Fall is on the way

Happy September, All! It's really on now.

Quick-ish update since I last checked in, and some pictures. Last Friday, we decided to take the plunge and get our new desktop iMac computer. My macbook from Dave in Feb '07 is still working great, but Andy had been using my Dell from 2002 that took 20 mins to turn on and another 10 mins to load email, and with school coming up, that just wasn't going to cut it. It's going to be a great computer for us: I can use it for my design programs more easily with the faster processor, big screen, and plenty of saving space. We'll both share both computers, depending on who needs out-of-house mobility. We've been saving for a while, but still had to put some on the ol' plastic, until Andy gets his loan in a week or two.

The women upstairs, Jaya and Laura (more on them in a minute), have a cat named Lilly, and we have been happy to befriend her and share the backyard with her. Since our windows are all at ground level and we've been leaving them open more with the nice weather, we have funny little interactions with Lilly. It's kind of like how people talk about having grandkids- all the perks of having a cat, with none of the mess. :oD Ever since Andy let her in and we started paying attention to her, she follows him around like Mary's little lamb when we're outside. Ken, we're going to have to talk organic garden sprays though, because there are a few outside cats besides Lilly that like to use the flower beds right outside all of our windows as litterboxes.


Saturday we went to the Seattle Tilth harvest festival that I had mentioned before in the park across the street, which was pretty fun. They had TONS of tables on local and sustainable food stuff, community/neighborhood organizations to try and be more green etc. All that stuff doesn't even seem as new or novel out here, which is in itself new and novel for me. :oD I signed up for a few things, and look forward to getting to know (and network with) the folks who live nearby. Colin and Andy opted to forego all of the stalls and stands, and station themselves at the edge of the park to drum and enjoy the day. (pictured from left: Brad, Colin, Andy.) They had quite a following of curious/shy little ones toddling over from the playground to check them out, parents close in tow. It's been fun and shocking for me to see soooo many parents out with their kids, in strollers, with dogs, being relaxed, letting the kid be curious and have fun. Seems like there's a lot of good parenting out here, and an atmosphere of openness for families that's hard to describe. I've always enjoyed watching dads be really engaged and in love with their little kids, and it's easy to observe frequently out here. So yeah, they were coming up, doing little dances, wanting to touch, some being tentative and suddenly shy- all different levels of engagement. Andy would also want me to mention an interaction that touched him deeply: a guy that was driving on the street just outside the park (on the other side of the bush line from the pictures) parked his car and walked through the park just to see who was drumming. This man was from somewhere in SE Africa, but had spent time in West Africa, and was delighted by their playing. Andy was super humble and kind in his interaction with the man, and this guy was so into it that he walked back to his car and got like 5 CDs for Andy, and just insisted that he take them as a gift. Many were for groups that Andy either knew from his time in Mali, or listens to now. Super nice, right? People are just friendly here. We still have trouble at the grocery store sometimes, figuring out how to engage people, especially in a hurry.

Monday night, Jaya and Laura came down to have dinner with us. Andy had just seasoned his new carbon steel birthday cookware from his good friend Mike the day before, and was ready for a culinary adventure. Laura is vegan, so we decided to try and make something nice within those parameters. (A description especially for you, Kay, in case you're reading: First course: arugula/watercress salad on a small bed of thinly shaved raw fennel -thanks to the mandolin slicer-; tossed in mandarin olive oil with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries soaked in balsamic on top. Main course: Sauteed tempeh strips with caramelized onions, with a mushroom sauce on top; fresh cooked brussels sprouts, and and a perfectly to-the-teeth mushroom risotto Served with Castle Rock Pinot. Dessert: a custard made with almond milk, served in individual ramekins lined with raisin/pecan crust made in the Cuisinart. It was a big hit, and we enjoyed it slowly. And Andy likes his new pans!) (pictured from left: Laura, Jaya.) They are super nice, and we had a lovely meal. Laura has done a few different things in the past, went to undergrad here in Seattle, is originally from the CA bay area. She wants to go to get an MSN and seems excited about nursing that would let her travel, but didn't get in this past year so is now spending a year in limbo (tons of people our age are going back to school, with the economy the way it is, which makes admission more difficult than usual too, she said.) Jaya works in a lab at the children's hospital here. It's her parents who own the house, and her father & brother who comes to fix things up from time to time - a hobby of theirs. She's a tad older, has lived in Seattle always, and has done some traveling. We were delighted when she started telling us about a month she spent in Mali in 2004- a rare treat for she & Andy to meet someone else who has had that experience. Both of them know the neighborhood and some fun things to do here. One of the local bars has a trivia night that they enjoy frequenting (actually two, and they were discussing their relative merits), so Dad, maybe by the time you get out here, I'll be an expert, and we can go clean up. :oD

In crappier news, I've been audited by the IRS over an incorrectly filed income form from my 2007 AmericCorps grant through TFA that went directly to Pace for my 1st yr masters tuition. I'm going to have to give them $1500 before the end of January. Nice timing, Treasury Dept.

I had my first Seattle gray day coffee shop experience with Cicley yesterday morning. Got a little work done and was able to show her some tricks on how to use her new mac. Maybe I can get a picture of her if/when I go to her yoga class in the morning.

Last night I went to a job hunting for designers lecture at the School of Visual Concepts, a graphic design continuing ed place that seems pretty connected with the design community out here. I got some good tips for resumes, portfolios, and interviewing, a bit more tailored to the market out here. Just need to keep plowing ahead, courageous and active. I'm kind of stalled this week because of design software issues that Dave is helping me resolve, so I'm working on stuff that doesn't require that stuff (like updating this blog!). Andy went to Colin & Brad's place (they call it Moon Base 5- don't ask me why) to help them can tomatoes and do some drumming. Sounds like a combo that could happen pretty often out here this fall!

Andy started his orientation yesterday, and he's pretty psyched. In addition to the usual library intro, locker keys, meet & greet, he's learning about stuff like how the school was founded, and about their personal-fragrance-free policy on campus. His class will have 130 ND students in it, and they should be together for all 4-5 years, so he's going to come out knowing this small community really well. I'll be excited to meet some of them tomorrow: they're having an evening potluck for family. I'm hoping we'll take a hike or something this weekend, before he actually cracks that 23" stack of books. Let the games begin!

I'll try to send some pics of our apt next time, now that we're basically unpacked. Hope you're all doing well. Feel free to comment- then I know you're reading!

Love, -Kate

PS- Maybe once the routine gets more regular, we can set up a weekly Skype open-house time to talk to whoever signs on. Does this appeal to you?

PPS- Happy 24th Birthday on Sept 18th shout-out to brother Dave, who I miss very much.