Monday, Monday, Monday

This weekend was kind of a whirlwind! Saturday morning came way too soon, meaning I was up and working by 6am. I worked the Ballard market for about 3 hours and then my grandmother kidnapped me and took me to Sammammish to visit my uncle and his family. It was good to see them, but I was a little stressed out that day from lack of sleep and lack of information (I didn't know I was being whisked away so suddenly and have a serious character flaw when it comes to going with the flow.).

Sunday was Pike Place Market again, which was in full swing and fully annoying. Don't get me wrong, Pike is a fun market and an integral part of Seattle's history, but Sunday I had a trifecta of unfortunate situations leading to a frustrating day. First, by the time I arrived there weren't enough tables left for me to fully enclose my booth. This means that all day I had tourists wandering through my booth (which includes boxes of delicate fruit, my personal belongings, and my cash box), sitting on a bench I had snagged to try to enclose my area, etc. Second, I had no neighboring farmer to my left, so tourists were camped out there all day which caused me to have even less security and almost no barrier between myself and my customers/passers by. Third, the neighbor to my right was very busy tending to customers and a small child who I think is her cousin or niece. FOURTH, I was directly across from the world's first Starbucks so there was always a massive crowd of people in front of it taking pictures, asking me about it's history (I DON'T KNOW!), etc but NOT buying my produce! The end result was poor sales, constant stress about being robbed, and no opportunity to sneak away to grab lunch or use the bathroom. Needless to say I was VERY GRUMPY when my grandparents picked me up at the end of the day.

However, after all that mess I got to attend the Incredible Feast. It's a fundraiser for the Seattle Farmer's Markets where farmers' goods are honored by famous chefs using their goods to cook a dish. Then everyone gets to wander around and try little bits of each dish. I left there having eaten an incredible variety of foods and barely able to walk or keep my eyes open from exhaustion and fullness.

So today is Monday and my day off. I get tomorrow off too! I spent today sleeping in and then took the bus from West Seattle to the U District to enjoy some Fallafel and Bubble Tea. I also watched the latest episode of True Blood and am now camped out in the U District library trying to fill out my visa application forms. The forms aren't difficult but they're really stressing me out! It must be the knowledge that one forgetful moment could make next Thursday extremely stressful and possibly disasterous. So I've decided to print fresh copies of everything, find all possible information and then sit down and fill it out very, very slowly. I'm also going to keep a few blank copies with me when I go to the consulate for my appointment just in case I need to make a change or something. *sigh*

Well, that's about it for today. This is my last full week of work. I fly to DC next Wednesday bright and early! My visa appointment is Thursday morning then Leigh and I have a couple of days to enjoy DC (national zoo, national mall, a few museums, good food, and shopping) before heading to Ferrum for a long visit with my parents. I'm really looking forward to this time at home before heading to France, but for now I need to focus and do a lot of good work until I fly out and continue to enjoy my stay here in Seattle.

Friday Off Again

Ah, a day off. So nice. Fridays are a real blessing with this job because Wednesdays are long days, Thursdays are shorter but require more physical labor and Saturday and Sunday are really tiring (8-10 hours each with early mornings). This week was kind of tough. The markets were slow and I didn't make much money at any of them, meaning I didn't sell much. My hourly rate is the same always, but I hate not selling a lot because I feel bad for my grandparents. Plus I know that a few days later I'll have the joy of sorting through rotting fruit in the cold room that didn't sell in time.

I also got yelled at a few times by unappreciative shoppers and some people have been complaining about the produce because they fail to understand that market shopping is different from grocery store shopping. People sometimes think I'm there to serve their every whim and fail to realize how rare and difficult it is for family organic farms and selling at local markets. Then the little voice in my head reminds me that I'm a lawyer and twice as educated as most of the people I'm serving, which just infuriates me more. As a general rule I like to think everyone is equal and should be treated with respect, but when others fail to respect me at least a little bit and treat me like a servant I tend to get up on my high horse and it just makes me more angry than I was before.

Anyway, Fridays are much needed and highly appreciated. I really have no plans for today except to run a few quick errands and use the free WiFi at Seattle's Best Coffee on 4th Ave (with purchase of a coffee, of course, 'cause I'm classy like that).

This whole not having internet at home thing is growing on me. I get to check my email and do other internety things about twice per week, so I'm starting to appreciate it a little more. I also spend less time thinking "I'm bored, I'll check my email for the 4,000th time today." I really don't get that much email to validate checking it so often, but having internet so sparingly does make it a little more difficult to take care of business. For example, my Hollins.edu email account isn't working for some reason (I can't log in) and even after the Hollins IT gurus took a stab at it I still can't log in. Hopefully they'll get that under control soon so I can check the only email account where I still get personal messages from friends.

So far today I've just hung out at SBC and watched True Blood from last week (which streamed MUCH better here than at that library), but I anticipate finding something fun to do this afternoon. Most likely I will buy some See's Candy and get some lunch and maybe do a little window shopping. I might also take a bus to the U District to revisit my old stomping grounds. I've been to the U District once since coming to Seattle but I was working and didn't leave the vicinity of the farmer's market.

My grandpa Jim and his wife Chris came to visit me from Spokane on Monday and Tuesday. I hadn't seen my grandfather in over 3 years and hadn't seen Chris in at least 5 years. We spent a lot of time catching up, ate really good food, and explored West Seattle and Ballard a little bit. They also took me to get a haircut, which I REALLY needed. It looks great, by the way. A slightly different style than I had before but I think I like this one a little better. It's still a faux-hawk type cut but a bit softer and easier to style without looking too much like a punk (I always felt like a poser with my hair up in the middle because I'm such a dork and not a punk at all).

I have about 10 days left in Seattle before flying to DC. I have so much to do! Aside from working, I still need to fill out my forms for my visa and continue brushing up on my French, which I have done minimally to this point. I also need to rehome a lot of my clothes and books so I don't have to check so much luggage or at least make it a bit lighter.

Well, I think I've loitered here long enough and should start enjoying my day in the big city. First stop is some lunch, then who knows? I'm going to steer clear of Pike Place though, I've had enough of that place until Sunday.

internet tv

OK, I'm at the public library trying to watch True Blood on my computer. the WiFi here is so slow that it has taken me almost an hour to watch 27 minutes of the show. This is almost maddening. I guess I'll just have to look into renting this whole series when it becomes available on DVD. I hope I can stream it on Netflix while I'm in France or else it's going to be a loooooonnnnggg 7 months without American TV and a crazy ass catch up of watching TV when I get home.

A Very Seattle Day

After my blog yesterday I found myself at the slowest farmer's market day yet. Most people stayed home because our beautiful sunny morning turned into a cold and rainy afternoon. The people who did come out were less than desirable, including an odd man who insisted on eating his powdered sugar pastry while leaning over our boxes of peaches on display. I had the pleasure of dusting off all surfaces of our display tables after he left- oh joy! The day picked up though, because it seems that farmer's markets transform into swap meets when the rain drives customers back into their homes. By the end of the day I had swapped my way into a hot veggie quesadilla, a tray of blueberries, a loaf of homemade bread and a mini blueberry pie. This, in addition to the stuff I have at home from less glutinous swapping days has me well set for fresh, organic food for the next several days!

Today I had my first real day off in Seattle, though I did work a little bit at home this morning and I will probably have to work a little bit this evening too... but it is still a day off because I got most of the day to play in the city.

Anyway, after doing some lifting and storing of fruit this morning I got a ride downtown with Marc, my grandpa's main man for market sales. He took me to Alki to see the beach across from the famous Seattle Skyline, which was gorgeous! There was a clear view of downtown, a beach, boardwalk, fun restaurants and cute houses. I'm so happy we took that detour. After fighting traffic for a bit Marc dropped me off in front of the Central Library, a favorite place of mine. After running to the bank I found a little teriyaki place in the basement of an espresso shop where I got a yummy chicken lunch. I then high-tailed it to See's Candy to spoil myself with $2.15 worth of yummy chocolate (which translates to about 4 pieces and a free piece to sample, not bad, eh?). After a bit of window shopping at Anthropologie (which I'm having trouble resisting in spite of my better angels), I made my way back to the library stopping at Seattle's best for some coffee to accompany my See's Candy.

Next on my itinerary is the library itself where I will make full use of the free WiFi to catch up on episodes of True Blood (I don't have internet at the house) and check emails and websites to my heart's desire. I need to be back in West Seattle by about 6:30 to unload this week's supply of apricots and peaches, but after a day like today I really don't mind. Tomorrow and Sunday will be tough, as they always are. My weekend days start early and end late, especially if I'm working Pike Place Market on Sunday, but that's OK because it's fair pay and you can't beat Seattle farmer's markets for people watching entertainment.

Now that I'm about halfway through my Seattle time this summer I can safely say that this has been a wonderful experience. I've really enjoyed my work and my play time. I'm feeling revivdd after my bar exam marathon and am now able to look forward to the next year of my life in a real way. As a side product, my love for this city has been completely renewed. Perhaps Leigh and I will find ourselves here full time after a spell in Alaska or at the very least coming down for frequent business or pleasure trips. The bottom line is that I seem to have been built for the Pacific Northwest.

work, work, work

not a lot has happened since I last posted. I spent a few days at the farm and worked a bit there. I hoed about an acre of pepper plants and herb gardens, which took 6 hours of hard labor. My hands still hurt, my back aches, and my legs are sore but I got a bit of a tan, burned calories, and made money so who am I to complain?

I was supposed to spend this week in Rock Island playing farmer, but at the last minute was sent to Seattle to cover a few markets. I guess somebody called in sick or something, I'm not sure.

Anyway, I'm staying at the Seattle house by myself this week, which is really nice. I've been cooking and doing laundry and generally chilling out. Today I'm selling at the lake city market north of Seattle, which is fine. Not the best neighborhood but the market goes by pretty fast and I have a co-worker to help today. I get tomorrow off (yay!) which is so very exciting. I coudl really use a day to enjoy the city, eat something I didn't cook (I'm a terrible cook), go to the library downtown and maybe stop in for some See's candy. I might even take some picture sto post one of these days since the weather has been so great and the city is in full form these days. Sounds like a great day, eh?

Another set of grandparents are visiting from Spokane on Monday and Tuesday, which is uber exciting. I haven't seen my grandpa for over 3 years and I haven't seen my step-grandmother Chris in at least 5 years. I suspect we'll have a lot of catching up to do, will probably hang out with my little cousins and get dinner out. Who knows what else, but it's always a good time with my grandpa Jim and Chris.

However, I have failed to start re-learning French and I have neglected the books I"m trying to read this month. I'm always so tired from working hard and just want to eat something and then pass out at the end of the day. There's a certain unique satisfaction to being that tired, but I wish I had a little more time or energy for other leisure activities.

At this point I'm just over 2 weeks away from returning to the east coast. I'm starting to get pretty homesick for Leigh, my dad's house, and familiar surroundings in general. It will be really nice to have a few weeks to do nothing but prepare for France and visit with the most important people in my life. I also really miss my cat.

Well, I should get a move on it. The market calls.....

Seattle Farmers Markets, Rock Island Farming

I flew from Anchorage to Seattle last Monday on a red-eye. It was easily the most uncomfortable way to travel a would-be 3 hours by air. My overnight flight involved a delayed departure, layover in Salt Lake (which lasted the 5 minutes it took me to run from one gate to another) and a flight to Seattle. Needless to say I crashed as soon as I got to my grandparent's house in West Seattle.

I started working on Wednesday, selling organic fruit and products at farmer's markets. It's a really great job with fair pay, lots of hours, and a pretty busy environment so the hours go by fast. It's hard work too, so I'm getting tons of exercise and enjoying being outdoors. I'm also sleeping really well because I'm so tired at the end of the day and it's so nice being with family again.

My cousin Paul was in Seattle on business at the end of last week, so I spent my days off with him. We ate good food, drank local beer, visited the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project, which I'd never done in spite of having visited/lived in Seattle on a many occassions. We also got together with a friend from my BarBri class and her sister for dinner and drinks, which was really fun. It was great to see him and have someone to enjoy the city with.

After a long weekend of working farmer's markets I accompanied my grandfather to the farm in Rock Island last night. My grandma and I have plans to visit my cousin and her new baby tomorrow and I always enjoy my time at the farm. On the off chance there is extra work around the farm today or tomorrow I will get some extra hours in, too, but if not I'll just enjoy my two days off here in the desert surrounded by orchards on the banks of the Columbia River.

It's been a bit of an adjustment since arriving. In Anchorage I had a certain routine and many restrictions to what I could do due to several factors. I was also starting to make some really great friends in Anchorage and will be happy to pick up those friendships again when I return next to Alaska next year. In Seattle I've been able to reconnect with family and make a few new friends at the markets. Not studying every day is very odd right now, but I'm reading for pleasure a lot and soon I'll start doing a home study refresher course in French. I also have very limited access to the internet, which is a pain in the ass but is teaching me patience at the same time. I also have more personal space at the house in West Seattle and more access to creature comforts. Plus I get to do cool stuff like trade our family's produce for fresh salmon and vegetables at the markets. In all I'm very glad to be here this month before returning to the east coast and preparing to go abroad.

Back to work on Wednesday! Until next time...

Final Days in Anchorage

The last two days have been kind of rough. The time period immediately following the bar exam seems to be kind of depressing and emotionally abrupt. The first day I stayed in bed a tiny bit hung over and pretty much didn't leave my room for feeling blue. Yesterday was even worse. I felt a little crappy physically and just couldn't face the world. Then I started getting hungry and decided to quit feeling sorry for myself.

After a few phone calls, two friends from my Bar Bri class and I had decided to get dinner at the Moose's Tooth. It was so nice to have a good meal and good company and to get out of the house. It really gave me the jump start I needed. After dinner one of my dinner companions and I went to Barnes & Noble to look at books we actually wanted to read (i.e. nothing published by BarBri) I ended up leaving with Rick Steves' France after a bit of insistence that I needed a comprehensive book on France for next year. I refrained from buying anything more because my grandmother has promised me a stack of books awaiting me in Seattle and I'm also trying to downsize my life right now, not buy more heavy stuff to haul around the world with me.

Tonight I fly to Seattle via Salt Lake City. I know what you're thinking, "But Emily, why on Earth would a person in Anchorage need to fly all the way to Utah to eventually wind up in Seattle?"

Well my friends, Delta Airlines is managed by imbeciles. In fact, the only Delta flight that leaves Anchorage daily leaves at 1am. The whole thing escapes reason...

Anyway, tonight I'm heading down south. I'll land in Seattle at 9:30am tomorrow morning. I have not started packing or doing much other than reading my new book (yay!), so I should probably get on that pretty soon. I keep forgetting how much trouble I had fitting all my crap into my two bags and keeping the weight under 50 lbs.

It is at this point that I would like to apologize for the general lack of photographs on this summer's posts. I literally only left the house to attend class and take the one little excursion to the valley. Rest assured I will have more fun in my life very soon that I will document in Seattle, my visit to the east coast, and certainly in Europe.

Well, I have no finished my leftover pizza from Moose's Tooth and must now start thinking about packing up and heading out. Next stop, Seattle...my favorite major city in America!