Dolphin dreams

My dad and I were swimming around in an enormous salt water pool. We were having a grand old time, just swimming around, when a weirdo dolphin swam up to us! it was swimming strangely, kind of flopping around like the one flippered penguin Morgan and I saw in New Zealand. My dad and I decided we should help it out. We realized that this poor dolphin had something stuck in its dolphin teeth! (Why this caused the dolphin to swim badly, I have no idea, but it made sense in dream land.) Once we got the chunk of fish out of its dolphin teeth, I realized that this was no ordinary dolphin! This creature was actually Kelly Walden who had somehow been magically transformed into a dolphin! Once I realized that, I knew I had to transform her back. So I did. Somehow. It's unclear. (I definitely did not use Oculus Reparo or Expelliarmus though because those spells are not very useful.) Anyway, I transformed Kelly back into a human, and you know what? The unobservant clown hadn't even noticed that she'd been turned into a dolphin! So my dad and I laughed and laughed and laughed at her.

The sunshine state

So as much as I absolutely love Seattle, I have pretty much failed at finding a job here. So I am (at least temporarily) moving back to Santa Barbara.


I will definitely miss this...


But I am looking forward to more of this...

Everyone come visit me!

Ha ha ha ha ha forever.

Sweatiest Person Alive

Today I went to my first ever Bikram Yoga class. If you don't know already, Bikram Yoga is pretty much like regular yoga, except it is in a room kept at a temperature approximately the same as that circle of hell in the Inferno where all the false Popes are stuck in a well, or whatever it was that happened in the Inferno (I only have vague recollections of this book because my professor for the class I read it in was distractingly similar to Dustin Hoffman's version of Captain Hook in the early 90's masterpiece, Hook.). Anyway, the room is 105 degrees, (Farenheidt. Duh.) and you do yoga for 105 minutes. It's supposed to be very good for you, relax your muscles, realease toxins, etc. etc. I made it through my first class, and I only had to lay down to avoid passing out for 12 of those 105 minutes! The instructor even said I did a great job for my first time! Though I'm not sure that I trust the opinion of a man who works out in Victoria's Secret boyshort panties. Anyway, it was great, and I can't wait to go back, mostly so I don't waste the $20 trial membership I already paid for. I just have to figure out how I can wear less clothes than a tank top and a pair of yoga capris.

Quote from Drew

"How do you feel about vegans...he's not that cute...and he doesn't drink...and he's missing a front tooth."

It's almost fall!

As much as I love summer, fall is definitely my favorite season. But here are some pictures and stories about my end of summer fun!

A kiteboarder enjoys the extremely windy Lake Tahoe.

I went to California for work one last time (hopefully! I had a job interview on Monday for an awesome job in Seattle that I really hope to get!). We got a lot of stuff done, and they extended my part time gig until December, so I have that to fall back on, if I don't get another job. Then I went to Lake Tahoe for fun. I went biking at a resort for the first time, and, while it was a ton of fun, it was really really hard, too. I got blisters, then my blisters got blisters, then my blister blisters became an open wound, and, finally, my open wound got a blister. Lovely! I convinced Dan to go camping, so we stayed in a beautiful spot in the Tahoe National Recreation Area. There were no showers, so we washed with biodegradable hippie soap in the Truckee River. It was chilly. The campground was apparently the go-to spot for dirt bike and atv riders, so we were surrounded by large groups in $200k motor homes. Oh well.

I made sure to sample the local brews. Fifty-Fifty Brewing Company, Truckee, California

We also (inadvertently) ate at two restaurants that had been featured on the Food Network. The first was a burger place called Burger Me, that had been on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I wasn't all that impressed. My homemade veggie patty was super boring and pretty tasteless. I have made better black bean patties myself! The second was The Squeeze Inn which I think was on Throwdown with Bobby Flay or something. They claim to have the best omelettes on the planet. I did not get an omelette, but I did taste someone else's and it was delicous.

Gasworks Park in Seattle

Dan came to visit the northwest. We did some Seattle-y things like the Ballard Locks and Gasworks Park and Pho and lots and lots of coffee shops.

Dan was not sold on coffee shops. So I bought him a cookie.

We then had an unofficial (no book discussion) book club meeting. There were jello shots and big mamas and free flan and sombreros and the beaver and dollar well drinks and Glo and fancy dancing. Then there were cheese fries and gatorade and coffee.

Birthday twins Ren and Jodi celebrate their birthday, a bit late.

I also went biking at Galbraith. The two mile hike and bike to the top was not the most fun I've had in my life and neither was the first 2/3 of the first trail that I could barely climb down with my bike, let alone ride. However, the rest was tons of fun, but makes me really want a full suspension bike. We also drove up to the Mt. Baker ski area, where Dan really wanted to build a mountain bike park until he looked around and noticed all of the snow. In August.

Sasquatch!