Poking my nose out

And here I am, new glasses!

Think of five things about yourself that you LIKE.  Things that you see as a positive asset.

1. I have a brilliant mind, and I'm not afraid to use it.
2. I'm a trained musician and composer.
3. I have a great deal of education that I'm proud of.
4. I have a big heart.
5. I am incredibly creative.

1. You can ONLY answer 'Yes' or 'No'.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone comments you and asks— and, believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming. Nothing is exactly as it seems.

Kissed any one of your LiveJournal friends? — yes
Been arrested? — no
Kissed someone you didn't like? — yes
Slept in until 5 PM? — yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? — yes
Held a snake? — yes
Ran a red light? — yes
Been suspended from school? — yes
Experienced love at first sight? — yes
Totaled your car in an accident? — yes
Been fired from a job? — no
Fired somebody? — no
Sung karaoke? — yes
Did something you told yourself you wouldn't? — yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? — yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? — yes
Kissed in the rain? — yes
Had a close brush with death (your own)? — no
Saw someone die? — no
Played Spin-the-Bottle? — yes
Smoked a cigar? — no
Sat on a rooftop? — yes
Smuggled something into another country? — no
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? — yes
Broken a bone? — yes
Skipped school? — yes
Eaten a bug? — yes
Sleepwalked? — no
Walked on a moonlit beach? — yes
Ridden a motorcycle? — no
Dumped someone? — yes
Forgotten your anniversary? — no
Lied to avoid a ticket? — no
Ridden in a helicopter? — no
Shaved your head? — yes
Blacked out from drinking? — yes
Played a prank on someone? — yes
Hit a home run? — yes
Felt like killing someone? — yes
Cross-dressed? — no
Been falling-down drunk? — yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? — yes
Eaten snake? — no
Marched/Protested? — yes
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? — no
Puked on an amusement ride? — no
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? — yes
Knitted? — yes
Been on TV? — yes
Skinny-dipped? — yess
Given someone stitches? — no
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? — no
Ridden a surfboard? — no
Drunk straight from a liquor bottle? — yes
Had surgery? — yes
Streaked? — yes
Been taken by ambulance to a hospital? — no
Tripped on mushrooms? — no
Passed out when NOT drinking? — yes
Peed on a bush? — yes
Donated Blood? — no
Grabbed electric fence? — no
Eaten alligator meat? - no
Eaten cheesecake? — yes
Peed your pants in public? — yes
Snuck into a movie without paying? yes
Written graffiti? — no
Still love someone you shouldn't? — yes
Think about the future? — yes
Been in handcuffs? — no
Believe in love? — no
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? — yes

Well, the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8, to little surprise.

All I can say is that a system where religious extremists and large churches from outside can come in and manipulate the political process in order to perpetuate injustice doesn't seem to be just to me.  Democracy must protect as well as empower, and it looks like the Nazi Party, the Bishops and the LDS Church seem to think that gays and lesbians aren't worthy of protection.

Today was certainly a good walking workout. I parked at the economy lot in Tsawassen and had a ways to walk from there to the terminal, and then I did a bit of walking when in Victoria proper. I enjoyed it, especially walking through downtown Victoria and exploring the Parliament building.

I will say, that building is spectacular. The building is functional, but is an example of how Victorian architecture was raised to high art. There is some beautiful stained glass throughout the building, including a beautiful window that had been installed as a commemmoration of Queen Victoria's jubilee. On the opposite wall is a window that was designed for Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee from seven years ago.

There are also windows for various arts and virtues; they had placed reproductions on refrigerator magnets. I decided to pick some up, as well as a tin of the official blend of tea that the MLA's (Members of the Legislative Assembly) are served. It smelled nummy, and had a cute tea tin.

I also putzed around a little downtown. There are some nice buildings there, including a 1904 Carnegie library that is no longer in its original use. I also saw a yarn shop on the way in that I stuck my nose into; I've now got wool for three more pairs of good socks. At the very least, I can take some consolation that the exchange rate is in my favor for purchases. (If I were driving back to Chicago, I'd probably stop at a duty-free shop on the border and pick some stuff up, lol.)

Once I get off the boat, I have to run over to the mall in Lougheed and pick up my tux. (It had bloody better FIT this time!) Anibal txted me and said it's open late; the bus to the ferry terminal at Swartz Bay was LATE and I missed the 5:00 PM boat.

I'm going to find a seat and doze. Since the networks dont seem to work on this boat (I'm going to catch a steward and ask about that) I have to type this and post later. Sheesh.

Vancouver is a great city, no question about that.

Yesterday I picked up my sweater and stayed in Seattle a little bit, then I realized that it was getting late and hopped on I-5 heading north.  The route between Seattle and the Canadian border is much different than between Los Angeles and the Mexican border, even though the distances are approximately the same.  Pretty much there are some towns and small villages, but Bellingham is about the only city of consequence.  Blaine, Washington is a TINY village!  I crossed the border with no problem.  The Canadian border guard asked a few questions (why are you here, how long will you be, etc) and waved me through.  I was pretty careful though... my rental has Washington plates on it so the last thing I need is to get a traffic ticket in Canada.

Today Anibal and I are going to meet up with Sherie and do a little sightseeing.  Friday will be the trip out to Victoria.

Well, so far I've had a good time on this trip. Friday I spent putzing around Tacoma, Saturday I went up to Seattle, Sunday I went to Olympia, and today I went back to Seattle. It's been fun and I'm one tired cub.

I wasn't kidding when I said that Seattle is da BOMB. I did figure out that the men are like everywhere else (some flaky, some cool), but the city is really nice, the people in general are really friendly. I even went to the Starfux across the street from Pike Place Market and had a cuppa (when I txted chord and told him his response was "ooo, Mecca!") and took a picture of the sign, which is the old double-fishtail mermaid, bazoombas and all!  I also took a look at the fish market, impressive!  I do have to go back in the morning though on my way up; I accidentally left my sweater there and need to pick it up.

Yesterday, my aunt said that my cousin Shayne and his crowd were having a bbq in the afternoon, so we went there.  I spent the morning down at the State Capitol in Olympia taking pictures and putzing around.  Olympia is a very cute town too.  When I got back into Tacoma I went over to Shayne's house; his wife is very nice and their girls (his hers and theirs in one big blended family) are really sweet.  However, I don't envy him when they start hitting puberty...

Tomorrow is the big trip north.  Hopefully there won't be too much grief crossing the border; I haven't been out of the United States since I was in high school and have never spent a night out of the country.

So we'll see.

Well, I am in the Pacific Northwest.

Right now I'm sitting at a Starbucks in downtown Tacoma. It's right across the street from the old Union Station; a nice looking Romanesque building that has been adapted into a courthouse. I like it. Once I'm out of here I'll snap a few photos.

It's a little grey today though. My aunt (whom I'm staying with) says that the weather here can be like Chicago's: if you wait fifteen minutes it will change. I hope so, I'm looking forward to seeing some of the sights around here, and I hope that when I go down to Mt. St. Helens that the weather is nice.

So far I'm pretty impressed. Our flight came in right by Mt. Rainier, and the landing and getting baggage and getting the car at SeaTac wasn't a problem at all. The freeways weren't that complicated either, and I found my aunt's place pretty easily.

So, after checking my mail, it's off to see what I can find!

visited 13 states (26%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Best time to visit New Zealand

I wonder how many will be added later this year...  at least one so far is planned.