So many lessons to keep on learning as I try to be a better person, like someone who goes to the address of the gallery printed on their website, in this case, Isis Gallery. I went somewhere else, tried to find 66 Charlotte Road, and my immediate reaction to realizing I'd gone to the utterly wrong place was to tell myself how stupid I am. I tell myself that a lot, sometimes out loud like today, usually much more quietly. I forget sometimes how much hate I walk around with until it unleashes itself so virulently. It's something big I'm trying to work on, and it's so much easier to fall into the mode of thinking everyone, and certain someones especially, have these perfect lives where they don't make mistakes and everything goes swimmingly. Much easier to do so than to take a good hard look at my errors and flaws and failures and ask myself what purpose they've served, what purpose they keep on serving, and how I can work on doing better, which means not being perfect, as I long to be, but being me, flaws and all, but still trying my best.
It's a roadblock I keep on coming up against, over and over and over, and maybe that's the lesson; until I die I will be making mistakes. My first step this morning was to utterly loathe myself; that's so familiar, so default, so easy. And it's true; I made a juvenile, bad traveler error. I didn't map out where I wanted to go and plan accordingly, I relied on Googling "Isis Gallery" rather than looking at their site directly. I'm still angry with myself, but had to laugh at the fact that it's been almost a year since I got my "Open" tattoo and even as I contemplate another one, I am actually not very open at all. I'm not open with myself about making mistakes, and I am too easily distracted from my goals by...well, everything.
I had to step back and remind myself that I'm grateful to even know about the exhibit because of a beautiful story I was graced with the honor of reading for an anthology, one I very much hope I will be able to publish. I forget about those small everyday honors because they've become so commonplace. I try to be the "business me" and forget about the fact that so much of what I do is actually personal. That I'm lucky indeed for every story I get to publish, every author I get to work with, and every anthology that my work appears in, and even for the opportunities I've frittered away. I forget that as much as I might fuck up, I also am always learning. Not always learning things I want to learn, not always learning things that make me happy, but I always have the choice to move forward, or to do like I tend to do and either move backward or stay the same. I still want to be a girl I can look in the mirror and be proud of. Not there yet, but working on it, and realizing more and more that what anyone else thinks of me matters not a whit. That is a tough, tough lesson for a people pleaser, but it has no relation to what I think of myself and perhaps an inverse one as I get a little too high off other people's approval. Again, lessons. Which I always have the option of learning from. Always.
So yeah, in addition to figuring out my way from the underground to the overground and what it means when they ask if you want your coffee "black or white" means, I have a lot to consider from this trip. And maybe Jamie Reid will come do an exhibition in the United States. And if not, there will be a next time. Maybe not in the same shape or form, but a next time nonetheless. So until then...
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Snapshots from Seattle
I am still recovering from both walking 13 miles in the Rock N Roll Marathon and also traversing Seattle and slowly getting back to writing/internet mode after two days of Seattle exploration. The walk was so fun and inspiring and challenging that I want to do it again, either next year in Seattle and/or another city.
Yesterday I got to see some amazing burlesque at Stripped Screw: Disney After Dark (see some of the official photos by Chris Blakeley on Facebook). Today the weather was blissful, so much so that if it were always like that, I'd consider moving here. I spent about an hour lying on the grass and maybe it wasn't life changing, but it was certainly one of my happiest hours of 2011. See self-portrait below.
I'm having fun exploring parts of Seattle I've seen before an parts I haven't. And learning about things like cupcakes at conveyor belt sushi restaurants! See more photos in this Flickr set. I especially recommend stationery store/art gallery/cool place Paper-Hammer; letterpress fans will especially like it. From Seattle Magazine:
Open since last December, Paper Hammer functions as his urban laboratory for Tieton-made paper products, which are lovingly arranged in a stark, white, gallery-like setting. “The merchandise is very experimental, evolving with the fun and weird designs coming from our studio,” Marquand says. Affordable treasures include gorgeous letterpress coasters ($2.50), hand-bound journals and Marquand’s own invention, cheeky “You As Fine Wine” sweetheart cards (describing people using common wine terms, like “robust” and “full-bodied,” $3.95). The “hammer” title refers to the shop’s selection of handcrafted furniture by local designer Kerry Quint, Marquand’s inventive side tables created out of a stack of recycled books ($250) and, soon, a line of welded steel tables.
Window of Paper Hammer:
I stayed at the Grand Hyatt downtown (found via Priceline) and was SO impressed; my bathtub was luxurious and wonderful, they were extremely courteous and there were apples in the lobby and a Starbucks with great staffers in the hotel, and my poor tired legs and feet were so happy to be tucked into that giant, comfy bed. And I dug this chair, even though I didn't even sit in it:
Grand Hyatt lobby
Bands did indeed play along the way, many of them ones I'd have liked to listen to, but were had to walk very fast, with the occasional jog and sprint, to keep our time (mine was 3:44:50).
my favorite sign was one that said "Go Random Stranger, Go!" but I didn't get a photo of it
post-marathon victory brie and basil waffle from Sweet Iron Waffles
spinach, egg and cheese roll from Piroshky Piroshky
Pike Place=food porn! I ate one of the best pears I've ever eaten. Tried not to gorge myself on fruit.
leather pride flag
There is art everywhere here:
hanging on the wall at a Starbucks
Yesterday I got to see some amazing burlesque at Stripped Screw: Disney After Dark (see some of the official photos by Chris Blakeley on Facebook). Today the weather was blissful, so much so that if it were always like that, I'd consider moving here. I spent about an hour lying on the grass and maybe it wasn't life changing, but it was certainly one of my happiest hours of 2011. See self-portrait below.
I'm having fun exploring parts of Seattle I've seen before an parts I haven't. And learning about things like cupcakes at conveyor belt sushi restaurants! See more photos in this Flickr set. I especially recommend stationery store/art gallery/cool place Paper-Hammer; letterpress fans will especially like it. From Seattle Magazine:
Open since last December, Paper Hammer functions as his urban laboratory for Tieton-made paper products, which are lovingly arranged in a stark, white, gallery-like setting. “The merchandise is very experimental, evolving with the fun and weird designs coming from our studio,” Marquand says. Affordable treasures include gorgeous letterpress coasters ($2.50), hand-bound journals and Marquand’s own invention, cheeky “You As Fine Wine” sweetheart cards (describing people using common wine terms, like “robust” and “full-bodied,” $3.95). The “hammer” title refers to the shop’s selection of handcrafted furniture by local designer Kerry Quint, Marquand’s inventive side tables created out of a stack of recycled books ($250) and, soon, a line of welded steel tables.
Window of Paper Hammer:
I stayed at the Grand Hyatt downtown (found via Priceline) and was SO impressed; my bathtub was luxurious and wonderful, they were extremely courteous and there were apples in the lobby and a Starbucks with great staffers in the hotel, and my poor tired legs and feet were so happy to be tucked into that giant, comfy bed. And I dug this chair, even though I didn't even sit in it:
Grand Hyatt lobby
Bands did indeed play along the way, many of them ones I'd have liked to listen to, but were had to walk very fast, with the occasional jog and sprint, to keep our time (mine was 3:44:50).
my favorite sign was one that said "Go Random Stranger, Go!" but I didn't get a photo of it
post-marathon victory brie and basil waffle from Sweet Iron Waffles
spinach, egg and cheese roll from Piroshky Piroshky
Pike Place=food porn! I ate one of the best pears I've ever eaten. Tried not to gorge myself on fruit.
leather pride flag
There is art everywhere here:
hanging on the wall at a Starbucks
Virgin America, canceled flights and Twitter
On Friday, as I was waiting for a cab that never arrived, I got a call from someone at Virgin America saying my flight the next day from SFO to LAX was canceled, and that I was immediately rebooked on the next available flight. That gave me a little more time to get ready in the morning and I didn't mind the delay. It also made me think that Virgin America was very on top of their customer service and I'd be notified of any flight delays or cancellations. I booked my 3 flights (JFK to SFO, SFO to LAX and LAX to JFK) via Orbitz, all on Virgin.
However, on Tuesday, I didn't get any notification of the cancellation of my flight due to the weather. I called Virgin, was on hold for about half an hour, and was told that I could input my phone number and they'd call me back if I didn't want to wait. I did that, and two hours later, there was no call. I Tweeted and very soon after got a DM (direct message) apologizing and asking for my reservation number. In short order, Virgin had rebooked me on my flight today, scheduled to leave LAX at 1:45 and arrived at JFK at 10 pm. This meant two extra days I had to take off work, effectively meaning 7 total days off instead of 4, which means fewer trips in 2011, but I understand about the weather delay. I don't understand why Virgin never notified me of the cancellation and wonder, had I not been on Twitter, when I would have gotten notice of being rebooked.
So I think Twitter is definitely a game changer when it comes to travel. I could then log into my Virgin America Elevate account and see the new reservation. That original Tweet was at, I believe, around 4:30 in the afternoon on Tuesday, and I responded at 9:12 pm saying to book me on the flight I'm on, since that was the earliest I could get.
I usually fly JetBlue, but Virgin had the cheapest prices this time around, and since I'd heard so many bad stories about stranded JetBlue passengers during the last storm, I'm grateful. I definitely will not plan to travel in winter months, because I just can't afford so many days off without screwing with other plans. I want to get back to Minneapolis this year, and maybe Milwaukee (and have a free trip on American Trans Air), and will be in Seattle in June and Eugene in August. That's about all I know of for now, but we'll see what comes along. I'd been toying with going to the UK but I think that may have to wait until next year. I need to leave days open for whatever random trips might come up, but I can also schedule trips around holiday weekends. My main focus the next few months is going to be maximizing my writing time so I can justify, if only to myself, the purchase of this laptop, which I am loving, but definitely cost a pretty penny. So that is my little travel story. Typing it from a warm, cozy sunny bedroom in Silverlake after pushing my friend's baby up and down the hills, feeling like I could stay here, if I didn't have obligations to get to, for a good long time.
However, on Tuesday, I didn't get any notification of the cancellation of my flight due to the weather. I called Virgin, was on hold for about half an hour, and was told that I could input my phone number and they'd call me back if I didn't want to wait. I did that, and two hours later, there was no call. I Tweeted and very soon after got a DM (direct message) apologizing and asking for my reservation number. In short order, Virgin had rebooked me on my flight today, scheduled to leave LAX at 1:45 and arrived at JFK at 10 pm. This meant two extra days I had to take off work, effectively meaning 7 total days off instead of 4, which means fewer trips in 2011, but I understand about the weather delay. I don't understand why Virgin never notified me of the cancellation and wonder, had I not been on Twitter, when I would have gotten notice of being rebooked.
So I think Twitter is definitely a game changer when it comes to travel. I could then log into my Virgin America Elevate account and see the new reservation. That original Tweet was at, I believe, around 4:30 in the afternoon on Tuesday, and I responded at 9:12 pm saying to book me on the flight I'm on, since that was the earliest I could get.
I usually fly JetBlue, but Virgin had the cheapest prices this time around, and since I'd heard so many bad stories about stranded JetBlue passengers during the last storm, I'm grateful. I definitely will not plan to travel in winter months, because I just can't afford so many days off without screwing with other plans. I want to get back to Minneapolis this year, and maybe Milwaukee (and have a free trip on American Trans Air), and will be in Seattle in June and Eugene in August. That's about all I know of for now, but we'll see what comes along. I'd been toying with going to the UK but I think that may have to wait until next year. I need to leave days open for whatever random trips might come up, but I can also schedule trips around holiday weekends. My main focus the next few months is going to be maximizing my writing time so I can justify, if only to myself, the purchase of this laptop, which I am loving, but definitely cost a pretty penny. So that is my little travel story. Typing it from a warm, cozy sunny bedroom in Silverlake after pushing my friend's baby up and down the hills, feeling like I could stay here, if I didn't have obligations to get to, for a good long time.
