Why would Arliss be my first name?

Today, 6:15 am.
Location: Gold's Gym counter.

Me: I forgot my card thingy today. Can I just give you my name?

Stupid fucking girl at the counter: Sure, what is it?

Me: Barrie Arliss. B. A. R. R. I. E A. R. L. I. S. S

SFGATC: Whoa, can you say that again?

Me: Sure, B. A. R. R. I. E. (longer pause) A. R. L. I. S. S

SFGATC: So, it's BARB....

ME: NO, B. A. R. R. I. E. ARLISS

SFGATC: It's not coming up. What is it again?

I look over, and she's been typing Barrie as my last name.

Me: Barrie is my first name.

SFGATC: OH, so what's your last name?

Me: It's I'm gonna kill you with the biggest knife I can find and feed you to the "homeless" 20 year old girl who asks me for change every day outside the QFC.

SFGATC: Cool, have a good workout.

Me: Thanks. Bye!

$

Last Wednesday I decided that I wouldn't spend any money until this Wednesday.

This is HARD.

I don't normally spend money really. I make my own lunch at home (and work when I have a job). I rarely ever eat out. I rarely ever shop for clothes. And I rarely ever buy little things like coffee or nail polish.

But still for some reason, not spending anything on anything seemed a little difficult on some days.

Like when we went on a hike and then our friend wanted to go to Georgetown for lunch. Normally, I even bring my lunch on these hikes but I was at Dominic's house where there's nothing but cereal and water. So I was moneyless and hungry.

But Dominic was nice enough to buy my lunch.

And then there was Trivia Night with friends, to which I accidentally had 2 glasses of wine. Once again, I looked at Dominic, like please. Just this once. He gladly did. Because he's nice like that. And we're pretty fair when it comes to who takes who out.

I think I'll take him to see Persepolis this week.

So, if it wasn't for those 2 hiccups I would've been fine. Luckily, the boyfriend came to the rescue and I didn't spend a dime (except for necessary groceries and needed bus rides).

Now, I'm off to buy pictures from my trip to Bogota and beyond!

The birthday.

So, last week I turned 29. It's kinda monumental because I'm this close to 30. And also because it's the first time in a few years where I actually had a boyfriend on this day.

The latter is really great, because it means no stupid parties. No, "let's all go out to a bar and celebrate, when really I just want to watch a movie by myself and take a bath and not have to explain why I don't want to go to a bar and celebrate."

I told Dominic what I wanted to do. Nothing special. I wanted to wake up and go to yoga. So I did that. And then I came home to the best surprise ever!!!





Not only are these my favorite cookies ever! But you can't find them ANYWHERE on the west coast. Seriously. I've been to every bakery in Seattle and only shot blanks. It's a shame really. These Seattlites don't know what they're missing.

He baked about 9 of them! And one really big one. They were so delicious and yummy in my belly. I gave 3 away. One got destroyed by the 29 candles and Dominic ate 2 or 3. That left me with 3-4 cookies to eat and it was a feat for sure. These are big, fucking cookies. They are like the size of my head. So it took me a week, but I finally ate the last one for lunch today. And it was still oh so good.

Ok, so where was I? Oh right, then we went to Pike Place to walk around because it was the best, sunny day ever. I bought a frame at one of my favorite furniture/boutique stores and a pair of pointy shoes that I'm kinda regretting now cause they hurt my feet. Then we went our separate ways so I could get a mani/pedi. I came home to a bath made out of a purple bath ball that Dominic got me and relaxed a little.

Then I decided I didn't want to eat at Coastal Kitchen, but instead I wanted sushi. Again, it's my day so I make up the rules.

We went to a place I hadn't been before, but always heard was good. And it was indeed. I drank a whole thingy of sake and went home, to which I got an hour lavander oil massage that made me pass out and drool (seriously). I woke up for a little while....

And then I opened the drawer that I always go to before I sleep for real. It has my lip balm and ear plugs (necessary for a street like mine and a boyfriend who snores) and my eye patch cover. Except, I saw a brand new eye patch cover! This one is all nice and clean, and not all stretched out and gross looking. This one is black and actually fits on my head!

Needless to say, from morning to night I had a very relaxing, enjoyable, filling birthday.

Should I do it?

Every day that I live in Seattle I love it a little more. And realizing that I won't get to work at the agencies I want to work at here (neither are hiring at the moment) is a little daunting. I'm still on the hunt in San Fran and Portland, but again I feel as though I could be holding my breath for quite some time.

And me being the antsy pantsy type, I start thinking of alternatives. I always wanted to write some kind of Graphic Novel (well, at least I did once I read Persepolis over a year ago).

But I also always wanted to own a vintage furniture store.

Although, now I think I want to actually do it and then some.

I was talkig with some knitters about this and how wouldn't it be great to have a place with cool furniture, coffee, tea, treats, yarn, books and maybe even a TV? They all agreed it would be fabulous.

So I wrote a little plan. Well, not really a plan. But an idea of a plan. And I'd love your opinion on it.

In my head this store would sell vintage furniture and yarn. It would have tables and chairs and couches. It would sell coffee and tea and donuts and treats. It would have a plethora of good magazines and newspapers. It would have TV where people can watch Oprah, Project Runway, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Lost and of course, the news. When the TV’s not on, I’d have KEXP or whatever is on my ipod at the moment. I’d have movie nights and play Anne of Green Gables. On Saturdays, I’d have Car Talk and Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me from NPR….

So now, I’m asking for opinions. Should I do something like this? Do you think this is something people would go to and buy things from me? Do you think I’ll go into major debt? I already owe way too much money from school, but I’m also very good with money. To do something like this, risking the fact that I could possibly go completely broke, is killing me.

I told my Mom an abbreviated version of this and I actually heard her heart sink. I know she thinks it's a horrible idea. I know she thinks I'll make no money and maybe even fail. I know she doesn't want me to make a mistake, because I've come far and I've been doing very well for myself.

But let's be realistic folks! I need your advice. I don't need nice. I need the truth.

And I also need money. And any helpful information.

With that said, I’ll be awaiting your comments.

It's like everyday is Saturday

There's definitely been a difference between being on vacation and being in Seattle. Now that I'm all rested and I visited friends all in one night and got my birthday out of the way, I'm like now what?

Well, here's what I do:

-Workout. This isn't anything new, but now I include yoga or pilates to my routine. It's something I always wished I had more time to do, and voila! Now I do.

-Play on the internet. This is something I do a lot of. Especially if it's crappy outside. I'm either looking for apartments or emailing perspective job people.

-Take a bath. I know I'm wasting tons of water, but it's just so damn relaxing. And what else do you do when it's raining all day long?

-Walk around.

-Think up ideas for Dominic to turn into websites.

-Get through the mail that piled up while I was on vacation.

-Start going through the apartment and eliminate some clutter. I really don't have much in the clutter department, but I always seem to find something to get rid of. And since I do have to move doing this is logical.

-See apartments. I'm trying to find the right one, but it's weird to look for a place when I know in my gut I could be moving immediately after that. But I have to. Just in case...

-Knit! I actually haven't done this since the plane ride home, but I'm going to visit some knitters tonight and eat poutine. I'm not quite sure what this cheese/fries/gravy combo is going to do to my stomach. I'm pretty sure bad, bad things. But I'm also a sucker for unusual food items so I'm compelled to try it.

And that's it. Sometimes it's boring, but most of the time it's pretty awesome. Don't get me wrong. I love working. Thinking shit up and laughing with people. My job is fun. But I also love doing whatever I want all day long, not really having a schedule and waking up at 7:30 am instead of 6.

28 and counting...

I'm back from a whirlwind of funness. In a matter of weeks I've been in Los Angeles, Seattle, Fort Lauderdale and Bogota. Whew.

But as a result of all my crazy adventures, I'm not sick, but I am tired. I decided that I'm not gonna look for a new apartment or job until I'm 29, which is on Sunday.

So with my birthday approaching I always like to reflect on what's happened and how I've grown that year. With that said:

-I visited, worked, played in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, The Everglades, Bogota, Eso (a very small town in Colombia), Madrid, Seville and a tiny city in Portugal called Tavira.

-My mom came to visit me for the first time in 4 years! I needed this. I loved her for flying all the way to Seattle. And loved her more for loving Seattle and actually slightly considering moving here one day. Even though I know she wouldn't be able to tolerate the cold, it's nice to know that she loved this city as much as I do.

-I camped at Mount Rainier and a few other breathtaking places around Washington.

-I discovered how much I really do love hiking. I went on so many canyons, trails, hikes, what have you, in Los Angeles that I decided I need to continue this path more in Seattle. Especially since around Seattle, there's like a trail just about everywhere.

-I started to knit so much more. And thanks to RAVELRY, I've met people just like me who understand that knitting is a cool, fun hobby and would never, ever make fun of me for doing it.

-I got to see my two dear friends get married.

-I talked to my dad twice. Neither conversations were great, but it was something I felt I should do. Beh.

-I got laid off! And couldn't have been happier. Since I found out, I haven't been too worried. I think I broke down on the first day from sheer shock of why me? But after that, I've been panic free. I've made money. I've totally landed on my feet. And I was just thinking that if this had happened to me 5 years ago, I might've acted differently, maybe insecure, maybe worried about how I'll be able to pay off loans, rent, credit cards. Now I feel relieved, refreshed, renewed. I've been given a chance to freelance, to think of maybe other things I want to do with my life, and also just relax. Not sure how long this work free life I'll be able to afford. Maybe a few more months? Half a year? But either way, getting the boot was the bestest. And I'm enjoying every minute of it.

-I met a boy, whom I like. A lot. He makes me laugh every day. And I hope I do the same for him.

-I talked my way out of two tickets this year!

-I found out I'm getting kicked out of my apartment due to a Subway system being built in its place. Some might think, god that fucking sucks. And in a way it does because this apartment has meant a lot to me. Not only is it just beautiful, but it's also my very first grown-up, no roommates allowed apartment. I got to decorate it how I want it, and I get to run around naked (even though I don't). The good news about this building getting demolished is that I'm getting lots of money because of it. I mean lots. So really I can't complain. Because moving from this perfect building is gonna pay off a student loan.

-I paid off my last credit card a month ago. It only took 7 years to go into $12,000 of debt and 3 years to pay it off. Now it's all gone and I don't regret any of it. I'm just glad I can put $600 more toward the principles of my 3 loans now.

-I tried Ethiopian food for the first time and LOVED it. Especially their wine. There's a great place across the street from me, and whenever I feel like something special I go there.

-I actually attempted to play tennis. I realized I suck at it, but still enjoyed running around, trying to hit balls.

-I fucking worked out with RICHARD SIMMONS!!!

-I watched less TV this year then ever before. Don't get me wrong. I'm still a fan of crap, but if I miss an episode I don't care as much. Life will still go on.

-I had an abnormal pap smear and was so happy to find out that nothing is wrong with me. At least in that area. For now.

-I didn't see any movies this year that I would want to own. I liked Juno and Pan's Labyrinth (was that this year?). And I especially love Juno's soundtrack, but honestly I've been unimpressed with movies in general for the last few years.

-I saw A LOT of music. Thanks to one of the clients at the old job, I received many perks. Free concerts, free shirts, free 3-day festivals, free private sessions with Camera Obsurca. But even beyond all that, being in Seattle means you're always surrounded by something good to listen to. And if I do move from here, I'll miss that so much.

-I went to a Stitch and Pitch! That basically means I actually went to a baseball game and enjoyed myself.

-I had an In and Out burger. I consider this fast food, which means this was the first time in maybe 4 years that I ate something that was wrapped in paper. And even though everyone told me that In and Out isn't technically fast food, I personally thought it was pretty gross and tasted just like any other fast food burger - it was all just in a cleaner environment.

-I laughed, cried and tried not to yell. I bought clothes not on sale, my first digital camera and an internet connection. I sold my first computer and got my first laptop. I've read countless books and decided that my new favorite is The Time Traveller's Wife. I saw Miranda July. I got into Vice and Giant Robot more. I cooked. I threw up. I got sick again. And then again. I found my grandpa's United States Navy card and saw my mom's name on a tombstone. I went to the Puyallup Fair and Maris Farms to watch pigs race. I dealt with a guy who had a crush on me. I gambled. I attempted dating on the internet. I danced. I saw old friends. I got bruises and cuts and scars that won't disappear. I noticed wrinkles. I smoked on the roof of my apartment building and saw a fox on Mount Rainier. I saw waterfalls and helped Dominic eat a damn good cherry pie at the Twin Peaks diner. I got drunk. I fell down. I rode bikes and ran for 30 straight minutes without totally losing my breath. I kissed and loved and had a grand ol' time.

And I can't wait to see what 29 brings me.