hello,
i've finally got a moment to give a few words. there is a little monthly calendar that i got from work, and it has been getting full. after my australia trip, i've decided to actually start living in seattle instead of seeing where things would take me. its great to be open to change, but when you have been in a place for a year and can't really call it home, something is wrong.
so, my home in seattle:
the place is still looking very empty but it doesn't bother me at all. having an empty living room with a tv for movie nights, a bean bag chair, a dining table without any chairs, and a makeshift work station (to be by the windows to steal internet from the cafe across the street) is a daily reminder of living within my means. i come home, walk inside and say "crap, i don't have much". i'm not trying to fill it with things just because there is space.
on sunday i joined an italian speaking group that meets two times a month. the first meeting was on monday and it was amazing! i have been missing my italian speaking fix. the first thing i did afterwards was put a long list of italian movies on my netflix queue. out of the 6 people there i was the worst speaker but no worries, i'm not trying to win the best-italian-speaker-in-seattle award. the good news was that i understood every single word spoken, and i wasn't translating in my head, i was understanding as it came. the i-need-to-work-on-it news was that my speaking was horrible. verb tenses, vocab, all the filler words, they all disappeared. we'll be working on that.
i have a hanging pot on my balcony now. the great part is that the real construction is going to start on my apartment complex on monday. i didn't really understand the message they posted and i'm not sure what they are going to do exactly, but my guess is that the entire building will be covered in scaffolding. i think that is going to be fun, like living in a giant pillow fort. maybe my hanging plant might not be so happy about it. i'll miss the view from the windows though. i gather its going to take a few months. if thats true, more time at the coffee shops! oh, i hope it doesn't effect the internet connection. i'm holding out as long as possible on that.
i will be attempting to make my own pasta. i now have a rolling pin. i'm not sure what else i need. but a figured a rolling pin was necessary.
the trip to australia was great! i've got pictures to post from it, so i'll wait on the longer explanation. no complaints, but it was more work than play. casey and i used every free moment as best as possible, but it mostly was jam packed with work things. still no complaints. some highlights: getting scraped by a kangaroo (how often does that happen?) who was way taller than i initially thought; climbing trees in an australian gum tree forrest; wake boarding on a man-made, pull-line wake boarding park (much easier to get up and going, incredibly difficult to make the turns without dislocating your shoulders, elbows, wrists, back, and ankles); mixing with the belligerent locals at a pub in alice on a sunday afternoon; scuba diving and petting a nemo fish on the great barrier reef (the cute dive instructor had me sold on the dive the moment we stepped on the boat, dang her sneaky sales tactics); riding a camel! - big fan of camels but would have liked to see what his top speed was. we were going kind of slow. i guess when its listed out like that, there definitely aren't any complaints (it was still exhausting though).
i have worked one year at my office, which means i now make a much less embarrassing salary. i feel like things are more in line with the work i produce. also i moved into a shared office with my groups manager. she is only in two days a week, so its just me the other three. i really like working with her so all the days should be great.
kickball is still sweet. the last game we played was the most fun of this season. our team was really interacting and the other team was rad, so the whole game was fun. there isn't a winter kickball season, but the other team invited us to some winter for-fun pickup games. absolutely, i'm up for that. theres something about playing outside in the winter and getting the cold hands and runny nose. its a good part of life.
invite a friend to dinner night has been going really well. i couldn't find an available friend for last weeks meal, mostly because of my more full schedule. the challenge has been the vegetarian meals but everyone seems to enjoy the picnic style seating on our living room floor.
bring cinammon rolls to a neighbor night has been a bit tougher. theres a very small window of time to deliver baked goods to a stranger, and thats assuming that they are home (my guess is from 7:45pm to 8:35pm is the best time). not going to give up on this one though. i think it will get easy as we come into fall/winter; i'm hoping more people will be home in the evenings.
personally, things are so much better. i feel more whole now. i got a book about abandonment that actually christiana recommended. and although it was a bit hard to read, there was one sentence that was exactly what i needed. part of me does want her to feel like she has missed out (its a bit immature, but still, somewhere in my head, that thought does exist). and the book says that a certian type of anger is good and: the best revenge is success. which i think is great because its helping me get back to focusing on life and living the best i can. eventually that need for revenge will fade away and in its place will be a full exciting life. i'm already feeling different over the last month with more thoughts on possibilities of life than on the all consuming thought of how i was hurt. i wish her her own success, and in the meantime i will live my life to the fullest i possibly can.
so happy overcast seattle day! theres a fall, crisp feeling to the air and i'm getting excited about all of the trees changing colors. the hooded sweatshirt is back out but not quite the wool socks. maybe next month.
chad.
