Friday, May 23, 2003

 

In Case You Hadn't Noticed
I haven't had a stick of work to do all day.

posted by Krizzer 4:54 PM

 

Elementary

Very weird.

Andy and I are hooked on the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett that was on Channel Nine years ago. (Is the PBS station Channel 9 everywhere, or just Seattle?) This is not the old old series with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in black and white. These are newer and in color and were shown on Mystery! when I was a kid. If you haven't seen them, or haven't seen them in years I strongly recommend you check them out. Unless you live in the Belly, in which case I strongly suggest you wait until Andy and I are done watching them before you start, cause I ain't sharing.

Anyway, Jeremy Brett is absolutely brilliant. In fact, I saw him and his Watson do a 2-man Sherlock show in London when I lived there years ago. Way cool.

But what's weird is, last night we were watching an episode (The 6 Napoleons), and maybe once in a while you'll kind of recognize an actor half-way, like "wasn't he on an episode of "Yes, Minister"? (ooh, I just remembered where I saw that ONE guy. He was the Russian ambassador in "Hunt for Red October.") but you never see anyone you really know, it's all about Sherlock and Holmes.

Except last night, we're watching, we're watching and all of a sudden "Hey! That's Couselor Troy!"

Kinda blew the episode for me. The part where she tears up the letter and throws it out of her carriage window into the street, all I can think is "Boy, that Counselor Troy sure is a litter bug." Didn't matter that she spoke entirely in Italian the whole show. "Gee, I didn't know Counselor Troy spoke Italian!" or that she was acting in a very serious role, and at one point was struck across the face by her brother. "I sense you are feeling upset...."

On a similar note, or at least on a note...

Don't you think that "Can you hear me now? Good!" guy has acted himself out of an acting career? He'll never get another job, like in a movie, cause everyone in the audience will be shouting "Can you hear me now? Good!" Kinda like George Reeves, who killed himself after they cut him out of a feature film (was it here to eternity? I can't remember) because the test audience kept shouting "It's Superman!" when he appeared on screen. Yah, that Verizon guy must be crying himself all the way to the bank...

posted by Krizzer 4:27 PM

 

Things I Learned on the Toilet

I'm sensing a resounding lack of interest in the Toilet Trivia these days. Do the questions just suck or should I just give it up?

The answer to the last question is "2 Minutes" All I can say is, in two minutes, at least ONE person is NOT getting satisfied!

Today's question:

What are the three most profitable supermarket sections?

posted by Krizzer 12:03 PM

 

CAUGHT!

Ok, Lint you got me. I opened my present from Flipsycab.

YAY!! Flips sent me two books to read! One is "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which I've heard of but never read. The other is "My Year of Meats" by Ruth L. Ozeki, which I've never heard of. Thank you thank you thank you Flipsycab! You're the best! I can't wait to start my new books! Which one should I read first?

She also included a VERY SWEET card with a south american folk scene on it, (some kind of day of the dead art, flips?) which had very very nice and warm friendshipy cool strong women things written inside. Thank you. I love you too! Stennie has it right. We need to work on "transporter technology" so we can "beam" over to each others houses to visit, and the miles won't seem so far.

I hope Oren LOVES Washington when you guys come up to the Gorge. You'll have to make sure he gets a good look at both sides of the mountain. Maybe he'll fall in love with it here and you guys'll end up moving?

posted by Krizzer 11:48 AM

 

Happy Ski-to-Sea Weekend, Everybody

I know most of you think of this weekend as being "Memorial Day" weekend, but here in the Belly we have our annual "Ski-to-Sea" festival this time of year. It's based around a relay-race that starts at the ski area at Mt. Baker and ends at Marine Park in the Fairhaven district of Bellingham. It's a race to celebrate the very special part of the world we live in, a place where you can down hill ski and sea kayak in the same day. I believe the legs go something like this: Downhill skiers pass off to the cross-country skiiers, who then pass off to the runners, who run down the Mt. Baker highway til they meet the road bicyclers. They bike to Everson where they pass off to the canoers who paddle down the Nooksack river to Ferndale, where they pass off to the mountain bikers, who bike to Bellingham bay where they pass off to the sea-kayakers, who paddle across the bay to Fairhaven, beach their kayaks, and run a short way up the beach to ring a bell and that's the end of the race! There are different categories of teams, professional to fun to junior. There are also parades and the carnival is in town, and for a few years we had a "block party" downtown where they closed off the center of downtown and had big bands come in and a beer garden. But I think they've given that idea up. We still have a festival in Fairhaven, though, with market booths, and local bands, and food vendors, and yes, another beer garden. All in all, it's a pretty fun weekend, and it's a local tradition. Many people around here will go watch a leg of the race, and then end up in Fairhaven to party it up. I've done that many times myself. In fact, I played in a band at the finish line for a couple of years. It's a great time.

Well, screw all that! This year Andy and I are going camping in Winthrop (eastern wash) for the long weekend! I feel a tad bit guilty for abandoning my home on it's most Belly-hammy weekend of the year, but I'm very excited to go east. Once you cross over the Cascades, (it's about a 4 hour drive to get there, but an absolutely GORGEOUS one) you enter an entirely different climate. The trees are all different (they have pines instead of douglas firs) the animals are different (watch out for rattlers!) and it's much much drier. And as it is supposed to be wet here this weekend, we're bailing. The little town of Winthrop is maintained in the style of the "Old West". You can watch a blacksmith make horseshoes, walk on raised wooden sidewalks, take a trot up and down the one street on a horse drawn buggy, and then relax in the shade with a giagantic ice cream cone. We usually head into town for dinner or breakfast once during our trip, but mainly we spend our time in a SECRET campsite on the Chewuch river, camping and fishing. It's just lovely out there.

So, along with the pictures of last weekend's adventure, I hope to be able to show you some pictures of this weekend's trip!

I have a very special place in my heart, too, for this spot we're going.

When Andy and I first started dating, he wanted to take me camping to this wonderful place he'd discovered a few years back. So we left on a friday night, and drove over the mountains. It was just turning fall, and the leaves were crazy colors. Andy was excited because we arrived at his secret spot in Mazama (a TINY town outside the tiny town of Winthrop)) after dark. He said it will be great to arrive in the dark, and wake up in a totally different climate. He told me that just down the bank of where we were camping was this big gorgeous river where there were tons of great spots to fish. We made a fire and ate oysters and drank wine and talked about how great tomorrow would be. We fell asleep litening to the sounds of the rushing river below. Oh, we couldn't wait til morning to go catch our breakfast.

I woke up in the morning to find a GORGEOUS sunny day in front of me. And Andy was right, what a pleasant shock to discover a whole new landscape out there than the last one I saw before darkness fell. The trees were absolutely golden up on the mountain. The mountains themselves were rocky and dotted with pines. It was early and yet already warm. We made coffee and listened to the river, then prepared to go find our river.

Well, we clambered down the bank and over a little stream and through some bushes, expecting the river just to be past the bushes. But NO. All we found was a dry rock riverbed. Well, the river must have changed course a little since the last time Andy was here. So the two of us set off, walking along the dry riverbed, fishing poles in hand, looking for this "huge rushing river" Andy had been describing to me all night long.

We never found it. Apparently at certain times of year, that top stretch of river goes dry, I don't know why. Maybe that fork is inactive in the fall or maybe the source bubbles out downstream in the dryer times of year, it doesn't matter. The point is, here we were, all night long listening to and talking about a freakin' river that wasn't even there! We must have heard the wind blowing through the trees and thought it was the river!! I have a great picture of me Andy took while we were walking along the riverbed in disbelief, poor Andy repeating "I swear, there was this HUGE river here last time!!! No, I'm not crazy!!" He turned around and snapped my picture at the exact moment I stuck myself both in the finger and in the leg with my fishing lure at the same time, and yet still tried to smile for the camera. It's priceless. I wish I had a scanner so I could show you all.

We still stop at that camp spot when we go over at night, it's a good stopping off place, it's free, and there's no one else around. Nobody knows about it. (Then the next day we head into Winthrop and find our 2nd Secret Spot on the Chewuch river.) And we've been there when the river was actually wet, so I'm forced to believe that Andy wasn't making the whole "river" story up.

But last time we were there I actually noticed the name of the road we take to head up to the secret campsite. It's called "Lost River Road." How perfect. That's where Andy lost his river!

posted by Krizzer 11:14 AM

Thursday, May 22, 2003

 

Lovely Weekend, Scenes Deleted

Well, I wanted to post a couple of pictures from my great weekend. Andy and I went to Deception pass on Sunday and fished in two different lakes, walked on the beach (there's nothing like a Pacific Northwest Beach on a warm and sunny day) and went to the top of Mt. Erie for the FANTABULOUS view of the San Juan Islands.

We experienced so many different kinds of landscape all in one afternoon/evening, and had such a great time. And I wanted you to see it.

But, the digital camera is Andy's. (unless I get one for my birthday - woo hoo!) And I haven't been able to get it from him for long enough to bring it to work and get the pictures on my computer. But I will. Probably just not before THIS weekend. So stay tuned!

posted by Krizzer 5:37 PM

 

Birthday Wish List, Part 2

I wanted to add to my wish list, for those of you, my readers, who perhaps do not know me quite well enough, or have the dough, or the gumption, to actually go to the expense and trouble of purchasing and mailing me a present.

As you may know, I asked my friends to send me a copy of their favorite book for my birthday. I'd like to expand my library, open my world to some new authors and kinds of books, and keep my "things to read" list nice and long the way I like it.

HOWEVER:

I would also be delighted with book recommendations. So please, don't feel you need to send me anything but your good wishes. And maybe put a few minutes into compilling a short list of books you'd suggest I read.

THANKS!

(Two weeks from today! Woo Hoo!)

posted by Krizzer 5:33 PM

 

Oh, Pooh!


Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

I took the 100 Acre Personality quiz, care of Bet's Blog, and apparently I'm Pooh. Hmmm. I agree with all of it except WHAT DO YOU MEAN "even if you are a bit slow sometimes"???? What kind of thing to say is THAT? Obivously a terrific mistake!!!

Right?

posted by Krizzer 5:22 PM

 

I GOT A PRESENT FROM FLIPSYCAB!!!

I'm sure it's for my birthday. Should I open it?

posted by Krizzer 12:01 PM

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

 

Things I Learned on the Toilet

Yes yes yes, you all got it. Apparently I'M the only one who didn't know that more films are made in India each year than any other country.

Today's question:

How long is the average duration of sexual intercourse (for humans)?

posted by Krizzer 12:10 PM

 

Cute Little Brown Puppy of the Day

I can't help it. These guys are SO cute!!! Here's another one:

posted by Krizzer 10:23 AM

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

 

UPDATE

Today is very busy. I'll try to blog this afternoon when things might settle down a bit. I want to tell you all about my nice weekend!

But meanwhile...I'm thinking about you!

posted by Krizzer 10:38 AM