Florida

The one state I don't want to go to.
I strongly dislike hot weather, sun, water, sharks, weird bugs, planes, etc.






One of my best friends, Adriaan, moved there about 2.5 years ago.
We write letters and call, but still miss each other terribly.
In December, to our delights, he came to Seattle and stayed with me for a few days.
So, at the end of April, I'm going to go to Florida and stay with him
(and also see Jack White playing with The Dead Weather)!

Now, I find myself terribly excited to go!
To see my dear friend again,
but also, because of the change of pace this will bring in my life:

1- I never get to travel.

2- I've been dying my hair black for the last 5 years,
and Adriaan's going to get my hair Jean Harlow platinum (if not, then red)!

3- Because their weather is opposite of Seattle,
I'm happily overwhelmed when I think of all the plants, flowers, birds, smells, buildings, people, clubs
that I've never seen/felt/heard/smelled before!


(this incredible bird only lives in Florida. of course, it's their state bird)






4- Adriaan's birthday is April 24th, and mine is April 30th.
That week can be the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

5- I want to eat shark.
I've vegan, but they've been a huge phobia of mine,
so, I would like to have the upper hand, and digest some of it's flesh.





So afraid of sharks, am I, that I wouldn't even swim with adorable dolphines.




5- Spending time alone on the plane.
Just read or write or sleep or think or listen to music
or DO NOTHING and allow my mind to unwind.

and
6- I get to drive for an hour or two.
I awfully miss the zen of driving.
We're going to rent a car,
since we're by Tampa, and The Dead Weather show is in Orlando.


Last night, I bought my first swimsuit in about 17 years.
Looking forward putting it on, strolling the beach with one of my favorite people,
drinking wine, laughing, and watching the sunset.
Where are the gators?! Bring on a (little?) hurricane!
...Oh my god, what a paragraph! ...Goodness, I've changed already...

Zooey Deschanel

First saw her in Almost Famous, and I never forgot those incredible eyes.
When she played Dorothy Gale in in SciFi Channel's Tin Man,
with that honest, open face, and her mono-tone voice,
I realized how much presence she has....
Reading up on her, I found out she's got amazing style,
a love for vintage, and a band (She & Him) I cannot wait to hear.
Last night, I surprisingly immensely enjoyed the film The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Got a couple of her other movies/albums on request at the library.
I can't believe I haven't seen Yes Man yet.
In high school, I always saw a Jim Carrey movie the very day it came out.

Robert Cornelius

On Saturday, I was browsing the book section at Goodwill on Capitol Hill,
and I came across this photo on the cover of a US history book.



It stunned me.
The dust jacket only said, "front cover: self-portrait by Robert Cornelius, 1839."
I feverishly flipped through the book for about 20 minutes,
but I couldn't find anything in there written about him.

Today, here's what I could find online;

- written on the back; "the first light-picture ever to be taken. 1839."
- this is considered the first photo of a human ever to be produced.
- it was taken outside his family business in Philadelphia.
- he was a lamp maker, chemist, metallurgist, scientist, businessman, and ventriloquist.
- one of the only descriptions that exist of him, says he was a man
"who has more genius than he yet supposes himself to possess."

The limited information is certainly frustrating!
But at the same time, the lack documentation makes me more cherish every detail I can find,
and what remains recorded, is quite intriguing.

...
Reminiscent of my infatuation with the mysterious Lewis Powell,
which also started with an incredible photo (below, 1865)