redhead

well, much has happened.

first, i finally got a washington state license! my texas license expires october 1st and the way washington works is if you're trying to get a license after your license has expired then you have to take the drivers test--which is bad news for me because my parallel parking consists of 40 points! so a month of getting together the correct documents, multiple trip to the dmv and $45 dollars later I HAVE MY LICENSE!!! and i didn't have to take the test!

second, i got a haircut and dye for free! my hair is now shoulder length and red! i was selected to be a hair model for an aveda salon party where they introduced aveda's new looks for this season. i was one of 3 models and we got cuts and colors for free at the party (as the demonstrations). they had a taco bar and margaritas and they did my hair and make-up. my look was "urban punk" so my lips were bright red and my eyes were done with all black. i'm not going to lie, i looked like a goth (which means i fit right in here in seattle!) after the party i rode the bus home and i thought to myself, "no one is going to sit next to me!" when i got home i looked in the mirror and wasn't sure i liked my hair. then i took off the make-up and i loved it!

that's all for now.

pix from hiking

Slugs and Getting Slugged

in case you are wondering about this title, yes, this story involves a punch in the nose...

so, since being here in seattle i've had a lot of time for adventure, which is--of course--what you do when you don't have a job.

here's a little rundown of some things that have happened since i moved here:

1. i made homemade syrup (i didn't know that was possible until i came here!)

2. i've had some major hookups like free tickets to see the black-eyed peas, franz ferdinand and modest mouse! and free coffee (which is the biggest of all hookups here in seattle)

3. i made a friend at the grocery store

4. i've gotten shampoo in my nose and mouth while showering...you don't even want to know.

5. i met a random girl in a coffee shop who knows one of my old roommates from texas!

6. me and my roommate got stuck behind a guy who decided to take a nap at a traffic light, literally he laid back his seat and we missed two lights!

7. i tried banana milk tea and it was amazing!

8. i have inadvertently become the member of a band called "shayjay" that is harp and drums, it's progressive harp.

9. we have a hijacked couch in our basement with a really funny story.

10. i have drunk more coffee than i have in my whole life (...that's not completely true...)

and now what you've all been waiting for: the slug story!

well my roommate, erika, and i went hiking the other day and there were all these HUGE slugs on the trails! it was pretty cool/gross!

okay, but for real, the slug in the nose story. so, as a preface, this story only involves myself (no huge argument that ended in a punch in the nose or heroic saving of an old woman from getting mugged by stepping in front) it's actually a bit embarrassing, fortunately for you, i do not get embarrassed easily.

so, erika and i had just gotten back from hiking and i took a shower. after my shower i was drying my hair and somehow the cord to the hair dryer got stuck in the cabinet door as i was closing it. and thus began the series of unfortunate events. well, the cord was pretty jammed in there and i started yanking on it to get it out. i was pulling and pulling and finally "BAM" it gave way and i popped myself in the nose. i'm pretty sure there was some sort of cracking noise and i felt a little dizzy. i sat down on the floor, meanwhile erika is in the shower and has no idea any of this is happening only feet away. i think to myself, "this is about to be the stupidist story ever if i just punched myself in the nose and broke it". so i go in to my room because i was feeling nauseas and the steam in the bathroom was not helping. i walk into my room and carrie, my other roommate walks in. at this point i am feeling a little shakey and as if i might pass out at any moment but i play it off. she had been hiking that day as well so she was pretty tired and out of it. we are making some small talk when i feel a sudden wave of nausea and abruptly lay down on my bed and say, "i think i might pass out". carrie, who had no idea the state that i was in or what had just taken place said, "are you sick?" shortly followed by, "do you straighten your hair?" i said, "sometimes. i think i just broke my nose." she seemed a little surprised but mostly confused how this could happen, then she said she was tired and walked upstairs. meanwhile i wait for the blue to show up on my face or my nose to swell to double its normal size. but it never happened and though my nose is still sore (quite sore actually) i am convinced that it is not broken.

the end.

Seemingly Unrelated Stories

We have this joke around the house that I am the "disabled roommate" because I don't have a job and I don't have a car.

Well, today I was taking the bus into downtown and there was a woman on the bus named Shelly...she was disabled. I supposed the "bus Shelly" and I have some things in common.

Last night I was laying down to go to sleep and I was reminded of a particularly ridiculous instance while in Bali, Indonesia last year. During the trip, I shared a thin mat on the floor with my friend Jamie. One morning she told me that she had woken up in the middle of the night and saw that we were sleeping in the exact same posture: belly-up, one leg straight, one leg bent, one arm over the abdomen the other over the head. This, of course, is the only logical position to sleep in when sharing a bed because it gives you the feeling that you're spread out without actually taking up much space. She said she almost woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me. It struck me as quite absurd that she would consider such a thing.

I was reminded of this instance because I found myself laying in that exact position. Why I was in such a posture when I was in a queen size bed that I have all to myself is...unexplainable.

Today I went exploring in town. I've bought this book that has 50 walking adventures in Seattle, perfect for me! So I did one today. I walked through the Olympic Sculpture Park, through the Edward Myrtle Park, I stopped at Pier 70 and sat and had a deliciously good cup of coffee from Uptown Espresso. Then I finished the day by meeting up with some friends at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). They have exhibits there that changed my life, it was phenomenal! I had a perfectly enjoyable day: parks, art, coffee...what more could you ask for? Then the day finished up with a phone call from my Dad, which is something I've missed.

"Yet if you devote your heart to him, and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will life up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor." Job 11:13-19