer. I am also learning about online dating as an information problem. Turns out information has a lot to do with life so this is a way of looking at the various aspects of sociotechnical systems and analyzing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Fascinating insights into all manner of things as well, really, just fascinating.
By the way, if you run into a profile that looks a lot like me on an online dating site... I am only there for research. Mr. Logo has been very much enjoying the reports regarding the online sites.

 This cute bunny photo came to be from a friend not long ago and I thought it was cute.

 Perry is in his last week with us. He is moving next Saturday to a town about an hour away where they are very much looking forward to having him. They love his condo and have the spot all picked out for it in their house. Their daughter has been dying for a bunny and he will be very loved but I will miss him.

 Thing One is enjoying college and has a new job at a grocery store and is getting more hours than he was at the last place- which is a good thing. His dead car has forced him into either fixing or replacing it because three drivers and two cars is tough. Especially since Mr. Logo and I are also both working and going to school.
Speaking of school, here is me at a thing with some librarian-y peeps.

 We were doing an event for banned book week and here is the extra cool and fancy table we decorated which included a game and prizes.

 The next two photos are actually repeats of ones I posted a while back but I am re-sharing as I am still working on an extension of this project and will be continuing to do so for the next six months as it has turned into my capstone project for graduation. I have a team of people who've joined me and it is going to eat a lot of my life.

Lame

Lovely

In addition to that I also spent several days downtown because there was a conference I attended, ASIS&T (Association of Information Science and Technology).
I got to learn about how pornography Information Behavior is important and interesting as well as what people do when building a cognitive map, and lots of other stuff like that. 
During the conference I stayed two nights at Hotel Max.
The conference was really educational and tiring and although staying downtown saved me lots of commute time it also has the downside of just not being home. I never sleep as well without my bed.
 Between conference sessions I also got to read a book, oooo emmm geee!

I am sooooo looking forward to Christmas break, and December 21.

But first, Veteran's Day. I have a lot of Veterans in my family and friends circle and I am thankful for them. 

You know what I haven't done in about a month?

 So, it's been almost a month since I wrote anything here, and I do have an assignment due so it seems the perfect time to blow that off and write a blog post!


 Last Friday a group of gals I know decided to visit the Seattle Symphony and their ringleader would not take NO for an answer so she dragged me along with them and let me just say, I am so glad I went along. There was a little wine event in the lobby and baroque music. I smuggled in dark chocolate macadamia nuts, which were perfect with the red wine and with the coffee at intermission too. Afterward we went to The Triple Door for food (Wild Ginger) and I finally got home about 1:00 AM. It was worth it.

 

 Here is a photo of me.

I cannot remember why I took this but I look bemused about something or other, which happens often enough. So there ya go.  Please note the curl right in the middle of my forehead. When I am good I am very, very good...

 Next, we have pictures of my office. I have an office. Not only do I have an office (I share an office to be more specific, but my office mate is even less part time than I am, so it is mostly mine) but it is a really lovely example of the species.

 The view is actually my favorite thing about the space, that and the gloriously large windows. The trees changing colors outside and the lovely building across the way just make it better. I have decided to squeeze every last little bit of enjoyment out of having such a nice view as it may very well be the only time in my career that I have such a lovely place to gaze out and collect my thoughts between projects.

And here, because Mr. Logo wanted me to capture in black and white, for posterity, that I have a lovely office with my very own name on it, is a pic of the little plaque by the door. Ooooo, lookee there.

 I work on campus Mondays and Wednesdays this quarter (that will be changing) and work from home on Thursdays and Fridays. Mr. Logo takes the bus from his job just south of Seattle to UW and we ride the rest of the way home together. Bus commuting with someone you don't mind sitting next to for a couple hours actually makes the experience much more enjoyable. There is a large pastel cowboy balloon just up the hill from one of the bus stop, for reasons...
 Yeah, I don't even know.

Also, we have the lovely poetry on my fridge, completely with magnetic representations of my Things and another representation, in the form of wild beasties.

This came about because I was explaining about Boris and Natasha and Moose and Squirrel (it was mentioned on a TV show) and my children were talking about what animals were more accurately descriptive. Thing Two has shot up several inches lately and is still rather thin (or scrawny, as Thing One would have it) so we decided he was more giraffe than moose and this led to the conclusion that Thing One was clearly not a squirrel in that case, he was a meerkat.  So here they are, giraffe and meerkat.

In other news, the renovations of the mini-RV are coming along nicely and we hope to take a trip to the Redwoods for Christmas. Thing Two is starting driver's ed in just over a week. Thing One got himself a different job because he needed more hours than the current gig was giving him (his car needs a new clutch, ouch). Interestingly, he is currently employed by the same company that his best buddy once worked for and which he (Thing One, not the buddy) regarded as a horrible, terrible, no-good company. Turns out when they are willing to hire you... they seem better.

Lastly, we have some amazing cards from Curly Girl Design, which I love.

I really do like pie.

It's fall

which is my favorite season usually. It is the season of crisp mornings, sunny afternoons, and shortening days. It is my excuse to break out all my cozy clothes and my chance to wear my new raincoat.. in the rain, which, btw, I love as do many Northwesterners.
But...
this year I am also feeling a little melancholy.

S'ok, I am too busy to dwell on it much.

 Anyway, it is time to get back to work and such so I will break out some old favorites and get to it.

I had a fabulous weekend!

It should be noted that I am a terrible photo taker so none of these images are mine, I believe I linked or sources to creators. The nice thing is... lots of people have taken great photos, far better than I could have, so really, it is a win for everyone.

Friday Mr. Logo and I headed to Orcas Island to celebrate 24 years of marriage. Although the actual day is Monday, we decided to celebrate a little early when we both had time off. 

Have I mentioned I have a job?

I have a job.

Mr. Logo has accepted a position that required long commuting hours and I now work part-time for the education outreach department of the UW Libraries.

Also, the weather was outstanding.

So, Mr. Logo offered to take me away and I wholeheartedly agreed.

Orcas, the largest island in the San Juans

 We went to Orcas Island on our 10th anniversary and stayed in a cute little bed and breakfast in Olga. We did a biplane ride, and ate at the Inn at Deer Harbor and did some kayaking. We did not see Orcas but we saw other cool sea life. Orcas Island tour services often offer a whale guarantee- see whales or your money back (or your next trip free). There are transient and residential orcas that hang out in the area so the island is aptly named.

Orca at Orcas

One of the great things about riding motorcycles is that we get head of line privileges at the ferry. I really like that. We go to the front of the boat and get off first... usually. In this case there were a TONS of noisy, obnoxious ill-behaved children on the ferry that walked on to go to a camp on the island. They got off first and the camp had buses waiting for them. The entire ride was a bit of a misery and the ferry workers even had to announce, mid-crossing, that running, climbing on tables, etc. was not permitted. The views were still spectacular but it did make me want to smack some parents around. 
There is a guy who used to roll his piano onto the ferry and play it on the passenger deck. He would sell his CDs and accept tips. Here is one of his songs that always makes me think of sailing up the Straits. The noise he makes is so much better than the soundtrack we actually had with us.

Ferry dock on Orcas

It was a relief to disembark and get moving down the gorgeous twisty roads. We stayed in a bed and breakfast which was lovely and set on a working farm with deer and sheep, plums, apples, geese, ducks, and a cutie pie of a highland terrier. The lady who runs the place is a pistol and an amazing cook. We very much enjoyed breakfast both days and place is just great. I would definitely visit again. The bathroom had a claw foot tub, which I just love.
The first night we slept with the door to our balcony open and enjoyed the breeze and the stars, oh... but first, let me tell you about... 

 

 

Turtleback Farm Inn

 dinner.  The New Leaf sources much of their menu locally, which makes me happy. We really enjoyed every single thing we tasted and left wishing we could have eaten even more... but we would have made a terrible mess when we exploded.

New Leaf Cafe- dinner Friday night

The next morning, after a yummy breakfast we headed back to Eastsound for the Farmer's Market, which was awesome!
 

Saturday Farmer's Market in Eastsound, Orcas Island

 Mr. Logo found stuff, I found stuff, all the food we tried was super delish and we wore ourselves out walking and walking and walking and walking.
Oh, and I got a jacket, which I will model and post some other time.
After all that walking and shopping we were exhausted.
We had to get a nap before we were ready to head back out for a ride and then to try some dinner.

White Horse Pub- dinner Saturday night

The pub we tried was rocking an Irish theme, so I had a Guinness and we had Irish spring rolls- surprisingly good and not at all vile. Mr. Logo tried the Irish Stew, which he said was good, and I had a Guinness chicken sandwich, which was lovely.

view from White Horse Pub

However, not as lovely as the view. We were sitting by the windows and watched the sun set turn the sky blue and pink which reflected in the water and was just.... aaaaaah, amazing. There is a unique and amazing quality to the islands, I remember enjoying it last time we were there and when I've visited Friday Harbor as well. It was nice to see that time and growth haven't eradicated that feeling.
So, Sunday morning we got up and had an outstanding breakfast before heading out to do some more riding around the island.  It is an incredibly beautiful place.
I definitely need to go back, and not wait quite so long to do so.

We managed, of course, to time our return to coincide with that of the horrible monster children we shared the ferry with upon our arrival. However, we had stopped by the food coop and gotten healthy, yummy snacks and adult beverages and that made it all seem more manageable, plus the kids seemed a little less high-strung.
The bike ride home included one last stop for ice cream, immodest ice cream cones even.

So, that was that and now it's back to the grindstone. Hi ho, hi ho...

Good byes suck

Check her out, will ya?



That gorgeous creature sitting there is a friend of mine, Christine, or as I knew her better, Wills- short for William's Wish Wellingtons- her nic in a trivia room we both frequented. She was Australian, and beautiful, clever, witty, friendly, kind and just generally... amazing.
She died yesterday.
I &%@$!*# hate cancer.

Things end and things begin.

So for this summer I did a lot of sitting in this chair right here.

 

However, I did do a couple of other things, like observational studies about how much people noticed information board like this...

 and if they noticed them more when it was altered a bit so that it looked more like this.

 It was actually a really interesting and fun project and I enjoyed it a lot. I am a little sad that it is over even if I am really glad to have a couple days to sleep in.

I  also recently met really cool lady from Tibet and bought some great stuff from her and she gave me this lovely little bracelet at the end of our visit. She said it was a gift because I have a generous soul. It made me feel so good, and made me want to remember to do things like that for other people.

 I also finished a yoga intensive, after several months, and it was actually rather awesome. On our last day together we did an incredibly uncomfortable exercise in which we went around the room one-by-one and everyone listed traits or qualities of that person. Afterward we were to put the lists together and keep them where we could see them often (bathroom mirror, etc.). So I made this out of mine, which is not as purty as some, but I like it. I am going to take it off the wall soon and I decided to stick it here on the blog because I will inevitably lose the paper copy.

 

My phone died. It was a long loving relationship, but its time came. So I got a new phone with lots of interesting new features and I am still learning some of them. My children were teasing me while I was fiddling with it and I managed to strobe myself and take this photo which nicely encapsulates my puzzlement about the entire experience. It is getting better though and soon I shall be the master! You can totally see that from the pic, right?

I managed to also get some time to clean my horrifically messy bedroom. This is just the stuff that overflow from the corner and ended up all over the bed. Clearly it was time to do something,

 I bought some organizers and got everything all picked up and put away.

It was a ridiculously long process but I have high hopes (as with all new organizing systems) that this one will magically make me a neater and tidier person. Good luck, hm?

 

So summer is over and I am getting ready for school.

Hard to believe it's almost that time. 

Time flies when you're having fun.

Ten years ago right about this time the Things and I were just getting ready for their first school year in the United States.  Ariella was still just a puppy and Mr. Logo was over in the Gulf. My mom and dad lived not too far away and my sister was in Texas. We'd only just bought this house and so many things were different than they are today.
Nowadays Thing One is getting himself ready to head to college, Thing Two is in Grade 10, Mr. Logo is starting a new position further south, and I am in my final year of library school. Also, we are the latest owners of a 1989 Toyota Dolphin, it looks a bit like this.



Currently, Mr. Logo has it all ripped apart so he can renovate the interior. It's down to the fiberglass in places and it will have new fabic, flooring, and curtains too. Should be fun for taking little camping trips next year.
 We took it to the airport when we picked Thing Two up after his week-long trip to Spokane to visit my sister and her family. He was suitably shocked and amazed when I led him out of baggage claim and climbed into what he assumed at first was just some random camper. Tee hee, good times.

I've got another confession to make.

I am trying something new I'm dictating my post via my phone's voice to text translator. I am not sure how this will turn out... However, I'm willing to try new things. So here's the deal , my confession referred not only to clothing Foo Fighter lyrics it also protects to matters of a less Music al nature.
I have a slight addiction to technology recently I upgraded my laptop and my cell phone. They both needed to be updated nevertheless I feel quite decadent. The new phone is a droid Maxx and the new laptop is HP the monitor is smaller than my previous laptop however all of the keys are intact and the fan works.
Because I am starting a new part time position in the fall I justified this purchase as a necessity. No doubt I could have made do with something smaller and less intricate but what would be the point of that?

Saturday Adventure

I took my Things out for the day and we adventured.
It was fun and stuff.
We went to La Conner and a good time was had by all.
Thing Two appears to believe putting ice cream in my face is fun/funny/ acceptable/not grounds for death. Clearly he is delusional.

K, so I went to a conference

 and before departure, as the custom is, I went to get a pedicure (ok, so maybe that is not YOUR custom, but I figured I was going to be wearing a lot of sandals and wanted to have my toes did). I thought I would be all mature and demure and sh...tuff so I was going to get taupe, or beige, or tan, or something sort of understated and THEN I saw the gal beside me with gorgeous and really amazing hand-drawn flowers and I said to myself, "Self, screw that grown up business and go with FUN!" So I did.

Voila. 

And thus I was ready for my trip to the annual conference of my chosen profession.

The airport of Sin City has a great big rabbit sculpture which I liked and decided to photograph.

 My friend arrived shortly after I did and we rented a car and then we headed into burning heat of the desert.

We stayed at the Las Vegas hotel (LVH) and this was the view from our bedroom.

On the left up there you see the Stratosphere which has rides (more details on that to follow).

We went to a local steakhouse for dinner, well away from the strip and decided to name our little red Ford after Wilma P. Mankiller after seeing her picture. 

Early the next day we got ourselves over to the convention center where there was an advertisement featuring Rob Ross kitty and happy little trees. How awesome is that, I ask you?

 The line for registration was impressive but I had a friend to chat with and interesting things to look at so it was actually not too painful. After we got registered we scoped out the exhibition hall plan.

There were a LOT of exhibits.

Many much booths.

We also went to Caesar's Palace where I posed with this statue 

(check out the awesome devil eyes)

We wandered all over the forum and watched the Fall of Atlantis which is an automaton show that rises out of a fountain hourly and with impressive bass and flames bellows incomprehensibly about the next ruler of Atlantis, there is a dude with an inadequately flaming sword and a chick with the robotic equivalent of a neurological disorder... much with the twitching and shaking.

I think the mai tai I had beforehand vastly increased my enjoyment.

It was a riot.

My pal and I also very much enjoyed the fountains and faux skies. 

It is one of the least painful malls ever.

 After that we wandered up to the conference session I was there to attend and then to a game session where I had my face painted.

The lovely man who painted my face had a great shirt.

"What happens in the library 

stays in the library."

 After that we cruised the whole strip, end to end and found that even McDonald's is all blinged. 

Then we went to conferences, yadda yadda yadda

then PARTY!

Free drinks and my pal's sparkly nail, w00t!

 Library people party, people. and they do it up right.

We only stayed out til about 11:30 then headed back to get sleep so we could get back to conferencing the next day, bright and early. My pal had a pass to the exhibition hall and got to watch lots of presentations on the cooking stage and got some great cook books out of the deal too.

I got to see several authors (and STAN LEE, SQUEEEE!) and attend some great sessions and then we went to.... 

 Cirque Du Soleil, it was rather amazing and we had a good time and we went to New York New York afterward and got coffee at Starbucks at midnight (they are open 24 hours) before fending off icky night club people and heading back to our hotel room in the wee hours of the morning.

Monday the conference wrapped up.

We went to the Bellagio with a grad school pal of mine and checked out the conservatory and watched a fountain show after a lovely dinner at Paris (the casino across the street).

That ceiling is by a northwest glass artist... some of you may know him.

THEN, we headed back to our hotel to see the show,

"Raiding the Rock Vault."

Music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s by people you've heard play but have never heard of, like the guitarist from Heart, the drummer from Badfinger, etc. etc. 

It was pretty fun PLUS they serve drinks in these

 now you might reasonable assume that a 32 ounce margarita is going to be watered down and rather lame, but NO, it was surprising strong and I made my way through half of one over the course of the two hour concert. My friend however managed 1 and 1/2.

We sat in the back of the theatre which was the perfect location as it allowed us to not only enjoy the show itself, it also allowed us to watch the antics of the other attendees, many of whom appear to have really enjoyed their discount drinks.

After the show we met another grad school friend of mine and headed to the top of the Stratosphere.

There were 3 rides, the one was lame, it was just a lurch o matic, 

but the two pictured here, the Insanity and the Big Shot... oooh yeah, baby.

Insanity was the spinny one, and was very fun but the Big Shot was AMAZING.

Two of my conference pals went up with me and we decided to do a theme,

see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

 It seemed suitable for Vegas.

Our last day we toured the Venetian and had treats from Carlos' Bakery. Yum

Then it was time to head to the airport and say good bye to my friend and to Wilma P. Mankiller.

 After some last minute confusion I managed to get on my plane home and thus ended my adventure.