I Heart KMUD

I'm listening to KMUD (kmud.org) and I have to say I've never felt so attached to a radio station before. Real live people, not the deejays like on corporate radio stations, they talk about real issues, they play a really eclectic mix of music, and I discover a lot of extremely talented musicians and artists I wouldn't otherwise have discovered.

My current favorite shows include the Hawaiian/Jawaiian one on Tuesday at 4:00PM, the trance show on Thursdays at 2:30PM, the eastern music show on Thursdays at 4:00PM, and the early morning shows on most mornings, when they play really positive music with a beat that makes you want to jump out of bed and move your feet.

Edited to add: I also love the "Audio Archive" feature on their website, so if I don't like what they have on currently or I miss one of my favorite programs (or I want to listen to some of the late-night programs, which are often really good, but I'm not up at midnight), I can listen to them anytime! Gotta love technology.

Another Heat Wave

It's in the HUNDREDS a little inland, and here on the coast it's in the mid-80's. It's been that way for days, and they are saying it's lasting through tomorrow.

Yesterday when I was driving north to Clam Beach, it smelled of smoke. "Smoke" has also been in the daily forecast. It hasn't rained here in weeks and weeks and weeks. It's so not like this place. My first experience with California fires, and I have to say I'm over it. I'm sure lots of other people feel the same way.

They banned fireworks just south of us last week. I never heard of that, but it makes sense.

The Email I Just Sent to the People who Roast the Coffee We Drink:

Dear Signature Coffee Company,

We have fairly recently (within the last six months) discovered your Indian Yellikudige Jasmine Estate beans at our local Murphy's grocery store, and subsequently fallen in love with it (obviously!). We are a coffee drinking family, and thusly we buy several bags a week, spending upwards of $60 or more a month on coffee! This could potentially break us unless we switch to Folgers (PLEASE, PLEASE don't let that happen to us, I beg you!).

Anyway, we saw on the bag that we could email you, and also that wholesale (and bulk?) is available for purchase. We are just two java joe schmoes; as such is it possible for us to purchase wholesale or bulk beans? If so, how do we go about doing this?

If there is any advice you can provide (or just prices and availability), we will be forever grateful.

Very truly yours,
Naomi & Mike

P.S. If you do not sell wholesale or bulk beans to the general, non-grocery-store-or-coffee-shop public, do you do sponsorships? I know a superb local glass artist who literally fuels his creative self with your delicious roast. :-)

DO YOU THINK IT WILL WORK?????

Ticks are Gross

I have found two ticks on my person in the last few months - TWO! They were on my clothing (which was on my person), but even that is way too close for comfort. No one invited you to this party of one, so get lost, Ticks. Two is two too many when it comes to ticks.

YUCK. I guess tromping through the woods and the marsh has its drawbacks. EWWWWW.

Edited to Add: One of those two ticks was located on me TODAY. Hence the post about it now.

Also, when we have the kids and the dog (which is most weekends and then some), we often go for walks either in the marsh or the redwoods or both, and we always find ticks on either a kid or the dog. Every time. There have been at least 10 ticks found on children and dog, and that is just too many. Especially with the scare of Lyme Disease.

Edited Again to Add: I just picked a tick off the dog. YUCK YUCK YUCK.

There once was a time when I wasn't sure what a tick looked like. Now I'm so familiar with the little buggers it's not funny. Not funny at all.

Real Live Jellyfish in the Bay!

The highlight of this day was when Mike and Baby (the dog) and I were walking on the waterfront in Eureka on a blissfully breezeless beautiful summer evening and we "ventured" out onto the floating pier. There, we saw a jellyfish, swimming in the bay (that's Humboldt Bay, not to be confused with "The Bay," which is San Francisco Bay). It was up close and personal, as in I could have reached in and touched it (if I were stupid).

I have never, to my knowledge, seen a real live jellyfish in person, though I've seen them on the IMAX screen, and that was cool too. I love where I live, I love it here, it is so beautiful and incredible.

Gotta go catch a sunset now - it looks like it's going to be a good one.

What I Have to Say About Wisconsin

I just got some of my thank you's out the door! I had an AMAZING trip, in spite of the wacky weather (flooding, storms, hail, tornadoes), my family is WONDERFUL, and it was so nice to see everyone! Thank you so much, dear Hayley and Dan for the hospitality, and Grandma and Mom and Dad too! No, I know that doesn't count as actual thank you's and yes, I certainly know I have more thank you's to send out than just that!

I saw some friends, and I saw my family. I felt like it was a long time to be there, and still not long enough to spend with everyone. I spend some wonderful time with my big sister Natalie (though she is not so big, so I guess that makes her my little big sister), I got to spend some QT with Mom and Dad, Grandma, Avery and Sadie, my brother Ben (this is not listed in any particular order). My extended family (my mom's family) came over to Mom and Dad's on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for grilled chicken and pork and lots of other homemade goodies. I went for long walks with Hayley, went to REAL stores (no, Humboldt County, you do not have REAL STORES, sorry to say) with Natalie, Mom, Hayley and Grandma (not all at the same time), got to eat at my favorite places (Sa-Bai Thong with Anya and Mike; Monty's Blue Plate Diner with Laurie, Anthony, and Andrea; JMK Nippon with Natalie; Laredo's with Hayley, Dan and Ben; The Great Dane with Bennett; Jolly Bob's with Hayley and Dan; Maharaja's with Hayley; The Jet Room with Sherry; The Bradbury with Hayley and Liz; Culvers with Grandma ... oh my, can you tell what I LOVE TO DO! LOL! I'm sure there is more, but seriously, I need to stop now), went to The Kissers' Final Show at the High Noon Saloon, got to see Stephen Marley at the Barrymore for FREE (thank you to Dad and his connections!)... not to mention all the delicious food people prepared for me, and all the lovely time spent with everyone! And oh man, now I just need to post pictures, so I will do that now and maybe I'll be back later to talk more about how awesome my visit was!

Selling Seashells by the Seashore

Just call me Sally. I never actually thought I would sell seashells by the seashore, but that IS in fact what I do now:

My New Favorite City

...is Portland.

We got back from Portland sometime last Monday. The city is WONDERFUL; it reminds me of San Francisco, only I like it better because it's smaller and much more manageable. We walked EVERYWHERE, so our legs were very tired, but in a good way. We ate delicious food (slices at Pizza Schmizza, burritos at Cha Cha Cha, fish and chips and sausages and local brew at Thirsty Lion Pub). We met many people from Mike's glass past and now they are in Mike's and my glass present and future, including the owners of Glass Alchemy, who cried when they saw Mike, said he looked healthier and happier than they had ever seen him and basically reminded me of loving parents. I know it meant so very much to Mike. They also showed us the tour of their factory, and told us that Mike is part of the tour (and part of their history - Susan showed me the before-glass-alchemy colors in Mike's lion, and then when Mike made a lion using their new colors, and oh what a difference! She told me that they knew they had to go into business and manufacture these amazing colors when they saw Mike's after-glass-alchemy lion - it was so cool to see!)

We also met one of Mike's longtime buyers and collectors, Phyllis from Trev's Glass. She had a booth at the Glass Art Society conference we were in Portland attending. We ended up spending a significant amount of time with Phyllis over the course of the weekend, and upon returning home had an email waiting for us that said "Some people just go together and you do!" That is so nice to see because not many people get to spend a significant amount of time around us together (though that will change), and Phyllis is a lovely, wise, grandmotherly type who had much good advice for me on how to make it in the glass world and build a successful business.

Speaking of going well together, we have tentatively set our nuptials for October/November of 2009, though the exact date is not yet pinned down. We will of course let everyone know the exact date when we determine it.

Oh yeah, did I mention that we decided we are getting married? I suppose you want a back story on that; well, I'll give you a little bit of it: I got home from Wisconsin on Monday, June 16. Mike and the kids were at the airport waiting to greet me, we went to Rita's to celebrate our togetherness again and had a lively and delicious dinner, then Mike and I took the kids back to their mom's (they wanted to see me before going back home). Once it was just Mike and me, he told me I'm the best thing that has ever happened to him, and he doesn't want to be without me for so long ever again, and he wants me to be his wife. I asked if that was an official proposal, and he said "No, this is. Will you marry me?"

(I said YES.)

OK, enough back story. Though there is one more thing I want to tell you: There's a quote Mike sent me in a text message not too long ago, before I went to Wisconsin; it was something he heard while listening to his favorite radio station and was something like "Marry not the one you can live with but the one you can't live without." This is how we both feel. We don't want to be without each other. And the best part about it is that we don't have to be.

We have our reasons for waiting until next fall/winter; there are important goals we need to reach first. We are working together to reach them. We will keep everyone updated when there is a somewhat finalized plan. In our hearts we are already each other's family.

Also, back to the topic at hand (that would be Portland), we just might end up living there someday, we both love it so much. :-)

Not One to be Reckoned With

While I was in Wisconsin there were thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, flooding, the draining of an entire lake into the Mississippi River, countless homes damaged and destroyed, farm animals drowned, and much more mayhem.

Now I'm in California, where there are fires. There are the Mendocino fires, and there is the Humboldt fire, in SoHum, in Paradise/Shelter Cove area. The Paradise fire is not contained. Today we are driving the kids to "Surf Camp" (about 15 minutes north of our house, at the lovely lovely Moonstone Beach - lucky kids, I say) and we drive by a sign saying that Highway 299 (the highway one would take to get to Blue Lake, where Mike sometimes rents hot shop space, a mere 10 minutes from where we live) is shut down due to fires there. The last I heard on the radio several communities in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties have "evacuation warnings" meaning an evacuation isn't mandatory, but might be a very good idea.

I guess last weekend while we were in Portland there was a "lightning storm" here that has started all of this mess. Being a windy and wooded place, fires travel faster than Cal Fire can fight them. So far, where I live the skies are still blue (unless they are foggy). Send good thoughts to our fire fighters (and SoCal's fire fighters, who are on loan to us to contain these fires) - may the fires be contained and the damage be minimal.

And it hasn't rained here in almost a week! The first time since I've lived here that I have wished and hoped with all my might that the rain would just fall and help us!

P.S. We are safe here, so please don't worry, but that doesn't mean folks around us are bearing so well.

To Throw Portland Out the Window

I'm going to Portland, so I'll be back on this thing sometime next week.

Also, there actually exists a word that means "to throw something out the window," and that word is "defenestrate." This is a very specific meaning, and one that strikes me as strange. (This message is brought to you compliments of my "Word of the Day" email.)

Have a great Thursday through Sunday, y'all!

Hello

So, Wisconsin was supremely wonderful. More on that later.

(P.S. I'm getting married!)

HELP - What do I Wear in Wisconsin Weather?

I have no idea how to pack for this trip! I completely forgot what the weather in Wisconsin is like this time of year! And Humboldt County weather weirdness has left me scarred for life! Somebody help me!

What are you people wearing these days?

Speaking of which, yesterday my boss gave me some "advice", which was basically twofold, basically unsolicited (OK, sort of solicited, but not REALLY), and basically contradictory, well at least I think so. But here, this is what he basically said, and YOU decide what it is:

'First, you are a bright young woman, and you are very skilled. You will go far in life, if you just have some confidence in yourself. Just make decisions, and don't worry so much if they are the right ones or not. You can't make everyone happy, and you WILL make mistakes, so just have the confidence to make your own decisions and then go with them.'

So that is cool, right? I like that advice. But then he said this:

'Some future advice you can either take or leave is this: this is a professional office, and you generally don't dress appropriately. I know I have been lax about this, because I have never before said anything about it, and I know that I often wear jeans into the office, but you dress weird, and people have commented to me about it, so if you think you are going to go far in life you need to start dressing more like other people.'

OK, so those weren't his EXACT words, not all of them, but I am serious that this is what he said. He didn't necessarily use the word "weird" but might as well have.

So now I'm confused, am I supposed to make my own decisions and go with them, or am I supposed to do what other people think I should do when it comes to how I dress? Or maybe the first advice is not applicable to the second advice? Oh man oh man oh man, what do I do?

P.S. If you saw how many, if not most, people in Humboldt dress, you might be a little offended by this advice. I was at first, but now I decided to take it as a compliment. And I also decided not to change it. I like it, so there! How's that for confidence, baby?

BUT SERIOUSLY WHAT SHOULD I WEAR IN WISCONSIN?

No, I'm Working, Really

This is me, to a "T" - even down to the purple bag!


nataliedee.com

This comic is titled "it's the thought that counts but not really". Yup.

But seriously, I'm working! I was just taking a little break to read webcomics. For FIVE minutes. Stop judging me.

(I'm coming to Wisconsin tomorrow night!)

Kinetic Sculpture Race - I am Addicted

The 2008 Kinetic Sculpture Grand Championship was this past weekend, starting Friday at the Arcata Plaza and ending Monday on Ferndale's Main Street.

That doesn't mean much to you Wisconsin Folks, but I will dare say that it was way cooler than Bratfest! (I realize that is blasphemous, but I LOVE Bratfest, so keep that in mind, OK? I am bummed that I have to miss Bratfest now that I no longer live in Wisconsin. I thought about Bratfest at least twice last weekend. But Kinetic Sculpture Race is still cooler.)

Anyway, I will definitely post pictures when I can, but if you are just dying to see how amazing the Kinetic Sculpture Race is, Google it. I heard one person describe it as a triathlon for artists. Doesn't that sound amazing? Because it is! So check it out.

In other news, today is my last day at the Festival office, at least for a while, and tomorrow evening I fly out of here, destination Madison. And man, am I anxious/excited about it!

See y'all soon! xoxoxoxo

UPDATE: Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry about the Kinetic Sculpture Race (apparently it is "also known as" the "Triathlon of the Art World". Awesome.) Link. YouTube also has some videos, as do I, but mine will appear later, probably after I get back from Wisconsin.

The Actual Number of the Temperature Means Nothing

IT IS FREEZING HERE!

OK, it's not actually "freezing" - it is mid-50's, which is the same temperature it usually is. Apparently though, temperatures here are meaningless. It is the same 10 degree range year round (with the exception of the "HEAT WAVE" of last week - it was 85 degrees people, that is HARDLY a heat wave for anywhere else, but on the north Pacific coast it was HOT; and with 100% humidity it was terribly sticky here for a day or two - it was brilliant and I loved it - we went swimming in the ocean and laid on towels in the sand and were like actual normal beach-going people) and that 10 degree range can feel either gloriously warm on your skin or bitterly cold, depending on the status of the air, i.e. lovely cool breeze vs. bone-chilling wind.

So, my point is, temperatures here are meaningless.

Sugar Comas and Indian Music Videos

5/21

There's an Indian restaurant on the corner. It's modest at best. They call themselves, appropriately, Indian Cuisine, and have delicious samosa's and naan and their special "hot milk tea". They always have Indian music videos playing on the flat screen TV they have mounted on the wall, which are fascinating to watch while I wait for my channa masala.

Also, the "Daily Specials" on the marker board haven't changed in months, maybe not ever.

5/22

I believe I'm going into a sugar coma, and it's all the fault of chocolate cake and caramel cheesecake and sweetened ice tea and coworkers with no self control who encourage bad choices.

OK, fine, it's my fault. MY FAULT, OK?

But seriously, that cake was as big as my face - and I have a big face. Good thing I shared it with my coworker or else I would be a goner. (Never mind that by sharing I mean she swapped half of her caramel cheesecake for half of my chocolate cake.)

I think I might need to go take a nap now. It's a good thing we have a "napping chair" here (and by that I mean one of our board members took a nap in a chair here yesterday afternoon).

Office Planter, Bus Work (or Working on the Bus), and Web Comic(s) - But Not in that Particular Order

5/20/08

Dreary drizzly day. Took the 9:05 AM bus into work. Going to Wisconsin next week. Hard to focus on other stuff.

5/21/08

So the sun's out today. That's always nice. Got on the bus, and heard a voice say "Hi Naomi!" Turned around, and there was my coworker. Sat next to her and talked about work and stuff. Let her know how it all works, as I'm passing the torch onto her. I wonder if we can say our workday started at 8:30 (the time we started "talking shop" on the bus)...

*

So, there's a planter in my office, located next to the refrigerator, where a garbage can used to be. People apparently don't look very carefully at it as they pass by, and just dump garbage in the planter. Which then motivated me to make a sign that says:

"This is not so much a garbage can as it is a planter. Thanks for your time."

Wonder if it will work.

*

Also, this is funny (and sometimes how I/all office workers feel - well sort of, but in a bit more twisted way):


toothpastefordinner.com

Also this is definitely me (sometimes):


nataliedee.com

But not today. So don't worry about it!

It's HOT!, plus Riding the Bus

It's definitely in the mid-70's here in Eureka, which is so not like Humboldt County any time of the year. And it's only going to get warmer according to The Weather People.

Yeah, I'm enjoying it. It's funny to hear people "complain" about it though. Maybe their lives are just so good they have nothing else to complain about ... but I sort of doubt it.

So, I have been riding the bus into work in the mornings, which has been truly wonderful, because:
a) I get to read a book instead of fight traffic and/or
b) I get to stare out the window and look at the lovely bay
c) it's actually much cheaper to ride the bus right now than to buy gas that is well over $4 per gallon
d) I'm helping the environment
e) I have a stress free commute (OK, this is similar to reasons "a" and "b", but whatever, I like stress free, OK?)
f) I don't have to try and find a parking spot in downtown Eureka, which is only two-hour parking if there is no spot in the lot, which means I spend all day moving my car around every two hours, which is LAAAAME, plus I have forgotten several times, and a $20 parking ticket is not nice.

So, there it is. Why I love the bus.

But this morning I had one of those, what do you say, Uncomfortable Bus Moments. You know, the ones where you don't know how to act, or not act, what to say, or if you just ignore it altogether.

I went the ignore route.

I don't know if the man in the seat next to me was talking to me, himself, or a tiny cell phone chip implanted in his head, but all of a sudden the relatively normal looking guy I sat down next to starts mumbling angry expletives under his breath. I didn't feel like they were meant for me, especially since when I glanced out the window he stopped and just sat there looking like nothing was going on. I couldn't make out anything that he was saying except the "f-bomb" and the "s-word," but what I could understand is that his tone was very angry.

So, I'm trying to focus on my book, but it's hard. And then I realize that I am actually letting this guy get to me, and I'm feeling really hot in the face, like the feeling you get when someone is yelling at you. So I tell myself, inside my head, of course - otherwise I wouldn't have thought this was weird behavior - that I REFUSE to let this guy get to me, that I REJECT his poison.

It worked. I felt much calmer. I considered putting my ear phones in and listening to some music, but we were getting pretty close to my stop by this point, and I also worried that it might be really obvious if I suddenly whipped out my MP3 player. So, I just ignored the guy.

I don't know how I'm supposed to treat this kind of a thing. Just like I haven't figured out if I'm "supposed to" ignore homeless people or say hi to them. Saying hi to them often gets them following me asking me for money. It makes me feel uncomfortable and guilty. I help when I can, but I worry about getting taken advantage of too. There is quite a drug problem in Humboldt County, and no, I'm not talking about weed. It's hard to differentiate between the honest-hearted down-and-out homeless guy and the tweaker who is just trying to get a fix. And really, who am I to judge anyway? I'm just trying to go to work!

Anyway, I still love the bus either way. And excuse me if I sound naive, which I'm sure I do, but Wisconsin just doesn't have the homeless problem that northern California (all of California?) has. It's not like I have a problem with the homeless people, but I do have a problem with the systems in place that force people to live on the streets and beg for their livelihood. But that rant is for another time.

By the time I got done writing this, the weather increased 10 degrees. It's hot, y'all! My hair is rebelling, i.e. frizzy as all get-out (I don't even know what the phrase "frizzy as all get-out" means). But that rant is for another time too.

California Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

In the California news:

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9269719

California Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage
By Howard Mintz
Mercury News
Article Launched: 05/15/2008 10:11:17 AM PDT

A sharply divided California Supreme Court today legalized same-sex marriage, an historic ruling that will allow gay and lesbian couples across the state to wed as soon as next month and inflame the social, political and moral debate over gay unions.

In a 4-3 ruling written by Chief Justice Ronald George, the Supreme Court struck down California laws that restrict marriage to heterosexual couples, finding that it is unconstitutional to deprive gays and lesbians of the equal right to walk down the aisle with a marriage license in hand.

The California and Massachussetts Supreme Courts are now the only top courts in the country to uphold the right of gay couples to marry.

"The California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples," the court observed in a 121-page decision.

The reaction was immediate.

A spokesman for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom sent a simple e-mail to his press staff: "We won."

The ruling marks a watershed moment in the conflict over gay marriage, with the most influential state Supreme Court in the nation, dominated by Republican appointees, ruling in favor of gay rights advocates in the state with the largest gay population. California was considered a crucial battleground for civil rights groups, which have lost a number of major legal challenges in recent years in other states such as New York, Washington and New Jersey.

The decision is sure to spark a furor that could spill into the ballot box in November, when there is a strong chance voters will be weighing a ballot initiative to change the state Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger previously announced his opposition to the ballot initiative, and reiterated his opposition today.

"I respect the court's decision and as governor, I will uphold its ruling," Schwarzenegger said within minutes of the ruling. "Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."

The three dissenters in today's ruling argued that it should be up to the voters or Legislature to sanction gay marriage, not the courts. A divided state appeals court reached that conclusion in 2006 when it upheld the ban on gay marriage, but that ruling was overturned by today's Supreme Court decision.

Justice Marvin Baxter, in one dissent, warned that the court had overstepped its judicial powers by overturning existing marriage laws.

"There is no deeply rooted tradition of same-sex marriage, in the nation or in this state," Baxter wrote, adding there is no constitutional right to gay marriage "because marriage is, as it always has been, the right of a woman and unrelated man to marry each other."

George was joined in the majority decision by two other Republican justices, Kathryn Mickle Werdegar and Joyce Kennard. Justice Carlos Moreno, the lone Democratic appointee on the court, also joined George's ruling. Baxter, Ming Chin and Carol Corrigan dissented.

The Supreme Court's intervention has been inevitable since February 2004, when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ignited a national outcry by giving same-sex couples the short-lived right to marry at City Hall, a move that attracted lines of couples to City Hall steps each day. The Supreme Court quickly put a halt to Newsom's edict, invalidating thousands of marriage licenses - the justices found that Newsom had overstepped his authority by violating state law, but invited a broad legal challenge to California's ban on gay marriage.

San Francisco city officials, civil rights groups and gay couples then filed a series of lawsuits challenging a state family code section that restricts marriage to heterosexual couples, and also a 2000 voter-approved ballot initiative, Proposition 22, that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The lawsuits argued that the state is denying gay couples equal treatment. One of the leading cases to back their cause was a 60-year-old California Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's ban on interracial marriage, at the time the first such decision in the United States.

California officials have defended the current law, despite the fact that both former Attorney General Bill Lockyer and current Attorney General Jerry Brown do not oppose gay marriage. State lawyers have argued that California's strong domestic partners laws essentially already provide equal benefits to same-sex couples, eliminating the need to tamper with the traditional definition of marriage laws.

Conservative groups opposed to gay marriage have taken a stronger view, arguing that the state has a crucial interest in restricting marriage to heterosexual couples for social cohesion and because they maintain marriage is rooted in procreation. Throughout the court case, they have vowed to turn to the voters if the current laws are overturned, a strategy that has worked in other states.

A San Francisco trial judge initially found the state's gay marriage ban unconstitutional, but that ruling was overturned by the San Francisco-based 1st District Court of Appeal in 2006.

My Favorite Park (in Pictures)

Sometimes there are no words, and then I show pictures. Here is one such time, and I present: Redwood Park, which is only blocks from where I live. This is one of the places I never tire of hiking.