New hoopty, new digs, new published freelance piece, newfound talent for whipstitch. What the hell is going on?

Could it be a quaterlife crisis for our audacious protagonista? Nah – just a weird alignment of the stars that put everything into a tight-knit tailspin of a timeline. I have mentioned before, though, that I thrive on absurd schedules and abundant chaos, so I find myself quite entertained. Now let’s scrape the glitter off this brew-soaked past week and see what she really looks like.

New hoopty:

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She’s a 1986 Honda Accord purchased for 500 beans and complete with child and pet mementos from the last owner. A little clean up, and she will be just what I need: a gas-efficient method of transport for groceries and visitors through the rainy Sitka streets. All she’s missing is a windshield wiper, a tailpipe/muffler and a name. I’m thinking El Tesoro de Oro (The Golden Treasure), but I am accepting suggestions.

(Update: She is officially dubbed Screamin’ Bea Arthur.)

New digs:

I was very happy in the cozy cabin with all its wood and loft and deck. My most long-term home in quite a while, it set the scene for some good memories: Bitches That Knit, after parties, football games, Thanksgiving, 2-dimensional Christmas trees. Despite its heinous wallpaper and its $300/month winter heat bills, I will remember the cabin fondly.

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R.I.P. sweet cabin view

In fact, I will probably gaze nostalgically up the hill whilst sipping a sasparilla near the firepit at the new beachfront bungalow.

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Hello new view (and pile of wood waiting to be burned)

It’s only a half mile away, but the sunlight is abundant, and there is so much more to see (like the Coast Guard helicopter drills currently in progress). I am planning a birthday party/housewarming for November 7th. I will expect your presence if you are in the Sitka metro region. It was intense moving everything on the 1.5 days it wasn’t raining, it was poorly timed with the Alaska Day festivities, and there were the overlapping rent payments on both places, but neener-neener views like these justify all the hassle:

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New published freelance piece:

The Capital City Weekly in Juneau asked me to write a piece about Sitka’s unique and exuberant Alaska Day celebration. It came out yesterday with this headline: Sitkans don a kaleidoscope of costumes for Alaska Day (click to read the story), and they used three of the pictures I sent them.

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One they didn’t use

To my reporter and editor friends who do this on the daily, I salute you. (Now plug your eyes, and don’t listen to me be a weenie). Writing on a deadline is hard! The biggest day of festivities is Sunday and though normal deadline is Friday, they gave me until Monday morning to get it all in.

I did it, and the pressure felt good. It felt really good to see my byline in print again. I very much appreciate the steady (non-writing) work that has been available to me in recent months, but nothing gives me quite the same satisfaction as writing. They offered me freelance work in their paper through November, so I will have even more reason to stay on a healthy wordage regimen.

Newfound talent for whipstitch:

Ok, that’s kind of a lie. I am slow and clumsy at sewing, but it is for the good of the Halloween costume group I found myself invited into. To make them proud and to complete 1/20 of the needed needlework, I am sewing like a sonofabitch. I don’t know how hush it all is, so I will leave you with just a small peek at my progress. Here is a hint: I will be dressed as my spirit animal.

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