Time for a break

With grad school rapidly approaching and lots of changes underway (work, marriage), I'm going to be taking a break from blogging.  This has been a fun side project for me and good practice in the blogosphere.  It may resurface sometime down the road, perhaps in a slightly different form/context (tehehe).

Thanks to my friends and family for supporting my little writing endeavor!  And thanks to the new connections who stumbled across my little blog.

Things that make me happy

It's the little things in life.  Like just-right reusable containers with a yummy zucchini muffin.  I just hope I can find one like this as I replace my old containers with new BPA-free and stainless versions!

Art and Sustainable Cities: A Dialogue

I'm currently working on the third in our series of Art and Environment Dialogues. It's sure to be a great event! Please spread the word and attend if you can.

Art and Sustainable Cities: A Dialogue

August 27, 2009

11:30 am–1 pm

Olympic Sculpture Park, PACCAR Pavilion

SAM and the Cascade Land Conservancy present the next panel discussion exploring the intersection of art, culture and the environment. Can steps be taken to ensure that revitalization and increased density are beneficial for both the arts and artists? How can we avoid artists being pushed out of our cities by rising prices? What roles do diversity and equity play in building vibrant, sustainable cities? Join us as we consider these and other questions.

Featuring:

Michael Kinsley, American political journalist (moderator)

Randy Engstrom, Founding Director, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center

D.K. Pan and NKO, Founders, Free Sheep Foundation

Buster Simpson, Northwest Artist

Beth Takekawa, Executive Director, Wing Luke Asian Museum

“Art and Sustainable Cities: A Dialogue” is part of SAM’s Pivotal Perspectives series. Bringing together some of the most compelling thinkers on a given cultural subject, Pivotal Perspectives is a timely and innovative forum that addresses pressing issues in art and society.

Free and open to the public. To reserve your space, please email boxoffice@seattleartmuseum.org or call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Presented with support from the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs

I drove my first Zipcar!

World, I'd like to introduce you to "Cushinberry":

Photo by Brian W. Carver
(Note: This isn't the exact car, but a Cushinberry twin.)

Yesterday I found Cushinberry online, and I made an appointment for our first meeting - in the parking garage of a condo near work. I used my Zipcar to open the doors, and we set off for my meeting at the UW. We made it without any problems; no traffic and easy parking. I had never driven a hybrid, and it was amsuing to notice how quietly she runs. When it was time to head back to work, Cushinberry was patiently waiting for me. With plenty of time remaining in our appointment window, we returned to Cushinbery's reserved parking space in the condo and said our goodbyes. It was a good first outing, and I look forward to our "second date" real soon!

:)

We did the Danskin!

You may have noticed that I didn't write much in anticipation of the Danskin...well, that's because I was REALLY nervous and unsure of whether or not I could do the swim. But, on Sunday morning I was out there with my friends. I'm proud to say that we all finished - and I think I speak for everyone when I say we're glad it's done!

We started out with a 1/2 mile swim - this was the scary part for me. We all lined up in the water, then swam in a triangle that ended back at shore. I was doing a lot of backstroking and was definitely one of the slowest in my wave, but I did it!

I was sooooo much happier to be on my bike. The swim was behind me, and I knew I could make up some time during our 12 mile ride across I-90. I managed an average speed of 15mph, which I think is pretty respectable given that I have been on all of 2 rides this season...

I am not a runner. In fact, I really hate running when it doesn't involve following a soccer ball. Still, it was so exciting to be on the last leg of the race, that I was practically giddy on our run/walk. Here I am running up to the finish.

All in all, I'm glad I was there with my friends. The Danskin is a really amazing event - seeing so many woman of all ages come together to challenge themselves.

Now that it's done, I plan to support Fiance-with-the-mostest in preparing for his triathlon in September. When school begins, I hope to schedule myself for regular time at the gym, and hopefully some of the great classes offered at low prices for students. I think relaxing workouts, like yoga, will be more appropriate for a while! :)

Coming to the end of the Low Car Diet

I just submitted my final Low Car Diet post. Here it is, and I'll let you know when you can see the full story on Zipcar's website.

It's been a great final Low Car Diet week, highlighted by a car-free trip to the Sounders and a stay-at-home weekend:
http://sustainablejackie.blogspot.com/2009/08/our-car-free-trip-to-sounders-game.html
http://sustainablejackie.blogspot.com/2009/08/car-free-weekend-filled-with-cleaning.html

I haven't needed to use my Zipcar credit yet, but I'm planning to for a work meeting later this month and an upcoming trip to visit my parents on the Hood Canal. I love that we can take the ferry to Bainbridge and get a Zipcar there!

This has been a great experience. It reinforced the things that I'm already doing right, and helped me identify the areas where I can improve. At this point we are almost ready to sell a car, and the availability of car sharing is an important benefit in support of "taking the leap." I would highly recommend a do-it-yourself Low Car Diet to anyone considering selling a second car, or becoming car-free!

A car-free weekend, filled with cleaning

It's been an interesting, productive weekend.

On Friday night we enjoyed a lovely sing-along/karaoke evening with friends, until the cops came by with a noise complaint. Considering we were singing Disney songs and you pretty much can't find a more law-abiding group of 20-somethings, we found this rather amusing.

Since then, Fiance-with-the-mostest and I haven't left Kirkland or used any form of motorized transportation all weekend. On Saturday I slept late, and then relaxed into the afternoon. At that point we started "the cleaning." You see, the house was a DISASTER. I wish I had before pictures, except I'd be too embarrassed to show them. Stress, heat, and jam-packed schedules meant we did a lot of procrastinating in the little time we had available to pick up. Plus, we still had organization to do since I moved in more than 4 months ago (sad).

So, we cleaned. And I'm pretty darn happy with the results. Things are organized, and everything has it's place. There are even pictures on the walls! I'll be the last person to tell you it's perfect, and we have a lot of stuff for a small space, but I feel sooooooo much better.

The blue bins on our TV stand now house Rock Band equipment.

We removed the hutch from the desk (I hate hutches. Hate them.), and created a more functional space. In this photo we're making use of my iFish and a fan, but at least there is ROOM for that!

Here's the rest of the office. You can see the floor again!

I love containers. It's kind of a problem.

We got a great bookcase a few weeks ago to fit under our counter and provide extra storage in an unused space.

FWTM picked some of our beautiful pale yellow sunflowers from the garden.

We also have ideas for some paint color changes (more details to come)...it's so exciting to be able to make these adjustments, and to feel comfortable in our home. It's also exciting to donate the things we don't need/want and simply our lives...


We still have to figure out where we're taking all the donations - I'll be reporting back. It's tricky trying to do the right thing and keep unwanted items out of the landfill. But, for now, I'm enjoying a quiet, relaxed evening in our clean space. (Contented sigh.)