I knew Queencie was coming to town this weekend, but I didn’t know when, or even if, we would be able to get together. When I called her after work, I found out she was wandering around downtown alone, having been dropped off there by a friend who was working until 8:30 p.m. I quickly drove out there, picked her up, and brought her back to our apartment. We ended up hanging out for five hours–eating (what we always did best together), laughing, catching up, and reminiscing. I couldn’t believe it had been so long since we had last seen each other (at the wedding).

It’s always a riot to hang out with her. There’s a nice balance of catching up and filling each other in on where we are now with silly fun. After a yummy BBQ meal cooked by Matt, we went to Coldstone’s for free ice cream (Thanks, Suzanne!), which is an old Mel/Queencie favorite activity. I can’t believe we used to eat the medium size all on our own. We then took her up to Kerry park for a nighttime view of the city, and then returned to the apartment.

Queencie got a kick out of a picture of me doing my horizontal balance on a pole trick that I’ve been doing since elementary school, so we went out to the street corner to attempt it. I am so not in shape, because I could barely hold myself up anymore. Some people driving/walking by looked at us oddly because we were laughing so hard around a pole; others didn’t even look at us.

We also took a few of our traditional “boxing gloves in normal activities” poses, with Queencie eating a chip with my boxing glove. Matt came out to the living room, saw what we were doing, and said, “Why do those [the gloves] always come out whenever Queencie’s around?!” hehe…

I’ve been really spoiled recently by having all these special friends around. These are people that I feel really comfortable with, and our friendships are the type where–despite the distance–we don’t feel like we’ve been apart that long. We can have fun reminiscing, but our friendship now isn’t based solely on the past. I’ve moved around a lot, but through it all, there are the same few people who have stuck around who are carried to each place with me. Those people are lifelong friends.

It’s been a busy couple of days here in the cube world, but restful in comparison to the eventful weekend that just passed. Na’s visit included shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Maybe not so much to her, but to this non-shopper, my footsies were hurting at the end of each day. Or maybe the pain was attributed to the run that Na convinced us to do. We hiked up Rattlesnake Ridge (a beautiful 4-mile hike to a ledge that overlooks a lake) and then ran down. I have to admit, running down the hill was a lot easier than I expected, and it considerably shortened the return trip to 25 minutes. But the trail was a lush shade of green, so a leisurely stroll would not have been unpleasant, either.

I had fun hanging out with Na. We made dinner together on Sunday night and pretended like we were on a cooking show (without the little clear bowls with all the ingredients), browsed through each aisle at Uwajimaya, and like I said before, shopped. Sisterly moments are nice, especially when it’s during a time other than when I’m back for a holiday and have one activity lined up after the other.

Now for some random articles that I’ve read over the past few days that I want to share with you all:

 Is green no longer the scene? Should you be down with brown? Read this interesting article about colors that are “in.” 

  My dad forwarded me this article about how some people in SF turned parking spots into “park spots.” Their reason? Cities are getting too crowded, and people want to see more open, green spots in the middle of all the cars and buildings.

I would say I’m a DIY (do-it-yourself) kinda gal. I like to make my own things if I can, rather than spend money to have someone else do it for me. I also like to get things done myself rather than rely on someone else to do it. But I also know what I’m realistically capable of doing (or interested in doing). Decorating my own wedding cake: yes. Singing at my wedding: no. Being on Fear Factor and laying on a bed of worms and snakes: yes. Being on Fear Factor and being chained underwater: no. Teaching a group of people how to knit: yes. Being involved in public speaking or debate: no. The bottom line is, I know my strengths and weaknesses.

I just took a work-related personality test today that asked you to rate your top two job choices out of a group of four occupations. This question repeats 25 times, with the jobs changing each time. I found it humorous that I was choosing jobs like “dairy farmer” and “forester” over “accountant” or “store manager.” Even if none of the jobs appealed to me, I still had to choose my top two. The ones I found myself drawn to were things like writer, reporter, librarian, artist, youth worker, gardener, detective, etc., and I stayed clear of things like engineer, lawyer, manager, accountant–basically anything that deals with managing people and/or math/science topics. I also noticed the jobs I liked were more creative and hands-on.

Yesterday, I found out the Seattle Gulu Walk that Matt and I signed up for is currently sans leader. The person who organized it last year has moved out of Seattle, but the Gulu Walk organization was unaware of this until recently. That person’s name was still listed as the contact for the Seattle area. So a month before the walk, the event is up in the air—yet, we’re determined to do it, even if it’s just both of us, because our friends and family supported us to do this and we want to participate. However, two people walking around to raise awareness of the issue is definitely less impactful than 100 people. Part of me is a little annoyed that the website mentioned a Seattle walk when the contact person/organizer hadn’t even been confirmed. It was just assumed that she would do it again. But the other part remembers that this event is just in its second year, so kinks are still being worked out.

So the choice now is to either just do our own walk (and see if the other people in Seattle want to join us) or actually volunteer to be the official coordinator. I would be up for the challenge, but I think the walk also entails finding speakers, renting equipment and putting on a pre- or post-walk rally. Maybe I’m just not confident in my abilities, but those responsibilities intimidate me. (Remember those managerial jobs that I avoid?) Matt also reminded me that if I were to volunteer, I’d get stuck doing it every year. Not that that should keep me from doing something that I feel strongly about. If I want to get something done, I should do it myself, right? Should I always be waiting for someone more qualified to come around and plan something?

I feel like such a Moses…I want to do something, but I make up excuses about why I can’t be the one to get it done. I’ll think about it some more and see how I can be a part of making this happen—hopefully without becoming the official organizer.

…blend in with the chinese!

  (”Ooh, this is a great costume!”)

This is a funny article about a German art student who is so crazy about the Chinese terra cotta soldiers that he dressed up like one. His original intention was to take a picture with the rest of the army, but, as he was quoted, “I got too excited and just couldn’t stop myself from jumping into the pit.” Even the guards who went after him had a hard time distinguishing him from the real terra cotta soldiers.

I sent this link to a couple of people, and my dad responded saying that when he was in art school, he and his roommate snuck into a Louis XIV exhibit at the DeYoung Museum and took pictures of each other. They weren’t wearing costumes, but that would have been hilarious.

The terra cotta soldiers are pretty amazing, though. Unfortunately, you can’t get really close to see them. When my family went on our China tour a couple of years ago, we collected rocks from every city that we visited. So my dad and I snuck our hands through the railing (seen in the photo above) and grabbed a piece of the dirt on the other side.

The weekend is here. Yippee! Looks like we’ll get a reminder of summer as sun and temperatures in the low 70s are predicted. My sister is visiting, too, so hopefully she will have a pleasant visit. Happy Friday everyone!

You guys are in luck—a bonus blog entry for today. Hehe…inspired by Suzanne’s recent blog entry about shopping at Target, I wanted to share my own experience. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been to Target, mostly because our apartment is not that close to one, and during lunch, I’m too lazy to drive to the nearby Target. But the need for new knee-highs (and an itch to see Target’s latest items) prompted a lunchtime excursion.  

My visits have been spaced far apart so that the dollar section items have changed. However, I was disappointed to see that the dollar section is no longer really the dollar section. It is the dollar section AND the 2 for $5 section. Now, 2 for $5 is still a great deal for things like Halloween/autumn and Japanese-style décor, but nothing beats a dollar! My finds from the dollar section: two tiny tin pails for $1 (50 cents each!); one with a jack-o-lantern face and the other with a cat face. I’m going to put them in front of our door where I have hooks in the ground, currently holding plain silver pails. Other cool items in the dollar section: scrapbooking/card-making items like alphabet stickers, pom-poms, felt sheets; magnets; autumn-related things, such as paper plates, notepads, tealight holders. 

I  was tempted to buy an orange jack-o-lantern bell to hang from our apartment door, but I thought that might be pushing it a bit. I already have a stash of Halloween décor that I should revisit before buying anything else. I just really like things with black cats and pumpkins (even though I don’t even like pumpkins, aside from carving them and eating their seeds). I didn’t spend too much time in the non-dollar-section of Halloween décor because I really have no business buying pointless things that cost more than a dollar. Besides, it bothered me that next to the Halloween stuff, there was already an aisle of Christmas lights. It’s only September, people!  

I also can be very distracted by home décor, such as pillows, lamps, nightstands, frames, clocks, artwork. We still have a lot of Target gift cards saved from our wedding, so when we settle into a more permanent place, we’ll probably be breaking out the cards!  While looking for knee-highs, I spotted a new variety of knitted slipper socks. Trish got me a pair last year, which I’ve designated my “slippers for pre-shower wear,” and now there are a whole bunch of really cute designs. I was tempted to start my Christmas shopping early and grab a pair for every female I know, but decided against it. First of all, I don’t know how many of my friends even wear slippers; second, I’ll have to tell everyone, “No, I did not knit them,” because I know everyone will ask if I did. I was almost distracted by the clothing section, but I quickly reminded myself that most of their clothes never fit me well. 

Finally, when my hour-long break was almost over, I tore myself away from the mesmerizing aisles of useless items. I can’t believe I wrote this much about Target. You Target fans will understand, though. Happy browsing, Target shoppers!  

From the third floor of the office, I can look outside and see mist and the tops of trees. Unfortunately, it’s not MY view, but rather just a view from the window if I walk to it. My personal view is slats of grey cubicle wall, and the back of girl who is sort of in front of me, off to the side. The view outside is beautiful, though. I like feeling like I work in a rainforest. The drive to work was pretty rainy, though. But although I don’t like waking up to a dark room, I like looking outside and seeing raindrops on a wet sidewalk. There’s something cozy about that. Too bad I have to leave my apartment for work. 

Had a nice relaxing weekend. With all our activity, I realized (once again) how thankful I am that we moved here, and how thankful I am for new friends and new adventures. We hung out with new-old friends and also went out for a dinner and a movie with new-new friends—one of whom is a possible new knitting buddy! She wants to learn to knit, so I’m already brainstorming to have a winter knitting party! 

My initial desire to do something more active (go for a jog?) so that I would not feel so blubbery obviously was put off by more important things (namely knitting), but I still enjoyed the weekend—and I cleaned the apartment. I am so psyched that I finished the back piece of Starsky and started on the left front panel. At this rate, I think I will be able to get it done by Christmas time, during which I hopefully will see Jennifer and Bobbie in their matching Starskys. I feel like I’m on vacation during my weekends because they are so relaxing. I’m so used to filling them up with stuff I need to do (although I can argue that knitting is something I NEED to do). I think I can easily get lazy, though, and not be disciplined to get stuff done, such as sew a camera bag for which I bought fabric back in LA. 

Tonight after work, Matt and I are meeting at the Muckleshoot Casino to attend a timeshare presentation. Our friends who own timeshare (and who invited us to this) already told us NOT to buy anything. We’re just going for the free airfare, two nights’ hotel accommodations, and $40 dining certificate. The catch is that the flights are only good for Anaheim, Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. The latter would be my destination of choice (or I’d go to Vegas, but only to see Celine Dion—OK, laugh all you want), but we’ll probably go to Anaheim around the time of Sarah’s graduation so that we don’t have to pay for that trip. I think the point of offering a flight to Anaheim is to go to Disneyland, but we’ll just stay at the hotel during that time and then attend the graduation. The hikes around Tahoe’s crystal-clear waters will have to wait… 

I’m just rambling now, and this is becoming one of those blogs where the reader is probably saying, “So when should I start caring??”, so I will end this now. The end.

In an earlier post, I mentioned making blackberry jam (and five jars are still sitting in the cupboard…). My dad has a co-worker who has won multiple awards for her jams and jellies, so he passed along my jam for her feedback. Below is the official judging system from a competition handbook.   

Judging Criteria for Jams and Jellies:
• Texture …………………………………………………………………….. 35%
(Jam: Crush Fruit, no separation of fruit and juice)
(Jelly: Tender, should quiver, cut easily and retain shape, no crystals)
• Flavor ……………………………………………………………………….. 35%
• Appearance ……………………………………………………………….. 30%
(Color 15%, Clearness 10%, Container 5%) 

Here are comments from my dad’s co-worker. And the verdict is… 

Texture - 29% (deduction: 3% not crushing berries; 3% for separation) 
Flavor - 30% (not much berry flavor; slight fermented after taste
Appearance - 30%
Place - 89% for high second place   

Great feedback! I’m hoping the rest of my jam does not go bad before I can distribute it. On the other hand, this IS my first batch, so hopefully it will improve from here on out. The thing is, I don’t like putting so much time into reading about making jam because there is too much information out there! When there are too many resources, I get overwhelmed. Darn you, Internet! Just give me one Jam-Making Bible, and I will be happy. The same goes with knitting and every other hobby that I’ve picked up.

I would actually prefer just sitting down with an expert and learning their tried and true ways. Again, that is the case with all my interests. When you read something on the Internet, you don’t know how reliable the source is. You don’t know if they’re telling you their jam-making tips after making one batch or 100. I end up comparing multiple websites and then following the directions that seem the most consistent among them all.