First certified dive: an awkward, interesting nightmare

August 30, 2011

Yesterday's dive was a nightmare; at night, in the dark, 46' under water, multiple panic attacks, a fair amount of tears and hyperventilation, and I only pushed through by yelling at myself and by clutching my dive buddy Hiro's hand - I was terrified I'd float straight to the surface like my first drysuit dive (feet first, rocketing strait up, no chance of parole.)

BUT we saw a GPO (Giant Pacific Octopus, largest octopus species in the world) with some empty crab shells from his dinner right outside his home, dungeness crab, red rock crab, Graceful Decorator crab (which had algae and iridescent kelp growing off their skinny long spider legs), alabaster nudibranch (SO GORGEOUS), iridescent kelp, perch, rock fish, sailfin sculpin, longhorned crab, three types of shrip (LOVE), hermit crab, and various types of five-legged and sunstar starfish. Sunstar have somewhere around 20 legs.

When we finally arrived to the surface, my ears were killing me and I was quietly sobbing. Overall, the dive was not worth it. Fortunately today's dive redeemed yesterday's...

BTW: We were in Alki Beach at Seacrest Park on the other side of the Seattle bay. It was so lovely to walk along the shoreline and pick blackberries while watching the sun set on Seattle.
 

Wedding at Santo Domingo

Mercado 20 de Noviembre

Fireworks for Dia de los Muertos

Something for everyone

Las Rastas -

Reading a journal entry from April 23, 2003:

Hating rastas (dread locks).  Loving them.  Hating them again.  Loving them even more.  Looking in the mirror - my appearance is hard to take.  They look SO horrid!

Awesomeness at Reed's Dairy and Idaho Falls, Idaho: A RoseBark Review

Looking for a pastoral getaway in the USA? And fresh, homemade, local ice cream? Look no further, humans, because Idaho Falls, Idaho and Reed's Dairy have got it handled. 

16 spoons and a $2.60 cone

I came out to Idaho to visit my cousin Jonathan.  Life is idyllic here - lush landscape, many local parks, inexpensive family activities, and an interactive community.

I anticipated being bored in this small town, but instead am overwhelmed with fantastic activities. I boated Ririe Reservoir on a pristine day with Crystal, Brian, and friends (the grill melted the plastic dock), I learned new skills playing disc golf at Freeman Park by Idaho State University (rained out), I found that Idaho Falls Nazarene is full of kindness (Bob's a great pastor and amusing speaker), I watched as a snake literally float down the Snake River at the Green Belt (and disappeared soon after), I took the short drive to Lava Hot Springs and had much fun (innertubing down river rapids, too!), and today I'm elated to have visited Reed's Dairy (about $2.60 for an insanely huge "single" scoop).

Thanks, cousin, for a being a fantastic host and friend.

On our way to Idaho...  Double-double animal style.

Sarah's Candy Cottage

---

This is an email I just sent Reed's Dairy. [edited]-


You are awesomeness.
I'm an Oregon gal, a land full of local dairies and delicious ice cream, and I can firmly attest that you are awesomeness.

Your pal Gavin told me I could taste every ice cream flavor you offer... And I did, except for the imminently icky pink bubble gum.  He helped me through all of the colorful tubs, one heaping spoonful lined up and ready for me to taste before I could finish the prior.  The girls told him to slow down - but his infectious enthusiasm and passion to show me your creations made everyone happy.
I tried all 17 flavors, and the photo proves it.  (Only 16 pictured - I could only make it through half the banana spoon before Gavin rescued me.)

To be honest, when he mentioned that he's the owners' son (or grandson?), I was delighted - this means you have a stellar advocate who is passionate for all you do.  What a blessing.

Thanks for a fantastic experience.
My cousin Jonathan and his friend Frank visit often, and guys like Gavin guarantee Idaho Falls locals will continue to "drag" in tourists like me.

Blessings -
Miss Rose

Your "private" information is everywhere online - Start removing it here.

At the end of this message you will find links to some of the larger data mining companies, and directions on how to remove your profile. 


I'd like to clue you in on an already giant establishment:  The information you deem private is often public.
And often you would prefer this information never be shown, much less be searchable in a dozen giant databases, and only costing $2 for any stalker to find. "Identity Management Companies" are considered the modern phone book, and they're offering any information you provide.

We know that the information we post on facebook is public.  But what about city and government records?  Any time you sign a document at the DMV, a marriage license, court records, county records, property documents with the city, loan documents, and a myriad of others, the information becomes public.  This used to be quite tedious to find someone by journeying to City Hall or the library's records, but online data giants have changed all the rules.

Stalk yourself for free here:  http://www.peekyou.com
Sites which give more information usually cost money.

It is easy, legal, and often free to find
Your full name
Address, former addresses
Age
Phone number
Email address
Online alias
...

Special invitation

How special and desired ought I feel if I receive a wedding invitation -via facebook- precisely 31 hours before the event?

"Not Attending."

Cute gesture, but something tells me I wasn't thought of four months ago when the paper invitations were sent via snail mail.  I'd rather not be a seat filler for the real guests who could not make an appearance.

A safe rule:  If you have a gift registry, your event is important enough to mail out paper invites.

Nonetheless, I cheerfully and genuinely congratulated the bride and groom.

Sephora service and employee Alyssa Magee: A RoseBark Review

To:  Sephora Client Services customerservice@sephora.com From: rose   Sent: Jul 17, 2011 3:41:09 PM  
Subject: compliment/complaint

Greetings!
I'd like to take a moment and tell you about a -beyond- stellar experience I had at your store in JCP in Salem Center, Salem, Oregon.

What made it great?   Two words: Alyssa Magee.  She was phenomenal.

I arrived to Sephora nervous; I'd not worn makeup in over a decade. She greeted me with cheerful warmth and I instantly relaxed. I needed assistance with makeup for an underwater photo shoot and was a fish out of water. She looked at prior uw photographs on my laptop, asked pertinent questions, and gave me solid advice on both product and method of application. THANK GOD I was gifted with her expertise! She patiently coached me through application, reapplication, and re-re-re-reapplication of the pink cheek blush (?).

I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized the sample container of makeup remover she gave me was nearly full.

I just finished a three day photo shoot. The pictures are stellar. The makeup worked nearly perfectly, the photographer is thrilled, and Alyssa is my hero.

Cambridge, day 2: Street Buskers, Babies, Bicycles, and Boredom

Goal for Sunday?  Dim-sum for lunch in Chinatown, of which the long walk/jog jaunt through the new student orientation at Harvard University and across Cambridge proved too long to arrive in time.  We enjoyed Korean kimchi and shabu shabu instead (!!!).

I happily watched an old, wrinkled, thin black man (missing all his front teeth) sing the blues and play harmonica in Harvard Square while I laid in the grass and enjoyed kids dancing.  It turns out he is Silas Hubbard Jr, a classic in the Memphis and Harvard communities.  Back-up?  David Johnston, acoustic guitar, a likewise loved artist from the former One Thin Dime.

Harvard Square (meaning more like a region in Harvard, not an actual plaza) is prime real estate for people-watching.  It is especially joyful because everyone here is truly enjoying themselves and content.  I have greatly enjoyed watching parents play with their children.  The people are homogenous in a new way; the races and nationalities are extremely diverse, but everyone seems to wear the same style of semi-casual, nice, clean-cut clothes.  I think I've seen two hippies and one redneck out of thousands.  It feels surreal.

On Sundays Memorial Drive is closed to cars, and throngs of families weave through each other as they enjoy the rich green landscape and the scenic Charles River.  I stopped for a lemonade, and for $2 two teens used Pellegrino water, freshly picked mint, strawberries, raspberries, and hand-squeezed lemon.  What a treat!  They'd just moved from Chicago because of their father's job, and were not selling lemonade to make money - they were simply bored.  What a show!

The late afternoon was spent racing around Fresh Pond Lake, a lush escape from the cute town and tourism.  I biked a little too fast in the mud puddles, and still need a shower before bed at 2 am...  :) Good thing the sheets are dark red!

(And dessert was the ever-delectable Finale chocolate (torte?... something amazing.))

I'm suffering deeply.

Cambridge, day 1

Crashed an elegant outdoor wedding
Enjoyed the prestigious Harvard Faculty Club (entered not knowing it was closed for the wedding)
Inaugurated into W.A.S.H. (Whisky Appreciation Society of Harvard)
Congratulated as a 2012 Nieman Fellow
Met amazing people, ate amazing food, smelled the flowers, walked the campus, and enjoyed my good friend and organic fresh local chocolate.

Photo bucket

OK, well, photo of flower bucket.
Today I brought home a bucket of flowers I cut for my roomie.  It was received with astonished eyes and awed delight.  I cut one of nearly every flower variety that grows at the home I grew up in.  The bucket of flowers created five unique bouquets. 

My dresser adornment.  I am a blessed woman indeed!