get yer kicks in the 206

I'll dwell on the negatives later. be assured of that.
for now, in no particular order, that which I will miss about seattle:
-my job.
-bare pavement in winter.
-the ferries, even if I rarely ride them. I like knowing they're there.
-proximity to actual ocean.
-slothing about at, +/- using the toilets at, elliott bay book co.
-legal stuff that's not legal everywhere, yet.
-nice Augusts.
-my lair. lairs. I've had the fortune to live in some pretty cool places here.
-sometimes the Earnest Liberal Crap (hereafter known as ELC) here, and the relentless sociological hand-wringing, is rather endearing. Seattle is an ecosystem of People Trying Harder, Yet Poorly. and hey, I'm part of the problem, so fuck it.
-proximity to Canada, for those politeness/ketchup Pringles/km signs needs. god, I love Canada.
-excellent restaurants and bars.
-excellent live music.
-Volunteer Park.
-fucking frites. holy shit.
-Century Ballroom.
-walking to work.
-all the goddamn snarkiness.
-deep-fried pickles.
-the bus system.
-Trader Joes across the street from my lair.
-reading books whilst sprawled on the grass at the UW campus.
-blossoming cherry trees.
-free samples of Market Spice tea at Pike Place.
-sticker graffiti.
-the smells. Washington just smells good. usually.
-relative buglessness.
-warm-weather cheerfulness. it's like a mass lobotomy. people are so fucking delightful when the clime abides.
-scrupulous gardens.
-Real Change.
-water towers.
-pedestrians.
-free samples at Theo Chocolate.
-my past.
-happy hour.
-every space has a personal story.

I made this fucking town mine. I feel like Seattle and I grew up together. for that alone, I will always love the shit out of this place. and because of that, it breaks my heart to leave.

-Fremont, today.
-shut off.
-skyline, last Thursday. I have no capable zoom on this here phone. the reality was more comely, I assure you.
-this morning. bright eyed and bushy-fucking-tailed.
-the awesome Victorian mansion they decimated last week, aka one of the reasons I'm leaving. Seattle is evolving in an ugly, dehumanizing way. but that's a topic for another post... and HOW!

thanks for reading.

hyper, focus

-bus stop at 42nd & 15th. the writing went on. my editing loses nothing.
-weather outside work.
-4th Ave.
-entropy getting her first-ever vaccine and health certificate.
-16th Ave.
-dopey self-portrait documenting sunny weather.
-copulating insects? 34th & Fremont.
-spring #1.

the lair-sale

please ignore the sundry shite still stacked everywhere. all of these items will be cleaned and de-brynned before being sold.

-wooden ikea shelves! 72"x48"x15". comes apart, because it's ikea. actual wood. these shelves are niiiiice.
-bamboo screen, 60"x48". excellent clothing rack.
-grey ikea shelves, 72"x60"x12". also dismantle-able. these are great. the books on and in crates around these shelves? also for sale.
-wee wooden bookshelf with a personally decoupaged surface! I will probably just give this to someone. will it be YOU?
-fucking amazing wooden stereo carcass, ~1940s. it is hollow and therefore quite light (<8#). it looks cool! it's practically a Conversation Piece! the thriving plant upon it is also for sale. actually, all of the plants you see in these pictures are for sale.
-~1950s wood/metal table. it folds out to be 48" square, or you can use it as a sideboard-apparatus. I LOVE this table.
-sweet-ass ikea couch. it has white cushions that have gotten grimy with cat hair over the years (no excretions, just hair) but when covered with a sheet, it looks classy as ever! and this thing is COMFORTABLE. it collapses a bit for transport.
-vintage, SOLID WOOD record player/table. a quality piece of furniture, this! again, mind the scattered detritus. are those pez on the floor?
-some of the art. all the paintings are original and anonymous. some of them are surprisingly good.

let me know if you're interested in any of this... I have less than 3 weeks and prices are ever so negotiable. I'll even throw in a free hydroponic pothos or something.

door hits ass

if there was any doubt in my brain that I was making a bad decision about moving back to Alaska, the various events of today handily rendered such concerns void.
what a terribly written sentence.
the world provides.

-ice outside the paramount theater. it's like an eyeless screaming drooling face.
-a goddamn slug.
-my good-luck nail-sticker. I left it on until I got my new place because the daughter of the landlord admired it. and it WORKED! thanks, ladies! I owe you some sides o' fries!
-some goddamn snails.

thanks for everyone's support and kind words. I love you guys!

anchorage day 2

-the exterior of a suspicious duck egg.
-thrown.
-parallel lines.
-a juvenile bald eagle!
-potted plant cat repellent. I learned lots of useful tips this weekend.
-pretty much.
-weather tower thing! spinning lazily in the quiet anchorage air!
-ever hear the story about the hitchhiker with a hook for a hand?

anchorage day 1

-the Arco tower part 1.
-Fish Creek Park.
-Darwin's.
-the Arco tower part 2. for all of Anchorage's copious aesthetic deficiencies, this is an alluringly reflective city.
-near 34th & Barbara St.
-ferocious voltage.
-Captain Cook monument.
-5th & D.
-Spenard.
-4th Ave on Fur Rondy.
-the fucked up, incomplete church on Fireweed. I have fallen in love with it.
-camera-shy house, 4th & L St.
-4th Ave.

nothing ever happens on Mars!

I was led to this site by slate.com. this guy has my dream job. the only thing that would make it better? innocently exploring the asylum by myself and discovering the suitcases by happenstance.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/265363123/willard-asylum-suitcase-documentation

there is a sad optimism to most of these contents. i doubt anyone can truly wrap their brain around the notion of "forever", of being locked away for the rest of their life, no matter how unhinged they are. these bags were packed by people who still felt toiletries and alarm clocks and nice heels were appropriate. some of them might even still be alive...?
I've always loved the mundane and everyday aspects of photography- the forgotten backgrounds, how labels and appliances change over the years, what people surround themselves with when they want to be seen vs. when they think no one's looking. the setting is usually the most interesting part of an image: it defines a time and place and standard. I am fucking FASCINATED by the boring shit.
so I took some random un-prettified photos around my humble lair this morning. this is my world when no one's looking.

-sorry, this is not in my apartment. these are the ceiling wires in the basement of Comcast Arena in Everett.

...et ma chateau d'amour!
-medicine cabinet.
-cold storage. I typically ignore the dopey "sketchbook" feature, but I liked the way this turned out. good lines.
-kitchen windowsill-turned-fruit sticker graveyard.
-imposingly heavy and ancient kitchen sink.
-spices! including a weird "baked potato topping" mixture from Iceland! it's mostly salt and garlic powder and mustiness.
-a mere fraction of the elegant and refined library.