the mysterious "seattle dave" & challenges to veganism

i cruised back down to seattle after making jam, because it was dave's birthday and i love seattle. it was a flipping fantastic night. i honestly love his crew of friends - he is a magnet for people from texas, so somehow, the backyard of the ArtChurch became a west texas saloon, but it was amazing. here: meet dave.



everyone was on a really good intellectual plane, too, and i had some good discussions about food. dave gave me a challenge about my veganism that totally shifted a paradigm for me. it went something like this: "you don't like the way big farmers treat the animals they are raising and selling. so you're boycotting and taking yourself out of the market. however, in capitalism, the way to make an impact on those farmers, because they are businessmen, is to move your market share, not withdraw yourself from the market completely. you not being a part of the market at all? makes your vote not count. tyson? knudsen? they don't care about you. you're not a blip on their radar. if you were BUYING organic milk and organic, free-range chicken, eventually, they'd pay attention to that." i'm not saying he changed my mind and now i eat meat, but it was the first kind of convinicing argument i've heard regarding how to be responsible with my philosophy & eating/buying choices. one of his friends referred to this as "responsible capitalism" and i liked that term. SOMEONE is going to profit on every dollar you spend, so it's your responsibility as a consumer to choose wisely - who do you want to profit? (i.e. local businesses or mega corporations?) i'd love to hear your thoughts if you have any.

Raspberry Jam Session

berries grow wild in anacortes. in the freezer of uncle dan & aunt kathy's house, there were gallons upon gallons of frozen berries, and they'd been wanting to make jam for a long time. finally, they decided to up & do it when i came to visit. this video is just a snippit of the half hour of footage we shot that day - 5 hours of jam-making, altogether. we made 31 jars of jam and managed to stain the sink, my shirt, the curtains, and everything in between a deep purple - it actually matched the streaks in my hair. there's been quite a demand for a taste of the homemade jam, so i'm going to advise you that your best bet is to send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the anacortes handyman service. or, come to my house in carlsbad & i'll make you some toast with vegan butter & jam.



EPILOGUE: "little bunny", my aunt kathy, was actually really impressed with our clean up job. she only had to clean up the floor, which is still sticky, a few days later. but the jam's delicious.

Wally.

Since my grandparents passed away, Uncle Dan has adopted a few special people to take care of. He REALLY wanted me to interview Wally, and from this video, you can see why. Dan's in the process of painting Wally's house, but it's much more than a professional relationship. For example, today, Wally came over, and Dan and I sat on the computer for an hour figuring out the best wheelchair to order for his wife on coscto.com. Anyway, I love to see how Uncle Dan's spread his love around after the loss of his beloved parents, and we could all learn a ton from the wisdom and grace of our octogenarian neighbors.

just meet my Uncle Dan.

i showed uncle dan my roadtrip video blogs and explained to him how i liked them to work, and i should have known that this would happen. i get a lot of my spontonaitey and humor and pain-in-the-ass-ness from him. this is the uncle from whom i got the phrase, "what do you mean, 'we'? you got a mouse in your pocket?" as well as a lot of other phrases you'll see in what have swiftly become HIS videos. i'm hoping he's figure out how to work his own webcam & set up a YouTube show - for one thing, the demand is there, and for another thing, if he doesn't, i don't think i'll be able to take my laptop home. enjoy.

Anacortes Arrival!

the most unlikely mentors

This has been an interesting season for me, period. There are a lot of factors for that, what with the “7 jobs” (I really only have 2, or 3, sometimes); my community of twentysomething singles slowly edging towards we’re-going-to-be-30-and and, well, I’m still single; my geographic infidelity (which I may be feeling more strongly as I type from a coffee shop in Seattle that I’d love to make my home base); and my continuing struggle to choose how I’m going to identify myself. Interesting, to say the least.

I’ve had a few go-to’s over the course of my life when times get overwhelming, but honestly, everyone’s been through so much, that it’s been hard to figure out who to dump this all on recently. Cindy (read her blog), Beejay (buy her music), and Goose Laugh (read her blog) are all brilliant, and have all provided excellent feedback when I’ve thought I might be losing it over the past few months. But even beyond them, it’s been mind-blowing to see how wisdom is being spoken into my life through mediums I wouldn’t have expected.

I met Noelle standing behind an espresso machine at Starbucks in 2006. The first words I heard from her, ever, were at 4 in the morning, when she concisely uttered, “I used to be a Christian, and I don’t want to talk about it.” Thus began a life long friendship, question mark? We sat at a Thai restaurant on Day One of my roadtrip, and though she still considers herself agnostic, she told me that I shouldn’t feel guilty for desiring companionship, because that’s a theme that’s woven throughout the entire Bible. That’s obviously something that’s close to God’s heart, so my wanting it too isn’t sinful, it’s a reflection of Him. We dialogued more, because it’s important to clarify how much importance you put on any one thing you don’t have (as if to say, “if I only had _____, I’d be happy…” – I’m well aware, it never actually works that way.) But this is why I value Noelle so much: her words were brilliant, reassuring, and very un-hallmarky.

My other surprise neon sign of truth was, well, a neon sign of truth.


This is from a church parking lot in Tacoma, Washington, just off the 5 freeway. Flippin’ unreal. To go into the mindset I was in that day (day five) of my roadtrip, as I was headed from Vancouver to Seattle would be a little too much, but suffice it to say that stumbling upon this sign was perfect timing. My Uncle Dan let me know that from time to time, the church will also have huge political banners posted below this sign, which I think is really inappropriate, but I think that on its own, this message is just super powerful & I can imagine that it has reached quite a few people just when they needed to hear it.

Anyway, here’s to finding truth where you weren’t seeking it.

vancouver with Jeanette & Nate

Roadtrip Day Three

hidden treasures in redding

my brother lives just outside of redding, as i said, which, despite being just off interstate 5, really is off the beaten path, even if just figuratively. even though it was a non-driving day, i couldn't be cooped up inside, so i decided to spin around for a bit and shoot a little of it. here's a bit of what i found:

Roadtrip Day Two

i'm not sure how i've never made it to haight in my travels to san fran, but i'm glad noelle took me there this morning. i was obsessed with the grafitti and sad i didn't shoot any pictures. i had an amazing vegan donut and we talked politics. freedom of speech, health care, poverty, bipartisanship. i wish i could have spent more time with her - next roadtrip, she & san francisco get way more time.



my next stop was in pleasanton to see caroline, who was in the first class i ever taught at new venture. her family took me under their wing, and two years later, i had her brother in my class as a third grader. i remained in touch with them when they moved to the bay area, so it was wonderful to see them in their element. caro's as bright as ever, and i'm just as pleased as punch to see how she's growing up. they made me the most fantastic lunch - this great vegan pasta & salad, which we enjoyed on their beautiful porch. then, they took me on a rad tour of their town. they showed me all the schools the kids go to, the theatre where caro dances, the field where daniel special way to spend the afternoon with them!




from there, i needed to head to my brother's. now, mike lives near redding, but he also lives off the beaten path. my iphone has been so reliable and awesome about giving me directions, and it's been super accurate as far as time estimates. the only thing is, i got to a certain point last night, at 10:30, where i lost signal, and there are no street lights, and mike lives off a dirt road full of potholes, and there were dogs barking, and i was genuinely scared. luckily, i recognized one of the barks, and the next sound i heard was a whistle and "squagirl!?!", which is what my brother's called me since i can remember, and he guided me into their driveway with a flashlight.

he spent the next half hour teasing me, just like old times. just because we didn't grow up around eachother all the time doesn't mean he doesn't know how to be a big brother. "do you want me to grill you a steak? can i get you a hard boiled egg? you must be hungry." he offered me every animal product they had in the house, and gave me a charley horse. it was fantastic, and i was so happy to be there with them.

Roadtrip Day One

i left carlsbad at 10:30am, i stopped to see cindy & procure a few items in paramount. i was misled by the person (who shall remain nameless) who told me to leave north county at 10 "in order to avoid LA traffic" (i originally wanted to leave at 6 or 7am to get to san fran nice & early) and TOTALLY hit traffic in LA anyway. i paid way too much for gas along the 5, listened to so much good music courtesy of roadtrip CDs, enjoyed the first few chapters of francis chan's "crazy love" (check my twitter history for the link to download it for free), waited in line to pay the bay bridge toll for about an hour, and finally ended up in san francisco at 8:30pm. i loved the scenery along the 5 - the transition between vineyards, citrus groves, lavender & corn fields. had so much fun talking with noelle in san francisco - the girl's as smart as a whip. i miss having her live close to me. her apartment is tiny but cozy and her neighborhood is up against golden gate park. i found a tiny parking spot that was fodder for several "that's what she said" jokes & she says she has to watch out for rats, but other than that, she loves where she lives.

songs of the week

i have had such a beautiful outpouring of music over the last few weeks in preparation for my roadtrip. literally, so many gigs of wonderful music that i've had to reorganize my iPhone to fit it all. it's awesome. and, as i like to say, "mix tapes are my love language," so i'm feeling very loved, at a time when i really need it.

i've snuck a listen at a few (but not all) of these awesome CDs and let me tell you what's blowing me away:

- The Killers - Mr. Brightside (this amazing doonsk doonsk remix)
- Metro Station - Seventeen Forever (from my seventeen year old cousin's CD, so sweet)
- Conor Oberst - Nikorette
- Chris Quilana - Your Love Never Fails
- Ingrid Michaelson - The Chain (Live from Webster Hall)

undone on the road

i leave for my roadtrip in a week!

i just got super psyched because i realized there's room in my car for my box of art supplies and a few canvases. when i stop along the way - at my brother's house, at the ArtChurch (hellooo), and once i get to anacortes, i can actually empty up all my bottled up creative energy into some creations. and i'm so stoked about that. check back to see what comes out of that!

roadtrip pearls of wisdom from Uncle Dan

Stine,
Only weapon you need is your cellphone. There are, however places where it won't work. Gas prices are going to be a factor, unless you've just won the lottery, or are planning to have someone else pay off your Visa card (it's expensive, but not too bad if you don't have to pay for it). My suggestion would be to MapQuest or Google all the Costcos along your route so you can fuel up there. You don't even want to think about purchasing fuel between Redding and Medford. Medford has a Costco, and I can get you a place to stay there also if need be. Sacramento has a Costco, but I'll be darned if I could ever find it. Your next best fueling stop is one of those T&A truck stops (not what you think) or the Pilot truck stops. Some of those stops have pretty good trucker kinda meals, but I think you're still sticking with the rabbit food; you'l be real disappointed. If I think of any other pearls of wisdom, I'll pass them along. We'd all probably rest a little easier if you checked in every day or so, roger?
Love, D&LB
PS don't try and pump your own gas in Oregon--it's against the law.

Roadtrip Renegade

I just pulled this out of an article on RoadTripAmerica.com - read the full text here.

Reason #10 for taking a road trip by yoursef:

You get to be a "renegade" if you want to be. As one of the owners of RoadTripAmerica.com, I make a living providing clear, concise and (hopefully) good advice, but when I am on solo road trip, I frequently break one or more of the "rules," usually the one about telling someone where I am planning to go. I trust that my expertise and the hundreds of thousands of successfully completed road-trip miles will contribute to a satisfactory completion of my adventure. My point is, when you're on a solo trip, you get to make up most of the rules. Embrace your inner renegade -- it's good for the soul!

no one knew his address.

i'm working on a spreadsheet, right? of my roadtrip... an updated version of what's posted below. it'll have where i'm stopping and starting every day, with addresses, mileage, time frames - as accurate as i can get, at least. especially after seeing the hangover yesterday (which was hilarious, but i am NOT recommending it unless you are highly appreciative of very, very inappropriate raunch humor) (i got carded TWICE before seeing it), when the guys were looking for their friend and trying to retrace his steps, i realized, if, horror of horrors, something should happen, i'd want some way for my parents to track where i was last - or where i was supposed to have been next.

except, of course, that my iphone has GPS, right? and hello, i tweet every hour like clockwork. i can't go too far off the map, can i, now?

but it dawned on me that i didn't take the same precautions last february. i headed up to the northwest with my iphone, dave's address, and a mental map of how to get to anacortes from seattle. i didn't have bus or train tickets, and in fact, i got lost after leaving the airport. and i made it, just fine, to the artchurch (you remember that seattle dave lives in an abandoned lutheran church that's been renovated into a live/paint/play structure they've renamed the ArtChurch,) although he was still at work when i got there.

seattle dave is not a serial killer. but, like, you don't know him. raise your hand if you've met him. my dad has, as it turns out, met him, but that was for 6 minutes, because we were in town for my grandfather's funeral, and my dad happens to be a horrible judge of character - he's a sucker for anyone with good taste in music (which dave has) (that's actually how we met) (that's a story for another time).

you guys, nobody knew where i was. i was in seattle for three days, untraceable. yes, i was updating my facebook. yes, i was calling and emailing. but no one actually knew where i WAS. no one knows dave's last name. he's always "seattle dave." i know it, but i never use it. i'm sure cindy assumed my dad knew where i was staying and my uncle dan assumed i'd told jenni where i was staying and i just reckon that everyone assumed someone else knew but the truth is, that at the end of the day, nobody knew exactly where i was sleeping for two days.

anyway. i'm realizing that, just like everything always needs to be renewed, the way i do human relationships needs a little reworking. and this is one of those things. i'm wanting to be missed, i realize, while i'm gone, and so i'm going to tell a few people exactly where i'm going to be. that's the risk - the scary fourth-grade valentine moment, where i hand a favorite person my folded up road trip itinerary with just a little bit of my heart attached to it, because i'm saying, care that i'm gone? and i think - i'm not positive, but i think: that less-robot/more-human vulnerability - it's a step in the right direction.

BTW, the ArtChurch is located at the corner of 22nd & 61st in Ballard in Seattle.

#ROADTRIPtoREDEMPTION

i had a shitty day.

and i can say that, because i said it in the sound booth. and i said it in the sound booth, because a woman who i respect a lot who also works at the church with me said it in the sound booth. "i'm sorry things are shitty. i'm sorry that your title was changed."

my title was changed today. and it's okay, and it's going to be okay. a rose by any other name still smells as sweet. i know, but i had a shitty day.

in any event, i was totally due for a night at karl strauss by the time it rolled around, and as we sat around the bartop, i told my friends my plan for the road trip.

"how far can i honestly drive in one day without killing myself?" they said that together they'd driven straight to seattle. that's insane. and they almost died. estelle once drove to denver by herself at night but in involved cigarettes and was seriously unsafe and she didn't recommend it. when i asked if i could make it to redding in one day, they laughed at me. "redding? 9 hours? pheshhh." then came that breathing out sound, you know, the diminiuitive one that suggests that they think you're being silly. apparently, san diego to redding in one day is child's play.

"wait, why are you going?" and i explained myself. it included my northwest longings, the jesuits, and the what the heck fest. also, i was paying for the sins of my past. i really do feel like the most (i really don't want to use the f-word on my blog, but let me just say i'm tempted to right now) messed up thing i've ever done in my life, i did the last time i took i road trip to washington. i feel like a part of my purpose is to make up for that. taking a good road trip, maybe, i guess, will, maybe, pay back a little bit of the wrong i've done. "also, i want to prove to my dad that i CAN, and i want to do it while i'm single, and i want to drive to canada."

"so it's a roadtrip to redemption?" my friend asked.

i guess, in a sense, it is.



this really captures how my day was.

road trip planning, in progress

so, in about 30 minutes, with some notes from 4 months ago, some decent working geography of the west coast, google maps, and ical, this is what i just came up with. now i just need to let my bosses know that i'm changing my vacation days a bit. and i realized as i changed my spreadsheet into a jpeg to post it here - "wait! why's there no #15?" oh! because i only have 2 weeks off work. so i'll need to get home in 3 days. :)

road trip planning, vehicle repairs & an appeal to masculinity

since returning from the pacific northwest this february, i've been hankering to get back. i put in for vacation time almost immediately upon my return, and am getting closer and closer to beginning an amazing roadtrip up towards my family's home in the san juan islands in washington. as i discuss this trip, i'll refer to it as "my road trip". you may also hear "i'm driving to canada", because i fully intend to drive to canada, as it's close to my actual final destination.

i'm about to lose the clutch in my car. i'm not a mechanic, but i just know this. and i have a hydraulic clutch, so officially, you can't predict when it's supposed to go out, except for a guesstimation based on mileage. it's not like with the other kind of clutch (they have a name, i don't know it) where it's a gradual slippage and you can adjust it. mine can't be adjusted. it's just that one day you have a clutch and then one day you don't.

i'm hoping that i'm not halfway to oregon when i don't.

these are the times that being a single gal is a little rough. and my dad, bless his heart, (really, God, if You're reading my blog, bless his heart) is not all that helpful with stuff like this because the point he'd like to argue is that it's unwise for me to drive to canada by myself. after all, i'm only fourteen years old, i have no friends or family to stay with along the way, i don't speak the vernacular language of the places i'll be traveling through, and i'm a horrible driver. allright, i'll cede him the last point, but damn it, i'm going on a road trip. by myself. i'm stopping, like, every 6 hours to stay with people. tomorrow i'm drawing up my actual plan, and i'll post it. i'd love to know what y'all think. anyway, my clutch. i'm thinking, "what do i do?" i'm a PYT who can't just walk into whatever auto shop and say "do i need a new clutch?" do you know what they're going to answer me? i don't have a reliable mechanic in north county. and even if i did, i'm not looking for a car repair. i'm looking for advice. a consultation. i'm looking for car-love.

dude, i need a boyfriend. wait. that's not true. i need a boyfriend's dad. a temporary father-in-law. or a roommate's boyfriend. a someone i don't have. i suddenly felt really lonely, as i was driving towards church from my grandma's house. how do i have no mechanic-y people? i have artists and musicians and tradespeople and designers for weeks. why is this situation making me want to call the kinda guys that my willpower can usually keep me away from?

then i decided to stop making the moment poetic and to just try to solve the problem so i could get on with my road trip. so, as i pulled into the church parking lot, i ran into willie, who i explained the situation to. i told him that i feel like a pretty self-sufficient gal - i can pay own my bills (more or less), but this was one time when i needed to appeal to masculinity for some advice. willie's a frickin' genius. "take bear with you to the mechanic. and i think he knows one who repairs pastor's cars."

so i'm gonna work on that more this week, and i'll report back. i'll also post my travel plans. but for now, just let me say that i'm driving from Carlsbad to Canada from July 6 to July 19, and stopping in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Redding, Portland, Seattle, Forks, Anacortes... and... who knows where else!