Here’s a plan @brucephenry, @geekgiant, and I hatched on Twitter. We noticed there’s quite a few Seattle Geeks who love to go shooting, and thusly determined we should all go shooting together. So here’s the plan:
WHERE: Wades Eastside Guns and Outdoor Range
13570 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue, WA 98005 WHEN: Tuesday, March 10th at 7pm, until we abandon ship for beer (Wades closes at 10pm) COST: Lane rental is $15 for the first person, $10 for each additional on the lane up to three people. Gun rental is as little as $8, or bring your own. Targets are $.25 - $1 each, depending on size. WHY: Who doesn’t like to blow stuff up? All geeks are welcome, whether Republicans, Democrats, marksmen, n00bs, or anything in between.
So before you leave for Austin, come get your cowboy on with us. Please RSVP with a comment so I know how many people to plan for. Also, please use the #SGS1 hashtag on Twitter to pass the word along, and feel free to bring a friend!
UPDATE: SGS1 has come and gone, and it was a lot of fun! 13 people showed up, and we had a blast.
If you’ve be interested in giving Seattle Geek Shootout another go, please leave a comment. I’ve be happy to organize another one, perhaps on a Monday, when the range is a little less crowded.
After months of going sans camera due to a lost charger and a debacle with an online purchase attempting to replace said charger, my camera is back in business! Anyone who has friended me on Flickr knows how much joy this means to me. I was also able to get some photos off of my camera from early December, here’s one of my favourites of my Little and I goofing around at the Christmas tree farm:
But, like the circle of life for electronics, after I regained my camera my iPhone promptly died. It had just been dropped inadvertently into the street one too many times and gave up the ghost. Suffice to say, I am a sad panda.
It’s a weird feeling to be without a phone, freeing in some ways (no one can contact me) and terribly bothersome in others (I can’t contact anyone). Suddenly I no longer have the power to access any information I’d like on a whim. My curiosity is used to being instantly satisfied. What does this word or term mean? When is this happening? What was so-and-so’s last name? What am I doing Thursday? How do I get there? Does your man have a beard? I am now finding myself having to… *gasp!* PLAN AHEAD. It’s tragic, folks, truly. And by tragic I mean, tragic how lucky I am, and how rarely I appreciate it. Life is very, very convenient in 2009. I don’t have to grow my own vegetables. I just walk into the store and they are there - like magic! Life is beautiful… even without the iPhone. :-)
On an only semi-related note… today was the second day I was able to go for a walk around Capitol Hill without a jacket. That might also play into my current state of gratitude and appreciation. There is nothing that lifts one’s spirits like fresh air.
And a little good, old fashioned slapstick… always a winner. :-)
Who is the biggest advertising loser of the Super Bowl? It appears to be GoDaddy, who started quite a stir on Twitter with their not only degrading but also blatantly stupid and absolutely uncreative ad campaign. People are fleeing the domain hosting company like rats off a sinking ship. This includes me. I had one single domain left there which I plan on transfering to 1&1 today. Not all publicity is good publicity, GoDaddy.
I find myself with a lot of airline credit expiring this spring, racked up from last year’s travel nightmares. With a few days left to spend it all, I wonder, what are your favourite cities to spend a weekend in?
Booking travel is a lot like refinancing your mortgage. There is this impending cloud of stress hovering about as your fret over whether to buy now or wait and see if the rates drop. I wish there was a Farecast for mortgages, however.
So, some random number texts my roommate’s phone while we were hanging out at home tonight with friends, breaking in the new Nintendo Wii. We decided rather than ignore the text, to engage the person. I think we just broke up some high school romance. The conversation went as such:
Random: N**ga, you be trynna mackkk on my girl? Us: Why, yes, Sir. I indubitably am, my fine fellow. Random: Who this Us: Sir, I doth believe you contacted me first. Random: N**ga, you were at the Auburn game texting my girl Us: Kind Sir, I suggest you have further trust in “your girl” - this is a grave invasion of her privacy. Us: Is this insidious quarrel over? Random: Shut the f**k up. Us: So you’ve figured out I’m the wrong person then? Random: No. Us: You are truly a gentleman and a scholar.
Ah, delightful chap. She’s quite the lucky one, eh?
While I realize one cannot both be an honest person and act happy all the time, I do strive to see the silver lining around even the very dark and stormiest clouds that enter our skies.
The truth is, 2008 was my toughest year yet for personal reasons. But that also means it was a year of great opportunity to learn and to try to be a better person for it. This is not a time to get jaded, it’s a time to count the blessings and strive to find joy in what you have, even the memories of things now lost.
So in my own Pollyanna-like way, I’ve decided to list some highlights of my worst year ever. I want to look back on this year and think of these things. And if a personal blog is for anything, it’s for reminding oneself of what’s good in life. Without further ado…
Happy Highlights from the Worst Year Ever
Volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters
I have a really awesome little friend, she’s seven years old, about to be eight, and I just started hanging out with her this year. Being a part of a child’s life is a significant commitment, but it’s a blessing too - her friendship really warms my heart and she always cracks me up. We do a lot of activities together like bike riding and swimming. In motivating me to try to be a good example for her, I think maybe she’d done me more good than vice versa. :-)
She’s a bit of a ham (okay, a huge ham), and loves playing with my computer, so we made a video the other day:
I think it’s pretty easy to see how special being a Big is to me; I hope we’re always friends and someday when she’s taller than me we can celebrate 2008 as the year we met.
Becoming a Part of the Seattle Startup Community
It’s hard to imagine that is was only January 25th, 2008 when Seattle Startup Weekend was held at the Adobe headquarters just a stone’s throw from my house. That weekend was really the beginning of something much more for me though, it introduced me to so many amazing people. More than just networking, I’m happy to count them as friends, and have had such a blast spending time with them.
Startup Weekend truly was the toppling of that first domino that led to my attending so many other tech events in Seattle like Gnomedex, nPost events, MindCamp, Lunch 2.0 and Hops and Chops, and of course Startup Drinks, and making further friends and acquaintances. It’s funny this all happened this year, because it really feels like some of these people have been in my life for much longer than that. We’re like one big geeky family, and I am grateful for 2008 because of it.
Being a Best “Man”
I got to be in my best friend’s wedding. Definitely a highlight, even if I did sound shaky and nervous during the toast, it was such an honor to be in the wedding party, and spending time in Kansas City with so many friends was a blast.
Traveling my Little Heart Out
I went to the Caribbean this year! I went to Leavenworth and Hood Canal! I went to Phoenix to see Connie! It was all a blast.
Seeing Last Year’s Resolutions Through
Guys, I did it. I really quit biting my nails. Really and finally. Other minor but happy accomplishments include doing my longest run yet, putting chains on my tires all alone, and doing a lot of helpful introspection (something I’ve never been very great at before). This is the first year I’ve really paid attention to fitness and taking care of my body and made it a priority, and I think that’s an important milestone since it’s been a huge attitude adjustment for me. I’m pretty sure I can do just about anything I set my mind to now. Watch out, 2009! You’re going to be the best year ever.
A Few Goals for 2009 (trite, but good):
Spend more quality time with close friends & my family
Work on being more focused and efficient with time
Continue to deepen healthy eating habits started in ‘08
A Few Goals for 2009 (less trite and also good):
Visit people in Washington, D.C., St. Paul, & Phoenix
Run another 5k or two at least, stay on fitness targets
Jump off that abandoned part of the 520 bridge
Sneak into that members-only goth club just for fun
Try seeing the opera once more before you give up entirely
More dancing, canoeing, hiking and climbing this year
Read “Atlas Shrugged” by March 18th
I have the coolest friends ever, which means I end up with the coolest weekends ever. Really, you guys spoil me. Last weekend was spent with a small group celebrating Micah’s birthday in a beautiful riverside cabin on Hood Canal.
And this weekend? I’m hanging out with my lindy hopping crew. A group of twenty two (TWENTY TWO!!?) of us are renting out a huge log cabin in Leavenworth.
Ah, December. Full of rain and snow and win.
Leavenworth, WA during the holidays (picture from Leavenworth.org)
Well, it’s the last ten minutes of my youth. So long, youth. :-)
Tomorrow I turn the page on a new quarter-century of life. When I put it that way, it’s sort of serious sounding, but really it’s like any other tomorrow: the first day of the rest of my life.
The last twenty five years have been quite an interesting journey. I’m thankful for all I’ve learned and everyone I’ve gotten to know along the way, and how you’ve each impacted my life. The nice thing about the years passing by is that good friends only become more cherished with age, like a fine wine. There is a bouquet of history that slowly and sweetly blossoms as the memories compile and mature. I’ve found nothing more precious in life than to have positive and caring friends - I am so very lucky.
One nice thing about getting old with friends is knowing that no matter how crinkly we’ll all look in another 25 years, we’ll probably be still silly and joyful on the inside. And at 75, we’ll probably all be cyborgs. ;-)
I’d like to take a moment to celebrate a much more ridiculous milestone in my life: my recent travels have put me well over 10,000 photos on Flickr. When I realized this day was coming up, I thought to myself, Self, you should do something special for that 10,000th photo and whoever is in it. So here’s the photo:
Not a particularly handsome shot of either of us, quite silly and sun burnt, but I think it does convey a lot of the fun I have with Megan, so it makes me smile inside and seems an apropos 10,000th picture. Megan, what should we do to celebrate? This calls for an excuse to have some adventure.
Sadly, 26 is the end of my highly-discounted subscriptions to the ACT theatre. If you’re 25 or under (which, looking at the clock, I see now that I am not anymore) check out the many theatre discounts Seattle offers you while you can. My other advice for you young’uns? Well, I’m glad you asked, since I’m a little older (and therefore wiser) than I was at the beginning of this post, here’s 25 nuggets of wisdom I’ve unearthed over my many, many years:
Don’t turn the heat on in the house until you think you might freeze despite all the extra clothes you’re wearing. You’ll acclimate to the climate, and end up saving a ton. You might however drive your roommate bonkers.
Speaking of which, save a ton. Use compound interest to your advantage. Buy only if you have cash on hand, unless a mortgage or education is involved. Hiding hundreds in cash in a pencil case and forgetting it was there for several months is also an effective savings plan.
Ninjas > Pirates.
Only bother going to the theatre for movies that have big explosions, and when you do go, go to The Cinerama. The rest can wait for watching at home.
Don’t bother with television, you really won’t be missing anything.
If you really want something, wait. If it’s that great, you’ll still want it later. If you forget it, no harm done.
Always assume that you can, and figure it out as you go. Accept challenges as opportunities. Attitude defines your perception, which defines your reality.
Don’t bother keeping up with the Jonses. Especially in the area of electronics or cars.
Start running if your little sister wants you to, even if you hate it at first.
Have a zombie escape plan… just in case.
Make time for family.
Even text messages deserve some consideration of proper grammar.
Keep a calendar. Fill it up but don’t double book, it causes stress and hurt feelings.
Volunteer, and not always in the area of politics.
Set goals and learn to say no to other things. Every moment has an opportunity cost.
Make sure you have a little fluffy pet companion to love you no matter how you’ve messed up that day.
Remember that a vodka soda with lime is only 75 calories.
Blog if you must, but for gosh sake, not about anything too personal. The internet is forever.
Don’t put ghastly pictures of your friends online. It’s just not nice. And again, the internet is forever.
Don’t hit lawyers on bicycles with your roommate’s car. It’s just a bad idea.
Having brawls with a Cottonmouth Water Moccasin in a river or a whole hive of bees in an old shack can make for excellent stories. Most scary experiences do.
Surround yourself with positive people. Preferably those who enjoy terrible puns and cheesy jokes.
Enjoy the rain. There’s beauty in most everything if you look for it.
When crossing tracks while riding a bicycle, cross at exactly 90 degrees to the tracks. Not 70. Not 110. Exactly 90 degrees. Absolutely perpendicular.
Wear sunscreen (this piece of advice is for those outside of Seattle).
I’m sure I could think of more (as an officially old person) but now that I’m elderly I’ve obviously become long winded and I need to go to bed!
Goodnight, world, you crazy bunch of kids. (Get off my lawn!)
Love,
Cassie
P.S. It seems sort of quaint to sign one’s own blog, as if you did not know who wrote this, despite that my name is in the URL. However, we sign email just the same, even though it’s obvious who the email is from. I feel it’s somewhat endearing.
I realized how comically ridiculous I am tonight when I found myself having a hard time getting around to leveling-up my D&D character for various reasons, but mostly because my Version 4.0 Players’ Handbook is completely in PDF and my MacBook Pro battery died, and I’d stayed out too late to see John Hodgman and Jonathan Coulton at Town Hall Seattle and find myself sleepy because I’m still living on UTC-6 time. This is normal, right? Normal people procrastinate in leveling up their Half-Elf Paladin because they’re too busy meeting the “I’m a PC” guy… right?
Sigh… I think I may have shifted from geek chic to just plain nerd.
