In Boston, Brian had a plant. It was a baby spider plant that his roommate Frank gave him. In true Malden house style, it lived in a plastic yogurt container. I would visit Brian every few months and the plant would grow bigger. And faster. One Saturday night, I went to sleep and it grew a 5 foot flowering extension. I swear. It was coming to strangle me alive. I’ve been wary of the plant ever since.

So, Brian moved to DC and brought the plant to the yellow house. He repotted it. It grew little baby spider plants. We moved to Greg’s house and we planted the army of baby spider plants into a huge planter by the porch. And they flourished. Dozens of little tentacles tried to dig themselves into the dirt under the porch. During the first winter, we repotted some of the new babies and brought them in for the winter. And we left the mama plant out to brave the winter (she didn’t).

The babies loved the apartment. Even without a green thumb, I managed to keep them all alive. When spring came back, we replanted them into the huge planter. Again, they flourished. Winter came around again. This time, I replanted some for our house and gave some of them as gifts. They’re still living with at least Liz and Justin. Then summer came around and, yep, we put them back outside.

We moved to Seattle and left the plants. After the elections, I came to DC for meetings and stayed with Janine and Greg. I had forgotten about the plants. It was November and the weather was getting colder. But there were still lots of baby spider plants in the huge pot. I went to CVS, got some plastic containers, packed them with a little dirt, and threw them in my luggage. They all survived the trip home, the repotting (for the 5^th time), the time change, and not being watered over Christmas.

And here they are. Still alive.

I have a new job!

I'm working for a nonprofit that does fitness and health activities for women cancer survivors, called Team Survivor NW. And it's a great group of women. The office is near the university and has a small staff. I'm the office manager. So I do all of the day-to-day things, manage the volunteers, and keep the office running smoothly. So far, it's fantastic. I started last week (sorry for the late posting). The only odd thing is that it's part time (25 hours/week). It pays pretty well. I'll get a second job in a few weeks if I need to.

I've recently learned how to knit. It's actually fun! I'm not very good yet. So it's only scarves for now. Soon, I'll be onto hats!

Mountain time! Brian's been gone all weekend so I headed up to one of the ski resorts on Monday to do some cross country skiing in non-wilderness. Didn't want to get stuck in an avalanche by myself.

I headed up to Snoqualmie Pass (only an hour away!). I rented skis, got a trail map, and took the lift up to the top. They have groomed trails on the ridge and I planned to do the beginner loop. I'm a beginning cross country skier. I can move forward, get a rhythm, go up little hills and stop if I need to (more or less).

My first challenge was to get off the lift with my poles, backpack, and XC skis. And not fall. Oops. Down I go.

Second challenge is to get to the beginner loop. It starts at the end of short, intermediate XC trail. Challenging for me, but I get down it.

The loop is beautiful. Almost empty, great warming hut, good views, quiet trees.

At the end of the afternoon, I decide to follow the beginner trail down the mountain instead of taking the lift back down. Starts off easy through the trees.

Then, all of a sudden, I'm on a downhill trail! With snowboarders! And skiers! I'm the only one not wearing a helmet and I'm the one who needs it. And the sign in front of me tells me that I am indeed on the correct XC trail. And it also tells me that this is a blue downhill trail. I am a beginner XC skier. Great.

This goes on for 100 yards and I quit. My butt and pride bruised, I take my skis off and decide to walk to the next easy part. It doesn't show until the very bottom. It was a nice mile-long walk down the slope. Great views and I didn't hurt myself trying to get down.

The lodge had the best hot chocolate though. Super sweet and not too hot.

I think I'll stick to snowshoes.

Comet! In Seattle! It's the end of the world! Last Thursday! Um, WAS the end of the world!

It's between the Space Needle and the building on the left. Happily, it was a clear night and completely visible with the naked eye.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2003522141.html

This weekend was the AKC Dog Show in Puyallup (pronounced "poo-wall-up", I finally learned it). Being unemployed, I got to go on Friday. Which, according to many attendees is smart. I got to avoid the crowds. The event was held in various buildings of the fairgrounds complex. One building for the show part of it, two buildings for preening, one building for the obedience competition.

Awesome. It's just like "Best in Show." You think I'm kidding, right? No.

Yes, it was less showy, less classy. This was the competition for the Tacoma Club, not Westminster. But all parts were there.

Prissy, tiny dogs getting their hair straightened, then hairsprayed. Check.
Uptight yuppy couple with boring dog. Check.
Gay couple with tiny dogs (all dogs are siblings by the way). Check.
Country guy with bad outfit and a hunting dog. No, it was a St. Bernard. Check.
Outrageously coiffed poodles. Check.
People gossiping about handlers and which dog s so prized that he has his sperm sent to Japan to sire more show dogs. Check.
Dogs with monogrammed blankets, coats, and dog beds. Check.

And all of the dogs are totally cute. Well, not the whippets. The big dogs' owners will let you pet them.

My favorite part to watch was the obedience competition. All different breeds, divided between beginners, intermediate, and advanced. Part of it is just handler and dog. Sit, stay, come, heel, fetch. Then all the dogs get together in a line the handlers say "Stay" and then walk away. The dogs have to sit together and not move for a whole minute (see picture above). I think two dogs fell asleep.

We went down to Pioneer Square on Saturday to watch the fans and the Seahawks game. Awesome. Our favorite pizza place is right across the street from the parking lot (see photo above). And had been open since 8am. Let's say the people watching was priceless. One of Brian's grad school buddies joined us and we cheered on Hasselbeck, booed T.O., and celebrated he impossible win with the crowd.

The next game will be rough and I don't think the hapless Seahawks will make it. But Mary, I'm not cheering for your Bears on Sunday. Sorry... But we may get a Bears-Patriots Superbowl after all!!

From Wikipedia:

"The 12th man is a term commonly used to describe the fans within a stadium during American football or association football games. Since most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time, the term denotes the attempt of a team's fans to help their team. The term has been claimed to be created by Texas A&M University in 1922. (see Origin and Texas A&M tradition below).

Due to the very nature of fans, their mere presence can have profound impacts on how the teams perform. Namely, the home team fans would like to see their team win the game. Thus these fans will often create loud sounds or chant in hopes of distracting, demoralizing and confusing the opposing team while they have possession of the ball; or to persuade a referee to make a favorable decision. Noises are made by shouting, whistling, stomping and various other techniques."

The Seahawks-Cowboys game is at Seattle on Saturday at 5pm PST.

Go Seahawks!

Tempted

Tempted

Meet Adrian Fenty, the new Mayor of DC.

Good luck, my friend.

Last night Alicia and I hosted our first party in our new place. It was a smashing success. The fireworks launched from the Space Needle were beautiful. Our friends brought lots of good foods, and drinks were served. Alicia decorated with cool shiny stars that hung from the ceiling. Today we recovered from the party. Tomorrow we will purchase a mop for our kitchen floor.

Happy New Year!!!
Brian