I am probably going to take down this Livejournal in the next week. I just don't have the time anymore to update and I'd much rather communicate with you through e-mail or a phone call. I'm just less and less happy with Livejournal and Facebook as means of communication, and more and more interested in communicating with people on a more real and ( Read more... )

That's the average annual rainfall in Olympia. Fifty-two inches per year. That's roughly an inch of rain every week, although it doesn't come like that. It all comes in the winter with July and August quite dry. Carrying an umbrella, however, marks you as an outsider, someone not from 'round these soggy parts. I need to get a good rainjacket.

We stayed at a hotel in Nybble, Sweden that was run by a Dutch couple, Thelma and Arnoud. Arnoud's parent's who spoke only Dutch, also lived at the hotel and helped out. One morning we woke up to discover that the hotel had been burglarized in the night. Although nothing was missing, several windows were broken and we coudl see where a door had ( Read more... )

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I have a tendency to shoulder the blame when things go wrong. Realistically, the idiocy or oversights of others are NOT MY FAULT. I will now stop kicking myself and let it go.

Not one, but two people stopped by while I was gone to leave treats and ensure I wouldn't return to an empty kitchen. I have the awesomest friends!!!
Thoughts upon opening my car door..."Why, it looks cleaner in here than it did before.....wait, why are the naughtiest pages of The Stranger strewn about?"
Like I said, awesome (but strange) friends.

After god-only-knows how many hours stuffed inside a winged tylenol capsul, my feet are on the ground in my beloved Olympia. I've never been so happy to see Mt. Rainier as I was when we landed at SeaTac ( Read more... )

I write this from the Nordic Sea Hotel in Stockholm, a touristy hotel with a blue glassy sea theme and furnishings that make me feel as though I'm sleeping in an IKEA showroom. This hotel is also the home of the famed IceBar,a  pricey tourist attraction bar made entirely of ice....even the glass your drink comes in. Stockholm is bustling and ( Read more... )

Ireland's been so far lovely. I have not heard any good Irish music yet, but am hoping for some tonight in the pub. Today I took a boat tour to Skellig Michael, an ancient monastic site on a rocky tiny island off the western coast. Yesterday we went horseback riding on the beach. I also went hiking through sheep pastures filled with gorst, scotch ( Read more... )

Any suggestions on how to converse constructively with those who are ideologically polar opposites to you ( Read more... )