+ .The.Dreamwalker. +
+ .The.Reverie. +
+ .Contact. +
+ .The.Dreamwalker. +
+ .Dreamers.Odyssey. +
+ .The.Extras. +
+ .Past.Updates. +
+ Mood: Mellow & Anxious
+ Listening: "Touch The Sky" by 29 Palms VIA Sirius Internet Radio
Are any of my friends journaling on Live Journal? I am seriously considering starting a journal there.
BTW, if you are interested in more information about the garden we visited this last week you can visit his website located here: http://trwelch.com
I've been in school for four weeks now, and I am just beside myself of how wonderful it has been so far. Everything from my teacher to my classmates to everything we are studying to the fieldtrips have been a true inspiration.
Our class has kind of split into two groups. There are the three guys who are 17 - 18 and the two young girls who are around 22. And then women who are 40+. I'm kind of the odd person out when it comes to age. lol! Anyway, I was telling my mom about some of the people I have become friends with. Many are mothers who have decided to go back to school and eventually follow a career now that their children are either in school or old enough that they do not need to be around for them all the time. Others are mothers who have decided to change careers. My mother told me she was not suprised. Not that I related to being a mother because I don't, but I have always been mature for my age. I am one of the few people who went from being a young kid to an adult. I was never a teenager. I never hated my parents or the world, or believed everything was unfair. I never hung out with the groups of kids who tried to make everyone else feel bad about themselves. I was never overly silly or engaged in gross jokes. I almost never demanded for expensive items/clothing or money. I made friends with the mid-age to elderly people in my neighborhoods and was there to help them in any way I could. The first person I made friends with in class was a 40-year-old mother of two high schoolers who has been working as a dentist assistant for over 20 years. Friday, a group of six of us decided to take a brisk walk around the campus because the only time we were actually getting exercise was during crew time, the rest of the time we are mostly sitting or standing still. This was when I discovered who my group of friends are. And honestly, I love it. :)
Darla, the woman I ride to school with, told Don about a yard in my neighborhood that has Hardy Cyclamens living within a lawn. Don laughed, he was taken back by this, he had never heard of such a thing. I told him I would take a picture of it to show him. lol! If you know anything about Hardy Cyclamens you would understand why we found this weird.
Have a good weekend! Take care! And GO BO'SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
+ Mood: Sleepy...
+ Listening: Doomed on SomaFM
Hi! :) Yeah, it's been longer than a week. I find myself busier and busier...and when I do have time to relax, I'm tried or unmotivated to update...
Sorry.
I just finished outlining a section from my botany book on leaves. So I thought I would sit down and update T-R and try not to fall asleep at the keyboard. lol
Things at school have kind of settled into a groove. So, breaking down every day seems a little pointless...
It basically goes...Monday > botany and walk around to ID the current week's plants. Tuesday > crew starts as soon as we get there. Crew generally lasts from 9am until noon with a 15 minute break thrown in there. After crew, we go through our ID sheets and conversate about each plant and what makes them unique. Wednesday > field trip day! we are generally gone until noon, then we talk about the ID plants we did not get to the previous day.
Thursday > crew day, then we talk about the pruning, and pests and diseases that can ruin our current ID plants. Friday > plant ID quiz day...which happens as soon as we get to class...then we get to sit and watch a botany video hosted by David Attenborough. Finally we do a "walk around" and Chris introduces us to next week's plants.
Chris mentioned that we will be learning how to make wreaths in November! :) I'm actually pretty excited about that! Should be fun! Chris said he makes wreaths that would make Martha Stewart jealous. LMAO! Chris is such a character.
Today, wednesday, we went to Terry Welch's garden. :) It was amazing! It's like a Japanese garden and western garden meshed together. I have a couple of pictures from his garden on my Flickr site, if you are interested in seeing a little piece of it. The garden is 30 arcers, and we only had an hour, so again we were rushed. I kept wanting to stay and actually set up my photos, but Don was insisting we keep moving, so unfortunately most of my shots are just point and shoot. =P But it was a fantastic experience!
Have a good rest of the week. I will try very hard to blog this weekend! Take care!
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
+ Mood: Sore...
+ Listening: "Broken" by Lifehouse (Who We Are)
Monday we did botany again. Interesting stuff, but I had no idea there were going to be so many new terms I had to learn with this field. In some ways it feels like I am learning a whole new language. We then went to the greenhouses and did more propagation. The mother plants were fairly easy to root a new plant from… We did an ivy, a begonia, a couple of African violets, a jade, and a pepperomia. We get to take home any of the plants that root and survive. Which is really cool! :) In the afternoon we did learn our next batch of plants we had to learn and ID.
Aesculus x carnea
Chrysanthemum species
Clematis armandii
Clematis cultivars
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’
Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’
Salix alba ‘Tristis’
Tilia cordata
Buddleia davidii
Tuesday, we started out with an all class weeding session. Yay! Lol! All of us were horded out into the arboretum and learned how to successfully pull weeds. It was actually a good time to get to know people as we were chatting it up while ripping some nasty looking undesirables out of the ground. Chris was also teaching people how to flame weed if they wanted to know. After an hour of weeding, the Arboretum looked a hell of a lot better. It had been five weeks since anyone had done any weeding there and it showed. After the weeding, the arboretum crew (the group I am on) learned how to mulch. Lol! So I spent an hour weeding, then an hour mulching with organic “arborist chips”. I was so tired and sore after it. I’ve never honestly done any serious weeding. And I have never mulched before.
Wednesday we went to the Bellevue Botanical Garden. It is such a beautiful place! They had all these different gardens with various conditions…such as an Alpine garden, a shade garden, a Japanese garden…and so on. It was fun to look at all the different plants and find ones that we actually recognized. Several of us got excited when we were able to ID the Dawn Redwood from last week’s ID sheets. I took some photos of the garden, but they didn’t turn out all that hot considering we only had an hour and we had to concentrate on the plants, so I had no real time to set up to get any decent shots. Chris drives one of the carpool vans. He told us he always follows the van Don is driving because he does get lost lots of the time, but then we had a good laugh because somehow Chris managed to beat Don to the gardens.
Thursday, it was crew time again. It was raining and muddy, but we still had to go out and clean up the front of the arboretum and greenhouses since it’s been a while since anyone has worked on that area and we had our first plant sale the next day. I got involved in pulling a rather unhappy Yew out of the ground. It wasn’t dead, but it had yellow needles (but the new growth was green). Chris wanted me at first to chop it down to the trunk and see if it would sprout back, but then he decided later to just yank it out completely. It was heavily rooted into a tiny spot, so it took both Chris and I to get it out. The arboretum crew cleaned out the creeping buttercup, snapped back the Clematis, ripped weeds out of the ground, sheet mulched, reapplied gravel to the path and when we were all done everyone in the class couldn’t get over how nice it looked. Lol! It’s nice to get instant results!
Friday, we had our second quiz. I’m not so sure how I did on it. I’ll find out my grade on it on Monday. I think I did ok, but I’m not totally sure. =P We had our first (fall) plant sale that day. It was pouring down rain by the time we opened for people to come buy. Which I think made a dent in how many people might have showed up. A lot of the plants were purchased by students and faculty. The Hort class gets a 20% discount. Which is really cool! :) I was fighting a sore back the entire day, so I spent much of the day sitting and propagating fuchsias. =P
I ride the bus to and from school, and I was waiting at the bus stop, when I looked up and saw a familiar face coming towards me. I never see anyone from my class riding the bus, but Nao was clearly coming to ride the bus. I asked him about it and he said he normally rides his bike, but it was so wet today, he had ridden the bus to LWTC. He had to ride out to Bothell to transfer to a bus to take him to Woodinville. Nao is such a sweetheart. He genuinely wants to talk to you, see how you are doing and get to know you. He’s only been in the USA since December. He’s been taking English courses, but he has decided he wants to pursue a career in Landscape Architecture!
Next week we have to learn ELEVEN plants instead of the previous two weeks we learned only eight. Five of those eleven are oaks! I am hoping I can figure out how to separate all those oaks in my head! Sheesh!
Thank you to everyone who has commented on my blog! It means a lot to me! I hope you have a good week!
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
Environmental Horticulture is broken up into two groups. One group starts at 7am (goes until 12pm). The other starts at 9am (goes until 1:50pm). I am in the latter. I was surprised how small the 9am group was when I first walked in to class. We have twelve students. The professor that teaches the 7am group, Don, has been teaching the course since it was first transferred to Lake Washington Technical College. He was actually with LWTC before the course was even there. Chris, who teaches the 9am group, actually took the course from Don five years ago and is now teaching the second group. I was nervous entering school for the first time in several years, but our professor was quick to try to get us to get to know one another -- he knows from past experience that the first day of class is nerveracking for a lot of students. We were supposed to tell the class some things about ourselves along with an interesting fact. The first thing that popped into my head was that I was named after a plant. I told them I was named after the “Oregon Grape”…my name is “Mahonia”. I also mentioned my sister’s is named after the Twin Flower. Because of the business that Chris is in, he is one of the few guys that can actually appreciate it. The entire course runs four quarter. Students can apparently start at the beginning of any of these quarters (fall, winter, spring, summer), but it is set up for students to start it in the fall and finish summer of the following year. My group has two people that started in the spring quarter so they are going for one more quarter. The first week was a little overwhelming. Someone had told me they were going to keep us very busy, but when Chris started talking. Your first reaction is “whoa!”. The first day, Chris talked about his goal for us. What they wanted us to get out of this course. Orientation stuff. And it became apparent Chris doesn’t like to talk for long stretches of time. He gave us a list and had us go outside to look at the first plants we were going to have to identify for the fall quarter. We learn eight each week and then we must ID them from samples of the plant every Friday. Our first eight was: Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ We had to learn how to pronounce, spell and identify all of these. It seemed a little overwhelming at first, but we spent so much time looking at and saying the names of the plants it was easy to remember them by Friday. I already knew what a Ginkgo was. They are such distinct and very cool looking trees, but I didn’t know that they are the oldest species of tree on the earth! They were around when the dinosaurs roamed the earth! And they are so distinct that they are the ONLY member of their family unlike say the Rosa family that has many many many members to their family. Chris was telling us when he first took the course he didn’t even know what a rose leaf looked like. I was shocked. After our morning break, we went up to the portables at the back of the school next to the green houses and met up with the 7am group. This group was huge! Together we are thirty large. Then we were all taken into one of the green houses and shown how to propagate fuchsias. Then we broke up into groups of two or three and began propagating a fuchsia. I personally have never been found of fuchsias, but it will be interesting to see how many new plants we get out of the mother plant we worked from. It was interesting to see the all the students together. It was overwhelmingly women, which isn’t a big surprise, but there were about twelve guys. A couple of them looking a little out of place, but you quickly learned that it was their choice to be there. Tuesday, Chris took his group out to tour the school. He showed us the native plants and the history of the some of the green areas around the buildings. I had gone to school here before, but never toured the school like this before. I had everything I needed in the East building, so I stayed right around there. I was surprised how big the land was that the school was built upon and how big the green buffers were on the edges. The school is currently working on revamping areas of the landscape…breaking it of its drug habit as Don stated it. Before two years ago, the school used a ton of chemicals, mostly pesticides. Now, they were very close to being all green. They were also in the process of ripping out all the ivy and much of the 70s landscape that was put in when the school was built. We ended up at the Northern entrance/exit of the school during our tour and he pointed out what happens when you plant things in places they do not like. They happen to be Mahonias and then came the jokes. I realized then, I was going to have to get use to this every time we talked about a Mahonia species. Chris stared mentioning “crews” which of course I had no idea what he was talking about. But on Tuesday, when we met up with Don’s (the 7am) group, the professors started to explain what the crews were. There are four crews. Don and Chris each lead one. The third is led by the TA who apparently does everything for the classes that Don and Chris can’t find time for. And the final group is led by the woman who was hired to head the revamp of the school landscape. Chris leads the Arboretum crew. Don leads the Flower and Garden Show crew. The TA leads the greenhouse crew. And the landscape woman leads the landscape crew. We could pick the crew we wanted to be on. I picked the Arboretum crew. Oddly enough, it was the crew that most guys signed up for. Lol! We have six guys and three girls, not counting Chris. I love the Arboretum. It is such a nice quiet, private little place when you don’t have the thirty-two people of our course waltzing through it. Don and Chris use it as the place to teach us the plants we must ID for the course. I was excited to see we had a nice redwood in the middle of the Arboretum. I can’t remember the last time I actually saw a live redwood. Our crew learned how to summer prune that day. I honestly had never seriously pruned anything in my life. Lol! The Arboretum crew is supposed to maintain the Arboretum. The last part of the day, Chris sent us out to collect samples from each of the plants we were IDing the first week. We collected them in jars. I went to the break room (which right by the greenhouses) to add water to my jar. Don, the TA and the woman who does the landscapes, were hanging out in the room when I entered. I asked them were I could add water to my jar and Don directed me to the small restroom just around the corner. I filled the jar and headed back outside when Don called after me asking me if I found the water ok. I said yes and thank them. Don then asked me what my name was. I told him it was “Mahonia”. A big grin broke out over his face. The TA told me I was the first one to sign up for this fall quarter and when she saw my name come through on the internet she got really excited. She told me to tell Don what my sister’s name was. I told him she was named after the Twin Flower, her name is “Linnaea”. Don just couldn’t believe it. He became very energized about it. He asked if my parents were plant geeks. I said “well, my mother is”. It’s not my dad’s thing. Wednesday was our introduction to Botany. This botany section is the straight forward way of learning it without all the real scientific stuff thrown in. Chris started by teaching us what many of the terms are for the different physical parts of a vegetative plant. Then took us out into the school landscape to show us what we just learned on several living plants. Including how to tell how a woody plant is without looking at the inner trunk rings of say a tree. We then met up with Don’s group, broke up into small groups and got three separate orientations…about the Arboretum, the greenhouses, and how the plant ID quizzes were going to work. The woman who was doing to orientation for the quizzes use to work as Don’s and Chris’s TA until she had to retire because of health issues. When I sat down in the classroom to learn about the quizzes, the first thing that came out of her mouth was directed right at me. “Are you Mahonia?” I stared at her caught from a very unguarded angle. I told her yes. And suddenly in my mind I could just hear Don telling her about me. Thursday we again broke into our crews. The Arboretum crew went around and decided what the most pressing matters to work on were. Since the Arboretum doesn’t get consistent maintenance (only the hort class works on it) it was looking rather overgrown and weedy. Chris told us that even though he knew hundreds of plant names both botanical and common names, for some reason it takes him at least a week to learn his new students’ names. He passed out name tag for everyone to write their names on, but when he stopped in front of me, I looked at him and asked him if he really needed help remembering my name. He had mentioned on the first day when we were introducing ourselves that he would never forget my name. He laughed and said no. He knows who I am. And so does everyone else, for that matter. It’s been talked about enough. Lol! After school, I went and got an updated teanus booster. Damn, I forgot how much those hurt! They added the whooping cough vaccination with it too. And I don’t know if that caused it to hurt more…but after three days, I am STILL sore. Though, it didn’t help that I aggravated it even more when I got out of the van on Friday. Friday, we finally took our first quiz. I was really nervous about the spelling of the botanical names. I knew Don and Chris wanted them spelled correctly, and believe me spelling has never been a strong for me. But the quiz seemed to go well, and when I got home that night, I checked LWTC’s website and discovered I got a 97 (out of 100)! Yay! We went on our first field trip that day. We went to a private garden out in Bothell. You would never know it was there if you drove by, but it is an amazing place! The woman went through the course ten years ago and is now working as a landscape designer and a creator of container gardens. Her garden was like a giant container garden. I loved the Irish Moss she had all over the left part of the path. Her garden was so colorful, but it mostly concentrated on textures and colors in the vegetation rather than flowers. She did have flowers though, but since flowers only last for a short time, she decided to do mostly vegetation instead. It was so inspiring to see what you can do with a lot that was basically nothing four years ago and then it turn into this eye candy garden. So as you see, it was a busy first week! I love the course, I love my teachers! It is all so awesome! Though, it is nice to have Saturday and Sunday just to relax and recoup. Lol! I have decided that I will blog only on the weekends, but I will update you with little things on Twitter. So if you are interested. Stop by my Twitter page to see my updates! [ lingering]
+ Mood: Blah...
+ Listening: Drone Zone on SomaFM
Euonymus japonicus culivars
Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’
Ginkgo biloba
Larix deciduas ‘Pendula’
Rosa culivars
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Stewartia pseudocamellia
[Plugs: Mara]
Part of the obituary for my neighbor. It was really nice, I had to share it... Len was born on February 10, 1918 in rural Pennsylvania, the first child of Russian immigrants. After living a full, rich life as an inspiration to his family, friends, colleagues and students, Len succumbed to pancreatic cancer on September 12, 2008. Len volunteered to serve his country in the United States Army during WWII. For his efforts and acts of heroism he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for valor. He returned home after the war and began to pursue his passion – teaching. After receiving his Masters of Science in Education from Columbia University, he moved his family to the Pacific Northwest and ultimately earned his PhD from the University of Washington. Len’s early teaching years were spent in the Seattle Public Schools. He first worked in the Central Office, and then continued to positively impact students, families and teachers as Vice Principal of Alexander Hamilton Junior High, and as Principal at R.H. Thompson Junior High. In 1968, the family moved to Bellingham, Washington when Len accepted a professorship in the Department of Education at Western Washington State College. While there, he continued to inspire many to pursue a career in Education. Len had a once-in-a-generation personality. His rare blend of humility and humor, charm and charisma, interpersonal intelligence and passion for life are well known. He believe the way to change the world for the better was to create thoughtful and productive citizens – and that is exactly what Len achieved as an educator and a patriarch. It has been said that we reach for success while standing on the shoulders of giants. Len was one of those giants. Those who knew and loved Len are so grateful for his “shoulders”, which held them up, through love and support, so that they could reach for their dreams and continue his legacy.
+ Mood: Mellow...
+ Listening: Drone Zone on SomaFM
+ Mood: Nervous...
+ Listening: "Down To Earth" by Peter Gabriel (WALL•E O.S.T.)
+ Doing: Updating...
I went to Mt. Rainier in the middle of August with my aunt, Deb and my youngest cousin, Hannah. It was a very fun trip. I forgot how long the drive is from my place to The Mountain, though. It's six hours round trip! That's a long time, especially when you have a ten year old in the back of the car. We couldn't have had better weather! We went to Paradise which is located on the southside of The Mountain. It is the most popular spot at Mt. Rainier National Park. We were practically tripping over people. It didn't help that the lodge had just opened in April from years of being under construction. Much of the people were there to see it or stay at it. They were also in the middle of building a new visitors center which took out a lot of the parking lot. They are replacing the one that was built in the 70's that looks like a flying saucer.
It's hard not to be in awe when you come to Mt. Rainier. It's worth the long drive just to sit and take in everything around you...even with all the people swarming every where you turn. The mountains here had so much snow last winter that there was still snow layed over the steps to the trail by the parking lot. The wild flowers were just about in full bloom. I love painted lady brush.
I was amazed how much paved trail there was. And I wonder just how they got the concrete up that far. We hiked the Alta Vista Trail until it met up with the Skyline Trail. Which was a nasty climb. It wasn't that long but it felt like it went straight up. When you are at this altitude, it doesn't matter if it's 65F it feels like 80 in the sun. We ultimately did about about six miles of good hiking.
This is probably my favorite photo of the day (above). I love how the cloud was hugging the side of The Mountain.
This is "Myrtle Falls" (below). A VERY popular photo spot. Everyone wanted their picture taken in front of it. Guess, I can't blame them, but standing around waiting for them to clear out took some patience. I couldn't get the base of the waterfall because we were so close to it and it was underneath us. So I couldn't get back far enough to get Rainier and the entire falls.
This is Upper Myrtle Falls (below). This shot was taken from the bridge that you can see in the previous picture. Crossing that bridge is not for people who suffer from acrophobia, even for people not afraid of heights it can make you nervous, the side the falls is at least a hundred foot or more and there are no railings on either side of the bridge.
More shots from that trip can be located on my Flickr site.
Of course I ended up with a nasty headache at the end of the hike. Consistant bright sunlight and my prescription glasses don't mix. I had to take them off and wear my pair of cheap sunglasses...but of course I'm very blind without them. I finally got my self a pair of decent sunglasses on my trip to the San Juan Islands.
forever Dreaming,[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
+ Mood: Anxious...
+ Listening: "New Years End" by God Is An Astronaut (Far from Refuge)
+ Doing: Updating...
This morning I was looking through the obituaries for my neighbor who died on Friday. The family hasn't published one for him yet, but I got a real shock to the system. There was a obituary for a girl I use to know. She was a ball girl for the Seattle Mariners for five years because she had a special talent for linguistics allowing her to help the Spanish players with their English and cultural skills. She was visiting Jordan when she was killed in a tragic car accident. We only met once, but she was such a sweet girl and a really talented artist. She drew a picture of Alex Rodriguez for me back when he was with the M's. It's such sad news. She was only 29.
forever Dreaming,
+ Mood: Eh...
+ Listening: "Darkfall" by God Is An Astronaut (Far from Refuge)
+ Doing: Blogging...
I have to admit anyone who goes and opens up their own competition is brave. I've always shyed away from the idea because I know it's going to be so stressful. It's like opening up your own floral shop, the idea is really exciting, but it's so hard on your mental and physical health. After watching Aurora with HnS I knew I wouldn't ever want to open my own. I'm probably just not ambitious enough. I wish so badly that Dreamers Odyssey does well. I know L.B. does. lol! This is her chance to shine.
Wow! God Is An Astronaut is so good! I am a fan! Thank you so much Radio Paradise for turning me onto them!!! I have three of their albums now. I'm looking for their debut album, which I am going to try the local music store since iTunes doesn't have it.
Got Twitter? Look me up @ twilightrain.
forever Dreaming,[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
+ Mood: Sad...
+ Listening: "Finish It" by Clint Mansell (The Fountain O.S.T.)
+ Doing: Blogging...
I got some very bad news the day I got home from my vacation. My neighbor's husband had gone to the hospice. They had given him 24 - 48 hours. At 90 years of age, he lost his battle against cancer 2:00 Friday. I am beside myself. It's hard to believe he's gone. It is so sad. The world has just lost a great man. A man I wished I had gotten to known sooner in his life. He was a college professor, a primary and jr high school principal, a WWII veteran, but most of all he was a sweet, caring man that you just don't find any more. I will miss him deeply. I was blessed just to know him.
As for my trip to the San Juan Islands, here are a few photos I took...more to come soon! Promise!
I went and see "Burned After Reading" on Saturday. Weird movie. But then again it is by the Coen Brothers. I've finally come to realize I don't think much of their movies. Though, Brad Pitt was HILARIOUS in it. His parts were definately my favorite.
I also joined Twitter. If you have an account, please look me up,
twilightrain.
[ lingering]
[Plugs: Linda | Mara]
+ Mood: Excited & Anxious...
+ Listening: "So What" by P!nk
+ Doing: Blogging...
OK - So laugh at me. I feel like such a dork. I just got my first cellphone on Friday. Yep, you read it right. My FIRST cellphone. I've been playing around with it as I do with all my new "toys". I love the fact that I can add my own pictues to the wallpaper. I also got a "Joby Gorrillapod" for my camera. I love this thing. It is so cool! It's a tripod, but it it has legs that can bend and rotate in any direction allowing you to place it quickly on uneven surfaces or even wrap it around a railing or tree trunk! And the thing is as sturdy as hell. It holds the camera as still as any other good tripod can! I can't wait to try it out on my trip!!
I'll tell you all about my trip when I get back. And yes you know me, I'll have lots and lots of pictues!
See you Thursday!
forever Dreaming,[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
+ Mood: Eh...
+ Listening: "Anyone Else But You" by Michale Cera & Ellen Page (Juno O.S.T.)
+ Doing: Updating...
It's weird. I was so heavily involved with Midnight Lair over at Heart-n-Soul. Now I just feel lost. Displaced almost. I loved being an ATL to Linda (Lady Nyte Myst) but because of I am starting school in September I won't have time to be her assistant anymore, and when school starts I probably will be so busy I will be glad I am not having to stress out over TL duties, but right now, I feel left out while everyone else is working on Dreamers Odyssey. Linda has a new TL, and God knows I love Lola, but I still feel like I've been evicted...fired and someone took over my place. I'm sure this has to do with the fact that Linda and I have a very close relationship and it feels like someone stepped in and pushed me out. LOL! OK, I am obviously envious of Lola. Silly, I know. I'll get over it, I know I will, but right now...I feel like I have an empty hole that I can't fill. I can't wait for the Spirit Fights to start. THEN I won't feel left out...I'll feel like I'm part of the staff, again. Though, one of our staff members has already gone on LOA, so there's a good chance I'm going to end up being a back up for doing scores. Yahay! Everyone knows I HATE doing scores. lol! I don't know why, but I do.
I shouldn't even be on here...the computer I mean. I'm nursing my stupid wrist again. I'm not even sure why it's hurting this time. I haven't spent a lot of time performing anything tedious that would aggravate it...such as typing, writing, or pushing weight against my palm. Probably slept on it funny...
Small update... I updated my links page... I cleared out the dead links and added new links that I have found interesting.
forever Dreaming,[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
+ Mood: Sad...
+ Listening: "Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac (Tao Of Sound Remix)" by Ahn Trio (Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac)
+ Doing: Updating...
I purchased some more space from my host. I was running out of room. lol! Now I can add something that I've been wanting to. I did add my one-stop vote back. Not that that's any big deal considering I'm probably only going to have two links at any one time. I am planning to add a spirit section.
My neighbor is 90. He has always been mentally acute and upbeat, but it seems like the moment he was diagnosed with cancer, he's been going down hill very very fast. He's lost the joy he had in life. He's so tried he can't keep up the conversations that he had with me. He was a very smart man and kind man. He use to tell me things that no one else would... Things about how precious a person I was to him. Things that would make me cry. (I swear I always cry when people say sweet things about me...and still do not know why.) He was a college professor and a high school principle. I find myself wishing I had known him when he was much younger. He's aways in pain, and he can barely move anyway any more. And it hurts to see him in so much agony. I guess when you out live everything else, inevitably it comes down to cancer.
Well, the Tofino plans fell through...but I think we are going to go to Orcas Island (San Juan Islands). I've been there once before and I loved it so much! I am so excited to go back! I just fell in love with the ferry ride up to Orcas! It is such a beautiful trip. I'll tell you more about it when I get back.
I purchased the first season of Burn Notice! Man, I love that show! I realized I had not see the Pilot. Which was interesting to see after seeing all the other episodes. I finally got to see where Michael was when he got "burned". I was shocked to see his mom (Sharon Gless) had shoulder length hair in that episode! She had a different hair cut for ONE episode. lol! I get so annoyed when USA forces Burn Notice into a break while they play the USA Tennis Open. I don't give a damn about tennis! That and summer TV series are so short! It's so unfair! The first season of Burn Notice was only ELEVEN episodes compared to the average of TWENTY-FOUR you get for a fall series. And Burn Notice only has TWO episodes left this season and then I have to wait until July to see it again?? UGH!
Anyway, Prison Break is starting Labor Day. It has to start early because it's a FOX show and they break in Late September, early October to do the MLB post season. I think I'm going to root for the White Sox this year. I have to root for Ken Griffey Jr.! I'm so happy he's back in the American League! I miss that guy. UGH! I wonder what the M's will look like next season...they can't be any worse then they are this season. Wow!
OK - So Obama convinced me last night to vote for him. I was still reeling from Hilary losing to him, but I have to admit, last night he convinced me to give him a chance.
Did you notice?? This is the longest I've ever stuck with a layout! Haha! Amazon.com say this game (the one this dude that is on my layout is in) is going to be out in December. Riiiiiiiiight! I don't think so. I just say more recent screen grabs from the game and rumor has it they're playing with this outfit again. lol! He was seen in a very nice black simple suit. Hmm... When was the last time a FINAL FANTASY character actually wore a suit and tie?? I don't think EVER! lmao! I think this game is at least a half a year off from being released in the states, it hasn't even hit the Japanese market yet! And what's this rumor about a FFVIII sequel? I'm all for it, but Square-Enix is so busy with TWO FFXIII and there are still rumors floating around about a FFVII remake. I wish they would get off the FFVII obsession already. Yeah, it was a good game, but ENOUGH already! I would love to see a remake of FFVIII, but I don't think there's enough there to make a sequel, but if they do and Squall is in it...you know I will buy it. lol! There's rumors about a Kingdom Hearts 3, too. I've seen images of Zack with Roxas. Hmm... Yay for Roxas... Enough already for Zack. lol
Have a good weekend!
forever Dreaming,[ lingering]
[Plugs: Mara]
+ Mood: Annoyed...
+ Listening: "Fragile" by God Is an Astronaut (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
+ Doing: Updating...
I can't wait to go to school. Get out...get away...do something that looks like it's going to be fun. Meet some new people. Hopefully, I can launch a career from this Environmental Horticulture class. I just need something new in my life...
I've been working on this novel for several years and it truly is amazing how much work it is. I think it's because I took on a lot more than I should have for a first novel. The characters have become so complex...their pasts alone are so challenging. I think I have too much going on in the story, too and too many characters. It's also very tough to write a story when you are as terrible at vocabulary as I am. However, the writing has helped me with that and with my typing skills. I have learned a lot from studying for this book and it has opened up some interests that I wish I had when I was younger. Like astronomy, now I would have loved to study that in school, but my brain is incompetent when it comes to science. I've decided I'm going to write this book for me. I'm certainly not going to share it with my parents. I think it would shock them...it's definately a different side of me that I think no one knows exists. lmao!
I'm excited for the opening of the new web site competition I am going to be involved with. I'm going to miss being a team leader, Linda told me she's going to really miss me being her partner in crime. That makes me feel really good. I wasn't even a TL for a year and she expresses how much she enjoyed having me an assistant. I signed T-R up to compete on her team. I don't expect much because I'm not really VEing anymore, but it's important to me to stay on her team. I hope this competition does well and grows! L.B. and I are going to have a lot of fun running the spirit fights. We get to play all the time while the other TLs work. lmao!
Nothing against LOST, Ugly Betty, or Prison Break -- I love them all -- but I think I've found my favorite show...Burn Notice. It's just the most freakin' cool show out there on television right now. The story is so well written and humor in it is perfect. I love Michael's narration, you learn a lot just watching the show.
I have a strong suspicion Prison Break's last season is starting this September, sometimes it really feels like that show doesn't know where it is going. I'm keeping my fingers cross that it finishes well and doesn't just fade off like many shows do.
And where is LOST going? Who the hell knows? I think only the writers can answer that one...maybe... lol!
As for Betty... I just have two words... PICK GIO!!!
BTW, my cousin and aunt absolutely loved WALL•E! I am definately going to buy that for them for Christmas!
Have a good week!
forever Dreaming,
+ Mood: Lazy...
+ Listening: "When Everything Dies" by God Is an Astronaut (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
+ Doing: Updating...
Thanks to Radio Paradise (a very diverse free online radio station) I discovered this group called "God Is an Astronaut". And they are sooo good. I have been looking for this kind of music for a long time. They do a mixture of rock and electronic, but it's purely instrumental. It's truly amazing stuff, IMO. I purchased their entire album called "All Is Violent, All Is Bright".
My aunt, 10-year-old cousin and I went to Mt. Rainier National Park on Wednesday. We went to Paradise which is located on the south side of the mountain and is probably their most popular destination. We couldn't have had better weather, though it was really hot in the sun. I got some really nice photographs. I am so glad I decided to invest in a polarizer, those things are awesome! They are the only way to go when you are shooting landscapes, especially water and/or blue sky. The annoying thing was that there were a hell of a lot of people there and they were constantly walking right in front of you when you were trying to photograph.
The M's are trying to trade Raul Ibanez because he's at the end of his contract and he's red hot in hitting right now. Raul is my favorite player, hands down, and I truly feel if they trade Raul, the M's are going to finally push me away from them. They are a horridly bad team right now, and Raul was really the only reason I was still paying attention to them. They trade Raul and I am going to walk away from the M's at least for the end of the season. He's a sweet guy and a brilliant player and the M's can't afford to lose him. They just can't.
I went and saw The Dark Knight again with my father two weekends ago and it was interesting to compare the two viewings, especially the audience. The first time I went to see it at the IMAX, which is really the only way to see a movie...the sound and image is top notch. We saw it at a "regular" theater the second time. The crowd seemed more into it at the second viewing and everyone laughed so hard when Joker made the pencil disappear off the table. This movie was so good that even the guy who was a couple of years younger than me and talking through much of the film was utterly shocked when Commissioner Gordon was shot. Even after three weeks, the movie was still selling out every showing...
My aunt and I are taking my cousin to see WALL•E tomorrow. I am sure she will love it, but my aunt is so protective of her daughter. I hope nothing offends her. lolI got some horrible news last week...my good friend and neighbor who is 90 years old has been diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas, which as I understand it is fatal no matter what age you are, but they can't even attempt treatment on him because of his age because the treatment alone would kill him. Yes, he is 90 and that's very old, but it's still very hard to hear. He's that grandfather I never had and wish so much I had.
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
+ Mood: Anxious...
+ Listening: "First Sleep" by Cliff Martinez (Solaris Soundtrack)
+ Doing: Updating...
Yes - I haven't updated this site in forever, it seems. So here's an update for you! lol! I've reworked the pages, again. I'm thinking this site would do best as a blog site, since I'm not sure what else to do with it. *sigh* (Now if only I can remember to update it more frequently! Ha!) I've decided I'm going to give L.B./Kai most of the space since she's way more active at her site than I am with mine.
Since Heart-n-Soul closed, I joined the few staffers from HnS that decided to open a new competition. Kai and I will be running a section called "Illusion Underground" which is going to be a lot of fun! Stay tune for details!
I just got my first passport! It's kinda cool having one of those! The government said I would get it in four weeks...I got it in two! Whoa! I didn't know the government moved that fast for anything. Anyway - I am going to Vancouver Island in September! I'm really excited about it! From all the pictures I have seen it looks amazing up there! Can't wait to get the camera out and shoot!!!
I've also decided to go back to school in September. I'm going to try out a class for Environmental Horticulture. I think it could be a lot of fun. Though, I am really anxious about it...
Oh - I saw both WALL•E and The Dark Knight recently. OMG! I loved WALL•E soooo much!!! I want to see it again so badly! The Dark Knight was a good movie, though I wouldn't recommend it for everyone it was dark and violent...more so than Batman Begins. Not graphic violent, but a lot of dark suggestive violence. Heath Ledger was amazing in it! I hope the Academy recognizes that! He deserves an Oscar! He had some very good lines and some very funny scenes - but at the end, I cried for it finally hit me...Heath is truly gone...
Rest in Peace, Heath... We miss you!
forever Dreaming,
Azaria
+ .Credits. +
![Dani [Chansu]](affiebt1.png)
![Linda [Linda's Haunted Halloween]](affiebt2.png)
![Erica [PoohLilly's Garden]](affiebt3.png)
![Nancy [Tis Soon The Season]](affiebt4.png)
![Kai/LB [Cherry Bomb]](affiebt5.png)