Nick’s “Good Riddance” Party

I’m leaving Bakersfield, forever, on Tuesday.  After I sent in my resignation letter Justin demanded that I have a Going-Away Party. He subsequently decided that it was a “Good Riddance” Party because he’s jealous I quit my job and get to do nothing all day.

My Horizon’s friends and some of my favorite people, all of them promised me that they are going to visit Seattle, and I will hold them to that promise:

Josh, Me, Saul, Dulce and Alicia

Jeff drove up from Los Angeles (which was awesome of him!) to join in on the fun. In this picture Jeff is telling Ryan about the animated Star Wars movie, he doesn’t realise that by 9 PM Ryan could barely remember his own name:

Ryan, Jeff

This is the first time we ever got Pat to come out with us! Javier got me some awesome “3rd world” rum, he said I needed to learn how to drink their drink if I’m going to go to Africa:

Pat (nice shirt!), Javier

Anna was wonderful. Her and Justin basically did everything and threw me a rockin’ party:

Anna was kind enough to let us destroy her home

Anna also showed us how to do shots of tequila (many, many, many times):

Go Anna go

Ryan and his dog P-nut, adorable:

Ryan, P-nut

Matt told me that he had a mysterious fiancee in Texas for the last two years and that he was getting married in July ’08. I was prepared to leave Bakersfield believing it was all a big lie, but he brought his wife Ashley and their two poodles, I now believe him:

Ashley, Matt

Jim was our bartender for the evening. He made awesome marguritas and white-Russians:

Jim will never admit that he makes a mean margurita

Kenan and I discussed politics, it got intense when he called me a Democrat and then said “it was a compliment”:

Me, Kenan

Ryan made another run at Jeff, trying to find out if there was anything about Disenyland he DIDN’T know:

How many children does Mickey have?

So, my “friends” pushed me into the water:

A good send-off

This is how I looked afterwards:

I pulled Justin in with me

I’m going to miss Ryan and his wife Jen, but not for long, they are coming to Seattle for the Seahawks vs. Cardinals in November:

Ryan left at 3 AM

Jen, she conspired with us to throw Ryan into the water, but we failed

Finally, Justin: my Going-Away “Good Riddance” Party was his brainchild. It was the best! I really appreciated everything he did to make my send-off memorable:

Justin, he doesn't get a better picture because he still threw me into a pool

 After everything was said and done even the Chihuahua’s were tired:

Exhausted

Thanks everyone!

Cymric Playlist

Before I forget to transcribe these from my work notebook, here is a list of songs from my playlist in Spring 2007 that I wanted to burn on to CD for the drive north:

1. Shadowplay by Killers
2. Everybody’s Changing by Keane
3. Say it Ain’t so by Weezer
4. Take Me Out by Franz Ferdanand
5. The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves
6. Summer Skin by Death Cab for Cutie
7. Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol
8. Soma by The Strokes
9. Run by Snow Patrol
10. Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis
11. Tell Me Baby by Red Hot Chili Peppers
12. 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins
13. Final Strawlist – Snow Patrol (sp?)
14. Shut Your Eyes – Snow Patrol

The Suppliants

I read The Suppliants by Aeschylus yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it–even though the style of writing required me to reread most of it 2 or 3 times.

I started out by determining that I didn’t know what the title of the play meant and looking up the definition of supplication: an act of humble prayer, entreaty or petition. This made sense once I got past the title.

Basically, this is the first of several plays about 50 maiden sisters, daughters of Danaus, who are asked to become the wives of their cousins the 50 sons of Aegyptus.

“But-since Aegyptus had decreed
His sons should wed his brother’s seed
Ourselves we tore from bonds abhorred”

 The maidens take flight to Argos to escape marriage and ask King Pelasgus to protect them. Their prayers and success is the plot.

“Find refuge at the hallowed altar-side,
the sanctuary divine,
Ye gods! such refuge unto me provide-
Such sanctuary be mine!”

I read the play on google books for free. And I also found some interesting analysis of it here.

Alaska: Out at Sea (Day 1, 2)

We boarded the Oosterdam on Saturday around 2 PM in eager anticipation of the expected departure from Seattle at 4 PM. After finding out that the ship’s numerous bars did not open until everyone aboard was checked off as having had the safety orientation my sister, grandmother, Janice and I went top-side:

Safety first

The rest of the evening was spent discussing whether my sister’s new tat was gang related or cult related:

She designed it

Day 2 was rough. The boat rocked all day like you might expect a whale watching boat to rock. A couple that my Mom met from Everett said that they had taken 40+ cruises and never experienced anything like it. Many people became ill, including this disgusting woman, who was ill in public, thus offending my Dad and the rest of humanity:

 

Get a room

An interesting side-note from the trip. I briefly went to an auction run by Park West. They claimed to have some rare pieces of art including a few by Picasso, Rembrandt and Salvador Dali. I recognized the names and when I saw the art I couldn’t tell if it was rare or not. A couple of days after we returned from Alaska I learned from the New York Times that this was a scam:

“Including the buyer’s premium, he had paid $24,265 for a 1964 “Clown” print by Picasso. He found that Sotheby’s had sold the exact same print (also numbered 132 of 200) in London for about $6,150 in 2004.”

The Park West asking price for this similar print by Picasso was $58,500, no one bid on it though:

Probably only worth $5,000

The evening of Day Two was spent preparing for the formal dinner. At dinner, I had Alaskan King Crab, asparagus and souffle, it was magnificent. Pictures of me and the family:

"We are old now"

Daddy, Nicky, Grandma, Mommy

Happy couple

Janice happily pointed out that my tie and her bow matched

A Message of Love

My friend Josh forwarded this to me. Apparently engineers at the evil oil company are a hot commodity.

—–Original Message—–
From: Agency Dating [redacted]
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 9:08 AM
To: SJVBU KR Operations Group
Subject: My name is Anastasiya to me 27 years

Hi my new friend!

I only wished to write to you the letter and to tell as in general my letter got to you! First I would like to speak a little about myself my name is Anastasiya to me 27 years I live in Russia to Kazan. All the others wash data and a photo in the appendix to the letter data. I was in agency of acquaintance and to me advised yours e-mail the address I do not know whence they him took but they gave me yours e-mail that I could have acquaintance to you. And I only wanted that you have spent about 10 minutes both looked my a photo and my data and received from you the answer you would like to have acquaintance to me or you only would not like this? Tell to me I so only the nobility it much would like. Also I shall wait much your answer. I started to search the man as to me very alone and 27 years and I do not have man if you wish to begin with me correspondence or easier to begin acquaintance tell to me your answer. I shall wait much!

I hope your new friend well I hope that I can become for you friend Anastasiya! Can you send me you photo and story life on my e-mail: [redacted]

P. S. My photo and all data are in archive. My e-mail: [redacted]

———————–

Attached to the e-mail was this photo:

So, umm, I guess I'm moving to Kazakstan

Bakersfield, Seek Help: Air Quality

I was out of town in Alaska and Seattle (pictures coming soon) July 2 – 14 so I missed one of the worst air quality stretches I’ve seen on this website July 7 – 10. Here is a sample:

The air blocked out the sun

For reference, the red is ‘Unhealthy’, people with lung disease and asthma, children, old people and anyone ‘active outdoors’ should avoid going out. The purple is ‘Very Unhealthy’, everyone should ‘limit outdoor exertion’.

Washington looks like this everyday:

Yummy, good air

Edit: further investigation reveals that I have been around for worse. Occuring June 27 (a Friday):

It's ok, I just played golf that day

Alaska: Prologue

I went to Alaska with my family July 5th – 12th. Internet on board the ship cost $100 for 250 minutes and my Blackberry was spotty so I’ll post pictures from the trip over the course of next week. I’ll try to do it in pseudo chronological order.

Today, lets recount the most endearing running joke of the trip: Janice missed the puppy.

Janice

 For reasons unknown she saw the puppy everywhere we went.

Cute, but it's a harbor seal

Pointy ears, but this one is a totem pole

I never forget who the real puppy is

Tortilla Flat

Love this passage:

“Pilon was a lover of beauty and a mystic. He raised his face into the sky and his soul arose out of him into the sun’s afterglow. That not too perfect Pilon, who plotted and fought, who drank and cursed, trudged slowly on; but a wistful and shining Pilon went up to the sea gulls where they bathed on sensitive wings in the evening. That Pilon was beautiful, and his thoughts were unstained with selfishness and lust. And his thoughts are good to know.

“Our Father is in the evening,” he thought. “These birds are flying across the forehead of the Father. Dear birds, dear sea gulls, how I love you all. Your slow wings stroke my heart as the hand of a gentle master strokes the full stomach of a sleeping dog, as the hand of Christ stroked the heads of little children. Dear birds,” he thought, “fly to our Lady of Sweet Sorrows with my open heart.” And then he said the loveliest words he knew, “Ave Maria, gratia plena—“

The feet of the bad Pilon had stopped moving. In truth the bad Pilon for the moment had ceased to exist. (Hear this recording angel!) There was, nor is, nor ever has been a purer soul than Pilon’s at that moment…

A soul washed and saved is a soul doubly in danger, for everything in the world conspires against such a soul. “Even the straws under my knees,” says Saint Augustine. “shout to distract me from prayer.”

…the soul capable of the greatest good is also capable of the greatest evil. Who is there more impious than a backstabbing priest? Who more carnal than a recent virgin?

Pilon, just back from Heaven, was, although he did not know it, singularly receptive of every bitter wind, toward every evil influence that crowded the night about him. True, his feet still moved toward Danny’s house, but there was neither intention nor conviction in them.”

 John Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat

Thanks Hugo

This picture proves two things. First, Hugo knows how to use photoshop. Second, parody of Ryan and my much mischaracterized relationship is reaching new levels. Umm, is this what our childern would look like?

Ryan gets my facial features, I get props for wearing argyle