Moving

Well, it is finally happening. Today I am finishing my move into Seattle. It will be nice to be in a place where I can meet up with friends easier, walk to bars, etc. However, I do end up giving up a lot of things too. Moving over the water means it will take longer to get to nice east-side rural areas to ride (and also means I have to ride on heavier trafficed roads for at least a little bit to get anywhere by bike), I have to leave the much larger home of my parents to move into a smaller apartment, my cat won't have the domain to roam and also lose my parents to play with (which he does a lot), and other little things. I figure that with any moving situation, these little faults of the new location in comparison will soon fade away as I become more accustomed to living there. I'm sure my cat will enjoy playing with his other cat friends again, and I am sure that being more freely able to hang out with friends will be nice for me too. Just need to actually get out there.

In other news, my new computer is finally up and running, which is wonderful since it means not having to worry about random shut-off while I am doing something, or losing messages from IMs when I leave my computer unattended. nice. It is also a lot faster than before and has more storage so I can mess around with playing more games and doing stuff in photoshop again.

Finally, working on getting a newe job going. Still haven't heard back from Emet's people about the potentially favorable job with Take 2, but I still hold out that I'll hear from them (Emet said I would be an ideal candidate for them anyway). So, hopefully I'll have a job soon. Until then, I guess I will go through a lot of my stuff and decide what I actually need to keep and what I should sell or toss. I also figure I'll help my parents clean up their house for awhile. Now that all the kids are moved out, seems like it is time to straighten things up a bit.

Well, thats pretty much the news. My new bike is coming soon, and that will be quite wonderful. Just have to wait until I can get to riding it though... Ok, time to go make some waffles. Ciao

Snow Madness

Well, looks like I was right. Despite the fact that I can't actually remember a time when it snowed on Christmas before, it happened this year. In fact, I think it snowed most of the week! Like all of you, I am sure that after having to dig out your driveway for the 3rd or 4th time, the snow really lost some of its magic. It probably also didn't help that I didn't really play in the snow at all because I was either playing games on my computer (not much time left until I build that new one and don't have to deal with this constant restarting) or doing things with my family (although I guess maybe when I am shoveling snow that could be considered playing if you were a sadist). Anyway, I enjoy the snow but am ready for being able to leave the house and drive on the roads (hopefully without having some idiot crash into me).

Christmas came and went, and I think it was pretty nice this year, even though the weather made shopping and stuff a bit of a chore (in fact I still need to order my sister's gift and probably get a bit more for my brother too). I got a lot of cool stuff, and luckily they were more big-ticket items than small stuff (which is good since I have to move again soon and I don't really need all the little things I have collected over the years). Can't wait to get riding and use my new jerseys. Izzy got some snacks and a little cat toy which he is loving, although I still hate to take him from my parents since they really have gotten used to his charming personality. Maybe they will want a cat of their own sometime...

Well, can't think of anything else, so I hope you all had (or are still having) a great holiday and are not stuck in snow or getting carried away by the "massive flood" from the melting snow. Ciao

Addicted to Love

Short blog about a movie (just a heads up folks)

So, I just watched the film Addicted to Love starring Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan. I guess I have seen part of this movie before because I remembered little things like them watching the other couple out of a camera obscura, and the derelict building, but I had never seen the entire film before. Overall, i'd say maybe 9/10, but I really like this movie. A little cold hearted and black-comedy to be a chick flick, but it is in essence a romance film (not that there is anything wrong with that). Meg Ryan plays her part as the angsty motorcycle-riding artsy photographer quite well, and Matthew is the good-natured booksy astronomer. Acting was great, and you really fall into the characters. Anyways, great film, and if you are looking for something to watch alone, with a loved one, or in company, I think you could do a lot worse than to check out this one. Hope you like it.

White Winter

Snow. Funny that it always ends up snowing the most when you don't have the opportunity to enjoy it. After warning of the impending conditions for the majority of Wednesday, "Blizzard 2008" held off until very early morning of Thursday. And Blizzard it was. I woke up to a fresh coating of about 4 inches which is massive for the Seattle area (although barely a sprinkle in places like Minnesota which spend time in this weather in shorts [see recent How I Met Your Mother]). During the day, the white continued to fall, which was pretty cool since I had forgotten how cool it was to look out into the woods covered in snow. Took some pictures (something I still need to get loaded onto a computer... sorry) and spent a lot of time watching the white world. A little before noon I shoveled the gate to the neighborhood a little so we could prop it open (so anyone who had driven out could make it back home) and it is surprising to me about how acclimated I am to the weather now, since not a month ago I was in Venice being chilled by weather not nearly so cold. Odd.

I kind of want to race around through the woods on my mountain bike. Maybe tomorrow that will have to happen. Especially considering the fact that it might snow even more Saturday night. Quite the snow for Redmond this season. A white Christmas might even be a possibility. How fun would that be (except for, you know, the whole relatives coming over and potentially getting stuck in a ditch kind of thing...) And my brother, stuck over in Pullman finishing his quarter at WSU has to deal with getting over the pass to come home tomorrow. Hope he can get over (I need him to tell me what he wants for a gift still!).

Well, I hope you (reader) are either able to venture around or snowed in with loved ones so that you might best enjoy this time. Sorry I haven't been able to see everyone yet (since getting back to Seattle), and if I don't see you soon, hope you are having a good winter!
Play in the snow now, why don't you?

Snow Drift

Back in the Northwest, I am happy to say that winter actually exists (although apparently since leaving Rome it has entered the monsoon season [which i think is usually a spring thing...], but that still isn't winter...). The weather is crisp, and yesterday/overnight it has snowed! Always fun walking around and listening to the crunch of ice under your feet. We also went out into Snoqualmie and bought a Christmas tree yesterday! Now we just need to clean off all the snow and get it into the house... haha, that might have to wait a little while.

The other day I was heading into Seattle to meet up with my roommate Mark and some of our friends to see My Name is Bruce, which was playing at the Varsity theater. The movie was funny in typical b-movie way, and the best part was that the Man himself was there and fielded a few questions after the film! Awesome. The FUN part of my story comes earlier though. After getting home from Europe, I found out that my car had just sat the entire time I was gone (should have figured and disconnected the battery before I left...) and as a result, completely dead. So, Thursday evening as well as much of Friday was spent charging the thing, and finally I got it going to head to the Sandpoint Gallery to visit my friend Kristen and see the show she had going. Little did I remember that you can't drive from Redmond to Seattle between the hours of 6am and 8pm without getting stuck in traffic. Nice, but it gets better. Somebody decided to break their car toward the bridge, and as a result I spent 3 HOURS waiting to get to Seattle. So, as much I was wanting to see Kristen and her art, that plan died. And with the movie that we had pre-purchased tickets for at 7pm, I almost missed that too, getting to my apartment at 6:35! Needless to say, I was not happy with how traffic had treated me. Just another reason I can't wait to get on the bike again.

Final pieces of info; Went wine-tasting yesterday and saw all my parents' friends (and answered "how was Rome?" like 10 times...), finished downloading some cycling films that I am looking forward to seeing, and today I am baking (so I plan to make some tasty granola and some go-lean crispy bars!

Hope you guys are all having a good mid-December! Ciao!

Settling In

Being home, it is amazing at which the rate of routine takes hold. Familiarity sweeps over, and things become second nature again. Even though I was gone for nearly 3 months, I had no problem navigating these places I was so accustomed to. After a day of relaxing and doing little chores around the house (like cleaning up my luggage) I went out to dinner to meet up with my roommate and good friend Mark, and my other good friend Kyle. It is good to see familiar faces and while we talked quite a bit, it is becoming obvious that there is a lot of catching up to do! Friends have moved around, my work-buddy-turned-friend Carson bought a new sweet car (gotta check it out sometime, this guy just keeps getting new cars...), people have drifted apart a little. So many changes!

After dinner we went to the Best Buy to pick up some cheap shit and also ran into Mark's gf and my other roomy Aly. After the blow of surprise at seeing me, we chatted about when I am moving in and other little things about the apartment. It will be interesting to move over, and be back in Seattle (which will be nice for hanging out with friends, but likely be worse for getting in good rides and also commuting to work...). Speaking of work, I am currently updating the old resume and throwing together a nice little portfolio for the jobs I can hopefully get interviews for (thanks Emit and Matt!).

Glad to be home, now I just need to get everything rolling smoothly again!

Homecoming

This is my official last post from Italy. This isn't the end though, as I have decided to continue the blog stateside, and just let people have a little insight into my life. I finished packing yesterday, and managed to haul all my gear over to the Rome Center, so life is pretty smooth sailing. We had a final group meal yesterday and many of us said our goodbyes. It has been a great few weeks and I am happy that I had the chance to meet some of these people, and also I have been veery happy with the support that the faculty have given me. One of the students, Cliff, recently put together a website that covers the final show including pictures and video. http://despeaux.com/saprxiv/SAPR_Final_Show/Main_Floor.html
I think that the show went pretty well, and it was nice to finish the project.

I am ready to be home, and I keep thinking of what I will do and what I want to see, and all those crazy things. Obviously I will be a little out of it, since I get into Seattle at the equivalent of like 1am here in Rome. But, I should be able to catch some zzzs on the plane so hopefully it won't be too hard to make it through the evening. Once i am back on track I kinda want to pedal around a little (obviously nothing crazy since i've been out of saddle for awhile), and I also want to spend time with my family. Friday I guess I am going to a movie in Seattle with Mark and some other friends, so maybe I will figure out a way to make Friday my friend day or something. You know, catching up and shit.

Rome and Italy in general has been great. I loved Brussels. I wish I could have found a place that sold jerseys here, but at least I will be coming back with my sweet treasure one. I can't wait to get back into pace at home. I have to set up interviews for jobs and also make sure my graduation is all in order. I also can't wait to see Izzy and also just be with my parents and my brother. I miss all my friends, but at the same time I will miss the people I've come to know here. I guess there are plans to keep in touch, so we will see how they go. I am coming home. Every minute is a step closer. Can't wait!

Finally, here is a cool video I found the other day of one of my favorite cyclists, mr Jens Voigt. I love the part where he talks about his body and his brain. I completely know the feeling, and his way of talking about it just made me smile. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UncELpyKQLU

Alright. See you all soon. Ciao!