Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

I'm testing out some things I was thinking of adding to our website. One is a live chat Plugoo widget, and the other is a clock with local time in the destination country. Here is the clock, with local Bangkok time:

Bangkok

I miss my co-op

Desperately.

Following my path...making some turns....but always toward the same destination

This is the first time in my life where I truly feel like an adult. I have a job that I enjoy, that makes me feel happy at the end of the day. I am referred to as a colleague. I am no longer merely an "employee" that is looked down upon by upper management, but as a valued member of a team.

It's a great feeling.

Now if I could just get more commissions coming in I could quit my night job and join the rest of society during normal business hours.

I know I've changed a little. But not a lot. Sure, last summer I didn't own a single pair of heels, jeans, or a nice jacket, didn't drink coffee and slept all day. Now I work 16 hour days in heels, fueled by multiple cups of coffee, clothed in unfamiliar clothes. Kind of. I've been trying to blend my bohemian-hippie style with a more professional style, and it has kind of turned into what Noah calls "avant-garde artsty chic". I like it :)

My priorities have not changed either. At least, not long-term. My life goals are still the same: travel the world, be a nomad (with a home base), go to grad school, study glass and poi and anything else creative. But in the short-term, I need to pay off my debt and save money to enable me to achieve those long-term goals-and shouldn't I do it in a way that fulfills me? Even if I never see Noah anymore :( I keep telling myself-and him-that it won't be like this forever. Eventually the commissions will be steady and I can quit Wasabi.

I don't believe I mentioned what my new job is. Well, I'm the Director for Southeast Asia Travel for a local travel company here in Seattle. I feel like it blends my interests (and skills) in a way that no other job ever has. I believe in what we do, and I enjoy my job. It might not be the best time to be selling travel, but we will see. All I can do is give my best, and expect the best.

And that's just what I'm doing.

Hero of the Day: Bruce Elliott

Bruce Elliott, for his "Nude Governor Series".

A Chicago painter, Bruce paints for fun. He doesn't care if anyone likes his work. He mentioned (sarcastically?) that's he's kind of like Van Gogh, not appreciated in his time. But he says he can live with that. Especially, he says, when your wife owns a bar.

Bruce came under fire for his nude painting of Sarah Palin for being about a woman and a Republican.

His response? A second installment. And this time, about a man and a Democrat, entitled, "Cavity Search," starring a nude Rod Blagojevich.

Both paintings will be on display in his wife's bar, The Old Town Ale House.

Check out the Chicago Tribune's story here. Make sure you watch the video!!

Update

Living with Noah: Wonderful :) I love our life.

The Apartment: Amazing, except for the rampant 8 am construction occurring on scaffolding outside my window. That's right. We thought we'd gotten away from the construction, but no, it just followed us. So I wake up every morning to what sounds like someone taking a jackhammer to my concrete ceiling.

I'm so tired.

But on the upside, I've been taking meeting lots of new people in the neighborhood, mostly people from work, and been taking glass classes. I just finished Glass Blowing 1, and now am taking a Boro techniques class. Pictures of some finished work soon to come.

I made my first pair of fire poi. I LOVE THEM. I wasn't practicing on a regular basis for a few months, and it was beginning to show. So I've been putting in daily practice and can feel myself getting back in the groove. I'm going to take a belly dancing class and a capoiera class to improve my performance too.

I figure that since I have to stay put for a while to work and pay off some bills, I might as well do everything that I can't normally do on the road. Like take classes. Be super domestic create a comfortable home. Apply to graduate school. That's a big one. I'm definitely applying to Chatham University for my MFA in Creative Writing. I would kind of like to do the full-time residency program, but I think I will just do the low-residency one, that way Noah and I have options when it comes to where we want to live or if we want to travel for an extended period of time. He wants to put in at least 2 years at a job before we take off for a while. We're hoping he gets a good full-time offer from the place he's contracting at right now.

I can't put into words how happy I am that I met Noah. I feel like I can see how my entire life has led up to him. While it's amazing we never met when we were young, it could have only happened this way. It was perfect. It was like we were unknowingly drawn together, like a divine hand caused our paths to converge that morning. I can't believe that it was just chance. I don't really think that anything is chance.

I look forward to a long life with this man. I just want to make him happier than he's ever been. Because he not only makes me happy, I am better because of him.

I left my heart in Black Rock City

I woke up with the realization that I am not going to Black Rock City this year. And it made me really sad. I think that today was the first time that it really sunk in. I distracted myself with Shambhala, but today is the day that everyone who didn't leave yesterday left. I'm just really sad that I won't be there for most of my friends virgin burns. At the same time, I'm totally excited to go with everyone next year, where no one will be a virgin. And I'm excited to go with Noah next year. This time we can really plan, and do some great stuff out there. And, of course, I'm excited to just share the experience with him.

I'm going to start making and collecting stuff for the burn next year. Making plans for everything, food, camp, people, transport, everything. Maybe I'll buy a little trailer or something. *Spends 15 minutes looking at buses, vans and shuttles on craigslist.org.

What I'm really excited for, however, is to move into Noah and I's new place. I've moved all my stuff to his building, but it's in storage for now. No point in unpacking things I have to move in a week and a half. We're hopefully moving on the 3, at least by the 5. Our new apartment is going to be soooo nice! It's a one bedroom on the 16th floor, so we have a view of downtown. I feel like we're going to get a lot more light, and it will be much quieter without all the street noise, and people yelling drunk at 2 am. You walk in and there is the kitchen first, which is much bigger and like a real kitchen than the one we have now. It's open to the living room, where there are big windows that face south. To the right is a little hall where to the right is a much better laid out bathroom, and to the left is our bedroom. I AM SO EXCITED TO HAVE A BEDROOM AGAIN. I don't know if I can stress that enough. It's going to feel like a real home. As soon as we checked out the model one, I could see us living in it, see us sharing a life together there. And I knew I wanted it. Wanted that, that life, to share it with Noah.

I just feel the need to let everyone know...

that I am in love with Noah Eckstrand.