Jackson, WY

I drove south from Montana to Jackson, Wyoming where a handful of my friends from Colorado State live. It also just so happened to be my friend Kolby's birthday party on Saturday. I brought about 10-12" of fresh snow to Jackson and luckily got to borrow a pass and ski all day on Saturday with my favorite traveling companion, Cherene, who I went to the Caribbean with a few years ago.

Jackson Hole was quite possibly the best day of skiing I have ever had. in. my. life. But it is steep, with only 10% of the trails being beginner trails, so be ready to be challenged and have a blast. And yes, I did take a ride on the new tram. It holds 100 people and gets you to the blustery cold summit in 9 minutes. I've heard a rumor that it is the first tram built in 20 years.

I also met a kid who went on Semester at Sea with one of my oldest friends and his girlfriend. That was a trip.

Whitefish, MT

I spent a little over a week with my friend Tia in Montana. I got there just in time for her birthday, she probably would have murdered me if I didn't, but she also celebrated her birthday for about 2 weeks.


I got in a few good days of skiing up there with some fresh snow on the trails. Usually Big Mountain is surrounded in fog, so getting good pictures is a little challenging. Thanks to google image I can basically get a decent photo of anything I want.

If you ever find yourself on Big Mountain on a Wednesday afternoon for a little apres ski action, go to the Bier Stube for "Freebird." A weekly event hosted by the Big Mountain Ski Patrol in which the most embarrassing stories and activities of the week are presented and a winner is chosen. Best of all, they give out free beer for about an hour.

I love it there. I think I have decided that I am moving there this summer and hopefully will work doing trail crew or SOMETHING. There aren't any jobs available anywhere so I am not exactly looking for a design job right now. When I got to Whitefish I started to think about what I might do in the next couple of years and it seems like the perfect opportunity to join SCA or Americorps. I'm still contemplating all of this.

More Seattle

Wow. I've been slacking. I checked out the Experience Music Project one morning. I think that this would be the kind of place to go to with friends so you can be silly and make music in the sound labs. There is a sculpture made out of instruments that actually plays.

But the building itself is something that you not only can't miss but also a must see. The colossal building, designed by Frank Ghery, sits adjacent to the space needle at the Seattle Center. It contains mostly rock memorabilia, mainly Jimi Hendrix, but not limited to other local area musicians like those of the Grunge wave and an impressive exhibit of the evolution of the electric guitar.





appropriately enough, it being a memorial to rock music and all, the design of the building is meant to resemble a smashed guitar.

what do you think??

Seattle, WA

I stopped by Portland, OR and Lacey, WA but didn't do much at either. Unfortunately I wish I could have spent more time in Portland, I was sick of driving and I just wanted to get where I needed to be. But, I did stop in to Powell's books.

I got to Seattle on Thursday morning and went to Alexander's Bead Bazaar. I went there years ago when I visited Marta for the first time. I got some really pretty peruvian blue opals that my mom requested. This bead store is fantastic, if you're into that kind of thing, and I am.

Then I hit up the REI flagship store. They have a climbing wall, mountain bike trails, I believe there is a place to try out canoes and kayaks, and floors and rooms full of outdoor gear galore. I am a total gear whore, though fairly tame compared to other people I know, mostly because I am too poor.

I met up with Marta later that evening and had some delicious Thai food.

On Friday night Marta, Krista and I went out for an innocent drink. We walked into Julia's in Capitol Hill and were immediately asked if we had "tickets." We weren't really sure what this was about and just replied that we wanted to get a drink at the bar and that we weren't really interested in the show. Quickly we realized that it was a drag queen show and that we were sitting in a fantastic gay bar. Le Faux is a "female impersonator cabaret" and I was shocked by Cher costumes and a pretty elite and professional troupe of dancers and queens. If you ever find yourself in Seattle on a Friday night and are interested in a little bit of adventure and lots of laughs, go to Julia's. You will not be disappointed.

If you are ever looking for some good thrift store shopping go to Crossroads Trading Co. in the U-district. They have lots of good stuff, but my favorite was the very inexpensive designer denim.

On Sunday morning I got up with Marta to participate in my first 5K. Marta assembled a small team called "Abe's and Babes" for the Run with Abe for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The "Abe" part was for Abraham Lincoln's Birthday and there were some well dressed Abe's out there.

I thought that for my first 5K, off the couch, I did all right. Well, I finished, that is enough for me!

French Gulch, CA

It is Gulchy. It reminded me of the part in Neverending Story when they are hiking through the swamp to find the giant turtle that is allergic to humans. But I had a nice visit with Mike, and we took a hike at Whiskeytown Lake and climbed around a few snowy/icy rocks to a waterfall in the rain.

Where to start?

It has been about a week since I put anything up. I apologize. I am crazy busy and enjoying every second of it. Here are some photos from LA.



And then I drove up the Pacific Coast





There is this absolutely disgusting gum wall alley in San Luis Obispo, but fascinating no less.

Los Angeles

Here I am, in sunny California! Everyone keeps saying it is cold, but I think it feels great. I am visiting with my friend Rock (yes, that is his real name) and his brother, Ryan. We went to Barney's Beanery which is a favorite dive of theirs.

I also hung out with my friend, Dylan, from High School today. We went to the largest independent music store in the US of A, Amoeba Music. This place can be a little daunting if you don't know what you are looking for. I suggest going with a list or having a sizable chunk of time to look around for stuff. There is just an unreal amount of used music.

I was also turned on to an artist named Larry Kagan, whose sculptures, when lit, cast shadows of everyday objects.