truly, madly, deeply

It's been one of my favorite films for awhile now, but I just watched it again this morning and felt the need to share my love. I think it's one of the most honest and beautiful and funny movies about loss and love and healing. It's one of the reasons I love Alan Rickman. And one of the reasons I love the piano and the cello played together. Best line in the movie: "Don't worry. He's Polish." Best scene in the movie: when they're looking out their window at the clouds and start singing "A Case of You". Or the hopping on one foot scene. Or the last scene, which is so painfully sweet. Anyway, just felt like sharing. =)

death by sugar cookie

Someone brought into work Halloween-shaped sugar cookies with orange frosting and sprinkles this morning. Whoever that person was, I love you. I also blame you for the food coma I've been in all day long. I think I ate like 4 or 5.

Other favorite parts of my day:
- the fact that it was sunny but still in the 50's. cold, crisp, perfect.
- more awesome and crazy stories from Blair (the guy I'm helping with his writing project)
- they gave us a new employee manual at the restaurant tonight, and it actually stated "a smile is part of everyone's uniform." I thought I might pee my pants.
- I was not once on the phone with anyone having anything to do with insurance
- pumpkin ale (thanks lena for the recommendation) + fashion magazines + my comfy bed right now. brilliant.

blueberries and blue fingers

From today's hike along the Denny Lake trail. Once again, I was very excited at the discovery of snow further up the mountain. Being from Southern California, I get all giddy at the sight of snow. I was also quite stoked to find blueberries growing, even if I thought I might freeze my fingers off trying to photograph them.


a few berries clinging on:




more blueberries:




lovely frozen leaf:




the early parts of the hike were warm and sunny. i heart sun flare:




the obligatory flowing creek shot:

"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."

- Colette

pretty in pink

sunshine is like crack

At least it is up here. And that's pretending, of course, that I actually know anything about what crack is like. But anyway, my point is that you don't think you're going to be addicted, but then you get a little taste of a gorgeous crisp cool sunny fall day, and when the grey skies roll back in you go through this withdrawl. All weekend was stunningly beautiful - epic - and now we're back to the gloom, which normally I love, but not so much right now.

brilliant bitterness

So on Craigslist, at least in Seattle, there's apparently this war going on between artists (or creative types) and those that are basically trying to take advantage of their services for little or no reimbursement, claiming that it's good for "portfolio-building". Being a creative type at the beginning of her career, I can actually relate to both sides - I hate feeling as though I'm being taken advantage of, but I also do appreciate opportunities to build my portfolio and get my name out there and so have definitely taken a few gigs for little or no reimbursement. Anyway, it's a source of good (albeit cheap) daily entertainment to read the various backlash listings on Craigs. Generally it comes in the form of expletives and little attention to grammar, but there was one today that broke the mold. It made me smile. Here 'tis:

You know what would be great? If I could lay out your company's enewsletter, maybe even write some jazzy copy about how fantastic your quarter was. That would be a real feather in the cap of my portfolio, as I am looking to expand my portfolio to include some heavy-hitting corporate copy.

Oooh! OR, if you need someone to take some photographs of your company picnic, perhaps the one where you are celebrating your quarterly profits, I could totally do that too! This will really add some "wow" to my lifestyle component of my portfolio, as I hear that all of the big AIGA awards go to softball candids. If you have any Executive portraiture work on the horizon, I'd be all over it. Nothing vies for a portfolio centerpiece quite pictures of Sally in Accounting, the one that always wears white mock turtlenecks and talks to her lean cuisine at lunch.

The pinnacle would have to be though, OMG, if I could design your logo for you. That would rule! I am a little non-traditional in how I like to work though. What would be great is if you could round up say 20 other designers, give us as vague as possible a description and then instruct us to create a couple of concepts and from these concepts you will pick a designer. I LOVE the thrill of the hunt. I think it shows that I am hungry for your business, and that I love Comic Sans. Like, a lot!

The kicker is this. I couldn't possibly accept pay for my time, experience, effort, and use of equipment, all handily provided to help you to achieve your artistic vision. Compensation, pshaw! Actually, what I would really like is some food. Do you have any food? Anything in a can will suffice. Maybe a nice can of Dinty Moore? That'll warm the belly and soothe the soul, and help me sleep at night because who cares if I can't pay rent next month? CANNED STEW WAS PROVIDED FOR ME BY MY EXALTED EMPLOYER. Thanks employer!

If you know of anyone that could use my services, I would be ever grateful.

PS I am serious about the dinty moore

PPS I came here because someone mentioned milk and cookies? I sure am hungry.

Love, Imaginary Designer

a celebration of nerds

Due to some not-so-fun, flu-induced insomnia last night, I decided to purchase a movie on iTunes (all the movies I own are in a box somewhere, and I wasn't up for searching). I ended up getting the documentary "Wordplay" - about people who are really really into crossword puzzles. I had no idea there was such a huge subculture there. Seriously, these people are crazy smart and hilarious and endearing and a bit off their rockers. Loved it. Even if it did remind me of how comparatively unintelligent I am.

oh, how quickly they grow

My mom sent me a couple of pictures of the boys tonight. Scout is so big now. And Gunner's just his usual big lovable self.

i love otis

snow in october

Nicole and I went out to Snow Lake today for a little hike. We wanted to catch the fall colors while they're still around. It was so beautiful out there, even when the downpours began. The hike took us way too long, since we felt it necessary to stop every five seconds to take another picture, but we finally made it to the top, where there were little bits of snow and the most gorgeous view of the lake covered with fog. In case I haven't mentioned it, I love it up here.


(me being very excited about the patches of snow)



(Nicole pondering nature or something)



(fall colors and snowy mountains)

let this be a warning to you all

never ceases to crack me up, especially lately.

Henry has returned!

Henry is my car. My beloved crappy car. He's a little beaten up, and the majority of his contents are gone, presumably off at some pawn shop near the 99, but he's mine again. Gonna get him all cleaned up and pretty this weekend. And then go out and buy The Club. Or a Trunk Monkey.

Also kind of funny is the fact that they left my shoes, my favorite pink ones, which I had actually already gone off and replaced. So I now have double. Oh the riches...

Once

This movie broke my heart into a million itty bitty pieces. Granted, I'm slightly on the emotionally vulnerable side lately, but still. It's absolutely among the most starkly beautiful, hilarious, genuine, and (again) heartbreaking movies I've seen. I was crying 15 minutes into it and basically all the way until the credits were rolling, and I left the theater with goofy tear-stained cheeks. I also proceeded to buy the soundtrack (which they sell at the theatre - another reason they're awesome) and blast it as I was heading over the I-90 bridge (love that bridge). I'm a bit obsessive, I know. But ignore that fact and go see the movie anyway. If you don't, I might not be able to be your friend anymore. I'm just saying...

I'm also in love. Madly. With Glen Hansard. I think he might have ruined my chances of ever fancying anyone again. If I was thirteen, I'd have posters of him plastered on my walls. It's that bad.

(Sigh)

my new favorite place in all of Seattle

the Harvard Exit Theatre:
I love this place. I decided to head there today - the perfect rainy Tuesday afternoon - because they're playing the movie Once, which I've been dying to see for awhile now (I will write about the film itself in another post). The place is tucked away on this sweet little street on Capitol Hill. Outside there were the most beautiful trees with their fall colors, and the road was all shiny from the rain. Across the street there's this cute coffee shop, which I intend on visiting very soon. The theatre has pretty clearly been converted from some other purpose, looking nothing like your standard megaplex. You have to head up two flights of rickety stairs to get to one of the two small theaters. The people are crazy nice, while not obnoxiously so or phony in any way. And they sell Izze sodas - reason enough to love the place, if you ask me. Quite possibly one of my favorite Seattle experiences thus far.

a bitter sweetness

This seems to be an ongoing theme in my life these days - really wonderful things tinged with a sense of something lost or of wanting more. Either it's an issue of having to give up one thing in order to have something else, or it's the basic problem that any experience and/or relationship, good or bad, will eventually end.

There's this Dr. Suess quote (again with my love of cheesy quotes) that says "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I try to keep reminding myself of this, but I'm not particularly good at it.

I don't know where I'm going with any of this. Just a random moment of venting, I suppose.

health nut

i'm on a roll today.

breakfast: americano + junior mints
lunch: pizza + root beer
dinner: who knows