new years is approaching. figure i'd best do a sum up of the year.

.2011.

worked 3 different jobs and 1 internship and 1 volunteer committee
had my americorps experience & enjoyed pso & met good community
moved to North Portland into a house w. lovely house mates
watched all of Battle Star Galactica on Netflix
stayed in 2 casino hotels on reservations and "won" $5 at the slots
learned to make kimchi

built a whole website & got paid
made bread with adam
michelle graduated from high school & went to MSU
went camping for the first time in Oregon and to the Bagby Hot Springs
saw the Oregon Coast and hobo camped for the night
learned the major arcana tarot cards
steph & willette visited!
got the stomach flu
tried 50 different apples at the Portland Nursery Apple Festival!
discovered olive oil is a great moisturizer & that the no shampoo thing doesn't work for me after a year of experimenting :)

visited Pendleton, OR for free, for work
learned about permaculture, the plants of Oregon, & ethnobotany
got an iphone & promptly obsessed with instagram

.goals & wishes.

start painting with watercolors and sketching again
do a headstand without the wall Mar.
go for hikes or some sort of outdoor adventure once a month
get the website up for tiny.little.boxes, it's gonna be great!
be at peace with boredom, not knowing, and the less than perfect
have a potluck Jan. 28
visit my grandparents in CO & film kimchi making
have a garden or at least a giant container this spring with salad greens
oh yea, learn to play the melodica so ryan & i can start a proper polka band
knit a new hat & a sweater
keep making bread
a juicer? keep buying local, fresh produce Feb. 28
dig oysters at the coast, then eat them
whale watching in march at the coast
wwoof in hawaii at some point, or just work on a farm
write more letters
have a more regular yoga or meditation routine weekly

michigan winter sunset. pink & icy!

hello again & happy 2011.

living in portland, I talk and am conscious of the weather a lot more than I was in michigan. I think it's because it fluctuates so much - and because I'm constantly around new people and that is the thing upon which all can relate. today, it's almost balmy; it's great for january! even though it's drizzling, it's not a heavy rain and biking is still pleasant. speaking of which, I finally got my bike tension & derailer adjusted (because I sorta messed it up trying to adjust it myself). it's SO nice! I can down shift when I bike up monstrous hills. hurray!

if you are interested, I took my bike to the Bike Repair Collective, which is down the street on Belmont + 45th. I like it because it seems old men work there and thus, there is no pretension or talking down. also, they are genuinely knowledgeable and helpful. it only cost $10 too!

in other news, said goodbye to 2010 in seattle w/ ryan, nate, and elise. it was super nice to visit seattle and see what a cool city it was with such fun people. oh, also, the MOUNTAINS! we saw them all, due to an amazing amount of sunshine and clear skies. I can't wait for the monumental camping that will arrive with summer.

ryan + i with the olympic mts., i think...

on the subject of new years, I suppose I should recap 2010. so, here's a list of tens:

:: 10 things ::

.roadtrip to LA w/ mads & seeing friends :)

.being out of school for a year!

.visited family in CO + good eats + snowbrding

.best job ever, working in the community gardens

.pickled peppers! yes, that is a complete sentence.

.lived with awesome friends in Lansing, to much enjoyment

.moved to portland

.lived in a trailer for a week, haha

.happy snail mail times, keeping in touch

.keeping compost worms! as close to a pet as I can currently afford.

:: 10 books i read + liked ::

.the girl with the dragon tattoo series Larsson

.breaking open the head Pinchbeck

.nausea Sartre

.house of leaves Danielewski

.dali lama's autobio

.hotel iris Yoko Ogawa

.sirens of titan Vonnegut

.valley of the dolls Susann

.pride and prejudice Austen

.atmospheric disturbance Galchen

:: and of course, 10 things to do in 2011 ::

.have a piece of art in a group show/ gallery

.design websites for friends (do you want a site? let me know!)

.a drawing a week or collab. project with cory

.join a csa + possibly one of the food co-ops 01.17.11.

.be involved in the community garden scene + community in general 01.19.11.

.go on a midnight mystery bike ride (midnight just feels so late these days!)

.do a pdx crit mass & possibly the naked bike ride in the summer

.snowboard at mt. hood + summer camping

.whale watching... via a kayak? yes! or learn rock climbing

.obviously, get employed!

and then, I think what I said at the end of 2008 is still relevant for me:

live freely, openly, happily, and without consideration of convention

a timely post

recap:: 2009 last year i...


celebrated Easter right


put ryan in a giant human cocoon


graduated


became a human chipmunk (aka. had surgery)


jumped off a small cliff in a cave into the freezing waters of huron


went camping a lot, but not nearly enough!

& got my first freelance job, finally. & started volunteering.

2010:
so far this year i can already almost cross out 1 of my "resolutions."
✓ get braces off! (i do this thursday!!!)

now i just have to get a tooth implant, egads. then move. then then ... have fun & live & such things.

reflection 2008, onwards to 2009

2008
8 good moments
spring break, walking across toronto to & fro the deerhoof concert
graduation dinner for cory w/ fay & co.
bike ride e. lansing to charlevoix








exploring the abandon cinema

fall alleycats & group rides

finally going to the msu planetarium!!
fl family vaction, disney world the "happiest place on earth"












all times spent star gazing, listening to friends, holding hands, late night walks, and appreciating trees in the fall

8 bad moments

the start of 2008
working elff as a sleep deprived, dehydrated projectionist, ergh
not biking to or.
summer classes
getting out of my lease
certain parts of august and september but you guys got me thru it
having a sinus infect
having a sore throat from mono and not being able to sleep & then sleeping to much (but that wasn't all that bad)


2009
wishes & goals
EAT BETTER. i stopped cooking since moving into the co-ops so as to not deal w. the kitchen & the boredom of eating alone. prepare a week's worth of salad at a time, ect.
TRY NOT TO BUY NEW THINGS. i have too much of everything. i need to downsize so that one day i can move across the country with ease.
DEAL W/ PASSIVITY BY HAVING SOME DAMN ENTHUSIASM. just that. partake in my own life, don't zone out when conversations are happening around me. smile & say hello.

live freely, openly, happily, and without consideration of convention
go abroad
find a home
find a job
adopt a pet (netherland bunny or mini potbelly pig!!)